Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a universal equipmen-t mounting
structure whereby various equipment components can be secured
together for easy movement in the X-Y directions.
Although the invention is not restricted to any particular
types of equipment, i-t will be specifically described with
reference to a console repair s~stem used to repair electronic
components.
U.S. Patent No. ~,471,898 discloses a modular power supply
having a case made up of top, bottom and side plates. Each plate
has either a male or female portion at the edge which is slidably
interconnectable with the edge of an adjacent plate. In addi-
tion, male and/or fernale portions located on the top, bottom and
side plates matingly engage with similar female and/or male
portions on a handle, output device receptacle, and the like.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In the present invention, there is provided a mounting
structure for selectively relative positioning and mounting
together of a control console and a work table comprising in
combination a control console; a work table; two pairs of spaced
parallel rails; the work table being mounted on the pairs of
spaced rails, a longitudinal slot separating each of the pair of
spaced rails, a portion depending from each rail portion of each
of the pair of spaced rails and forming a partial trackway under
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each of the pair of spaced rails; a channel-shaped slider having
an aperture therein and in alignment with the slot, each of the
partial trackways forming a comp].ete trackway under each of the
pair of spaced rails which receives the channel-shaped slider, at
least one third rail having a T-shaped longitudinal slot therein,
the -third rail orthogonally mounted on the pair of rails, the
third rail being positionable with respect to the pairs of spaced
parallel rails in a first direction parallel to the direction of
the rails and in a second direction parallel to the third rail
and orthogonal to the first direction, the control console being
secured to the third rail ad~acent the work table, and securing
means in the T-shaped slot and the aperture Eor connecting the
third rail to the two pairs of rails to form the mounting
structure wherein the third rail may be positioned with respect
to the two pairs of rails at any position (a) along the length of
the two pairs of rails and (b) transverse with respect to the two
pairs of rails.
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Generally, the third rail will be secured by two bolts
each passing through one aperture and one'slider, with one
slider being mo~nted in each pair of rails.
The third rail may be part of console adapted to contain
various controls or other equipment and the pairs of rails are
mounted at the top sides of a cabinet which supports the
console. A work table also may be mounted adjacent the console
by being bolted to the pairs of rails at each side.
Further, the console may have one or more T-shaped slots
in the top thereo~ to recceive a nut which is of s~lch a shape
that it may be inserted into the T-shaped slot from the front
thereof and then turned and locked by threading a headless bolt
thereinO The nut is elongated and thus, when turned so that when
the longitudinal axis of the nut is at about 45 degrees with
respect to the longitudinal axis of the 1'-shaped slot it can be
secured against movement by turning a headless bolt therein.
Other equipment items then may be secured to the other end of
the headless bolt by means of a nut. Of cou'rse, a'plurality of
elongated nuts and headless bolts may be employed in T-shaped
2~ slots in the top of the console in order secure equipment items
at a number of points.
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RIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be further illustrated by reference
to the accompanying drawings in which:
Figures lA and lB taken together are a front view in
elevation, partially broken away, showing a supporting cabinet, a
work table and a console mounted on the cabinet where Figure lA
is a cross sectional view taken on the lines lA - lA oE Figure
3C.
Figure lC is a cross sectional view taken on the line
lC - lC of Figure 3C.
Figure 2 is a side view of the console and partial view
of the work table taken on line 2 - 2 of Figure 3B, and looking
in the direction of the arrows.
Figures 3A and 3B taken together are a fragmentary plan
view of part of the console and a partial view of the work table
taken on line 3 - 3 of Figure 2, and looking in the direction of
the arrows.
Figure 3C is a cross sectional view taken on the line 3
- 3 of Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a detailed view cross sectional view taken
on the line 4 - 4 of Figure 3C showing the mounting of the
console to the cabinet.
Figure 4A is a cross sectional view taken on the line
4A - 4A of Figure 3C.
Figure 5 is a plan view of an elongated nut employed to
secure equipment components in a T-shaped slot at the top of the
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console, and
Figure 6 shows the elongated nut of Figure 5 secured in
place by means of a headless bolt.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to Figures lA and lB, the assembly includes
the cabinet 2, which is shown partly broken away at Figure lA,
having an optional work table 4 secured thereto and the console 6
secured to the cabinet 2 behind the work table 4 as shown in
Figure 3C. As shown at the left hand side of Figure lA, a pair
of rails 8 and 10 separated by a slot longitudinally extend into
and out of the plane of the drawing, the length of the rails
being approximately equal to the depth of the work table and the
console in this embodiment, and are secured to the work table ~
by means of a threaded bolt 12 which engages the internal threads
of a sleeve 14, which sleeve is received in a circular aperture
in the work table 4 by means of a press fit or the like. The
work table 4 may be made of wood or other similar material or of
metal and, if of metal, the sleeve 14 is externally threaded into
a threaded aperture in the work -table 4.
As shown in Figure 3C and as discussed above, there are
typically two pairs oE spaced parallel rails (8, l0 and 8', l0')
where the work table is secured to both pairs of rails as shown
in Figure 3C.
Each of the rails 8 and 10 may be an extrusion and may
have a depending portion 16 and 18 forming a partial trackway ~0
and 22 therein which receives a substantially ~ -shaped slider
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24 having a central aperture 26 therein through which the bolt 12
passes. In particular, as can best be seen in Figure 4, each rail
includes a first horizontal extending leg 8a with one end
adjacent the slot and the other end integral with a second leg 8b
projecting downwardly from the first leg, a third leg 8c integral
with the second leg projecting toward the second leg 8b of the
other rail of the pair and a fourth leg 8d integral with the
third leg and projecting toward the Eirst leg 8a. The second,
third, and fourth legs of the rails define the trackways 20 and
26 under each of the Eirst legs 8a. Slider 24 has a first
portion 24a with aperture 26 therein aligned with the slit
between the pair of rails 8 and 10 and two downwardly extending
portions 24b and 24c to form the L - shape of slider 24. Each
downward portion 24b and 2~c is received by its respective
trackway 20 and 22 of the rails.
Referring to Figure 2, the console 6 is shown having a
pair of T-shaped slots 28 and 30 in the bot-tom thereof as well as
the T-shaped slots 32 and 34, which latter slots are in the top
of a pair of base members 36 and 38, respectively, forming the
bottom of the console and where members 36 and 38 may be ex~
trusions and where slots 28, 30, 32 and 34 extend the lengths of
their respective members.
The co~sole also includes an extrusion 55 (Figure 2)
forming the top thereof. Side plates 50 and 51 are secured to
the ends of extrusions 55, 36 and 38 via screws 53 which are
threaded into tubular portions 57 on the extrusions, which
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portions also e~tend the length of their extrusions.
A pair of bars 40 and 42, as shown in Figure 3, may be
secured to the extrusions 36 and 38 by means of the bolts 44
which engage the nuts 46 in the T-shaped slots 32 and 34. The
bars 40 and 42 are optionally employed to raise the level of the
bed of the console to thereby support equipment items in an
elevated position with respect to the extrusions 36 and 38.
Referring to Figure 4, the mounting of the console 6 on
the cabinet 2 is shown in detail.
Similarly to Figure 1, the substantially L -shaped
slider 24 has the depending arms 20 and 22 received in the
portions 16 and 18 of the rails 8 and 10 where the length oE the
slider perpendicular to the plane o the paper may be about 1
inch and the width about 1 1/4 inch in the plane of the paper as
illustrated in Figures lC and 4A.
A nut 48 is inserted within the T-shaped slot 30 either
prior to attaching the end plate 50 to the console 6 or subse-
quent to removing it therefrom. The nut is then slid into the T-
shaped slot until it is positioned over the aperture in slider
24. The nut 48 is threadedly engaged with the bolt 52 which bolt
52, when turned down, will engage the nut 48 against the bottom
- side 54 of the T-shaped slot 30 and thereby secure the L -shaped
slider in position.
From the oregoing, i-t is apparent that inasmuch as the
L -shaped slider 24 having the arms 20 and 22 may be moved
longitudinally into and out of -the plane of the drawing by
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releasing the bolt 52 and the console 6 may be moved transversely
in the plane of the paper along the slots 28 and 30 with respect
to the cabinet 2 when the bolt 52 is released, the console 6 may
be moved in two orthogonal directions with respect to the cabinet
2. Generally speaking, -the console 6 will be secured to the
cabinet 2 by four sliders 24 and four bolts 52 and nuts 48 as
shown in Figure 3C, although only one is shown in Figure 4.
Referring to Figure 2, the extrusion 55 has a pair of
longitudinal slots 56 and 58 therein which also extend the length
of the extrusion. Various equipment items may be secured to the
top of the console 6 in the slots 56 and 58 by using the nut
shown in Figure 5 and the nut and headless bolt assembly shown in
Figure 6.
Referring to Figure 5, the nut 60 has an elongated
shape and a threaded central aperture 62 therein. The width of
the nut 60 is such that the nut may be dropped into slot 56 or 58
from -the top and then turned to an approximately 45 angle such
that it cannot be removed from the T-shaped slot through the top.
The nut 60 is shown in i-ts secured position in the ~-
shaped groove 5~ in Figure 6 where the headless bolt 64 isthreaded into the aperture 62 in the nut 60, thereby pulling the
nut 60 upwardly to engage with the upper portions 66 of the T-
shaped slot 58. A nut 68 threaded onto the headless bolt 64 will
thus force the washer 70 against an equipment item 72 to be
secured in place. Alternatively, an ordinary headed bolt may be
employed instead of the headless bolt 64, if desired.
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From the foregoing, it is apparent that the present
invention provides a method of connecting equipment components
which is easy to use and permits rapid orthogonal movement of
equipment components with respect to each o-ther. Further,
additional equipment components may be secured to the top of the
console by means of the elongated nut and headless bolt disclosed
herein whereby it is unnecessary to remove the end plates from the
console to remove the elongated nut from the T-shaped slot in the
top oE the console, thereby facilitating rapid attachment and
detachment of equipment items to the top of the console.
It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that many
modifications may be made within the scope of the present inven-
tion without departing from the spirit thereof, and the invention
includes all such modifications.
