Mounting device for compact apparatus

An assembly comprising:

• an electrical apparatus enclosed in a casing of an insulating material mounted onto a supporting panel means by a mounting device;
• said casing including a main body portion with a cavity containing component elements of said electrical apparatus and a hollow pillar-shaped portion extending from one external side of said main body portion, the hollow portion of said pillar-shaped portion being formed along a longitudinal axis of said pillar-shaped portion and communicating with said cavity of said main body;
• said hollow pillar-shaped portion having its free end divided into a plurality of segments by a plurality of slots extending along said axis from said free end;
• a set of segments in a predetermined number being selected among said plurality of segments, each of said set of segments having its free end integrally formed with a portion protruded outward thereby to form a step on the opposite end of said protruded portion to said free end, said protruded portion of each of said set of segments being arranged such that when said free end of said hollow pillar-shaped portion is registered with and pressed against a mounting hole preformed in the supporting panel means, during assembly in order to fix said casing onto said panel means, said protruded portion is pressed inwardly by the periphery of said mounting hole, thereby causing the segment associated with said protruded portion to bend elastically inward and such that said segment associated with said protruded portion is restored to its original position after said protruded portion has passed through said mounting hole;
• bias means located between said one external side of said main body and said supporting panel means exerting a force to keep away said one external side of said main body and said supporting panel means from each other, thereby pressing said supporting panel means into contact with said step of each of said first set of segments;
• and
• a hollow decoration member which is engaged with said free end of said hollow pillar-shaped portion, said decoration member including at least two legs extending further axially from an end thereof engaging said free end of said hollow pillar-shaped portion, each of said legs having at its end an outwardly-protruded portion, said hollow pillar-shaped portion being formed with, at its inner surface, a plurality of recesses at positions corresponding to the respective protruded portions of said legs so that the respective protruded portions of said legs engage said recesses correspondingly.

A device extendable through an opening in a support panel means for securing electrical apparatus and the like to said support panel means, and comprising:

• an insulated casing including a main body portion and an attached, hollow pillar-shaped portion extending outwardly from said main body portion, said main body portion including a cavity for supporting component elements of said electrical apparatus, with said cavity in joint communication with a hollow portion of said pillar-shaped portion;
• said hollow portion including a free end having a plurality of segments and a plurality of slots, wherein a separate one of said slots is positioned between each pair of said adjacent segments, with said segments and said slots each extending substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of said hollow, pillar-shaped portion;
• said free end including a predetermined number of first and second sets of segments, with each of said first and second sets of segments having integrally attached protruding portions extending substantially outwardly from said free end of said pillar-shaped portion forming a plurality of step-like surfaces;
• said free end of said pillar-shaped portion having a cross-sectional configuration similar to and slightly larger than said opening in said support panel means, whereby said free end will be inwardly compressed during insertion of said integrally attached protruding portions through said opening in said support panel means;
• said protruding portions of said first set of segments having a first length as measured along said longitudinal axis and said protruding portions of said second set of segments having a second length as measured along said longitudinal axis, with said first length being greater than said second length;
• and
• bias means extending between said main body portion of said casing and said step-like surfaces of said first set of segments for biasing only said step-like surfaces of said first set of segments into contact with said support panel means, while maintaining a gap between said further step-like protrusions of said second set of segments and said support panel means.