FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The field of the present invention relates generally to methods and apparatus for securing cables and other items to panels, pipes, and other surfaces, and more particularly relates to methods and apparatus for securing cables or harnesses, and similar items, to surfaces where rear access to the surface is not available.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many techniques are known in the prior art to secure components such as electrical cables, conduits, and other such items to a surface such as a panel, an outside wall of a cabinet, a wall, a large conduit, and so forth. One method uses a cable clamp, for clamping a cable or conduit to a panel, for example, by drilling a hole through the panel and securing the clamp over the cable or conduit through use of self-tapping screws. Another method is to drill a plurality of spaced apart holes at different levels on the panel where a cable is to be secured along the panel, for example, and where access to the rear of the panel is obtainable. Cable ties are threaded through the holes, whereby the initially open ends of the cable ties protrude through the associated pair of holes out of the front of the panel. The cable or conduit, for example, is positioned between the pair of holes, and the cable tie secured about the cable or conduit to fix the cable or conduit to the panel. Other methods and apparatus for securing electrical cables, for example, to a surface where rear access is unavailable, includes the use of a narrow bracket secured to the front of the panel via standoffs, whereby the cables are slipped beneath the bracket, and tie wraps are threaded through pairs of holes drilled through the bracket for securing the cables to the bracket, and holding them in position on the panel.

All of the known methods and apparatus for securing items such as electrical cable to a surface require added assembly time for threading cable ties through pairs of holes, in applications where rear access to the panel can be provided, or extra assembly parts are required such as brackets for securing the cables to a panel where rear access is not provided.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

With the problems in the prior art in mind, one object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus for securing electrical cables and other components to a surface such as a panel, without requiring access to the rear of the panel.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus for permitting cables or other items to be secured to a surface through use of cable ties or tie wraps, without requiring access to the opposite side of the surface or panel, and without requiring any additional hardware.

With these and other objects in mind, the present invention includes providing a cutout through a panel or other surface to which components such as cables are to be mounted, whereby the cutout is shaped to include a centrally located cleat or tee-like member surrounded by a closed slot. In one embodiment of the invention, an electrical cable is centrally positioned along the longitudinal axis of the cutout, and a cable tie is slipped under the cable, through the closed slot of the cutout, and positioned around the neck of the cleat, whereafter the ends of the cable tie are secured together around the cable for securing the cable to the panel. In a similar manner, such cutouts can be provided through other than flat surfaces such as panels, for example, through the outside wall of a large conduit, for permitting cables or other items to be secured to the conduit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A detailed description of the various embodiments of the invention is given below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like items are identified by the same reference designation, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a flat panel through which a cutout configuration of one embodiment of the invention has been made.

FIG. 2 shows an electrical cable positioned over the cutout portion of the panel of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows a cable tie slipped under the electrical cable positioned over the cutout of the panel of FIG. 1, preparatory to securing the cable to the panel.

FIG. 4 shows a cable tie in position partially around the cleat or tee portion of the cutout through the panel of FIG. 1, preparatory to securing an electrical cable to the panel.

FIG. 5 shows the cable tie secured in place around the cable and cleat or tee-shaped portion of the cutout through the panel of FIG. 1, for retaining the electrical cable in place on the panel.

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the invention for providing a cutout through a circular conduit, or other curved surface, for securing items to the conduit.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In FIG. 1, a portion of a flat panel 2, in this example, includes a cutout configuration 4 of one embodiment of the invention. The cutout portion 4 includes a closed ended slot or channel 6 surrounding the circumference of a remaining portion of panel 2 for providing a cleat or tee-shaped member 8, as shown. If a cable 10 is to be mounted or secured to the panel 2, as shown in FIGS. 2-5, the dimension "A" is determined by the cable size or outside diameter, cable type, and the desired cable orientation upon the panel Similarly, the other dimensions shown, namely "B", "C", "D", "E", and/or "F", are selected depending upon the particular application. Also, the size of the cable ties used will affect the dimensioning of the cutout 4. It is preferred that the neck 9 of cleat 8 be slightly longer than the width of an associated cable tie 12.

An example of the manner in using the embodiment of the invention of FIG. 1 will now be given with reference to FIGS. 2 through 5. In this example, a cable 10 is illustrated for mounting upon the panel 2. However, the invention is not limited to mounting cables upon a panel, and may be used for mounting any components or items upon a panel that are capable of being held to the panel or other surface through use of tie wraps or cable wraps, or other strap-like securing means. As shown in FIG. 2, a cable 10 is laid against the panel so it is oriented substantially along the longitudinal axis of the cleat or tee 8 in about the middle of the cutout 4, as shown.

The next step is to slip a tie wrap or cable wrap 12 under the cable 10, as shown in FIG. 3. The cable wrap or tie wrap 12 is then slid to the closed ended channel or slotway 6 and pushed partly through the slot 6 so that a central portion of the tie wrap 12 is located on the cleat or tee 8 around a neck portion 9 thereof. The ends of the tie wrap 12 protrude from the mounting side of panel 2 as shown in FIG. 4. The next step is to secure the ends of the tie wrap 12 together for retention via the cable tie retention head 14 of the tie wrap 12, while pulling the ends of the tie wrap 12 as closely together as possible, for substantially retaining the cable 10 at the desired position on panel 2, as shown in FIG. 5.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated incorporating the cutout 4 is not limited for use with flat panels 2, but can be used through many other surfaces to which a cable or some other component is to be affixed. For example, in FIG. 6, a circular conduit 16 is shown with a cutout 4 through its outside wall, for permitting a cable 10 to be affixed thereto through use of a tie wrap or cable wrap 12, as described in FIGS. 2 through 5 for the flat panel 2.

The present invention can be applied for use with existing equipment, by modifying the equipment to provide a necessary number of cutouts 4, dimensioned as required, for permitting greater facility in use of the equipment for securing electrical cables or other components to the outside surfaces of the equipment, such as electronic equipment housings, switching gear housings, and so forth. Also, the cutouts 4 can be fabricated in various cabinets, panels, tubing, and so forth, at the time of fabrication thereof through use of punching machines, CNC machines, and so forth. Through use of the inventive cutouts, cable mounting parts such as cable clamps, mounting screws, and so forth will be eliminated, in concert with reducing required assembly time. As indicated above, the cutouts 4 of the illustrated embodiment of the invention can be used in conjunction with a variety of differently shaped surfaces through which such a cutout 4 can readily be fabricated, for facilitating the mounting of components on the associated surface through use of cable wraps or tie wraps 12, or similar mounting straps known in the art, without requiring access to the opposite side of the mounting surface.

Although various embodiments of the invention have been shown and illustrated herein, they are not meant to be limiting, and those of skill in the art may recognize various modifications to these embodiments. It is intended that any such modifications be covered by the spirit and scope of the claims appended hereto. For example, in mounting a component on one side of a panel including cutouts 4, first tie wraps or cable ties 12 can be inserted via a midportion through an associated slot 6, and over a cleat 8 on the neck 9 thereof. Next a component, such as a cable 10 can then be positioned over the cleat 8 between the ends of tie wrap 12 as shown in FIG. 4. The tie wrap 12 is then secured around cable 10 and cleat 8 for fixing cable 10 to panel 2.