A bracket assembly

Field of the invention

The invention concerns a bracket assembly, particularly for installation in an opening in a cabinet wall, or similar. The bracket assembly may for example be used as a support device for an electronic device, such as a telephone.

Background of the invention

Fixed installations of various electronic devices are common in a wide range of industries and the society in general. For example, outdoor emergency telephones are placed in public places, in industrial sites, along roadways and in tunnels. Such telephones are designed to withstand high levels of air humidity, dust, vibration, extreme temperatures, rain, seawater and attempted vandalism, and are typically installed on the wall or door of a larger cabinet. Examples are emergency roadside telephones which are installed on “SOS Call Boxes” along public highways, and communication units installed on cabinets on ships or in industrial complexes.

In such applications, the electronic device is typically installed with the majority of the hardware (circuit boards, processors, power supply, etc.) inside the cabinet, i.e. behind a wall or door, while the user-interface (telephone handset, keypad, etc.) is arranged on the outside. The electronic device therefore typically comprises at least two units, which must be physically interconnected through an opening in the cabinet wall or door. The installation and removal of such electronic device is therefore often a complicated and time-consuming procedure, involving a manual operation of several screws or bolts. It is therefore a need for a device for making such installation and removal faster, simpler and more reliable than the prior art.

The prior art comprises GB 2563579 A, which discloses a wall mountable component which is connectable and detachable, with a corresponding cassette that may comprise or carry an electrical device or a cover for such a device. The components have a guide to assist formation of a connection. One component has a retaining means with a retaining configuration and neutral configuration allowing disconnection. The other component has a neutraliser means that is operable to change the retainer between the configurations.

Summary of the invention

The invention is set forth and characterized in the main claim, while the dependent claims describe other characteristics of the invention.

It is thus provided a bracket assembly, comprising a first body and a second body, characterized in that the first body comprises one or more lugs and the second body comprises one or more wedges; said lugs and wedges being shaped and arranged for mating engagement by relative movement of one or both of the first and second body, whereby interaction between the lugs and wedges causes the first and second bodies to become interlocked and forced towards one another.

In one embodiment, the bracket assembly comprises releasable locking means for interlocking the first and second bodies when in a mated position. The releasable locking means may comprise an abutment portion on the first body and a releasable friction member on the second body. The friction member may be spring-biased towards the abutment portion and may be released from the abutment portion by operation of a lever connected to the friction member.

In one embodiment, the lugs comprise first and second lug pairs and the wedges comprise first and second wedge portions. The wedge portions may be arranged at a shallow angle with respect to a vertical axis and the lugs may be arranged with a corresponding and complementary angle.

In one embodiment, the first body is configured as a support for a user-interface such as a keypad, display, telephone handset or handset cradle, or speakerphone. The second body may be configured to hold an electronics device. The lugs and the wedges are configured for mutual interconnection through an opening in a plate member. The surface areas (i.e. footprints) covered by the first and second bodies are individually greater than the area of the opening.

It is also provided a method of installing the invented bracket assembly, characterized by moving the first and second bodies in planes that initially are parallel or substantially parallel to one another, causing an interaction between the lugs and wedges until the first and second bodies become interlocked and forced towards one another. In one embodiment of the method, the first body is placed against a plate member or panel having an opening and is held in position in the opening, and the second body is arranged against the other side of the plate member, initially above a level of the first body, before the movement step, whereby the first and second bodies are clamped against the intermediate panel or plate member.

The invented bracket assembly may be installed and removed without any need for screws, bolts or tools. The invention therefore provides an assembly which may be installed faster and more reliably, be less susceptible to vandalism, and having a lower manufacturing cost, than the prior art assemblies.

Brief description of the drawings

These and other characteristics of the invention will become clear from the following description of an embodiment of the invention, given as a non-restrictive example, with reference to the attached drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first body and a second body of the invented bracket assembly;

Figure 2 is a schematic drawing of the bracket assembly mounted on a panel or wall, as viewed towards the first body;

Figure 3 is a section along section line A-A in figure 2, illustrating i.a. an interaction between an engagement portion on the first body and a friction member on the second body;

Figure 4 is a section along section line B-B in figure 2, illustrating i.a. an interaction between first and second retaining members;

Figure 5 is a perspective exploded view of the invented bracket assembly used as support for a telephone, illustrating i.a. a panel onto which it may be connected and various telephone components;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the assembly illustrated in figure 5, in an assembled state;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the assembly illustrated in figure 8, in an assembled state; and

Figure 8 corresponds to figure 5, but shows a different perspective.

Detailed description of an embodiment

The following description may use terms such as “horizontal”, “vertical”, “lateral”, “back and forth”, “up and down”, ”upper”, “lower”, “inner”, “outer”, “forward”, “rear”, “outside”, “inside”, etc. These terms generally refer to the views and orientations as shown in the drawings and that are associated with a normal use of the invention. The terms are used for the reader’s convenience only and shall not be limiting.

Referring initially to figure 1, the invented bracket assembly comprises in its most basic form a first body 10 and a second body 20, in the following also referred to as a front and rear piece, respectively. The front piece 10 may typically be intended as a support for a user-interface (keypad, telephone handset, etc.) and is configured for assembly on the outside of a cabinet. The front piece 10 is formed as a housing and comprises a circumferential sealing member (e.g. a gasket) for sealing engagement with a cabinet wall. The rear piece 20 is typically intended as a holder for the front piece and a container for electronics components, and is configured for assembly on the inside of a cabinet.

The assembly interconnection means comprises first retaining members in the first body 10 and second retaining members in the second body 20. In the illustrated embodiment, the first retaining members comprise upper and lower lug pairs 13a,b, 14a,b, and the second retaining members comprise upper and lower wedge portions 23, 24. The upper lugs 13a,b are arranged and shaped for mating engagement with the upper wedge portion 23. The lower lugs 14a,b are arranged and shaped for mating engagement with the lower wedge portion 24. The wedge portions are arranged at a shallow angle with respect to the vertical axis y, and the lugs are arranged with a corresponding and complementary angle.

The bracket assembly also comprises locking means, which comprises an abutment portion 12 on the first body 10 and a releasable locking means, here in the form of a friction member 22 on the second body 20. In the illustrated embodiment, the friction member 22 is spring-biased towards the abutment portion 12 and may be released from the abutment portion by operation of a lever 21. It should be understood that other locking means are conceivable within the scope of this invention.

Referring now additionally to figures 2, 3 and 4, the first and second bodies 10, 20 are interconnected by bringing the pieces in close proximity of one another, and sliding the pieces with respect to one another, here along the vertical axis y. The general relative movements are indicated by respective arrows M₁₀ (for the first body) and M₂₀ (for the second body). In general, it should be understood that one of the bodies may be stationary, while the other is moved. In the practical application as illustrated, the front piece 10 is placed against a plate member or panel 1 having an opening 2 (see figure 5), and held in position in the opening. In the illustrated embodiment, the opening 2 is rectangular; this is not a requirement, but the size of the opening must be sufficiently large to accommodate the lugs and wedge portions, and not larger than the area covered by the first and second bodies (i.e. their footprints). The rear piece 20 is arranged against the other side of the plate member 1; initially above level of the front piece 10. When the rear piece is moved downwards, for example pulled by the handle 27, the lug pairs 13a,b, 14a,b and corresponding wedge portions 23, 24 engage and thus interlock the front and rear pieces. It will be understood that the pieces are clamped with increasing force against the plate member 1 as the interaction between the lugs and wedge portions increase. The front piece 10, which in the illustrated embodiment in configured to be on the outside of a cabinet and comprises a sealing gasket 11, is thus clamped firmly and sealingly against the plate member 10 as the lugs and wedge portions engage. Figure 4 shows how the lugs and wedge portions are firmly engaged.

In the illustrated embodiment, the locking means contribute to maintaining the engaged and interlocked position described above. The engagement portion 12 is pressed against the friction member 22. The friction member 22 is arranged with a shallow angle with respect to the vertical axis y, to ensure adequate locking function with the engagement portion 12. When the assembly is to be disconnected, the lever 21 is operated to disengage the engagement portion 12 from the friction member 22, whereupon the front piece may be moved (upwards) to disengage the lugs from the wedge portions.

Figures 5 and 8 are perspective exploded views of the invented bracket assembly used as support for a telephone, and figures 6 and 7 are perspective views of the assembly in a connected state. Here, a telephone handset cradle 15 is configured for connection to the first body (front piece) 10. The cradle 15 may be connected to the front piece 10 by any known and suitable connection means (e.g. screws of clips), or may be an integral part of the front piece (not shown). A rear cover 26 is configured for connection to the second body (rear piece) 20. The cover 20, which may form a housing for an electronics component 25, may be connected to the rear piece 20 by any known and suitable connection means (e.g. screws of clips).

The front and rear pieces may be made of any material suited for the intended use. Examples of suitable materials are polycarbonate, polyoxymethylene (POM), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and polyamide.

Although the interconnection and separation of the front and rear pieces have been described as moving one or more of the pieces along a vertical axis, the invention shall be equally applicable to configurations in which the interconnection and separation are accomplished by movement along other axes. Also, while the invention has been described with reference to two pairs of lugs engaging respective wedges, the invention shall not be limited to this number. A basic principle of the invention is that the front and rear pieces (first and second bodies) are moved in planes that initially are parallel or substantially parallel to one another, whereupon the interaction between first retaining members (one or more lugs) 13a,b, 14a,b and second retaining members (one or more wedges) 23, 24 causes the first and second bodies 10, 20 to become interlocked and forced towards one another until they are clamped against the intermediate panel or plate member 1.

Although the bracket assembly has been described as a support device for an electronic device such as a telephone, the invention shall not necessarily be limited to such use.