GB2387484A

GB2387484A - Cover plate for wall switch

Info

Publication number: GB2387484A
Application number: GB0229745A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Alan Christopher Fitzroy
Original assignee: Novar ED&S Ltd
Current assignee: Novar ED&S Ltd
Priority date: 2002-04-10
Filing date: 2002-12-20
Publication date: 2003-10-15
Anticipated expiration: 2022-12-20
Also published as: GB0208262D0; GB2387484B; GB0229745D0

Abstract

A cover plate for a wall switch 1 comprises a mounting frame 20 for receiving a functional element 300, 400 and a removable metal frontplate 2. The frontplate is provided with a front wall 3 and a depending peripheral wall 5 on at least two portions of an edge 10, 11 of the front wall, the peripheral wall having at least an inwardly facing protrusion 6, 7. A resilient metal clip 22, is mounted to the mounting frame, the resilient clip being arranged to co-operate with the inwardly facing protrusion to retain the frontplate to the mounting frame. The resilient clip is such that a low electrical resistance path is provided between the frontplate and the mounting frame.

Description

RMC Ref. 37318.GBP \ 2387484 1 gth December 2002 Imorovements in and

relating to electrical wiring accessories The present invention relates to electrical wiring accessories with removable frontplates. Electrical wiring accessories such as switches and sockets for use in domestic or commercial use are well known. An example of such an existing product, is the Applicant's ACCENT (Registered Trademark) range of wiring accessories, which include switches and power or data sockets. These products have a removable 10 frontplate that is retained to a mounting frame by means of a spring clip. The removable frontplate may be of metal or plastics. In the case of a metal frontplate, the spring clip has to provide both the retentive means and also an electrical earthing means, so as to meet the requirements of British Standards relating to electrical wiring accessories. The mounting frame in the ACCENT 15 range receives and supports functional elements, such as, switches, power or data sockets, and blanking plates.

For electrical switches, a relevant UK standard, is EN60069-1 1999, which at Clause 20.5 specifies that the frontplate shall resist a pull-off force of at least 20 10N, and at Clause 11.4 specifies a maximum resistance between a frontplate and an earthing terminal shall be 0.05 ohms.

A problem with the known arrangements is that for a product such as ACCENT, the frontplate retention means is such that the frontplate is complicated, and 25 cannot be easily manufactured from sheet metal, and must be of a die-cast metal construction. This makes it an expensive arrangement since die casting metal can result in porosity and other surface defects. Other known arrangements for

RMC Ref. 37318.GBP 1 gth December 2002 - 2 frontplate retention do not provide the required electrical earthing means in a suitably effective and reliable way.

According to the present invention, there is provided an electrical wiring 5 accessory comprising a mounting frame for receiving a functional element and a removable metal frontplate, the frontplate having a front wall and a depending peripheral wall on at least two portions of an edge of the front wall, the peripheral wall having at least an inwardly facing protrusion, wherein a resilient metal clip is mounted to the mounting frame, the resilient clip being arranged to 10 co-operate with the inwardly facing protrusion to retain the frontplate to the mounting frame, and wherein the resilient clip is such that a low electrical resistance path is provided between the frontplate and the mounting frame.

A benefit of the resilient clip co-operating with the inwardly facing protrusion is that the metal frontplate may be easily formed from sheet metal.

1 5 Preferably the metal frontplate is formed from sheet metal.

A benefit of the metal frontplate being formed from sheet metal is that a high quality frontplate may be obtained with a superior surface finish and close tolerances, while ensuring that costs of production are minimised.

20 Preferably the metal frontplate has at least two parallel sides, with depending peripheral walls, an inwardly facing surface of each peripheral wall being arranged to abut a corresponding outwardly facing surface of the mounting frame. A benefit of the metal frontplate having at least two parallel sides, with 25 depending peripheral walls, and an inwardly facing surface of each peripheral wall being arranged to abut a corresponding outwardly facing surface of the mounting frame is that the frontplate may be arranged to resist being deflected

- RMC Ref. 37318.GBP 1 9th December 2002 sideways relative to the mounting frame. Hence a retention of the frontplate to the mounting frame may also be improved.

Preferably an electrical resistance between an earth terminal and metal 5 components, such as the frontplate, that are in electrical contact with the earth terminal is low.

More preferably such an electrical resistance is less than one twentieth of an ohm. A benefit of a low electrical resistance between an earth terminal and metal 10 components that are in electrical contact with the earth terminal, is that a fault whereby a mains potential is inadvertently applied to such a metal component is prevented from causing a dangerously high potential to arise on the metal component since the resistance is sufficiently low that a fault current arising from the application of the potential may be safely conducted to a safety 15 electrical earth connected to the earth terminal, and the conduction of the fault current will cause the operation of an over-current protection device or an earth leakage current detection device or a residual current detection device, such that the mains potential is disconnected sufficiently quickly to minimise the risk to persons or property that may be in contact with or in the vicinity of the metal 20 component. Preferably the clip is arranged so that when it is deflected, a beam portion is arranged to deflect substantially only in a direction of a major transverse axis of the beam.

25 A benefit of the clip being arranged to resist deflection by being arranged to deflect substantially only in a direction of a major transverse axis of the beam is that a large force may be obtained from a thin spring. Hence the spring is easily made using press tooling, and may be accommodated within a slim profile of the frontplate.

RMC Ref. 37318.GBP 1 9th December 2002 - 4 Preferably the electrical wiring accessory is arranged such that a pull-off force greater than 1 ON, applied to the frontplate in a direction perpendicular to and in a direction away from a mounting surface on which the wiring accessory is 5 mounted, is required to disengage the frontplate from the clips, and hence remove the frontplate from the mounting frame.

A benefit of having a retentive force sufficient to resist a 1 ON pulloff force applied to the frontplate is that safety of the electrical accessory is enhanced, since the frontplate provides protection for the electrical connections to the 10 electrical wiring accessory.

Preferably a resilient tongue is provided to resiliently rest against the mounting surface, so as to provide a ramp to guide and direct a tool placed against the ramp, so as to provide a force to disengage the inwardly facing protrusion from 1 5 the resilient clip.

A benefit of the resilient tongue is that a variation in the height of the mounting frame above the mounting surface may be accommodated. A further benefit is that there is a reduced risk of a tool, such as a screwdriver being forced under the mounting frame, hence damaging the frame and wall, as well as possibly 20 coming into contact with live electrical conductors.

Preferably an edge of the depending peripheral wall, the edge facing away from the front wail, is provided with a slot. More preferably the slot has a width greater than a width of the tongue. Still more preferably, the tongue is arranged 25 to protrude the depending peripheral wall.

A benefit of a slot is that a location may be provided for a tool to be used to remove the frontplate when required. A further benefit is that where the edge closely abuts a mounting surface on which the electrical wiring accessory is

RMC Ref. 37318.GBP 1 gth December 2002 - 5 mounted, it will still be possible to insert a tool without damaging the mounting surface or the frontplate. A benefit of the tongue protruding the depending peripheral wall is that a tool, such as a screwdriver blade, may be more easily and reliably located on the tongue.

Preferably the resilient tongue is formed as a part of the resilient clip.

A benefit of the resilient tongue being formed as a part of the resilient clip is that a single resilient component may perform both functions, and hence manufacturing complexity may be minimised, and also manufacturing cost may 10 be minimised.

Preferably a spacer is provided to space the mounting frame away from the mounting surface.

A benefit of the spacer is that the electrical accessory may be spaced away from 15 the mounting surface so that a thick wall covering may be applied to the mounting surface so that the covering extends under the frontplate so that an edge of the covering is covered by the frontplate. Hence, an exposed edge of the wail covering may be protected, and the frontplate may still be mounted to the mounting frame so that the rearward facing surface of the frontplate abuts 20 the forward facing surface of the functional element.

Specific embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: 25 Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first electrical wiring accessory according to the invention;

RMC Ref. 37318.GBP 1 gth December 2002 Figure 2 is a perspective view of the first electrical wiring accessory shown in Figure 1, but with a frontplate removed; Figure 3 is a perspective view of the first electrical wiring accessory shown in Figure 1, but with the frontplate and functional element removed; 5 Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view through part of the first electrical wiring accessory shown in Figure 1, taken on the line shown by arrows AA in Figure 1; Figure 4A is a sectional view of the frontplate of Figure 4, taken through a centre line of a collar and a free end of a clip on the line shown by the arrows BB in Figure 5; 10 Figure 4B is a sectional view of the mounting frame of Figure 4; Figure 5 is a plan view of the perspective view of Figure 3; Figure 6 is a side view of the perspective view of Figure 3; Figure 7 is a view from below of the perspective view of Figure 3; Figure 8 is a perspective view of a second wiring accessory according to the 15 invention (but without a functional element); Figure 9 is a perspective view of a second wiring accessory as shown in Figure 8, but with the frontplate partially removed; Figure 10 is a perspective view of the electrical wiring accessory shown in Figure 8, but with the front plate (and functional element) removed; 20 Figure 1 1 is a plan view of the perspective view of Figure 10; and Figure 12 is a side view of the perspective view of Figure 10; and Figure 13 is an enlarged scrap sectional view of a third embodiment of the invention. _... _...

RMC Ref. 37318.GBP 1 gth December 2002 - 7 From Figure 1, a first electrical wiring accessory 1 according to the invention may be seen to comprise a frontplate 2 and functional elements 300 and 400.

Apertures 4 and 4' are provided in the frontplate to co-operate with the particular functional elements to be used in conjunction with the frontplate. The 5 frontplate 2 has a front wall 3 having an edge 10 and 11 around its periphery with a depending peripheral wall 5, the depending peripheral wall 5 is provided with four inwardly facing protrusions 6, 7, 8 and 9, of which only two are visible in this figure. The functional elements shown and described with reference to the figures are rocker switches, however they may be any other sort of electrical 10 wiring accessory functional element, such as for example socket outlets, indicator lamps, and buzzers. For functional accessories such as socket outlets, or switches with larger rockers, the frontplate will require apertures to suit the functional element it is arranged to co-operate with.

Preferably the frontplate 2 is made of metal, and more preferably it is made from 15 sheet metal. Preferably a process by which the metal frontplate is made is one whereby the frontplate is blanked and formed on a press using a plurality of stages or operations on a successive stages of a progression tool. A benefit of such a process is that a high quality frontplate may be obtained with a superior surface finish and close tolerances, while ensuring that costs of production are 20 minimised. A suitable thickness 4T (shown in Figure 4) for the sheet metal of the frontplate has been found to be 0.8mm. When using such sheet metal, a height 4J of the depending peripheral wall may be small, ensuring a low profile for the electrical wiring accessory when mounted to a mounting surface. A suitable value for 25 height 4J has been found to be 2.8mm.

Figure 2 shows the same electrical accessory 1, but with the frontplate 2 removed to show a mounting frame 20 having a resilient clip or member 22 mounted to the frame by means of a spun collar 24, such that an electrical 30 resistance between an earth terminal 26 and the clip 22 is very low.

RMC Ref. 37318.GBP 1 gth December 2002 - 8 Hence, the clip may be arranged to provide a low electrical resistance path between the frontplate 2 and the mounting frame 20.

A value of the low resistance path between the frontplate 2 and the earth 5 terminal 26 is preferably less than 0.05 ohms.

Figure 3 shows the mounting frame 20 with the functional elements 300 and 400 absent. Although in this embodiment the functional elements may be removed from the mounting frame the invention applies equally to electrical 10 wiring accessories where the functional elements are mounted to the mounting frame at the time of manufacture and it is not intended that a user should be able to separate them.

The mounting frame 20 has four raised areas 32, 34, 36 and 38. Raised areas 36 and 38 each have a lateral face 46 and 48 on a first side 28 of the mounting 15 frame, and raised areas 32 and 34 each have an adjacent lateral face 42 and 44 on a second side 30 of the mounting frame, the first side being parallel to the second side.

Raised areas 32 and 34 are arranged to provide support for free ends 60 and 62 of the resilient clip 22. From the section view of Figure 4, it may be seen that 20 each of the free ends 60 and 62 of the resilient clip 22 is folded in an identical U shape 64 and 64' such that each of the free ends is a close fit on the mounting frame. Preferably the U shape is such that the U shape is resiliently deflected as it is mounted to the mounting frame to ensure that the clip may securely retain the frontplate to the mounting frame.

25 The U shape 64 comprises a free end 66 which is formed to provide a lead-in to aid assembly when the clip is mounted to the mounting frame, and a flat beam portion 68 which joins each U shape to the other, and to a lower portion 70 which has a hole through which a collar 24 may be inserted to retain the clip securely to the mounting frame. The collar when set by riveting or spinning is

RMC Ref. 37318.GBP 1 9th December 2002 arranged so that an electrical resistance between the mounting frame and the clip is low. Flat beam portion 68 has a major transverse axis with a dimension 2M that is substantially greater than its minor transverse axis thickness 4T.

The U shape 64 also comprises a nose portion 74 having a ramp 76 and a 5 retaining face 78. In use an inner face 49 of the depending peripheral wall 5 of the frontplate 2 is first located against face 48 by moving it in the direction of arrow 4C, and then rotated about face 48 in the direction of arrow 4F so as to engage inwardly facing protrusion 6 with the ramp 76. Clip 22 is thus deflected in the direction of arrow 4D so that the inwardly facing protrusion may pass over 10 the ramp and be retained by the retaining face 78 co-operating with the inwardly facing protrusion 6. Deflection of the clip 22 is resisted by the collar 24, and hence the flat beam portion 68 of the clip 22 deflects to permit the movement of the free ends 60 and 62. Since the free ends of the clip are restrained to moving only in the direction of the arrow 4D, the deflection of the free ends is resisted 15 by the flat beam portion 68 deflecting substantially only in the plane of the major transverse axis. Hence, as the dimension 2M is relatively large, the clip may be arranged to provide substantially greater retentive force than would be possible if the clip were deflected in the direction of the thickness of the clip material, perpendicular to the major transverse axis.

20 A length 4K between inwardly facing inner faces 49 and 43 is arranged to be larger than the length 4N measured over the outside of the faces 48 and 42 or 46 and 44. Preferably a difference between the lengths is no more than 0.5mm.

Hence, lateral movement of the frontplate may be resisted by the mounting frame. A benefit of restricting the lateral movement of the faceplate with 25 respect to the mounting frame is that the retention of the faceplate to the mounting frame is improved, and it is only possible to remove the frontplate by means of a tool, such as a screwdriver. An edge 81 of the depending peripheral wall, the edge facing away from the front wall, is provided with a slot 80 for this purpose, to enable the insertion of a screwdriver, so that the tip of the 30 screwdriver may bear on the sloping face 82 (or if the frontplate has been fitted the other way up, the screwdriver will bear on alternative sloping face 84) to

RMC Ref. 37318.GBP 1 gab December 2002 - 10 enable the frontplate to be prised off the mounting frame, without damage to a mounting surface 86 (only shown in Figure 4) on which the electrical accessory is mounted.

To ensure that the frontplate closely abuts the functional element, forward facing 5 surfaces 90 are provided on the functional elements, which are arranged to abut an inside rearward facing face 88 of the frontplate 2. Raised areas 36 and 38 are arranged so that a clearance gap 4M exists between the raised areas and an inside rearward facing face 88 of the frontplate 2.

10 From Figure 8, a second wiring accessory 200 having a frontplate 201 is shown mounted to a mounting surface 202. An aperture 204 is provided in the frontplate to co-operate with the particular functional element to be used in conjunction with the frontplate. The frontplate 201 has a front wall 203 having around its periphery a depending peripheral wall 205, the depending peripheral 15 wall 205 is provided with four inwardly facing protrusions 206, 207, 208 and 209, of which only two are visible in this figure. Preferably the frontplate 201 is made of metal, and more preferably it is made from sheet metal.

Also shown in Figure 8 is a screwdriver with a blade 240 which when placed in 20 slot 280 and moved in the direction of the arrow 8A enables the frontplate 201 to be released firstly from the clip nose 274 at protrusion 207, and then to be removed as shown in Figure 9 by sliding the screwdriver blade 240 up the side of the accessory in the direction of arrow 8B to release the clip nose 276 at protrusion 206. Aperture 204 is then raised clear of the functional element (not 25 shown in this embodiment, but similar to that shown and described with reference to the embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2), and the frontplate may be moved in the direction of arrow 8C to release the protrusions 208 and 209..

RMC Ref. 3731 8.GBP 1 gth December 2002 Figure 1 0 shows the mounting frame 220 with the functional elements absent.

Although in this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the functional elements may be removed from the mounting frame the invention applies equally to electrical wiring accessories where the functional elements are mounted to the 5 mounting frame at the time of manufacture and it is not intended that a user should be able to separate them.

The mounting frame 220 has four raised areas 132, 134, 136 and 1 38. Raised areas 136 and 138 each have a lateral face 146 and 148 on a first side 1 28 of 10 the mounting frame, and raised areas 132 and 134 each have an adjacent lateral face 142 and 144 on a second side 130 of the mounting frame, the first side being parallel to the second side. Lateral faces 146 and 148 are arranged to engage with the protrusions 208 and 209 to retain the frontplate to the mounting frame. Lateral faces 142 and 144 are provided to prevent lateral 15 movement of the frontplate in the direction of arrow 8C, until the frontplate has been raised clear of the lateral faces 142 and 144 by disengaging the frontplate from the clip noses 274 and 276.

An earth terminal 126 is mounted to the mounting frame so as to provide a 20 reliable means of making an electrical earth connection to the metal mounting frame. The mounting frame 220 is preferably made of a metal such as steel, which has been protected against corrosion, by a process such as zinc plating and 25 passivation. Such a finish ensures that the earth terminal may be arranged to reliably have a very low resistance connection to the mounting frame.

RMC Ref. 37318.GBP 1 8th December 2002 A value of resistance between the earth terminal and the frontplate is preferably less than one twentieth of an ohm.

Alternatively the mounting frame 220, may be made of a diecasting, such as 5 diecast zinc, in which case, the earth terminal is preferably formed as a part of the mounting frame.

Raised areas 132 and 134 are arranged to provide support for free ends 160 and 162 of the resilient clip 122. It may be seen that each of the free ends 160 and 10 162 of the resilient clip 122 are folded in identical U shapes 164 and 164' such that each of the free ends is a close fit on the mounting frame 220. Preferably the U shape is such that a rear part 166 and 166' the U shape is resiliently deflected as it is mounted to the mounting frame to ensure that the clip may securely retain the frontplate 201 to the mounting frame.

1 5 The resilient clip 122 comprises a flat beam portion 168 which joins each U shape to the other, and to a lower portion 170 which has a hole through which a collar 124 may be inserted to retain the clip securely to the mounting frame. The collar 124 is arranged to receive a fixing screw 172 to retain the mounting plate 20 to a box lug 232 in box 230. The collar when set by riveting or spinning is arranged so that an electrical resistance between the mounting frame and the clip is low. The mounting frame is also provided with a second fixing hole 171 to receive a second fixing screw.

25 In retaining the frontplate to the mounting frame, the clip of the second embodiment functions in a similar manner to that described with reference to the first embodiment.

RMC Ref. 37318.GBP 1 gth December 2002 - 13 Hence, lateral movement of the frontplate may be resisted by the mounting frame, and preferably it is only possible to remove the frontplate by means of a tool, such as a screwdriver. The slot 280 is provided for this purpose, to enable the insertion of a screwdriver blade 240, so that the tip of the screwdriver may 5 bear on a sloping protrusion or tongue 190 to enable the frontplate to be prised off the mounting frame, without damage to a mounting surface 202 on which the electrical accessory is mounted.

The sloping protrusion or tongue 190 as shown in Figure 9 is arranged to 10 resiliently rest against the mounting surface 202, enabling the screwdriver blade 240 to be placed more easily underneath the frontplate 201. The clip 122 is preferably arranged to deflect along sloping face portion 192.

Where the frontplate 201 is mounted on a mounting surface such as a plastered 15 wall, the frontplate the sloping protrusion or tongue 190 reduces a risk that the screwdriver blade will be inserted between the wail and the mounting frame 220.

Hence the frontplate 201 can be removed with greater ease and safety due to a diminished risk of the screwdriver blade 240 coming into contact with live electrical connections within the enclosed space 231 within the mounting box 20 230, as shown in Figure 12.

In Figure 11, the width 11W is smaller than the width of the sloping face portion 192 so that the tongue 190 may fit within the narrow slot 280 in the frontplate 201, as shown in Figure 8. Preferably the width 11W of the sloping tongue 190 25 is narrower than a width 8W of slot 280 in the frontplate 201 as shown in Figure 8 and is wider than the width of the screwdriver blade 240.

RMC Ref. 37318.GBP 1 gth December 2002 A benefit of the width 11W being narrower than the width 8W is that the tongue 190 may be arranged to protrude out of the slot, particularly where the tongue is deflected in the direction of arrow 12D as the mounting grid is screwed back to a mounting surface with screws 172.

5 A typical width for a suitable screwdriver blade would be 4mm. Hence, a suitable width of slot 280 in this case would be 5.5mm.

A benefit of the screwdriver blade 240 being narrower than the slot 280 is that a risk of the screwdriver slipping and inadvertently coming into contact with an external surface 281 of the frontplate is reduced. Hence a risk of scratching the 10 frontplate while removing it from the mounting frame is reduced.

From Figure 13 an enlarged scrap sectional view of a third embodiment 300 of the invention is shown mounted to the mounting surface 202 and mounting box 230 shown in Figure 12. The third embodiment is similar to the second 15 embodiment, and uses the same frontplate 201 and clip 122 as shown and described with reference to the second embodiment 200. The mounting frame 320 is similar to the mounting frame 220, except for the sloping face 330 at at least one portion of a periphery of the mounting frame. A gasket 196 having a thickness 13G is provided to space the mounting frame 320 away from the 20 mounting surface 202. The tongue 190 of the clip 122 protrudes through the slot 280 and extends beyond the peripheral wall 205 by a distance 13P. The tongue 190 resiliently rests against the surface 202.

_, _ A benefit of the gasket 196 is that a surface covering up to a thickness 13T, 25 such as wallpaper, stuck onto the mounting surface 202 may extend under the peripheral wall 205 of the frontplate 201 without preventing the frontplate mounting at an intended design height 13C from the mounting frame 320, in a similar manner to that described with reference to the first embodiment and Figures 4, 4A and 4B.

Claims

RMC Ref. 37318.GBP 1 gth December 2002 - 15 CLAIMS

1. An electrical wiring accessory comprising a mounting frame for receiving a functional element and a removable metal frontplate, the frontplate having a front wall and a depending peripheral wall on at least two portions of an edge of 5 the front wall, the peripheral wall having at least an inwardly facing protrusion, wherein a resilient metal clip is mounted to the mounting frame, the resilient clip being arranged to co-operate with the inwardly facing protrusion to retain the frontplate to the mounting frame, and wherein the resilient clip is such that a low electrical resistance path is provided between the frontplate and the mounting 1 0 frame.

2. An electrical wiring accessory as claimed in claim 1, wherein the metal frontplate is formed from sheet metal.

3. An electrical wiring accessory as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the metal frontplate has at least two parallel sides, with depending peripheral walls, 15 an inwardly facing surface of each peripheral wall being arranged to abut a corresponding outwardly facing surface of the mounting frame.

4. An electrical wiring accessory as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the mounting frame is provided with an earth terminal, and an electrical resistance between the earth terminal and the metal frontplate is low.

20 5. An electrical wiring accessory as claimed in claim 4, wherein the electrical resistance between the earth terminal and the metal frontplate is less than one twentieth of an ohm.

6. An electrical wiring accessory as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the clip is arranged so that when it is deflected, a beam portion is 25 arranged to deflect substantially only in a direction of a major transverse axis of the beam.

7. An electrical wiring accessory as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the functional element is provided with a forward facing surface, the

RMC Ref. 37318.GBP 1 gth December 2002 forward facing surface arranged to abut a rearward facing surface of the frontplate. 8. An electrical wiring accessory as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein an edge of the depending peripheral wall, the edge facing away from the 5 front wall, is provided with a slot.

9. An electrical wiring accessory as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein a resilient tongue is provided to resiliently rest against the mounting surface, so as to provide a ramp to guide and direct a tool placed against the ramp, so as to provide a force to disengage the inwardly facing protrusion from 10 the resilient clip.

10. An electrical wiring accessory as claimed in claim 8 and 9, wherein the slot has a width greater than a width of the tongue.

1 1. An electrical wiring accessory as claimed in claim 10, wherein the tongue is arranged to protrude the depending peripheral wall.

15 12. An electrical wiring accessory as claimed in any of claims 9 to 1 1 wherein the resilient tongue is formed as a part of the resilient clip.

13. An electrical wiring accessory as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein a spacer is provided to space the mounting frame away from the mounting surface.

20 14. An electrical wiring accessory, substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to the accompanying Figures 1 to 7.

15. An electrical wiring accessory, substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to the accompanying Figures 8 to 13.

INVESTOR IN PEOPLE

Application No: GB 0229745.5 Exammer: Vaughan Phillips Clanns searched: 115 Date of search: 23 January 2003 Patents Act 1977: Search Report under Section 17 Documents considered to be relevant: Category Relevant Identity of document and passage or figure of particular relevance to claims NONE Categories: X Document indicating lack of novelty or inventive step A Document indicating technological background and/or state ofthe art.

Y Document indicating lack of inventive step if combined P Document published on or aRer the declared priority date but before with one or more other documents of same category. the filing date of this invention.

& Member of the same patent family E Patent document published on or after, but with priority date earlier than, the filing date of this application Field of Search:

Search of GB, EP, WO & US patent documents classified in the following areas of the UKCV: H1N l Worldwide search of patent documents classified in the following areas of the IPC7: HOlH l The following online and other databases have been used in the preparation of this search report: WPI, EPODOC l An ExecutiveAgency of the Department of Trade and Industry