AU2001100078A4 - Improvements to a meter enclosure containing switch gear - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 IINOVATION PATENT APPLICATION Invention Title: Improvements to a Meter Enclosure Containing Switch Gear Applicant: B R Enclosures Pty Ltd This invention is described in the following statement: IMPROVEMENTS TO A METER ENCLOSURE CONTAINING SWITCH

GEAR

FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention is directed to an insert which can be inserted into a meter enclosure and which facilitates entry of multiple power cables into the meter enclosure. The invention is also directed to a meter enclosure having this type of insert.

BACKGROUND ART Meter enclosures are well known. These typically contain an outer metal box. The metal box is typically rectangular, and can have a length of between 40-80 cm, a height of between 40-120 cm and a depth of between 20-50 cm. Of course, these dimensions can vary. The metal box typically has a front metal door which can pivot between an open position and a closed position. Various electrical gear is located inside the metal box. The gear can comprise switch gear, power outlets, circuit breakers and the like.

Meter enclosures are used in the building industry to provide power to a building site. These enclosures can be supported on a pole or tripod type arrangement. Other times, the enclosures ultimately form part of the building, but are initially temporarily supported until such time as the meter enclosure can be built in.

In respect of meter enclosures which provide power to a building site, or other type of sites, the box is typically provided with a number of power outlets. This allows a variety of electrical equipment to be plugged into the box. The electrical equipment may include lights, power tools, and the like. The electrical equipment is connected to the power outlets in the metal box via an electric cord.

It is a requirement that the electric cords can be connected to the power outlets in such a manner that the front door of the enclosure can still be closed. Therefore, it is known to cut or punch a hole somewhere in the enclosure wall through which the power cords can pass. As the power cords have a rather large plug, it is typical to provide a cutout along one edge of the side wall, such that the power cords can be located in the cutout without the plug having to pass through the cutout.

This arrangement suffers from some disadvantages. Firstly, the cutout or hole needs to be quite large especially if a number of power cords are to be used at the same time. When the building work is almost complete, the enclosure is used as a switchboard, and the cutout can comprise a point of entry for vermin into the switchboard, and for water, damp, dust etc into the switchboard.

It is known to provide a round hole which is large enough such that the plugs can be pushed through the hole. The hole is provided with a plastic cap. A disadvantage with this arrangement is that the round hole can only accommodate relatively few power leads, and it becomes quite difficult to remove a desired power lead from the hole if other power leads are present.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to a component which can be added to a meter enclosure and which facilitates cable management in the enclosure. The present invention is also directed to an enclosure having such a component.

In one form, the invention is directed to a component for a meter enclosure and which facilitates cable management in the enclosure, the component comprising a plate member which is provided with at least one elongate slot extending there through, the slot being configured to allow a plurality of power cables to pass through the slot, the slot having entry means which comprises at least one resilient finger member which can be lifted to allow a power lead to pass into the slot.

It is found that this difference contributes substantially to the working of the invention by allowing power leads to be more safely and securely fitted into a meter box.

Suitably, a pair of resilient finger members is provided, each finger member having a rear portion attached to or forming part of the plate member, and a free front end, the front end of one said finger member being aligned with and closely spaced from the front end of the other said finger member, at least part of one finger member comprising part of the wall of the slot.

The plate member may be substantially rectangular when viewed in plan. The size of the plate member may vary depending on the size of the switchboard, the number of power outlets in the switchboard etc. In an embodiment, the plate member may have a length of between 8-15 cm, a width of between 5-10 cm, and a thickness of between 3-10 mm. This can of course vary to suit.

The plate member may be formed of resilient material such that the at least one finger member can be formed integrally with the plate member. It is envisaged that the plate member may be formed of plastic material such as polyvinyl chloride, rubbers, neoprenes, or other suitable materials. Alternatively, the plate member may be formed of a non resilient material, with the at least one finger member being formed of a resilient material. It seems more convenient however if the entire plate member is formed of the same resilient material.

The plate member is provided with an elongate slot. The slot extends entirely through the plate member. The length and width of the slot can vary depending on the size of the plate member. It is however preferred that the slot extends along an axis which is substantially parallel with the face of the switch gear such that power cords extending through the slot do not unduly interfere with each other when plugged into the power outlets. As the switch gear is usually attached to the rear wall of the enclosure, the slot is typically aligned to be parallel to the rear wall.

Suitably, the slot width is such that power cords can extend through the slot in a side-by-side relationship. This facilitates removal of a particular power cord without snagging or disturbing adjacent power cords.

The slot width is typically such that between 3-8 power cords can extend in a side-by-side relationship along the slot. This can of course vary depending on the size of the enclosure.

The plate member is typically attached to a bottom wall of the enclosure. The bottom wall may be provided with a cutout or opening and the plate member is typically attached in such a manner that the elongate slot overlies the cutout or opening. However, the plate member could also be attached to another part of the enclosure depending on where the opening is through which the power cords pass. Usually, this is in the bottom wall and adjacent the front opening of the enclosure.

The elongate slot may be positioned off centre in the plate member. Suitably, the elongate slot is positioned more towards one side edge of the plate member. This allows the plate member to be rotated by a 1800, or flipped over, and in this configuration, the plate member covers the cutout or opening in the bottom wall of the enclosure, which means that a separate cover and the like is not required.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS An embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the following drawings in which: Figure 1. Illustrates a meter enclosure having switch gear and containing four power leads passing into the enclosure.

Figure 2. Is a close-up view of a plate member showing a pair of resilient fingers which can be prized apart to allow a power lead to pass into an elongate slot which forms part of the plate member.

Figure 3. Illustrates how the plate member can be rotated by 1800, to function as a cover.

Figure 4. Illustrates installation of the enclosure.

BEST MODE Referring to the drawings, and initially to figure 1, there is illustrated a meter enclosure 10 which comprises a metal box which is rectangular in configuration and therefore comprises a top wall 11, a bottom wall 12, a pair of opposed side walls 13, 14, a rear wall 15, and a front hinged door 16. This type of enclosure is entirely conventional. The enclosure can be of various sizes but in the embodiment has a length of approximately cm, a height of approximately 80 cm, and a depth of approximately 30 cm.

Enclosure 10 supports and protects switch gear and other types of electrical components. In the embodiment, figure 1 illustrates six power outlets 17, of which four are used by four plugs connected to respective electric cords 18.

Referring to figure 2, there is illustrated a plate member 20. The plate member 20 sits on the bottom wall 12 of enclosure 10, and is screwed to the bottom wall by a single screw 21. Plate member 20 is rectangular and in the embodiment has a length of approximately 10 cm, a width of approximately 6 cm, and a thickness of approximately 5 mm. This can of course vary to suit. Plate member 20 is formed of resilient material and can be formed of polyvinyl chloride. Plate member 20 has an elongate slot 22 which has a length of approximately 8 cm and a width of approximately 5-10 mm. Slot 22 is positioned such that it is substantially parallel with the rear wall 15 of enclosure 10. The bottom wall 12 has a cutout (not illustrated) which is underneath and covered by plate member 20, and where elongate slot 22 overlies the cutout. The cutout is not very large and extends from the front edge 23 of bottom wall 12 and has a depth of approximately 2 cm or so, such that screw 21 passes through the bottom metal wall and not through the cutout. The reason for this will be described in greater detail below.

Slot 22 can be accessed by a power cord 18 by prising apart a pair of resilient fingers 24, 25 which are formed integrally with the plate member 20. The resilient fingers 24, 25 each have a rear portion which forms part of the plate member, and each have a free front end, the free front end of each finger being closely spaced apart to define an entry slit or slot 26 (see figure 3) for the power cord 18. To allow power cord 18 to pass into slot 22, the resilient fingers are pulled apart as best illustrated in figure 2. When the power cord 18 is in slot 22, the resilient fingers can be let go and will move back to a naturally rest position where the fingers are in line and therefore prevent the power cord from inadvertently falling out of slot 22.

The elongate slot 22 is off centre as best illustrated in figure 2.

The reason for this is as follows. Best illustrated in figure 3, the plate member can be flipped over or rotated by 1800 to adopt the position illustrated in figure 3. In this position, the solid part 27 of plate member 20 overlies and closes off the cutout which is underneath the plate member. This is why the depth of the cutout is not very large such that when the plate member is in the 7 position illustrated in figure 3, slot 22 now overlies a solid part of bottom wall 12, and the solid part 27 of plate member 20 seals off the cutout. Thus, when the enclosure has been built in, and the power cables are removed, plate member 20 can be flipped over to the position illustrated in figure 3 to seal off the cutout which prevents vermin from entering into the enclosure when the front door is closed.

The front edge 23 of the enclosure has a small vertical lip 29 and edges of plate member 20 are held by small cutout 28 (see figure 2) in the vertical lip. This allows the plate member 20 to be securely held in place using only a single screw 21.

It should be appreciated that various other changes and modifications may be made to the embodiment described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Claims (4)

1. A component for a meter enclosure and which facilitates cable management in the enclosure, the component comprising a plate member which is provided with an elongate slot extending there through, the slot being configured to allow a plurality of power cables to pass through the slot, the slot having entry means which comprises at least one resilient finger member which can be lifted to allow a power lead to pass into the slot.

2. The component of claim 1, wherein, a pair said of resilient finger members is provided, each finger member having a rear portion attached to or forming part of the plate member, and a free front end, the front end of one said finger member being aligned with and closely spaced from the front end of the other said finger member, at least part of one finger member comprising part of the wall of the slot.

3. The component of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the elongate slot is positioned off centre in the plate member.

4. A meter enclosure incorporating switch gear, the meter enclosure being provided with an elongate slot extending there through, the slot being configured to allow a plurality of power cables to pass through the slot, the slot having entry means which comprises at least one resilient finger member which can be lifted to allow a power lead to pass into the slot. A component, or a meter enclosure substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dated this 14 h day of June 2001 B R Enclosures Pty Ltd By their Patent Attorneys CULLEN CO.