Abstract:
A pole mount cabinet for housing and supporting an article on a pole includes a housing having a rear wall and defining a chamber. The housing defines a rear opening in the rear wall. A mounting and support framework is adapted to be secured to the pole and includes at least one support member extending horizontally. The support member extends through the rear opening and into the chamber. The article can be positioned in the chamber such that it is supported by the support member.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to cabinets and, more particularly, to pole mount cabinets. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Pole mount cabinets are commonly used to support and house electronic equipment such as community antenna television (CATV) equipment. CATV equipment may include, for example, one or more batteries along with a power supply, which may weigh on the order of seventy-five pounds and two hundred and twenty-five pounds, respectively. The cabinet may also be subjected to structural, wind and/or ice loads. To support such large static and dynamic loads, CATV pole mount cabinets are typically formed substantially entirely of steel or aluminum. Such steel or aluminum cabinets may be costly, heavy and difficult to install on utility poles. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to embodiments of the invention, a pole mount cabinet for housing and supporting an article on a pole includes a housing having a rear wall and defining a chamber. The housing defines a rear opening in the rear wall. A mounting and support framework is adapted to be secured to the pole and includes at least one support member extending horizontally. The support member extends through the rear opening and into the chamber. The article can be positioned in the chamber such that it is supported by the support member. 
     According to further embodiments of the invention, a pole mount cabinet for housing and supporting an article on a pole includes a mounting and support framework adapted to be secured to the pole and including at least one support member. A housing is mounted on the framework and defines a chamber. The article can be positioned in the chamber such that it is supported by and overlies the support member. The housing includes a first material, the framework includes a second material, and the second material has a greater yield strength and a greater modulus of elasticity than the first material. 
     According to embodiments of the invention, a power supply assembly adapted to be mounted on a pole includes a mounting and support framework adapted to be secured to the pole and including at least one support member. A housing is mounted on the framework and defines a chamber. A power supply is positioned in the chamber such that the power supply is supported by the support member. The housing includes a first material, the framework includes a second material, and the second material has a greater yield strength and a greater modulus of elasticity than the first material. 
     According to further embodiments of the invention, an enclosure adapted to be mounted on a pole using a pole mounting framework having a horizontally extending support member includes a housing defining a chamber. The housing includes a rear wall and a rear opening formed in the rear wall adapted to receive the support member. 
     According to the invention, a framework for supporting a housing and an article on a pole includes a load bearing, horizontally extending upper support member and a load bearing, horizontally extending lower support member. The framework further includes means for securing the framework to the pole. The framework is adapted to support the housing and the article within the housing. 
     According to further embodiments of the invention, a framework for supporting a housing and an article on a pole includes a pole mount bracket adapted to be secured to the pole. A support bracket is secured to the pole mount bracket and includes a platform extending forwardly from the pole mount bracket. A shelf bracket is connected to the pole mount bracket above the platform and is adapted to support the housing and the article within the housing. 
     According to method embodiments of the invention, a method for assembling and mounting a cabinet on a pole includes securing a framework to the pole. Thereafter, a housing is secured to the framework. The housing includes a first material and the framework includes a second material. The second material has a greater yield strength and a greater modulus of elasticity than the first material. Preferably, the first material is a polymeric material and the second material is a metallic material. 
     According to further method embodiments, a method for assembling and mounting a cabinet on a pole includes securing a pole mount bracket to the pole. A support bracket is secured to the pole mount bracket such that a platform of the support bracket extends forwardly from the pole mount bracket. A shelf bracket is placed on the platform. The shelf bracket includes a support member extending horizontally. The shelf bracket is secured to the pole mount bracket. A housing is mounted on the shelf bracket. 
     Embodiments of the pole mount cabinets, enclosures, frameworks, power supply assemblies and methods of the invention may provide lower cost alternatives to traditional sheet metal cabinets, for example, as used in the CATV industry. The polymeric housings and covers may provide lightweight, durable environmental barriers for articles such as power supplies and batteries. The frameworks may be adapted to support relatively large loads. In this manner, the load bearing frameworks may free the housing from loading requirements and associated creep, for example. Moreover, the pole mount cabinets, enclosures, frameworks, power supply assemblies and methods of the invention may allow stepwise, progressive installation so that the cabinets and power supply assemblies may be mounted and assembled with relative ease and by one person. 
     Objects of the present invention will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art from a reading of the figures and the detailed description of exemplary embodiments which follow, such description being merely illustrative of the present invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain principles of the invention. 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded, front perspective view of a power supply assembly according to embodiments of the present invention mounted on a pole, the power supply assembly including a hybrid pole mount cabinet according to embodiments of the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the power supply assembly of FIG. 1 mounted on the pole; 
     FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the power supply assembly of FIG. 1 mounted on the pole; 
     FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a hybrid pole mount cabinet forming a part of the power supply assembly of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of the hybrid pole mount cabinet of FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the hybrid pole mount cabinet of FIG. 4 taken along the line  6 — 6  of FIG. 5, wherein a front cover of the hybrid pole mount cabinet is in a closed position; 
     FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the hybrid pole mount cabinet of FIG. 4 taken along the same section as the view of FIG. 6, wherein the front cover is in a maintenance position; 
     FIG. 8 is a top, rear perspective view of the front cover and a housing forming a part of the hybrid pole mount cabinet of FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 9 is a bottom, rear perspective view of the front cover and the housing of the hybrid pole mount cabinet of FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 10 is a top, rear perspective view of the front cover of the hybrid pole mount cabinet of FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 11 is an exploded, front perspective view of a pole mount bracket and a support bracket each forming a part of the hybrid pole mount cabinet of FIG. 4; and 
     FIG. 12 is a top, front perspective view of a U-shaped shelf bracket forming a part of the hybrid pole mount cabinet of FIG.  4 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. 
     With reference to FIGS. 1-3, a hybrid pole mount cabinet  100  according to the invention is shown therein mounted on a pole  5  (for example, a utility pole) and holding a plurality of batteries  10  and a power supply  12  (see FIG.  1 ). The cabinet  100 , the batteries  10  and the power supply  12  form a power supply assembly  101 . The cabinet  100  is also shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 without the pole  5 . 
     The cabinet  100  includes a framework  102  and an enclosure  104 . The framework  102  includes a pole mount bracket  110 , a support bracket  120  and a U-shaped shelf bracket  130 . The enclosure  104  includes a housing  140  and an outer cover  190 . Preferably, and as discussed in more detail below, the brackets  110 ,  120  and  130  are formed of a metal such as steel or aluminum and the housing  140  and the cover  190  are formed of a suitable polymeric material. As will be better appreciated from the description that follows, the cabinet  100  may be used to support and protect electronic components such as the batteries  10  and the power supply  12  while also providing a cabinet having reduced cost and greater ease of installation. 
     With reference to FIG. 11, the pole mount bracket  110  is a generally U-shaped channel bracket having a front wall  112 , a pair of rearwardly extending side walls  114  and further rearwardly extending, outwardly flared flanges  116 . Slots  114 A are formed in the side walls  114  to receive straps  7  for securing the bracket  110  to the pole  5  as shown in FIGS. 1-3. Alternatively, or additionally, the bracket  110  may be secured to the pole  5  by inserting bolts  9  through holes  112 A in the front wall  112  and securing the bolts to the pole  5  using nuts  9 A (FIG.  3 ). A series of holes  115  and a series of holes  117  are also formed in the front wall  112 . 
     With reference to FIGS. 2 and 11, the support bracket  120  includes an upper platform wall  122 , side walls  124 , and rear attachment flanges  128  extending from the side walls  124  (as best seen in FIG.  2 ). The support bracket  120  is adapted to be secured to the front wall  112  of the bracket  110  by inserting screws  126  through holes in the flanges  128  and through the holes  117 . In alternative embodiments (not shown), the support bracket may be integrally formed with the pole mount bracket, for example, by stamping a unitary sheet of metal or welding. 
     With reference to FIGS. 1 and 12, the shelf bracket  130  includes a lower support shelf or shelf wall  132 , an upper support shelf or shelf wall  136  and a rear wall  134  extending between the shelf walls  132  and  136 . Opposed side walls  133  depend from the shelf wall  132  and have holes  133 A formed therein. A front wall  131  also depends from the shelf wall  132  and has a hole  131 A and a slot  131 B formed therein. Opposed side walls  135  depend from the upper shelf wall  136 . Holes  136 A and  136 B are formed in the shelf wall  136 . 
     With reference to FIGS. 8 and 9, the housing  140  includes a rear wall  142 , a bottom wall  144 , a front flange  145  (depending from the bottom wall  144 ), opposed side walls  146  and a top wall  148 . A top flange  149  extends upwardly from the top wall  148 . As shown in FIG. 1, the housing  140  includes a shelf  143  extending between the side walls  146 . The shelf  143  includes a horizontal top wall  143 A (FIG.  7 ), a downwardly sloped (front to rear) bottom wall  143 B (FIG.  7 ), a vertical front wall  143 C (FIG. 7) and opposed, vertical side walls  143 D (FIG.  9 ). Preferably, and as shown, the shelf  143  is attached to, and more preferably integrally molded with, the rear wall  142 . As best seen in FIG. 4, the shelf  143  is forwardly tapered to define gaps G 1  between the shelf  143  and the adjacent side walls  146 . Preferably, the gaps G 1  each have a maximum width A of between about 0.75 and 1.0 inch. The housing  140  defines an opening including a top opening portion  140 B and a front opening portion  140 A (FIG.  1 ). The housing  140  further defines an interior chamber  141  including an upper subchamber  141 A and a lower subchamber  141 B separated by the shelf  143  (see FIG.  7 ). The front edge of the shelf  143  is spaced rearwardly from the opening  140 A to define a gap G 2  (FIG.  4 ), preferably having a width B of between about 1.25 and 1.75 inches. 
     As best seen in FIGS. 6-9, an opening  150  is defined in the rear wall  142  and communicates with a pocket  152  (see FIG. 9) defined in the shelf  143 . The pocket  152  is defined by the top wall  143 A, the bottom wall  143 B, the front wall  143 C and the side walls  143 D. Preferably, the pocket  152  is fully enclosed except for the opening  150  and the mounting holes in the top wall  143 A. The front flange  145  and the bottom wall  144  define a lower recess  154  that opens downwardly and rearwardly. 
     Venting louvers  156  extend from the rear wall  142  and communicate with the upper chamber  141 A. The louvers  156  may be backed with screening to prevent entry of birds, insects and the like. Slots  158  are formed in the bottom wall  144  and communicate with the lower subchamber  141 B. L-shaped slots  162  and  164  are formed in the side walls  146 . A mounting hole  145 A is formed in the flange  145 . Mounting holes  143 A are formed in the top wall of the shelf  143 . 
     A lockable latch  180  (FIG. 7) is operably mounted adjacent one of the slots  162 . A tamper detection/alarm switch  182  is operably mounted adjacent the front opening  140 A of the housing  140 . A bypass switch  184 , a duplex receptacle  186 , and a connector assembly  188  are secured to the housing  140  by suitable fasteners (FIGS.  6 - 8 ). The connector assembly  188  includes an input connector  188 A, an output connector  188 C and a ground connector  188 D. The receptacle  186  may include a circuit breaker. The bypass switch  184  is adapted to receive a connector from an alternative backup power supply and is connected to the output connector  188 C by suitable wiring (not shown). LED&#39;s (which may be connected to the batteries  10  via the power supply  12  to indicate, for example, a low battery voltage condition) are mounted in the flange  145  and extend into the slot  131 B. 
     Opposing side plate brackets  170  (FIGS. 1,  6  and  7 ) extend through respective ones of the slots  158  and each include a slot  170 A and a pair of mounting holes  170 B formed therein. A cross-brace  174  is adapted to be mounted in the slots  170 A as discussed below. An L-shaped retention bracket  176  is also provided and adapted to be mounted on the shelf  143  as discussed below. 
     With reference to FIG. 10, the cover  190  includes a front wall  191  having venting louvers  192  formed therein. The louvers  192  may be backed with screening to prevent entry of birds, insects and the like. Opposed side walls  193 , a lower lip  194  and a top wall  195  extend rearwardly from the front wall  191 . Opposed side walls  196  and an upper lip  197  each depend from the top wall  195 . A pair of mounting rods  198  extend transversely across the front wall  191  and through the side walls  193  and are secured in place by end caps  198 A. 
     The brackets  110 ,  120 ,  130  are preferably formed of a strong, rigid metal of a selected thickness sufficient to support the batteries  10  and the power supply  12  for at least ten years. Preferably, the material has a yield strength of at least 28,000 psi, and more preferably of between about 30,000 and 50,000 psi. Preferably, the material has a modulus of elasticity of at least 10,000 ksi, and more preferably of between about 11,000 and 30,000 ksi. The walls of the brackets  110 ,  120 ,  130  preferably have a thickness of between about 0.120 and 0.250 inch. Suitable materials include steel and aluminum. Alternatively, the brackets  110 ,  120 ,  130  may be formed of other strong, rigid materials such as a ceramic. Each of the brackets  110 ,  120 ,  130  is preferably integrally formed. More preferably, each of the respective brackets is formed by stamping. 
     One or both of the housing  140  and the cover  190  may be formed of a less strong, less rigid material than the material or materials used for the brackets  110 ,  120 ,  130 . Preferably, the material of the housing  140  and the cover  190  is lighter weight than the material used to form the brackets  110 ,  120 ,  130 . Preferably, both the housing  140  and the cover  190  are formed of a polymeric material. Suitable materials include polyethylene, polyurethane, polypropylene and polycarbonate. Preferably, the housing  140  and the cover  190  are each integrally molded and may be rotation molded. 
     Preferably, the material of the housing  140  and the cover  190  has a UV rating of at least UV-8. Preferably, the material has an impact resistance of at least 52 as measured using an Association of Rotomolders (ARM) impact test at −40° C. with a ⅛ inch specimen. The material should meet or exceed the wind, ice loading and flammability requirements of  Underwriters Laboratories  ( UL )  Standard for Safety for Enclosures for Electrical Equipment,  UL50, 11 th  Edition, October 1995. Preferably, the material has a melting point of at least 260° F. and a deflection temperature at 0.46 MPa per ASTM D648, 1st Edition, August 2001, of at least 126° F. Preferably, the density of the material is no greater than 1.00 grams per cubic centimeter. 
     Preferably, the cabinet  100  is adapted to support a load of at least 20 pounds, more preferably of at least 100 pounds, and most preferably of at least 300 pounds. Preferably, the upper shelf wall  136  is adapted to support a load of between about 20 and 90 pounds. Preferably, the lower shelf wall  132  is adapted to support a load of between about 100 and 250 pounds. 
     The power supply  12  may be any suitable power supply such as an uninterruptible power supply (UPS). Suitable power supplies include UPS Product No. CPR or Product No. ZTT/Plus each available from Powerware Corporation of Raleigh, N.C. The batteries may be any suitable batteries such as lead-tin batteries. Suitable batteries include battery Product No. CPR-40 or CPR-70 available from Powerware Corporation. 
     The construction of the cabinet  100  and the power supply assembly  101  may be more fully appreciated from the description of exemplary methods of assembly as set forth below. 
     The cabinet  100  may be mounted and assembled in the following manner. The pole mount bracket  110  is secured to the pole  5  by means of the straps  7  and/or the bolts  9  and the nuts  9 A. Before or after the pole mount bracket  110  is mounted on the pole  5 , the support bracket  120  is secured to the bracket  110  using fasteners  126 . The shelf bracket  130  may then be perched on the support bracket  120  (i.e., with the lower surface of the lower shelf wall  132  engaging the platform wall  122 ). The shelf bracket  130  is then secured to the pole mount bracket  110  by inserting the fasteners  137  through the mounting holes  134 A in the bracket  130  and the mounting holes  113  in the pole mount bracket  110 . In this manner, the support bracket  120  serves as a temporary support for the shelf bracket  130  while the shelf bracket  130  is being secured to the pole mount bracket  110 , thereby facilitating installation. 
     The housing  140  is then mounted on the shelf bracket  130 . More particularly, the housing  140  is pushed onto the bracket  130  such that the upper shelf wall  136  slides into the pocket  152  of the shelf  143  and the lower shelf wall  132  slides into the recess  154 . The housing  140  is secured in place by inserting a fastener  151  (FIG. 1) through the hole  145 A (FIG. 9) and the hole  131 A (FIG.  12 ). The housing  140  is also secured in place by inserting fasteners  153  (FIG. 4) through the holes  143 A (FIG. 9) and the holes  136 A (FIG.  12 ). 
     The retention bracket  176  is installed by inserting the fasteners  178  through holes (not shown) in the shelf  143  and into the holes  136 B (FIG. 12) in the shelf bracket  130 , thereby further securing the housing  140 . The side brackets  170  are installed in the slots  158 . The fasteners  172  are inserted through the holes  170 B (FIG. 1) and the holes  133 A (FIG.  12 ). 
     The batteries  10  may thereafter be placed on the bottom wall  144 . The crossbrace  174  is inserted downwardly into the slots  170 A of each bracket  170  to hold the batteries  10  in place. The power supply  12  may be placed on the shelf  143 . Notably, the loads of the batteries  10  and the power supply  12  are supported by the lower shelf wall  132  and the upper shelf wall  136 , respectively. 
     An AC input line (e.g., a 120 volt utility line from a transformer; not shown) is connected to the connector  188 A (FIG.  8 ). The connector  188 A is electrically connected to the receptacle  186  by wiring  188 B (FIG.  6 ), which is preferably pre-installed. The power supply  12  is electrically connected to the receptacle  186  by a cord  12 B (FIG.  1 ). The power supply  12  is also connected to the batteries  10  and the LED&#39;s  189  by a wiring harness  12 A (FIG. 1) that extends down through one of the gaps G 1  between the shelf  143  and an adjacent side wall  146 . The power supply  12  is further electrically connected to the connector  188 C (FIG. 8) and the ground connector  188 D by suitable wiring (not shown). An output cable such as a CATV coaxial cable (not shown) may be connected to the connector  188 C. This coaxial cable may be connected for power delivery to one or more amplifiers or the like of a CATV distribution system. In this manner, the power supply  12  and the batteries  10  are installed to supply the CATV output connector  188 C with power from the AC input line at the connector  188 A as well as a backup power supply from the batteries  10 . 
     The cover  190  may thereafter be installed by inserting the rods  196  inwardly and downwardly into the L-shaped slots  162  to attain the closed position as shown in FIG.  6 . The latch  180  may be used to lock the front cover  190  in place. When the operator desires to access the chamber  141 , for example, to remove, install and/or maintain the batteries  10  or the power supply  12 , the front cover  190  may be removed or otherwise repositioned to an open position. Optionally, the front cover  190  may be reinstalled in the maintenance position as shown in FIG. 7 using the slots  164 . Notably, the front cover  190  provides a rain and sun shield for the operator when in the maintenance position. The tamper switch  182  may serve to provide a signal locally (e.g., using a sound transducer or light) and/or remotely (e.g., using a transponder) when the cover  190  is displaced away from the opening  140 A. 
     The hybrid pole mount cabinet  100  may provide a lower cost alternative to traditional sheet metal cabinets, for example, as used in the CATV industry. The polymeric housing  140  and cover  190  may provide a lightweight, durable environmental barrier for the power supply  12  and the batteries  10 . The brackets  110 ,  120 ,  130  form a structural framework that may be adapted to support the relatively large loads of the power supply and batteries. In this manner, the brackets  110 ,  120 ,  130  serve as a load bearing framework that frees the polymeric housing  140  from loading requirements and associated creep. Preferably, the shelf  143  is non-load bearing in the assembled cabinet  100 . Moreover, the cabinet  100  and method of assembly of the invention allow stepwise, progressive installation so that the power supply assembly  101  may be mounted and assembled by one person and with relative ease. 
     Means for fastening other than those described herein may be used to secure the various components of the cabinet  100  to one another. For example, clamps, grommets, ties, welds and other suitable mechanical connecting devices and structures may be used. 
     While in the preferred embodiments the upper and lower support members are planar shelf walls  132 ,  135 , support members of other configurations may be used. The support members may each include a lattice, grate, and/or two or more forwardly extending prongs, for example. Similarly, the rear wall  134  may be replaced with connecting members of other constructions and configurations extending vertically between the upper and lower support members. 
     The foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed as limiting thereof. Although a few exemplary embodiments of this invention have been described, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the claims. Therefore, it is to be understood that the foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed as limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, and that modifications to the disclosed embodiments, as well as other embodiments, are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. The invention is defined by the following claims, with equivalents of the claims to be included therein.