Method of forming a foldable or collapsible plastic/composite utility enclosure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11766834-B2
Application number	US-202217729587-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 26, 2022
Priority date	Oct 26, 2018
Publication date	Sep 26, 2023
Grant date	Sep 26, 2023

Abstract

A method of forming and assembling a foldable plastic utility enclosure using molds to form sides of the enclosure, preferably using glass fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composite. The molds are constructed to form a central hole in hinge members which are formed on ends of the sides. The central hole of the hinge member is molded with two molding parts, wherein one or both of the molding parts have a solid central portion that forms the central hole. The sides are removed from the molds after curing and the sides are assembled to form the utility enclosure while the sides are still hot from the molding process. Hinge pins are inserted into the central holes of the hinge members to form hinges and to prevent the sides from warping during cooling. Assembling the sides and inserting hinge pins to form the utility enclosure is completed within approximately 10 minutes after removing the sides from the molds.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method of forming a foldable enclosure, the method comprising:
providing a molding material into a plurality of molds for forming a plurality of sides of the foldable enclosure, wherein the molds are constructed to form each side with a hinge member having a central hole;
removing the plurality of sides from the plurality of molds after curing of the material to form the plurality of molds; and
prior to or during cooling of the sides, assembling the sides together and inserting hinge pins into the central holes of the hinge members to form hinges of the foldable enclosure.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the molding material is a fiber-reinforced polymer material.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the fiber is glass fiber.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the polymer is a thermoplastic.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the polymer is polypropylene.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the assembling step is completed within approximately 10 minutes of the removing step.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising placing the foldable enclosure in a folded configuration prior to or during cooling of the sides.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the placing step occurs after the assembling step.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of molds comprises two molding parts which form the hinge member.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sides comprises a first side and a second side.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of sides further comprises a third side and a fourth side.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein each hinge has a single hinge pin.

Assignees

• Afl Telecommunications Llc

Inventors

• Nolen Dustin Kyle
• Thompson Raymond George

Classifications

• B29C65/565 Primary

  involving interference fits, e.g. force-fits or press-fits (B29C65/66 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B29C70/54

  Component parts, details or accessories; Auxiliary operations {, e.g. feeding or storage of prepregs or SMC after impregnation or during ageing} · CPC title

• B65D11/18

  collapsible, i.e. with walls hinged together or detachably connected · CPC title

• B65D11/1846

  whereby all side walls are hingedly connected to each other (B65D11/186 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B65D11/22

  Reinforcing for strengthening parts of members · CPC title