Patent Publication Number: US-2005135068-A1

Title: Electronic equipment enclosure

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
      The present application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/530,216, titled Simplified Multi-Media Presentation System, filed Dec. 17, 2003. 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
      Not Applicable  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention pertains to a housing for electronic equipment such as passive or active audiovisual equipment, telecommunications, and data routing equipment. Housings, shelving and racks for audiovisual, telecommunications, and data routing equipment are widely used in educational and corporate settings and are available in a number of forms. Typical housings that are presently available are difficult and costly to install for a variety of reasons and result in systems that are difficult to repair, upgrade and maintain.  
      One type of housing that is routinely used for the mounting of electronic equipment involves a rack in which the electronic equipment is mounted horizontally. In such housings, multiple pieces of equipment may be stacked one above the other. Connections are typically made to connectors on the rear panel of the equipment and may interconnect different components within the housing. For example, with regard to audiovisual equipment, connections may also be made between the rear panel of equipment within the housing to audiovisual devices outside of the housing such as projectors, microphones, etc. In housings in which the electronic equipment is mounted horizontally, access to the rear of the equipment is often awkward during the initial installation of the system. Additionally, it is typically difficult to access the rear panels of components of the system unless the housing is free standing away from a wall or is custom built into an area, such as a closet, that allows rear access to the equipment. However, freestanding housings for electronic equipment occupy substantial floor space. Additionally, such systems often have a “rat&#39;s nest” of wiring running to and from the system. Built-in housings are costly and require substantial planning. Finally, housings in which the electronic equipment is horizontally mounted have a large footprint, which is disadvantageous if space is at a premium.  
      For the above reasons, it would be desirable to have an audiovisual equipment housing that may be readily installed in new construction and which also may be installed in existing construction without inordinate changes to the existing structure.  
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      In accordance with the present invention, an improved housing for electronic equipment is disclosed. The housing includes a back box that can be installed during new construction or, alternatively, installed in existing construction. Additionally, the housing includes a front enclosure that is mountable to the back box or shell. The front enclosure is preferably hinged on one side to allow the front enclosure to swing away from the back box to allow for access to the rear of equipment mounted to the front enclosure. The ability to pivotally rotate the front enclosure with respect to the back box to gain access to the rear panels of equipment and components mounted within the housing facilitates wiring during the initial installation as well as the serviceability, upgradeability and maintenance of the components within the housing.  
      The front enclosure includes a front panel that may include one or more precut openings for a system control panel or visual display, that is mounted behind the respective openings. Alternatively, a system control panel and/or visual display may be mounted to the front of the front panel. The system control panel may comprise a LCD touch panel or any other suitable control panel and provides a graphical user interface for controlling the electronic system including the equipment contained within the housing. Additionally, the front enclosure includes one or more equipment compartments or supports for mounting electronic equipment to the front enclosure. The electronic equipment is typically mounted within one of the compartments or behind the front panel via rack mounting flanges as known in the art. Alternatively, if the equipment is not specifically adapted for rack mounting, an adapter may be employed to rack mount the electronic the equipment within the compartment or to the rear of the front panel.  
      The system control panel and the equipment contained within the housing can control and/or drive peripheral equipment, such as one or more display devices, speakers, lighting control systems, mechanized window treatments, projection screens, or other environmental controls.  
      In one embodiment, the equipment compartments or supports can be repositioned between a closed or first position in which the equipment is disposed substantially vertically within the housing and at least one second position in which the equipment is angled with respect to the front panel so that the control panel of the equipment is accessible for use. The equipment compartments or supports may be pivotally mounted within the front enclosure or otherwise mounted to permit repositioning of the compartment or support as described above.  
      In another embodiment, a compartment or support portion is integral with or attached to the front panel. Electronic equipment is mountable within the compartment or to the support portion via conventional rack mounting techniques. The compartment or support portion includes a generally rectangular frontal portion that is angled with respect to the front panel. An opening is formed between the upper edge of the frontal portion and the front panel to expose and provide access to the control panel(s) of the electronic equipment mounted within the compartment or support portion.  
      Other features, aspects and advantages of the presently disclosed electronic equipment housing will be apparent from the detailed description of the invention that follows. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The invention will be more fully understood by reference to the detailed description of the invention in conjunction with the drawings of which:  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one embodiment of an equipment housing in accordance with present invention shown mounted within a framed opening within a wall;  
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a back box mounted within a pre-framed opening within a wall;  
       FIG. 3   a  is a side view of a front enclosure and back box that form the housing depicted in  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 3   b  is a top view of the front enclosure and back box depicted in  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 4   a  is a front view of a second embodiment of an equipment housing in accordance with the present invention;  
       FIG. 4   b  is a side view of the equipment housing of  FIG. 4   a  illustrating the front enclosure and the back box;  
       FIG. 5   a  is a front view of a third embodiment of an equipment housing in accordance with the present invention having a fixed frontal portion disposed at an angle with respect to the front panel of the front enclosure;  
       FIG. 5   b  is a side view of the back box and the front enclosure that form the equipment housing of  FIG. 5   a ; and  
       FIG. 6  is a side view of a front enclosure for use in conjunction with the back box depicted in  FIG. 2 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/530,216, titled “Simplified Multi-Media Audiovisual Presentation System,” filed Dec. 13, 2003 is hereby incorporated by reference.  
      In accordance with the present invention, an electronic equipment housing for audiovisual and other passive or active electronic equipment is disclosed. Referring to  FIGS. 1-3 , the housing  2  (see  FIG. 1 ) includes a back box  4  ( FIG. 2 ) and a front enclosure  6 . The back box  4  is mountable within an opening formed by framed studs  8 . In a typical configuration, the back box  4  is mounted between vertical studs  8  located on approximately 32-inch or two 16-inch centers. Horizontal studs  8  define the top and bottom of the opening in which the back box  4  is situated. The back box  4  may be mounted within the opening formed by framed studs  8  during new construction or alternatively, existing framing may be modified to form an appropriate opening to accommodate the back box  4 . When the housing is intended for substantially flush mounting within a wall, the back box  4  has a depth that is less than the depth of the studs; e.g. 4″, 6″, 8″, 10″ etc. depth as applicable. The housing may have a depth that is greater that the depth of the framing studs in which case a portion of the housing will extend beyond the wall surface. In this type of installation, a portion of the housing is recessed within the framed opening and a portion of the housing extends outward of the wall surface. Additionally, the housing may be mounted with the rear panel of the back box  4  flush with the wall surface.  
      The back box  4  includes a rear panel  4   a , side walls  4   b , a top wall  4   c  ( FIG. 3   a ), a bottom wall  4   d  and an outer lip  4   e . The lip  4   e  includes front and rear surfaces and the rear surface of the lip  4   e  abuts the framing studs  8  when the back box  4  is disposed within the opening formed by the framing studs  8 . Openings  4   f  are provided in the lip  4   e  or the side walls  4   b  for fasteners, such as nails or screws, that may be employed to secure the back box  4  within the framed opening.  
      Openings  4   g  may be provided in the side walls  4   b  or top wall  4   c  to allow for the entry and exit of conduit and/or wiring that connects to the equipment within the housing  2 . The size of the openings is specified to accommodate all conduit, wires, plugs, and connectors that are required to pass through the respective openings. Corresponding openings are provided in the framing studs  8 , which align with respective openings  4   g  in the side walls  4   b  to permit the conduit and/or wiring to enter and exit the back box  4 . Additionally, openings  10  are provided through the upper cross stud and through the top wall  4   c  of the back box  4 . The openings  10  may be used for entry and exit of wiring or for ventilation of the housing  2 . Depending upon the heat output of the equipment contained within the housing  2 , the housing may be convection cooled, or, alternatively, fans may be employed for forced air cooling of the equipment contained within the housing  2 .  
      The front enclosure  6  includes a front panel  20  that is generally sized to cover the front of the back box  4 . A system control panel  24  such as a touch panel, pen-based input panel or other video or computer monitor or visual display screen ( FIG. 3   a ,  3   b ) is mounted to the front panel  20  such that the system control  24  is viewable and accessible through the opening  22  ( FIG. 1 ) within the front panel  20 . Alternatively, the system control panel and/or visual display screen may be mounted to the front of the front panel  20 . The system control panel  24  provides the graphical user interface for control of the electronic equipment contained within the housing  2  and other electronic equipment connected to the equipment within the housing  2 . Depending upon the specific equipment contained within the housing  2  and other equipment employed within the system, the system control panel may be used to control some or all of the equipment.  
      One or more tilt-out drawers  30  having a frontal portion are mounted to the front enclosure  6 . The drawers  30  may be pivoted between a generally vertical orientation and at least one other orientation in which the upper edge of the frontal portion of the drawer  30  is spaced outboard of the front panel  20  by a predetermined distance. When the drawer  30  is pivoted outward from the front panel  20 , an opening is formed between the upper edge of the frontal portion and the front panel  20 . The drawers  30  may comprise compartments having a top wall, a bottom wall and side walls, or, alternatively, a bottom wall and side walls. In a preferred embodiment, the electronic equipment is mountable within drawers using conventional rack mounting hardware or adapters that adapt the equipment for rack mounting.  
      The drawers  30  are provided with stops to allow the drawers  30  to be tilted to predetermined angular positions with respect to the front panel  20 . More specifically, stops may be provided to permit the drawers  30  to be pivoted so that the equipment control panels  34  of the equipment  32  mounted within the respective drawers  30  are accessible, as illustrated in  FIGS. 3   a  and  3   b . Additionally, a stop may be provided so that the drawers  30  may be pivotally rotated to a horizontal position generally perpendicular to the front panel  30  as illustrated in the lower drawer  30  position shown in  FIG. 3   a.    
      By way of example, audiovisual source equipment such as a VCR and/or DVD player  32 , a tape player or any other suitable electronic equipment may be affixed to the drawer  30  such that the equipment control panel  34  of the source equipment  32  is accessible when the drawer  30  is pivoted as illustrated in  FIG. 3   a.    
      Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) rack mountable equipment may be disposed within an EIA standard rack that is mounted within one of the drawers  30  of the front enclosure. Alternatively, EIA rack mountable equipment may be physically mounted to the inside surface of the front panel  20  or the rear panel  4   a . Mounting of an EIA standard rack to the tilt-out drawer  30  permits ready access to rack mountable equipment disposed therein for purposes of service, upgrades and the like. Moreover, any suitable electronic equipment other than EIA rack mountable equipment may be employed.  
      Equipment that need not be accessed on a regular basis, such as a system switcher, power amplifier and control system, may be mounted in one of the tilt-out drawers  30  or alternatively, may be mounted behind the front panel  20  of the front enclosure  6  and accessed from the rear of the front panel  20 .  
      To provide ready access to the equipment contained within the housing  2 , the front enclosure  6  is pivotably mounted to the back box  4  via a fixed or detachable hinge. In one embodiment, a detachable hinge, such as a pintel hinge is employed to rotatably couple the front enclosure to the back box  4 . The use of a detachable hinge allows the back box  4  to be installed in the roughed out framing during the construction phase. The electronic equipment may be mounted to the front enclosure  6  and the assembled front enclosure can then be mounted to the back box  4  by coupling the cooperative hinge components.  
      A latch and/or locks (not shown) may be provided to secure the front enclosure  6  in a closed position with respect to the back box  4 . In the event of a need to service or maintain components within the housing, or in the event modifications to system wiring become necessary, the front enclosure  6  may be pivoted open to fully expose the internal wiring, components and electronic equipment contained within the housing  2 . Additionally, the front enclosure  6  may be readily detached from the back box  4  by lifting the front enclosure  6  upward to disengage the upper portion of the pintel hinge that is affixed to the front panel  20  from the lower portion of the pintel hinge that is affixed to the back box  4 .  
      The back box  4  may be fabricated without the lip  4   e  and lower portion of the detachable hinges may be fastened to the inside or outside surface of the side walls  4   b . This configuration may be preferable when the housing  2  is intended for mounting against a wall with the rear panel  4   a  abutting the wall.  
      Cutouts or openings (not shown) may be provided in the rear panel  4   a  to accommodate wiring when the rear panel of the back box  4  is mounted against a wall.  
      In one configuration, the distance between the front panel and the rear panel is less than 4, 6, 8 or 10 inches depending on the depth of the framing and the distance between the side panels is less that 29 inches to permit mounting of the back box between a pair of framing studs spaced on 32 inch centers. Thus, to obtain a desired footprint that is relatively shallow, one embodiment of the presently disclosed housing maintains a ratio of the width between the side walls over the distance between the front and rear panels (depth of the back box) that is greater than 3.0. This ratio assures that the housing will fit within the framed wall within studs on 32-inch centers or two 16-inch centers.  
      A second housing configuration in accordance with the present invention is depicted in  FIGS. 4   a  and  4   b . The housing  40  includes a front enclosure  42  and a back box  44  configured for mounting within a pre-framed opening within a wall. As illustrated in  FIGS. 4   a  and  4   b , the housing  40  in intended for mounting generally in the middle of a wall. The front enclosure  42  includes a front panel  46  having an opening  48  therethrough. A system control panel  50  is mountable to the back surface of the front panel  46  and is accessible through the opening  48 . Alternatively, the system control panel may be mounted to the front surface of the front panel. EIA rack equipment  52  or any other suitable equipment is mounted to the back surface of the front panel  46  to accommodate rack mountable equipment. A tilt-out drawer  54  is provided to allow audiovisual or other electronic devices to be mounted vertically within a housing having a shallow depth. Mounting of the equipment within the housing in this manner does not require the depth that would be needed to accommodate horizontal mounting of the equipment. The tilt-out drawer  54  is pivotally mounted to the front enclosure  42  as discussed above in connection with  FIGS. 1-3 . The drawer  54  may therefore be pivoted toward a user such that the equipment control panel on the front of equipment mounted to the drawer  54  is accessible for use. The front enclosure  42  is detachably mountable to the back box  44  via a hinges  56 , such as pintel hinges to permit the front enclosure to be removed for access, service and/or maintenance to the wiring and equipment within the housing.  
       FIGS. 5   a  and  5   b  depict another embodiment of a housing  60  in accordance with the present invention. The housing  60  includes a back box  62  and a front enclosure  64  having a front panel  66 . The housing  60  generally is similar to the housing  50  discussed above in connection with  FIGS. 4   a  and  4   b ; however, the front enclosure  64  includes a frontal portion  68  that is fixedly positioned with respect to the front panel  66  and angled at an obtuse angle α with respect to the front panel  66 . The frontal portion  68  includes an upper edge  70  that is spaced from the front panel  66  to provide access to the equipment control panel of equipment  72  mounted to the frontal portion  68 .  
      The front enclosure  64  is mounted to the back box  62  via hinges  74  and may be pivoted to open the housing  60  and to obtain access to the rear panel of the equipment  72  mounted to the support portion  68 .  
       FIG. 6  depicts a side view of a front enclosure  80  that is sized and configured for mating with the back box  4  depicted in  FIG. 2 . The front enclosure  80  includes a front panel  81 . In the illustrated embodiment, the front enclosure  80  includes upper and lower frontal portions  82   a  and  82   b  respectively that extend from the front panel  81  at obtuse angles α and β respectively. The angles may have different values or may be the same depending upon specific design considerations. Audiovisual or other electronic equipment  84   a ,  84   b  may be mounted to the frontal portions  82   a  and  82   b  via conventional rack mounting hardware while providing access to the equipment control panels for the respective equipment. A system control panel  86  is mounted to the rear surface of the front panel  81  and is accessible through an opening (not visible) in the front panel  81 . Alternatively, the system control panel  86  is mounted to the front surface of the front panel  81 .  
      The ratio of the width between the side walls to the front to back depth discussed above in connection with  FIG. 1  may be employed with the subsequently disclosed embodiments to maintain a shallow footprint for in-wall mounting or mounting of the equipment housing against a wall.  
      While typical equipment housings for audiovisual systems will contain one or more playback, playback/recorder or signal source devices such as a Compact Disk player, a CD-Rom, a DVD player, a Video Cassette Recorder (VCR), a TV tuner or a personal computer, the housing may contain any appropriate type of electronic equipment. By way of example and not limitation, the housing may contain system devices such as an audio amplifier, a software programmable control system, audio, telecommunications, data and video routing and/or switching devices. The system control panel may be employed to provide a pre-configured unified user interface for control of one or more of the electronic devices.  
      A latch and locking mechanism may be provided to secure and/or lock the front enclosure to the back box in each of the disclosed embodiments to prevent unauthorized access to the components within the housing.  
      It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that modifications to and variations of the above described equipment housing may be made without departing from the inventive concepts disclosed herein. Accordingly, the invention is not to be viewed as limited except by the scope and spirit of the appended claims.