Patent ID: 7033267

Claim:
An enclosure for containing equipment including at least one side-to-side equipment component using side-to-side airflow for cooling and at least one front-to-back equipment component using front-to-back airflow for cooling, the enclosure comprising: a housing including a top side, a bottom side, a first side, a second side, a front side, and a rear side, at least one of the bottom side and the front side having formed therein at least one opening to receive cooling air into a front intake portion of an interior of the housing, and at least one of the rear side and the top side having formed therein at least one opening to allow exhaust air to vent from within a back exhaust portion of the interior of the housing to an area external to the housing, the front side being opposite to the rear side of the housing and the front intake portion being opposite and parallel to the back exhaust portion of the housing interior; an internal frame disposed in the interior of the housing and spaced from the first side and the second side arid secured therein to allow mounting of one or more equipment components in an equipment area formed by the internal frame; and a first air plenum defined along one side of the internal frame between the internal frame and one of the first side and the second side of the housing, the first air plenum being in fluid communication with the front intake portion of the interior of the housing to receive cooling air from the at least one first opening, the first air plenum being configured to contain cooling air such that cooling air can flow from the first air plenum into the at least one side-to-side equipment component and being further configured to prevent mixing of cooling air with exhaust air vented to the back portion of the housing interior, wherein the front intake portion being configured to contain cooling air such that a portion of cooling air can flow into the at least one front-to-back equipment component.