Patent ID: 8403736

Claim:
An enclosure for containing one or more equipment components, 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 air intake vent to receive cooling air into a front air intake portion of an interior of the housing, the front air intake portion being generally disposed opposite to a back exhaust air portion of the interior of the housing; an equipment area defined within the interior of the housing between the first and second sides and the front and the rear sides to permit one or more equipment components to be contained within the housing; the front air intake portion having a plurality of openings formed therein in communication with air inlets of the one or more equipment components to deliver cooling air from the front air intake portion to the one or more equipment components; and a first air plenum defined within the interior of the housing between the first side of the housing and one or more equipment components disposed within the equipment area and one or more blanking panels disposed within the equipment area above, below or between any of the one or more equipment components, the one or more blanking panels configured to prevent air flow from the first air plenum into portions of the equipment area lacking one or more equipment components; the first air plenum being in fluid communication with the front air intake portion of the housing to receive at least a portion of cooling air from the front air intake portion, the first air plenum having a plurality of openings formed on a side wall thereof that is substantially parallel to the first side, the plurality of openings being in communication with air inlets of the one or more equipment components to deliver cooling air received from the front air intake portion to the one or more equipment components; and the first air plenum being further configured to reduce or prevent mixing of cooling air with exhaust air vented to the back exhaust air portion of the housing; a second air plenum defined within the interior of the housing between the second side of the housing and one or more equipment components disposed within the equipment area and one or more blanking panels disposed within the equipment area above, below or between any of the one or more equipment components, the one or more blanking panels configured to prevent air flow from the second air plenum into portions of the equipment area lacking one or more equipment components, the second air plenum being in fluid communication with the back exhaust air portion of the housing and at least one air exhaust vent defined in at least one of the rear side and the top side of the housing and configured to permit air to vent from the back exhaust air portion to an area external to the housing.