Abstract:
A ceiling-mountable wireless access point includes a ceiling box with a wing bracket and a wireless access point. The access point is receivable in the ceiling box, with the ceiling box mountable in a drywall installation. The wing bracket couples with ceiling box to secure the apparatus in a ceiling. A power-over-Ethernet module may be provided to eliminate the need for a dedicated power supply at the installation site.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to wireless networks and, more particularly, to ceiling-mounted wireless access points.  
         [0002]     With the advances in wireless technology, wireless networking is becoming increasingly common, not only in the workplace but also in homes. A wireless network typically includes a wireless router and one or more devices such personal computers and portable data assistants (PDAs) each with a wireless modem. The router is best placed in a central location so as to maximize efficient wireless communication with each of the devices in the network. However, wireless signals, which consist of radio-frequency (RF) signals, do not readily pass through certain materials, such liquids and metals.  
         [0003]     To enhance the wireless communication and minimize obstruction of the wireless signals from interfering material, the router is often positioned at an elevated location, such as on a bookcase or on the ceiling. While a conventional flat-surface router mounted on the ceiling may satisfy certain business needs, a homeowner with an eye toward the aesthetic will not find such a solution palatable.  
         [0004]     In view of the foregoing, there remains a need in the art for a wireless access point with enhanced ceiling-mountable qualities.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     According to one aspect of the invention, apparatus for mounting a wireless access point in drywall, such as in a ceiling includes a ceiling box and a wing bracket. The ceiling box may include an inner chamber with an opening for receiving the wireless access point, a brace extending across an end of the inner chamber opposite to the opening and having a threaded through hole, and a pair of flanges extending outwardly from the opening. The wing bracket may include a cross member with a threaded through hole and a pair of arms resiliently extending from the cross member at an outward angle. The wing bracket is fittable over the housing such that when the through holes are substantially aligned with each other and a screw is tightened therein, the cross member of the wing bracket is drawn toward the brace of the ceiling box, with the arms extending beyond the opening of the inner chamber. Accordingly, when the apparatus is mounted in a drywall environment, the flanges are received against a room-side of the drywall and ends of the arms of the wing bracket engage an interior side of the drywall.  
         [0006]     According to another aspect of the invention, a ceiling-mountable wireless access point includes apparatus as described above and a wireless access point. When mounted, the wireless access point is received in the inner chamber of the ceiling box with a cover thereof flush against the drywall. The cover may include an antenna recess that extends slightly downwardly from the cover. In addition, a perimetrical section of the cover may extend outwardly to conceal the flanges.  
         [0007]     One of the advantages of the invention is that one or more wireless access points may be mounted in a ceiling or another drywall location, either as a retrofit or during new construction. The cover of the wireless access point provides a clean finish to the installation. In addition, a power-over-Ethernet module may be provided so that a power supply does not need to be installed at the mounting locations.  
         [0008]     Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]      FIG. 1  illustrates a wireless network according to a number of embodiments;  
         [0010]      FIG. 2  illustrates a ceiling-mountable access point;  
         [0011]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view from a bottom side of a wireless access point;  
         [0012]      FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of a cover of a wireless access point;  
         [0013]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a ceiling box of a ceiling-mounting apparatus;  
         [0014]      FIG. 6  is a view of the ceiling box taken from an interior side;  
         [0015]      FIG. 7A  illustrates a wireless access point being inserted in a ceiling-mounting apparatus;  
         [0016]      FIG. 7B  illustrates the wireless access point received within the ceiling-mounting apparatus;  
         [0017]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a wing bracket of a ceiling-mounting apparatus;  
         [0018]      FIG. 9  is a side view of the wing bracket mounted to the ceiling box;  
         [0019]      FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional view of the ceiling-mounting apparatus received in an opening in drywall; and  
         [0020]      FIG. 11  is a perspective view of a ceiling-mounted wireless access point.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0021]     Referring to the drawings in more detail, a wireless network  100  is shown in  FIG. 1  to include a plurality of devices  102  such as computers and PDAs each with a wireless mode, and a router  104  connected to an external data source such as a modem  106 .  
         [0022]     According to a number of embodiments, the network  100  may also include a ceiling-mountable access point  108  connected to the router  104 , for example, with Ethernet cable  110 . In some of the embodiments, the network  100  may also include a power-over-Ethernet (POE) module  112  connected between the router  104  and the access point  108  to provide power to the ceiling-mountable access point  108  via the Ethernet cable  110 . The POE module  112  eliminating the need for a dedicated power supply such as an electrical junction box to be located at the access point  108  in the ceiling.  
         [0023]     With reference to  FIG. 2 , the ceiling-mountable access point  108  may include a wireless access point  114  and a ceiling-mounting apparatus  116 . In a number of embodiments such as shown in  FIG. 3 , the wireless access point  114  may include a housing  118  and a cover  120 . The housing  118  includes an Ethernet jack  122  for connecting with Ethernet cable  100  from the POE module  112 . The housing  118  may also include a plurality of friction springs  124  for engaging with the ceiling box  116 , which is discuss in more detail below.  
         [0024]     The electrical components of the wireless access point  114  such as circuitry and an antenna are located within the housing  118  and may be configured in accordance with the art. However, according to a number of embodiments as shown in  FIG. 4 , the cover  120  may include an antenna recess  126  for housing an antenna of the access point  114 . The antenna recess  126  may extend from a perimetrical section of the cover  120  by a few millimeters to a number of centimeters.  
         [0025]     Also shown in  FIG. 2 , in a number of embodiments, the ceiling-mounting apparatus  116  may include a ceiling box  130  and a wing bracket  132 . In the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the ceiling box  130  may include a plurality of side walls  134 , such as four as shown, that define an inner chamber  136  that may be described as having an exterior opening  138  and an interior opening  140 . The ceiling box  130  is configured so that the housing  118  of the access point  114  is receivable through the exterior opening  138  therein, as shown in  FIGS. 7A and 7B . The friction springs  124  engage with the side walls  134  of the box  130  to retain the housing  118  therein.  
         [0026]     In other embodiments, the ceiling box  130  may include a brace  142  and a plurality of flanges  144 . As shown in  FIG. 6 , in embodiments with four side walls, the brace  142  may be disposed between opposing side walls  134 , thereby extending across the interior opening  140 . The brace  142  may also include a threaded through hole  146 . As shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , in embodiments with two flanges  144 , the flanges  144  may be disposed at the exterior opening  138  at opposing side walls  134  and may extend substantially orthogonally outwardly from the side walls  134 . The brace  142  and the flanges  144  are discussed in more detail below.  
         [0027]     In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 8 , the wing bracket  132  may include a cross member  148  with a threaded through hole  150  and a pair of arms  152  resiliently extending from ends  154  of the cross member  148  at an outward angle, which is particularly shown in  FIG. 9 . As also shown in the embodiment in  FIG. 9 , the arms  152  may have a greater length than the side walls  134  have between the openings  138  and  140 . Accordingly, the wing bracket  132  is fittable, mountable, or positionable over the ceiling box  130  such that when the through holes  146  and  150  are substantially aligned with each other and a screw  156  is tightened therein as represented by axis A in  FIG. 9  and as shown in  FIG. 10 , the arms  152  are extend toward the exterior opening  138  over opposing side walls  134  and ends  158  of the arms  152  can extend beyond the exterior opening  138 , e.g., by a distance d. In addition, when the screw  156  is tightened, the wing bracket  132  is drawn toward the ceiling box  130 , which is discussed below. As shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 , each of the arms  152  of the wing bracket  132  may include a curved portion  158  disposed at the connection or intersection with the cross member  148  to enhance the outward and inward resiliency of the arms  152 .  
         [0028]     To install the ceiling-mounting apparatus  116  in a drywall-type ceiling as shown in  FIG. 10 , the wing bracket  132  may be mounted to the ceiling box  130  as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 9 , with the screw  156  loosened as much as possible so that the wing bracket  132  is not drawn toward the box  130  and the arms  152  are positioned away from the exterior opening  138  (i.e., toward the interior opening  140 ). An opening  160  may then be cut in a sheet of drywall  162  about the size and dimensions of the ceiling box  130 . The coupled ceiling box  130  and wing bracket  132  may then be inserted through the opening  160  in the drywall  162  as shown by arrow B to a point at which the arms  152  completely pass through the opening  160 , at which point the arms  152  spring outwardly as shown by arrow C. The screw  156  may then be tightened to draw the box  130  upwardly to the point at which the flanges  144  contact a room side  164  of the drywall and the ends  158  of the arms  152  engage an interior side  166  of the drywall  162 , thereby securing the apparatus  116  in the opening  160 .  
         [0029]     The wireless access point  114  may then be inserted into the inner chamber  136  as described above, thereby resulting in a ceiling-mounted access point  108  as shown in  FIG. 11 . As shown in phantom line in  FIG. 10 , the cover  120  may extend outwardly from the housing  118  such that when the housing  118  is received in the inner chamber  136 , the cover  120  extends beyond the flanges  144  of the ceiling box  130 , thereby providing a clean finish.  
         [0030]     Those skilled in the art will understand that the preceding exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide the foundation for numerous alternatives and modifications thereto. For example, in addition to ceilings, the apparatus  108  may be mounted within walls or any other structure with similar planar building material like drywall or plywood. In addition, the ceiling box  130  have may any number of sides, with the housing  118  of the access point  114  being complementarily configured. These and other modifications are also within the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the present invention is not limited to that precisely as shown and described above but by the scope of the appended claims.