GB2377091A

GB2377091A - Gasket-sealed electrical accessory

Info

Publication number: GB2377091A
Application number: GB0129355A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Lance Joseph
Original assignee: Get PLC
Current assignee: Get PLC
Priority date: 2001-12-07
Filing date: 2001-12-07
Publication date: 2002-12-31
Anticipated expiration: 2021-12-07
Also published as: GB0129355D0; GB2377091B

Abstract

An electrical wiring accessory 2 for mounting on a wiring box recessed in a wall, comprises a front plate 6; a contact housing 4 mounted on the rearward side of the front plate to protrude into the wiring box when the accessory is mounted on the box; and a compressible gasket 24 mounted on the rear face of the front plate surrounding the contact housing to abut the wall when the electrical wiring accessory is mounted on the wiring box. The compressible material may be closed-cell neoprene foam. The foam may protrude past the rim of a rimmed-accessory.

Description

Electrical Wiring Accessories This invention relates to electrical wiring accessories, and in particular wall mounted electrical sockets and switches.

A known form of wall mounted electrical socket, shown in Fig. 1, includes a front plate having apertures in its front face for the pins of one or more electrical plugs and a contact housing mounted on the rear of the front plate. The contact housing provides a structure for holding an arrangement of electrical contacts for the pins of a plug received in the socket apertures, and corresponding terminals by which electrical wiring connections can be made to the contacts.

The socket is mounted to a wall with the rear face of the front plate flush with the wall. The contact housing extends behind the plate into a standard electrical wiring accessory box recessed into the wall.

Similarly, a known form of wall mounted electrical switch includes a front plate carrying a rocker switch and a contact housing in which are mounted the switch contacts and wiring terminals. As with the socket, the switch is mounted in a wiring accessory box recessed into the wall, the rear face of the front plate being mounted flush against the wall, as can be seen in Fig. 2.

The present invention provides an electrical wiring accessory for mounting on a wiring box recessed in a wall, the electrical wiring accessory comprising: a front plate ; a contact housing mounted on the rearward side of the front plate to protrude into the wiring box when the accessory is mounted on the box; and

a compressible gasket mounted on the rear face of the front plate surrounding the contact housing to abut the wall when the electrical wiring accessory is mounted on the wiring box.

The electrical wiring accessory may be a switch or a socket for instance.

By employing a gasket in this manner, a flush fit of the electrical wiring accessory with the wall can be more readily assured. This is because any slight unevenness in the wall surrounding the wiring box is accommodated by compression of the gasket. Ensuring a flush fit with the wall not only guarantees a more attractive appearance but also offers an enhancement in safety as it can prevent foreign bodies from inadvertently slipping behind the front plate.

Preferably the gasket is mounted on the rear face of the front plate adjacent its outer edge. It is also preferred that the gasket is continuous, following the complete perimeter of the plate.

Advantageously, the gasket may also act as a barrier to the transmission of moisture from the wall surrounding the wiring accessory. This can help prevent moisture reaching the electrical contacts in the contact housing and, in the case of metal or metal coated front plates, can help prevent corrosion or tarnishing of the plate.

Many suitable materials from which the gasket may be formed will be well known to the skilled person. Examples include compressible polymer foams, preferably having a closed cell structure in order to act as an effective barrier to moisture. One preferred compressible material is neoprene foam.

It is preferred that the gasket is adhered to the rear face of the front plate to ensure that it remains in

the correct alignment with the plate as it is being mounted on the wiring box. Advantageously, the electrical wiring accessory may be supplied with the gasket pre-applied.

The invention is applicable to a great variety of forms of electrical wiring accessory for wall mounting, including for example those formed such that only the rim of a lip on the rear face of the front plate sits against the wall. In this case, the gasket may be mounted on the rim, or inwardly of the lip but protruding beyond it so that the gasket abuts the wall when the wiring accessory is mounted on the wiring box.

The use of a gasket in accordance with the invention can be particularly beneficial for wiring accessories of the form illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, in which the portion of the rear face of the front plate that sits against the wall in use is substantially flat. This is because in accessories of this'flat plate'form a greater surface area of the rear face of the plate will be in contact with the wall, typically resulting in them being more susceptible to the effects of unevenness in the wall.

Embodiments of the invention are described below, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 illustrates a known wall mounted electrical socket; Fig. 2 illustrates a known wall mounted electrical switch; Fig. 3 illustrates a wall mounted electrical socket having a gasket in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and Fig. 4 illustrates a wall mounted electrical switch having a gasket in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

A first embodiment of the invention is illustrated in fig. 3, applied to a twin electrical socket. The socket has a flat, metal front plate 2 and, mounted to the rear of the front plate 2, a contact housing 4. The front face 6 of the front plate has three apertures 8, arranged to receive the live, neutral and earth pins of a standard UK 240v plug (British Standard BS1363) and two further apertures 10 towards the side edges of the plate for the passage of screws (not shown) used to mount the socket on a standard 25mm wiring box.

The contact housing 4 holds an arrangement of contacts (not visible, but indicated at 18) adapted to engage the pins of a plug received in the apertures 8 in the front face 6 of the plate 2 in a conventional manner.

The housing also supports corresponding terminals 20, electrically connected to respective ones of the neutral and live contacts, for connection to e. g. the wiring of a ring main in a building.

A pair of rocker switches 22 project through the front face of the front plate 2 and can be used to isolate respective live contacts of the contact housing from the corresponding terminals.

An annular gasket 24 is adhered to the rear face 26 of the front plate 2. The gasket 24 extends to the edge of and follows the perimeter of the plate 2 so that when the socket is mounted on a wiring box the gasket 24 is pressed up against the surrounding wall to form a seal against moisture. The gasket 24 is formed of a compressible, closed cell polymer foam, in this example a neoprene foam. The compressibility of the gasket 24 can accommodate a degree of unevenness of the wall whilst maintaining a contact between the wall and the gasket around the entire perimeter of the socket. This avoids any unsightly and

potentially dangerous gaps around the edge of the front plate 2.

Turning to Fig. 4, a wall mountable electrical switch according to an embodiment of the invention will be described. Similarly to the socket described above, the switch has a flat front plate 40 and, mounted to the rear of the front plate, a contact housing 42. The switch is mounted, in use, on a standard 16mm wiring box, using screws (not shown), which pass through apertures 46 in the front plate 40 and engage fixings in the wiring box.

A rocker switch 48 protrudes through the front face 50 of the front plate 40 and can be used to operate the two way switch mechanism (not visible, but indicated at 52) within the contact housing 42, to selectively connect terminals 54 of the switch.

As with the socket, a compressible, annular gasket 56 extends around the perimeter of the rear face 58 of the front plate 40. When mounted on a wiring box, the gasket 56 of the front plate sits against the wall 58 in which the box 44 is recessed, providing a seal against moisture and accommodating any unevenness in the wall.

As will be apparent to the skilled person, numerous modifications and variations can be made to the embodiments specifically described above without departing from the invention. For instance, although the use of a gasket has been illustrated and described in the context of switches and sockets having a flat plate form, suitably formed compressible gaskets may also be used in association with other forms of front plates including for example those formed of plastics and having a rearwardly facing lip around their perimeter.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. The present invention provides an electrical wiring accessory for mounting on a wiring box recessed in a wall, the electrical wiring accessory comprising: a front plate; a contact housing mounted on the rearward side of the front plate to protrude into the wiring box when the accessory is mounted on the box; and a compressible gasket mounted on the rear face of the front plate surrounding the contact housing to abut the wall when the electrical wiring accessory is mounted on the wiring box.
2. The electrical wiring accessory of claim 1, wherein the accessory is a switch or a socket.
3. The electrical wiring accessory of claims 1-2, wherein the gasket is mounted on the rear face of the front plate adjacent its outer edge.
4. The electrical wiring accessory of any preceding claim, wherein the gasket is continuous and follows the complete perimeter of the plate.
5. The electrical wiring accessory of any preceding claim, wherein the gasket acts as a barrier to the transmission of moisture from the wall surrounding the wiring accessory.
6. The electrical wiring accessory of any preceding claim, wherein the gasket is formed from a compressible polymer foam or foams.
7. The electrical wiring accessory of claim 6, wherein the foam is of a closed cell structure
8. The electrical wiring accessory of any preceding claim, wherein the compressible material is neoprene foam.
9. The electrical wiring accessory of any preceding claim, wherein the gasket is adhered to the rear face of the front plate.
10. The electrical wiring accessory of any preceding claim, wherein the electrical wiring accessory may be supplied with the gasket pre-applied.

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11. The electrical wiring accessory of any preceding claim, wherein only the rim of a lip on the rear face of the front plate sits against the wall.
12. The electrical wiring accessory of claim 12, wherein the gasket is mounted on the rim, or inwardly of the lip but protruding beyond it so that the gasket abuts the wall when the wiring accessory is mounted on the wiring box.
13. An electrical wiring accessory substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to, and as illustrated in, figures 3 and 4 of the drawings.

13. The electrical wiring accessory of any preceding claim, wherein the portion of the rear face of the front plate that sits against the wall in use is substantially flat.

14. An electrical wiring accessory substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to, and as illustrated in, figures 3 and 4 of the drawings.

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Amended claims have been filed as follows CLAIMS: 1. An electrical wiring accessory for mounting on a wiring box recessed in a wall, the electrical wiring accessory comprising: a front plate; a contact housing mounted on the rearward side of the front plate to protrude into the wiring box when the accessory is mounted on the box; and a compressible gasket mounted on the rear face of the front plate surrounding the contact housing to abut the wall when the electrical wiring accessory is mounted on the wiring box wherein the gasket acts as a barrier to the transmission of moisture from the wall surrounding the wiring accessory.

2. The electrical wiring accessory of claim 1, wherein the accessory is a switch or a socket.

3. The electrical wiring accessory of claims 1-2, wherein the gasket is mounted on the rear face of the front plate adjacent its outer edge.

4. The electrical wiring accessory of any preceding claim, wherein the gasket is continuous and follows the complete perimeter of the plate.

5. The electrical wiring accessory of any preceding claim, wherein the gasket is formed from a compressible polymer foam or foams.

6. The electrical wiring accessory of claim 5, wherein the foam is of a closed cell structure 7. The electrical wiring accessory of any preceding claim, wherein the compressible material is neoprene foam.

8. The electrical wiring accessory of any preceding claim, wherein the gasket is adhered to the rear face of the front plate.

9. The electrical wiring accessory of any preceding claim, wherein the electrical wiring accessory may be supplied with the gasket pre-applied.

10. The electrical wiring accessory of any preceding claim, wherein only the rim of a lip on the rear face of the front plate sits against the wall.

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11. The electrical wiring accessory of claim 10, wherein the gasket is mounted on the rim, or inwardly of the lip but protruding rearwardly beyond it so that the gasket abuts the wall when the wiring accessory is mounted on the wiring box.

12. The electrical wiring accessory of any preceding claim, wherein the portion of the rear face of the front plate that sits against the wall in use is substantially flat.