Patent Publication Number: US-10311762-B2

Title: Label-holder element for electric wires

Description:
The present invention relates to a label-holder element for electrical cable wires. 
     It is known, in the technical sector relating to the construction of switchboards for the wiring of electrical installations, to use terminal blocks adapted to be mounted on associated mounting rails and to provide access on the front to the means—normally of the screw type—for retaining the electrical connection wires which form the electric circuit. 
     It is also known that, owing to the increasingly greater complexity of electric switchboards, it is necessary to mount on each electric wire a corresponding identification label which must be visible at the front for reading by the user. 
     It is also known that on the market there exist different types of wires which each have a different cross-section, so that it is not possible to standardize the different types of labels, as well as different types and sizes of writing to be applied on them. 
     Examples of the prior art are described in DE 85 06 254 U1 and DE 20 2004 010070 U1. 
     The technical problem which is posed therefore is that of providing a label-holder element which is able to allow easy and safe coupling with/uncoupling from different types of electrical wires, while ensuring the features of safety, prevention of accidental removal of the label and good visibility of the label by the user. 
     In addition it is also desirable to achieve a greater standardization of the label and the associated writing. 
     In connection with this problem it is also required that the label-holder element should be easy and low-cost to produce and that it may be quickly mounted on/removed from the electrical wire. 
     These results are obtained according to the present invention by a label-holder element according to the characteristic features of claim  1 . 
     The label-holder element for electrical wires, comprises a body extending in a longitudinal lengthwise direction, transverse widthwise direction and vertical thickness direction; and at least one pair of teeth extending outwards from the rear surface in the vertical direction for coupling with an electrical wire. 
     The body comprises a front face provided with a seat for a label, side faces opposite to each other in the transverse direction, a rear face opposite to the front face in the vertical direction. The seat has a top edge and a bottom edge which extend in the transverse direction, are arranged opposite each other in the longitudinal direction and are formed so as to engage and retain a label. 
     The teeth of one pair for coupling with a wire have a free end directed towards the other tooth in the transverse direction and are arranged staggered in the longitudinal direction for mounting on/coupling with a wire. 
     Preferably, the label engaging edges are formed in the manner of a respective tooth, each tooth forming a corresponding undercut towards the inside of the seat. 
     Each tooth of the seat may extend over the entire width of the seat in the transverse direction and/or have a rounded edge directed towards the inside of the said seat. 
     The rear face of the body may be bounded by opposite transverse edges and at least one pair of coupling teeth may extend outwards in the vertical thickness direction from the opposite transverse edges of the rear face of the body. 
     The two teeth of the pair are preferably elastically deformable in the transverse direction and/or have a respective chamfered free end. 
     According to a preferred embodiment, the element of the invention comprises a longitudinal rib which extends in the longitudinal direction for connecting together the free ends of the coupling teeth of a pair and with them defines an open space in the longitudinal direction for allowing mounting of the label-holder element on a wire or vice versa insertion of the wire in the label-holder element. Preferably the label-holder element comprises at least two pairs of teeth for coupling with a wire, which are spaced from each other in the longitudinal direction, and said longitudinal rib connects the free ends of all the coupling teeth. 
     The seat may have lateral flanks open in the transverse direction for inserting the label from one side or the other side in the same transverse direction. 
     At least one relief may extend in the vertical direction on the front surface of the seat; the at least one relief is preferably arranged in a central position with respect to the transverse extension of the seat. 
     The front surface of the seat may comprise a depression. 
    
    
     
       Further details may be obtained from the following description of non-limiting examples of embodiment of the subject of the present invention, provided with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1 : shows a perspective view, from the front, of a first example of embodiment of a label-holder element according to the invention; 
         FIG. 2 : shows a perspective view, from behind, of the label-holder element according to  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3 : shows a front-on view of the label-holder element according to  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4 : shows a perspective view of second example of embodiment of a label-holder element according to the invention; 
         FIG. 5 : shows a front-on view of the label-holder element according to  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 6 : shows a perspective view, from the front, of a third example of embodiment of the label-holder element according to the invention; 
         FIG. 7 : shows a perspective view, from behind, of the label-holder element according to  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIGS. 8 a , 8 b  and 8 c   : show the sequence for lateral insertion of the label in the label holder; and 
         FIG. 9 : shows the insertion, from the front, of the label in the label holder according to the invention. 
     
    
    
     As shown in  FIG. 1  and assuming solely for easier description and without a limiting meaning a set of three reference axes having, respectively, a longitudinal direction X-X corresponding to the greater dimension or length of the label-holder element and the label; transverse direction Y-Y corresponding to the smaller dimension or width of the label-holder element and the label; vertical direction Z-Z corresponding to the thickness of the label-holder element, as well as a front or end side corresponding to the face for containing and reading the label and a rear face opposite to the front face in the vertical direction Z-Z, an example of the label-holder element comprises:
         a body  410  with a front face  410   a , side faces  410   b  opposite to each other in the transverse direction Y-Y and rear face  410   c , opposite to the front face  410   a  in the thickness direction Z-Z;   a seat  20  for holding the label  30  formed in the front side  410   a  of the body  410  ( FIG. 6 ), which seat has a top edge  20   a  and bottom edge  20   b  formed in the manner of a respective tooth  21 , 22  extending in the transverse direction Y-Y over the width of said seat  20 .       

     Each tooth forms a corresponding undercut  23 . Preferably said teeth  21 , 22  arranged opposite each other have an edge  21   a , 22   a  suitably rounded to facilitate insertion frontally of the label  30  ( FIG. 9 ). 
     Although not shown, according to preferred embodiments the front surface of the seat  20  is provided with a depression for allowing the label to bend with an inwards convexity in order to facilitate insertion and engagement inside the opposite undercuts of the seat. 
     According to preferred embodiments at least one relief  25  is formed ( FIG. 1 ), said relief being arranged on the bottom of the seat  20  and being designed to produce an outwards convexity of the label  30  ( FIG. 8 c   ). 
     According to further embodiments the relief  25  is designed to be inserted inside a corresponding seat (not shown) of the label  30  so as to prevent any sliding thereof and/or prevent it from coming out in the transverse direction Y-Y. 
     In the embodiments with a depression of the seat  20  two reliefs  25  are arranged on the outside of the depression and symmetrically relative thereto in the longitudinal direction X-X. 
     The rear face  410   c  of the label-holder element is provided with means for coupling with supporting devices on which an identification label  30  must be mounted. 
     The supporting devices consist of an electrical connection wire  200  ( FIG. 6 ). 
     The means  440  for coupling the label-holder element on the wire  200  comprise at least one pair of teeth  441  extending outwards in the vertical direction Z-Z, preferably elastically deformable in the transverse direction Y-Y and suitable for coupling with the electrical wire  200 . 
     With reference to the first embodiment  410  of the label holder according to the invention, it is also envisaged that the at least one pair  440  of teeth  441  extend outwards in the direction of the thickness Z-Z, preferably in the proximity of and/or along the opposite transverse edges of the rear face  410   c  of the label-holder element; the two teeth  441  of the pair have a free inner end  441   a  and are arranged staggered in the longitudinal direction (X-X); this configuration is particularly advantageous for production by means of molding in order to reduce the movements of the mold and facilitate extraction of the finished part. 
       FIGS. 4 and 5  show a further embodiment of the label holder  510  according to the invention; in this case the teeth  541  of the pair  540  have a respective free end  541   a  chamfered from the outside inwards in order to facilitate frontal engagement with the wire  200 . 
       FIGS. 6,7  show a variation of embodiment of the label holder element according to  FIG. 1 , where the free end  440   a  of the teeth  440  is connected to a longitudinal rib  442 . 
     Preferably the rib extends longitudinally until it connects the first pair of teeth  440  to the free ends of at least one further pair of teeth  440  arranged spaced from the first pair in the longitudinal direction X-X, in the example to the opposite longitudinal end of the face  410   c.    
     In the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1 and 4  the label-holder element may be mounted on the wire  200  by pressing the two parts together in the radial direction relative to the extension of the wire, while in the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7  the label-holder element must be mounted on the wire—or vice versa the wire must be inserted in the label-holder element—in a direction parallel to that of longitudinal extension of the wire. 
     As shown, the label-holder element has a laterally open seat  20  which allows insertion/extraction of a label  30  also from the sides and both from the right and from the left ( FIGS. 8 a -8 c   ), therefore also allowing the mounting of labels in strip form which can be inserted on blocks of label-holder elements arranged alongside each other and/or joined together in the transverse direction Y-Y along wires in turn arranged alongside each other. 
     In the specific application it is also possible to provide labels without a recess for engagement with the relief  25  since the force applied by the relief on the label causes an elastic deformation ( FIG. 8 c   ) which creates a reaction in the longitudinal direction X-X in the region of the teeth  21 , 22  and a friction in the transverse direction Y-Y on the projection such as to stably retain the label in the seat. 
     It is therefore clear how the label-holder element according to the invention is easy and low-cost to produce and is able to form a versatile assembly which may be easily mounted on different types of electrical wire in a stable and therefore safe and reliable manner owing to coupling elements extending from the rear face. The particular structure of the label-holder seat contributes to the formation of a very versatile element, also allowing the use of substantially flat standardized labels which have a uniform thickness and are made using different plastic and/or paper materials. 
     Although described in connection with a number of embodiments and a number of preferred examples of embodiment of the invention, it is understood that the scope of protection of the present patent is determined solely by the claims below.