Source: http://patents.com/us-8066239.html
Timestamp: 2018-06-18 17:50:33
Document Index: 142232130

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 30', 'art 32', 'art 30', 'arts 30', 'arts 30', 'arts 32', 'art 32', 'art 32', 'art 32', 'arts 32', 'arts 32', 'arts 32', 'arts 32', 'arts 32']

US Patent # 8,066,239. Integrated DIN rail attachment feature for superior attachment - Patents.com
United States Patent 8,066,239
Molnar , et al. November 29, 2011
Integrated DIN rail attachment feature for superior attachment
Inventors: Molnar; Nathan J. (Shaker Heights, OH), Bodmann; Douglas R. (Shaker Heights, OH)
Appl. No.: 12/484,298
Current U.S. Class: 248/214 ; 248/222.11; 361/732; 439/532
Current International Class: A47B 96/06 (20060101)
Field of Search: 439/532,716,953 361/732 248/214,222.11,222.51
6392319 May 2002 Zebermann et al.
6543957 April 2003 Raspotnig
6935903 August 2005 Gaidosch
7758368 July 2010 Schelonka et al.
2010/0216334 August 2010 Christmann et al.
295 06 579 Aug., 1995 DE
100 12 764 Sep., 2001 DE
197 48 530 Sep., 2004 DE
0 300 065 Jul., 1987 EP
1 833 132 Sep., 2007 EP
2 305 784 Apr., 1997 GB
European Search Report mailed Mar. 22, 2011, for Application No. EP 10 16 5991. cited by other.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Fay Sharpe LLP Speroff; R. Scott Miller; John M.
1. A base for an electronics module, said base comprising: a main wall; a recess defined in a rear face of the main wall, said recess adapted to receive at least one flange of an associated mounting rail; first and second movable latch arms located adjacent the recess, each of said first and second latch arms including a rail capture tab that projects from a first part of the latch arm, each of said first and second latch arms further including a second part that extends transversely from said first part so as to define an L-shape; wherein, for each of said first and second latch arms, at least part of the respective rail capture tab of the latch arm is aligned with a longitudinal axis of the second part of the latch arm; each of said first and second latch arms selectively resiliently movable between a latched position and an unlatched position, wherein the rail capture tabs of the first and second latch arms are withdrawn relative to the recess when the first and second latch arms are in their respective unlatched positions and wherein the rail capture tabs of the first and second latch arms are extended relative to the recess so as to project into the recess when the first and second latch arms are in their respective latched positions; and wherein said first and second latch arms and said main wall of said base are defined as a one-piece molded polymeric construction.
6. A base for an electronics module, said base comprising: a main wall; a recess defined in a rear face of the main wall, said recess adapted to receive at least one flange of an associated mounting rail; at least a first movable latch arm located adjacent the recess, the first latch arm including a rail capture tab that projects from a first part of the first latch arm, said first latch arm selectively movable between a latched position and an unlatched position, wherein the rail capture tab is withdrawn relative to said recess when the first latch arm is in its unlatched position and the rail capture tab projects into the recess when the latch arm is in its latched position, and wherein a portion of the first latch arm is received and retained by a first receiving location when the first latch arm is located in its latched position to inhibit movement of the first latch arm from its latched position to its unlatched position; and a cover defined separately from the base and connected to the base, said cover comprising said first receiving location such that said first latch arm is retained in its latched position by said engagement with said cover.
13. An electronics module comprising: a base and a cover connected to the base; said base comprising: a recess adapted to receive an associated mounting rail; at least one fixed rail constraining tab located adjacent a first edge of the recess and adapted to engage a first flange of the associated mounting rail; first and second latch arms located adjacent a second edge of the recess that is opposite the first edge of the recess, said first and second latch arms connected to a fixed portion of said second edge and projecting outwardly relative to opposite lateral sides of the fixed portion, each of said first and second latch arms comprising a rail capture tab, said first and second latch arms selectively movable resiliently to and from latched and unlatched positions, wherein said rail capture tabs of the first and second latch arms project beyond the fixed portion of the second edge and into the recess when the first and second latch arms are located in their respective latched positions, and wherein the rail capture tabs of the first and second latch arms are withdrawn relative to said fixed portion of the second edge when the first and second latch arms are located in their respective unlatched positions; wherein said cover defines first and second receiving locations that respectively receive and retain portions of the first and second latch arms when the first and second latch arms are located in their respective latched positions.
Referring also to FIGS. 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B, the base B is defined as a one-piece molded polymeric or "plastic" construction, and the attachment features are defined as part of the one-piece construction of the base B. The base B comprises a main wall W. A first side of the main wall W defines a front face FB of the base and a second side of the main wall W defines a rear face RB of the base. A recess 10 is defined in the rear face of the base RB and opens through the opposite lateral sides of the base B and is adapted to receive the flanges DR1,DR2 of the DIN rail for mounting the module EM to the DIN rail DR. The main wall W that extends in a plane parallel to the plane in which the DIN rail flanges DR1,DR2 extend when the base B is operatively mounted to the DIN rail DR.
With specific reference to FIG. 4A, the recess 10 comprises first (upper) and second (lower) sides/edges 10a,10b that are located on opposite sides of its recessed/depressed inner wall or face 10c. At least one fixed rail-constraining tab, and preferably at least two laterally spaced-apart fixed rail-constraining tabs 12a,12b project into the recess 10 from the first edge 10a inwardly toward the opposite second edge 10b. The tabs 12a,12b are preferably located respectively adjacent first and second lateral sides of the base B. As shown, a third fixed rail constraining tab 12c is centrally located between the first and second tabs 12a,12b. Although not preferred, the central, third rail-constraining tab 12c could be the only rail-constraining tab provided.
The second edge 10b of the recess 10 comprises a fixed central portion 10b1. At least one, and preferably first and second latch arms 20,22 are defined as part of the base B (i.e., as part of the molded polymeric one-piece construction of the base B) and project outwardly from opposite sides of the fixed portion 10b1. As such, the first and second latch arms 20,22 are located adjacent the second edge 10b of the recess 10. The first and second latch arms 20,22 lie completely or at least substantially in the plane of the main wall W and each include a first part 30 connected to and extending laterally outward from the fixed central portion 10b1 and a second part 32 projecting transversely from the first part 30 away from the recess 10. The first and second parts 30,32 each define an L-shape (such as the inverted L-shape shown herein). Except where connected to the fixed portion 10b1 of the second edge 10b, the first and second latch arms 20,22 are spaced from and resilient movable relative to the wall W. In an alternative embodiment, the first and/or second latch arms 20,22 are defined separately from and assembled to the base B.
The latch arms 20,22 include respective rail capture tabs 40 that project outwardly from their first parts 30 generally in the direction toward the first edge 10a of the recess 10 and include respective locking tabs 42 that project laterally outward from their second parts 32. The locking tabs 42 project outwardly away from each other in opposite directions. As such, the rail capture tab 40 and locking tab 42 of each latch arm project or extend in transverse directions relative to each other. For each latch arm 20,22, it is preferred that at least part of the rail capture tab 40 be aligned with and overlap the second part 32 of the latch arm (i.e., be at least partially aligned with the longitudinal axis 32X of the second part 32) so that the second part 32 of each latch arm acts as a support column aligned with the rail capture tab 40 to counteract forces exerted on the rail capture tab 40 when the electronics module EM is operatively installed on a DIN rail.
In the illustrated embodiment, the free or neutral state of the latch arms 20,22 (the position in which they are molded as part of the base B) is the latched position, where the rail capture tabs 40 thereof extend beyond the fixed portion 10b1 of the second edge 10b and into the recess 10 and are thus located to capture the second DIN rail flange DR2 in the recess (see FIG. 4B). As shown in FIG. 5B, the latch arms 20,22 are selectively resiliently and elastically movable by application of manual force to their feet 46 to their respective unlatched positions by movement of the latch arms 20,22 in the plane of the main wall W (or a plane parallel to the plane of the main wall W) away from the recess 10 so that the rail capture tabs 40 thereof a withdrawn relative to the fixed portion 10b1 of the second edge 10b and do not project into the recess 10. When the latch arms 20,22 are in their unlatched positions (FIG. 5B), the rail capture tabs 40 thereof do not capture the DIN rail second flange DR2 in the recess 10.
The first and second locking tab receiving regions T1,T2 are defined in respective cover wall portions C1,C2 that are arranged transverse and preferably perpendicular to the main wall W of the base B, which allows for enhanced engagement of the locking tabs 42 in the tab receiving regions T1,T2. Also, it is preferred that the locking tabs 42 include respective lock faces 42f that extends perpendicular relative to the respective latch arm second parts 32, i.e., perpendicular to the respective longitudinal axes 32X (FIG. 3B) of the respective second parts 32, and also that the tab receiving region T1,T2 include respective catch faces T1f,T2f that are defined perpendicular to the plane in which the cover wall portions C1,C2 extend, so that when the locking tabs 42 are received in the respective tab receiving region T1,T2, the lock faces 42f mate with the respective catch faces T1f,T2f so that the locking tabs 42 are resistant to dislodgement from the tab receiving regions T1,T2 in response to forces coincident with the longitudinal axes 32X of the respective second parts 32 of the latch arms 20,22.
Use of the first and second latch arms 20,22 to operably connect the electronics module EM to an associated DIN rail is described with reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B. To operably connect the module EM to an associated DIN rail DR, the first and second latch arms must be located in their unlocked/unlatched positions as shown in FIG. 5B. The recess 10 of the module EM is moved into engagement with the rail DR so that the first DIN rail flange DR1 is received in the recess 10 adjacent the first side 10a of the recess and received behind/under the rail-constraining tabs 12a,12b,12c, and so that the second DIN rail flange DR2 is located adjacent the fixed portion 10b1 of the second side 10b of the recess, with both DIN rail flanges DR1,DR2 being abutted with the recess inner wall 10c as shown in FIG. 5B. Thereafter, manual force in the direction of the arrows A2 is exerted on the feet 46 of the latch arms 20,22 to move the latch arms to their respective locked/latched positions as shown in FIG. 5A (and also FIGS. 1 and 2) so that the locking tabs 42 of the first and second latch arms 20,22 move into and are retained in the respective locking tab receiving locations T1,T2 of the cover C. As noted, when the first and second latch arms 20,22 are located in their latched positions, the rail-constraining tabs 40 thereof project beyond the fixed portion 10b1 of the second side 10b of the recess 10 and into the recess 10 so as to capture the second DIN rail flange DR2 in the recess 10. Engagement of the locking tabs 42 in the respective first and second tab receiving locations T1,T2 of the cover C prevents the first and second latch arms 20,22 from returning to their unlatched positions due to impact or other forces exerted on the electronics module EM or DIN rail DR. When the latch arms 20,22 are in their latched positions, the second parts 32 thereof are abutted with respective portions C1,C2 of the cover C and lie parallel to each other. The latch arm second parts 32 and the respective cover wall portions C1,C2 abutted therewith define respective support columns CL1,CL2 that are respectively aligned with at least part of the rail capture tabs 40 of the first and second latch arms 20,22 to resist forces exerted on the respective latch arms 20,22 to prevent undesired movement of the latch arms 20,22 from their latched positions to their unlatched positions.
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