Patent Publication Number: US-2016248233-A1

Title: Precision Mounting System for Wall Mounted Electrical Enclosure

Description:
This application is based upon U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/118,972 filed Feb. 20, 2015, the complete disclosure of which is hereby expressly incorporated by this reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     This invention relates to the field of enclosures, particularly electrical enclosures which are mounted on a vertical surface such as a wall and require strong, precise, and secure mounting. Wall mounted electrical enclosures have changed over time as the electronics populated within them has evolved. There are many systems for mounting enclosures to vertical surfaces. One existing system uses a template for the placement of screw anchors to match the template pattern of mounting holes on the enclosure. Often this template is on the packaging of the enclosure. The template approach produces several installation problems. First, the template is often mistakenly discarded as part of the packaging. Second, it is difficult to level the paper or corrugate template accurately. Improper leveling puts uneven loading on the wall anchors and also causes any hinged section, door, or panel to swing open or closed due to gravity. Further, it can be difficult to hold the enclosure at the proper height against the wall while simultaneously securing the enclosure to the wall using fasteners. 
     Another existing mounting system includes an enclosure which is manufactured with keyhole shaped cut outs adapted to receive fasteners. The fasteners are loosely affixed to the wall then the enclosure is hung on the fasteners before tightening the fasteners. While this is convenient, installation of the anchors ahead of time leaves the fasteners bearing the weight load before they are fully tightened. This is a dangerous practice since the fasteners are not fully secured to the wall. Even when safety is addressed, the direction of the fastener may be impacted by the premature loading while it is being tightened leading to less than optimal holding or pull-out strength of the fastener. There is also potential to damage the threads of the fasteners or the enclosure when driven in under such shear loads. Electrical enclosures are often designed to house rack mount equipment of 19, 24, or 30 inch widths. Depending on where the keyholes are located, it is often difficult to anchor into the studs properly since typical building code stud widths are approximately 16 to 24 inches on center. Assuming the fastener is targeting a wall stud, the position of round openings or keyhole mounts does not allow adjustment in the horizontal (X) direction making proper anchoring to multiple studs difficult. Finally, lifting a medium to large sized populated enclosure and fitting the alignment to the keyholes is difficult for an installer as the keyholes are two to four relatively small targets. 
     Alternatively, some wall mounted electrical enclosures utilize mounting holes/fasteners that are on the outside of the enclosure. These carry with them some of the shortcomings of the previously described systems. In addition, the external mounting holes/fasteners are exposed and therefore unsecured. In other words, anyone could remove the enclosure from the wall and gain access to the internal components using only a wrench or screwdriver to remove the external fasteners. 
     There is therefore a need for an improved wall mountable enclosure which overcomes these and other deficiencies in the prior art. 
     SUMMARY 
     One aspect of the invention includes an enclosure system adapted to be mounted on a generally vertical surface such as a wall. The system includes an enclosure housing having a first opening in one of its walls and a second opening in another of its walls. The wall with the second opening has a first mounting member such as a top lip and a second mounting member such as a bottom lip. Mounting hardware is used to secure the housing to the vertical surface. In one embodiment, the mounting hardware includes a first bracket and a locking member such as a second bracket. The first bracket is adapted to be combined with the vertical surface by fasteners such as screws, bolts, or nails. The bracket has a gap, opening, or slot (collectively an “opening”) created between it and the wall. The opening is adapted to receive the first mounting member of the wall with the second opening of the enclosure housing. In other words, the housing is hung on the first bracket so that the vertical surface (e.g., wall) covers the second opening of the housing by effectively forming the rear wall of the enclosure. A second bracket, which may be similar to the first bracket, is adapted to be inserted through the first opening after the enclosure housing is hung on the first bracket. The second bracket is positioned upside down relative to the first bracket (so its opening is facing downward). The opening created between the second bracket and the wall is adapted to receive the second mounting member of the wall with the second opening of the enclosure housing and be fastened to the vertical surface by fasteners. In another embodiment the mounting hardware includes a first bracket (as described above) and the locking member is one or more fasteners which are inserted through openings in the rear wall of the housing and into the vertical service (i.e., these fasteners are used as the locking member instead of a second bracket). In both embodiments, the weight of the housing hangs from the first bracket and the locking member (second bracket and/or fasteners) prevents the housing from being lifted off of the first bracket by preventing the housing from moving in an upward direction. In both embodiments the mounting hardware is encapsulated by and only accessible from inside the housing to help prevent unauthorized access to or removal of the enclosure. 
     In another aspect of the invention, a kit for a wall mounted enclosure which includes the components described in the previous paragraph. 
     In another aspect of the invention, a method for mounting a wall mounted enclosure. The method includes taking an enclosure housing having a first opening in one of its walls and a second opening in another of its walls. The second opening has a first mounting member such as top lip and a second mounting member such as bottom lip. The method further includes using mounting hardware to secure the enclosure housing to a vertical surface. In one embodiment the mounting hardware includes a first bracket and a locking member such as a second bracket. A gap or opening is created between each bracket and the wall. The opening is adapted to receive one of the first mounting member and the second mounting member. The first bracket is secured to the vertical surface using fasteners then the enclosure housing is hung on the first bracket by positioning the first mounting member in the first bracket&#39;s opening (i.e., between the bracket and the wall). Once hung on the top bracket, the second bracket is inserted into the enclosure housing through the second opening and then secured to the vertical surface so the second mounting member is received into the opening between the second bracket and the wall. In another embodiment the mounting hardware includes a first bracket (as described above) and the locking member is one or more fasteners which are inserted through openings in the rear wall of the housing and into the vertical service (the locking member is fasteners instead of a second bracket). Once installed, the enclosure housing is hung on the wall with the locking member (bottom bracket and/or fasteners) preventing it from being lifted off of the top bracket. In some embodiments there is a door on the housing for selectively opening and closing the first opening. In its closed position the door may be locked to prevent unauthorized access to the inside of the enclosure through the first opening. All mounting hardware (i.e., the brackets and/or fasteners) is covered by the housing so that it is only accessible from the inside of the enclosure housing. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the enclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view showing the enclosure housing being hung on the first bracket after the first bracket is secured to the vertical surface. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view showing the second bracket being inserted into the enclosure housing through the first opening so it can be secured to the vertical surface after the enclosure is hung from the first bracket. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a bracket. 
         FIG. 5  is a section view showing the first bracket and the second bracket secured to a vertical surface where the housing has been removed for clarity. 
         FIG. 6  is a section view showing the enclosure housing secured to the vertical surface by the first bracket and the second bracket. 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment wherein the housing is articulated and the housing is secured to the vertical surface by a first bracket and fasteners (but no second bracket). 
         FIG. 8  is another perspective view of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 7 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     One embodiment of the invention includes an enclosure system adapted to be mounted on a generally vertical surface  13 , such as a wall.  FIG. 1  shows an embodiment of the enclosure wherein the enclosure comprises a housing  10  having a door  15  in one of the enclosure&#39;s walls which is adapted to be open and closed. In its closed position, the door  15  may be locked by any suitable locking means to prevent unauthorized access to the internal cavity of the housing  10 . 
       FIGS. 2 and 3  show additional views of the housing  10 .  FIG. 2  shows an opening  12  in one of the walls. As shown, this opening  12  is in the rear of the housing (if the front is considered the side with the door  15 ), however, it may also be in one of the other top, bottom, or side walls. As described below in more detail, the opening  12  faces the vertical surface (e.g., wall)  13  after the enclosure is mounted so that the vertical surface  13  covers the opening  12  and prevents entry into the internal cavity of the housing  10 . Near the top side of the opening  12 , the housing  10  forms an upper mounting member  10   a  such as a lip and near the bottom side of the opening  12  the housing  10  forms a lower mounting member  10   b  such as lip. The mounting members  10   a,    10   b  are generally structural members that form part of the rear housing wall and are adapted to be received by openings  17 ,  19  created between the brackets  16 ,  18  and the vertical surface  13  (described below). The mounting members  10   a,    10   b  may protrude outward from a portion of the housing  10  to form a lip or tongue. As shown generally in  FIGS. 2 and 6 , in one embodiment the mounting members  10   a,    10   b  are part of the rear wall of the housing  10 . The housing  10  has a top surface and bottom surface, each of which terminate at a rear edge where the housing  10  turns generally ninety degrees to form the mounting members  10   a,    10   b  as part of the rear wall of the housing  10 . The mounting members  10   a,    10   b  stop where the opening  12  begins. 
       FIG. 3  shows an opening  14  in one of the other walls of the housing. As shown, this opening  14  is in the front (the side with the door  15 ), however, it may also be in one of the other top, bottom, or side walls. The door  15  is not shown in  FIG. 3 , however, the door  15  is typically combined with the housing  10  (as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 8 ) to selectively cover opening  14  and prevent unauthorized access to the internal cavity of the housing  10 . 
     The system further includes mounting hardware for securing the housing  10  to the vertical surface  13 . In the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 2-6 , the mounting hardware includes a first bracket  16  and a locking member. The locking member helps secure the housing  10  to the first bracket  16  so the housing  10  is not purposefully or inadvertently lifted off of the bracket  16 . In one embodiment the locking member is a second bracket  18 .  FIG. 4  shows an exemplary bracket  16 ,  18 . In some embodiments the first bracket  16  and second bracket  18  have the same general shape, so the bracket shown in  FIG. 4  may be either the first bracket  16  or the second bracket  18 . In some embodiments, however, the second bracket  18  is different from the first bracket  16  because the second bracket  18  does not include a level  22 .  FIG. 5  shows a section view of the two brackets  16 ,  18  mounted to a vertical surface  13 . As described below, in practice the second bracket  18  is not secured to the vertical surface  13  until after the housing  10  is hung on the first bracket  16 , however, the housing  10  has been removed from  FIG. 5  to more clearly show the detail of the brackets  16 ,  18 . In one embodiment each bracket  16 ,  18  has two portions offset from each other so that the two portions are in different planes. The first portion  16   a,    18   a  of each bracket  16 ,  18  is a wall engaging portion and the second portion  16   b,    18   b  of each bracket  16 ,  18  is the housing  10  engaging portion. The second portion  16   b,    18   b  of the bracket  16 ,  18  extends outward from the wall  13  to create a gap or opening  17 ,  19  between each second portion  16   b,    18   b  and the vertical surface  13 . The opening  17  created between the first bracket  16  and the vertical surface  13  is adapted to receive the first mounting member  10   a  of the housing  10  and the opening  19  formed between the second bracket  18  and the wall  13  is adapted to receive the second mounting member  10   b  of the housing  10 . To form the openings  17 ,  19 , the two bracket portions may be offset and parallel to each other such that they generally form a “Z” shape. In an alternate embodiment the two portions may intersect each other at some angle such as a “V” shape. In yet another embodiment, the two portions need not be planer, they may instead be curved so that they form an “S” shape. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , the wall engaging portions  16   a,    18   a  have at least one opening  32  adapted to receive fasteners  20  for securing each bracket  16 ,  18  to the generally vertical surface  13 . Any suitable fastener  20  may be used, including screws, bolts, and nails. In one embodiment the openings  32  in the first portion  16   a,    18   a  of the bracket  16 ,  18  are elongated along their horizontal (x) axis to create a slot. This allows the brackets  16 ,  18  to be adjusted along the horizontal (x) axis relative to the fasteners  20  to a desired position on the wall  13  regardless of where the studs  11  are located. In other words, the brackets  16 ,  18  may be adjusted horizontally after the fasteners  20  are loosely secured to the studs  11 . Once the brackets  16 ,  18  are properly positioned along the horizontal (x) axis, the fasteners  20  are fully secured to the studs  11 . 
       FIG. 6  shows the housing  10  mounted to the vertical surface  13  by the brackets  16 ,  18 . The second portions  16   b,    18   b  of each bracket  16 ,  18  extend a predetermined distance away from the tip of each mounting member  10   a,    10   b  (e.g., toward the corner of the housing  10 ) to overlap with and help support the housing  10 . As shown, the first/upper bracket  16  bears the weight of the housing  10  and second/lower bracket  18  does not bear any of the housing&#39;s  10  weight. Instead, the lower bracket  18  prevents the housing  10  from being lifted off of the upper bracket  16 , as described below in more detail. However, the second/lower bracket  18  may support the housing  10  and be attached to the vertical surface  13  first if the orientation of the bracket  18  is reversed (so the opening  19  faces upward) and the lower mounting member  10   b  is configured to be received into the opening  19  (e.g., protrude downward instead of upward). 
       FIGS. 7 and 8  show an alternate embodiment of the enclosure housing  10 . The embodiment shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8  includes features which are beneficial for larger and heavier enclosures; however, these features may also be used alone or in combination with the embodiments described above. This embodiment includes a door  15  as described above to selectively open the front of the enclosure and access the enclosure through opening  14 . The door  15  is attached to the housing  10  via hinges  24 . The housing  10  shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8  is jointed or articulated between its front and back to create a housing first portion  10   c  and a housing second portion  10   d.  The two portions  10   c,    10   d  are attached by a hinge  24  or other suitable means to allow the first portion  10   c  to move or pivot relative to the second portion  10   d.  This feature is beneficial, especially in larger housings  10 , because it allows the user easy access to the rear of the housing  10  by moving or pivoting the first portion  10   c  to an open position after the housing second portion  10   d  has been secured to the vertical surface  13 . In this embodiment the enclosure preferably includes two locking mechanisms. One locking mechanism is used to selectively lock the door  15  in its closed position and the other locking mechanism is used to selectively lock the first portions  10   c  in its closed position relative to the second portion  10   d  to prevent unauthorized access to the inside of the housing  10 . 
     The embodiment shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8  uses mounting hardware that is different from the mounting hardware described above. Again, this alternate embodiment is useful for larger and heavier enclosures, however, it may be used with an enclosure or any size or weight. The mounting hardware in this alternate embodiment includes a first bracket  16  that is secured to the vertical surface  13  then the mounting member  10   a  of the housing  10  is hung on the bracket  16  as described in the previous embodiment. This alternate embodiment does not necessarily include a second bracket  18  as the locking member (in some embodiments the locking member may include a second bracket  18  in addition to the fasteners  20  used in this alternate embodiment). Instead, as shown in  FIG. 7 , the rear wall of the enclosure  10  includes at least one opening  28  adapted to receive a fastener  20  as the locking member. The fasteners  20  serve several functions. First, they help prevent the housing  10  from being lifted off of the first bracket  16 . Second, they are secured to the wall  13  (preferably into a stud  11 ) to help bear some of the load of the housing  10  along with the first bracket  16 . 
     Another embodiment of the invention is a kit for a wall mounted enclosure which includes the components described above. 
     Another embodiment of the invention includes a method for mounting a wall mounted enclosure. The method includes taking an enclosure housing  10  having a first opening  14  in one of its walls and a second opening  12  in another of its walls. The second opening  12  has first mounting member  10   a  such as a top lip and a second mounting member  10   b  such as a bottom lip. The method further includes securing a first bracket  16  (as described above) to a generally vertical surface  13  using fasteners  20 . 
     The bracket  16  should be positioned at a location where it can be safely hung (such as by securing fasteners  20  into studs  11 ), where it is generally level, and also where the housing  10  will cover any openings or wires coming from the vertical surface  13 . In some embodiments the bracket  16  includes a level  22  for leveling the bracket  16  to help ensure even support of the housing  10  by the bracket  16 . The arrow A in  FIG. 2  shows the housing  10  being hung on the bracket  16  so the first mounting surface  10   a  is received by the opening  17  created between the wall  13  and the bracket  16 . A second bracket  18  is secured to the wall  13  so that the second mounting surface  10   b  of the housing  10  is received by the opening  19  formed between the second bracket  18  and the wall  13 . In one embodiment, the first bracket  16  is similar to the second bracket  18 , but the second bracket  18  is installed upside down so that its opening  19  faces the opposite direction (downward) to properly engaged the second mounting surface  10   b.  Further, the second bracket  18  does not need to include a level since the first bracket  16  will determine whether the housing  10  is level. As shown in the figures, the first bracket  16  is positioned above the second bracket  18  and combined with the vertical surface  13  before the second bracket  18 . However, the second/lower bracket  18  may be secured to the vertical surface  13  first if its orientation is flipped so that its opening  19  faces upward and the corresponding lower mounting member  10   b  is configured to be received into the opening  19  (e.g., protrudes downward instead of upward) to support the load of the housing  10 . In other words, the first bracket secured to the vertical surface  13  must be able to support the weight of the housing  10  until the second bracket is secured to the vertical surface  13  and this does not necessarily require the top bracket to be hung first. 
     The arrow B in  FIG. 3  shows the second bracket  18  being inserted through the housing&#39;s  10  first opening  14  in order to secure the second bracket  18  to the wall  13  from inside the housing  10 . The housing  10  is now hung on the wall  13  as shown in  FIG. 6  with the second bracket  18  preventing it from being lifted off of the first bracket  16 . In some embodiments there is a door  15  combined with the housing  10  to selectively open and close the first opening  14 . The door  15  may be locked to prevent unauthorized access to the inside of the enclosure. 
     After installation is complete, both the first bracket  16  and second bracket  18  are completely housed internal to the housing  10  and therefore secure from external tampering. In some embodiments there may be portions of the brackets  16 ,  18  accessible from outside the housing  10 , however, the fasteners  20  are all internal to the housing  10  to prevent one or both of the brackets  16 ,  18  from being removed from the vertical surface  13 . The sequence of securing the first bracket  16  to the wall  13  then hanging the housing  10  on the first bracket  16  also makes it possible for a single installer to install medium and large enclosures safely. Leveling and proper anchoring are important for maximum payload distribution; these features of the invention are thus improved by mounting the bracket  16  before hanging the housing  10 . 
       FIGS. 7 and 8  show an embodiment where an alternate mounting method is used. This alternate embodiment is similar to the method described above except the locking member is fasteners  20  instead of a second bracket  18 . The fasteners  20  are received by openings  28  in the rear of the housing  10 . Similar to the second bracket  18 , the fasteners  20  in the alternate embodiment help prevent the housing  10  from being lifted off of the upper bracket  16 . In addition, the fasteners  20  are secured to the wall  13  (preferably into a stud  11 ) so they are able to help bear some of the load of the housing  10 . 
     Having thus described the invention in connection with the preferred embodiments thereof, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that various revisions can be made to the preferred embodiments described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is my intention, however, that all such revisions and modifications that are evident to those skilled in the art will be included with in the scope of the following claims.