Patent ID: 7170758

Claim:
Module connecting apparatus for releasably mounting an electrical module upon a U-shaped support rail ( 4 ) having a pair of upwardly extending leg portions ( 4 a , 4 b ) joined at their lower ends by a bridging portion ( 4 c ), said legs terminating at their upper ends with outwardly extending horizontal flange portions ( 5 , 6 ), respectively, comprising: (a) a horizontal generally rectangular housing ( 1 ) containing a longitudinal chamber ( 2 ), said housing having a bottom surface containing a recess ( 4 ) for transversely receiving the support rail, said recess being in communication with said chamber; (b) locking means ( 8 ) for locking said housing to the support rail when said housing is transversely mounted on the support rail with the support rail extending into said recess, including: (1) a pair of horizontal parallel superimposed relatively slidably connected upper and lower locking slide members ( 9 , 10 ) arranged longitudinally within said housing chamber for relative displacement between adjacent locking and separated release positions relative to said recess, respectively, said lower locking slide member ( 10 ) having at one end a protruding locking lip ( 13 ) adapted to extend horizontally beneath the adjacent one of the support rail flange portions, said upper locking slide member extending transversely above and across the support rail and including on its bottom surface a reversely extending horizontal locking lip ( 12 ) adapted to extend below the other support rail flange portion; and (2) spring means ( 11 ) biasing said locking slide members longitudinally together toward said locking position, thereby to cause said locking lips to extend beneath said support flange portions, respectively, whereby said housing is locked to the support rail; and (c) release means ( 16 ) for relatively displacing said locking members in the opposite direction against the biasing force of said spring means toward said released position, thereby to displace said locking lips outwardly from the support rail flange portions, whereby said housing is unlocked for removal from the support rail.