Pole-mounted equipment housing assembly

Pole-mounted equipment is adaptable for mounting on utility poles having a wide range of diameters and is relatively vandal-proof. A first equipment housing is secured to the pole by plural U-shaped bolts, the ends of which are tightly secured to the first assembly. Mounting brackets extend from the first assembly to a length greater than the largest pole diameter in said range and are secured to a second equipment housing. The brackets thereby define a uniform spacing between the first and second housings, irrespective of pole diameter. A front panel is secured to one of said housings and is protected by an access door. A cover, in the form of two generally L-section members, protects the housing from the elements and includes inwardly-projecting studs which extend into both housings where they are appropriately secured. Openings are provided in the top of the cover to accomodate the pole. In a specific embodiment used for a remote telephone station, antennas and a solar energy absorber are mounted proximate the top of the pole and are connected to components in the housing by cables running along the pole.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to pole-mounted equipment and, more 
particularly, to equipment which can be mounted on poles having a wide 
range of pole diameters and which is simple to install and resistant to 
weather conditions and vandalism. 
Prior art pole-mounted equipment is generally secured by means of an 
exposed bracket. The bracket is subject to wear and tear due to weather, 
and the equipment itself is readily subject to vandalism. Where attempts 
have been made to achieve better protection, the resulting assembly could 
only accommodate a narrow range of pole diameters. 
It is an object of the present invention to provide an approach to 
pole-mounting equipment which eliminates the aforesaid prior art problems. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a mounting 
assembly for a remote pole-mounted radio-telephone unit which is suitable 
for mounting on a wide variety of pole diameters and which minimizes the 
effects of weather and vandalism. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In accordance with the present invention, a pole-mounted assembly includes 
first and second component housings. The first housing is secured to a 
pole by means of one or more U-bolts. Mounting brackets extend 
transversely of the pole and are secured to the second housing. The length 
of the mounting brackets thereby determines the spacing between the first 
and second housings, irrespective of pole size. The surface of the first 
housing which abuts the pole is provided with one or more pole brackets to 
facilitate securing the first housing to the pole. A conduit extends along 
the mounting brackets to carry electrical wiring between the two housings. 
A cover for the assembly includes a pair of cover members, each covering a 
respective side and one-half of the top of the assembly. Each cover member 
includes studs which project into the first and second housings where they 
are secured in place. Thus, once the cover members are secured, removal 
requires access to the inside of both housings. 
The assembly is suitable for long term remote and unattended operation and 
may include an antenna and solar energy absorber mounted atop the pole and 
electrically connected to components in the housings by cables running 
down the pole, through suitably provided access in the cover, and into one 
or the other of the housings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings in greater detail, an equipment 
assembly 10 is mounted on a utility pole 12. Pole 12 may be a hollow pole 
of aluminum or similar material, or may be solid wood, etc. For purposes 
of the present invention the assembly 10 is assumed to be an emergency 
radio-telephone unit; however, it is clear from the description which 
follows that the principles of the present invention are applicable to any 
pole-mounted equipment. An antenna assembly 14 and solar energy absorber 
16 are mounted at or proximate the top of pole 12 and are electrically 
connected to component within assembly 10 by means of a cable 18 which 
extends along the pole. 
Referring to FIGS. 2 through 9, assembly 10, a power supply housing 20 is 
secured to pole 12 by means of a pair of U-bolts 22 and 24, as best 
illustrated in FIGS. 3, 5 and 7. Specifically, the forward vertical wall 
26 of housing 20 has a pair of pole brackets 28, 30 mounted thereon in 
vertically-spaced locations. Each pole bracket 28, 30 is in the form of a 
U-shaped channel having its base abutting wall 26 and its legs projecting 
horizontally forward. Each leg of the brackets 28, 30 is centrally 
recessed from its outer edge in plural discrete perpendicular steps such 
that the pole 12 may reside in the recess. Depending upon the pole 
diameter, it abuts two or more step edges and, in most instances, the base 
of the innermost step. (The relationship of pole bracket 28 to a smaller 
diameter pole 12' is shown in phantom lines in FIG. 3.) With pole 12 
abutting the pole brackets 28, 30 in the aforementioned recess, U-bolts 
22, 24 are positioned around pole 12 with their threaded legs extending 
through suitably provided holes in pole brackets 28, 30 and wall 26. The 
threaded bolt legs are engaged by nuts 32 or the like inside housing 20 to 
firmly secure that housing to pole 12. With housing 20 thusly secured, 
pole brackets 28 and 30 provide multi-point contact with pole 12 and 
thereby minimize inadvertent rotational movement of the housing about the 
pole. The rear wall 27 of housing 20 is removable to provide access to the 
housing interior. 
A pair of mounting brackets 34, 36 are secured to wall 26 of housing 20 and 
extend therefrom on opposite sides of pole 12 for a distance which is as 
large or slightly larger than largest diameter pole on which assembly 10 
is to be mounted. An electronic component housing 40 is secured to the 
remote ends of brackets 34, 36 by screws 38 or the like. The spacing 
between housings 20 and 40 is determined solely by the length of brackets 
34, 36 in their dimension transverse to the axis of pole 12, irrespective 
of pole diameter. In other words, by mounting housing 40 on the brackets 
34, 36 rather than on pole 12, the spacing between the housings is 
normalized for all sizes of pole 12. A tubular member 42, co-extensive 
with the brackets 34, 36, serves as a protective conduit for wiring 
between the two housings on 20, 40. 
In the emergency radio telephone assembly of the present description, 
housing 20 contains the battery and other power supply components while 
housing 40 contains the electronic transmitter, receiver and control logic 
components. A control panel assembly 44 is mounted (by screws or the like) 
on the front of housing 40. Panel assembly 44 contains various push 
buttons 41, an interlock switch 43, and a telephone handset 45. A front 
door 46 is pivotally mounted on housing 40 to protect panel 44 when the 
unit is not in use. The telephone handset is located in a box-like recess 
48 in panel assembly 44, which recess projects into housing 40. An audio 
alarm 47 is secured to the back of the control panel adjacent recess 48. 
Various electronic components are located in a component box 49 which is 
bolted to the rear wall of housing 40. Hollow cylindrical spacers 51 
extend between component box 49 and the aforesaid rear wall to define the 
location of the component box inside housing 40. 
Assembly 10 is provided with a cover along its top and sides in the form of 
two inverted L-shaped members 50, 52, each covering a respective side and 
half of the top of the assembly. A plurality of studs 54 extend from the 
inner surface of members 50, 52 through suitably provided holes in 
housings 20 and 40. The ends of studs 54 are threaded and are engaged by 
nuts interiorly of housings 20 and 40. A cover spacer 56, in the form of a 
thin frame surrounding all four sides of housing 40, combines with another 
cover spacer 58, in the form of a thin frame surrounding the top and sides 
of housing 20, to support members 50, 52 in spaced relationship to the two 
housings. A portion of the upper edge of each of members 50, 52 is bent 
downward at right angles to form a plurality of tabs 60. The tabs 60 are 
apertured at 62 and each tab aperture 62 in member 50 is aligned with a 
similar tab aperture in member 52. Flat strip member 64 cover joint where 
the upper edges of members 50 and 52 meet. In the region of tabs 60, strip 
64 has a T-shaped cross-section, the stem of which depends from the strip 
to a position between the opposed tabs 60 of members 50 and 52. Suitable 
holes are provided in the depending portion of the strip and are aligned 
with tab apertures 62 so that strip 64 and members 50 and 52 can be joined 
together. Bifurcated guide members 66, located centrally atop housings 20 
and 40, receive the depending stem of strip 64. 
In securing assembly 10 to pole 12, housing 20 is first mounted at the 
proper height using U-bolts 22 in conjunction with pole brackets 28 and 30 
in the manner described above. Housing 40 is then secured to the brackets 
34 and 36 and panel 44 is partially secured to the housing 40 so that the 
panel can be swung open on hinges 59. Wiring interconnections between the 
various units are then made, after which the door 46 is secured to the 
housing 40. Cover members 50, 52 are then joined together and to strip 64 
at tabs 60 around pole 12 and above the assembly, and then the cover is 
positioned over the unit using members 66 as positioning guides for strip 
64. Threaded studs 54 on cover member 50, 52 are engaged by nut inside 
housings 20 and 40. Rear wall 27 of housing 20 is then secured, control 
panel 44 is fully secured, and the door 46 is closed. 
If desired Z-shaped brackets 67 may be provided at the outer surfaces of 
brackets 34, 36 to provide additional support for cover members 50, 52. 
Although particularly suited for roadside emergency telephone systems, the 
invention described herein is useful for any pole-mounted equipment. The 
normalization of spacing between the two housings 20 and 40 permits 
standardization of parts for a wide variety of pole diameters. The 
protective cover has all of its connecting members inside the assembly and 
out of sight to minimize the risk of vandalism. 
While we have described and illustrated one specific embodiment of our 
invention, it will be clear that variations of the details of construction 
which are specifically illustrated and described may be resorted to 
without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention as 
defined in the appended claims.