Patent ID: 7954911

Claim:
A housing, comprising: a housing opening for a control device, display, or operating elements and at a housing front; a frame enclosing the housing opening, the frame including frame legs and corner elements, each of the corner elements connecting one of the frame legs to another of the frame legs; each of the frame legs and the corner elements including a receiving groove extending in an outside surface from a first end to an opposing second end; the corner elements connectable with adjacent frame legs by fastening flanges, and the receiving groove of each of the corner elements aligned with the receiving groove of each of the adjacent frame legs; a plurality of substitutable accessories each comprising a fastening block or connecting block for connecting to the receiving groove; the receiving groove of each of the frame legs and the corner elements forming a receiver for receiving the fastening block or connecting block of at least one of the accessories, wherein the receiver has a first receiver portion having a first receiver width corresponding to a first block width of the fastening block or connecting block, on a side of the receiver that is open at the outside surface the receiver has a second receiver portion having a second receiver width that is less than the first receiver width and connecting the first receiver portion to the outside surface, and the fastening block or the connecting block of each of the accessories includes a portion having a second block width that is less than the first block width and that is matched to the second receiver width of the receiver of each of the receiving grooves; and each of the frame legs including a plurality of strips extending from an inside surface into the housing opening, the strips disposed parallel and spaced apart from the front side of the housing opening toward a back side of the housing opening, a first of the strips positioned toward the front side of the housing opening and including a surface facing the front side of the housing for receiving thereon a cover panel or a front element of the control device, display, or operating elements installed in the housing opening, a second of said strips having a portion overlapping said first strip; and a groove between said first strip and said overlapping portion of said second strip.