Patent Publication Number: US-2009221179-A1

Title: Tamper resistant faceplate system

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to communication connectors. More particularly, the present invention relates to a faceplate assembly for holding one or more connectors or ports, wherein the faceplate assembly includes structures to limit access to the ports in order to resist unauthorized connection to, or disconnection from, a port of the faceplate assembly. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Communications cables, such as shielded and unshielded twisted pair cables, coaxial cables, and fiber optic cables, transmit data, voice, video and/or audio information in the telecommunications industry. Such cables are commonly used in homes, office buildings, school, hospitals, etc. as links to communication networks. 
     In one example, a communication cable (such as a twisted pair cable, coaxial cable, or fiber optic cable) may be run within a wall, ceiling or conduit and into a single-gang or double-gang connection box, mounted to a wall stud. The communication cable is then terminated to a connector (such as an RJ-type jack, F-type coaxial connector, or LC or SC adapter). The connector is mounted to a faceplate, and the faceplate is attached to the connection box (such as a single-gang or double-gang outlet box) by screws. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,961,345 and 6,793,524, which are incorporated herein by reference, illustrate a typical connection box, connectors and faceplate combination. 
     As seen in the prior art structure of  FIGS. 1-3 , a holder  50  receives an RJ-type jack connector  62  and two coaxial F-type connectors  60 . A plastic faceplate  30  is attached to the holder  50  via two screws  70 , passing through holes  72  formed in the faceplate  30 . Bezels  40 ,  41 ,  42  are interposed between the connectors  60 ,  62  and the faceplate  30  in order to size the connectors  60 ,  62  to an opening  35  in the faceplate  30 . The holder/faceplate assembly  10  is ultimately connected to a single-gang box  20  (which could be attached to a wall stud). 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The Applicant has appreciated one or more drawbacks of the faceplate designs of the prior art. For example, in certain situations, network connectors may be provided in rooms generally accessible to the public, e.g., hospital rooms, hotel rooms and classrooms. The Applicant appreciated that the faceplate needed features to deter and/or resist an unauthorized person from directly accessing a communication network via a port of the faceplate, and to also deter and/or resist an unauthorized person from disconnecting a device from a network port of the faceplate. 
     An example of the former undesirable situation might be where a visitor in a hospital room connects a laptop computer into a network jack on the wall in the hospital room. The visitor could corrupt the hospital&#39;s network by introducing a virus into the network. An example of the latter undesirable situation might be where a child in a classroom mischievously unplugs a classroom computer from the school&#39;s network. A further combined example might be in a hotel room where a TV wall jack is connected to a monitoring device by a first patch cord, which is in turn connected to a TV by a second patch cord. A guest might attempt to bypass the monitoring device by unplugging the monitoring device from the TV wall jack and directly connecting the TV to the wall jack. 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a faceplate assembly to overcome one or more of the Applicant&#39;s appreciated drawbacks. 
     These and other objects are accomplished by a tamper resistant faceplate assembly including a faceplate base and a removably attached cover. The faceplate base presents ports (such as RJ-type jacks, fiber optic couplers and/or coaxial F-type connectors) at a downwardly directed angle. The cover includes several cable holes near its bottom. The cable holes are size to permit passage of a cable, but to exclude passage of a connector and/or restrict the insertion of a finger or use of a tool to install/remove a connector. The cover is attached to the faceplate base by a snap-locking engagement, but may be further secured to the faceplate base by a screw or security fastener. The cover can deter unauthorized connections and disconnections of connectors to communication networks via the ports of the faceplate base. 
     Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus, are not limits of the present invention, and wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded view of a connection box and a faceplate assembly for presenting communication ports, in accordance with the prior art; 
         FIG. 2  is a front perspective view of the faceplate assembly of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a rear perspective view of the faceplate assembly of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a faceplate base of a faceplate assembly, in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a side view of the faceplate base, as viewed from line V-V in  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a front view of the faceplate base of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a cross sectional view taken along line VII-VII of  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a cross sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII of  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a cover of the faceplate assembly, in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view of an enlarged, alternative cover of the faceplate assembly, in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 11  is a front view of the cover of  FIG. 9 ; 
         FIG. 12  is a top view of the cover of  FIG. 11 ; 
         FIG. 13  is a bottom view of the cover of  FIG. 11 ; 
         FIG. 14  is a left side view of the cover of  FIG. 11 ; 
         FIG. 15  is a right side view of the cover of  FIG. 11 ; 
         FIG. 16  is a back view of the cover of  FIG. 11 ; 
         FIG. 17  is an enlarged view of a latching mechanism of the cover of  FIG. 16 ; 
         FIG. 18  is an exploded view of a bezel for mounting various combinations of ports or blank plates; and 
         FIG. 19  is an exploded view of the faceplate assembly, illustrating the attachments between the faceplate base, the cover and possible indicia inserts and snap-in indicators. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The present invention now is described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. 
     Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. In the figures, the thickness of certain lines, layers, components, elements or features may be exaggerated for clarity. Broken lines illustrate optional features or operations unless specified otherwise. 
     The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the specification and relevant art and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein. Well-known functions or constructions may not be described in detail for brevity and/or clarity. 
     As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. As used herein, phrases such as “between X and Y” and “between about X and Y” should be interpreted to include X and Y. As used herein, phrases such as “between about X and Y” mean “between about X and about Y.” As used herein, phrases such as “from about X to Y” mean “from about X to about Y.” 
     It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “on”, “attached” to, “connected” to, “coupled” with, “contacting”, etc., another element, it can be directly on, attached to, connected to, coupled with or contacting the other element or intervening elements may also be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being, for example, “directly on”, “directly attached” to, “directly connected” to, “directly coupled” with or “directly contacting” another element, there are no intervening elements present. It will also be appreciated by those of skill in the art that references to a structure or feature that is disposed “adjacent” another feature may have portions that overlap or underlie the adjacent feature. 
     Spatially relative terms, such as “under”, “below”, “lower”, “over”, “upper”, “lateral”, “left”, “right” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature&#39;s relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is inverted, elements described as “under” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “over” the other elements or features. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the descriptors of relative spatial relationships used herein interpreted accordingly. 
       FIG. 4  is perspective view of a faceplate base  81  in accordance with the present invention. The faceplate base  81  is preferably formed by a molding process of PC/ABS plastic. As best seen in  FIG. 5 , the faceplate base  81  generally resides in a first plane P and includes a first passage  83  and a second passage  85 . The first passage  83  extends in a direction D 1  which is angled relative to the first plane P, and the second passage  85  extends in a direction D 2  which is also angled relative to the first plane P. In a preferred embodiment, the first and second directions D 1  and D 2  extend at an angle of approximately 45 degrees relative to the first plane P. However, the first and second directions D 1  and D 2  need not be angled to the same extent relative to the first plane P, and the angles need not be exactly 45 degrees, e.g., 35 degrees or 55 degrees would be acceptable angles. 
     The faceplate base  81  also includes a first through hole  87  and a second through hole  89  spaced apart in the illustrated embodiment, by approximately 3.28 inches. The first and second through holes  87  and  89  are sized to receive screws  91  and  93  (See  FIG. 19 ) to connect the faceplate base  81  to a connection box (similar to the connection box  20  illustrated in  FIG. 1 ). The first and second through holes  87  and  89  are countersunk into the plastic material of the faceplate base  81 . The countersinking allows the heads of the screws  91  and  93  to be at a same level or slightly lower than a level of first and second indicia receiving surfaces  95  and  97 . 
     As best seen in  FIG. 6  and the cross-sectional view of  FIG. 7 , an upper portion of the faceplate base  81  includes a third through hole  99 . The third through hole  99  is located along a central line of the faceplate base  81  and receives a threaded fastener  101 , as will be further discussed with reference to  FIG. 19 . 
     To the right and left of the third through hole  99  are first and second recessed portions  103  and  105 . The first and second recessed portions  103  and  105  receive snap-in indicator panels  107  and  109 , as will be further discussed with reference to  FIG. 19 . 
     To the right and left of the first and second recessed portions  103  and  105  are fourth and fifth through holes  111  and  113 . The fourth and fifth through holes  111  and  113  are rectangular in shape. The fifth through hole  113  presents a ledge  115  which will be used to secure a cover to the faceplate base  81 , as will be discussed hereinafter. 
     The lower portion of the faceplate base  81  includes third and fourth recessed portions  117  and  119  to receive snap-in indicator panels, as will be further discussed with reference to  FIG. 19 . The lower portion may also include sixth and seventh through holes  121  and  123  of a rectangular shape. 
       FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a first cover  131  for attachment to the faceplate base  81 .  FIG. 10  is a perspective view of an alternative, second cover  133  for attachment to the faceplate base  81 . Other than the difference in the depth, the first and second covers  131  and  133  have the same or similar features, such as attachment features. Therefore, a detailed explanation of the first cover  131  will follow, with the understanding that the same principals apply to the second cover  133 , wherein like elements are labeled with the same reference numeral followed by a prime (′) indicator. 
       FIGS. 11-15  illustrate the front, top, bottom, left side and right side of the first cover  131 , respectively. The first cover  131  includes a front panel  135 , an angled viewing panel  137 , a top panel  139 , a bottom panel  141 , a left panel  143  and a right panel  145 . The viewing panel  137  is so-called because it is at the best angle to be seen by a person looking at the cover  131 , when the cover  131  is attached to a faceplate base  81  attached to a lower section of a wall. In a preferred embodiment, the entire cover  131  is formed of a transparent material. However, it is also possible to form only the viewing panel  137  and/or the front panel  135  of a transparent material. 
     As best seen in  FIGS. 11 ,  12 , and  14 , the front panel  135 , top panel  139 , and left side panel  143  are substantially planar members without features. The front panel  135 , top panel  139  and left side panel  143  provide no access to the faceplate base  81  when the cover  131  is mounted to the faceplate base  81 . As best seen in  FIG. 15 , the right side panel  145  includes a through slot  147 . The through slot  147  provides access to a deflectable hook  149 , mounted within the cover  131 , as will be described in conjunction with  FIGS. 16 and 17 . 
     The viewing panel  137  includes an indicia receiving area  151 . In the center of the indicia receiving area  151  resides a fastener hole  153 . The fastener hole  153  is sized to allow passage therethrough of the threaded fastener  101  for engaging the third through hole  99  of the faceplate base  81  to secure the cover  131  to the faceplate base  81 . 
     The bottom panel  141  includes one or more cable holes penetrating therethrough. In the illustrated embodiment, first, second and third cable holes  155 ,  157 , and  159  reside within the bottom panel  141 , and each hole extends completely to the side edge to form a slot. Each of the first, second and third cable holes  155 ,  157  and  159  is large enough to allow passage of a cable. However in one embodiment, none of the first, second and third cable holes  155 ,  157  and  159  is large enough to allow passage of a connector attached to that cable for mating with a port on the faceplate base  81 , as will be further described in relation to  FIGS. 18 and 19 . 
     As best seen in  FIG. 9 , the bottom panel  141  also includes a first tab  161  and a second tab  163 . The first tab  161  is sized to fit into the sixth through hole  121  and includes a first protrusion  165 , which is intended to engage on a lower inside lip of the sixth through hole  121 . The second tab  163  is sized to fit into the seventh through hole  123  and includes a second protrusion  167 , which is intended to engage on a lower inside lip of the seventh through hole  123 . 
       FIG. 16  shows the rear of the cover  131  and  FIG. 17  is a close-up view of the upper portion of the rear of the cover  131 . Immediately behind the indicia receiving area  151  resides a snap-locking arrangement. The snap-locking arrangement includes a boss  169 . The fastener hole  153  passes through a center of the boss  169 . The boss  169  supports a flexible and resilient bowed member  171 . The bowed member  171  has the deflectable hook  149  at its distal end. The bowed member may be formed of such materials as plastic or spring steel. A stand-off  173  resides at the opposed distal end of the bowed member  171 . 
     Now with reference to  FIGS. 18 and 19 , one embodiment of an assembly of the various component parts of the tamper resistant faceplate system of the present invention will be described. As illustrated in  FIG. 18 , a bezel  175  has first and second openings  177  and  179 . The openings  177  and  179  are sized to accept modular ports in a snap-locking manner (such as an RJ-type jack  181 , a fiber optic coupler, a coaxial F-type connector). The openings  177  and  179  are also sized to receive a blank plate  183  in a snap-locking manner, if desired. The bezel may also be designed to have only one centrally located opening to receive a modular port or blank plate in a snap-locking manner. 
     The bezel  175  includes opposed locking tabs  185  and  187 . The locking tabs  185  and  187  are formed of a resilient and flexible material and include projections to snap-lock into or behind the sidewalls of either the first or second passages  83  or  85 . By this arrangement, the ports may be mounted such that their faces are downwardly angled relative to the plane P of the faceplate base  81  by an angle of approximately 45 degrees. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 19 , the faceplate base  81  is then mounted to a connection box via screws  91  and  93  passing through the first and second through holes  87  and  89 , respectively. After, the screws  91  and  93  are recessed into the counter-sunk first and second through holes  87  and  89 , a first planar member  189 , which may contain indicia, is placed over the first indicia receiving surface  95  to conceal the head of the upper screw  91 . Then, a transparent plastic cover, such as a first clear protective sheet  191 , is bowed by finger pressure and placed over the first planar member  189 . The first clear protective sheet  191  is retained in its position over the first planar member  189  by its ends extending into opposed pockets  197  and  199  (See  FIG. 8 ) after the finger pressure is released and the first clear protective sheet  191  returns to its naturally flat state. Likewise, a second planar member  193 , which may contain indicia, is placed over the second indicia receiving surface  97  to conceal the head of the lower screw  93 . Then, a second clear protective sheet  195  is placed over the second planar member  193 . 
     Additional indicia relating the type of the ports, or networks served by the ports, may be provided by mounting snap-in indicator panels  107  and  109  into the first and second recessed portions  103  and  105 . Additional indicator panels may be snapped into the third and fourth recessed portions  117  and  119 , if desired. The indicator panels may be color coded, molded pieces of plastic, and may optionally indicate words such as “DATA” “VOICE “VIDEO” “SECURITY” or “AUDIO”. Once the faceplate base  81  has been assembled with ports, attached to a connection box, and the desired indicia has been mounted thereon, the user attaches the connectors to the ports. 
     Finally, a cover  131  or  133  may be mounted to the faceplate base  81 . The user selects the desired cover  131  or  133  based upon the type of ports installed, the nature of the connectors that will attach to the ports and the permissible bend radii of cables attached to the connectors. If a port is used which extends a long distance away from the bezel  175  (like an F-type connector  60  as illustrated in  FIG. 1 ), or a connector is used which has an extended length (like some compression style coaxial connectors and some fiber optic connectors), or a cable is used which requires a large bend radius (like a coaxial cable or a particular type of fiber optic cable), then the larger depth cover  133  is selected. Otherwise, the default choice is the smaller depth cover  131 . 
     Initially, the cables are inserted into the first, second and third cable holes  155 ,  157  and  159  of the cover  131 . Next, the first and second tabs  161  and  163  are inserted into the sixth and seventh through holes  121  and  123  until the first and second protrusions  165  and  167  engage over lower inside lips of the sixth and seventh through holes  121  and  123 . Then, the cover  131  is pivoted upward until the deflectable hook  149  enters into the fifth through hole  113  and engages behind the ledge  115  residing on the inner right side of the fifth through hole  113  with a snapping action. At this point the cover  131  is secured to the faceplate base  81 . 
     A further security measure may be accomplished by inserting the threaded fastener  101  (such as a Phillips screw or a threaded fastener having a security head thereon, like a hex head or a tamper resistant hex head) through the fastener hole  153 . The threads of the threaded faster  101  would engage with the sidewalls of the third through hole  99  of the faceplate base  81 . 
     The head of the threaded fastener  101  could be concealed by a third planar member  201 , which may contain indicia. The third planar member  201  would be placed over the indicia receiving area  151 . Then, a third clear protective sheet  203  would be bowed by finger pressure and placed over the third planar member  201 . The third clear protective sheet  203  would be retained in its position over the third planar member  201 , by its ends extending into opposed pockets (like the pockets  197  and  199  in  FIG. 8 ) after the finger pressure is released and the third clear protective sheet  203  returns to its naturally flat state. 
     To remove the cover  131 , the user may utilize the small holes  205  in the third clear protective sheet  203  to bow the sheet material and remove it from the third planar member  201 . The third planar member  201  may then be removed by a user&#39;s finger nail. A screw driver or driver with a security head feature would be used to remove the threaded fastener  101 . Then, a small elongated object, like a flat bladed jeweler&#39;s screw driver, would be inserted into the through slot  147  to press against the deflectable hook  149  and dislodge it from the ledge  115 . Once dislodged, the cover  131  may be pivoted downward about an axis formed by the first and second protrusions  165  and  167 . Finally, the first and second tabs  161  and  163  may be removed from the sixth and seventh through holes  121  and  123 . 
     By the present invention, the cover  131  may be removably attached to the faceplate base  81 , so that the cover  131  blocks access to ports  181  except though one or more cable holes  155 ,  157 ,  159  penetrating said cover  131 . In one embodiment, each of the one or more cable holes  155 ,  157 ,  159  has a width of less than or equal to about 0.43 inches. In another embodiment, each of the one or more cable holes  155 ,  157 ,  159  has a width of less than or equal to about 0.36 inches. Such dimensions allow for passage of cable diameters of normal size (or large diameter cables in the case of holes with a width of 0.43 inches), yet prevent the insertion or removal of a connector and/or prevent the insertion of a person&#39;s finger so as to access the ports mounted to the faceplate base  81 . Further, by forming at least a portion of the cover  131  of a transparent material, a user may view indicia located on the faceplate base  81  to discern the nature of the existing or potential network connections existing within the cover  131 . 
     The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are to be included within the scope of the following claims.