Electrical panel cover fastening system
11955787 ยท 2024-04-09
Inventors
Cpc classification
International classification
Abstract
An electrical panel cover fastening system includes a disc and a post. The disc includes an outer surface, a first inner surface, a second inner surface, and a side surface. The outer surface is disposed on a first plane. The first inner surface is disposed on a second plane. The first plane is disposed substantially parallel with the second plane. The second inner surface is disposed on a third plane. The first inner surface is disposed adjacent to the second inner surface. The post includes a first end and a second end. The post is disposed on a first axis. The first end of the post is coupled to the first inner surface of the disc. Where the post is rotated, the disc is thereby also rotated about the first axis.
Claims
1. An electrical panel cover fastening system, comprising: a disc including an outer surface, a first inner surface, a second inner surface, and a side surface, the outer surface disposed on a first plane, the first inner surface disposed on a second plane, the first plane disposed substantially parallel with the second plane, the second inner surface disposed on a third plane, each of the first inner surface and the second inner surface disposed adjacent to one another, wherein the third plane is oriented substantially transverse to each of the first plane and the second plane; a post including a first end and a second end, the post disposed on a first axis, the first end of the post coupled to the first inner surface of the disc; and a raised edge disposed between each of the second plane and the third plane, the raised edge including a first wall and a second wall, the first wall disposed on a fifth plane and the second wall disposed on a sixth plane, the fifth plane oriented transverse to the sixth plane.
2. The electrical panel cover fastening system of claim 1, wherein the first axis is substantially offset from a center of the disc, wherein the center of the disc is disposed on a second axis.
3. The electrical panel cover fastening system of claim 1, wherein the third plane is oriented at an angle of about three degrees to about thirty-five degrees relative to the second plane.
4. The electrical panel cover fastening system of claim 1, wherein the fifth plane is oriented at an angle of about thirty degrees to about sixty degrees relative to the sixth plane.
5. The electrical panel cover fastening system of claim 1, wherein the first wall includes a first height, the second wall includes a second height, and the first height is greater than the second height.
6. The electrical panel cover fastening system of claim 1, further comprising a rotational adjustment means disposed on the second end of the post, the rotational adjustment means configured to rotate the post about the first axis and thereby also rotate the disc about the first axis.
7. The electrical panel cover fastening system of claim 6, wherein the post includes a threaded portion configured to couple the post to the rotational adjustment means.
8. The electrical panel cover fastening system of claim 7, wherein the post includes an aperture disposed through the post substantially transverse to the first axis, the aperture configured to accept a retention means for coupling the post and the rotational adjustment means.
9. The electrical panel cover fastening system of claim 1, further comprising a pair of discs and a pair of posts, each is coupled to one of the posts, the pair of discs being substantially mirror images of each other.
10. A kit for covering a panel back box, the kit comprising: a panel cover for the panel back box, the panel cover including an aperture; an electrical panel cover fastening system including: a disc including an outer surface, a first inner surface, a second inner surface, and a side surface, the outer surface disposed on a first plane, the first inner surface disposed on a second plane, the first plane disposed substantially parallel with the second plane, the second inner surface disposed on a third plane, each of the first inner surface and the second inner surface disposed adjacent to one another, and a post including a first end and a second end, the post disposed on a first axis, the first end of the post disposed on the first inner surface of the disc, the post configured to be disposed through the aperture in the panel cover; and a rotational adjustment means configured to be disposed on the second end of the post, the rotational adjustment means is configured to rotate the post about the first axis and thereby also rotate the disc about the first axis; a panel back box including an opening, the opening further including an edge; and a panel bracket configured to be attached to the panel back box for supporting the panel cover.
11. The kit of claim 10, wherein the aperture is disposed adjacent to a perimeter of the panel cover.
12. A method of covering an electrical panel, the method comprising the steps of: providing an electrical panel cover fastening system including: a disc including an outer surface, a first inner surface, a second inner surface, and a side surface, the outer surface disposed on a first plane, the first inner surface disposed on a second plane, the first plane disposed substantially parallel with the second plane, the second inner surface disposed on a third plane, each of the first inner surface and the second inner surface disposed adjacent to one another, wherein the third plane is oriented substantially transverse to each of the first plane and the second plane, a post including a first end and a second end, the post disposed on a first axis, the first end of the post disposed on the first inner surface of the disc, the post configured to be disposed through an aperture in a panel cover, and a raised edge disposed between each of the second plane and the third plane, the raised edge including a first wall and a second wall, the first wall disposed on a fifth plane and the second wall disposed on a sixth plane, the fifth plane oriented transverse to the sixth plane; providing a panel cover with an aperture formed therethrough; providing a panel back box with an opening that includes an edge; disposing the electrical panel cover fastening system through the aperture of the panel cover; placing the panel cover against the opening of the panel back box; and rotating the electrical panel cover fastening system to engage at least one of the first inner surface and the second inner surface with the edge adjacent the opening of the panel back box, whereby the panel cover is secured to the panel back box.
13. The method of claim 12, further comprising a step of providing a panel bracket configured to be attached to the panel back box for supporting the panel cover.
14. The method of claim 13, further comprising a step of attaching the panel bracket to a bottom surface of the panel back box.
15. The method of claim 14, further comprising a step of placing the panel cover on the panel bracket prior to the step of rotating the electrical panel cover fastening system to engage the at least one of the first inner surface and the second inner surface with the edge adjacent the opening of the panel back box.
16. An electrical panel cover fastening system, comprising: a disc including an outer surface, a first inner surface, a second inner surface, and a side surface, the outer surface disposed on a first plane, the first inner surface disposed on a second plane, the first plane disposed substantially parallel with the second plane, the second inner surface disposed on a third plane, each of the first inner surface and the second inner surface disposed adjacent to one another; a post including a first end and a second end, the post disposed on a first axis, the first end of the post coupled to the first inner surface of the disc; and a rotational adjustment means disposed on the second end of the post, the rotational adjustment means configured to rotate the post about the first axis and thereby also rotate the disc about the first axis; wherein the post includes a threaded portion and an aperture, the threaded portion configured to couple the post to the rotational adjustment means, the aperture disposed through the post substantially transverse to the first axis, the aperture configured to accept a retention means for coupling the post and the rotational adjustment means.
Description
DRAWINGS
(1) The above, as well as other advantages of the present disclosure, will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, particularly when considered in the light of the drawings described herein.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
(18) The following description of technology is merely exemplary in nature of the subject matter, manufacture and use of one or more inventions, and is not intended to limit the scope, application, or uses of any specific invention claimed in this application or in such other applications as may be filed claiming priority to this application, or patents issuing therefrom. Regarding methods disclosed, the order of the steps presented is exemplary in nature, and thus, the order of the steps can be different in various embodiments, including where certain steps can be simultaneously performed. A and an as used herein indicate at least one of the item is present; a plurality of such items may be present, when possible. Except where otherwise expressly indicated, all numerical quantities in this description are to be understood as modified by the word about and all geometric and spatial descriptors are to be understood as modified by the word substantially in describing the broadest scope of the technology. About when applied to numerical values indicates that the calculation or the measurement allows some slight imprecision in the value (with some approach to exactness in the value; approximately or reasonably close to the value; nearly). If, for some reason, the imprecision provided by about and/or substantially is not otherwise understood in the art with this ordinary meaning, then about and/or substantially as used herein indicates at least variations that may arise from ordinary methods of measuring or using such parameters.
(19) Although the open-ended term comprising, as a synonym of non-restrictive terms such as including, containing, or having, is used herein to describe and claim embodiments of the present technology, embodiments may alternatively be described using more limiting terms such as consisting of or consisting essentially of Thus, for any given embodiment reciting materials, components, or process steps, the present technology also specifically includes embodiments consisting of, or consisting essentially of, such materials, components, or process steps excluding additional materials, components or processes (for consisting of) and excluding additional materials, components or processes affecting the significant properties of the embodiment (for consisting essentially of), even though such additional materials, components or processes are not explicitly recited in this application. For example, recitation of a composition or process reciting elements A, B and C specifically envisions embodiments consisting of, and consisting essentially of, A, B and C, excluding an element D that may be recited in the art, even though element D is not explicitly described as being excluded herein.
(20) As referred to herein, disclosures of ranges are, unless specified otherwise, inclusive of endpoints and include all distinct values and further divided ranges within the entire range. Thus, for example, a range of from A to B or from about A to about B is inclusive of A and of B. Disclosure of values and ranges of values for specific parameters (such as amounts, weight percentages, etc.) are not exclusive of other values and ranges of values useful herein. It is envisioned that two or more specific exemplified values for a given parameter may define endpoints for a range of values that may be claimed for the parameter. For example, if Parameter X is exemplified herein to have value A and also exemplified to have value Z, it is envisioned that Parameter X may have a range of values from about A to about Z. Similarly, it is envisioned that disclosure of two or more ranges of values for a parameter (whether such ranges are nested, overlapping, or distinct) subsume all possible combination of ranges for the value that might be claimed using endpoints of the disclosed ranges. For example, if Parameter X is exemplified herein to have values in the range of 1-10, or 2-9, or 3-8, it is also envisioned that Parameter X may have other ranges of values including 1-9, 1-8, 1-3, 1-2, 2-10, 2-8, 2-3, 3-10, 3-9, and so on.
(21) When an element or layer is referred to as being on, engaged to, connected to, or coupled to another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected, or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being directly on, directly engaged to, directly connected to or directly coupled to another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., between versus directly between, adjacent versus directly adjacent, etc.). As used herein, the term and/or includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
(22) Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer, or section. Terms such as first, second, and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer, or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer, or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments.
(23) Spatially relative terms, such as inner, outer, beneath, below, lower, above, upper, and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the FIGS. is turned over, elements described as below, or beneath other elements or features would then be oriented above the other elements or features. Thus, the example term below can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.
(24) The present technology is drawn to an electrical panel cover fastening system 100, 102 that includes a disc 104 and a post 106. As shown in
(25) In certain circumstances, as shown in
(26) With reference to
(27) In certain circumstances, the rotational adjustment means 126 may be removably coupled to the post 106. In a specific example, as shown in
(28) In certain circumstances, as shown in
(29) In certain circumstances, as shown in
(30) In certain circumstances, the disc 104 may have certain features and functionalities such as the disc 104 may be substantially cylindrically shaped. The first axis A1 of the disc 104 may be substantially offset from a center of the disc 104. The center of the disc 104 may be disposed on a second axis A2. As a non-limiting example the post 106 may be substantially offset from the center of the disc 104 where no portion of the post overlaps or otherwise covers the second axis A2. Advantageously, the offset first axis A1 may allow the disc 104 to extend for a greater circumference C, as shown in
(31) In certain circumstances, the disc 104 and the post 106 may be constructed from conductive materials. In a specific, non-limiting example, the conductive materials may include ferrous materials such as iron, steel, or an alloy of metals that would provide enhanced mechanical strength while also providing low resistance to an electrical current flow. Advantageously, where the disc 104 and the post 106 are constructed from conductive materials, the electrical panel cover fastening system 100, 102 may be electrically grounded with the panel back box 124. It should be appreciated that the disc 104 and the post 106 may be constructed for softer metals to provide the conductive properties while also reducing the cost of manufacturing. However, where the disc 104 and the post 106 are provided with ferrous materials, the durability, longevity, and conductive properties are desirably further enhanced. One skilled in the art may select other materials to construct the disc 104 and the post 106, within the scope of the present disclosure.
(32) It should be appreciated that the disc 104 and the post 106 may be provided as a unitary structure. As a non-limiting example, the disc 104 and the post 106 may be machined and/or milled from a single structure.
(33) In certain circumstances, as shown in
(34) In certain circumstances, as shown in
(35) In certain circumstances, as shown in
(36) In certain embodiments, as shown in
(37) In certain embodiments, as shown in
(38) Advantageously, the electrical panel cover fastening system 100, 102 may enhance the efficiency and the ergonomics of coupling and removing a panel cover 122 to and from a panel back box 124.
(39) While certain representative embodiments and details have been shown for purposes of illustrating the invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure, which is further described in the following appended claims.