Cable Pass Through System

Abstract

A cable pass through system for running one or more cables through a roof and a ceiling can comprise a cap having an inner surface and an outer surface having a thickness which can create a shell. The cap can cover and attach to a base. The seals can be attached to the base and the cap forming a seal around the cable. A gasket can be placed between the base and the roof creating a seal between the roof and the base. A backing plate can be placed on the ceiling and is removably attached to the base by one or more fasteners. The cap and the base can further comprise a recess for the one or more seals and a seal can be placed in the recess in the base wherein when pushed together the two seals create a watertight seal against the cable.

Claims

1. A cable pass through system for running one or more cables into an enclosed space through an enclosure, the system comprising: a shell comprising a cap and a base, wherein the shell has an exterior and an interior and wherein the cap may be coupled to the base with one or more fasteners; a cutout in the shell through which one or more cables may pass; at least one deformable seal about the periphery of the cutout positioned so that when the cap is coupled to the base with the one or more cables situated in the cutout the seal is deformed about the one or more cable to at least partially seal the interior of the shell from the exterior of the shell; a gasket situated between the base and the enclosure; and a backing plate removably coupled to the base such that the ceiling may be situated between the backing plate and the base when the backing plate is coupled to the base.

2. The cable pass through system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one seal is situated in a recess formed in the shell.

3. The cable pass through system according to claim 1, wherein the shell comprises a slot allowing the one or more cables to pass through the shell, and wherein the seal comprises a first seal coupled to the cap and a second seal coupled to the base.

4. The cable pass through system according to claim 1, wherein the base further comprises a base slot and a roof slot wherein the ceiling slot transitions from the base slot with a radius.

5. The cable pass through system according to claim 4, wherein the enclosure comprises a slot having substantially the same shape as the roof slot and one or more thru holes for one or more base fasteners.

6. The cable pass through system according to claim 1, wherein the base further comprises one or more nut locks and one or more fastener holes wherein one or more nuts can be inserted into and locked into position with the nut locks.

7. The cable pass through system according to claim 1, wherein the gasket forms a watertight seal between the base and the enclosure.

8. The cable pass through system according to claim 1, wherein backing plate comprises one or more nut slots wherein one or more fasteners fasten the base to the backing plate with the gasket captured between the backing plate and the enclosure wherein the backing place compresses against the enclosure.

9. The cable pass through system according to claim 1, wherein the cap fastens to the base by one or more fasteners.

10. The cable pass through system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the cap, base and backing plate are manufactured from plastic or metal.

11. The cable pass through system according to claim 1, wherein the base further comprises one or more bosses wherein the bosses substantially contacts the enclosure, stopping the gasket from over compressing.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present specification will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:

[0014] FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the cable pass through system in accordance to one, or more embodiments;

[0015] FIG. 2 is an isometric exploded view with enclosure omitted of the cable pass through system in accordance to one, or more embodiments;

[0016] FIG. 3 is an isometric view with cap omitted of the cable pass through system in accordance to one, or more embodiments;

[0017] FIG. 4 is a bottom exploded isometric view of the cable pass through system in accordance to one, or more embodiments;

[0018] FIG. 5 is a bottom isometric view of the cable pass through system in accordance to one, or more embodiments; and

[0019] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the cable pass through system in accordance to one, or more embodiments.

[0020] Elements and acts in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and have not necessarily been rendered according to any particular sequence or embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] In the following description, and for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the various aspects of the invention. It will be understood, however, by those skilled in the relevant arts, that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, known structures and devices are shown or discussed more generally in order to avoid obscuring the invention. In many cases, a description of the operation is sufficient to enable one to implement the various forms of the invention, particularly when the operation is to be implemented in software. It should be noted that there are many different and alternative configurations, devices and technologies to which the disclosed inventions may be applied. The full scope of the inventions is not limited to the examples that are described below.

[0022] Referring initially to FIG. 1- 6, a cable pass through system shown generally at 10. A cable pass through system 10 which can pass one or more cables 80 through a roof 82 and a ceiling 84 of an enclosure 78. An enclosure can be such as, for example, a recreational vehicle, a truck, a sedan, a camping trailer, a fifth wheel, or the like. The cable pass through system 10 can comprise a cap 12 having an inner surface 14 and an outer surface 16 having a thickness creating walls that can create a shell that can cover and attach to a base 30 with one or more fasteners 22. The cap 12 can have an upper recess 24 on its inner surface 14 configured to accept an upper seal 26 wherein the upper seal can be attached to the recess by press fit, adhesive, sealant, fasteners, or the like. The upper recess 24 can be sized to match the shape and thickness of the upper seal 26. The cap 12 can be any suitable shape and size to meet the users desired needs and application, and in the preferred embodiment the cap can be aerodynamic with the front portion lower than the aft portion and can be shaped as if the elements were to penetrate one or more fasteners 28 that hold the cap onto the base 30 the elements would drain down and away from the assembly instead of through the assembly's seals and gasket 26, 42, 50 and past the upper seal 26 and the lower seal 40 barrier. The cap 12 can be manufactured from plastics such as Polyethylene Terephthalate, High-Density Polyethylene, Polyvinyl Chloride, polypropylene, Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene, HP Nylon PA12, resins or metals such as, stainless, aluminum, titanium, carbon steel, or the like.

[0023] The cap 12 can further comprise a slot 18 in its aft portion of the body, or in some embodiments the front side, left side, or right side wherein the slot can allow for the cable 80 to easily pass into the cap and then into the enclosure 78. The cap 12 can form a shell wherein the cap can extend over and around the base 30 and a gasket 46 and the cap can have substantially enough space to allow for one or more cables 80 to pass through the cap into the enclosure 78. The cap 12 can protect the inside of the enclosure 78 and keep the elements out of where the cables 80 are being routed into. The cables 80 can be electrical wires, cables, tubing, or the like that can be connected to Antennas, GPS unit, AC units, lights, horns, or the like. The cap 12 can act as a barrier and can seal the cable pass through system 10 from the outside elements as the cables 80 pass from the outside of the enclosure 78 to the inside of the enclosure.

[0024] The base 30 can comprise a base top 36 and a base bottom 38 wherein the base top can have a lower recess 40 wherein the lower recess can be sized and shaped to accept a lower seal 42. The upper seal 26 and the lower seal 42 attached to the base 30 and the cap 12 can form a seal around the cable 80. The upper seal 26 and the lower seal 42 can be manufactured from polyurethane, foam, neoprene, rubber, plastic, or any other type of material that can form around a cable or a wire and is waterproof In certain embodiments, the upper seal 26 and lower seal 42 can be integrated in the cap 12 and the base 30. The base 30 can further comprise a base slot 32 and a roof slot 34 wherein the base slot can transition into the roof slot to allow for the cables 80 to easily bend into the enclosure 78. The roof slot 34 can in the shape of such as, for example, a geometric stadium, a circle, a rectangle, a hexagon, or the like. The enclosure 78 can have a thru hole 86 cut thru the roof 82 and the ceiling 84 of the enclosure. The roof slot 24 can be substantially the same shape as a thru hole cut 86 into the enclosure 78. The roof slot 24 can protect the cables 80 from the sharp edges that is left in the enclosure when the holes in the enclosure are cut. The base 30 can be manufactured from plastics such as Polyethylene Terephthalate, High-Density Polyethylene, Polyvinyl Chloride, polypropylene, Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene, HP Nylon PA12, resins or metals such as, stainless, aluminum, titanium, carbon steel, or the like.

[0025] The base bottom 28 can further comprise one or more nut locks 44 substantially near the edges of the base wherein the nut locks can be, for example, pressed nuts, heated nuts, inserts, mold-in inserts, tapped/machined metal, or plastic threads within the base. The base 40 can further comprise at least one fastener thru holes 46 wherein the thru holes can capture the head of the one or more base fasteners 48 and allow the base fastener 48 to tighten the base onto the roof 82 with a gasket 50 between the base bottom 28 and the roof. The gasket 50 can be made of a weather resistant neoprene rubber, or in other embodiments it can be a sheet silicone, cork, or other soft rubber like materials. The gasket 50 can further comprise one or more gasket fastener holes 64, and a gasket slot 66 wherein the gasket slot allows for the roof slot 34 to extend from the base through the gasket, enclosure 78 and backing plate 52. The gasket fastener holes allow for the base fasteners to extend through the gasket, enclosure 78 and connect to the backing plate nuts 58. The gasket 50 can seal the base 30 to the enclosure 78 keeping the elements such as water, dust, and the like from penetrating the cable pass through system 10 and the enclosure. In certain embodiments the use of a silicone sealant in place of the gasket 50 can be used.

[0026] The base 28 can further comprise on its base bottom 38 one or more boss 60 features extending from the bottom and located at the one or more base fastener holes 46. In certain embodiments the boss 60 can be located at any location on the bottom of the base 30, or it can be omitted. The boss 60 can act as an anti-crush feature for the gasket, so that the gasket does not get smashed completely when tightening down and keeps it structural properties for keeping the elements out of the enclosure 78 and keep it from premature failure due to improper installation. Once the boss 60 comes into contact the enclosure 78 the gasket 50 cannot be compressed anymore.

[0027] The cable pass through system 10 can further comprise a backing plate 52 having a top side 54 and a bottom side 56 wherein the bottom side can have one or more backing plate nuts 58 capture substantially near the corners of the backing plate. The enclosure 78 can have one or more thru holes drilled or cut into it to allow the fasteners to easily pass through the enclosure. The backing plate 52 can be connected to the base 30 through the one or more base fasteners 48 wherein the fasteners can be passed through the enclosure's thru holes 86. The base fasteners 48 can be connected to the backing plate nuts 58 and can be tighten down the base 30 which can pull up on the backing plate 52 against the enclosure 78. The backing plate 52 can push up against the ceiling 84 and the base 30 can push against the gasket 50 which in turn can compresses against the roof 82, capturing the gasket and securing the base, gasket, and backing plate on the enclosure. The backing plate 52 can be manufactured from plastics such as Polyethylene Terephthalate, High-Density Polyethylene, Polyvinyl Chloride, polypropylene, Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene, HP Nylon PA12, resins or metals such as, stainless, aluminum, titanium, carbon steel, or the like.

[0028] Installing the cable pass through system 10 requires holes 88, 86 to be cut into the enclosure 78 wherein the enclosure can lose a small portion of rigidity. The backing plate 52 can add a rigid base to which the base 30 can be mounted to. This backing plate 52 can help to evenly distribute the mounting pressure of the cable pass through system 10 evenly and securely. The backing plate 52 can use metal inserts in the base 30 to prevent stripping of threads when installing the cable pass through system 10 and it can ensure that tight even pressure can be applied to the barrier material. The roof slot 24 can extend from the base bottom 38 through the holes cut in the enclosure and mate up with the bottom 56 of the backing plate 52. In certain embodiments the roof slot 24 can snap into the backing plate creating another seal between the base and the backing plate. In other embodiments the roof slot 34 can be omitted or it can be connected to the backing plate 52 and snap into the base 30, or it can be snap into both the backing plate and the base.

[0029] In closing, it is to be understood that although aspects of the present specification are highlighted by referring to specific embodiments, one skilled in the art will readily appreciate that these disclosed embodiments are only illustrative of the principles of the subject matter disclosed herein. Therefore, it should be understood that the disclosed subject matter is in no way limited to a particular methodology, protocol, and/or reagent, etc., described herein. As such, various modifications or changes to or alternative configurations of the disclosed subject matter can be made in accordance with the teachings herein without departing from the spirit of the present specification. Lastly, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure, which is defined solely by the claims. Accordingly, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to those precisely as shown and described.

[0030] Certain embodiments are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the methods and devices described herein. Of course, variations on these described embodiments will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. Accordingly, this disclosure includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described embodiments in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the disclosure unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.