The present invention is directed generally and in various embodiments to a crossbox with sliding binding post rails.
Cross boxes (also known as street cabinets, cross-connection boxes, or junction boxes), are used to house wires, fibre and components for telecommunications networks, cable television systems, and the like. For example, a crossbox may be installed in a telecommunications network to terminate optical fibres to copper wires or to provide an enclosure for housing copper wire splices.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a perspective view of a prior art crossbox 10. The crossbox 10 includes a housing 12 that is constructed of a durable material such as, for example, steel. The crossbox 10 also includes a door 14 that may be closed and secured via a latch 16. The door 14 may be secured to the crossbox 10 and permitted to swing open via hinges 18. A grid 20 of binding posts 22 is located in the housing 12 of the crossbox 10. The binding posts 22 are constructed of a conductive material and provide a connection for wires either on the backside of the binding posts 22 or the front side of the binding posts 22. The binding posts 22 provide an electrical contact for the wire or wires that are attached to the binding posts 22. The binding posts 22 may be arranged in pairs and, in a telecommunications application, a pair of binding posts 22 may correspond to pairs of tip and ring wires and may form an array of rows and/or columns.
For testing purposes, wires 24 may be attached to the door 14 via conductive attachment posts 26. The wires 24 may be terminated by electrical clips 28. The electrical clips 28 may be, for example, alligator clips. In operation, a technician may attach the clips 28 to one or more binding posts 22. The technician may then attach leads from a test device, such as a telephone butt set, to the attachment posts 26. Thus, if the crossbox 10 is used in a telecommunications system, each of the wires 24 may be attached to binding posts that correspond to the tip and the ring signals of a telephone line to be tested. Such an arrangement eliminates the need for the technician to attach leads from the test set to the binding posts 22.
In one embodiment, the present invention is directed to a connection box. The connection box includes a binding post and a sliding binding post mechanism. The sliding binding post mechanism includes a top rail, a bottom rail, a side rail slidably engaged in the top rail and the bottom rail, and a binding post connector mechanism slidably engaged in the side rail, the binding post connector mechanism having a binding post connector attached thereto and configured to provide an electrical connection to the binding post.
In one embodiment, the present invention is directed to a binding post connector mechanism. The mechanism includes a plate, an axle disposed in the plate, a slidable element located on the axle and configured to be disposed in a channel of a side rail located in a connector box, and a first binding post connector disposed in the plate and configured to make electrical contract with a first binding post in a connector box.
In one embodiment, the present invention is directed to a connection box. The connection box includes a plurality of binding posts and means for electrically engaging at least one of the binding posts. The means for electrically engaging includes a plurality of rails and bindind post connector means slidably engaged in at least one of the rails, the binding post connector means having a binding post connector attached thereto and configured to provide an electrical connection to the binding post.