1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to enclosures and, more particularly, to guards for shielding the components of electrical enclosures when the electrical enclosures and/or their surroundings, are being covered with a coating, such as paint. The invention also relates to electrical enclosures which employ guards.
2. Background Information
Electrical equipment such as, for example, relays, circuit breakers, electric meters and transformers, are typically housed within an enclosure such as, for example, a housing, such as a box or cabinet, to protect the electrical equipment. Such enclosures can be employed, for example and without limitation, indoors on the surface of a wall or within a prepared opening in the wall, or outdoors on an exterior wall of a building. Regardless of where the electrical enclosure is employed, it is often desirable to paint or otherwise cover the electrical enclosure and/or its surroundings (e.g., without limitation, the walls of a building) with a suitable coating (e.g., without limitation, powder coating; stucco; plaster). Such covering can be undertaken to improve the visual appearance of the enclosure and its surroundings, for example, by helping to “blend in” the enclosure with the wall or other structure on which it is mounted. It can also serve to provide a protective coating, for example, to resist rusting of the electrical enclosure.
As shown in
Contractors who install electrical distribution products, such as the aforementioned meter cabinet 2, sometimes paint or otherwise coat the cabinet 2 and/or the building or other surrounding structures with the cabinet 2 installed (e.g., coupled to the wall 3), and with the cover (not shown) of the cabinet 2 removed (see
In an attempt to avoid undesired painting or other covering of the electrical components, a wide variety of materials such as, for example and without limitation, cardboard and paper, have been temporarily and somewhat arbitrarily employed. However, such materials are flimsy and tend not to stay in place, particularly when subjected to the forces associated with, for example, spray painting. These materials are also generally not reusable. Moreover, they must be trimmed and or taped, glued or otherwise secured to the cabinet in order to sufficiently cover the electrical components. This undesirably adds time and expense to the painting process, and can leave an undesirable residue (e.g., without limitation, sticky glue residue).
It has also been known to employ covers on electrical enclosures for reasons entirely unrelated to the protection of electrical components from being unintentionally painted or otherwise coated. For example, shields made from electrically insulative materials (e.g., without limitation, rubber) have been known to be installed over live electrical components of electrical enclosures in order to prevent workers who are working in the vicinity of the enclosure from accidentally coming into contact with the live electrical components. However, among other disadvantages, such covers are sometimes difficult to remove, tending to become undesirably bound with the panel teeth of the enclosure panel assembly. Additionally, materials which might serve well as electrical insulators are often not particularly well adapted for use as a low cost solution for shielding electrical components from painting or coating. For example, many electrically insulative materials are relatively flimsy and would, therefore, be likely to be displaced by the forces associated with spray painting. Electrically insulative materials may also be more costly than desired.
There is a need, therefore, for a guard for electrical enclosures which effectively shields and protects electrical components of the electrical enclosure after a minimal amount of installation effort and time, and which can be reused.
There is, therefore, room for improvement in guards for electrical enclosures.
These needs and others are met by embodiments of the invention, which are directed to a guard for shielding the electrical components of an electrical enclosure when the electrical enclosure and/or surrounding structures is/are being painted or otherwise covered with a known or suitable coating (e.g., without limitation, powder coating; stucco; plaster).
As one aspect of the invention, an electrical enclosure comprises: a housing structured to house a number of electrical components; a panel assembly coupled to the housing and including a first side and a second side; a first securing mechanism disposed at or about the first side of the panel assembly and being structured to receive and secure a number of electrical components; a second securing mechanism disposed at or about the second side of the panel assembly, spaced a distance from the first securing mechanism and being structured to receive and secure a number of electrical components; and a guard comprising: at least one shield member including a first end, a second end and an intermediate portion extending between the first end and the second end, and at least one pull tab disposed at or about a corresponding one of the first end of such shield member and the second end of such shield member, in order to facilitate removal of such shield member from the panel assembly. When the electrical enclosure and/or a structure proximate the electrical enclosure is/are being coated, such shield member is installed on the panel assembly of the electrical enclosure in order to shield the panel assembly and a number of electrical components housed by the housing of the electrical enclosure from being undesirably coated. When such shield member is not installed on the panel assembly, it may be substantially flat and includes a width which is greater than the distance between the first securing mechanism of the panel assembly and the second securing mechanism of the panel assembly. When such shield member is installed on the panel assembly, the first end of such shield member and the second end of such shield member engage the first securing mechanism and the second securing mechanism of the first side and the second side of the panel assembly, respectively, resulting in the intermediate portion of such shield member forming a protective arc which overlays and shields the at least some of the electrical components housed by the housing of the electrical enclosure.
The first securing mechanism and the second securing mechanism may be a first plurality of teeth extending from the first side of the panel assembly, and a second plurality of teeth extending from the second side of the panel assembly, respectively, wherein when the shield member is installed on the panel assembly of the electrical enclosure, the first end of the shield member and the second end of the shield member engage the first plurality of teeth of the panel assembly and the second plurality of teeth of the panel assembly, respectively. The pull tab of the guard may comprise an extension of one of the first and second ends of the shield member. When each shield member is installed on the panel assembly, the extension may extend from the corresponding one of the first and second ends of the shield member between an adjacent pair of the teeth of a corresponding one of the first and second sides of the panel assembly. Alternatively the guard may include a first pull tab disposed at or about the first end of the shield member, and a second pull tab disposed at or about the second end of the shield member. The extension(s) and the shield member may be one continuous piece of material.
The shield member may comprise one of: (a) a plurality of separate shield members installed on the panel assembly at locations where shielding from unintentional coating is desired, and (b) one single-piece shield member which shields and protects substantially all of the panel assembly.
As another aspect of the invention, a guard is provided for an electrical enclosure including a housing, a number of electrical components housed by the housing, and a panel assembly coupled to the housing and including a first side and a second side. The panel assembly includes a first securing mechanism disposed at or about the first side of the panel assembly and being structured to receive and secure a number of electrical components, and a second securing mechanism disposed at or about the second side of the panel assembly, spaced a distance from the first securing mechanism and being structured to receive and secure a number of electrical components. The guard comprises: a shield member including a first end structured to be coupled to the first securing mechanism of the panel assembly, a second end structured to be coupled to the second securing mechanism of the panel assembly, and an intermediate portion extending between the first end of the shield member and the second end of the shield member; and at least one pull tab disposed at or about a corresponding one of the first end of the shield member and the second end of the shield member, in order to facilitate removal of the shield member from the panel assembly. The shield member is structured to be installed on the panel assembly of the electrical enclosure in order to shield the panel assembly and a number of electrical components housed by the housing of the electrical enclosure from being undesirably coated when at least one of the electrical enclosure and a structure proximate the electrical enclosure is being coated. When the shield member is not installed on the panel assembly the shield member may be substantially flat and includes a width which is greater than the distance between the first securing mechanism of the panel assembly and the second securing mechanism of the panel assembly. When the shield member is installed on the panel assembly, the first end of the shield member and the second end of the shield member are structured to engage the first securing mechanism and the second securing mechanism of the first side and the second side of the panel assembly, respectively, resulting in the intermediate portion of the shield member forming a protective arc which overlays and shields the at least some of the electrical components housed by the housing of the electrical enclosure.
The shield member may be made from a tear-resistant material, and may have a thickness ranging from about 0.08 inch to about 0.02 inch. The shield member may alternatively be made from an electrically insulative material and be installed on the electrical enclosure in order to provide insulation of the electrical components housed by the electrical enclosure.
A full understanding of the invention can be gained from the following description of the preferred embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
For purposes of illustration, embodiments of the invention will be described as applied to paint guards for shielding electrical equipment housed within a meter cabinet when the meter cabinet and/or structures proximate the meter cabinet are being painted, although it will become apparent that they could also be applied to shield a wide variety of components when, for example, painting or applying any other known or suitable coating (e.g., without limitation, powder coating; stucco; plaster) directly to or in the vicinity of any known or suitable type of enclosure, including electrical enclosures other than meter cabinets, such as, for example and without limitation, panel boards, switchgear cabinets, and load centers.
Directional phrases used herein, such as, for example, left, right, front, back, top, bottom and derivatives thereof, relate to the orientation of the elements shown in the drawings and are not limiting upon the claims unless expressly recited therein.
As employed herein, the term “pull tab” refers to any known or suitable portion or mechanism which is coupled to or which is an integral part of the guard of the invention, in order to facilitate removal of the guard, for example, after the electrical enclosure or structures proximate the electrical enclosure have been painted or otherwise coated, and expressly includes, without limitation, protrusions or extensions of the guard, and tabs, strings, or any other known or suitable component coupled to and/or extending from the guard to facilitate removal thereof.
As employed herein, the term “fastener” refers to any known or suitable connecting, securing or tightening material or mechanism and expressly includes, but is not limited to, screws, bolts and the combinations of bolts and nuts (e.g., without limitation, lock nuts) and bolts, washers and nuts, as wells as adhesive materials, such as glue and tape.
As employed herein, the statement that two or more parts are “coupled” together shall mean that the parts are joined together either directly or joined through one or more intermediate parts.
As employed herein, the term “number” shall mean one or an integer greater than one (i.e., a plurality).
As employed herein, the term “integral” refers to a unitary feature which comprises one single and continuous piece of material as opposed to a conglomeration of components which are originally separate, but which are subsequently coupled together.
More specifically, the meter cabinet 102 includes a housing 104 (partially shown in
The guard 200, which is shown in
When the shield member 202 is not installed on the panel assembly 124, as shown in
Continuing to refer to
More specifically, a first portion 230 of the shield member 202, between the first bend 218 and the first end 204 of the shield member 202, doubles back on itself, thereby forming a first double thickness 234, and a second portion 232 of the shield member 202, between the second bend 220 and the second end 206 of the shield member 202, doubles back on itself, thereby forming a second double thickness 236, as shown in
Each shield member 202 of the guard 200 also has an interior surface 222 which, when installed on the panel assembly 124, faces toward at least some of the electrical components 106 (
The first and second securing mechanisms 130,132 of the example panel assembly 124 comprise a first plurality of teeth 144 extending from the first side 126 of the panel assembly 124, and a second plurality of teeth 146 extending from the second side 128 of the panel assembly 124, respectively, as best shown in
As illustrated in
The shield member 202 is preferably made from any known or suitable material which exhibits the desired characteristics of tear-resistance and sufficient resiliency (e.g., flexibility) to allow the shield member 202 to bend, as discussed hereinabove, while simultaneously being rigid enough to maintain its secure position on the panel assembly 124 throughout the coating process. The material must also resist tearing when it is removed following the coating process. Thus, it will preferably be reusable, in order to be cost effective. Two non-limiting examples of materials which exhibit the aforementioned desired properties include FORMEX™, which is available from FORMEX Manufacturing, Inc., 601 Hurricane Shoals Road, NW, Lawrenceville, Ga. 30045-7670, and MYLAR®, which is available from DuPont Teijin Films, 1 Discovery Drive, Hopewell, Va. 23860.
As best shown in
Accordingly, the disclosed guard 200 provides an effective shield for preventing portions of an electrical enclosure including, for example, electrical components thereof, from being unintentionally coated (e.g., painted or otherwise covered by any known or suitable coating). The guard 200 is also readily employable for installation on a wide variety of electrical enclosures, is relatively low cost, and is reusable.
While specific embodiments of the invention have been described in detail, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and alternatives to those details could be developed in light of the overall teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, the particular arrangements disclosed are meant to be illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of the invention which is to be given the full breadth of the claims appended and any and all equivalents thereof.
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