ADAPTER FOR MOUNTING CABLE HANGERS

Abstract

An adapter for a cable hanger includes: a housing having a floor, a vertical wall extending generally perpendicularly from the floor, and side walls extending generally perpendicularly from the floor and vertical wall, each of the side walls including a finger extending generally parallel to the floor, the fingers including first engagement features, the vertical wall including a mounting hole; and a plunger having a main panel and second engagement features on opposite sides of the main panel, the second engagement features configured to engage the first engagement features to restrict relative movement of the plunger relative to the housing.

Claims

1. An adapter for a cable hanger, comprising: a housing having a floor, a rear wall extending generally perpendicularly from the floor, a ceiling extending generally parallel to the floor, and side walls extending generally perpendicularly from the floor and rear wall, the rear wall including a mounting hole; wherein the housing includes an open-ended slot generally parallel to the floor, wherein one of the side walls forms an upper edge of the slot, and wherein a toothed surface forms a portion of the lower end of the slot; and wherein the ceiling includes first features configured to engage a securing member; the adapter further comprising a securing member that engages the features in the ceiling and is movable relative to the ceiling in a direction generally normal to the floor, the securing member including second features that engage the first features; wherein movement of the securing member toward the floor engages a mounting structure positioned in the slots, and wherein the first and second features resist movement of the securing member in a direction away from the floor when the securing member engages the mounting structure.

2. The adapter defined in claim 1, wherein the housing is formed of a polymeric material.

3. The adapter defined in claim 1, wherein the securing member is formed of a polymeric material.

4. The adapter defined in claim 1, wherein the toothed surface is in the floor.

5. The adapter defined in claim 1, wherein the toothed surface is in the side wall.

6. The adapter defined in claim 1, wherein the mounting hole has a nominal diameter of ¾ inch.

7. The adapter defined in claim 1, wherein the first features are first threads, and the second features are second threads that mate with the first threads.

8. The adapter defined in claim 1, wherein the first features are first teeth, and wherein the second features are second teeth that enmesh with the first teeth.

9. The adapter defined in claim 1, in combination with the mounting structure.

10. The combination defined in claim 9, wherein the mounting structure is a ladder rung.

11. The combination defined in claim 9, further in combination with a cable hanger mounted in the mounting hole.

12. An adapter for a cable hanger, comprising: a housing having a floor, a rear wall extending generally perpendicularly from the floor, a ceiling extending generally parallel to the floor, and side walls extending generally perpendicularly from the floor and rear wall, the rear wall including a mounting hole having a nominal diameter of ¾ inch; wherein the housing includes an open-ended slot generally parallel to the floor, wherein one of the side walls forms an upper edge of the slot, and wherein a toothed surface in the side wall forms a portion of the lower end of the slot; and wherein the ceiling includes first features configured to engage a securing member; the adapter further comprising a securing member that engages the features in the ceiling and is movable relative to the ceiling in a direction generally normal to the floor, the securing member including second features that engage the first features; wherein movement of the securing member toward the floor engages a mounting structure positioned in the slots, and wherein the first and second features resist movement of the securing member in a direction away from the floor when the securing member engages the mounting structure.

13. The adapter defined in claim 12, wherein the housing is formed of a polymeric material.

14. The adapter defined in claim 12, wherein the securing member is formed of a polymeric material.

15. The adapter defined in claim 12, wherein the first features are first threads, and the second features are second threads that mate with the first threads.

16. The adapter defined in claim 12, wherein the first features are first teeth, and wherein the second features are second teeth that enmesh with the first teeth.

17. The adapter defined in claim 12, in combination with the mounting structure.

18. The combination defined in claim 17, wherein the mounting structure is a ladder rung.

19. The combination defined in claim 17, further in combination with a cable hanger mounted in the mounting hole.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0018] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art adapter for cable hangers.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a top view of the adapter of FIG. 1 with a cable hanger mounted therein.

[0020] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the adapter of FIG. 1 mounted to a pole via a hose clamp.

[0021] FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of a housing for an adapter for cable hangers according to embodiments of the invention.

[0022] FIG. 5 is a rear view of the housing of FIG. 4.

[0023] FIG. 6 is a rear view of a plunger used with the housing of FIG. 4.

[0024] FIG. 7 is a rear perspective view of the housing of FIG. 4 and the plunger of FIG. 6 combined to form an adapter for cable hangers according to embodiments of the invention.

[0025] FIG. 8 is a rear view of the adapter of FIG. 7.

[0026] FIG. 9 is a front view of the adapter of FIG. 7.

[0027] FIG. 10 is a rear perspective view of the adapter of FIG. 7 mounted on the rung of a ladder.

[0028] FIG. 11 is a front perspective view of a housing, a wheel and a strap of an adapter for cable hangers according to additional embodiments of the invention.

[0029] FIG. 12 is a rear perspective view of the housing and wheel of FIG. 11 with the teeth of the wheel engaged with the teeth in the opening of the housing.

[0030] FIG. 13 is a front view of the adapter of FIG. 11 with the strap inserted into the housing and wrapped around a mounting structure.

[0031] FIG. 14 is a front perspective view of the adapter of FIG. 13 with the strap in place.

[0032] FIG. 15 is a front perspective view of the adapter of FIG. 13 with a cable hanger inserted into the housing to engage the strap and wheel to maintain the adapter in a secured condition.

[0033] FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a housing of another adapter for a cable hanger according to embodiments of the invention.

[0034] FIG. 17 is a front view of the housing of FIG. 16.

[0035] FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a securing screw of the adapter of FIG. 16.

[0036] FIG. 19 is a front view of the securing screw of FIG. 18.

[0037] FIG. 20 is a front view of the adapter of FIG. 16.

[0038] FIG. 21 is a perspective view of the adapter of FIG. 16.

[0039] FIG. 22 is a perspective schematic view of the adapter of FIG. 16 mounted on a ladder rung.

[0040] FIG. 23 is a perspective schematic view of the mounted adapter of FIG. 22 with the upper head and transition section of the screw broken off.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] The present invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which certain embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments that are pictured and described herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. It will also be appreciated that the embodiments disclosed herein can be combined in any way and/or combination to provide many additional embodiments.

[0042] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms that are used in this disclosure have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The terminology used in the below description is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used in this disclosure, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that when an element (e.g., a device, circuit, etc.) is referred to as being “connected” or “coupled” to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly connected” or “directly coupled” to another element, there are no intervening elements present.

[0043] Referring now to the figures, an adapter for mounting a cable hanger to a mounting structure, designated broadly at 100, is shown in FIGS. 4-10. The adapter 100 comprises two separate parts: a housing 102 and a plunger 104. These components are described in greater detail below.

[0044] Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, the housing 102 is shown therein. The housing 102 is generally C-shaped in profile, with a base 106, a vertical wall 108 that extends from one end of the base 106, side walls 107 that extend from the side edges of the vertical wall 108, and a ceiling 109 that extends from the end of the vertical wall 108 opposite the base 106 and spans the upper ends of the side walls 107. The base 106 includes a series of teeth 110 that protrude upwardly and extend transversely across the base 106. Each tooth 110 includes a recess 112 that extends for much of the length of the tooth 110. The vertical wall 108 includes a hole 114 (typically nominally ¾ inch in diameter) for the mounting of a cable hanger. Two fingers 116 extend from the upper forward edges of the side walls 107. Each of the fingers 116 includes a series of asymmetric teeth 118 that are more shallowly sloped on their lower edges.

[0045] Referring now to FIG. 6, the plunger 104 has a main panel 120. A flange 122 extends perpendicularly to each of the side edges of the main panel 120. Each flange 122 has asymmetric teeth 124 on its lateral surface that are configured to mesh with the teeth 118 of the housing 102. A hook 126 extends from and generally normal to the lower end of the main panel 120, then gently curves below the lower edge of the main panel 120. A leverage hole 128 is located in the main panel 120 near the base of the hook 126.

[0046] The housing 102 and plunger 104 can be formed of a variety of materials, but are typically formed of a polymeric material. Exemplary polymeric materials include acetal and nylon 6,6. The housing 102 and plunger 104 may be formed in any suitable manner, but ordinarily are injection-molded. The housing 102 and plunger 104 may be formed of the same material or different materials as desired.

[0047] Use of the adapter 100 can be understood from FIGS. 7-10. The housing 102 is first inserted onto a mounting structure, such as a rung 150 of a ladder on an antenna tower (see FIGS. 8 and 10). The housing 102 is positioned on the rung 150 with the base 106 below the rung 150 and the fingers 116 above the rung 150; typically, the rung 150 will also abut the edges of the side walls 107. The plunger 104 is then inserted from above between the fingers 116, such that the teeth 124 on each side of the plunger 104 engage the teeth 118 of the fingers 116, and lowered until the hook 126 engages the upper surface of the rung 150. The shapes of the teeth 118, 124 permit the plunger 104 to be lowered relative to the housing 102 but prevent the plunger 120 from rising relative to the housing 102. Thus, once the plunger 104 is lowered to snugly engage the rung 150, the adapter 100 is mounted firmly to the rung 150. A cable hanger such as that shown in FIG. 2 can be mounted in the hole 114 in the vertical wall 108 of the housing 102 to serve to capture and organize cables.

[0048] Notably, lowering of the plunger 104 relative to the housing 102 can be facilitated with the use of a screwdriver or other leverage-type tool. The blade of the screwdriver can be inserted through the hole 114 and into the leverage hole 128 in the plunger 104. The handle of the screwdriver can then be raised to contact the upper edge of the hole 114, which serves as a fulcrum to drive the blade of the screwdriver (and in turn the plunger 104) downwardly. This capability can enable the plunger 104 to fit tightly within the fingers 116, thereby improving the retention of the adapter 100 on the rung 150.

[0049] Those of skill in this art will appreciate that other configurations for the housing 102 and plunger 104 may be employed. For example, although teeth 118,124 are described herein, other engagement features that enable the plunger 104 to be retained in a desired position relative to the housing 102 may be employed. For example, the teeth 118,124 may be symmetric rather than asymmetric, or one of the sets of teeth may be replaced with a single tooth or ridge. Moreover, the teeth may be replaced with other protrusions and indentions, such as scallops, detents and mating recesses, or the like. In other embodiments, the engagement features may be latches (e.g., on the plunger 104) and receptacles (e.g., on the housing 102). Other variations are also possible.

[0050] In addition, the housing 102 and/or plunger 104 may be modified in other ways. For example, the leverage hole 128 in the plunger may be omitted, and a tab or other graspable member may be employed instead to facilitate installation. Moreover, the hook 126 may be omitted, or may be replaced with a different engagement feature, such as a sharpened edge or the like. Other variations may also be suitable.

[0051] Referring now to FIGS. 11-15, another adapter for mounting cable hangers, designated broadly at 200, is shown therein. This adapter 200 includes a housing 202, a wheel 204 and a strap 206. These components are described in greater detail below.

[0052] Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, the housing 202 is generally square or rectangular, with a floor 210, side walls 212 and a ceiling 214 that surround an opening 218. The ceiling 214 includes a mounting hole 220 that is typically nominally ¾ inch in diameter. Each of the side walls 212 includes a slot 222 near its upper end. A lower edge 224 of the opening 218 is arcuate and has asymmetric teeth 226 that are inclined toward one of the side walls 212.

[0053] The wheel 204 has a generally cylindrical body 230 with a length that is greater than the depth dimension of the housing 202. Near one end, the body 230 includes a plurality of holes 232. At the opposite of the body 230, asymmetric teeth 234 extend radially outwardly, the teeth 230 are configured to mesh with the teeth 226 on the housing 202.

[0054] Referring now to FIG. 11, the strap 206 has an elongate body 240 with regularly-spaced rectangular holes 242. The holes 242 are sized to capture the teeth 234 of the wheel 204. A knob 244 is located at one end; the knob 244 is sized to fit through the mounting hole 220 in the ceiling 214 of the housing 202, but to be unable to fit through the slots 222 in the side walls 214. The body 240 of the strap 206 is sized to be able to fit through both of the slots 222.

[0055] The housing 202, wheel 204 and strap 206 may be formed of any suitable material, but is typically formed of a polymeric and/or elastomeric materials. Exemplary polymeric materials include acetal and nylon 6,6. The housing 202, wheel 204 and strap 206 may be formed in any suitable manner, but ordinarily are injection-molded. In some embodiments, the housing 202 and wheel 204 may be formed of the same material, and may be injection-molded together as a single unit, with the wheel 204 being attached to the housing 202 via breakaway tabs or the like. The strap 206 is typically formed of a material that is more flexible than that of the housing 202 and wheel 204 to enable it to bend easily.

[0056] As can be seen in FIGS. 13-15, the adapter 200 can be mounted to a mounting structure 270, such as a leg of an antenna tower or a monopole, that lacks a pre-formed mounting hole. To mount the adapter 200, first the housing 202 is positioned with the floor 210 resting against the mounting structure 270. The strap 206 is threaded through the mounting hole 220 into the opening 218, through one of the slots 222 and out of the housing 202, along the remainder of the side wall 214, around the mounting structure 270, along the opposite side wall 214, and back into the opening 218 through the opposite slot 222. The wheel 204 is positioned in the opening 218. The strap 206 is tightened somewhat, then laid over the surface of the wheel 204 near the mounting hole 220, with the teeth 234 of the wheel 204 being received in the holes 242 in the strap 206. The wheel 204 is then forced against the lower edge 224 of the opening 218, then rotated relative to the housing 202. The shapes of the teeth 226, 232 enable the wheel 204 to rotate in one rotative direction (e.g., counterclockwise from the vantage point of FIG. 13), but not rotate in the opposite rotative direction. It should be noted that rotation of the wheel 204 can be assisted by inserting a screwdriver or similar tool into one or two of the holes 232 in the wheel 204 to provide leverage.

[0057] As shown in FIG. 15, once the strap 206 is tightened sufficiently, the strap 206 can be held in place by inserting a cable hanger 280 into the mounting hole 220. The hooks of the inserted cable holder 280 engage the wheel 204 and/or the strap 206 and force the wheel 204 against the lower edge 224 of the housing 202. As such, the wheel 204 is unable to rotate relative to the housing 202, which prevents the strap 206 from loosening. The mounting hole 282 in the cable hanger 280 is then positioned for the mounting of additional cable hangers adjacent the mounting structure 270.

[0058] Those of skill in this art will appreciate that the housing 202, wheel 204 and/or strap 206 may take other forms. For example, features on the housing 202 and wheel 204 that engage and resist movement other than the teeth 226, 232 may be employed. Exemplary alternatives include symmetric teeth on both components, a single tooth or ridge on one component (e.g., the housing 202) and multiple teeth on the other component (e.g., the wheel 204), a system of mating recesses and flexible fingers, or the like. As a further alternative, the housing 202, wheel 204 and strap 206 may include high-friction material (akin to a clutch belt). Other variations may also be suitable.

[0059] It is also notable that each of the adapters 100, 200 may be formed of polymeric materials, with the result that cable hangers can be mounted to metallic structures (such as monopoles or antenna tower ladders) that lack mounting holes, and can do so without generating PIM that could otherwise negatively impact antenna performance.

[0060] Referring now to FIGS. 16-23, another adapter according to embodiments of the invention is illustrated therein and designated broadly at 300. The adapter comprises a housing 302 and a securing screw 304. These components are discussed in greater detail below.

[0061] Referring first to FIGS. 16 and 17, the housing 302 includes a floor 310, a rear wall 312, a ceiling 314, and side walls 316. These structures are arranged to form generally a cube with an open front side. Each of the side walls 316 has a slot 318 that is open at its front end. Teeth 320 are present in the lower edge of each slot 318 to improve grip. The ceiling 314 has an opening 322 with threads 324. The floor 310 also has a mounting hole 326. As can be seen in FIG. 17, the rear wall 312 has a mounting hole 328 that is sized and configured to receive a cable hanger in the manner of the adapter 100, 200 above. Typically, the mounting holes 326, 328 have a nominal ¾ inch diameter. Each of the floor 310, rear wall 312, ceiling 314, and side walls 316 has a pattern of ribs that can provide strength and stiffness.

[0062] Referring now to FIGS. 18 and 19, the securing screw 304 includes a shank 340 with threads 342 configured to mesh with the threads 324 of the housing 302. The bottom surface of the shank 340 has nubs 344 or some other variety of grip-enhancer (e.g., a roughened surface, teeth, spikes, etc,). At its upper end, the securing screw 304 has a compound head structure 346, which includes an upper head 348, a transition section 350, and a lower head 352. The upper and lower heads 348, 352 are configured to receive a rotatable fastening tool (e.g., a wrench) that is used to tighten the screw 304. In the illustrated embodiment, the upper and lower heads 348, 352 have the same shape and size, to permit the same fastening tool to be used on them, but in some embodiments the size and/or shape of the upper and lower heads 348,352 may differ. The transition section 350 is generally configured as a panel or wall 354 that includes a rib 356 extending between the upper and lower heads 348, 352, although other configurations may also be employed.

[0063] As can be seen in FIGS. 20 and 21, the securing screw 304 can be inserted into the opening 322 in the ceiling 314 of the housing 302. The threads 324 of the opening 322 mesh with the threads 342 of the screw 304.

[0064] Referring now to FIG. 22, the adapter 300 is illustrated mounted on a mounting structure 370, such as the rung of a ladder. The housing 302 of the adapter 300 is attached to the mounting structure 370 by aligning the slots 318 in the side walls 306 of the housing 302 with the mounting structure 370, and slipping the housing 302 onto the mounting structure 370 so that the mounting structure 370 is received in the slots 318. Once the mounting structure 370 is in position in the slots 318, the securing screw 304 is rotated relative to the housing 302 to cause it to advance onto the mounting structure 370. Movement of the securing screw 370 ceases when the lower end of the shaft 340 engages the surface of the mounting structure 370 (see FIG. 21). At this point a cable hanger can be mounted in either of the mounting holes 326, 328.

[0065] Once the shaft 340 engages the mounting structure 370, continued rotation of the securing screw 304 tightens the screw 304 in place. Typically, there exists a lower threshold pressure for securing the adapter 300 onto the mounting structure 370, which may be generated via a corresponding threshold torque on the securing screw 304. Overtightening the securing screw 304 beyond a second, higher threshold pressure raises the risk of damaging the housing 302 or the securing screw 304. Ordinarily, a wrench W or other fastening tool (see FIG. 22) is employed to rotate and advance the screw 304 via engagement with the upper head 348. The configuration of the securing screw 304 is such that, once the second, upper threshold torque is reached (e.g., 3-5 ft-lbs), the transition section 350 of the securing screw 340 fractures, so that the upper head 348 breaks away from the remainder of the securing screw 340 (see FIG. 23). As a result, the screw 304 is installed and engages the mounting structure 370 at the desired pressure.

[0066] As one example, if the securing screw 304 is formed of a polymeric material such as acetal or polyethylene, and if the transition section has a height of 8 mm, a width of 5.7 mm and a thickness of 3.8 mm with ribs having a depth of 5.7 mm, the resulting torque to fracture is typically between about 3 and 5 N-m.

[0067] It should also be noted that the presence of the nubs 344 on the lower end of the shaft 340 of the securing screw 304 can improve the grip of the screw 304 on the mounting structure 370. In addition, the presence of the teeth 320 in the slots 318 can improve the grip of the housing 302 on the mounting structure. 370.

[0068] Like the adapters 100, 200, because the adapter 300 may be formed of polymeric materials, cable hangers can be mounted to metallic structures (such as monopoles or antenna tower ladders) that lack mounting holes, and can do so without generating PIM that could otherwise negatively impact antenna performance.

[0069] The foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed as limiting thereof. Although exemplary embodiments of this invention have been described, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the claims. The invention is defined by the following claims, with equivalents of the claims to be included therein.