A BRACKET FOR SECURING A DEVICE

Abstract

A bracket for securing a device to an elongate structure, the bracket comprising a body configured to hold the device, and a securing element attached to the body. The securing element comprises a pair of bosses, each boss comprising a slot, a core and an end surface. The bosses are arranged on the securing element such that the end surfaces define a gap into which the elongate structure can be received when the securing element is in a first position relative to the elongate structure and the slots are configured to receive the elongate structure upon rotation of the securing element from the first position to a second position relative to the elongate structure. The bracket is secured to the elongate structure by a gripping inter-engagement of the elongate structure and the bosses of the securing element in said second position.

Claims

1. A bracket for securing a device to an elongate structure, the bracket comprising: a body adapted to hold the device, and a securing element attached to the body, wherein the securing element including bosses, each boss comprising a slot, a core and an end surface, wherein the bosses are arranged on the securing element such that the end surfaces define a gap into which the elongate structure can be received when the securing element is in a first position relative to the elongate structure and the slots are configured to receive the elongate structure upon rotation of the securing element from the first position to a second position relative to the elongate structure, and whereby the bracket is secured to the elongate structure by a gripping interengagement of the elongate structure and the bosses of the securing element in said second position.

2. A bracket as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gap extends in a first direction, and wherein the respective cores define a channel extending in a second direction different to the first direction.

3. A bracket as claimed in claim 2, wherein the angle between the first direction and the second direction is between 45 degrees and 90 degrees.

4. A bracket as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the bosses includes a resiliently deformable material.

5. A bracket as claimed in claim 1, wherein the securing element is releasably attached to the body.

6. A bracket as claimed in claim 1, wherein the body includes a back plate and a pair of fingers extending therefrom, wherein the pair of fingers are adapted to engage with a pair of opposing surfaces of the device so as to support the device.

7. A bracket as claimed in claim 6, wherein the back plate includes a mounting hole for securing the bracket to an external surface.

8. A bracket as claimed in claim 6, wherein the back plate further includes a raised section defining a cavity for receiving the securing element, wherein the securing element further includes a base, and wherein the base is adapted to be secured in the cavity on a first side of the back plate and the bosses protrude through the back plate and are disposed on a second side of the back plate.

9. A bracket as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cores of the bosses are co-linear relative to each other.

10. A bracket as claimed in claim 1, wherein the body includes a resiliently deformable member adapted to reduce the transmission of vibrations between the structure and the bracket.

11. A bracket as claimed in claim 10, wherein the resiliently deformable member is mounted on a lower portion of the body.

12. A bracket as claimed in claim 1, wherein the structure is selected from the group consisting of a rod, a cable, and a wire.

13. A bracket as claimed in claim 1, wherein the device is a pump.

14. A securing element for use in a bracket as claimed in claim 1.

15. (canceled)

16. A mounting kit comprising a body according to claim 15.

17. A mounting kit as claimed in claim 16, further comprising adapters adapted to secure the elongate structure within a respective boss, wherein each of the adapters is sized so as to fit within a respective boss.

18. A mounting kit as claimed in claim 17, wherein each of the adapters includes a resiliently deformable material.

19. A mounting kit as claimed in claim 17, wherein each of the adapters includes a slot and a core, wherein the core of the adapter is adapted to receive the elongate structure via the slot of the adapter, wherein the cross section of the core is larger than the cross section of the elongate structure, and wherein each boss is configured to grip the elongate structure using the respective adapter.

20. An adapter for use in a mounting kit as claimed in claim 17.

21. A method of mounting a bracket to an elongate structure, the method comprising: providing a bracket according to any of claim 1, pressing the bracket onto the structure so as to locate the structure in the gap, and rotating the bracket such that the structure passes through the respective slots and into the respective cores of the bosses.

22. (canceled)

23. (canceled)

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Embodiments of the invention are further described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0026] FIG. 1 illustrates a bracket according to the present disclosure;

[0027] FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a body of the bracket of FIG. 1;

[0028] FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of a securing element of the bracket of FIG. 1;

[0029] FIGS. 4A & 4B illustrate frontal and side views of the body of FIG. 2;

[0030] FIG. 5 illustrates a pump that can be secured by the bracket of FIG. 1;

[0031] FIGS. 6A & 6B illustrate side and plan views of the securing element of FIG. 3;

[0032] FIGS. 7A & 7B illustrate the bracket and elongate structure in the first and second positions respectively;

[0033] FIG. 8 illustrates the pump of FIG. 5 secured to an elongate member; and

[0034] FIG. 9 illustrates an adapter located within a core of the securing element.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] FIG. 1 illustrates a bracket 50 made up of a body 100 and a securing element 200. FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate the body 100 and securing element 200 in greater detail. The body 100 has a back plate 105, a first finger 110A and a second finger 110B. The first 110A and second 110B fingers extend from opposed ends of the same side of the back plate 105 and are arranged to secure a pump 10 (see also FIG. 5) to a structure, such as a rod 55 (see FIG. 8) by engaging opposed surfaces of the pump. A raised section 115 on the same side of the back plate 105 defines a cavity 120 into which the securing element 200 can be inserted. The securing element 200 has a base 205, a first boss 210A and a second boss 210B spaced apart from one another. The base 205 has ridges 225A, 225B on opposed ends of the base 205 (see FIG. 6A) that engage with corresponding edges 103A, 103B of the back plate 105. The raised section 115 also has ridges 145A, 145B on opposed ends thereof that engage with corresponding edges 207A, 207B of the base 205. Together, the ridges 145A, 145B, 225A and 225B act as mechanical snap-fit joints to secure the securing element 200 within the cavity 120 of body 100. Thus a user can simply press the appropriate securing element 200 into the cavity 120 and audible feedback from the engagement of the ridges 145, 225 confirms that the securing element 200 is secured to the body 100.

[0036] As shown, the back plate 105 has a window 109 through which the bosses 210A, 210B of the securing element 200 pass through and protrude from. As shown in FIG. 8, the pump 10 is preferably located on the side of the back plate 105 having the raised section 115, as this further helps to prevent separation of the securing element 200 from the body 100. In certain embodiments, therefore, the snap-fit connection between the securing element and the body 100 could be omitted. As illustrated, the window 109 is smaller than the cavity 120, which results in portions 107 of the back plate 105 extending across the cavity 120 to act as a mechanical stop defining how far the bosses project beyond the back plate and retaining the securing element within the cavity 120.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 4B, the two fingers 110A, 110B extend from the back plate 105 in a substantially perpendicular direction to a plane defined by the back plate 105. The first finger 110A extends from the top of the back plate and has a protrusion 130A configured to engage with a corresponding groove 25 in a upper side 20 of a housing 15 of the pump 10 (see FIGS. 5 and 8). The second finger 110B extends from the bottom of the back plate 105 and has a protrusion 130B configured to engage with a corresponding groove (not shown) in the underside of the pump housing 15. The fingers 110A, 110B are configured to engage opposed sides of the housing 15 when the protrusions 130A, 130B are located within the respective grooves 25 in the housing 15. As the first 110A and second 110B fingers are preferably resiliently deformable, this allows for some deflection of the fingers 110A, 110B to accommodate the pump 10 as it is pressed towards the back plate 105. Once the pump 10 has been pressed sufficiently close to the back plate 105, the fingers 110A, 110B deflect back towards their original position as their respective protrusions 130A, 130B are received by grooves 25 in the pump housing 15 to securely hold the pump in the bracket.

[0038] While first finger 130A has been bent to provide the protrusion 130A of the first finger 110A, it would be apparent this was not essential, and that a substantially straight finger having a protrusion thereon would be adequate to engage with the housing 15. However, the upwardly canted distal end of the first finger 130A provides a convenient surface for a user to urge the first finger 130A away from the second finger 130B in order to release the pump from the bracket. Whilst the fingers 110A, 110B are shown having protrusions, it would be apparent this was not essential, and that the fingers 110A, 110B may each have a groove configured to receive corresponding protrusions on the housing 15 in order to provide the engagement between the housing 15 and the fingers 110A, 110B. Further, it would be apparent that the ends of the fingers 110A, 110B may simply be angled such that the end-most points of the fingers 110A, 110B are received within grooves 25 in the housing 15.

[0039] The body 100 also has a supporting rib 135 extending underneath the second finger 110B. The supporting rib 135 is provided to stiffen the second finger 110B, as the second finger 100B will act as a platform, bearing the majority of the weight of the pump 10 when secured in the bracket 50. An anti-vibration mount 140 is also provided on a lower portion of the side plate 105 adjacent to where the second finger 110B connects to the side plate 105. Specifically, the anti-vibration mount 140 is positioned between the contact point of the bracket 50 and the rod 55 or wall to which it is mounted, so that transmissions primarily pass through the anti-vibration mount 140 to reach the wall or rod 55. The anti-vibration mount 140 is preferably made of a thermoplastic elastomeric material. As illustrated in FIG. 4A, the back plate 105 has two mounting holes 125 to provide flexibility to mount the bracket 50 to a wall instead of the rod 55, in which case the securing element 200 would not be clipped into place in the body.

[0040] The first boss 210A and second boss 210B, each have a respective end surface 212A, 212B (see FIG. 3) which, in combination, define a gap 215 into which the rod 55 can be inserted (see FIG. 7A). The first boss 210A has a first core 220A and the second boss 210B has a second core 220B, and both cores 220A, 220B are sized to receive the rod 55 (see FIG. 7B). As shown in FIG. 6B, the cores 220A, 220B of the first 210A and second 210B bosses define a channel 222 through which the rod 55 passes when the securing element 200 is secured to the rod 55.

[0041] As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the first boss 210A is formed of a substantially tubular body having a pair wings 230A and the second boss 210B is formed of a substantially tubular body having a pair of wings 230B. The pairs of wings 230A, 230B are spaced to define respective slots 235A, 235B between the respective pairs of wings 230A, 230B. As illustrated, each slots 235A, 235B extends in a substantially parallel direction to a longitudinal axis of the respective core 220A, 220B, and the respective slots extend in opposite directions to one another. With reference to FIG. 3 and FIGS. 7A & 7B, the gap 215 extends in a different direction to that of the channel 222. Typically, the direction of the gap 215 and the direction of the channel 222 form an acute angle. The wings 230A, 230B are also resiliently deformable and can be deflected to provide an opening through which the rod 55 can be inserted into the respective cores 220A, 220B. While the cross-sectional profile of the bosses 210A, 210B is shown as being substantially circular, it would be apparent this was not essential and the bosses 210A, 210B may have a non-circular cross-sectional profile. However, for attachment to an elongate member having a circular cross-sectional profile, it can be advantageous for the channel 222 defined by the bosses to have a substantially matching circular cross-sectional profile so as to maximise the mutual surface engagement between the securing element 200 and the elongate member for a more secure grip. At least a portion 240 of the inner surface of the bosses 210A, 210B may be threaded, for engagement with a correspondingly threaded rod 55.

[0042] FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate a process by which the bracket 50 can be mounted to the rod 55. As shown in FIG. 7A, the assembled bracket 50 is pressed into a first position, angled relative to the rod 55 such that the rod 55 is located in the gap 215 between the bosses 210A, 210B. The bracket 50 can then be rotated to the second position relative to the rod 55 (FIG. 7B) such that the rod 55 is secured within the channel 222. As the bracket 50 is rotated, the rod 55 pushes the wings 230A, 230B apart and slides into the cores 220A, 220B. The wings 230A, 230B may each include a chamfered surface 231A, 231B to help stabilise the rod 55 on the wings 230A, 230B when rotating the bracket 50 from the first position to the second position. The resilience of the wings 230A, 230B allows the rod 55 to pass through the slots 235A, 235B as widened by a camming action against the chamfered surfaces 231A, 231B, with the wings returning to their original positions once the rod has passed through into the channel 222 to be gripped by the cores 220A, 22B, thus securing the bracket 50 to the rod 55. The rod 55 may have a cross-sectional area slightly larger than that of the cores 220A, 220B, so that the wings 230A, 230B will remain in a slightly separated configuration to ensure that the rod 55 is firmly gripped once it is in the channel 222. Once the bracket 50 is in the second position, the threaded inner surface 240 of the bosses 210A, 210B can interlock with a threaded outer surface of the rod 55, thus providing a secure mechanical engagement between the rod 55 and the bracket 50. Thus, in addition to the frictional engagement between the bosses 210A, 210B and the rod 55 to grip the rod 55, features on the internal surface of the bosses 210A, 210B may provide positive engagement with corresponding surface features on the rod 55 to enhance the grip of the bosses 210A, 210B on the rod 55.

[0043] Once the bracket is secured to the rod 55, the bracket 50 can be rotated about a longitudinal axis of the rod 55 to secure the bracket 50 to the rod 55 in the second position. The threaded surface 240 of the boss and the threaded surface of the rod 55 act as a screw thread which allows for fine adjustment of the position of the bracket, ergo the pump 10 along the longitudinal axis of the rod 55. Thus, the user only needs to locate the bracket at roughly the correct position along the rod 55, before securing the bracket 50 and then mounting the pump 10 thereto. Once the pump 10 is mounted, the user can then make any fine adjustments to finalise the position of the bracket 50 without having to remove the bracket 50 from the rod 55. In addition to enabling fine adjustments along the rod 55, the user can also rotate the bracket 50, once the pump is mounted thereto, for example to accommodate liquid inlet tubes, liquid outlet tubes, power cables, sensor cables and any other accessories in the ceiling cavity that are connected to the pump 10. To release the bracket 50, the user simply has to rotate the bracket 50 to locate the rod 55 in the gap 215 before pulling the bracket 50 free from the rod 55. To separate the pump 10 from the bracket 50, the user need only separate the fingers 110A, 1108 to release the pump 10. The user can then release the bracket 50 from the rod 55 in the manner described above.

[0044] While a rod 55 has been described as one example of an elongate structure that would be suitable for mounting the bracket 50 to, it would be apparent this was merely exemplary. In some cases, a separate mating bracket having a suitable elongate structure may be used instead of a ceiling rod. It would also be apparent that it is not essential for the rod to be linear, and that non-linear structures would also be suitable for use with the presently described bracket 50. Further, it would be apparent that while the cores 220A, 220B are preferably co-linear, it would be apparent that this was not essential and that the cores 220A, 220B may define a channel 222 having a non-linear path. This may be advantageous where the bracket 50 is to be mounted to a non-linear structure. Thus, the non-linear structure could still be received in the gap 215 between the bosses 210A, 210B and the bracket 50 rotated in the manner described above to secure the bracket 50 to the non-linear structure.

[0045] The cores 220A, 220B can be considered to define a reference cross-sectional area. Structures having a cross-sectional area smaller than the reference cross-sectional area will not be gripped by the bosses 210A, 210B. Preferably, the structure should have a cross-sectional area slightly larger than the reference cross-sectional area for the reasons given above. Therefore, when the bracket 50 needs to be mounted to a ceiling wire or cable having a smaller cross-sectional area than the reference cross-sectional area, an adapter 300 (see FIG. 9) should be used to secure the bracket 50 to the ceiling wire. The adapter 300 has a body 302 and a core 304 (shown in phantom) configured to receive the wire and a slot 306 configured to allow the wire to pass through the body 302 of the adapter and into the core. The adapter 300 may include a head 308 that is wider than the body 302 to positively locate the adapter body in the associated core 220A, 220B. The adapter 300 is preferably made from an elastomeric material so the user is able to press the adapters around the wire before pressing an adapter into the core 220 of a respective boss 210. When the adapter 300 is pressed into the core 220, the resilience of the wings 230 will squeeze the adapter around the wire, thus securing the bracket 50 to the wire.

[0046] It would also be apparent that it is not essential for the user to press the adapters 300 around the wire first, but instead can press an adapter into each of the bosses 210A, 2108 before pressing the bracket 50 onto the wire and rotating the bracket 50 to secure the wire within the core of the adapter. In this case, the user would need to ensure the slots 306 of each adapter are aligned with that of the associated core 210 in order to allow the wire to reach the core of the adapter.

[0047] Where there is a wall or surface to which the pump 10 can be mounted, the user only needs to use the body 100 of the bracket 50 to secure the pump 10 to the wall. This can be achieved, for example, via the mounting holes 125 formed in the back plate 105, which allows the user to screw the body 100 to the wall in the conventional manner. The pump 10 can then be secured to the body 100 in the manner described above. Thus the body 100 can also function as a retrofittable bracket for use with existing devices and mounting points.

[0048] Throughout the description and claims of this specification, the words “comprise” and “contain” and variations of them mean “including but not limited to”, and they are not intended to (and do not) exclude other components, integers or steps. Throughout the description and claims of this specification, the singular encompasses the plural unless the context otherwise requires. In particular, where the indefinite article is used, the specification is to be understood as contemplating plurality as well as singularity, unless the context requires otherwise.

[0049] Features, integers, characteristics, or groups described in conjunction with a particular aspect, embodiment or example of the invention are to be understood to be applicable to any other aspect, embodiment or example described herein unless incompatible therewith. All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive. The invention is not restricted to the details of any foregoing embodiments. The invention extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.