GB2248977A - Access closure allowing passage of elongate members - Google Patents

Abstract

A closure 10 for an access opening is mountable in a mounting 26 therefor and comprises two parts 12, 14 which are snap-fittable together along respective edges 16, 18. The parts have mating edge portions 20, 22 formed of a resiliently deformable material which allows at least one elongate member, for example an electric power cable, to extend through the closure with substantially no gap between the or each elongate member and the edge portions 20, 22. The closure is adapted for use in apertures in the walls, floors or ceilings of rooms, the mounting 26 having a flange 32 and pawls 34 to engage opposite surfaces of the wall etc. <IMAGE>

Description

ACCESS CLOSURE ALLOWING PASSAGE OF ELONGATE MEMBERS The invention relates to a closure for an access opening, and more particularly to such a closure which allows one or more elongate members such as electrical cables for computers, power sources, telephones and the like, or optical cables, hydraulic pipes or gas supply lines to extend therethrough.

In many situations such as in offices, electrical and other services carried by elongate members such as those mentioned above pass through cavities running under the floor, above the ceiling or even behind a wall of a room and have to be brought into the room for use. This requires the room to be provided with service outlets at fixed locations which are not always convenient and often lead to the provision of considerable lengths of connecting elongate members between these outlets and equipment in the room. This is not only unsightly but may also be hazardous.

To avoid this problem, the present invention is concerned with providing an installation in which an elongate member carrying a service to a piece of equipment in a room can extend from the piece of equipment through an access opening through a floor, ceiling, or wall of the room to a connection for that service beneath the floor, above the ceiling or behind the wall.

To this end the invention includes a closure for an access opening comprising two parts locatable together along respective edges and having mating edge portions formed of resiliently deformable material to allow at least one elongate member to extend through the closure between said edge portions with substantially no gap between the or each elongate member and said edge portions when said parts are so located together.

The invention also provides a device comprising a closure as defined in the preceding paragraph and a mounting means therefor.

The invention also includes an installation comprising a piece of equipment in a room, an elongate member carrying a service to that piece of equipment extending therefrom through an access opening through a floor, ceiling, or wall of the room to a connection for that service beneath the floor, above the ceiling or behind the wall, the access opening being closed by a closure as defined in the last but one preceding paragraph, the elongate member extending through the closure between said edge portions thereof with substantially no gap between the elongate member and the edge portions.

The two parts of the closure may be snap-fittably locatable together along said respective edges.

In a presently preferred embodiment these parts are snap-fittably locatable together along said respective edges by cooperable snap-fitting means provided on said parts to each side of said mating edge portions thereof.

The parts may be provided with alignment means for aligning said parts when they are located together along said respective edges and in the presently preferred embodiment alignment means are provided on said parts to each side of said mating edge portions thereon.

The alignment means may comprise male and female portions on said parts.

Advantageously, the mating edges may be recessed below the outermost surfaces of the parts and a rigid cover is provided for covering said mating edge portions in substantially flush relationship with said outermost surfaces when said parts are located together along said respective edges and no elongate member extends between said edge portions.

The cover is preferably attached to one of said parts by a flexible line so as to be located inwardly of the closure when the closure is closing an access opening and the cover is not in use.

The parts may be recessed for receiving decor inserts, for example pieces of floor, ceiling or wall covering matching the covering on the floor, ceiling or wall adjacent to the closure.

Preferably one or each part of the closure is provided with means for mounting a securing means inwardly of the closure for securing the or each elongate element with respect to the closure when the closure is closing an access opening.

The support means of the mounting means may comprise flange means on the exterior of said frame for engaging the surface of the floor, ceiling or wall, or a covering thereon, around the opening therein.

Additionally, the mounting means may include clamping means on the exterior of said frame movable (i) from a retracted position adjacent the exterior of said frame to an extended position extending therefrom and (ii) towards said flange means for cooperating with said flange for clamping said frame to said floor, ceiling or wall.

The clamping means may comprise at least two pawls, each threadingly mounted on a respective bolt member, initial rotation of each said bolt in one sense rotating said pawl mounted thereon in the same sense from said retracted position to said extended position, abutment means preventing further rotation of said pawl in said sense and further rotation of said bolt in said sense causing said pawl to move along said bolt towards said flange means.

In the presently preferred embodiment the closure has a generally circular outline when said parts are located together along said respective edges.

In two other embodiments, which are also described hereinafter, the closure has a substantially rectangular outline when said parts are located together along said respective edges. In these embodiments said respective edges extend substantially between two diagonally opposite corners of said rectangular outline.

Further, the two parts are hinged together so that said edge portions are movable relative to each other.

The two parts may be so hinged together by double hinge means for allowing relative movement of said two parts along the direction of the respective edges of said parts.

Securing means may be provided for securing said two parts relative to each other when said edge portions mate together.

In order that the invention may be well understood, three embodiments thereof, which are given by way of example only, will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a device comprising the closure of the preferred embodiment and a mounting means therefor; Figure 2 is a top plan view of the device; Figure 3 schematically shows the device is use; Figure 4 to 7 are respectively top plan, bottom plan, edge and side views of a moulding for one closure part; Figure 8 is a plan view of a closure forming a second embodiment; Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view of the closure of Figure 8, mounted in a mounting means in an aperture in a floor; Figure 10 is an exploded perspective view of the arrangement shown in Figure 8; and Figure 11 is a plan view of a closure forming a third embodiment.

Referring first to Figures 1 to 3, there is shown a closure 10 for an access opening, which would be provided in a floor, ceiling or wall. The closure comprises two parts 12, 14 which are locatable together along respective edges 16, 18 and have mating edge portions 20, 22 which are formed of resiliently deformable material, for example an EPDM foamed rubber, to allow at least one elongate member 24 (three shown in Figure 3) to extend through the closure 10 between the edge portions with substantially no gap between the or each elongate member and the edge portions when the parts are located together.

The closure 10 is provided with a mounting means 26 which comprises a frame 28 having a seat 30 for the closure and a support means for supporting the frame in an opening provided in a floor, ceiling, or wall.

As illustrated the support means comprises flange means 32 on the exterior of the frame 28 for engaging the surface of the floor, ceiling, or wall, or a covering thereon, around the opening in the floor, ceiling, or wall. The flange means in the embodiment extends continuously around the periphery of the frame.

The mounting means also includes clamping means on the exterior of the frame for engaging the side of the floor, ceiling or wall opposite to the side engaged by the flange means 32 for clamping the frame in the opening provided therein. Generally speaking the clamping means are movable (i) between a retracted position adjacent the exterior of the frame 28 and an extended position extending therefrom and (ii) towards the flange means 32 for cooperating with the flange to effect the clamping as aforesaid. More specifically, in the illustrated embodiment the clamping means comprises three pawls 34 (only two illustrated in Figure 1).Each pawl 34 is threadedly mounted on a respective bolt member 36 such that initial rotation of each bolt in one sense rotates the pawl mounted thereon in the same sense from its retracted position, in which it is accommodated in a recess 38 so as to be flush with the general exterior of the frame 28 to an extended position as illustrated. Abutment means on the pawl 34 and frame prevent further rotation of the pawl 34 in this sense so that further rotation of the bolt (36) in the same sense causes the pawl to move along the bolt towards the flange means 32 to effect clamping.

Whilst the illustrated embodiment has three pawls 34, which are equally spaced apart around the frame 28, it is to be understood that only two such pawls, which would be diametrically opposed, are necessary, and of course more than three pawls could be provided if desired. The mounting means may be formed from any appropriate rigid material and in the present embodiment it is formed as a aluminium or zinc alloy casting.

The parts 10 and 14 are snap-fittably locatable together along their edges 16 and 18, and to this end cooperable snap-fitting means 40 are provided on the parts to each side of the mating edge portions 20, 22 thereof. Additionally the parts are provided with alignment means 42 for aligning the parts when they are located together along their respective edges 16, 18. These alignment means are also provided on the parts to each side of the mating edge portions and comprise male and female portions 42, 44 respectively on the parts. The alignment means align the parts 12 and 14 not only along their edges 16 and 18 but also transversely with respect to those edges so that the outermost surfaces 46, 48 of the parts are flush with each other.

As will be appreciated from Figure 1 the parts 12 and 14 are identical - one merely being rotated 1800 with respect to the other. Each part comprises a moulded member, for example of glass-filled nylon 66, to which the mating edge portions 20, 22 are bonded.

The moulded member which is common to the two parts is shown in more details in Figures 4 to 7. In particular, it will be noted that the male portion 42 of the alignment means and a projecting portion 50 of the snap-fitting means are disposed one on each side of the region of the member provided for the closure mating edge portion. Similarly the female portion 44 of the alignment means and a recess portion 52 of the snap-fitting means are also provided one to each side of this region. Of course, the projecting snap fitting portion 50 and the female alignment portion 44 are provided to one side of the region for the mating edge portion and the recessed snap-fitting portion and male alignment portion are provided to the other side thereof.

Referring again to Figure 1 it will be noted that the mating edge portions 20, 22 are recessed below the outermost surfaces 46, 48 of the parts. This enables a rigid cover 54 to cover the mating edge portions in substantially flush relationship with the surfaces 46, 48 when it is not required to pass an elongate member between the edge portions 20, 22. The cover is attached to either one of the parts 12, 14 by a flexible line 56 so as to be located inwardly of the closure when the closure is in use and the cover is not required. Specifically the cover and line may be integrally injection moulded, for example in nylon 6, and the line may pass through a through-hole 58 in one of the parts of the closure and be retained in attached relationship to that part by means of a T-bar end portion 60 of the line at the end thereof remote from the cover 54.The T-bar end portion locates in a countersunk portion 62 of the through-passage 58.

The parts 12 and 14 of the closure are also recessed as shown at 64 and 66 for receiving respective decor inserts (not shown) The closure 10 has a generally circular outline when the parts 12 and 14 are snap-fitted together and the frame 28 of the mounting means is generally cylindrical. In order to install the device, a circular hole is cut through the floor, ceiling, or wall through which access is required. The mounting means is inserted into that hole and the bolts 36 rotated to move the pawls 34 from their previously retracted positions to their extended positions and then towards the flange means 32 to clamp the frame 28 with respect to the floor, ceiling, or wall. The elongate members, for example electric cables or other conduits are passed through the access opening defined by the frame and connected as appropriate at the other side of the floor, ceiling, or wall.Thereafter the parts 12 and 14 are snap-fitted together around the elongate members such that the elongate members extend through the closure between the resilient edge portions 20, 22 which deform about the elongate members such that substantially no gap occurs between the elongate members and the edge portions. The assembled closure together with the elongate members is then inserted into the opening defined by the frame 28 until the closure seats on the seat 30, which is stepped as illustrated in Figure 1 to conform with the inner configuration of the closure parts. Thereafter the closure is bolted to the frame by means of bolts passing through clearance holes 68, 70 in the parts 12 and 14 and threadedly engaging threaded bores 72 provided in the seat 30.

The resilient deformability of the edge portions 20 and 22 allows a degree of sideways movement of the elongate members passing therebetween without damage of the creation of any undue pressure points to those members. Additionally, the portions 20 and 22 exert a gripping action on the elongate members. However, if necessary, one or both of the closure parts may be provided with means for mounting a securing means inwardly of the closure for securing the elongate member with respect to the closure. Such a securing means may comprise for example a cable tie or other form of strain relieving device.

The recesses 64 and 66 of the closure are fitted with decor inserts in the form of pieces of floor, ceiling, or wall covering matching the covering applied to the floor, ceiling, or wall in which the device is installed. Typically, the device would be installed in a floor and these decor inserts would be carpet segments. Also, in this case the flange means 32 would cover the edge of the hole made in the carpet and would be compressed down into the carpet via the clamping arrangement described above.

The closure is made a good fit within the frame and in order to remove the closure from the frame the bolts which are used to fasten the closure to the frame are provided with retaining washers which allow the bolts to 'jack' the closure out of the casting to assist removal.

Since the edge portions 20 and 22 deform about the elongate members and leave substantially no gap between the closure parts, air passage through the closure is prevented or limited. This is a particularly advantageous feature when there is an air conditioning plenum provided beneath the floor, above the ceiling or behind the wall in which the device is installed.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing that when the device is not being used to allow the passage of elongate members through the access opening it provides, the cover 54 is installed over the resiliently deformable edge portions 20 and 22 to protect them from damage and that when the device is being used, the cover is retained inwardly of the closure by means of the line 56 which is attached to one of the closure parts.

Whilst it is envisaged that the illustrated device will be used primarily for allowing the passage of elongate members through an access opening to a location a substantial distance from that opening, this is not necessarily so. For example, the mounting means 28 for the closure could be adapted to mount an electric power socket inwardly of the closure. In this case, the cable passing through the closure would extend only a relatively short distance to a plug fitted thereto and inserted in the socket.

Referring now to Figures 8 to 11, there will be described two further embodiments of the invention.

Referring first to Figures 8 to 10, there is shown a closure 100 adapted to allow one or more elongate members 113 to extend therethrough and comprising two parts 102, 103 having mating edge portions 104 formed of resilient material wherein when one or more elongate members 113 extend through the closure 100 between the edge portions 104, substantially no gap exists between the or each elongate member 113 and the edge portions 104. When the mating edge portions 104 mate together, the closure 100 has a rectangular outline, which is shown in Figures 8 and 10 as a square, and the mating edges of the edge portions 104 extend in a straight line between diagonally opposite corners of the rectangular outline. The edge portions 104 are of substantially uniform thickness along their length and are made of an elastomeric material such as a synthetic rubber.

The remaining portion 105 of each of the two parts 102, 103 is at least partly formed of a metal such as an aluminium alloy or a steel, and is in the form of open-bottomed box to which the edge portions 104 are attached. The remaining portions 105 have flanged outer edges 106, and the upper surface of each remaining portion 5 may receive facing means 112 in the form of a portion of carpet or other floor covering in order that the closure 100 resembles the surrounding floor covering 111.

The access closure 100 is mounted on a mounting frame means 117 which comprises two rectangular frames 118,118a of L-shaped edge cross-section, one of which 118a, fits inside, and is welded to, the other 118.

The mounting frame means 117 provides an inwardly projecting flange 119 on which the closure 100 rests, and an outwardly projecting flange 110 which rests on the floor surrounding the aperture into which the closure 100 fits. The mounting means 117 is fitted into an aperture in the floor by resting it on the edge of the aperture with its outwardly projecting flange 110 extending under the floor covering 111.

In fitting the closure 100, elongate members 113 are passed through the aperture in the floor, and may for example be electrical cables, the power plugs of which are to be connected to sockets inside the aperture in the floor. The elongate members 113 may be held in place by a gripping means provided on the panel. The two parts 102, 103 of the closure 100 are mated together in the vicinity of the aperture in the floor with the elongate members 113 between the mating edge portions 104, the portions of the elongate members 113 outside of the aperture being slack enough to enable insertion of the closure into the aperture after the edge portions 104 have been mated together.

The edge portions 104 then conform to the crosssection of the elongate members 113 to such an extent that there is substantially no gap between the elongate members 113 and the edge portions 104. This is particularly advantageous when central heating or air conditioning ducts pass under the floor such that draughts may arise in the event of any apertures in the floor.

It is envisaged that in use in for example an office, there would be a number of such apertures as described above, provided with mounting means 107, at various locations over the office floor. The apertures when not in use would be blocked off by blanking plates having the same shape as the closure 100 when the edge portions 104 are mated together.

When a piece of equipment is to be connected to a socket under the floor, the nearest blanking plate to the desired location of the equipment would be removed and replaced by a closure 100 This would then avoid the situation in which elongate members 113 would need to extend substantial distances across the office floor.

In the third embodiment shown in Figure 11, which is a modification of the second embodiment, the two parts 102, 103 of the closure 100 are hinged together at or adjacent a corner of the closure 100 such that the edge portions 104 are movable relative to each other. The parts 102, 103 are shown as being hinged together by a double hinge 114 which allows relative movement of the two parts 102, 103 along the direction of the mating edges of the edge portions 104 as well as pivotal movement apart of the mating edges. The double hinge 114 comprises. a rigid corner portion 116 to which each edge portion 104 is hinged, and the edge portions 4 have rounded ends 117 in order that they may rotate relative to each other. The rigid corner portion 116 then covers the rounded ends 117 of the edge portions 104 in order that draughts are prevented from passing between the rounded ends 117. The closure 100 also comprises securing means 115 in the form of a clamp or clip for securing the two parts 102, 103 relative to each other when the edge portions 104 are mated together.

It will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described above with reference to the figures, and that various other alternative embodiments may exist. In particular, in the first embodiment, the closure 10 need not have a circular outline. Further, in the second and third embodiments the closure 100 need not have a rectangular outline when assembled, and the mating edges of the edge portions 104 need not form a substantially straight line joining two corners of the closure 100, but may for example mate along lines forming an X-shape or zig-zag shape if it is desired to accommodate a large number of elongate members 113.

The edge portions 20, 22 and 104 may be of varying thickness along the mating edges, and may taper along the mating edges in order to accommodate elongate members 13 of different diameters. Furthermore, the edge portions 20, 22, 104 may be of varying resilience along the mating edges and, to this end, may be formed of a composite of two elastomeric materials of different resiliences. The remaining portions 105 of the closure parts in the second and third embodiments instead of being in the form of hollow metal boxes, may be in the form boxes made of plastics material, or in the form of resilient material supported by a metal support.

Claims (27)

CLAIMS:

1. A closure for an access opening comprising two parts locatable together along respective edges and having mating edge portions formed of resiliently deformable material to allow at least one elongate member to extend through the closure between said edge portions with substantially no gap between the or each elongate member and said edge portions when said parts are so located together.

2. A closure as claimed in claim 1, wherein said parts are snap-fittably locatable together along said respective edges.

3. A closure as claimed in claim 2, wherein said parts are snap-fittably locatable together along said respective edges by cooperable snap-fitting means provided on said parts to each side of said mating edge portions thereof.

4. A closure as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein said parts are provided with alignment means for aligning said parts when they are located together along said respective edges.

5. A closure as claimed in claim 4, wherein said alignment means are provided on said parts to each side of said mating edge portions thereon.

6. A closure as claimed in claim 4 or 5, wherein said alignment means comprise male and female portions on said parts.

7. A closure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said mating edge portions are recessed below the outermost surfaces of the parts and a rigid cover is provided for covering said mating edge portions in substantially flush relationship with said outermost surfaces when said parts are located together along said respective edges and no elongate member extends between said edge portions.

8. A closure as claimed in claim 7, wherein said cover is attached to one of said parts by a flexible line so as to be located inwardly of the closure when the closure is closing an access opening and the cover is not in use.

9. A closure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said parts are recessed for receiving decor inserts.

10. A closure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein one or each part is provided with means for mounting a securing means inwardly of the closure for securing the or each elongate element with respect to the closure when the closure is closing an access opening.

11. A closure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said closure has a generally circular outline when said parts are located together along said respective edges.

12. A device comprising a closure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims and a mounting means therefor, said mounting means comprising a frame defining said access opening and having a seat for said closure, and support means for supporting said frame in an opening provided in a floor, ceiling or wall.

13. A device as claimed in claim 12, wherein said support means comprises flange means on the exterior of said frame for engaging the surface of the floor, ceiling or wall, or a covering thereon, around the opening therein.

14. A device as claimed in claim 13, wherein said mounting means includes clamping means on the exterior of said frame movable (i) from a retracted position adjacent the exterior of said frame to an extended position extending therefrom and (ii) towards said flange means for cooperating with said flange for clamping said frame to said floor, ceiling or wall.

15. A device as claimed in claim 14, wherein said clamping means comprise at least two pawls, each threadingly mounted on a respective bolt member, initial rotation of each said bolt in one sense rotating said pawl mounted thereon in the same sense from said retracted position to said extended position, abutment means preventing further rotation of said pawl in said sense and further rotation of said bolt in said sense causing said pawl to move along said bolt towards said flange means.

16. A closure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the closure has a substantially rectangular outline when said parts are located together along said respective edges.

17. A closure as claimed in claim 16, wherein said respective edges extend substantially between two diagonally opposite corners of said rectangular outline.

18. A closure as claimed in claim 16 or 17, wherein said edge portions are of varying thickness along said respective edges for accommodating elongate members of different thickness.

19. A closure as claimed in any one of claims 1 and 16 to 18, wherein said two parts are hinged together so that said edge portions are movable relative to each other.

20. A closure as claimed in claim 19, wherein said two parts are hinged together by double hinge means for allowing relative movement of said two parts along the direction of the respective edges of said parts.

21. A closure as claimed in any one of claims 1 and 16 to 20, comprising securing means for securing said two parts relative to each other when said edge portions mate together.

22. A closure as claimed in any one of claims 16-21, further comprising elongate member securing means for securing the or each elongate member with respect to the closure.

23. A closure as claimed in any one of claims 16 to 22, wherein the closure is adapted to form part of a floor, ceiling or wall.

24. A closure as claimed in claim 23, wherein the closure is adapted to receive facing means thereon in order to resemble the adjacent portion of said floor, ceiling, or wall.

25. A device comprising a closure as claimed in any one of claims 16 to 24 and mounting means for enabling the panel to be mounted in an opening in a floor, ceiling, or wall.

26. An installation comprising a piece of equipment in a room, an elongate member carrying a service to that piece of equipment extending therefrom through an access opening through a floor, ceiling, or wall of the room to a connection for that service beneath the floor, above the ceiling or behind the wall, the access opening being closed by a closure as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11 or 16 to 24, the elongate member extending through the closure between said edge portions thereof with substantially no gap between the elongate member and the edge portions.

27. Any of the closures for an access opening, substantially as herein described and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.