WO2014024028A1

WO2014024028A1 - Cable casing, junction box and cable protection system

Info

Publication number: WO2014024028A1
Application number: PCT/IB2013/001726
Authority: WO
Inventors: Donald Rowe
Original assignee: Donald Rowe
Priority date: 2012-08-08
Filing date: 2013-08-06
Publication date: 2014-02-13
Also published as: ZA201500833B

Abstract

The invention relates to a cable casing [10], a junction box [40] and a cable protection system for protecting cabling against theft, vandalism and damaging environmental conditions. The cable casing [10] includes a base component [12] and a cover component [14], which are adapted slidingly to interlock with each other to as to define between the interlocked base and cover components an interior channel [30] for housing cabling. The junction box [40] comprises a body [42], a number of cable ports [70] protruding through the body [42] and dimensioned to cooperate with the cable casings [10]; and a cover [44] which is slidingly secured to the body [42]. The junction box [40] and a plurality of cable casings [10] together define the cable protection system.

Description

CABLE CASING, JUNCTION BOX AND CABLE PROTECTION SYSTEM INTRODUCTION

The invention relates to a cable casing, a junction box and a cable protection system employing the casing and the box for protecting cabling against theft and damaging environmental conditions. BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

In particularly, although not exclusively, developing and third world countries, theft and vandalising of telephone, electrical and the like cables are major problems, specifically because of the presence of copper metal in these cables, which are sold on the black market for exorbitant prices. Underground cable installations and those in mining operations are particularly vulnerable to this problem. Such cable installations are especially prone to tampering at connection points between cables, where cable ends are loosened to enable pulling of the cables out of the installations. Various solutions have been proposed to limit the problem of cable tampering, but have not been able to overcome the problem. The reason for this is that most proposed solutions rely on sensors and remotely monitored alarms to detect and warn when cables are being tampered with. However, very few provide a physical barrier to on-site access to these cables, and often the damage is done by the time a security team arrives on a scene in response to a triggered alarm. Even those solutions that do provide some kind of cable housing and locking means within which to secure cables are failing because of the ability to open or break the locks, which are often accessible from outside the cable housing. A need exists for a physical barrier to prevent or at least limit on-site access to cables and cable connection points, while at the same time providing for an early detection and warning system in the event of cable tampering. For purposes of this specification the term "cable" and "cabling" are used to denote any cables that are accessible and prone to vandalism and theft by criminals, including, but not limited to, electrical cables, telephone cables and data carrying lines.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a cable casing comprising - a base component including at least one sidewall having at least one male formation, profiled within and extending substantially parallel to the sidewall;

a cover component complimentarily dimensioned to cooperate with the base component, the cover component including at least one sidewall having a female formation located adjacent the sidewall and dimensioned to receive the male formation of the base component therein;

the base component and cover component being dimensioned to interlock with each other by laterally sliding the male formation of the base component into the female formation of the cover component, thereby to define between the interlocked base and cover components an interior channel for housing cabling.

In particular, the base component may include a base plate and two opposing sidewalls extending upright from the base plate, the base component being characterised therein that at least one of the sidewalls includes at least one male formation, profiled within and extending substantially parallel to the sidewalls. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the base component may include a number of male formations profiled in series within both sidewalls. The cover component may include a top plate and two opposing sidewalls extending downward from the top plate, the cover component being characterised therein that at least of the sidewalls includes a female formation located adjacent the sidewall and dimensioned to receive the male formation therein. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the cover component may include a number of female formations located in series adjacent both sidewalls.

The male and female formations together may define locking means which, when interlocked, is located inside of, and inaccessible from outside of, the cable casing.

The female formation may be connected to and protrude from an interior surface of a sidewall of the cover component. In particular, the female formation may be a substantially U-shaped plate, welded or otherwise connected at its free ends to the interior surface of the cover component sidewall, thus defining a through-passage for receiving the male formation of the base component therein.

The base component may include at least one cut-out in the sidewall for accommodating the female formation of the cover component. The cut-out may be located adjacent the male formation of the base component.

The male formation may be a tongue formation profiled in and extending substantially parallel to the sidewall of the base component and towards the direction of the cut-out. The base and cover components may slidingly engage and interlock with each other by placing the cover component over the base component such that the interior wall surfaces of the sidewalls of the cover component abut the exterior wall surfaces of the base component sidewalls and the female formation is received and slightly protrudes through the cut-out; and then laterally sliding the cover component relative to the base component until the male formation locks into the female formation.

The base component may include a series of male formations and cut-outs within both base component sidewalls, while the cover component may include a series of complimentarily positioned female formations protruding from the interior surfaces of both cover component sidewalls and adapted slidingly to receive the male formations therein.

The cable casing may include cable securing means for positioning and securing one or more cables inside the cable casing. In one embodiment, the base component may include at least one clamping element which is connectable to the base component and dimensioned for trapping cables in the base component. In particular, the clamping element may be welded or otherwise connected to the base plate and dimensioned for trapping cables between the base plate and the clamping element.

The cable casing may releasably be connectable to an adjacent cable casing. Preferably a number of cable casings are connectable to each other in an end-to-end manner to form a substantially continuous cable conduit for housing an entire cable installation. In particular, adjacent base components may be connected to each other in series to form a continuous channel base, while a cover component may be connected to each base component to form the cable conduit. Each base component may include first connection means at one end thereof, and second connection means at the opposite end thereof, the first connection means of one base component being adapted to connect to the second connection means of an adjacent base component.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a junction box for housing cable connections, the junction box comprising - a body defining an internal space and having a base and an upright wall extending from the base;

at least one cable port protruding through the upright wall of the body through which a cable can pass to enter the internal space, the cable port being positionable in line with a cable casing as hereinbefore described; and

a cover which is slidingly secured to the body for permitting access to the internal space,

the junction box being characterised therein that one of the body or the cover may include at least one male formation extending substantially parallel to the upright wall, with the other of the body or the cover, as the case may be, including at least one female formation dimensioned to receive the male formation therein, the body and the cover being dimensioned slidingly to interlock with each other by sliding the male formation into the female formation, thereby to define between the interlocked body and cover the internal space for housing the cable connections.

The junction box further may include a sliding pivot connection for pivotally connecting the cover to the body, the pivot connection being slidable between a locked position, in which the male and female formations are interlocked, and an unlocked position, in which the male and female formations are displaced from each other; the pivot connection also being pivotable between a closed position, in which the cover rests on the body, for closing the internal space, and an open position in which the cover is pivotally displaced from the body for permitting access to the internal space.

The male and female formations together may define locking means which, when interlocked, is located inside, and inaccessible from outside of, the junction box. In one embodiment of the invention the junction box may include a peripheral flange formation extending from the body, the male formation being profiled in the peripheral flange formation and extending substantially parallel to the upright wall. The upright wall may include two opposing sidewalls and two opposing end walls extending from the base to define the internal space. The upright wall may terminate at its free end in a peripheral shoulder formation. The flange formation may be a continuous flange formation connected to and peripherally extending upright from the shoulder formation, with at least one, preferably a number of, male formations profiled within the flange formation and extending substantially parallel to the two opposing sidewalls.

The cover may include a cover plate dimensioned to cover the body for closing the internal space, and at least two downwardly depending opposing cover sidewalls. The cover may pivotally and slidingly be connected to the body such, in the closed position, the downwardly depending cover sidewalls sit on and is supported by the peripheral shoulder formation of the body. More particularly, in the closed position, the interior surfaces of the cover sidewalls may abut the exterior surfaces of the flange formation.

The female formation may be located adjacent a cover sidewall. In particular, the female formation may be connected to and protrude from an interior surface of the cover sidewall. More particularly, the female formation may be a substantially U-shaped plate, connected at its free ends to the interior surface of the cover sidewall, thus defining a through-passage for receiving the male formation of the body therein. Each of the downwardly depending opposing cover sidewalls may include a number of female formations which are complimentarily positioned to engage and interlock with the male formations in the flange formation. ^N The flange formation may include at least one cut-out for accommodating the female formation of the cover. The cut-out may be located adjacent the male formation of the flange formation. Preferably, the flange formation may include a number of cut-outs associated with each of the male formations and complimentarily positioned to accommodate the female formations therein.

Each male formation may be a tongue formation profiled in and extending substantially parallel to the opposing sidewalls of the body and towards the direction of the cut-out. The cover may slidingly engage and interlock with the body by pivoting the cover from the open position to the closed position such that the cover rests on the body, and with each female formation received in and slightly protruding through its complimentarily positioned cut-out in the flange formation; and then laterally sliding the cover relative to the body until the male formation locks into the female formation.

The junction box may include sensing means for sensing when the cover is displaced relative the body. In particular, the junction box may include a housing in the cover plate for housing the sensing means and a keypad for activating the same. The junction box also may include a number of cable ports protruding through the wall of the body for permitting cables to enter the internal space from different directions. Each cable port may be positioned in line with a cable casing as hereinbefore described.

It will be appreciated that an alternative embodiment of the invention anticipates providing the flange formation and male formations in the cover, with the female formations being provided in the body of the junction box. According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a cable protection system for housing cabling to protect it against theft, vandalism and damaging environmental conditions, the system comprising - a plurality of cable casings as hereinbefore defined, wherein the cable casings are connectable in series in an end-to-end fashion to form a substantially continuous cable conduit for housing an entire cable installation;

a number of junction boxes as hereinbefore defined provided intermittently between cable casings at cable connection points;

sensing means for sensing both when the cover of the junction box is displaced relative to the body, and when the cover component of a cable casing is displaced relative to its base component; and

an alarm for signalling when the cable protection system is being tampered with.

The cable protection system also may include at least one, preferably a number of, access boxes which are intermittently connectable in series to and between adjacent cable casings, or between a series of cable casings and a junction box, for providing access to cabling housed inside the cable casings, each access box comprising - a base component including at least one sidewall; at least one first aperture extending through the sidewall for receiving a bolt, shaft, or the like connector there through; and first connection means at one end thereof, and second connection means at the opposite end thereof, the arrangement being such that the first connection means of the access box base component is adapted to connect to the second connection means of a cable casing, while the second connection means of the access box base component is adapted to connect to the first connection means of a neighbouring cable casing;

a cover component complimentarily dimensioned to cooperate with the base component, the cover component including at least one sidewall and at least one second aperture in the sidewall, aligned with the first aperture, for receiving a bolt, shaft, or the like connector there through to connect the cover component to the base component; the base component and cover component of the access box being dimensioned to engage each other by placing the cover component over the base component and locking the two together. Each access box may include a pair of first apertures in the base component and a pair of complimentarily dimensioned second apertures in the cover component, the first and second apertures being aligned when the cover component is placed over the base component of the access box. The base and cover components may be connected to each other by means of a bolt, shaft or similar elongate connector extending through the first and second apertures and secured in place by a lock nut. For this purpose the base component of the access box includes two opposing upright sidewalls that are raised relative to the sidewalls of the cable casing base component to provide for the first apertures. Similarly, the cover component of the access box includes two opposing, downwardly depending sidewalls that are raised relative to those sidewalls of the cable casing cover component to provide for the second apertures.

The access box also may include a bush configured to border each second aperture and extending outwardly from a sidewall of the cover component to house and protect the lock nut against tampering.

Each access box may include sensing means for sensing when the base and cover components are being tampered with.

The cable protection system also may include elbow connectors and upward and downward bend connectors. An elbow connector may be a cable casing as hereinbefore defined, but in which the base component and the cover component are axially bent or curved in one plane to provide for guiding cabling around a bend or curve. Similarly, upward and downward bend connectors may be cable casings in which the base and cover components are axially bent or curved to guide cabling up or down a slope.

SPECIFIC EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

The invention will now further be described by way of non-limiting example only and with reference to the accompanying figures in which -

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a cover component of the cable casing according to the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an end view of the cover component of FIGURE 1 ;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of a base component of the cable casing according to the invention;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of an assembled cable casing with two cover components of FIGURES 1 and 2 connected to the base component of

FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a junction box according to the invention with its cover in a closed position; FIGURE 6 is the junction box of FIGURE 5 with the cover in an open position;

FIGURE 6A is an enlarged sectional view of the sliding pivot connection between the cover and the body of the junction box of FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 7 is a part of the cable protection system according to the invention, illustrating the way in which a base component is positioned in line with a cable port of the junction box;

FIGURE 8 is the cable protection system of FIGURE 7 with the cover components in place on the base component to define a channel conduit for guiding cabling into the junction box; FIGURE 9 is a cable protection system according to the invention, illustrating how a plurality of cable casings interlock to form a channel conduit for guiding cabling, and also illustrating the elbow connectors and access box;

FIGURE 10 is a base component of an elbow connector;

FIGURE 1 1 is a base component of an access box;

FIGURE 12 is an assembled access box with a cover component positioned over the base component;

FIGURE 13 is a base component of a cable casing which is modified to guide cabling down a slope; and

FIGURE 14 is a cover component that is adapted to cooperate with the base component of FIGURE 13.

A cable casing according to the invention is generally designated by reference numeral [10] and comprises a base component [12] and a cover component [14] which interlock to form the cable casing [10].

The base component [12] includes a base plate [16] and two opposing sidewalls [18] extending upright from the base plate [16]. Each of the sidewalls [18] includes a number of male formations [20] profiled within and extending substantially parallel to the sidewalls [18] and to a longitudinal access of the base component [12].

The base component [12] also includes a number of cut-outs [22] in the sidewalls [18]. Each cut-out [22] is located adjacent a male formation [20] of the base component [12]. The male formation [20] is a tongue formation profiled in and extending substantially parallel to the sidewall [18] of the base component [12] and towards the direction of the cut-out [22].

The cover component [14] is complimentarily dimensioned to cooperate with the base component [12] and includes a top plate [24] and two opposing sidewalls [26] extending downward from the top plate [24]. The cover component [14] is characterised therein that at least one of the sidewalls [26], preferably both sidewalls [26], includes a female formation [28], which is located adjacent the sidewall [26] and dimensioned to receive the male formation [20] therein. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention the cover component [14] includes two female formations [28] protruding from each of the sidewalls [26] and dimensioned to receive complimentarily positioned male formations [20] of the base component [12] therein. The female formations [28] protrude inwardly towards an interior of the cover component [14]. The base component [12] and cover component [14] are dimensioned slidingly to interlock with each other by laterally sliding each male formation [20] of the base component [12] into the female formation [28] of the cover component [14], thereby to define between the interlocked base and cover components [12, 14] an interior channel [30] for housing cabling. The male [20] and female [28] formations together define locking means [32] which, when interlocked, is located inside, and inaccessible from outside of, the cable casing [10].

The female formation [28] is connected to and protrudes from an interior surface of the cover component sidewall [26]. In particular, the female formation [20] is a substantially U-shaped plate, welded or otherwise connected at its free ends to the interior surface of the cover component sidewall [26], thus defining a through-passage for receiving the male formation [20] of the base component [12] therein.

The base and cover components [12, 14] slidingly engage and interlock with each other by placing the cover component [14] over the base component [12] such that the interior wall surfaces of the sidewalls [26] of the cover component [14] abut the exterior wall surfaces of the sidewalls [18] of the base component [12]. In this arrangement the female formations [28] are received within and slightly protrude through the cut-outs [22]. Upon laterally sliding the cover component [14] over the base component [12], the male formations [20] protrude through the through-passages [34] of the female formations [28], thus locking the base component [ 2] and cover component [14] to each other. The cable casing [10] further may include cable securing means [36] for positioning and securing one or more cables inside the cable casing [10]. In one embodiment, the base component [12] may include at least one clamping element [36] which is connectable to the base plate [16] of the base component [12] and dimensioned for trapping cables between the base plate [16] and the clamping element [36].

The cable casing [10] may releasably be connectable to an adjacent cable casing [10]. Preferably a series of cable casings [10] are connectable to each other in an end-to-end manner to form a substantially continuous cable conduit [30] for housing an entire cable installation (refer FIGURE 9). In particular, adjacent base components [12] may be connected to each other to form a continuous channel base, while a cover component [14] may be connected to each base component [12] to form the cable conduit. Each base component [12] includes first connection means [13] at one end thereof, and second connection means [15] at the opposite end thereof, the first connection means [13] of one base component [12] being adapted to connect to the second connection means [15] of an adjacent base component [12] so as to secure adjacent base components [12] to each other.

The invention also provides a junction box [40] for housing cable connections. The junction box [40] comprises a body [42] and a cover [44] for closing the body [40] so as to define an internal space [46] between the body [42] and the cover [44] for holding the cable connections.

The body [42] includes a base [48] and an upright wall [50] extending from the base [48], the upright wall [50] terminating at its free end in a peripheral shoulder formation [52]. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention the junction box [40] includes two opposing sidewalls [50.1 ] and two opposing end walls [50.2] extending from the base [48] to define the internal space [46]; and a continuous flange formation [54] connected to and peripherally extending upright from the shoulder formation [52].

The flange formation [54] includes a number of male formations [56] that are profiled within the flange formation [54] and that extend substantially parallel to the two opposing sidewalls [50.1 ]. The cover [44] includes a cover plate [58] dimensioned to cover the body [42] for closing the internal space [46], and at least two downwardly depending opposing cover sidewalls [60]. The cover [44] is both pivotally and slidingly connected to the body [42] such that, in the closed position, the downwardly depending cover sidewalls [60] sit on and is supported by the peripheral shoulder formation [52] of the body [42]. More particularly, in the closed position, the interior surfaces of the cover sidewalls [60] abut the exterior surfaces of the flange formation [54].

The cover [44] includes a number of female formations [62], which are complimentarily positioned to engage and interlock with the male formations [56] of the body [42]. Each female formation [62] is connected to and protrudes from an interior surface of two opposing cover sidewalls [60]. A female formation [62] is a substantially U-shaped plate, welded or otherwise connected at its free ends to the interior surface of the cover sidewall [60], thus defining a through-passage for receiving the male formation [56] of the body [42] therein. The flange formation [54] includes a plurality of cut-outs [66], each for accommodating a female formation [62] of the cover [44] therein. A cut-out [66] is located adjacent a male formation [56] of the flange formation [54]. Each male formation [56] is a tongue formation profiled in and extending substantially parallel to the opposing sidewalls [50.1] of the body [42] and towards the direction of the cut-out [66].

The junction box [40] further includes a sliding pivot connection [80] between the cover [44] and the body [42] for pivotally connecting the cover [44] to the body [42]. The sliding pivot connection [80] includes a pivot plate [82] and bolt [84] for securing the cover [44] and body [42] to each other, and a sliding slot [86] for permitting sliding displacement of the pivot connection [80]. The pivot connection [80] is slidable between a locked position, in which the male and female formations [56, 62] are interlocked, and an unlocked position, in which the male and female formations [56, 62] are laterally displaced from each other. The pivot connection [80] is also pivotable between a closed position (see FIGURE 5), in which the cover [44] rests on the body [42], for closing the internal space [46], and an open position (see FIGURE 6) in which the cover [44] is pivotally displaced from the body [42]. The cover [44] may slidingly engage and interlock with the body [42] by pivoting the cover [44] from the open to the closed position such that the cover [44] rests on the body [42], and with each female formation [62] received in and slightly protruding through its complimentarily positioned cut-out [66] in the flange formation [54] of the body [42]; and then sliding the cover [44] relative to the body [42] until the male formations [56] locks into the female formations [62].

The junction box [40] also includes at least one cable port [70] protruding through the upright wall [50] of the body [42] through which a cable can pass to enter the internal space [46]. The cable port [70] is positionable in line with a cable casing [10] as hereinbefore described. The junction box [40] may include a number of cable ports [70] protruding through the upright wall [50] of the body [42] for permitting cables to enter the internal space [46] from different directions. Each cable port [70] may be positioned in line with a cable casing [10] as hereinbefore described. The junction box [40] includes sensing means (not shown) for sensing when the cover [44] is displaced relative the body [42]. For this purpose, the junction box [40] includes a housing [88] in the cover plate [58] for housing the sensing means and a keypad for activating the same.

The invention also provides a cable protection system (see FIGURE 9) for housing cabling to protect it against theft, vandalism and damaging environmental conditions. The system comprises a plurality of cable casings [10] as hereinbefore defined, wherein the cable casings [10] are connected in series in an end-to-end fashion to form a substantially continuous cable conduit [30] for housing an entire cable installation; a number of junction boxes [40] as hereinbefore defined provided intermittently between cable casings [10] at cable connection points; sensing means (not shown) for sensing both when the cover [44] of the junction box [40] is displaced relative to the body [42], and when the cover component [14] of a cable casing [10] is displaced relative to its base component [12]; and an alarm (not shown) for signalling when the cable protection system is being tampered with.

The cable protection system also may include elbow connectors [90] and upward and downward bend connectors [96]. An elbow connector [90] is a cable casing [10] as hereinbefore defined, but in which the base component [12] and the cover [44] component [14] are bent or curved to provide for guiding cabling around a bend or curve. Similarly, upward and downward bend connectors [96] may be cable casings in which the base and cover components are axially bent or curved to guide cabling up or down a slope. The cable protection system also may include at least one, preferably a number of, access boxes [92] which are intermittently connectable in series to and between adjacent cable casings [10], or between a series of cable casings [10] and a junction box [40], for providing access to cabling housed inside the cable casings [10]. Each access box [92] comprises a base component [94] including at least one sidewall [18]; at least one first aperture [98] extending through the sidewall [18] for receiving a bolt, shaft, or the like connector there through; and first connection means [100] at one end thereof, and second connection means [102] at the opposite end thereof, the arrangement being such that the first connection means [100] of the access box base component [94] is adapted to connect to the second connection means [15] of a cable casing base component [12]. Similarly, the second connection means [102] of the access box base component [94] is adapted to connect to the first connection means [13] of a cable casing base component [12].

The access box [92] further comprises a cover component [104] which is complimentarily dimensioned to cooperate with the base component [94], the cover component [104] including at least one sidewall [26] and at least one second aperture [106] in the sidewall [26], aligned with the first aperture [98], for receiving a bolt, shaft, or the like connector [108] there through to connect the cover component [104] to the base component [94].

The base component [94] and cover component [104] of the access box [92] are dimensioned to engage each other by placing the cover component [104] over the base component [94] and locking the two together.

Each access box may include a pair of first apertures [98] in the base component [94] and a pair of complimentarily dimensioned second apertures [106] in the cover component [104], the first and second apertures being aligned when the cover component is placed over the base component. The base and cover components [94, 104] may be connected to each other by means of a bolt, shaft or similar elongate connector [108] extending through the first and second apertures [98, 106] and secured in place by a lock nut [1 10]. For this purpose the base component [94] of the access box [92] includes two opposing upright sidewalls [18] that are raised relative to the sidewalls of the cable casing base component [12] to provide for the first apertures [98]. Similarly, the cover component [104] of the access box [92] includes two opposing, downwardly depending sidewalls that are raised relative to those sidewalls of the cable casing cover component [14] to provide for the second apertures [106].

The access box [92] also includes a bush [1 12] which is configured to border each second aperture [106] and which extends outwardly from a sidewall of the cover component [104] to house and protect the lock nut against tampering.

It will be appreciated that other embodiments of the invention may be possible without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined in the claims and as hereinbefore described and illustrated.

Claims

A cable casing [10] comprising - a base component [12] including at least one sidewall [18] with at least one male formation [20] profiled within and extending substantially parallel to the sidewall [18];

a cover component [14] complimentarily dimensioned to cooperate with the base component [12], the cover component [14] including at least one sidewall [26] having a female formation [28] located adjacent the sidewall [26] and dimensioned to receive the male formation [20] of the base component [12] therein;

the base component [12] and cover component [14] being dimensioned to interlock with each other by laterally sliding the male formation [20] of the base component [12] into the female formation [28] of the cover component [14], thereby to define between the interlocked base and cover components an interior channel [30] for housing cabling.

The cable casing [10] according to claim 1 in which the base component [12] includes a base plate [16] and two opposing sidewalls [18] extending upright from the base plate [16], the base component [12] being characterised therein that at least one of the sidewalls [18] includes at least one male formation [20] profiled within and extending substantially parallel to the sidewalls [18].

The cable casing [10] according to claim 2 in which the sidewalls [18] of the base component [12] each includes a number of male formations [20] profiled within and extending in series substantially parallel to the sidewalls [18].

The cable casing [10] according to claim 1 in which the cover component [14] includes a top plate [24] and two opposing sidewalls [26] extending downward from the top plate [24], the cover component [14] being characterised therein that at least of the sidewalls [26] includes a female formation [28] located adjacent the sidewall [26] and dimensioned to receive the male formation [20] of the base component [12] therein.

The cable casing [10] according to claim 4 in which the sidewalls [26] of the cover component [14] each includes a number of female formations [28] located in series adjacent both sidewalls [26] and dimensioned to receive complimentarily positioned male formations [20] of the base component [12] therein.

The cable casing [10] according to claim 1 in which the male and female formations [20, 28] together define locking means [32] which, when interlocked, is located inside of, and inaccessible from outside of, the cable casing [10].

The cable casing [10] according to claim 1 in which the female formation [28] is connected to and protrudes from an interior surface of a sidewall [26] of the cover component [14].

The cable casing [10] according to claim 7 in which the female formation [28] is a substantially U-shaped plate, welded or otherwise connected at its free ends to the interior surface of the cover component sidewall [26], thus defining a through- passage for receiving the male formation [20] of the base component [12] therein.

The cable casing [10] according to claim 1 in which the base component [12] includes at least one cut-out [22] in the sidewall [18] for accommodating the female formation [28] of the cover component [14], the cut-out [22] being located adjacent the male formation [20] of the base component [12].

10. The cable casing [10] according to claim 9 in which the male formation [20] is a tongue formation profiled in and extending substantially parallel to the sidewall [18] of the base component [12] and towards the direction of the cut-out [22].

The cable casing [10] according to claim 9 in which the base and cover components [12, 14] slidingly engage and interlock with each other by placing the cover component [14] over the base component [12] such that interior wall surfaces of the sidewalls [26] of the cover component [14] abut exterior wall surfaces of the base component sidewalls [18] and the female formation [28] of the cover component [14] is received and slightly protrudes through the cut-out [22] of the base component [12]; and then laterally sliding the cover component [14] relative to the base component [12] until the male formation [20] of the base component [12] locks into the female formation [28] of the cover component [14].

The cable casing [10] according to claim 1 in which the cable casing [10] also includes cable securing means [36] for positioning and securing one or more cables inside the cable casing [10].

The cable casing [10] according to claim 12 in which the base component [12] includes at least one clamping element [36] which is connectable to the base component [12] and dimensioned for trapping cables in the base component, the clamping element [36] being welded or otherwise connected to the base plate [16] of the base component [12] and dimensioned for trapping cables between the base plate [16] and the clamping element [36].

The cable casing [10] according to claim 1 in which each cable casing [10] is releasably connectable to an adjacent cable casing [10] in an end-to-end manner to form a substantially continuous cable conduit for housing an entire cable installation.

5. The cable casing [10] according to claim 14 in which adjacent base components [12] are connected to each other in series to form a continuous channel base, while a cover component [14] is connected to each base component [12] to form the cable conduit.

6. The cable casing [10] according to claim 15 in which each base component [12] includes first connection means [13] at one end thereof, and second connection means [15] at the opposite end thereof, the first connection means [ 3] of one base component [12] being adapted to connect to the second connection means [15] of an adjacent base component [12] to form the continuous channel base.

7. A junction box [40] for housing cable connections, the junction box [40] comprising - a body [42] defining an internal space [46] and having a base [48] and an upright wall [50] extending from the base [48];

at least one cable port [70] protruding through the upright wall [50] of the body [42] through which a cable can pass to enter the internal space [46]; and

a cover [44] which is slidingly secured to the body [42] for permitting access to the internal space [46],

the junction box [40] being characterised therein that one of the body [42] or the cover [44] include at least one male formation [56] extending substantially parallel to the upright wall [50], with the other of the body [42] or the cover [44], as the case be, including at least one female formation [62] dimensioned to receive the male formation [56] therein, the body [42] and the cover [44] being dimensioned slidingly to interlock with each other by sliding the male formation [56] into the female formation [62], thereby to define between the interlocked body [42] and cover [44] the internal space [46] for housing the cable connections.

18. The junction box [40] according to claim 17 in which the cable port [70] is positionable in line with a cable casing [10] according to anyone of claims 1 to 16.

19. The junction box [40] according to claim 17 in which the junction box [40] further includes a sliding pivot connection [80] for pivotally connecting the cover [44] to the body [42], the pivot connection [80] being slidable between a locked position, in which the male and female formations [56, 62] are interlocked, and an unlocked position, in which the male and female formations [56, 62] are displaced from each other; the pivot connection [80] also being pivotable between a closed position, in which the cover [44] rests on the body [42], for closing the internal space [46], and an open position in which the cover [44] is pivotally displaced from the body [42] for permitting access to the internal space [46].

The junction box [40] according to claim 17 in which the male and female formations [56, 62] together define locking means which, when interlocked, is located inside, and inaccessible from outside of, the junction box [40].

21. The junction box [40] according to claim 17 in which the junction box [40] includes a peripheral flange formation [54] extending from the body [42], the male formation [56] being profiled in the peripheral flange formation [54] and extending substantially parallel to the upright wall [50].

22. The junction box [40] according to claim 17 in which the upright wall [50] includes two opposing sidewalls [50.1] and two opposing end walls [50.2] extending from the base [48] to define the internal space [46], the upright wall [50] terminating at its free end in a peripheral shoulder formation [52].

23. The junction box [40] according to claims 21 and 22 in which the flange formation [54] is a continuous flange formation [54] connected to and peripherally extending upright from the peripheral shoulder formation [52] of the body [42], with at least one, preferably a number of, male formations [56] profiled within the flange formation [54] and extending substantially parallel to the two opposing sidewalls [50.1].

24. The junction box [40] according to claim 17 in which the cover [44] includes a cover plate [58] dimensioned to cover the body [42] for closing the internal space [46], and at least two downwardly depending opposing cover sidewalls [60].

25. The junction box [40] according to claims 21 and 24 in which the cover [44] is pivotally and slidingly connected to the body [42] such that, in the closed position, the downwardly depending cover sidewalls [60] sit on and is supported by the peripheral shoulder formation [52] of the body [42], such that interior surfaces of the cover sidewalls [60] abut exterior surfaces of the flange formation [54].

26. The junction box [40] according to claim 24 in which the female formation [62] is located adjacent a cover sidewall [60], and particularly is connected to and protrude from an interior surface of the cover sidewall [60].

27. The junction box [40] according to claim 26 in which the female formation [62] is a substantially U-shaped plate, connected at its free ends to the interior surface of the cover sidewall [60], thus defining a through-passage for receiving the male formation [56] of the body [42] therein.

28. The junction box [40] according to claims 21 and 26 in which each of the downwardly depending opposing cover sidewalls [60] includes a number of female formations [62] which are complimentarily positioned to engage and interlock with the male formations [56] in the flange formation [54].

29. The junction box [40] according to claim 21 in which the flange formation [54] includes at least one cut-out [66] for accommodating a female formation [62] of the cover [44], the cut-out [66] being located adjacent the male formation [56] of the flange formation [54].

30. The junction box [40] according to claim 29 in which the flange formation [54] includes a number of cut-outs [66] associated with each of the male formations [56] and complimentarily positioned to accommodate the female formations [62] therein.

31. The junction box [40] according to claim 29 in which each male formation [56] is a tongue formation profiled in and extending substantially parallel to the opposing sidewalls [50.1 ] of the body [42] and towards the direction of the cut-out [66].

32. The junction box [40] according to anyone of claims 17 to 31 in which the cover [44] slidingly engages and interlocks with the body [42] by pivoting the cover [44] from the open position to the closed position such that the cover [44] rests on the body [42], and with each female formation [62] received in and slightly protruding through its complimentarily positioned cut-out [66] in the flange formation [54]; and then laterally sliding the cover [44] relative to the body [42] until the male formations [56] lock into the female formations [62].

33. The junction box [40] according to claim 17 in which the junction box [40] includes sensing means for sensing when the cover [44] is displaced relative the body [42].

34. The junction box [40] according to claim 33 in which the junction box [40] includes a housing [88] in the cover [44] plate for housing the sensing means and a keypad for activating the sensing means when the cover [44] is in its closed position.

The junction box [40] according to claim 17 in which the junction box [40] also includes a number of cable ports [70] protruding through the wall [50] of the body [42] of the junction box [40] for permitting cables to enter the internal space [46] from different directions.

The junction box [40] according to claim 35 in which each cable port [70] positioned in line with a cable casing [10] according to anyone of claims 1 to 16.

A cable protection system for housing cabling to protect it against theft, vandalism and damaging environmental conditions, the system comprising - a plurality of cable casings [10] according to anyone of claims 1 to 16, wherein the cable casings [10] are connectable in series in an end-to-end fashion to form a substantially continuous cable conduit for housing an entire cable installation; a number of junction boxes [40] according to anyone of claims 17 to 36 provided intermittently between cable casings [10] at cable connection points;

sensing means for sensing both when the cover [44] of the junction box [40] is displaced relative to the body [42], and when the cover component [14] of a cable casing [10] is displaced relative to its base component [12]; and

The cable protection system according to claim 37 in which the system also includes at least one, preferably a number of, access boxes [92] which are intermittently connectable in series to and between adjacent cable casings [10], or between a series of cable casings [10] and a junction box [40], for providing access to cabling housed inside the cable casings [10], each access box [92] comprising - a base component [94] including at least one sidewall [18] and at least one first aperture [98] extending through the sidewall [18] for receiving a bolt, shaft, or the like connector there through;

first connection means [100] at one end of the base component [94], and second connection means [102] at the opposite end of the base component [94], the arrangement being such that the first connection means [100] of the access box base component [94] is adapted to connect to the second connection means [15] of one cable casing [10], while the second connection means [102] of the access box base component [94] is adapted to connect to the first connection means [13] of a neighbouring cable casing [10];

a cover component [104] complimentarily dimensioned to cooperate with the base component [94], the cover component [104] including at least one sidewall [26] and at least one second aperture [106] in the sidewall [26], aligned with the first aperture [98] of the base component sidewall [18], for receiving a bolt, shaft, or the like connector there through to connect the cover component [104] to the base component [94];

the base component [94] and cover component [104] of the access box [92] being dimensioned to engage each other by placing the cover component [104] over the base component [94] and locking the two together with a bolt, shaft, or the like connector.

The cable protection system according to claim 37 in which each access box [92] includes a pair of first apertures [98] in the base component [12] and a pair of complimentarily dimensioned second apertures [106] in the cover [44] component, the first and second apertures [98, 106] being aligned when the cover component [104] is placed over the base component [94] of the access box [92], the base and cover components [94, 104] of the access box [92] being connected to each other by means of a bolt, shaft or similar elongate connector extending through the first and second apertures [98, 106] and secured in place by a lock nut. 40. The cable protection system according to claim 39 in which the base component [94] of the access box [92] includes two opposing upright sidewalls [18] that are raised relative to the sidewalls of a cable casing base component [12] to provide for the first apertures [98], while the cover component [104] of the access box [92] includes two opposing, downwardly depending sidewalls that are raised relative to the sidewalls of a cable casing cover component [14] so as to provide for the second apertures [106].

The cable protection system according to claim 39 in which the access box [92] also includes a bush [1 12] configured to border each second aperture [106] and extending outwardly from a sidewall of the cover component [104] to house and protect the lock nut against tampering.

The cable protection system according to claim 38 in which each access box [92] includes sensing means for sensing when the base and cover components [94, 104] are being tampered with.

The cable protection system according to claim 37 in which the cable protection system also includes elbow connectors [90] and upward and downward bend connectors [96] for guiding gabling up or down a slope, or around a bend.

The cable protection system according to claim 43 in which the elbow connector [90] is a cable casing [10] according to anyone of claims 1 to 16, but in which the base component [12] and the cover component [14] are axially bent or curved in a horizontal plane to provide for guiding cabling around a bend or curve.

45. The cable protection system according to claim 43 in which the upward and downward bend connectors [96] are cable casings [10] according to anyone of claims 1 to 16, but in which the base component [12] and the cover component [14] are axially bent or curved in a vertical plane to guide cabling up or down a slope.

46. The cable casing [10] according to claim 1 substantially as herein illustrated and exemplified with reference to the accompanying Figures. 47. The junction box [40] according to claim 17 substantially as herein illustrated and exemplified with reference to the accompanying Figures.

48. The cable protection system according to claim 37 substantially as herein illustrated and exemplified with reference to the accompanying Figures.