Title of Invention

ELECTRIC SWITCH BOARD WITH PLUG_IN TYPE CIRCUIT CONTROL MEMBERS

Abstract

The invention relates to an electric switchboard comprising a base box (1A) with a front face (17) having a facia (11) fitted thereto. The switchboard is provided with plug-in type circuit control members press fitted onto recesses (6) provided on the front face (17) of said base box 1(1A) for receiving a plurality of plug-in type circuit control members (10) with male pins (15) to be placed in form contact with respective female pins (7) provided in the base box (1A). The female pins (7) and input/output terminals (1) are internally pre-wired and connected according to the features of the respective circuit control members. The plug-in type switchboard can be used both for surface type and concealed type of electrical wirings.

Full Text

Title: Electric switchboard with plug-in type circuit control members.; FIELD OF THE INVENTION: This invention relates primarily to the low tension electric switchboards generally required for domestic and low power electric consumption as in dwelling units, pump houses, small manufacturing units etc. BACKGROUND AND PRIOR ART:- Low tension electric switchboards serve the purpose of accommodating a plurality of circuit control members like switches, regulators (for fans), multipin plug outlets, fuses, indication lamps (to show on / off status) with a compact structure. They are usually wall mounted and have connection wires connected to each such circuit control member. The far ends of these wires except in the case of fuses and indication lamps are connected to the electrical equipment to be operated or controlled, like light, fan, pump etc. Usually one switchboard is required for one unit or segment of the electrical consumption entity, like a residential flat, a room, a portion of a room, a floor or a particular utility unit like a pump, cooling unit, water purification plant etc. These switchboards find abundant use in practically all walks of life, wherever low voltage electric power consumption is involved. A switchboard is a very vital piece of equipment which enables the user to operate, regulate, control and monitor power consuming equipment from one location convenient to the user, although the operated / controlled entities may be located in a distributed fashion over a wide area. Switchboards are very common and are one of the most visible circuit elements. There are many types of low tension switchboards that are presently available. Although such switchboards have existed since the time electricity became a household commodity, all of them suffer from the undermentioned drawbacks, which the present invention seeks to ameliorate. a) All such switchboards need to be wired individually, depending upon the users needs before installation. b) The circuit control members on the switchboard, like switch, fuse, plug point, regulator etc. cannot be installed in or taken out from the switchboard without the switchboard being disconnected from the electric supply for safety reasons. As a result, operation of all the equipment powered from the particular switchboard is temporarily suspended during the period of work undertaken on a particular member of the switchboard. c) Any of the above mentioned procedures calls for personnel specially skilled in the art (electricians) whose convenience and availability at times pose delay in execution. d) Any such work consumes time, the duration again largely dependent on the skills of the electrician and e) Switchboards as per prior art do not offer any facility to change its original look, the facade or the visible portion of a switchboard remaining the original installed piece during its entire lifetime. The present invention addresses the above lacunae in the prior art. DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTS OF THE INVEENTION: The present invention provides a novel low tension switchboard which has the following unique features : i) All the circuit control members like switch, regulator, multipoint outlet, MCB etc. that are to be incorporated on the switchboard are of plug-in, plug-out type so that at any point of time it is possible to either install or replace or blank out any circuit member simply by withdrawing and replacing the same from the switchboard, ii) This is possible because the switchboard as per invention comes with its internal connection pre-wired during its manufacture in accordance with the feature of the respective circuit control member. The above two features (i) and (ii) greatly reduce the dependence on the availability of an electrician. Feature (i) reduces the time required for installation of the switchboard, which results in considerable monetary savings when large number of switchboards are to be installed, in a multi-storeyed apartment house for example, where each apartment has numerous rooms or other electrical units needing a switchboard each. Feature (ii) enables any user, whether familiar with the art or not, to undertake addition / alteration work by himself on the switchboard as per invention. Further, the interconnection being pre-wired at the manufacturers end it is standardized as per IE rules. (iii) The switchboard facia as per invention has standardized openings for the switchboard members which are all plug-in type. These facia can be of various colours, which enables the user to simply replace only the facia of the switchboard to impart to the switchboard the desired colour according to the interior decor of the room, for example, (iv) The plug-in circuit members also allow the user to replace or take out any member without disconnection of the main power to the switchboard. In other words, the rest of the electrical equipment connected to the switchboard can continue to operate even as one member of the particular switchboard is being worked upon. SUMMARY OF INVENTION ; The invention relates to an electric switchboard with plug-in type circuit control members. The plug-in type switchboard of the present invention can be applied to both surface type and concealed type of wiring. The following description however, is mainly based on a plug-in type switchboard for a surface type wiring. In the present invention, a plurality of circuit control members like switches, regulators, multi-point outlets, MCBs etc. can be press fitted onto recesses provided in the front face of a base box for achieving plug-in features of the present invention such that these can be plugged in, taken out for replacement or blanking out. The female pins and terminals can be internally pre-wired in the base box of the switchboard and connected at the manufacturers end according to the features of the respective circuit control member. Male pins of the circuit control members when press fitted onto the base box make firm contacts with the respective female pins of the base box. Thus the present invention provides a plug-in type electric switchboard comprising a base box with a front face having a facia fitted thereto, characterized in that said front face of said base box is provided with a plurality of recesses for receiving a plurality of plug-in-type circuit control members with male pins to be placed in firm contact with respective female pins provided in the base box and in that said female pins and input/output terminals are internally pre-wired and connected according to the features of the respective control circuit members. DETAIED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS The invention will now be described with the help of the following enclosed drawings. These drawings mainly describe one exemplary embodiment of the invention which by no means should be taken as limiting. The description that follows generally relate to surface type of wiring. The invention can also be applied to several concealed type wiring or other surface type wiring formats without deviating from the inventive concept of the present invention. Fig. 1 shows a pre-wired base box 1A of the plug-in type switchboard of the present invention. On the top, a plurality of terminals 1 are provided where the connections from the electric apparatus like lights, fans etc. as well as the electric power to the switchboard are terminated. The terminals have insulating separators 2 in-between to prevent any accidental short circuit. Four screw holes 3 for fixing the facia 11 are located at four corners of the front surface 17 of the box 1A. Further four screw holes 4 are provided on the back plate 16 for fixing the box 1A on the wall. On two sides of the box, provision for fixing a top cover screw 5 is made. The base box 1A has several moulded recesses 6 to accommodate the plug-in male parts of circuit control members 10 like switch, regulator, fuse etc. Each recess 6 has female pins of the said circuit control members 10 positioned in order to receive the male pins 15. Fig. 2 shows the pre-wired base box 1A with partially exposed left hand top and bottom corners. The top corner exposure reveals the arrangement of fixing the female pins 7 in the moulded recess 6. The arrangement for receiving facia fixing screws through hole 3 is revealed in the bottom exposure. The details of moulded extension 9 of the back plate 16 for fixing the top cover 18 is shown on the left hand side. The pre-wired base box lAof Fig. 1 can be used in surface type wiring. With slight modifications, this can also be used for concealed type wiring, as shown in Fig 1(a). As has already been stated, the female pins for the circuit control members 10 and a plurality of terminals 1 are connected in accordance with a pre-designed circuit diagram based on the features of the control circuit members. Fig 2(a) shows a typical wiring diagram of the pre-wired base box 1A when the pre-wired base box is designed in accordance with the requirement of the features of the circuit control members 10 as shown in Fig. 1. The pre-wired base box can thus, be standardized at manufacturers end. The internal architecture illustrated in Fig. 2(a), although not shown in details, is fully flexible for the plug-in/plug out feature. The internal architecture of the base box 1A' of Fig.2(a) are shown below : N1°, N2° = output neutral (to light / fan load) L1°, L2°, L3°, L4°, = output live (to light /fan load) L1 = Live input N1 = Neutral input E1 = Earth input T = terminal L,La = Live bus N,Na = Neutral bus E,Ea = Earth bus L - L' = female pins for plug-in type MCB L" - L" = female pins for plug-in type Fuse L1 - L1' = female pins for plug-in type switch / regulator L1 - N1 = female pins for plug-in type Indicator L2 - L2 = female pins for plug-in type switch / regulator L2 - N2 = female pins for plug-in type Indicator L3 - L3' = female pins for plug-in type switch / regulator L3 - N3 = female pins for plug-in type indicator L4 - L4' = female pins for plug-in type switch / regulator L4 - N4 = female pins for plug-in type indicator L5 - L5' = female pins for plug-in type switch to control adjacent component (here the component is plug-in type socket) L5" - N5 - E1 = female pins for plug-in type socket outlet L6 - L6' = female pins for plug in type switch to control adjacent component (here the component is plug-in type socket) L6 -N6 - E2 = female pins for plug-in type Socket outlet Fig 3 shows the isometric view of some of the circuit control (male) members (10) that go into the switchboard as per the invention. Following nomenclature has been used for the members shown. M miniature circuit breaker F fuse I indication lamp D dummy R regulator for fan SW1, SW2, SW3 switches P1.P2 5-pin plug outlet Fig. 4 shows the internal connections and male pin arrangements of the circuit control members 10 depicted in Fig. 3. The female pins of these circuit members are fixed in the recesses 6 of the base box 1 A. Fig. 5 shows the facia 11 of the invented switchboard. It has holes 3 at four corner through which fixing screws are used to fix it onto the base box. The facia 11 has cut-outs 12 to match the moulded recesses 6. The cutouts are sized carefully to ensure they hold the male circuit control members (10) firmly in place when they are placed in the recesses (6) meant for them. Fig.6 shows the top cover (18) with screw holes (5) which forms the outer body of the switchboard as per invention. The opening (13) on top allows the connecting cables to enter the switchboard for termination on terminals (1). Side extensions (14) are provided to ensure snap fit with the moulded extension (9) of the back plate (16) Fig.7 shows the exploded view of the switchboard as per invention CONSTRUCTIONAL & FUNCTIONAL DETAILS: The switchboard as per invention has a PVC base box (1A) which is to be mounted on wall with screws through holes (4) provided on four corner of the back plate (16). The raised body (17) of the base box is also made of PVC and has several moulded recesses (6), their number and contour depending upon the circuit control elements (10) that the switchboard is to accommodate finally. The base box is provided with pre-wiring at the manufacturing stage when all the necessary female pins (7) and terminals (1) are connected with copper wire as per a circuit diagram which is drawn to achieve the descried function of the finished switchboard. This feature of the switchboard enables the user to eliminate dependence on electricians at later stage, The circuit control members (10) are manufactured separately. The body of such members is made from nylon or glass filled nylon. The male pins (15) and female pins (7) are made of copper alloy. These members (switches, fuses, regulators etc.) are pushed into the recesses (6). The facia (11), which is also made of PVC is fixed onto the base box front surface (17) through screws fixed in holes (3). The facia holds the circuit control members (10) firmly in place. The cutouts (12) are dimensioned carefully such that the circuit control members can be operated through them, but they cannot be taken out through these cutouts. The facia can be of any colour depending upon what the user wants the switchboard to lock as. The cables are then terminated on the terminals (1). Finally, the PVC front cover (18) is fitted on top of the facia and fixed to the base box with screws through holes (5). The front cover is designed to have a snap fit with the base box through guided edges (14) which fit into the grooves on moulded extensions (9) on the base plate. I CLAIM: 1. An electric switchboard comprising a base box (1A) with a front face (17) having a facia (11) fitted thereto, characterized in that said front face (17) of said base box (1 A) is provided with a plurality of recesses (6) for receiving a plurality of plug-in-type circuit control members (10) with male pins (15) to be placed in firm contact with respective female pins. (7) provided in the base box (1A) and in that said female pins (7) and input/output terminals (1) are internally pre-wired and connected according to the features of the respective circuit control members (10). 2. The electric switchboard as claimed in claim 1, wherein said plug-in- type circuit control members (10) are switches, regulators, multi-point outlets, MCBs etc press fitted in said recesses (6) for making firm contact between male pins (15) of the control members (10) and the female pins.(7) of the base box (1A). 3. The electric switchboard as claimed in claim 1, wherein said switchboard is provided with a top cover (18) having an edge (14) which can be engaged with grooves (9) provided in back plate (16) of the base box (1A) rendering it suitable for a snap fit. 4. The electric switchboard as claimed in claim 4, wherein said facia (11) is replaceable with different coloured facia for matching with changed interior decor. 5. A plug-in-type switchboard substantially as herein described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The invention relates to an electric switchboard comprising a base box (1A) with a front face (17) having a facia (11) fitted thereto. The switchboard is provided with plug-in type circuit control members press fitted onto recesses (6) provided on the front face (17) of said base box 1(1A) for receiving a plurality of plug-in type circuit control members (10) with male pins (15) to be placed in form contact with respective female pins (7) provided in the base box (1A). The female pins (7) and input/output terminals (1) are internally pre-wired and connected according to the features of the respective circuit control members. The plug-in type switchboard can be used both for surface type and concealed type of electrical wirings.

Documents:

00382-kol-2005-abstract.pdf

00382-kol-2005-claims.pdf

00382-kol-2005-description complete.pdf

00382-kol-2005-drawings.pdf

00382-kol-2005-form 1.pdf

00382-kol-2005-form 2.pdf

00382-kol-2005-form 3.pdf

382-KOL-2005-(21-02-2013)-CORRESPONDENCE.pdf

382-KOL-2005-(21-02-2013)-FORM-5.pdf

382-KOL-2005-ABSTRACT 1.1.pdf

382-KOL-2005-AMANDED CLAIMS.pdf

382-KOL-2005-AMANDED PAGES OF SPECIFICATION.pdf

382-KOL-2005-CORRESPONDENCE 1.1.pdf

382-KOL-2005-CORRESPONDENCE.pdf

382-KOL-2005-DESCRIPTION (COMPLETE) 1.1.pdf

382-KOL-2005-DRAWINGS 1.1.pdf

382-KOL-2005-EXAMINATION REPORT REPLY RECIEVED 1.1.pdf

382-KOL-2005-EXAMINATION REPORT.pdf

382-KOL-2005-FORM 1 1.1.pdf

382-KOL-2005-FORM 13 1.1.pdf

382-KOL-2005-FORM 13.pdf

382-KOL-2005-FORM 18.pdf

382-KOL-2005-FORM 2 1.1.pdf

382-KOL-2005-FORM 26.pdf

382-KOL-2005-FORM 3.pdf

382-KOL-2005-FORM 5.pdf

382-KOL-2005-GRANTED-ABSTRACT.pdf

382-KOL-2005-GRANTED-CLAIMS.pdf

382-KOL-2005-GRANTED-DESCRIPTION (COMPLETE).pdf

382-KOL-2005-GRANTED-DRAWINGS.pdf

382-KOL-2005-GRANTED-FORM 1.pdf

382-KOL-2005-GRANTED-FORM 2.pdf

382-KOL-2005-GRANTED-SPECIFICATION.pdf

382-KOL-2005-OTHERS.pdf

382-KOL-2005-REPLY TO EXAMINATION REPORT 1.1.pdf

382-KOL-2005-REPLY TO EXAMINATION REPORT.pdf

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