AU2002364858B2

AU2002364858B2 - Built-in electric contact enclosure and mounting method

Info

Publication number: AU2002364858B2
Application number: AU2002364858A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Denis Gavino
Original assignee: SIBECX
Current assignee: SIBECX
Priority date: 2001-12-21
Filing date: 2002-12-19
Publication date: 2008-10-23
Anticipated expiration: 2022-12-19
Also published as: AU2002364858A1; CN100409505C; WO2003055012A1; DE60224948D1; CA2471343A1; EP1461847B1; TNSN04117A1; FR2834135A1; ES2301709T3; EA006377B1; DE60224948T2; ATE385619T1; FR2834135B1; EA200400853A1; MA26255A1; CA2471343C; PT1461847E; HK1076925A1; JP4074855B2; JP2005513736A

Abstract

The electrical connection method connects to a conducting zone or terminal inside an enclosure. To facilitate mounting the enclosures for electrical receptacles and switches, there is a built in enclosure mounting by sliding the sleeve inside a housing (2). The female terminals are directly in connection with the enclosure (1) electrical wires contacting the sleeve male terminals. Disassembly is simply by pulling the sleeve away from the enclosure.

Description

O1 00 Embeddable electric contact enclosure and associated e mounting method Field of the Invention s The invention relates to an embeddable electric contact enclosure and its associated mounting method. It 00 V)is an aim of the invention to facilitate the mounting and 00 dismounting of such embeddable electric enclosures in a IDwall without the use of tools such as a screw-driver or CI 10 screws during the phases for mounting and dismounting these enclosures. A wall may be one within which a hole is made in order to embed the electric enclosure of the invention therein. The invention is designed more particularly for the field of electricity but can also be applied to other fields. In the field of electricity, this electric enclosure can be used especially to connect an electric connector to a current generator source or this electric enclosure can be used to make a switch designed to set up an electric connection at request.

Background of the Invention An electric enclosure has a housing and an electric device, provided especially with a cover. The housing is designed to be inserted into a wall. A wall may be vertical or horizontal. It may be constituted from material used in the building industry (such as concrete, building blocks, stone and other rigid complex materials forming partition walls, formed especially by plaster partition slabs with cardboard ties). The housing is drilled with holes within which electric wires coming from the wall can be inserted. The electric device has a first side and a second side. The first side is placed facing the housing. It is intended that the electric wires will get connected to the first side. In a first example, it is intended that three electric wires will get connected to this first side. The second side is placed outside the housing. In the case of a housing designed to receive an N \Hrisbane\Cases\Patent\54000.54999\P54420 AU\Specis\P54420AU Spccification 2008-2-27.doc 19/09108 2 00 electric connector, this second side of the electric e device and hence of the cover may comprise two conductive Sholes used to receive two plugs of an electric connector.

These two holes are directly connected to the electric wires. The contact of the two plugs with a wall of the two holes of the electric device directly connected with 00 00the electric wires is enough to set up the electric 00 connection. Or else the second side may comprise a handle Sif it is a switch. In this case, the electric connection CI 10 is set up by pressing on the handle so as to connect the electric wires.

In the case of an electric enclosure, designed to receive plugs of an electric connector, the holes of the electrical device correspond to female terminals and the plugs of an electric connector are male terminals that must fit into the female terminals. Such electric enclosures usually have two female terminals. The third male terminals is designed to serve as a ground connector.

In the case of the mounting of an enclosure designed to receive an electric connector, three electric wires coming from the wall are first of all placed inside the enclosure in passing through holes of the housing. Then the wires are fixed to the three female or male terminals of the electric device. To fix the three wires to the electric device of the switch and/or of the electric connector, it is necessary to grip the wires in the electric device by means of an intermediate part. For, example the intermediate part may be screw connector, comprising especially a metal plate. The metal plate is electrically conductive. The screw is itself connected to a female or male terminal. To get the wire gripped in the electric device, the screw is screwed in.

In the case of the mounting of such an electric enclosure, electric bridges can be made in connecting another wire from the screw so as to form an electric series connection.

However, the connection of the electric wires to the N:\Brisban\Cas\PaentS400O-S4999\P54420 ALAJSpecis\P5442OAU Speification 2008-2-27.doc 19/09/09 ~3- 00 electric device as well as the connection of another e electric wire necessitate the use of small intermediate parts that are difficult to handle and liable to escape from their housing during mounting. Their handling as well as the use of a screwdriver makes the mounting of such electric enclosures a delicate and difficult task.

00 00Furthermore, an electric enclosure thus made is not 00 compatible with any type of electric connector. For Sexample, an electric enclosure designed to receive an CI 10 European type of electric connector cannot be used for the insertion of an American rectangular electric connector.

To accept an American connector of this kind, it is necessary to use a bulky adapter or change the enclosure completely.

Summary of the Invention According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided an electric contact enclosure comprising: a housing provided with a hollow compartment, the housing being embedded in a hole in a wall, and a contact sleeve designed to receive plugs of a detachable electric connector, characterised in that: the contact sleeve comprises electrically conductive strips and is slidably located with the compartment of the housing, the compartment corresponding in shape to the contact sleeve; electric wires inserted into connection spaces so as to come into contact with conductive plates, each connection space being delimited by a partition comprising a conductive plate and constituting a wall of the compartment and by an external wall of the housing; wherein the contact sleeve is located within the housing by sliding into the housing to bring the electrically conductive strips into contact with the conductive plate during the insertion.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a housing provided with a hollow compartment, N \Brisbane\Cases\Patent\540OO-54999\PS442OALASpecis\P5442OAU Spcification 2008-2-27.doc 19/09/08 00 4 O the housing being capable of being embedded in a hole in a e wall, and adapted to receive: Sa contact sleeve comprising electrically conductive strips and arranged so as to be slidably located within the compartment of the housing, the compartment corresponding in shape to the contact sleeve, 00 V)wherein electrical wires may be inserted into 00 connection spaces so as to come into contact with IDconductive plates, each connection space being delimited CI 10 by a partition comprising a conductive plate and constituting a wall of the compartment and by an external wall of the housing; whereby the contact sleeve is located within the housing by sliding into the housing to bring the electrically conductive strips into contact with the conductive plate during the insertion.

According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for mounting of an electric contact enclosure as described above, comprising the following steps: inserting the housing into a wall; inserting electrical wires run from the wall into connection spaces of a compartment of a housing, each connection space being delimited by a partition comprising a conductive plate and constituting a wall of the compartment and by an external wall of the housing through holes in the rear face of the housing until the wires are brought into contact with the conductive plates; sliding a sleeve into the compartment of the housing until an electrical connection is made through contact of electrically conductive strips on the contact sleeve with the conductive plates; and fixing a covering plate onto the housing.

To resolve or mitigate at least of the problems of the housing of previous electric enclosures, at least preferred embodiments of the invention provide for a hollowed-out housing of a cylindrical compartment. This N \Brisbanc\Cases\Patcnt\54000-54999\P54420.AU\Specis\PS4420AU Spcification 2008-2-27.doc 19/09/08 00 O cylindrical compartment is designed to receive a contact e sleeve that gets fixedly embedded by sliding within the compartment of the housing. This sleeve corresponds to the electric device of the electric enclosure described here above. However, in being embedded inside the compartment of the housing, the sleeve according to 00 00preferred embodiments makes an electric connection. The 00 electric connection is formed by the contact of three Splates connected to the three electric wires positioned at CI 10 an internal periphery of a central space of the compartment with three electrically conductive strips positioned on the sleeve. Within these connection spaces the insertion of the electric wire does not necessitate the use of tools such as screwdrivers. The electric wires are inserted by hand within the connection space through one face of a housing, from the wall up to the housing.

The electric wire coming from the wall is inserted in such a way that it is in direct contact with one of the electrically conductive plates. Each plate could then be in direct contact with electrically conductive strips positioned on the sleeve.

In at least preferred embodiments, there is no longer any need to screw the wires by means of this intermediate part. It is only necessary to fixedly embed a sleeve within a housing by sliding. The embedding is enough to set up electric contact by the joining of the plates with the corresponding strips.

To make the use of such an electric enclosure compatible with any type of electric connector whatsoever, it is enough to embed a sleeve into a housing by sliding and by elastic fitting, this sleeve being made with holes designed to receive plugs of a given electric connector.

The invention will be understood more clearly from the following description and the accompanying figures.

These figures are given purely by way of indication and in no way restrict the scope of the invention. Of the figures: N \Brisbane\Cases\PaLenI\S4D00 -54999\P54420 AUSpecis\PS4420.AU Specification 2008-2-27dc 19/09/08 5a 00 O Figure 1 shows an embeddable contact electric a enclosure according to the invention; SFigure 2 is a view in perspective of a housing of the electric enclosure according to the invention; Figure 3a is a cross-section view, seen in the direction of insertion of the sleeve, of an electric 00 V)enclosure according to the invention; 00 Figure 3b is a longitudinal section of a housing of IDelectric enclosure according to the invention; CI 10 Figure 4 is a diagrammatic representation of an insertion of electric wires in a housing; Figures 5a and 5b are diagrammatic representations of an installation of electric wires inside a housing; Figure 6 is a diagrammatic representation of a variant of a face of an electric enclosure designed to be embedded in a wall according to the invention; Figure 7 is a diagrammatic representation of a variant according to the invention; Figure 8 is a diagrammatic representation of a housing provided with means of guidance according to the invention; and Figure 9 is a diagrammatic representation of a housing provided with protection tabs.

Description of Embodiments With reference to Figure I, an embodiment of an embeddable contact electric enclosure 1 comprises a housing 2 designed to receive a contact sleeve 3 that gets embedded inside the housing. In the device of the invention the term "enclosure" refers to the unit formed by a housing 2 and the sleeve 3. The housing 2 is designed to be definitively sealed into the wall, for example in being run in with plaster. This sleeve 3 comprises electric connection devices. These devices enable the electric connection of the ends of electric wires coming out of the wall at the position of the hole where the housing is located to terminals of plugs of a N\Bribane\Cases\Patent\54000-S4999\P54420.AU'Specis\P54420 AU Specification 2008-2-27doc 19/09/08 00 5b O detachable electric connector, said plugs being e temporarily made to penetrate the sleeve.

The housing advantageously has a square shape chipped off at the corners, but could also have a circular cylindrical shape. The square shape enables the accurate embedding of the housing 2 in a reversed position made by 00 V)hand by means of a chisel or hammer in a hard material.

00 The square shape also makes it fairly easy to withdraw the IDhousing 4 already embedded in plaster, for example by CI 10 breaking the plaster with a hammer or screwdriver in order, as the case may be, to reposition the housing at another place. The same method us used for the sliding therein of a round housing made of the same materials.

The housing 2 is provided with a hollow compartment 4, figure 1. The compartment 4 is centered within the housing and is preferably T-shaped. The compartment forms a central volume or central space 5. The housing also has an internal periphery 6 demarcated by the central space.

An external periphery 7 is demarcated by the housing itself. The housing comprises a depth 8, a width 9 and a height The sleeve can be fixedly embedded within the housing by sliding within the compartment 4. To fixedly embed the sleeve by sliding within the compartment, the compartment 4 has three cavities 11, 12 and 13 along its internal periphery 6, figure 1. The sleeve 3 correspondingly has three protruding figures 14, 15 and 16. The cavities of the compartment 4 are hollowed out on at least one part of the depth 8 of the housing. In the preferred example, the compartment 4 is hollowed N \Brisbanc\Cases\Paten\54000-S4999\P54420.AUJSpecis\P5442O.AU Specification 2008-2-27Adc 109/08 6 00 out throughout the depth 8 of the housing, figures 1 and 2.

SEach cavity 11, 12 and 13 of the compartment 4 Sis provided with a partition 17, 18 and 19, figure 1.

The housing 2 has two tie-bars 20 and 21 connecting each of the partition walls 17, 18 and 19 to the external periphery 7 of the housing. These tie-bars and 21 demarcate a connection space 22, 23 and 24 between each of the oo partition walls 17, 18 and 19 and the external periphery 7 of the housing, 00oo figure 2. Within each of these connection spaces 22, 23 and 24, there is at least one electric wire 25, figure 4.

10 Each of the partition walls 17, 18 and 19 has an electrically conductive 0 plate 27, 28 and 29 respectively, said plates being located at a place close to c a bottom 26 of the housing, figure 2. Each of the partition walls 17, 18 and 19 forms a female terminal by means of the plates, figure 1. The sleeve 3 also has, correspondingly, three contact strips 30, 31 and 32 designed to come into contact with the plates 27, 28 and 29. These strips form male terminals.

These plates 27, 28 and 29 can be affixed by being pushed in through a front face 33 of the housing into the connection spaces 22, 23 and 24 respectively so that they are placed at a position close to a rear face 34 of the housing between the bottom 26 and the partition walls 17, 18 and 19.

However, the connection spaces 22, 23, 24 may have relatively small dimensions to enable handling operations in order to insert the electrically conductive plates 27, 28 and 29. In one variant, to facilitate the positioning of the electrically conductive plates in the housing, it may be planned first of all to fabricate the cylindrical compartment 4, and then place an electrically conductive plate or electric connector on each of the partitions 17, 18 and 19 at a place designed to be close to a rear face 34 of the housing and then affix the cylindrical compartment provided with these connectors to the bottom 26 of the housing.

The housing has a front face 33 whose plane is perpendicular to the direction of insertion of the sleeve 3 inside the housing, figures 2 and 3b. The housing has a rear face 34 whose plane is parallel to the plane of the front face 33. The rear face 34 is designed to be in contact with the wall and the front face 33 is destined to be at a distance from the wall.

Within the connection spaces 22, 23 and 24 the housing has holes 35, 36 and 37 on the front face 33 and holes 38, 39 and 40 on the rear face 00 34 of the housing. These holes are made in such a way that they have a size accepting the passage of only one electric wire 25 or several electric wires C 25. These holes are preferably made in such a way that electric wires inserted through these holes can overlap one another in being parallel to one another inside these connection spaces 22, 23 and 24.

The electric wire 25 is coated with a protective sheath (not shown). To 00oo be in contact with the plates 27, 28 and 29, the electric wire is at least In 00oo partially bared. To this end, fins 41, figures 3a, 3b, 4 and 5, are presented Sinside connection spaces 22, 23 and 24. Figure 4 shows two electric wires and 42 bared by fins 41. Each connection space has four internal faces 43, 0 44, 45 and 46, figure 2. Each of these four faces 43, 44, 45 and 46 is placed 1 respectively on the tie-bar 20, on the tie-bars 21, on one of the partition walls 17, 18 or 19, and on the external periphery 7 of the housing. Two of these four internal faces are provided with fins. The fins 41 have cutting edges and are inserted on two opposite internal faces. For example, the two internal faces may be the faces 43 and 44 located on the tie-bars 20, 21 inside the connection spaces 22, 23 and 24, figures 2, 5a and The fins 41 are tiltable. They are made in such a way that they are liable to slice the protection sheath surrounding the electric wire being contact with the electric wire.

They get tilted in the direction of insertion of the electric wire about an axis perpendicular to the direction of insertion of the electric wire. The fins can be tilted in such a way that they are inclined with respect to the faces 43 and 44, figure 4. Thus, after the connection wire has been inserted inside the connection space 22, 23 or 24, it will be enough to pull perpendicularly and in the direction opposite to the direction of insertion of the electric wire for the fins 41 to pull away a part of the protective sheath of this same electric wire.

The at least partially bared electric wire may then be in direct contact with the plate 27, 28 and 29.

If, during the mounting of such an electric enclosure according to this embodiment of the invention, an electric wire is placed in a connection space that is not appropriate, then the electric wire can be withdrawn from this connection space without being sliced by the fins. To do this, since the fins are tiltable, it may be planned to have a device (not shown) connecting the fins. This has a hook (not shown) made in such a way, by the shifting o device has a hook (not shown) made in such a way, by the shifting of 00 O this hook, the fins get folded down in the direction of insertion of the electric wire towards the fin insertion face.

In one variant, the fins may also be electrically conductive and may be IDconnected to the plates 27, 28 and 29 in such a way that, when the fins slice the protective sheath of the electric wire, they enable indirect contact between the electric wire and the plates.

00oO In another variant, the fins present on the insertion faces 43 and 44

V)

00oO may form a slicing blade 106 and 107 respectively, figure 7. Several blades Smay be present. For example, a blade may be placed at each corner formed by the faces 43 and 45, the faces 45 and 44, the faces 44 and 46, and the C faces 46 and 43. These blades may be inserted along a longitudinal axis C relative to the direction of insertion of the electric wire. Each of the blades widens from the front face 33 up to the rear face 34 in such a way that the protective sheath of the electric wire is sliced up to the electric wire proper, at a position of the blades that is close to the rear face 34, this position corresponding to a place where the blades are the most widened.

The housing is hollowed out with at least one space 47 partially going round the cylindrical compartment 4, figure 2.

This space 47 is hollowed out on at least one part of the depth 8 of the housing. In one example, the housing 2 has three spaces 47, 48 and 49.

These spaces are hollowed out throughout the depth 8 of the housing. The housing 2 has four sides 50, 51, 52 and 53, figure 2, with a width 9 and a depth 8. Each of the four sides has a plane perpendicular to the faces 33 and 34. Each of these sides may be provided with at least one precut passage 54. Three precut passages 54, 55 and 56 are shown in figure 2 on the sides 51, 52, 53 respectively. These precut passages have a circular shape but could be rectangular. These precut passages are made in such a way that they allow at least three electric wires to be taken in. These precut passages 54, 55 and 55 are laid out at a position of the housing 2 in such a way that they open out into the space 47, 48 and 49, figure 2.

In one example, the sides 50, 51, 52 and 53 may have a width 9 of millimeters and a depth 8 of 41 millimeters. On the external periphery 7, the housing may also comprise uneven features in relief (not shown) in order to offer high adhesion to expansive foam or other binders, for the sealing of the housing into the wall. In one example, the sides may include slideways (not shown). These slideways are rails. Not only do these slideways enable the creation of rough features for improved adhesion to the wall but they also enable the combination of the housings with one another by simple sliding on the rails. By simple sliding, several electric enclosures according to the invention could therefore be horizontally or vertically aligned relative to a plane perpendicular to the plane of the wall during different combinations, without causing hindrance to a covering of the enclosures with a plate or decorative piece (not shown).

To insert a sleeve 3 designed to receive an electric connector or a sleeve comprising a switch mechanism, the cylindrical compartment 4 has an extension 57 used as a keying feature. This extension 57 is hollowed out from the central space 5 and is placed on the internal periphery 6 of the cylindrical compartment 4. Preferably, along a cross section of the housing, figure 3a, this extension 57 is a rectangular shape with a length 58 by throughout a depth 8 of the housing. However, this extension 57 could have another shape. The length 58 is variable and depends on the type of enclosure chosen. In one example, the extension 57 will have a length 58 of mm for the mounting of an enclosure designed to receive an electric connector. In another example, the extension 57 will have a length 58 of 12 mm for the installation of a switch.

The sleeve 3 has a shape slightly smaller than the shape of the compartment 4 and has the same depth 8. In the case of an electric enclosure designed to receive an electric connector, figure 1, the sleeve 3 has two holes 59 and 60 and an elongated protruding feature 61 corresponding to a ground. The three strips 30, 31 and 32 of the sleeve are positioned respectively on a wall of the hole 59, on a wall of the hole 60 and on the protruding feature 61 corresponding to the ground. Each of the holes 59 and 60 is designed to receive a plug of a detachable electric connector (not shown). The three strips 30, 31 and 32 of the sleeve 3 corresponding to the three main terminals are positioned in such a way that they are arranged so as to be facing the three plates 27, 28 and 29 corresponding to the three female terminals of the housing during the insertion of the sleeve 3 within the compartment 4 of the housing 2.

In order to be consolidated, the housing 2 has at least one reinforcement piece 62 joining two sides of the housing. In one example, 00 figure 2, the housing has four reinforcement pieces 62, 63, 64 and SThe insertion of the sleeve 3 into the compartment 4 is achieved by elastic fitting or by clipping on. The term "elastic fitting" refers to the fact of Sinserting the sleeve 3 by sliding inside the compartment 4 and then holding this sleeve 3 fixedly within the compartment 4. This sleeve 3 can be held fixedly within the compartment 4 by fixing means. These fixing means may 00oo be small protruding features formed on a rim of the sleeve and designed to V0 co-operate with a groove hollowed out correspondingly on the internal wall 6 00 of the housing.

It may be planned to fixedly embed the sleeve 3 by sliding it inside the compartment 4 in ensuring that the sleeve is fixedly embedded inside the 0 compartment 4 for a pull strength of the sleeve that is greater than another pull strength of an electric connector. In one example, a pull strength of the sleeve according to the invention may be designed to be over 20 kg while a pull strength of an electric connector is usually designed to be about 5 kg.

The fixing means could be made in such a way that they cooperate with one another at least up to a strength that withstands pulling forces of 20 kg. Thus, the strength with which an electric connector is removed from the electric enclosure 'does not risk pulling the sleeve away from its housing.

A spring 66 figure 3b is laid out at the bottom 26 of the housing so as to favor the withdrawal of the sleeve durina the dismantling of such an enclosure.

In one variant, figure 6, it may be that the face 34 is not fiat. It may have a recess 67 hollowed out in it to facilitate the insertion of electric wires into the housing. Thus, the electric wires coming from the wall could get folded freely in the recess 67 so as to get accurately inserted into the housing.

30 The method of mounting an electric enclosure designed to receive an electric connector may be carried out as follows. A hole is hollowed out into the wall by means of a bell saw. This hole is made in such a way that it allows the insertion of the embeddable electric enclosure according to the invention. The housing is first of all inserted into the hole of this wall. Electric wires coming from this wall are then placed in the recess 67 and inserted into the housing in passing by the holes 38, 39 and 40 present in the rear face 34.

The electric wires could also penetrate through the front face 33 of the housing in passing by the precut passages 54, 55 and 56.

The electric wires 25 are slid by hand into the space of each connection space 22, 23 and 24. A simple push using the strength of a finger is sufficient to force the insertion of these wires into the connection spaces and flatten the fins 41. The force of the fingers and the presence of the fins in the connection spaces is enough to position the wire accurately before a plate 27, 28 and 29. The full insertion of the wire is ensured when the electric wire has shifted a flexible rod 68 fixed to one of the two internal faces 43 or 44 inside the connection spaces 22, 23 and 24 and placed in a position that is closest to the hole 38, 39 or 40 and/or a position that is closest to the hole 36 and 37 following the insertion of the electric wire 25 by the rear face 34 or by the front face 33. In shifting, the flexible rod 68 has slid beneath a rigid rod 69 fixed on a face opposite to the preceding one 43 or 44. In one example, the flexible rod 68 is fixed to the face 43 and the rigid rod 69 is fixed to the face 44, figures 5a and 5b. The sliding of the flexible rod 68 towards another side of the rigid rod 69 is perceived by a sound signal.

Then the wire is withdrawn slightly in the direction opposite to the direction of insertion of the wires so that the fins 41 can tend to get positioned perpendicularly relative to their site where they are fixed in order to slice the protective sheath. The slicing of the sheath means that the at least partially bared electric wire can be in direct contact with a plate 27, 28 or 29 or in indirect contact by means of fins.

Then the sleeve 3 is fixedly embedded by sliding within the compartment 4. It is fixed by elastic fitting or by being clipped on. The electric connection is set up by bringing the plates 27, 28 and 29 closer together or by bringing the connectors corresponding to the female terminals into direct contact with the electric wires with the strips 30, 31 and 32 corresponding to the main terminals designed to be in direct contact with the plugs of the electric connector.

The clipping on has the advantage of enabling the sleeve to be withdrawn with relative ease. The sleeve 3 can be withdrawn by being pulled by hand along a direction perpendicular and opposite to the wall. As mentioned here above, a pull strength of the sleeve relative to an enclosure intended to take an electric connector could be designed to be a strength greater than or equal to 20 kg.

To prevent the sleeve from being possibly pulled out in a direction opposite to the place in which the sleeve is inserted, the housing 1 can then be closed by a cover plate (not shown). This cover plate is made in such a way that it gets positioned in partially covering the sleeve and covering the rest of the housing. This cover plate covers the sleeve partially in such a way that the holes 59, 60 and protruding feature 61 are accessible to an electric connector. This overlapping plate is fixed by means of a male pin (not shown). The male pin is inserted into a cavity 70 by elastic fitting. To this end, the male pin cooperates with the cavity hollowed out in the housing in such a way that the male pin has a shape complementary to the shape of the cavity.

The male pin can be inserted by hand into the cavity by embedding without any need for tools such as for example a screwdriver. As in the case of the sleeve 3 embedded inside the compartment 4, it may be planned to have a pull force for the cover plate greater than or equal to 20 kg. In one example, figure 1, the housing has four cavities 70, 71, 72 and 73 present at four corners of the housing 2.

The method for mounting an electric bridge to connect two electric enclosuress is performed as follows. A first enclosure is first of all mounted as described here above. After the insertion of the first wire coming from the rear face 34 or front face 33 of the housing in each of the connection spaces 22, 23 and 24, a second wire is inserted through the front face 33 of the housing in these same connection spaces. This other wire is positioned in the same way inside the connection space 22, 23 or 24 through the hole 35, 36 or 37 on the face 33. Inside these connection spaces, the wires then overlap in such a way as to be in contact. The electric wires that get inserted through the front face 33 of the housing are then led toward the exterior of the housing. The wires come out of the end through the holes 35, 36, or 37 and then pass through grooves 74 and 75 designed for this purpose, figure 2. The grooves have a size wide enough to allow three electric wires to slide therein.

These grooves are hollowed out in the tie-bars 20 and 21, close to the front face 33 of the housing at the place in which the connection spaces are located 22, 23, 24, between the external periphery 7 of the housing and the partition wall 17, 18 and 19.

Then each wire comes out of the housing through the precut passage 54, 55 and 56. Each of the wires or all the wires together can be joined so as to pass through a single precut passage. In one example, figure 1, the electric wires can come out by the passages 54, 55 and 56 located on the sides 51, 52 and 53 respectively. The wires coming out of the first enclosure can then meet a second enclosure and get inserted in each connection space designed for this purpose on either one of the faces 33 and 34.

For the installation of an electric enclosure on the switch, electric wires are installed inside the housing 2 as described here above. Then the sleeve 3 is inserted inside the cylindrical compartment 4. In this precise case, this sleeve has the switch mechanism setting up contact between the wires upon command applied through pressure on a handle.

Thus, to adapt a given electric connector to a universal electric enclosure, it will then be enough to dismantle the enclosure. The dismantling of such an electric enclosure will consist in removing the cover plate from the housing and removing the sleeve from the cylindrical compartment of the housing, by pulling it along an axis perpendicular to the playing of the wall, in order to insert therein another sleeve, corresponding to a desired electric connector, by elastic fitting.

The electric enclosure may comprise guidance means 100, 101, figure 8. The guidance means 100, 101 may be designed to orient the electric enclosure relative to a plane formed by the ground. Preferably, these guidance means enable the housing to be oriented with two opposite sides of the housing, each forming a plane perpendicular to the plane formed by the ground. These guidance means are located on the housing and are made in such a way that they can be broken after fixing to the plaster of the housing in the hole. These guidance means enable the housing to be oriented when the plaster used to fix the housing in the hole is not yet dry. When the plaster is dry and the enclosure is positioned in a desired location relative to the plane formed by the ground, it is then enough to break these guidance means with a hammer or screwdriver.

These guidance means may be a first guidance arm 100 and a second guidance arm 101, figure 8. These guidance arms may be fixed to a first side and to a second side of the housing. Preferably, these guidance arms 100 and 101 are fixed on two opposite sides. In the example shown in figure 8, the first guidance arm 100 and the second guidance arm 101 are fixed 00 14 O respectively to the side 51 and to the side 53 of the housing 2. These guidance arms form right angles by which they can rest on and get secured against the wall near the hole hollowed out in the wall. The guidance arms are preferably fixed to a central part of the housing and extend from the side corresponding to the housing in a 00 direction opposite that of the housing and along a 00 direction perpendicular to a plane formed by the side 51 Sand the side 53. These arms are fixed to a side of the C 10 housing while extending and going over the front face 33 Sin such a way that the front face 33 forms a plane surface in continuity with a plane formed by the wall once the enclosure is placed in the hole. A level gauge can then be positioned along an axis on which the two guidance arms are positioned to adjust the orientation of the enclosure along the axis on which are located the two arms parallel to the plane formed by the ground.

To protect the electric wires, tiltable protection tabs 102, 103 and 104 may also be placed on the housing 2 in order to block the holes 35, 36 and 37 respectively on the connection spaces 22, 23 and 24 once the electric wires are inserted therein, figure 9. In the example of figure 9, the tabs are fixed to the outer ring 7 of the housing. However, the tabs could be placed on the inner rim 6 or on one of the tie-bars 20, 21. These tabs are designed to fold down (as represented by an arrow in figure while tilting about an axis 105, said axis 105 being formed along a ridge of the housing.

In the claims which follow and in the preceding description of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising" is used in an inclusive sense, i.e. to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments of the invention.

It will be understood to persons skilled in the N \Brisbane\CasesPatem\4OO54999\P5442. At\SpecisP54420 AU Specification 2008-2-27doc 6J03/08 15 00 art of the invention that many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

IND

0 N \Brisbane\Cases\Paterm\54000-54999\P54420 AIJ\Specis\P54420 AU Specification 2003-2.27.doc WOMB/0

Claims

2. A housing provided with a hollow compartment, the housing being capable of being embedded in a hole in a wall, and adapted to receive: a contact sleeve comprising electrically conductive strips and arranged so as to be slidably located within the compartment of the housing, the compartment corresponding in shape to the contact sleeve, wherein electrical wires may be inserted into connection spaces so as to come into contact with conductive plates, each connection space being delimited by a partition comprising a conductive plate and constituting a wall of the compartment and by an external wall of the housing; whereby the contact sleeve is located within the housing by sliding into the housing to bring the electrically conductive strips into contact with the conductive plate during the insertion.
3. An electric contact enclosure according to claim N.\Brisban\Cascs\Patcnt\540DD-54999\PS4420AU\Specis\P54420.AU Specification 2008-2.27.doc 19/09/08 17 00 S1, characterised in that the compartment is centered Q inside the housing.
4. An electric contact enclosure, according to claim 1, characterised in that the compartment comprises three communicating cavities, each provided with a partition, separated by a main space, the sleeve correspondingly 0 comprising three protrusions to be received in the three 00 communicating cavities. An electric contact enclosure according to claim CI 10 4, characterised in that the compartment is T-shaped.
6. An electric contact enclosure according to claim characterised in that the compartment comprises an extension with a rectangular cross-section extending the depth of the housing.
7. An electric contact enclosure according to claim 4, characterised in that the sleeve comprises three corresponding contact strips designed to come into contact with the conductive plates.
8. An electric contact enclosure according to claim 7, characterised in that the housing comprises holes in the front face and holes in the rear face of the housing connecting to the connection spaces, these holes being of a size suitable to accept the passage of a single electric wire.
9. An electric contact enclosure according to claim 4, characterised in that the connection spaces are provided with fins extending from two opposite internal faces, these fins being tiltable and tilted relative to a direction of insertion of an electric wire.
10. An electric contact enclosure according to one of the claims 1 to 9, characterised in that the housing is hollow so as to create at least one space between the external wall of the housing and the compartment, at least one precut passage in the external wall of the housing opening into the or each space.
11. An electric contact enclosure according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterised in that the N\Brisbanc\Cases\Paent\540OO-54999\P5442OALPSpecis\P54420 AU Spcification 2008-2.27doc 19109108 18 00 connection space is further delimited by a tie bar to either side of the connection space joining the partitions Sand the housing.
12. A method for mounting of an electric contact enclosure according to claim 2, comprising the following steps: 00 00inserting the housing into a wall; 00 inserting electrical wires extending from the wall into connection spaces of a compartment of a housing, each Cl 10 connection space being delimited by a partition comprising a conductive plate and constituting a wall of the compartment and by an external wall of the housing through holes in the rear face of the housing until the wires are brought into contact with the conductive plates; sliding a sleeve into the compartment of the housing until an electrical connection is made through contact of electrically conductive strips on the contact sleeve with the conductive plates; and fixing a covering plate onto the housing.
13. A method for mounting according to claim 12, further comprising: inserting other wires into each of the connection spaces through holes in the front face of the housing; and drawing these other wires through the housing in pre cut passages in the houses.
14. A method for the use of an electric contact enclosure according to claim 1, characterised in that: the sleeve designed to receive the plugs of a detachable electric connector is withdrawn and replaced by a sleeve designed to form a switch, or vice versa. An electric contact enclosure according to any one of claims 1 to 14 further comprising means for guidance and orientation of the enclosure relative to the ground.
16. An electric contact enclosure according to any one of claims 1 to 15, further comprising protection tabs secured to the housing and able to be tilted to plug a N \Brisbane\Cases\Pten\S40-54999\P5442OAU'Spccis\P54420 AU Specifcation 2008.2-27doc 19/09/08 00 19 hole in the front face of a housing.
17. An electric contact enclosure substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 00 00 N-\Brisbane\Cases\Patent\54000-54999\P54420 ALASpmis\P54420 AU Specification 200S-2-27.doc 19/09/08