Equipment Enclosure With Retention Member

Abstract

An enclosure is described comprising a container for housing equipment, a cover for enclosing said container, and a retention member for retaining the cover in an open position to allow a user to access the interior of said container. The retention member provides a releasable means to secure the cover in the open position and to allow the cover to be closed when the user has completed accessing the interior thereof.

1 . An enclosure comprising a container, a cover, and a retention member wherein the retention member is rotatably attached to the cover and slidably attached to the container, and wherein the retention member retains the cover in an open position allowing access to the interior of the container. 
     
     
         2 . The enclosure of  claim 1  wherein the retention member is rotatably attached to the cover by a mounting pin. 
     
     
         3 . The enclosure of  claim 2  wherein the retention member is slidably attached to the container by a guide pin. 
     
     
         4 . The enclosure of  claim 3  wherein the container is provided with a slot for slidably accepting the guide pin. 
     
     
         5 . The enclosure of  claim 4  wherein the slot comprises an arcuate section and a retention section. 
     
     
         6 . The enclosure of  claim 5  wherein the guide pin is disposed in the retention section of the slot when the cover is in the open position and retains the cover in the open position. 
     
     
         7 . The enclosure of  claim 6  wherein the guide pin is disposed in the arcuate section of the slot when the cover is in the closed position. 
     
     
         8 . A method of supporting a cover of an enclosure in an open position comprising the steps of:
 providing an enclosure comprising a container and a cover wherein the cover is rotatably attached to the container;   providing a retention member rotatably attached to the cover and slidably engaged to the container;   rotating the cover to an open position; and   releasably securing the retention member to the container for supporting the cover in the open position.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8  wherein the step of providing a retention member further comprises the steps of:
 providing a retention member with a first end and a second end wherein a mounting hole is provided adjacent to the first end and a guide pin is fixedly attached adjacent to the second end thereof; 
 providing a mounting pin fixedly attached to the cover; 
 providing a slot in the container; 
 disposing the mounting hole over the mounting pin and rotatably attaching it thereto; 
 disposing the guide pin in the slot and slidably attaching it thereto. 
 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the slot comprises an arcuate section and a retention section. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the guide pin slides when in the arcuate section of the slot and is releasably retained in the retention section of the slot. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11  wherein the step of rotating the cover to an open position further comprises the steps of:
 rotating the cover from the closed position to an open position; 
 rotating the retention member around the mounting pin and sliding the guide pin through the arcuate section of the slot to the retention section of the slot. 
 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12  wherein the step of releasably securing the retention member to the container for supporting the cover in the open position comprises retaining the guide pin in the retention section of the slot. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13  further comprising the steps of:
 releasing the guide pin from the retention section of the slot; 
 rotating the cover to a closed position; and 
 sliding the guide pin through the arcuate section of the slot. 
 
     
     
         15 . A container for enclosing electrical or telecommunications equipment comprising a container for mounting said equipment, a cover for enclosing said container, and a retention member for retaining said cover in a open position to allow access to the interior of the container. 
     
     
         16 . The container of  claim 15  wherein the retention member comprises a rigid bar with a first end and a second end, and wherein a mounting hole is provided adjacent to said first end, and a guide pin is provided adjacent to said second end. 
     
     
         17 . The container of  claim 16  wherein the cover is provided with a mounting pin for rotatably attaching to the mounting hole in the retention member. 
     
     
         18 . The container of  claim 17  wherein the container further comprises a slot for slidably receiving the guide pin, wherein said slot has an arcuate section and a retention section. 
     
     
         19 . The container of  claim 18  wherein the guide pin is releasably retained in the retention section of the slot to retain the cover in an open position. 
     
     
         20 . The container of  claim 19  wherein the guide pin is slidably disposed in the arcuate section of the slot when the cover is in a closed position.