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US-12627129-B1 - Cover for addressable input module boxes for building monitoring systems

US12627129B1US 12627129 B1US12627129 B1US 12627129B1US-12627129-B1

Abstract

A module box cover for covering addressable input modules used in fire and other building monitoring systems has a pocket defined therein, with the pocket being configured to receive a sensor situated such that it may be readily wired to the module situated within the module box on which the cover is to be situated. Thus, a user may (for example) situate a low-temperature sensor in a cover's pocket, wire the sensor to a sprinkler control module, and install the cover on the module or its module box, thereby enclosing the module within the module box. The sensor will thereafter warn of low-temperature conditions that could freeze and damage the associated sprinkler system.

Inventors

  • Carter Rierson

Assignees

  • Carter Rierson

Dates

Publication Date
20260512
Application Date
20220630

Claims (19)

  1. 1 . A module box cover including: a. a cover plate having: (1) opposing front and rear plate surfaces, (2) fasteners extending through the cover plate into an addressable input module: (a) situated adjacent the rear plate surface, (b) having a front face bearing an indicator lamp, (3) a lamp aperture aligned with the indicator lamp, whereby the indicator lamp is visible from the front plate surface, b. a sensor pocket having: (1) a pocket interior defined within pocket walls, the pocket walls including: (a) a pocket sidewall extending forwardly from the rear plate surface to (b) a pocket forewall spaced forwardly from the front plate surface, with (c) at least one port extending through the pocket walls, (2) a sensor within the pocket interior between the cover plate and the addressable input module, the sensor thereby being situated for connection to the addressable input module.
  2. 2 . The module box cover of claim 1 wherein the cover plate has a rearwardly-extending lip bounding the rear plate surface.
  3. 3 . The module box cover of claim 1 wherein the sensor pocket includes a depression: a. defined in the pocket sidewall adjacent the rear plate surface, and b. extending outwardly from the pocket interior.
  4. 4 . The module box cover of claim 1 further including a rib extending between the cover plate and the pocket sidewall.
  5. 5 . The module box cover of claim 1 further including a sensor enclosure having an enclosure sidewall extending forwardly from the front plate surface at locations spaced from the pocket sidewall to join the pocket wall at locations spaced from the front plate surface.
  6. 6 . The module box cover of claim 5 further including a rib extending between the enclosure sidewall and the pocket sidewall.
  7. 7 . The module box cover of claim 5 wherein the enclosure sidewall joins the pocket wall at the pocket sidewall rearwardly from the pocket forewall.
  8. 8 . A module box cover including: a. a cover plate having: (1) opposing front and rear plate surfaces, (2) fasteners extending through the cover olate into an addressable input module: (a) situated adjacent the rear plate surface, (b) having a front face bearing an indicator lamp, (3) a lamp aperture aligned with the indicator lamp, whereby the indicator lamp is visible from the front plate surface, b. a sensor pocket having a pocket interior defined within pocket walls, the pocket walls including: (1) a pocket forewall: (a) spaced forwardly from the front plate surface, and (b) having a port extending therethrough, (2) a pocket sidewall: (a) extending rearwardly from the pocket forewall toward the rear plate surface, and (b) having a depression defined therein adjacent the rear plate surface, the depression extending outwardly from the pocket interior, c. a sensor within the pocket interior between the cover plate and the addressable input module, the sensor thereby being situated for connection to the addressable input module.
  9. 9 . The module box cover of claim 8 further including one or more ribs extending between the pocket sidewall and the cover plate.
  10. 10 . The module box cover of claim 8 wherein two or more of the depression are provided at locations spaced about the interior circumference of the sensor pocket.
  11. 11 . The module box cover of claim 8 further including a sensor enclosure having: a. an enclosure wall extending from the front plate surface about the pocket sidewall, and b. ribs extending between the enclosure wall and the pocket sidewall.
  12. 12 . The module box cover of claim 11 wherein the enclosure wall converges to join the pocket sidewall as the enclosure wall extends from the front plate surface.
  13. 13 . The module box cover of claim 12 wherein the depression is situated within the sensor enclosure.
  14. 14 . The module box cover of claim 8 further including a sensor enclosure: a. having an enclosure wall extending: (1) from the front plate surface at locations spaced from the pocket sidewall, (2) to join the pocket walls at locations spaced from the front plate surface, b. wherein the depression is situated within the sensor enclosure.
  15. 15 . The module box cover of claim 14 further including a rib extending from the enclosure wall to the pocket sidewall.
  16. 16 . A module box cover including: a. a cover plate having: (1) opposing front and rear plate surfaces, (2) a rearwardly-extending lip bounding the rear plate surface, (3) fasteners extending through the cover plate into an addressable input module: (a) situated adjacent the rear plate surface, (b) having a front face bearing an indicator lamp, (4) a lamp aperture aligned with the indicator lamp, whereby the indicator lamp is visible from the front olate surface, b. a sensor pocket having a pocket interior defined within pocket walls, the pocket walls including: (1) a pocket sidewall extending forwardly from the rear plate surface to a pocket forewall, (2) a port extending through the pocket forewall, the sensor pocket having a sensor within the pocket interior, the sensor being connected to the addressable input module, c. a sensor enclosure having an enclosure wall extending: (1) forwardly from the front plate surface at locations spaced from the pocket sidewall, (2) to the pocket walls.
  17. 17 . The module box cover of claim 16 further including ribs extending from the enclosure wall to the pocket sidewall.
  18. 18 . The module box cover of claim 16 wherein the pocket sidewall includes spaced depressions defined therein: a. adjacent the rear plate surface, and b. extending outwardly from the pocket interior.
  19. 19 . The module box cover of claim 16 wherein the pocket forewall is situated forwardly from the enclosure walls.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION This document concerns an invention relating generally to building monitoring systems (e.g., fire, security, environmental, and other monitoring systems), and more specifically to covers for addressable input modules used in building monitoring systems. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Building monitoring systems often receive inputs from fire, sprinkler, pump, and other systems via devices commonly known as “input modules,” “addressable modules,” or “addressable input modules” (but which may hereinafter be simply referred to as “modules”). Such modules may be situated about a building, and are electrically connected to sensors whereby the modules relay status information (e.g., the on/off status of a sprinkler system) to the building monitoring system. For example, a module might be wired to a paddle switch within the supply pipe of a sprinkler system; when water flows in the supply pipe (indicating that the sprinkler is on), the paddle deflects, closing the switch, with the module then relaying the switch status to the building monitoring system to indicate that the sprinkler is on. Modules are typically provided in such a form that they may be mounted within conventional wall-mounted electrical junction boxes, or are instead provided within their own stand-alone wall-mountable boxes (“alarm input boxes”). These boxes are generically referred to as “module boxes.” As an example, FIG. 1a shows a module box 100 mounted to a wall 102, with the module box 100 containing a module 112 (FIG. 1b) which communicates with sprinkler valve switches 106 via lines 104. Some building monitoring systems benefit from the use of temperature sensors; for example, sprinkler systems can benefit from the use of low-temperature thermostats where sprinklers are subject to freezing concerns (as freezing may cause pipe bursts and flooding, or may at least hinder the sprinkler system's effectiveness). When used, such temperature sensors are typically mounted on a wall, with wires extending to a module within a module box so the module can relay a signal to the building monitoring system when a temperature threshold of concern is crossed. These sensors are known to be time-consuming, inconvenient, and annoying to install: inefficiencies arise from locating suitable wall-mounting hardware (if not provided with the sensor); wall-mounting often requires the driving of screws or other fasteners into concrete or metal (which can be difficult); and the sensor and/or its wires may need to be covered for protection (as by situating a wall-mounted “cage” over the sensor, and installing the wires within electrical conduit), and/or for better aesthetic appearance. Similar problems arise where other sensors (e.g., smoke/particle, moisture/humidity, light, motion, or other sensors) are to be added to building monitoring systems. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention, which is defined by the claims set forth at the end of this document, is directed to a module box cover which at least partially alleviates the aforementioned problems. A basic understanding of some of the features of preferred versions of the module box cover can be attained from a review of the following brief summary of the invention, with more details being provided elsewhere in this document. To assist in the reader's understanding, the following review makes reference to the accompanying drawings (which are briefly reviewed in the “Brief Description of the Drawings” section following this Summary section of this document). Referring to the exemplary module box cover 200 of FIGS. 2a-2b, the cover 200 includes a cover plate 202 having a front plate surface 204 (FIG. 2a) and an opposing rear plate surface 206 (FIG. 2b), and a sensor pocket 208. The sensor pocket 208 has pocket walls defining a pocket interior 210 configured to receive a sensor 20 (seen outside the pocket 208 in FIG. 2a, and installed within the pocket 208 in FIG. 2b). The pocket walls include a pocket sidewall 212 extending forwardly from the rear plate surface 206 to a pocket forewall 214 spaced forwardly from the front plate surface 204. Thus, a suitable sensor 20—here a 40° F. temperature sensor warning of potential impending freezing conditions in pipes for a sprinkler system monitored by addressable input module 22—can be quickly and easily wired to the module 22 and inserted within the pocket interior 210, with the cover plate 202 then being fastened to the module 22 (e.g., via fasteners inserted through fastener apertures 216 in the cover plate 202) to effectively mount the sensor 20 to the module 22. As the module 22 is (or can be) affixed within the module box 24, the cover plate 202 at the same time encloses the module 22 within the module box 24, protecting the module 22 as well as the sensor 20. At least one port 218 extends through the pocket walls (through the pocket forewall 214 in FIG. 2a), allowing the sensor 20 to more rapidly detect the ambient temperature (or other ambient e