Patent ID: 8562253

Claim:
A method of mounting communications equipment in an underground mine in a manner that protects the communications equipment from damage, comprising: providing a communications system rack comprising: a pair of vertical rack members that are laterally spaced and substantially parallel to one another; a pair of horizontally extending support members, each depending and outwardly extending proximate a lower end of a respective rack member a distance approximately equal to a thickness of a power supply; an upper shield member attached to and extending outwardly from proximate an upper end of the pair of rack members in the same direction as the pair of support members, extending a distance at least equal to a depth of a power supply and having a width at least equal to a width of the power supply; and a flexible sheet of material disposed over the pair of rack members from below the upper shield to above the pair of support members, the flexible sheet of material having a width that is approximately equal to a width of the power supply; fixedly attaching a communications node to the pair of rack members with the flexible sheet of material disposed therein between to secure the communications node to the pair of rack members and the flexible sheet of material between the communications node and the pair of rack members; removably attaching the power supply to the pair of rack members and resting the power supply on the pair of support members; and electronically connecting the power supply to the communications node.