Claims:WE CLAIM:

1. An enclosure (100) with door reversibility, the enclosure (100) having
• a box (20) having an open front (2), a base member (6), a top panel (8), a bottom panel (10), a left side panel (14) and a right side panel (18), the base member (6) mounted on a support member through holes (4) configured thereon, the left side panel (14) having a first pair of brackets (12) configured thereon to face a second pair of brackets (16) configured at parallely same and opposite position on the right side panel (18);
• a door (40) for closing the open front (2) of the box (20) from any one of a left side and a right side of the box (20), the door (40) having a pair of steps (25) configured on a first side (36) thereof and a pair of male locking members (35) configured on an opposite second side (38) thereof;
• a pair of hinges (60) removably mounted on any one of the pair of brackets (12/16) to removably engage with the pair of steps (25) on the door (40) to assemble the door (40) to the box (20) from any one of the left side and the right side of the box (20);
• a pair of female locking members (80) mounted on any one of the pair of brackets (16/12) and opposite to the mounting position of the pair of hinges (60) for removably engaging with the pair of male locking members (35) on the door (40) upon closing of the door (40) onto the box (20);
• a pin (85) sliding through the pair of hinges (60) and the pair of steps (25) on the door (40); and
• an end cap (90) removably fitted to the pin (85) to prevent the pin (85)
from rattling and falling down during the transit,
wherein, in order to close the open front (2) of the box (20) from another side depending on the user requirement, the door (40) is inverted/reversed by removing the pin (85) from the pair of hinges (60), thereafter the screws (70) are removed from the pair of hinges (60) and the pair of female locking members (80) mounted on any one of the first and the second pair of brackets (12/16) to interchange mounting positions thereof on the second and the first pair of brackets (16/12) by using the screws (70), thereafter the pin (85) is reinserted into the pair of hinges (60) now on the other side thereby achieving hassle free door reversibility without leaving any holes in the enclosure (100) and thus providing protection against ingress of foreign particles.

2. The enclosure (100) with door reversibility as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dimensions of holes in the first and the second pair of brackets (12, 16) are same to prevent creation of void space in the enclosure (100) while mounting the pair of hinges (60) and the pair of female locking members (80).

3. The enclosure (100) with door reversibility as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pair of hinges (60) is mounted on the first pair of brackets (12) of the box (40) and the pair of female locking members (80) is mounted on the second pair of brackets (16) on the box (20) to achieve door closing onto the box (20) from the left side.

4. The enclosure (100) with door reversibility as claimed in claim 1, wherein, the pair of hinges (60) is mounted on the second pair of brackets (16) of the box (20) and the pair of female locking members (80) is mounted on the first pair of brackets (12) on the box (20) to achieve door closing onto the box (20) from the right side.

5. The enclosure (100) with door reversibility as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pair of hinges (60) and the pair of female locking members (80) are removably mounted on any one of first pair of brackets (12) and the second pair of brackets (16) using screws (70).
, Description:FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to enclosures and more particularly to the enclosure with door reversibility as well as a reversible door for enclosures and panels.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Reversibility of door comes into picture when the enclosure is installed at an extreme corner of a wall and the user needs to change the opening of the door in left or right direction and this requirement is never clear when purchasing the enclosure.

Presently, the door reversibility is achieved by reversing the door or the frame on which it is mounted or by reversing the hinges on which it is mounted. In both the situations when the door needs to be reversed there will be a void space (mounting position of hinge / latch bracket) which is generally not filled resulting in lower ingress protection. In cases, the void space is filled using some plugs to achieve higher ingress protection.

The major drawback caused by having a lock bracket and hinge relation is that the mounting dimensions are not same because of which whenever the reversibility feature is required extra holes are kept which needs to be plugged or left open where by ingress (solid particles / water).

Hence, there exists a need for a reversible door for enclosures and panels that overcomes the above mentioned problem of the prior art.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to eliminate creation of void space during reversibility of an enclosure door and thus achieve an improved ingress protection.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention provides an enclosure with door reversibility. The enclosure includes a box, a door, a pair of hinges, a pair of female locking members, a pin and an end cap.

The box includes an open front, a base member, a top panel, a bottom panel, a left side panel and a right side panel. The base member is mounted on a support member through holes configured thereon. The left side panel includes a first pair of brackets configured thereon to face a second pair of brackets configured at parallely same and opposite position on the right side panel. The dimensions of holes in the first and the second pair of brackets are same.

The door closes the open front of the box from any one of a left side and a right side of the box. The door includes a pair of steps configured on a first side thereof and a pair of male locking members configured on an opposite second side thereof.

The pair of hinges is removably mounted on any one of the first pair of brackets and the second pair of brackets to removably engage with the pair of steps on the door to assemble the door to the box from any one of the left side and the right side of the box.

The pair of female locking members is mounted opposite to the pair of hinges on any one of the second pair of brackets and the first pair of brackets for removably engaging with the pair of male locking members on the door upon closing of the door onto the box.
The pair of hinges is mounted on the first pair of brackets of the box and the pair of female locking members is mounted on the second pair of brackets on the box to achieve door closing onto the box from the left side. The pair of hinges is mounted on the second pair of brackets of the box and the pair of female locking members is mounted on the first pair of brackets on the box to achieve door closing onto the box from the right side. The pair of hinges and the pair of female locking members are removably mounted on any one of first pair of brackets and the second pair of brackets using screws.

The pin slides through the pair of hinges and the pair of steps on the door. The end cap is removably fitted to the pin to prevent the pin from rattling and falling down during the transit.

In order to close the open front of the box from another side depending on the user requirement, the door is inverted/reversed by removing the pin from the pair of hinges, thereafter the screws are removed from the pair of hinges and the pair of female locking members mounted on any one of the first and the second pair of brackets to interchange mounting positions thereof on the second and the first pair of brackets by using the screws, thereafter the pin is reinserted into the pair of hinges now on the other side thereby achieving hassle free door reversibility without leaving any holes in the enclosure and thus providing protection against ingress of foreign particles.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features as well as the advantages of the invention will be clear from the following description.

In the appended drawings:
Figure 1 show a basic view of an enclosure in an open condition from a left side, in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 show another basic view of the enclosure in the open condition from a right side, in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 3 show an exploded view of enclosure, in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 4 shows the assembly of a door with a box by using hinge set in detail A, in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 5 shows the detail view of the hinge assembly, in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 6 shows a top view of the enclosure in a closed condition, in accordance with the present invention; and

Figure 7 shows the sectional view of the closed enclosure, in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The foregoing objects of the present invention are accomplished and the problems and shortcomings associated with the prior art, techniques and approaches are overcome by the present invention as described below in the preferred embodiment.

The present invention provides an enclosure with door reversibility. The reversible door eliminates creation of void space during reversibility of the door and thus achieves an improved ingress protection.

The present invention is illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings, throughout which reference numbers indicate corresponding parts in the various figures.

Referring to figures 1-7, an enclosure (100) with door reversibility, in accordance with the present invention is shown. The enclosure (100), alternatively referred to as a panel comprises a box (20), a door (40), a pair of hinges (60), a pair of female locking members (80), a pin (85) and an end cap (90).

The box (20) is used for enclosing various components such as mechanical components, electrical components, switchgear and the like. The box (20) includes an open front (2), a base member (6), a top panel (8), a bottom panel (10), a left side panel (14) and a right side panel (18) as shown in figure 1. The base member (6) includes holes (4) configured thereon. The base member (6) is mounted on a support member for example a wall (not shown) through the holes (4).

The left side panel (14) includes a first pair of brackets (12) configured thereon. The right side panel (18) includes a second pair of brackets (16) configured thereon. The first pair of brackets (12) is configured on the left side panel (14) at parallely same and opposite position of the second pair of brackets (16) on the right side panel (18) as shown in figure 3. The first and the second pair of brackets (12, 16) includes holes (not numbered) configured therein to allow mounting of the pair of hinges (60) and the pair of female locking members (80) thereon. Specifically, the dimensions of holes in the first and the second pair of brackets (12, 16) are same on opposite side of enclosure (100).

The door (40) closes the open front (2) of the box (20) from any one of a left side and a right side of the box (20) such that no void spaces are created on the enclosure (100). The door (40) is capable of being reversed or inverted to achieve closing of the box (20) from another side. The door (40) includes a pair of steps (25) and a pair of male locking members (35) configured thereon as shown in figures 2 and 4. Specifically, the pair of steps (25) is configured on a first side (36) of the door (40) (refer figure 2). The pair of male locking members (35) is a latch configured on an opposite second side (38) of the door (40) (refer figure 2). The pair of male locking members (35) is used for closing and opening of the enclosure (100). The pair of male locking members (35) can be with or without a padlock.

The pair of hinges (60) is removably mounted on any one of the first pair of brackets (12) and the second pair of brackets (16) (refer figure 3) to removably engage with the pair of steps (25) on the door (40) to assemble the door (40) to the box (20) from any one of the left side and the right side of the box (20). Figure 4 shows the pair of hinges (60) for assembling the door (40) with the box (20). Figure 5 shows the detail view of pair of hinges (60), wherein the pair of steps (25) is assembled with pair of hinges (60) by the pin (85) inside a hinge’s slot (not numbered) and putting the end cap (90) thereon.

The pair of female locking members (80) is a lock bracket mounted on any one of the second pair of brackets (16) and the first pair of brackets (12) (refer figure 3) for removably engaging with the pair of male locking members (35) on the door (40) when the door (40) is closed onto the box (20).

Specifically, the mounting position of the pair of female locking members (80) is opposite that of the pair of hinges (60). More specifically, the pair of hinges (60) and the pair of female locking members (80) are mounted on same mounting dimension of opposite sides using screws (70) of same dimensions as shown in figure 3. In other words, the pair of hinges (3) and the pair of female locking members () are removably mounted on any one of first pair of brackets (12) and the second pair of brackets (16) using the screws (70) for example countersunk screws of same dimensions as shown in figure 3.

When the door (40) is to be closed onto the box (20) from the left side, the pair of hinges (60) is mounted on the first pair of brackets (12) of the box (20) and the pair of female locking members (80) is mounted on the second pair of brackets (16) on the box (20). When the door (40) is to be closed onto the box (20) from the right side, the pair of hinges (60) is mounted on the second pair of brackets (16) of the box (20) and the pair of female locking members (80) is mounted on the first pair of brackets (12) on the box (20).

The pin (8) is a sliding pin that slides through the pair of hinges (60) and the pair of steps (25) on the door (40). Specifically, the pin (85) passes inside the hinge’s slot to engage the pair of hinges (60) with the pair of steps (25). The end cap (90) is removably fitted to the pin (85) to ensure that the pin (85) does not rattle and fall down during transit.

In order to close the open front (2) of the box (20) from another side depending on the user requirement, the door (40) is inverted / reversed by removing the pin (85) from the pair of hinges (60). Then, the mounting positions of the pair of hinges (60) and the pair of female locking members (80) on any one of the first and the second pair of brackets (12/16) are interchanged by removing the screws (70) therefrom. This interchangeability of the pair of hinges (60) and the pair of female locking members (80) can be seen in figure 3. The screws (70) are reinserted to fix the interchanged mounting positions of the pair of hinges (60) and the pair of female locking members (80) on the second and the first pair of brackets (16/12). Thereafter, the pin (85) is reinserted on the pair of hinges (60) now on the opposite side thereby achieving hassle free door reversibility without leaving any holes / void spaces in the enclosure (100) and thus providing protection against ingress of foreign particles. Figure 7 shows the sectional view of a closed enclosure (100) to represent a clear picture and functioning of the pair of hinges (60) and the pair of female locking members (80). The door reversibility is explained in further details herein below:

When the box (20) is to be closed from the left side:
In this case, the pair of hinges (60) is mounted on the first pair of brackets (12) on the box (20) and the pair of female locking members (80) is mounted on the second pair of brackets (16) on the box (20) using screws (70). Suppose this is a default mounting positions of the pair of hinges (60) and the pair of female locking members (80). Thereafter, the pin (85) passes through the slot of the pair of hinges (60) such that the pair of hinges (60) engages the pair of steps (25) there between. Thereafter, the pin (85) is covered with the end cap (90). Now the door (40) is hinged to the box (20) using the pair of hinges (60) thereby closing the open front (2) of the box (20).

When the box (20) is to be closed from the right side:
In this case, the pin (85) is removed from the pair of hinges (60) and the pair of steps (25) to invert/reverse the door (40). Thereafter, the mounting positions of the pair of hinges (60) and the pair of female locking members (80) are interchanged by removing the screws (70) mounting the pair of hinges (60) and the pair of female locking members (80) onto the first and the second pair of brackets (12, 16), respectively. Thereafter, the pair of hinges (60) is mounted onto the second pair of brackets (16) while the pair of female locking members (80) is mounted onto the first pair of brackets (12) using the screws (70) followed by passing the pin (85) to engage the pair of hinges (60) now on the opposite side to the pair of steps (25) so that the door (40) can seal the open front (2) of the box (20) from the right side.

ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION

1. The feature of door reversibility is provided to install the enclosure (100) in a user friendly manner and to give user the convenience to reverse the door (1) on site instead of demanding a particular mounting choice right in the beginning.
2. The mounting positions of the pair of hinges (60) and the pair of female locking members (80) is capable of being reversed in a very convenient way leaving no holes spared which is a big concern in IP (ingress protection).
3. The dimensions of holes in the first and the second pair of brackets for mounting of the pair of hinges (60) and the pair of female locking members (80) are same on opposite side of the enclosure (100) to make assembly easy and hassle free which leaves no void space and hence provides a better ingress protection. The design of the first and the second pair of mounting brackets (12, 16) have unique dimensions and geometry so that no holes will be spared when the door (40) is reversed. In dust-tight enclosures which are highly protected against foreign particles and water jet, there is always threat if any hole left spared. Therefore utilization of all holes makes the enclosure (100) very safe.

The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the present invention and its practical application, and to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the present invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is understood that various omissions and substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient, but such omissions and substitutions are intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims of the present invention.