MX2008000761A - Multi-media recessed data low voltage box with cover. - Google Patents

Abstract

An electrical box for housing electrical components that includes: a body having a back wall, a face plate, a perimeter wall therebetween and an interior. The back wall has one or more removable elements for forming apertures that receive one or more low voltage connectors. A cover fits over an opening in the face plate and one or more rotatable mounting brackets located near the end walls are used to mount the box in a wall.

Description

LOW VOLTAGE RECESSED BOX WITH MULTI-MEDIA DATA COVER FIELD OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a box of electrical connectors embedded in the wall for low voltage wiring. In particular, the invention relates to a wall-mounted box of electrical connectors for connecting a plurality of low-voltage data lines.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Electrical contact boxes for housing electrical appliances, such as switches and receptacles, are well known. Electrical contact boxes typically have openings for inserting electrical wires into the box so that they can finish electrical appliances inside. The artifacts are mounted inside the box in such a way that it provides protection for the artifacts as well as the cable terminations. Such contact boxes are generally mounted to a wall stud in a location that provides convenient access for users. The contact boxes can accommodate one or more electrical appliances and the appliances can operate using different voltages, such as 110 volts AC. In some applications, electrical contact boxes are also used to terminate communication wires for signal, voice and data transmission. These types of terminations typically involve low voltage signals, which in most cases, are not required in accordance with electrical codes and of construction that are housed in the electrical box. In contrast, electrical terminations for switches and receptacles that operate at high voltages must be housed in an electrical box. However, in order to protect the low-voltage connectors from damage and provide uninterrupted operation, it is desirable to locate the connectors in the electrical boxes. In addition, it has been found that it is more effective to use an electrical box to which more than one connector can be accommodated. The existing connector boxes do not accommodate multiple connectors and a separate box or bracket must often be used for each connector or termination. Therefore, there is a need for an electrical connector box that provides easy and convenient terminations for a plurality of different low voltage connectors.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention is an electrical box for housing electrical components that include: a body having a rear wall, a front plate, a perimeter wall between these and an interior wall. The perimeter wall may be formed of three or more wall sections or may have a substantially oval or round shape. Preferably, the perimeter wall of the body is formed by a pair of side walls and a pair of end walls. The rear wall includes one or more removable elements to form openings that receive one or more low voltage connectors. The faceplate has an opening for accessing the interior and may have a border around the opening. The electrical box can also include a lid that corresponds in shape to the shape of the opening. The cover fits over the opening in the faceplate and is preferably embossed with the edge in the faceplate. In some embodiments, the perimetric wall is connected to the faceplate by one or more edges and the lid contacts the edges when in the closed position. When the perimetric wall is formed by a pair of end walls and a pair of side walls, at least one of the end walls and / or at least one of the side walls are connected to the faceplate through a edge and the lid makes contact with at least one of the edges when in the closed position. The electrical box may include one or more rotating mounting brackets located near the end walls, which are movable between a extended position and one embedded. The supports move in the embedment position when the box is inserted in a cut in the wall and then turned in the extended position to fix the box to the wall. Each of one or more rotating mounting fasteners is operatively connected to a screw which is accessible from the inside. By rotating the screw the fasteners rotate. The electrical box can also include one or more passage walls located between the perimeter wall, or the wall sections that form the perimeter wall, and the back wall. The passage wall includes a plurality of removable elements to provide access to the interior. The lid may also include a plurality of removable elements that provide access to the interior. The openings in the rear wall can be used to mount a variety of different connectors having the same or different cutting dimensions. Preferably, the dimensions of the openings correspond to the cutting dimensions of an F-type connector, an RCA-type connector, an RJ-6 connector, an RJ-45 connector, a high-definition multimedia interface connector ("hdmi") , a digital visual interface ("dvi") connector or a fiber optic signal connector. However the The number of openings and their dimensions are not intended to limit the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES The preferred embodiments of the electrical box of the present invention, as well as other objects, features and advantages of this invention, will be apparent from the accompanying drawings where: Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a first embodiment of the electrical box with the lid removed to show the inside of the box. Figure 2 is a front perspective view of the first embodiment of the electrical box with the lid in the closed position. Figure 3 is a front perspective view of the first embodiment of the electrical box with the lid in the closed position and a pair of blind holes removed from the lid. Figure 4 is a rear perspective view of the first embodiment of the electrical box with the lid removed. Figure 5 is a rear perspective view of a second embodiment of the electrical box with a passage wall and the lid removed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides an electrical box for housing a plurality of different or equal low voltage connectors. The electrical box can be formed of a sheet of metal or of a plastic material and includes a body having a rear wall, a front face plate and a perimeter wall extending between these. The rear wall includes one or more removable elements that form openings to receive one or more low voltage connectors. The front plate has an opening for accessing the interior of the box and the connectors that are mounted on the rear wall. The perimeter wall typically has a rectangular shape and is formed by four wall sections, a pair of side walls and a pair of end walls. However, this is not a limitation and the invention includes electrical boxes having three perimeter wall sections and more than four perimeter wall sections, as well as a single perimeter wall section having a round or oval shape. The electrical box can also have a cover, which fits over the opening and encloses the interior. The back wall has one or more removable elements which also refer to the "blind holes" that can easily be removed using a common knife or screwdriver. The use of removable elements or blind holes in electrical contact boxes is well known to those skilled in the art and allows the user to form just as many openings in the rear wall as are required for a particular application. This avoids the situation that an electrical box with pre-formed openings is used and the installer does not use all the openings. Openings that are not used will have to be closed using the filler plates so that dirt and / or moisture can not enter the box. The removable elements may have the same dimensions or different dimensions corresponding to the cutting dimensions for a single type or a variety of different types of connectors. This allows the user to select an electrical box for connectors that have the same cutting dimensions or an electrical box for a variety of different connectors that have different cutting dimensions. One or more removable elements or blind holes is removed to create An opening and a connector or terminal is inserted into the opening from the back of the box. The cable connector is then secured to the back wall using well-known techniques, such as the "mounting" device provided with the connector or terminal. Preferably, the dimensions of the blind hole openings correspond to the standard cutting dimensions of the mounting cable connectors and terminals that are mounted on the rear wall. The cable connectors mounted on the rear wall have access through the front of the electrical box to make connections with the connected connectors. Preferably, a female connector is mounted on the rear wall and a male connector is inserted through the front of the electrical box and connected to the female connector. However, the configuration can be reversed and a male connector can be mounted on the rear wall. In a typical application, the connectors in the electrical box are used for wires or cables that are installed in a wall for various data and media functions, for example Ethernet cables, coaxial cables for video signals, cables for speakers for signals audio or other opl or low-voltage cables such as the high-definition multimedia interface ("hdmi"), a digital visual interface ("dvi"), or a TOSLINK® fiber opsignal connector. The rear wall of the body may be connected to the side walls and / or to the end walls through one or more passage wall sections. These passage wall sections extend upwards from the rear wall towards the front of the body at an angle of between 15 and 75 degrees, preferably between approximately 30 and 60 degrees and more preferably above 45 degrees. The angle of the section of the day section of the passage wall or sections makes it easier for the user to access the connectors that are mounted near the side walls or end walls. This provides an electrical box with a interior that has no hard-to-reach or tight corners. The faceplate extends outwardly from and substantially perpendicular to the perimeter wall to form a flange around the opening in the front of the box. When the electrical box is installed on a cut wall or floor, the cut should be long enough to allow the perimeter wall of the body to pass through but not through the faceplate, which contacts the surface of the wall around the cut. In a new construction, the electrical box can be added to a strut using screws, nails or other types of fasteners. When the box is installed in an existing wall structure, a cut is made in the wall and the rotating mounting brackets can be used to secure the box in place. The shape of the lid corresponds to the shape of the opening in the front plate, preferably a rectangular shape, with a side edge extending around the perimeter of the lid. When the lid is in the closed position, it contacts one or more edges on the front of the box that extend between the end walls and / or the side walls and the faceplate. The edges are embedded from the surface of the faceplate so that the top surface of the cover is substantially embedded with the top surface or edge of the faceplate. A variety of different mechanism can be used to secure the cover to the body, including snaps, fasteners, hinges and tabs. A notch may be provided near the inside edge of the faceplate so that a user has an easily accessible tongue holding the removable lid. The lid can also have one or more blind holes which can be removed to create openings that act as access ports. These openings can be used to pass the cables and / or cables to the box to terminate the different types of connectors mounted on the rear wall.

At least one rotatable mounting bracket including a cylindrical threaded base and an arm extending outwardly and perpendicularly from the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical base that is positioned in each of the end walls of the box near the corner formed with the adjoining side wall. The mounting brackets can be added to the end walls so that the cylindrical base can be rotated freely. The mounting screws are inserted into the cylindrical base through the openings in the front of the box to hold the mounting brackets in place. After the box is inserted into one of the existing wall cuts, the mounting screws are turned clockwise and rotated to the cylindrical base so that the arms rotate away from the back wall. The side walls or a member attached to the perimeter wall of the body can extend over the end walls to prevent the arms from rotating more than about 90 degrees from the surface of the back wall. When one of the arms contacts a side wall or member, it stops rotating and continues to rotate the screw that begins to move the arm toward the faceplate at the front of the case until the arm engages the wall. The mounting screw continues to be rotated until the wall is locked between the arm and the back side of the faceplate, thus securing the electrical box in place. Referring to the drawings of figure 1, they show a preferred embodiment of the electrical box 10 including a body 12 and a cover 50. The body 12 is generally rectangular in shape and has a rear wall 14 and a front plate 30 connected by a perimeter wall, which is formed by a pair of side walls 16, 18 and a pair of end walls 20, 22. Each of the end walls 20, 22 has an edge 24, 26 connecting the top of each bottom wall 20, 22 to the front plate 30. The front plate 30 has an opening 34 to have access to the interior 28 of the body 12 and an edge 32 extending around the perimeter of the opening 34. The cover 50 is placed over the opening 34 in the front plate 30 and contacts the edges 24, 26 so that the front surface 52 of the cap 50 is substantially embossed with the edge 32 of the front plate 30. A pair of recesses 35, 37 adjacent the edge 32 accept engagement tabs 39, 41 (see Figure 4) located in the cover 50 thereof. These recesses 35, 37 are perfectly located on opposite sides of the slots 36, 38. When the cover 50 is placed over the opening 34, the tabs 39, 41 slide within the recesses 35, 37 and the cover 50 is fixed in the closed position. The lid 50 is removed by inserting a tool, so that a flat blade screwdriver, in the slots 36, 38 rotates. Other devices for securing the lid 50 to the body 12, such as locks, pins and fasteners, can also be used. Removing the cover 50 reveals the interior 28 of the box 10 including the rear wall 14, which has a plurality of removable elements 40 to form openings 42 that can receive a plurality of low voltage connectors (not shown). Figure 1 also shows a pair of rotatable mounting brackets 64, 66 located adjacent the end walls 20, 22 at the diagonally opposite corners of the body 12. The mounting brackets 64, 66 are used when the electrical box 10 is mounted in an existing wall and the installer is unable to couple the box 10 to the wall prop. The mounting brackets 64, 66 oscillate outwardly from the end walls 20, 22 after the body 12 passes through a wall cut by rotating the mounting screws 60, 62. The faceplate 30 extends towards out from and substantially perpendicular to the perimeter wall (i.e., the side walls 16, 18 and the end walls 20, 22) and form a flange on the front of the body 12. When the body 12 is installed on a wall (not shown), the dimensions of the cut in the wall are slightly larger than the dimensions of the perimeter wall, but smaller than the dimensions of the front plate 30. The body 12 passes through the cut up that the back of the base plate 30 contacts the front surface of the wall. Figure 2 shows an embodiment of an electrical box 10 with the lid 50 secured to the body 12 in the closed position. The lid 50 fits over the openings 34 (see Figure 1) and the front surface 52 of the lid 50 aligns with the surface of the edge 32 on the faceplate 30. The lid 50 may have a gasket (not shown) around it. its perimeter to provide additional protection from the environment. Figure 3 shows an embodiment of the electrical box 10 with two blind holes 58 (see Figure 4) removed to form two openings 56 in the lid 50. The openings 56 are used to access the interior 28 of the box 10. The wires I cables (not shown) to be connected to the connectors (not shown) mounted on the rear wall 14 (see Figure 1) enter the box 10 through these openings 56. The user can remove as many blind holes 58 as possible. require for a particular request. Figure 4 shows the back of an embodiment of the electrical box 10 with all the removable elements 40 (see Figure 1) removed to provide a plurality of openings 42. These openings 42 can be used to mount the connectors (not shown) in the rear wall 14 of the box 10. The coupling connectors (not shown) can then be connected to these connectors through the front of the box 10 after the box 10 is installed in the wall. Figure 4 also shows two openings 56 in the cover 50 for cable access. The cover 50 includes other blind holes 58 that can be removed to form as many more additional openings 56 in the lid 50 need the user. The blind holes 58 are formed to remove material from only the back or inner surface 54 of the lid 50 so that the outer or front surface 52 remains smooth and uninterrupted by any unevenness in the surface. Figure 4 shows rotatable mounting brackets 64, 66 located adjacent the end walls 20, 22 at the diagonally opposite corners of the body 12. The rotatable mounting brackets 64, 66 are offset from the back of the faceplate 30 so that they can be used to mount the box 10 on the walls that are thicker than one inch. However, this is not a limitation and the rotatable mounting brackets 64, 66 can be used for walls having a thickness greater than one inch by locating them away from the back of the faceplate 30. The side walls 16, 18 can be extended on the rotating mounting brackets 64, 66 to protect them from damage when the box 10 is inserted into the cut of the wall. After the box 10 is inserted into a cut in the wall, the screws 60, 62 (see Figure 1) are rotated and tightened until the rotatable mounting brackets 64, 66 couple the back side of the wall. Each of the pivotable mounting brackets 64, 66 includes a cylindrical threaded base 68, 69, which receives a mounting screw 60, 62, and an arm 70, 72 extending outward from the cylindrical base 68, 69. Mounting screws 60, 62 are inserted through an opening in the edges 24, 26 in the front of the box 10 and engage the cylindrical threaded bases 68, 69. When the body 12 is inserted in the cut of the wall , each of the arms 70, 72 is placed parallel to the surface of the end walls 20, 22. After the body 12 is on the wall, the mounting screws 60, 62 are rotated in the direction of the hands of the clock to rotate the mounting brackets 64, 66 until the arms 70, 72 are perpendicular to the surface in the end walls 20, 22 and contact the side walls 16, 18 of the box 10. As the mounting screws continue to be rotated, the arms 70, 72 move toward the front plate 30 and attaches to the rear surface of the wall. Figure 5 shows another embodiment of the electrical box 110 in which the body 112 includes a compensation or an angled wall 1 17 extending between the rear wall 114 and one of the side walls 1 18. The wall of passage 117 makes easier for the user to access the connectors (not shown) mounted on the openings 143 at the corners of the interior of the body 112. Figure 5 shows the body 112 of an electrical box 110 with a passage wall 1 17. However , the body 112 may have additional link walls which make the connectors mounted on these walls more accessible. These additional link walls can be located between the rear wall 114 and the other side wall 116 or between the rear wall 114 and one or both end walls 120, 122. The blind holes 158 of the rear surface 154 of the lid 150 can be removed to gain access to the rear wall mounted connectors 114. Figure 5 also illustrates the operation of the rotary mounting brackets 164, 166 which are shown in a partially extended position. Before the box 110 is installed on a wall, the mounting screws 160, 162 are rotated counterclockwise to place the mounting brackets 164, 166 parallel to the end walls 120, 122. After that the box 10 is inserted through the cut in the wall (not shown) and the back surface of the front plate 130 contacts the wall, the mounting screws 160, 162 are turned clockwise to rotate the supports assembly 164, 166 outward and away from the surfaces of the end walls 120, 122 to an extended position.

After the mounting brackets 164, 166 are rotated in an extended position, a further rotation of the mounting screws 160, 162 moves the mounting clips 164, 166 toward the wall (not shown) and the faceplate 130 in the opposite side of the wall. Once the mounting screws 160, 162 are fully tightened, the body 112 is secured to the wall. Thus, while the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, those skilled in the art will realize that other embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and attempts are made to include all those modifications and changes that are within the true scope of the invention. focus of the claims stipulated in the present.

Claims (10)

1. An electrical box for housing electrical components comprising: a body having a rear wall, a front plate, a perimeter wall between these and an interior, characterized in that a rear wall comprises one or more removable elements to form openings to receive one or more low voltage connectors and where the front plate has an opening to access the interior; and a lid, where the lid fits over the opening.

2. An electrical box for housing the electrical components according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises one or more rotating mounting supports, movable between an embedment position and an extended one.

3. An electrical box for housing the electrical components according to claim 2, further characterized in that each of one or more rotating mounting brackets are operatively connected to a screw which is accessed from the inside.

4. An electrical box for housing the electrical components according to claim 1, characterized in that it also comprises a wall of passage between the perimeter wall and the rear wall. An electrical box for housing the electrical components according to claim 4, characterized in that in addition the passage wall comprises one or more removable elements to provide access to the interior. 6. An electrical box for housing the electrical components according to claim 1, characterized in that in addition the cover comprises a plurality of removable elements to provide access to the interior. 7. An electrical box for housing the electrical components according to claim 1, further characterized in that the front plate comprises an edge around the opening. 8. An electrical box for housing the electrical components according to claim 1, further characterized in that the openings in the rear wall have dimensions which correspond to the dimensions of the cut of a type F connector, an RCA type connector, a RJ_ &;, an RJ-45 connector, a connector with a high definition multimedia interface ("hdmi"), a connector with a digital visual interface ("dvi") or a fiber optic signal connector. 9. An electrical box for housing the electrical components according to claim 1, further characterized in that the wall is formed by five or more side wall sections. 10. An electrical box for housing the electrical components according to claim 1, further characterized in that the perimeter wall has a substantially round or oval shape. 1 1. An electrical box for housing the electrical components according to claim 1, further characterized in that the perimeter wall is connected to the faceplate by one or more edges, and where the cover contacts the edges when in the position closed. 12. An electrical box for housing the electrical components comprising: a body having a rear wall, a faceplate, a pair of side walls and a pair of end walls between these and in the interior, characterized by the rear wall comprises one or more removable elements for forming openings for receiving one or more low voltage connectors and where the faceplate has an opening for access to the interior; and a lid, where the lid fits the opening. 13. An electrical box for housing the electrical components according to claim 12, characterized in that it further comprises one or more rotating mounting supports, capable of moving between an embedment and an extended position. An electrical box for housing the electrical components according to claim 13, further characterized in that each of one or more rotating mounting brackets are operatively connected to a screw which is accessible from the inside. 1

5. An electrical box for housing the electrical components according to claim 12, further characterized in that it comprises a passage wall between one of the end walls or side walls and the rear wall. 1

6. An electrical box for housing the electrical components according to claim 15, characterized in that in addition the connecting wall comprises one or more removable elements to provide access to the interior. 1

7. An electrical box for housing the electrical components according to claim 12, further characterized in that the cover comprises a plurality of removable elements to provide access to the interior. 1

8. An electrical box for housing the electrical components according to claim 12, further characterized in that the front plate comprises an edge around the opening. 1

9. An electrical box for housing the electrical components according to claim 12, further characterized in that the openings in the Rear wall have dimensions which correspond to the cut-out dimensions of an f-type connector, an RCA-type connector, an RJ-6 connector, an RJ-45 connector, a high-definition multimedia interface connector ("hdmi"), a digital visual interface connector ("dvi" or a fiber optic signal connector) 20. An electrical box for housing the electrical components according to claim 1, further characterized in that at least one of the end walls and / or or at least one of the side walls is connected to the faceplate by an edge, and wherein the flap contacts at least one of the edges when in the closed position.