Spring Clip Camera Mounting for Hollow Ceiling Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Surveillance camera mounting systems require access to structural elements for installation, which is often not available, and involve additional expenses and complexities like the need for back boxes and wiring installations.
Innovation Solution
A flexible member with spring clips that can be inserted through a hole in a support surface, allowing the camera to be securely mounted without a back box, by bending inwardly during installation and expanding outwardly to bear against the surface for retention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a back box is used to mount the camera to a ceiling or wall, then the camera can be securely mounted without direct access to structural elements, but the installation cost and complexity increase due to additional components and wiring requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the back box component from the mounting assembly, extracting only the essential function of securing the camera to the ceiling or wall. The spring clips directly attach to the camera housing and engage with the ceiling joists or wall studs, eliminating the need for a separate back box enclosure and simplifying the overall mounting structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the mounting function and the structural support function into a single integrated assembly. The spring clips serve both to secure the camera and to provide structural support, merging what were previously separate functions performed by the back box and mounting hardware into one unified component system.
2Adaptability or versatility
If structural elements are located at an appropriate distance from the ceiling or wall to accommodate a back box, then the back box can be properly installed, but access to structural elements is frequently not available
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs spring clips that are dynamically adjustable in their positioning. The springs allow the mounting clips to flex and adapt to varying distances between the ceiling/wall surface and the structural elements, providing a dynamic solution that accommodates different installation locations without requiring precise pre-positioning of structural elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the mounting system by using spring-loaded clips that can extend and retract. This allows the mounting assembly to adapt to different spatial configurations and distances to structural elements, transforming a rigid mounting system into a flexible one that can accommodate various installation environments.
3Ease of operation
If spring clips are attached to a back box for mounting to a ceiling or wall, then the back box can be attached without structural element access, but the additional expense of a back box and wiring installation is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the back box component from the mounting system, retaining only the essential spring clip mounting mechanism. This reduction in components simplifies the installation process and reduces material requirements while maintaining the core functionality of secure mounting to ceilings or walls.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring clips are designed to perform multiple functions: they secure the camera housing, provide structural support, and enable installation without back boxes. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate back box components and reduces the overall quantity of parts required in the mounting system.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables easy and secure installation of surveillance cameras in suspended ceilings or hollow walls without additional expenses or installation requirements, ensuring stable and rotatable-free mounting.
Implementation Method 1
a flexible member having first and second ends, a first spring clip attached to the first end of the flexible member, and a second spring clip attached to the second end of the flexible member. The first and second spring clips have a tightening section for receiving a tightening member, a surface-bearing section for bearing against the back side of the support surface, and a connecting section connecting the tightening section and the surface-bearing section, whereby when tightening members are inserted through the apertures in the flange and received in the threaded section of the first and second spring clips, pressure applied to the tightening members causes the flexible member to bend
Implementation Method 2
the flexible member unbends when the pressure on the tightening members is removed causing the first and second spring clips to move outwardly away from the center of the housing so the surface-bearing section bears against the back side of the support surface to retain the electric fixture in the support surface hole
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for mounting a recessed electric fixture in a hole in a support surface having a front side and a back side, the electric fixture having a housing and a flange perpendicular to the housing with apertures adapted to receive a tightening member, the apparatus comprising a flexible member having first and second ends, a first spring clip attached to the first end of the flexible member, and a second spring clip attached to the second end of the flexible member, the first and second spring clips having a tightening section for receiving a tightening member, a surface-bearing section for bearing against the back side of the support surface, and a connecting section connecting the tightening section and the surface-bearing section, whereby when tightening members are inserted through the apertures in the flange and received in the threaded section of the first and second spring clips, pressure applied to the tightening members causes the flexible member to bend so that the first and second spring clips are moved inwardly towards the center of the housing so that the first and second spring clips and the flexible member can pass through the hole and whereby the flexible member unbends when the pressure on the tightening members is removed causing the first and spring clips to move outwardly away from the center of the housing so the surface-bearing section bears against the back side of the support surface to retain the electric fixture in the support surface hole.