GB2315668A - Bracket mounting system - Google Patents

Abstract

A mounting system 10 for mounting an item of telecommunications equipment in a telecommunications enclosure comprises a plurality of brackets 14 and two upright rails 12 to be fixed to the back wall or centrally of the enclosure. Each bracket 14 has a hook 26 for manual connection to the rail 12 and a screw threaded part 20 to be screwed to the item to be mounted. Different brackets 14 may be used to enable items of equipment using different fixing systems, such as 19 inch and TEP1E, to be fixed manually, quickly and easily on the same rails 12 in an enclosure 60.

Description

A MOUNTING SYSTEM AND A TELECOMMUNICATIONS ENCLOSURE The invention relates to a mounting system and a telecommunications enclosure.

A known telecommunications enclosure includes a pair of upright rails at the back of the enclosure, each rail including a column of threaded apertures at predetermined spacing. The most commonly used mounting system in telecommunications enclosures is the so-called "19 inch" system. In this system, an item of telecommunications equipment includes two pairs of threaded apertures at each side, the apertures in each pair being spaced vertically by 1i inches. In order to mount the equipment the apertures in the equipment are aligned with two pairs of threaded apertures on the two rails and the item is secured to the rails by four bolts. An alternative system is the TEP1E system in which items of equipment include a single threaded aperture on each side to be screwed to a rail. The apertures are smaller than the apertures for the 19 inch system. Other incompatible alternative systems such as ETSIE are also used.

At present, if it is desired to mount a new item of equipment into a telecommunications enciosure, there is a problem if the equipment has a fixing on its rear for a different system from of the rails of the enclosure. It is common practice at present to cut away a section of each rail where the item of equipment is to be fitted and to attach two sections of rail of the correct system to match the fitting on the rear of the item of equipment. This is time consuming and reduces the value of the enclosure. It is in any case time consuming to fit an item of equipment into a telecommunications enclosure using any of the existing systems as the item must be aligned with the rail and then bolts screwed into place. Where the enclosure is outside and an engineer is exposed to the weather, the time taken to fit equipment is an important consideration.

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a mounting system comprising at least one rail and a plurality of brackets, each bracket having a first connecting part for manual connection to the rail and a second connecting part for connection to an item to be mounted.

In this way, an item of equipment can be provided with brackets which may for example be screwed to the item using the existing screw connections for one of the known systems and the item may then simply be manually connected to the rail. Furthermore items with rear fixings in different fixing systems can be attached to the same rail or rails using brackets with appropriate second connecting parts.

The first connecting part may take any suitable form and may comprise a hook which is arranged to be received in an aperture in the rail. The first connecting part may be generally planar and the aperture may then be a slot which may be aligned with the axis of the rail.

At least one of the brackets may be extendable. The or each extendable bracket may comprise two bracket parts with one bracket part defining a groove and the other bracket part defining a projection which is slidable in the groove. In one embodiment, one of the bracket parts has two connecting parts and can be connected to the other bracket part in two orientations. In this case, where the brackets are handed, only one bracket needs to be made to provide the two different handed options.

Preferably there are at least two rails.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a telecommunications enclosure including a mounting system according to the first aspect of the invention and including at least two rails.

Fig. 1 shows the mounting system of the first embodiment of the invention in perspective; Fig. 2 shows a bracket in a second embodiment of the invention in perspective; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a bracket in a third embodiment of the invention; Fig. 4 is a plan view of the bracket of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the bracket of Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a bracket part of bracket in a further embodiment; Fig. 7 is a detail view of part of the bracket part of Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a front elevation of the bracket part of Fig. 6; Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the other bracket part of the bracket of the embodiment of Fig. 6; Fig. 10 is a plan view of the bracket part of Fig. 9; Fig. 11 is a rear elevation of the bracket part of Fig. 9; Fig. 12 is a side elevation of the bracket parts of Figs. 6 and 9 assembled together; Fig. 13 shows in perspective an enclosure partly cut away with the system within the enclosure used to mount an item of equipment using the brackets of Figs.

3 to 5; and Fig. 14 is the view of Fig. 13 with a different item of equipment mounted by the brackets of Figs. 6 to 12.

The system 10 of the first embodiment comprises a pair of rails 12 and a plurality of brackets 14.

The rail 12 is U-shaped in cross-section with the base of the U including a plurality of rectangular slots 16 aligned in a column centrally of the rail 12 and being elongate in the direction of the axis of the rail 12.

The bracket 14 comprises a rectangular tube 18 having an insert 20 at its front end. The rectangular insert 20 includes two screw threaded apertures 22, one at the top and one at the bottom of the rectangular insert 20. Behind each aperture 22 a nut (not shown) is fixed to the rear side of the insert plate 20 to extend the screw thread. From one long side wall 24 of the tube 18 extends a hook 26 which is integral with the tube 18. The hook 26 simply extends rearwardly and downwardly in an L-shape, the vertical length of the hook being slightly smaller than the length of a slot 16. The apertures 22 are at the spacing determined by the 19 inch system, namely 1i inches.

In use, two brackets 14 are bolted to an item of equipment with the 19 inch system fixings, i.e. two pairs of screw threaded apertures, the apertures in each pair being 1* inches apart. Having bolted two brackets 14 onto the item of equipment 58, the item can then be simply hooked onto the two rails 12 by manoeuvring the equipment 58 to cause the hooks 26 to enter two slots 16 and allowing the hooks 26 to drop down in the slots 16 to mount the equipment.

(The hook 26 constitutes one aforesaid "connecting part and the insert 20 constitutes another aforesaid "connecting part).

connecting part").

Fig. 2 shows an alternative bracket 14 for use with the rail 12. In this case, the hook 26 is integral with a plate 28 of similar shape to the side wall 24 except that it is kinked 30 towards its rear edge and terminates in a perpendicularly extending flange 32 corresponding to the insert 20 and including two apertures 34 corresponding to the apertures 22.

While the brackets of Figs. 1 and 2 have been shown with apertures suitable for fixing in the 19 inch system, apertures could equally have been provided for the TEP1E system or any other desired system.

The bracket of Figs. 3 to 5 constitutes a third embodiment which is similar to the embodiment of Fig.

2. The hook 26 is provided on a very short plate 36 which includes a depending finger 38 which extends downwardly from and slightly rearwardly from the short plate 36 and is offset slightly rearwardly. The plate 36 is integral with a flange 40 which terminates in a short forwardly directed tab 42. The flange 40 mounts a nut 44 having a screw thread in accordance with the TEP1E system.

The bracket 14 is used in the same way as the brackets 14 of Figs. 1 and 2 and the finger 38 acts to prevent the bracket 14 from pivoting out of the rail 12.

Figs. 6 to 12 show a further embodiment of bracket 14.

In this case, the bracket 14 is in two bracket parts 46,48. The front bracket part 46 is identical to the bracket 14 of Fig. 2 except that it does not include a hook 26 at its rear edge and it includes a nut 49 mounted towards its rear edge 51 centrally of the plate 28. The nuts 45 behind the apertures 34 are visible in Figs. 9 to 12 but were not shown in Fig. 2.

The rear bracket part 48 is C-shaped in cross-section and the side wall 50 of the rear bracket part 48 includes a hook 26 at each end. A slot 52 runs centrally of the side wall 50 axially of the rear bracket part 48. Beneath each hook 26, a tab 54 extends outwardly perpendicularly from the side wall 50. The bracket parts 46,48 are connected together by a screw 56 as shown in Fig. 12 which passes through the slot 52 and into the nut 49, with the part of the plate 28 before the kink 30 being received within the arms 57 of the C-shaped rear bracket part 48. The bracket parts 46,48 can be slid to the desired distance apart and the screw 56 is then tightened in the nut 49 to secure the parts 46,48 at that distance.

The bracket 14 is then used in the same way as in the other embodiments.

The brackets 14 of the first, second and third embodiments may be provided in handed pairs. In the case of the bracket 14 of the fourth embodiment, the two bracket parts 46,48 can be manipulated to form two, handed variants. Thus, if the screw 56 is unscrewed and the rear bracket part 48 is removed and rotated through 180C about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the side wall 50 and re-attached, an opposite handed bracket is the result.

Fig. 13 shows an item 58 of equipment having TEP1E fixings mounted in an enclosure 60 by means of two brackets 14 of the third embodiment on two rails 12 secured vertically to the rear wall 62 of the enclosure 60.

Fig. 14 shows an item 58 of equipment having 19 inch fixings mounted in the same enclosure 60 on the same rails 12 by means of two brackets 14 of the fourth embodiment.

While the rails 12 have been shown at the back of an enclosure 60, larger enclosures may be used with equipment 58 being mounted back to back on opposed rails 12 or on a double-sided single set of two rails 12.

The system 10 may be used for mounting telecommunications equipment in a telecommunications enclosure or may be used to mount any other equipment having standard fixings in the 19 inch system or other such systems.

As the brackets 14 of the embodiments all attach to the same rail 12, clearly items of equipment 58 with 19 inch fittings can be mounted on the rails 12, for example, using the brackets 14 of the first, second or fourth embodiments, together with items of equipment 58 with TEP1E fittings, for example, using the brackets 14 of the third embodiment.

In each embodiment, an item of equipment 58 can be fitted with the brackets 14 and then manually mounted on the rails 12 by means of the hooks 26. In the case of an outdoor enclosure, the item 58 can be fitted with brackets 14 while an engineer is indoors. The item 58 is then simply and quickly, manually slotted onto the rails 12. The mounting procedure is thus greatly simplified and the time spent outside for the engineer is reduced.

Claims (11)

1. A mounting system comprising at least one rail and a plurality of brackets, each bracket having a first connecting part for manual connection to the rail and a second connecting part for connection to an item to be mounted.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first connecting part comprises a hook which is arranged to be received through an aperture in the rail.

3. A system as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the first connecting part is generally planar.

4. A system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the aperture is a slot which is aligned with the axis of the rail.

5. A system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein at least one of the brackets is extendable.

6. A system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the or each extendable bracket comprises two bracket parts with one bracket part defining a groove and the other bracket part defining a projection which is slidable in the groove.

7. A system as claimed in claim 5 or claim 6, wherein one of the bracket parts has two connecting parts and can be connected to the other bracket part in two orientations.

8. A system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein there are at least two rails.

9. A mounting system substantially as described herein with reference to Fig. 1, 2, 3 to 5, or 6 to 12 of the accompanying drawings.

10. A telecommunications enclosure including a mounting system according to any preceding claim.

11. A telecommunications enclosure substantially as described herein with reference to Fig. 13 of the accompanying drawings.