US-12628287-B2 - Apparatus for securing an electronic device to a support structure and electronic device incorporating same

US12628287B2US 12628287 B2US12628287 B2US 12628287B2US-12628287-B2

Abstract

An electronic device mountable to a support structure includes a housing, a coupling member, a clamp member, and a latch mechanism. The coupling member has an electronic device support portion and a clamp support portion. The device support portion is coupled to the housing. The clamp support portion extends from one end of the device support portion in a direction substantially normal to the device support portion. The clamp member includes a base, a first arched clamp portion, a second arched clamp portion, and a hinge. The base is coupled to the coupling member's clamp support portion. The first clamp portion is attached to the base. The hinge pivotally couples the first ends of the two clamp portions such that the arch shapes of the two clamp portions oppose each other. The latch mechanism is configured to latch the second ends of the two clamp portions to the support structure.

Inventors

Claudio Santiago Ribeiro
Cesar Eduardo Nunez
Steven Kenneth Mackiewicz
Stephen M. Oshgan

Assignees

UBICQUIA, INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20230619

Claims (18)

1 . An electronic device mountable to a support structure, the electronic device comprising: a housing having a top side and a bottom side, wherein the bottom side includes two parallel shuttle tracks extending along a longitudinal direction thereof; a coupling member including an elongated electronic device support portion and a clamp support portion, the electronic device support portion having a first end and a second end, the clamp support portion extending from near the second end of the electronic device support portion at a generally right angle to an elongated direction of the electronic device support portion; a clamp member including a base, a first arched clamp portion, a second arched clamp portion, and a hinge, the base being slidably coupled to the clamp support portion of the coupling member, the first clamp portion being attached to the base and oriented such that a second end of the first clamp portion is closer to the electronic device support portion of the coupling member than is a first end of the first clamp portion, the hinge pivotally coupling a first end of the second clamp portion to the first end of the first clamp portion such that an arch shape of the second clamp portion is positioned opposite an arch shape of the first clamp portion when the clamp member is closed; a latch mechanism positioned at the second end of the first clamp portion and the second end of the second clamp portion, the latch mechanism configured to latch the second end of the first clamp portion to the second end of the second clamp portion after the first clamp portion and the second clamp portion are positioned about the support structure; a first shuttle positioned proximate a first surface of the electronic device support portion at a first position along the elongated direction of the electronic device support portion; and a second shuttle positioned proximate the first surface of the electronic device support portion at a second position along the elongated direction of the electronic device support portion, wherein the first shuttle and the second shuttle fit into the two parallel shuttle tracks of the housing.
2 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the clamp member further includes: a first bushing component attached to an inner face of the first clamp portion; and a second bushing component attached to an inner face of the second clamp portion.
3 . The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the first bushing component and the second bushing component each have at least one flat facet.
4 . The electronic device apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the electronic device support portion of the coupling member further includes: a non-conductive spacer positioned between the first and second shuttles and the first surface of the electronic device support portion.
5 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first clamp portion is attached to the base such that the first end of the first clamp portion and the second end of the first clamp portion are oriented along an axis forming an approximately forty-five degree angle relative to the clamp support portion of the coupling member.
6 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the clamp support portion of the coupling member is configured to allow a position of the clamp member to be adjusted relative to a position of the electronic device support portion of the coupling member.
7 . The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein the clamp support portion of the coupling member defines a channel along a length thereof and wherein the base of the clamp member includes a protrusion that fits into the channel.
8 . The electronic device of claim 7 , further comprising: one or more threaded fasteners passing through the channel of the clamp support portion of the coupling member and into the base of the clamp member from an opposite side of the clamp support portion to secure the base to the clamp support portion.
9 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the second clamp portion of the clamp member has an outward radial extension at the second end thereof, the outward radial extension defining a slot, and wherein the latch mechanism includes: a threaded rod having a first end and a second end, the first end of the threaded rod being coupled to the second end of the first clamp portion of the clamp member at a hinge joint; and a latch nut disposed on the threaded rod so as to be on an outer side of the outward radial extension when the threaded rod is rotated about the hinge joint and positioned in the slot of the outward radial extension to permit tightening of the latch nut against the outer side of the outward radial extension.
10 . An electronic device mountable to a support structure, the electronic device comprising: a housing having a top side and a bottom side, wherein the bottom side includes two parallel shuttle tracks extending along a longitudinal direction thereof; a coupling member including an elongated electronic device support portion and a clamp support portion, the clamp support portion extending from near one end of the electronic device support portion at a generally right angle to an elongated direction of the electronic device support portion; a clamp member including a base, a first clamp portion, a second clamp portion, and a hinge, the base being slidably coupled to the clamp support portion of the coupling member, the first clamp portion being attached to the base and oriented such that a second end of the first clamp portion is closer to the electronic device support portion of the coupling member than is a first end of the first clamp portion, the hinge pivotally coupling a first end of the second clamp portion to the first end of the first clamp portion such that the second clamp portion is positioned opposite the first clamp portion when the clamp member is closed; a latch mechanism positioned at a second end of the first clamp portion and a second end of the second clamp portion, the latch mechanism configured to latch the second end of the first clamp portion to the second end of the second clamp portion after the first clamp portion and the second clamp portion are positioned about the support structure; a first shuttle positioned proximate a first surface of the electronic device support portion at a first position along the elongated direction of the electronic device support portion; and a second shuttle positioned proximate the first surface of the electronic device support portion at a second position along the elongated direction of the electronic device support portion, wherein the first shuttle and the second shuttle fit into the two parallel shuttle tracks of the housing.
11 . The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein the clamp member further includes: a first bushing component attached to an inner face of the first clamp portion; and a second bushing component attached to an inner face of the second clamp portion.
12 . The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the first bushing component and the second bushing component each have at least one flat facet.
13 . The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein the electronic device support portion of the coupling member further includes: a non-conductive spacer positioned between the first and second shuttles and the first surface of the electronic device support portion.
14 . The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein the clamp support portion of the coupling member is configured to allow a position of the clamp member to be adjusted relative to a position of the electronic device support portion of the coupling member.
15 . An electronic device mountable to a support structure, the electronic device comprising: a housing having a top side and a bottom side, wherein the bottom side includes two parallel shuttle tracks extending along a longitudinal direction thereof; a coupling member including an elongated electronic device support portion and a clamp support portion, the clamp support portion extending from near one end of the electronic device support portion at a generally right angle to an elongated direction of the electronic device support portion, the electronic device support portion including a pair of shuttles, a first shuttle of the pair of shuttles being positioned at a first position along the elongated direction of the electronic device support portion and within a first track of the two parallel shuttle tracks and a second shuttle of the pair of shuttles being positioned at a second position along the elongated direction of the electronic device support portion and within a second track of the two parallel shuttle tracks; a clamp member including a base, a first arched clamp portion, a second arched clamp portion, and a hinge, the base being slidably coupled to the clamp support portion of the coupling member, the first clamp portion being attached to the base and oriented such that a second end of the first clamp portion is closer to the electronic device support portion of the coupling member than is a first end of the first clamp portion, the hinge pivotally coupling the first end of the first clamp portion to a first end of the second clamp portion such that the second clamp portion is positioned opposite the first clamp portion when the clamp member is closed; and a latch mechanism positioned at a second end of the first clamp portion and a second end of the second clamp portion, the latch mechanism configured to latch the second end of the first clamp portion to the second end of the second clamp portion after the first clamp portion and the second clamp portion are positioned about the support structure.
16 . The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the clamp support portion of the coupling member defines a channel along a length thereof and wherein the base of the clamp member includes a protrusion that fits into the channel of the clamp support portion and enables a position of the clamp member to be adjusted relative to a position of the electronic device support portion of the coupling member.
17 . The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the second clamp portion of the clamp member has an outward radial extension at the second end thereof, the outward radial extension defining a slot, and wherein the latch mechanism includes: a threaded rod having a first end and a second end, the first end of the threaded rod being coupled to the second end of the first clamp portion of the clamp member at a hinge joint; and a latch nut disposed on the threaded rod so as to be on an outer side of the outward radial extension when the threaded rod is rotated about the hinge joint and positioned in the slot of the outward radial extension to permit tightening of the latch nut against the outer side of the outward radial extension.
18 . The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the electronic device support portion of the coupling member further includes: a non-conductive spacer positioned between the pair of shuttles and a surface of the electronic device support portion.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS The present application is a division of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/695,779, which was filed on Mar. 15, 2022, and is incorporated herein by this reference in its entirety. U.S. application Ser. No. 17/695,779 is a continuation-in part of U.S. Design patent application Ser. No. 29/767,115, which was filed on Jan. 20, 2021, and is incorporated herein by this reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates generally to mounting of electronic devices and, more particularly, to an apparatus for mounting an electronic device to a support structure, such as a streetlight, and an electronic device that includes such an apparatus. BACKGROUND Clamping structures are commonly used to mount equipment to structures. In particular, clamping structures can use opposing semi-circular halves that are bolted together on each side around a cylindrical pole section. These halves a sometimes referred to as being U-shaped or horseshoe shaped. To install these a worker generally puts one half on one side of the pole, then aligns the other half with the first half, and passes a respective bolt through each of the opposing ends. This operation generally requires both hands to do. Thus, if the equipment being mounted needs to be held during this process, another person is needed to hold the equipment, or some sort of assistance must be used to hold the equipment being mounted. One type of equipment that is being deployed presently are small cell access node devices. These devices may be mounted on existing lighting structures used to light roads and sidewalks in urban or city locales. Modern lighting structure include electrical connectors that can be used to power associated devices, like small cell access node devices. However, the use of prior art clamping structures to mount small cell access devices, and other types of electronic devices, to pole sections is inefficient and may require multiple personnel to install the equipment. Therefore, a need exists to overcome the problems with the prior art as discussed above. SUMMARY Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide a clamp assembly for mounting a small cell access node device to a pole section of a light structure. The clamp assembly includes a coupling member that has an elongated top portion that has a first end and a second end. The coupling member also has a clamp support portion that extends from the second end of the top portion in a direction substantially normal to an elongated direction of the top portion such that the coupling member has a substantial “L” shape. The clamp assembly also includes a clamp member that has a base that is coupled to the clamp support portion. The clamp member also has a first clamp portion that has a first end fixed to the base, and a second end that is free. The first clamp portion has a semicircular shape between its first end and its second end. The clamp member also has a second clamp portion including a first end that is joined to the first end of the first clamp portion by a hinge. The second clamp portion has a semicircular shape between its first end and its second end. The semicircular shape of the second clamp portion opposes the semicircular shape of the first clamp portion such that the first and second clamp portions define a circle between them when the second ends of the upper and second clamp portions are bought together. The clamp assembly also has a latch mechanism mounted at the second end of the first clamp portion that is moveable and configured to latch the second end of the second clamp portion to the second end of the first clamp portion. Some exemplary embodiments of the inventive disclosure provide an electronic device mountable to a support structure. The small cell access node device includes a turn-lock electrical connector disposed on a bottom side at a front of the small cell access node device. The small cell access node device also has a pair of parallel tracks along the bottom side, each one of the pair of tracks runs in a direction from a back to the front of the small cell access node device and each have a slot along the track in which to receive a corresponding shuttle. The small cell access node device has a clamp assembly that includes a coupling member. The coupling member has an elongated top portion with a first end and a second end. The coupling member further includes a clamp support portion that extends from the second end of the top portion in a direction substantially normal to an elongated direction of the top portion. The coupling member also includes a first shuttle at first end disposed on a top surface of the top portion and coupled into a first one of the pair of tracks, and a second shuttle at second end disposed on the top surface of the top portion and coupled into a second one of the pair of tracks. The shuttles are movable along the tracks and hold the clamp assembly to the bottom side of the small c