GB2092804A - Housings for Audio/Video Units - Google Patents

Abstract

Housings for audio or video components (10, 20) (tape recorders, record decks, receivers, amplifiers) in which the fascias have controls and the rear walls have connections (25, 29), for mains or signal leads (27) comprise generally U-shaped covers (15.1 or 15.2) detachably mountable on the respective rear walls (24 or 28) of the housings (10 or 20) to form a vertical cable duct (31) open at the bottom and top. The covers are dimensioned to provide flush outer surfaces with their respective audio component, and with the covers of any adjacent stacked components. A lid (23) is supported on ribs (22) also to provide flush upper surfaces. The covers may be interlocked with their housings by means such as tongue- and-groove, or pin-and-slot devices, Figs. 3, 4 (not shown). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A Rectangular Housing for Audio and/or Video Recording and/or Playback Apparatus or the Like The present invention relates to a parallelepiped-shaped housing or cabinet for audio andjor video recording and/or reproducing apparatus or the like, in which control or operating members are provided in the front facia whilst in the rear wall connecting possibilities for connection and/or connecting conduits are provided.

In a stereo centre, for example, a variety of types of apparatus are accommodated in such housings. It is necessary in an example to refer only to a wireless receiver, an amplifier, an audio tape recorder and a record player.

Thus, often several housings, i.e. apparatus of this kind, are assembled into a composite or collection, whereby the housings are placed one upon the other and interconnected via connecting conduits or leads. Moreover, these apparatus have to be supplied with alternating mains voltage.

As a result, the rear surface of the housing has to have a confusion of sockets or connection terminals and/or connecting leads mounted which are exposed and so also impair the overall image of the combination.

The object of the invention is to provide a housing of the kind referred to above, in which terminals and connecting leads located on the rear wall surface are neatly covered without, however, making it difficult to connect the apparatus and the connection to other apparatus accommodated in other housings.

According to the present invention there is provided a housing for audio and/or video recorders and/or playback apparatus or the like, in which the facia has operating members provided therein and in the rear wall connection possibilities for terminal and/or connecting leads, characterised by the feature that a generally Ushaped angled cover is detachably mountable on the rear wall of the housing, which cover forms with the rear wall a vertical cable duct open at the bottom and top.

With the angled cover removed the apparatus accommodated may be connected to the mains and with other apparatus. The angled cover mounted at the end covers all connections and/or connecting leads so that a system formed by several such housings constituted a compact unit closed on all sides.

The detachable connection between the housing and the angled cover according to one configuration is simply obtained by the fact that the angled cover is provided at the end faces of its lateral shanks with connecting elements, and that the rear wall of the housing in the region of the vertical edges is provided with counter connecting elements adapted thereto. Thus, there are different possibilities of configuration of the connecting elements and the counter connecting elements. Thus, according to one development of the invention, provision is made for the connecting and counter connecting elements to be formed as dovetailed grooves and tongues which may be connected with one another and disconnected in the direction of the longitudinal extension of the groove and tongue.

A simpler method of mounting the angled cover on the housing is obtained in a further development in that the connecting and counter connecting elements are formed as a stop groove and stop tongue, which are engageable and disengageable at right angles to their longitudinal axis, or that the connecting and counter connecting elements are adapted as mutually aligned individual stop recesses and stop pins, which are mutually engageable and disengageable vertically to the rear wall. Thus, the latter development also presents the advantage that the angled cover on the housing can no longer be undesirably displaced and assumes a definite position.

In order that the cable duct, formed during the superposing of several housings, forms a closed unit adapted to the housing, provision is made according to a further development of the invention for the outer surfaces of the lateral shanks of the cover angle to be flush with the side walls of the housing and for the width of the lateral shanks to correspond to the height of the housing.

According to a further development of the invention provision is made for the open upper face of the cable run or duct is closable flush by means of a cover which is supported on support ribs, support webs or the like of the angled cover.

The cable duct then forms an endless or flush surface with the upper surface of the housing.

Since the depths of the housing may differ, a further development of the invention provides that angled covers may be selectively connected to the rear wall of the housing with lateral shanks of different length so as to obtain a uniform preselected maximum housing depth. With these different angled covers it is also then possible to bring all housings to a predetermined maximum housing depth. A system or centre assembled from a plurality of housings then forms a compact parallelpiped or rectangular unit, whereby the cable duct may still extend over all housings, even if in the region of individual housings it may differ in depth of extension.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which.~ Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a system assembled from two housings; Fig. 2 is a schematic side elevation of a system comprising four housings mounted one above the other; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the rear wall of a housing with the connecting elements for the angled cover; and Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of a cover angle with the counter connecting elements on the end face of a lateral shank.

In the embodiment shown schematically in Fig.

1, two housings 10 and 20 are located one above the other. A facia is formed by operating panels 11 and 21 in which are located operating members and so on for the installed apparatus.

The two housings 10 and 20 are of equal size in the embodiment although this is not, however, essential. In the rear wall 24 of the housing 10 terminal sockets 25 are provided serving the connection of terminal and/or connecting leads 27 provided with plugs 26. Terminal sockets 29 are arranged in the rear wall 28 of the housing 20. The apparatus accommodated in the housings 10 and 20 may also be connected to the mains supply and interconnected in the region of their rear walls 24 and 28.

Once this connection or these connections are effected, then the rear walls 24 and 28 are covered by the angled covers 15.1 and 15.2 which together with the rear walls 24 and 28 of the housings 10 and 20 form a vertical cable duct 31 open at the bottom and top. In this cable duct 31 there is ample space for the connection and/or connecting leads 27, whereby the terminal leads extending to the mains may be passed out at the open lower end of the cable duct 31. The open upper end of the cable duct 31 is closed by a lid 23 which is flush with the upper surface of the housing 20, since it is supported on the stepped support ribs 22, which are moulded on the inside surface of the lateral shanks of the angled cover 15.2.The terminal and/or connecting leads 27 are fuily covered and the two housings 10.20 together with the two angled covers 15.1 and 15.2, and the lid 23 form a compact unit closed on all sides.

If the housings i O and 20 differ in depth, then this can be compensated by angled covers 15.1 and 15.2 having lateral shanks 13 and 14 of different suitable lengths, so that a compact unit is formed nevertheless. The angled covers 15.1 and 1 5.2 are so dimensioned that the outer surfaces of the lateral shanks 13 and 14 are flush with the side walls of the housings 10 and 20.

This arrangement is readily obtained by suitably adapting the cross shanks 12 to the width of the housings 10 and 20. Moreover, the width of the lateral shanks 13 and 14 is adapted to the height of the housings 10 and 20. This enables even housings differing in height to be included in the compact unit with the cable duct 31.

Fig. 2 shows a schematic side view as to how the three identical housings 10, 20 and 30 may be adapted to the housing depth of a larger housing 40. This housing 40 with a lid 41, may, for example, accommodate a record player deck, whilst an amplifier, a wireless receiver and a tape recorder may be accommodated in the housings 10, 20 and 30.

For the detachable mounting of angled covers on the rear wall there are various alternative or comparable constructional possibilities. Thus, Fig.

3 shows the rear wall 24 of the housing 10, which is provided along the vertical edges with connecting elements 16 and 18. These connecting elements 16 and 18 are formed as stop dovetail grooves into which connecting webs or elements 17 may be engaged as cooperating counter connecting elements. These webs 17 are provided on the end faces of the lateral shanks 13 and 14 of the angled cover 15, as shown in Fig. 4.

The angled cover 15 may then vertically be fastened to the rear wall 24 and removed as desired.

The connecting elements 16 and 18 and the counter connecting elements 17 and 19 may instead of being dovetailed may be formed as tongue and groove or any other cooperating inter engaging arrangement. The angled cover 15 is then inserted along longitudinal extension of the connecting and counter connecting elements and connected to the rear wall 24 of the housing 10.

The connecting elements 16 and 18 may also be formed as individual connection recesses and the counter connecting elements 17 and 19 as stop pins adapted thereto. The angled cover is then fastened vertically to the rear wall 24, whereby the position between angled cover 15 and housing 10 is clearly determined and secured.

It is certainly possible to use alternative methods of connection which depend upon the selection of material for the angled cover 15 and the housing 10.

Also the insertion of the lid 23 flush in the upper open end of the cable duct 31 may be attained by alternative structural method without departing from the scope of the present invention.

The compensation shown in Fig. 2 of the apparatus placed one upon the other to a uniformly maximum predetermined housing depth occurs in the first instance when a record player deck is mounted on amplifier or receiver blocks. It is thus also possible for the amplifier or receiver blocks to vary in mutual overall depth or length.

Using angled covers of varying configuration, it is possible to obtain a compact unit for all superposed apparatuses.

Claims (9)

Claims

1. A housing for audio and/or video recorders and/or playback apparatus or the like, in which the facia has operating members provided therein and in the rear wall connection possibilities for terminal and/or connecting leads, characterised by the feature that a generally U-shaped angled cover is detachably mountable on the rear wall of the housing, which cover forms with the rear wall a vertical cable duct open at the bottom and top.

2. A housing as claimed in claim 1, in which the angled cover is provided at the end faces of its lateral shanks with connecting elements, and in which the rear wall of the housing is provided in the region of the vertical edges with counter connecting elements adapted thereto.

3. A housing as claimed in claim 2, in which the connecting and counter connecting elements are formed as dovetail and tongue and groove and which may be detachably interconnected in the direction of the longitudinal extension of the groove and tongue.

4. A housing as claimed in claim 2, in which connecting and counter connecting elements are each formed as stop groove and stop tongue, which are engageable and disengageable at right angles to their longitudinal axis.

5. A housing as claimed in claim 2, in which the connecting and counter connecting elements are formed as individual mutually aligned stop recesses and stop pins and which are adapted to be interconnected and disengaged at right angles to the rear wall.

6. A housing as claimed in any of the claims 1 to 5, in which the outer surfaces of the lateral shanks of the angled covers are flush with the side walls of the housing, and in which the width of the lateral shanks corresponds to the height of the housing.

7. A housing as claimed in any of the claims 1 to 6, in which the open upper end of the cable duct is adapted to be closed in flush arrangement by a lid which is supported on support ribs, supporting webs or the like of the angled cover.

8. A housing as claimed in any of the claims 1 to 7, in which optionally angled covers having lateral shanks of different length may be connected to the rear wall of the housing to obtain a uniformly predetermined maximum housing depth.

9. A housing substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.