Wiring and connected hardware are an integral part of a typical commercial building telecommunications wiring system. Wiring standards of Category 5 Transmission, require that items, such as, modular jack panels be mounted for easy installation and service. A typical piece of equipment upon which modular jack panels are mounted is a floor-to-ceiling relay rack. In many installations, a floor-to-ceiling relay rack is not warranted for the number of panels which are to be utilized. A well-known piece of equipment for mounting a smaller number of panels is a wall rack typically mounted on a vertical wall. A wall rack generally includes a support frame which is fixed relative to the wall and a mounting frame connected to the support frame. The mounting frame has a plurality of modular jack panels mounted thereon with the front of the panels exposed. The mounting frame is connected to the support frame by a pair of vertically aligned hinges on one side of the mounting frame and a locking latch on the opposite side of the mounting frame. When it is desired to reach the back of the jack panels, the locking latch is released thereby releasing the one side of the mounting frame from the support frame so that the mounting frame may pivot on the vertically aligned hinges. Whether a wall rack in a given installation is a right or a left opening wall rack is determined when the wall rack is initially mounted on a wall. It is well known to change a wall rack from left to right opening simply by inverting or rotating the rack 180.degree.. However, mounting of panels on the mounting frame fixes the side of the opening of the mounting frame.
It has been found that the mounting frame with the jack panels and wiring mounted thereon is heavy and the frame tends to sag when it is pivoted to allow the back of the panels to be exposed. The sagging is in part due to the clearance between a hinge pin and the member in which it rotates. The sagged mounting frame is difficult to move back into its normal operative position. It is desirable to provide a telecommunication wall rack which opens from either side and has a minimum of sag when the mounting frame is pivoted relative to the support frame.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds