EQUIPMENT RACK SUPPORT BRACKET FOR POWER DISTRIBUTION UNITS
A bracket shaped to support and position equipment such as an exemplary power distribution unit in various orientations in an equipment rack. The bracket has a number of slots to receive mounting screws for coupling the bracket to the equipment rack and to the equipment.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed generally to equipment racks.
2. Description of the Related Art
Equipment racks support various types of equipment and patch panels. The equipment typically can have power cords that are each plugged into an electrical power outlet to receive electrical power from the power outlet. Power distribution units having electrical power outlets can be used in conjunction with equipment in racks to furnish electrical power to the equipment by having the power cords of the equipment plugged into the electrical outlets of the power distribution units.
Power distribution units are manufactured in various shapes and sizes and occupy space that may otherwise be used for equipment and patch panels in an equipment rack or may block access to equipment and patch panels that are positioned in an equipment rack.
As described herein a bracket is so shaped to support and position equipment such as an exemplary power distribution unit in various orientations in an equipment rack. The bracket has a number of slots to receive mounting screws to be coupled to the equipment rack.
An exemplary implementation of a bracket 100 is shown from a front perspective view in
The second plate portion 104 shares the second end 108 of the first plate portion 102 and extends from the second end substantially transverse to the first plate portion to substantially form an “L” shape for the bracket 100. In other implementations, the second plate portion 104 may extend from the first plate portion 102 at other angles. In other implementations, the second plate portion 104 may be absent from the bracket 100 as discussed further below. The second plate portion 104 includes a first side 128 and a second side 130. The second plate portion 104 also includes a free second end 132, and a first slot 134 extending substantially parallel to and near the second end.
In a first attachment orientation shown in
A power distribution unit 150 is further shown in
The power distribution unit 150 is shown in
The power distribution unit 150, having outlets 161, is shown in
A second attachment orientation is shown in
A third attachment orientation is shown in
A fourth attachment orientation is shown in
In the following attachment orientations described below the screws 146 are positioned through the first slot 114 of the first plate portion 102 of the bracket 100. A fifth attachment orientation is shown in
A sixth attachment orientation is shown in
A seventh attachment orientation is shown in
An eighth attachment orientation is shown in
From the foregoing it will be appreciated that, although specific embodiments of the invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made without deviating from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims.
Claims
1. A bracket comprising:
- a plate portion having a first end and a second end, the plate portion having: an elongated first opening having a first width and positioned near and extending along the first end, an elongated second opening having a second width and extending along the elongated first opening, an elongated third opening having the second width and extending along the elongated second opening, and a fourth opening coupled with the elongated second opening and the elongated third opening and transversely extending from the elongated second opening to the elongated third opening, the fourth opening having a first portion with the second width adjacent the elongated second opening, having a second portion with the second width adjacent the elongated third opening, and a third portion wider than the second width and extending between the first portion and the second portion of the fourth opening.
2. The bracket of claim 1 further including a second plate portion extending from the second end of the first plate portion at an angle greater than zero and less then 180 degrees, the second plate portion having a free end and an elongated opening extending along the free end.
3. The bracket of claim 2 wherein the second plate portion extends from the first plate portion at an angle of substantially 90 degrees.
4. The bracket of claim 1 wherein the plate portion has an elongated fifth opening having the second width and extending substantially along the elongated third opening, and
- the plate portion has a sixth opening coupled with the elongated third opening and the elongated fifth opening and transversely extending from the third elongated opening to the elongated fifth opening, the sixth opening having a first portion with the second width adjacent the elongated third opening, a second portion having the second width adjacent the elongated fifth opening, and a third portion wider than the second width and extending between the first portion and the second portion of the sixth opening.
5. A bracket comprising:
- a first plate portion having a first end and a second end, the first plate portion having: an elongated first opening having a first width and positioned near and extending along the first end, an elongated second opening having the first width and extending along the elongated first opening, a third opening coupled with the elongated first opening and the elongated second opening and transversely extending from the elongated first opening to the elongated second opening, the third opening having a first portion with the first width adjacent the elongated first opening, a second portion with the first width adjacent the elongated second opening, and a third portion wider than the first width and extending between the first portion and the second portion of the third opening; and
- a second plate portion extending at an angle greater than zero and less than 180 degrees from the second end of the first plate portion, the second plate portion having a free end and having an elongated opening extending along the free end, the elongated opening having a second width.
6. The bracket of claim 5 wherein the second plate portion extends from the first plate portion at an angle of substantially 90 degrees.
7. The bracket of claim 6 wherein the first plate portion is larger than the second plate portion to form an “L” shape.
8. The bracket of claim 5 wherein the first plate portion has an elongated fourth opening extending along the first end, at a position between the elongated first opening and the first end, the elongated fourth opening having the second width.
9. A system for an equipment rack having elongated members with rack holes for coupling with equipment, the system comprising:
- an equipment attachment member having a stem portion and an enlarged head portion;
- a rack attachment member having a stem portion sized to extend through a rack hole and an enlarged head portion;
- an equipment having a side, the side having a hole sized and shaped to receive the stem portion of the equipment attachment member;
- a plate portion having a first end and a second end, the plate portion having: a elongated first opening having a first width and positioned near and extending along the first end, the first width sized to allow the stem portion of the rack attachment member to extend through the elongated first opening and prevent the head portion of the rack attachment member from passing through the elongated first opening, an elongated second opening with a second width and extending substantially along the elongated first opening, the second width sized to allow the stem portion of the equipment attachment portion to extend through the elongated second opening and prevent the head portion of the equipment attachment member from passing through the elongated second opening; an elongated third opening having the second width and extending substantially along the elongated second opening, and
- a fourth opening coupled with the elongated second opening and the elongated third opening and extending from the elongated second opening to the elongated third opening, the fourth opening having a first portion with the second width adjacent the elongated second opening, a second portion with the second width adjacent the elongated third opening, and a third portion wider than the second width and sufficient to allow the head of the equipment attachment member to pass through the third portion, the third portion extending between the first portion and the second portion of the fourth opening.
10. The system of claim 9 wherein the head portion of the rack attachment member is fixedly attached to the stem portion of the rack attachment member
11. The system of claim 9 wherein the head portion of the equipment attachment member is fixedly attached to the stem portion of the equipment attachment member.
12. The system of claim 9 wherein the equipment is a power distribution unit.
13. The system of claim 9 wherein equipment attachment member is a thumbscrew and the rack attachment member is a bolt.
14. The bracket of claim 9 further including a second plate portion extending from the second end of the first plate portion in a non-planar arrangement, the second plate portion having a free end and an elongated opening extending along the free end.
15. The bracket of claim 14 wherein the second plate portion extends from the first plate portion at substantially a 90 degree angle.
16. The bracket of claim 9 wherein the plate portion has an elongated fifth opening with the second width and extending along the elongated third opening, and
- the plate portion has a sixth opening coupled with the elongated third opening and the elongated fifth opening and transversely extending from the elongated third opening to the elongated fifth opening, the sixth opening having a first portion with the second width adjacent the elongated third opening, a second portion having the second width adjacent the elongated fifth opening, and a third portion wider than the second width and sufficient to allow the head of the equipment attachment member to pass through the third portion, the third portion extending between the first portion and the second portion of the sixth opening.
17. A system for an equipment rack having elongated members with rack holes for coupling with equipment, the system comprising:
- an equipment attachment member having a stem portion and an enlarged head portion;
- a rack attachment member having a stem portion sized to extend through a rack hole and an enlarged head portion;
- an equipment having a side, the side having a hole sized and shaped to receive the stem portion of the equipment attachment member;
- a first plate portion having a first end and a second end, the plate portion having: an elongated first opening having a first width and positioned near and extending along the first end, the first width sized to allow the stem portion of the equipment attachment member to extend through the elongated first opening and prevent the head portion of the equipment attachment member from passing through the elongated first opening, an elongated second opening having the first width and extending along the first elongated opening, a third opening coupled with the elongated first opening and the elongated second opening and extending from the elongated first opening to the elongated second opening, the third opening having a first portion with the first width adjacent the elongated first opening, a second portion having the first width adjacent the elongated second opening, and a third portion wider than the first width and sufficient to allow the head of the equipment attachment member to pass through the third portion, the third portion extending between the first portion and the second portion of the third opening; and a second plate portion extending in a non-planar arrangement from the second end of the first plate portion, the second plate portion having a free end and having an elongated fourth opening extending along the free end, the elongated fourth opening having a second width, the second width sized to allow the stem portion of the rack attachment member to extent through the elongated opening and prevent the head portion of the rack attachment member from passing through the elongated fourth opening.
18. The bracket of claim 17 wherein the second plate portion extends from the first plate portion at substantially a 90 degree angle.
19. The bracket of claim 17 wherein the first plate portion has an elongated fifth opening having the second width and extending along the elongated second opening, and
- the first plate portion has an elongated fifth opening coupled with the elongated second opening and the elongated fourth opening and extending from the elongated second opening to the elongated fourth opening, the fifth opening having a first portion with the second width adjacent the elongated second opening, a second portion with the second width adjacent the elongated fourth opening, and a third portion wider than the second width and sufficient to allow the head of the equipment attachment member to pass through the third portion, the third portion extending between the first portion and the second portion of the elongated fifth opening.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 18, 2007
Publication Date: Oct 23, 2008
Applicant: LEVITON MANUFACTURING CO., INC. (Little Neck, NY)
Inventors: Antonio S. Smith (Chula Vista, CA), Kenneth Brown (Chula Vista, CA)
Application Number: 11/737,082
International Classification: A47B 96/06 (20060101);