Description:FORM 2

THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(See section 10, rule 13)

A COVERING APPARATUS AND A METHOD OF COVERING AN ELECTRONIC MODULE PANEL

BHARAT ELECTRONICS LIMITED
Address: OUTER RING ROAD, NAGAVARA, BANGALORE- 560045,
KARNATAKA, INDIA

The following specification particularly describes the invention
and the manner in which it is to be performed.
A COVERING APPARATUS AND A METHOD OF COVERING AN ELECTRONIC MODULE PANEL

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present disclosure relates to a covering apparatus and a method of covering an electrical connector flange contact area, or a jam-nut contact area of an electronic module panel.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A non-conductive coating for electronics, also known as an insulating coating or dielectric coating, is a protective layer that prevents the flow of electricity between components. It serves as a barrier against potential electrical shorts and other malfunctions that could lead to catastrophic system failures.
When painting or coating a non-conductive coating material on an electrical component such as a panel mount switch, a connector mounting, or a contact surface of an electronic module panel, paint or non-conductive coating material often inadvertently falls on the contact surfaces which are not meant to be painted because of poor covering of the contact surface, in which case an electronic unit may fail in an electromagnetic interference (EMI) test or an electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) test. The unit appearance also gets affected. This problem may be exacerbated when a brush or a spray paint device is used to deliver the paint to the electronic module panel manually.
Various methods are utilized to prevent such inadvertent painting. For example, it is common to cover areas which are not to be painted with a removable tape or a cloth. The removable tape or the cloth used is not reusable and leads to generation of waste after the painting or coating process. The removable tape also leaves behind a sticky residue on the contact area. The removable tape or cloth if not applied properly leads to a bad appearance of the coating surrounding the contact area and bad aesthetics of the overall enclosure. If the removable tape or cloth is not uniformly applied for every different electronic module panel, the contact areas around the opening of the electronic module panel will not be the same. This non-uniformity will lead to different panels having different sizes of contact areas which may affect the working of the electronic component.
While individual devices have been introduced to ease the covering of a connector or a jam-nut contact area during painting, there does not appear to be any prior art system which allows efficient masking or covering of the connector, or the jam-nut contact area on the electronic module panel during painting and be reused.
Because of the inherent problems with the related art, there is a need for a new and improved connector surface contact area covering apparatus which provides a covering method for more efficiently and effectively masking or covering connector surface contact area of the electronic module panel during painting or non-conductive coatings and can be reused.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect of the present invention, a covering apparatus for an electronic module panel having at least one opening for a panel mount electrical component is provided. The covering apparatus includes a cover element to cover a contact area around the opening of the electronic module panel. The cover element has at least one hole therethrough and a dimension greater than a dimension of the opening thereby preventing the contact area of the electronic module panel from a paint or a non-conductive coating material. The cover element has at least one fastening member removably coupled to the cover element to fasten the cover element with the electronic module panel. The fastening member is received by the hole of the cover element.
According to the present invention, a dimension of the contact area of the electronic module panel depends on the type of the panel mount electrical component.
According to the present invention, the cover element has removably disposed within the opening of the electronic module panel.
According to the present invention, covering apparatus has a holding bracket removably attached to the cover element through the fastening member in such a manner that the electronic module panel is held rigidly therebetween.
According to the present invention, the cover element has a circular shaped profile.
According to the present invention, the cover element has a square shaped profile with rounded corners.
According to the present invention, the cover element is made up of aluminium, copper, metal alloy, or combination thereof.
In another aspect of the present invention, a method of painting or coating an electronic module panel having at least one opening for a panel mount electrical component using a covering apparatus is provided. The method includes a step of covering, by a cover element of the covering apparatus, a contact area around the opening of the electronic module panel. The cover element has a dimension greater than a dimension of the opening. The cover element has at least one hole therethrough. The method also includes a step of fastening, by at least one fastening member of the covering apparatus, the cover element with the electronic module panel. The fastening member is received by the hole of the cover element. The method further includes a step of painting or coating, by a paint or a non-conductive coating material, respectively, the electronic module panel. The cover element prevents the contact area of the panel mount electrical component of the electronic module panel from the paint or the non-conductive coating material.
According to the present invention, the covering apparatus is dismantled after painting or coating.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 illustrates a front exploded view of a covering apparatus, according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 2 illustrates a rear exploded view of the covering apparatus, according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 3 illustrates a front view of an assembled covering apparatus, according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 4 illustrates a rear view of the assembled covering apparatus, according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 5 illustrates an exploded view of a panel mount electronic component assembly, according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 6 illustrates a front exploded view of a covering apparatus, according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 7 illustrates a rear exploded view of the covering apparatus, according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 8 illustrates an exploded view of a panel mount electronic component assembly, according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 9 illustrates a front exploded view of a covering apparatus, according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 10 illustrates an exploded view of a panel mount electronic component assembly, according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 11 illustrates a front exploded view of a multiple covering apparatuses, according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 12 illustrates a rear exploded view of the multiple covering apparatuses, according to the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure; and
FIG. 13 illustrates an exploded view of assembly of the multiple panel mount electronic components, according to the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION.
Embodiments, of the present disclosure, will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Embodiments are provided to thoroughly and fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to the person skilled in the art. Numerous details are set forth relating to specific components to provide a complete understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to the person skilled in the art that the details provided in the embodiments should not be construed to limit the scope of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, well-known processes, well-known apparatus structures, and well-known techniques are not described in detail.
References in the present disclosure to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” mean that a particular feature, structure, characteristic, or function described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearances of the phrase “in an embodiment” or “in an implementation” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment or implementation.
The terminology used, in the present disclosure, is only for the purpose of explaining a particular embodiment and such terminology shall not be considered to limit the scope of the present disclosure. As used in the present disclosure, the forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly suggests otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “consists,” “including,” and “having,” are open ended transitional phrases and therefore specify the presence of stated elements, modules, units and/or components, but do not forbid the presence or addition of one or more other elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
The terms first, second, third, etc., should not be construed to limit the scope of the present disclosure as the aforementioned terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another component, or section. Terms such as first, second, third etc., when used herein do not imply a specific sequence or order unless clearly suggested by the present disclosure.
FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, illustrate a first embodiment of a covering apparatus (100) to cover a contact area (102) around the opening (116) of an electronic module panel (106) for a panel mount electrical component (104). The covering apparatus (100) includes a cover element (108), a holding bracket (110) and at least one fastening member (112, 114). The fastening member (112, 114) includes a bolt (112) and a nut (114) assembly. The electronic module panel (106) has at least one opening (116) for mounting of the panel mount electronic components. The cover element (108) has a dimension greater than a dimension of the opening (116). The cover element (108) is made up of aluminium, copper, metal alloy, or combination thereof. The cover element (108) has a circular disc member (118) with an extruded portion (120) fixedly attached to it. The extruded portion (120) has a first circular segment profile. The first circular segment profile has one flat edge. The cover element (108) has a hole (122) for receiving the bolt (112). The holding bracket (110) has a casing member (124) and a hole (126). It should be noted that the hole (126) on the holding bracket (110) can also include a helicoil insert or a threaded hole without limiting the scope of what is disclosed.
As illustrated in FIGS 3, and 4, the holding bracket (110) is removably attached to the cover element (108) with the fastening members (112, 114) in such a manner that the electronic module panel (106) is held rigidly therebetween. Further, the holding bracket (110) and the cover element (108) are dismantled with the help of a tool once the painting or coating process is over.
As illustrated in FIG. 5, the panel mount electronic component (104) is mounted on the panel (106) with the help of a jam nut (128). The panel mount electronic component (104) is passed through the opening (116) on the electronic module panel (106) and the jam nut (128) is assembled to the panel mount electronic component (104).
FIGS 6, 7, and 8, illustrate a second embodiment of a covering apparatus (200) to cover a contact area (202) around an opening (216) of an electronic module panel (206) for a panel mount electrical component (204). The covering apparatus (200) includes a cover element (208), a holding bracket (210) and at least one fastening member (212, 214). The electronic module panel (206) has at least one opening (216) for mounting of the panel mount electronic component (204). The cover element (208) has a dimension greater than a dimension of the opening (216). The cover element (208) is made up of aluminium, copper, metal alloy, or combination thereof. The cover element (208) has a circular disc member (218) with an extruded portion (220) fixedly attached to it. The extruded portion (220) has a second circular segment profile. The second circular segment profile has two flat edges that are parallel to each other. The cover element (206) has a hole (222) through it for receiving the fastening member (212). The holding bracket (210) has a casing member (224) and a hole (226). It should be noted that the hole (226) on the holding bracket (210) can also include a helicoil insert (not shown) or a threaded hole (not shown) into which the fastening member (114) can be fastened without limiting the scope of what is disclosed. The holding bracket (210) is removably attached to the cover element (208) with the fastening members (212, 214) in such a manner that the electronic module panel (206) is held rigidly therebetween. Further, the holding bracket (210) and the cover element (208) are dismantled with the help of a tool once the painting or coating process is over.
As illustrated in FIG. 8, the panel mount electronic component (204) is mounted on the electronic module panel (206) with the help of a jam nut (228). The panel mount electronic component (204) is passed through the opening (216) on the electronic module panel (206) and the jam nut (228) is assembled to the panel mount electronic component (204).
FIGS. 9 and 10, illustrate a third embodiment of a covering apparatus (300) to cover a contact area (302) around an opening (315) of an electronic module panel (306) for a panel mount electrical component (304). The covering apparatus (300) includes a cover element (308), and at least one fastening member (310). The electronic module panel (306) has at least one threaded hole (312) for the fastening member (310) for mounting of the covering apparatus (308). In the illustrated embodiment, the electronic module panel (306) has four threaded holes (312) and four fastening members (310). It should be noted that, the number of threaded hole (312) and fastening member (310) do not limit the scope of present invention. The cover element (308) has a square shaped profile with rounded corners. The cover element (308) has at least one hole (314) for partially receiving the fastening member (310). The electronic module panel (306) includes at least one opening (315) for mounting the panel mount electronic component (304). The cover element (308) has a dimension greater than a dimension of the opening (315). In the illustrated embodiment, the cover element (308) has four holes (314). The covering apparatus (300) is removably attached to the electronic module panel (306) by placing the cover element (308) on the contact area (302) and assembling the fastening member (310) into the threaded holes (312) on the electronic module panel (306) through the holes (314). Further, the cover element (308) is dismantled with the help of tool once the painting or coating process is over.
As illustrated in FIG. 10, the panel mount electronic component (304) is mounted on the electronic module panel (306) with the help of the threaded holes (312) on the electronic module panel (306) into which the fastening members (310) are fastened. The panel mount electronic component (304) can be mounted on the opening (315) on the electronic module panel (306) with or without a gasket sealant (316).
FIGS. 11, 12, and 13, illustrate a fourth embodiment of a plurality of covering apparatuses (100, 300) to cover at least one contact area (102, 302) around at least one opening (116, 315) on an electronic module panel for at least one panel mount electronic component (104, 304). The covering apparatuses for the electronic module panel include a plurality of cover elements (108, 308). The cover elements (108, 308) have a dimension greater than a dimension of the opening (116, 315). More specifically, the covering apparatuses include four cover elements (108, 308) with two different types of cover elements (108, 308). It should be noted that, the covering apparatuses (100,300) may include any number of the cover elements (108, 308) and any type of cover elements without limiting the scope of present disclosure. The cover elements (108, 308) are fastened with the help of at least one fastening member (112, 310). The cover elements (108, 308) have at least one hole (122, 314) therethrough to receive the fastening member (112, 310).
The first type of the cover elements (108) have a first circular segment profile. The first circular segment profile has a flat edge. The cover elements (108) have a circular disk member (118) with an extruded portion (120) fixedly attached to it. The cover elements (108) are attached to the electronic module panel by placing the cover elements (108) on the electronic module panel and assembling the fastening members (112) into threaded holes (126) on holding brackets (110) through the holes (122) of the cover elements (108).
The cover elements (108) are removably attached to the electronic module panel by placing the cover elements (108) on the electronic module panel and assembling the fastening members (112) into threaded holes (126) on holding brackets (110) through the holes (122) of the cover elements (108). The holding brackets (110) are removably attached to the cover elements (108) with the fastening members (112) in such a manner that the electronic module panel is held rigidly therebetween. Further, the holding bracket (110) and the cover element (108) are dismantled with the help of a tool once the painting or coating process is over.
The second type of the cover element (308) has a square shape with rounded corners. The cover elements (308) are attached to the electronic module panel by placing the cover elements (308) on the electronic module panel and assembling the fastening members (310) into threaded holes (312) on the electronic module panel through the holes (314) of the cover elements (308). In the illustrated embodiment, one cover element (308) makes use of four fastening members (310) assembled into four threaded holes (312) on the electronic module panel. It should be noted that, the number of threaded hole (312) and fastening member (310) do not limit the scope of present invention. Further, the cover element (308) is dismantled with the help of tool once the painting or coating process is over.
As illustrated in FIG. 13, the electronic module panel has four openings (116, 315) for mounting four panel mount electronic components (104, 304). The panel mount electronic components (304) can be mounted with or without gasket sealant (316). The panel mount electronic components (104) are mounted on the electronic module panel using jam nuts (128).
A method of painting or coating an electronic module panel (106, 206, 306) using a covering apparatus (100, 200, 300) includes a step of covering at least one cover element (108, 208, 308) of the covering apparatus (100, 200, 300) on at least one contact area (102, 202, 302) of the electronic module panel (106, 206, 306) for at least one panel mount electrical component (104, 204, 304). The cover element (108, 208, 308) has at least one hole (122, 222, 314) therethrough.
The method also includes a step of fastening the cover element (108, 208, 308) with the electronic module panel (106, 206, 306) by at least one fastening member (112, 114, 212, 214, 310) of the covering apparatus (100, 200, 300). The fastening member (112, 212, 310) is at least partially received by the hole (122, 222, 314) of the cover element (108, 208, 308).
The method further includes a step of painting or coating of the electronic module panel (106, 206, 306) by a paint or a non-conductive coating material. The cover element (108, 208, 308) prevents the contact area (102, 202, 302) of the electronic module panel (106, 206, 306) from the paint or the non-conductive coating material.
The covering apparatus (100, 200, 300) is dismantled after painting or coating with the paint or the non-conductive coating material. Further, at least one panel mount electrical component (104, 204, 304) is assembled using at least one jam-nut (128), at least one gasket sealant (316), or combination thereof.
The covering apparatus of the present invention provides ease of assembly as it requires only fasteners to attach to the electronic module panel. After painting or coating, the covering apparatus can be dismantled by removing the fastening member and reused for similar covering requirements. This provides the present disclosure with an economic advantage over the prior art that is not reusable. The reusability of the covering apparatus ensures that the contact areas are uniform on all the electronic module panels for the same type of electronic component.
The present disclosure achieves best covering of the surface contact area of the panel mount electrical components of the electronic module panel after painting or coating to achieve better conductivity and continuity after assembly of the electrical component into the metallic enclosure of the electronic product to meet electromagnetic interference (EMI) or an electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) requirement of the device.
The removal of the covering apparatus also does not affect the coating surrounding the contact area of the panel mount electrical component of the electronic module panel. The present disclosure ensures that the best aesthetics and appearance of the unit after painting or coating is achieved.
The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained with reference to the non-limiting embodiments in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
Any discussion of devices, articles or the like that has been included in this specification is solely for the purpose of providing a context for the disclosure. It is not to be taken as an admission that any or all these matters form a part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the disclosure as it existed anywhere before the priority date of this application.
, C , Claims:
1. A covering apparatus (100, 200, 300) for an electronic module panel (106, 206, 306) having at least one opening (116, 216, 315) for a panel mount electrical component (104, 204, 304), the covering apparatus (100, 200, 300) comprising:
a cover element (108, 208, 308) to cover a contact area (102, 202, 302) around the opening (116, 216, 315) of the electronic module panel (106, 206, 306), the cover element (108, 208, 308) has at least one hole (122, 222, 314) therethrough and a dimension greater than a dimension of the opening (116, 216, 315) thereby preventing the contact area (102, 202, 302) of the electronic module panel (106, 206, 306) from a paint or a non-conductive coating material,; and
at least one fastening member (112, 114, 212, 214, 310) removably coupled to the cover element (108, 208, 308) to fasten the cover element (108, 208, 308) with the electronic module panel (106, 206, 306), the fastening member (112, 212, 310) is received by the hole (122, 222, 314) of the cover element (108, 208, 308).
2. The covering apparatus (100, 200, 300) as claimed in claim 1, wherein a dimension of the contact area (102, 202, 302) of the electronic module panel (106, 206, 306) depends on the type of the panel mount electrical component (104, 204, 304).
3. The covering apparatus (100, 200) as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the cover element (108, 208) has an extruded portion (120, 220) removably disposed within the opening (116, 216) of the electronic module panel (106, 206).
4. The covering apparatus (100, 200) as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the covering apparatus (100, 200) further comprises a holding bracket (110, 210) removably attached to the cover element (108, 208) through the fastening member (112, 114, 212, 214) in such a manner that the electronic module panel (106, 206) is held rigidly therebetween.
5. The covering apparatus (200) as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the cover element (108, 208) has a circular shaped profile.
6. The covering apparatus (300) as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the cover element (308) has a square shaped profile with rounded corners.
7. The covering apparatus (100, 200, 300) as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the cover element (108, 208, 308) is made up of aluminium, copper, metal alloy, or combination thereof.
8. A method of painting or coating an electronic module panel (106, 206, 306) having at least one opening (116, 216, 315) for a panel mount electrical component (104, 204, 304) using a covering apparatus (100, 200, 300), the method comprising steps of:
covering, by a cover element (108, 208, 308) of the covering apparatus (100, 200, 300), a contact area (102, 202, 302) around the opening (116, 216, 315) of the electronic module panel (106, 206, 306), the cover element (108, 208, 308) has a dimension greater than a dimension of the opening (116, 216, 315), the cover element (108, 208, 308) has at least one hole (122, 222, 314) therethrough;
fastening, by at least one fastening member (112, 114, 212, 214, 310) of the covering apparatus (100, 200, 300), the cover element (108, 208, 308) with the electronic module panel (106, 206, 306), the fastening member (112, 212, 310) is received by the hole (122, 222, 314) of the cover element (108, 208, 308); and
painting or coating, by a paint or a non-conductive coating material, respectively, the electronic module panel (106, 206, 306), the cover element (108, 208, 308) prevents the contact area (102, 202, 302) of the electronic module panel (106, 206, 306) from the paint or the non-conductive coating material.
9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the covering apparatus (100, 200, 300) is dismantled after painting or coating.