MXPA06006455A - Electrical box with mounting screw guide - Google Patents

Abstract

An outlet box assembly for termination of electrical and/or communicati on wires. The outlet box assembly generally includes a housing defining an interior therein and a cover attached to the housing, wherein a mounting screw guide is formed between the cover and the housing upon attachment of the cover to the housing for holding and guiding a mounting screw during mounting of the box assembly to a structure.

Description

ELECTRICAL BOX WITH ASSEMBLY SCREW GUIDE FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention is generally related to electric boxes of passage that houses power and / or communication wires for termination. More specifically, the present invention relates to a passage box assembly having a guide for retaining a mounting screw during the fastening of the passage box to a surrounding structure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is well known to use electric passage boxes to terminate electric wires and cables. These junction boxes allow the insertion of electrical wires in the box, which are terminated in electrical appliances, such as switches and contacts in an electrical passage box. It has also become necessary to terminate communications wires for such purposes as data, voice and signal transmission and computer networks. Although the terminations are not required to be housed in an electrical box, as are electrical terminations, the aesthetic and convenient use has dictated the need to place the communication terminations in close proximity to the electrical terminations. In office spaces and other commercial environments it is often desired to have access to electrical outlets or other outlet connections at sites located at a distance from standard wall outlets. In order to accommodate such situations in a simple manner, floor boxes and / or roof boxes are typically used. These boxes can be located on the floor or roof, near or on site, such as under a work cubicle or near a piece of machinery, where the connection is needed. Some floor boxes are designed to be held inside a cast concrete floor. One of the problems when placing a floor layer is that the installer must ensure that the floor box is both flush and level with the top of the cast floor in which it is installed. Other floor boxes may include a flange that sits on top of the floor surface and includes an opening to allow access to electrical connections. A cap is typically removably placed over the opening to prevent inadvertent contact with the connectors and restrict debris or debris from contaminating the connectors. In any event, conventional electrical boxes are typically installed in a structure by mounting the box to a supporting strut of the structure by means of a locking mechanism or a key to the structure of the box. Some boxes have exterior covers with projecting fittings to nail the box to an exposed wood or metal strut within a construction. However, because the screw or nail mounting brackets protrude from the outer shape of the work box, the brackets may interfere with flush mounting of the box within a hole in the wall, floor, or ceiling of the housing. building. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide such electrical boxes with an internal fastener mounting means for fasteners such as screws or nails, which does not protrude above the outer shape of the box. In this regard, it is known in the art to provide fastener holes or mounting brackets on the interior surfaces of the case in which a fastener is accessible, for example, by a screwdriver from inside the case. However, a disadvantage with this type of boxes is the need for the installer to simultaneously take the fastener and manually place the electrical box during the assembly of the box to a structure. This makes installation difficult and prone to incorrect assembly. Another disadvantage of this configuration relates to the holes or openings that must be formed in the side wall of the box to hold the fasteners.

Many electrical boxes today are formed by molding, where specially designed guides or cams are required, as part of the molding tool, to form holes or openings in a molded surface. Such specialty tooling becomes even more expensive when bracket holes or angled mounting brackets are desired. It is therefore desirable to provide an electrical box that provides simple installation and that is economically manufactured using a standard mold matrix.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a step box assembly for the termination of electrical and / or communication wires. The passage box assembly generally includes a housing defining an interior therein and a cover attached to the housing, wherein a mounting screw guide is formed between the cover and the housing when fixing the cover to the housing for holding and guiding a mounting screw during the assembly of the box assembly to a structure. In a preferred embodiment, the mounting screw guide is formed between a lower surface of the cover and an upper surface of the housing when fixing the cover to the housing. These surfaces can represent the respective mold division lines of the housing and the lid. The top surface of the cover preferably includes a slot formed therein and the bottom surface of the cover includes a finger extending therefrom. The nail cooperates with the groove to form the guide of the mounting screw. The nail preferably has a width practically equal to a width of the groove to provide a sliding fit relationship between them. Also, the slot preferably includes a lower part defined by a platform and the opposite side. The groove platform also preferably extends inwardly toward the interior of the housing to form an edge to facilitate initial placement of the mounting screw in the mounting screw guide. In addition, the platform and the opposite face of the nail are preferably formed at an angle with respect to the upper surface of the housing where the platform is closest to the upper surface of the housing in the housing interior. Preferably, the platform and the opposite side of the nail further define an internal guide portion adjacent to the interior of the housing and an external threadable portion. The guide portion has a dimension substantially equal to the diameter of a mounting screw and the threaded portion is narrower than the guide portion. The threaded portion is adapted to be threaded by the mounting screw when tightening the mounting screw. The housing can be adapted to contain the electrical and / or communication accessories mounted directly therein, or it can take the form of an extension whereby the housing is adapted to mount a separate passage box thereto. The cover may include a frame and a lid hingedly attached to the frame. In this case, the lid preferably includes a fastener adapted to releasably engage the frame. Preferred embodiments of the passage box assembly of the present invention, as well as other objects, features and advantages of this invention, will be apparent from the following detailed description, which should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the separate parts of an electrical box with the mounting screw guide formed in accordance with the present invention. Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the box shown in FIG.

Figure 1. Figure 3 is a detailed view of the mounting screw guide shown in Figure 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODALITIES Referring first to Figure 1, the electrical passage box assembly 10, formed in accordance with the present invention, is shown in a condition with the separate pieces. The electrical pass box assembly 10 provides for the containment of electrical accessories (not shown), such as switches or contacts, and / or communication accessions (not shown), such as data plugs, coaxial connectors, fiber optic connectors and similar, which provide the termination of voice, data or signal threads. An electrical conduit / communication 12 is connected to the box 10 to feed the electrical and / or communication lines or wires to the accessories inside the box.

The electrical box assembly 10 generally includes a base housing 14 and a cover unit 16, which is attachable to the base housing. The base housing 14 and the cover unit 16 can be formed from a wide variety of materials as is well known in the art. Preferably, the housing 14 and the cover 16 are formed of a suitable integrally molded plastic, such as polycarbonate or polyvinyl chloride (PVC). In the particular example shown here, housing 14 and cover 16 are manufactured in a circular or cylindrical configuration. However, the invention is not limited to this form, but can take any other form. For example, the housing 14 and the cover 16 can take a square, rectangular or octagonal shape. In addition, the housing 14 can be adapted or designed to contain the electrical and / or communication accessories mounted directly therein. In this case, the housing 14 functions as the through box. Alternatively, the housing 14 can be designed as an extension or spacer between the cover 16 and the actual passage box 18, as shown in Figure 2. In this case, the electrical and / or communication accessories are not assembled directly within the housing 14. In any embodiment, the housing 14 generally includes a side wall 20 terminating at its upper end at an eye 22. The eye 22 defines an upper surface 23 of the housing 14 and preferably includes at least one opening not threaded 24 for receiving a screw 26 for securing the cover 16 to the housing 14 via a threaded projection 27 formed on the cover. Also formed in the eye 22 is at least one transverse groove 28 extending between the interior of the housing 14 and the outside. The slot 28 is wide enough to receive a mounting screw 30 for mounting the box assembly 10 to a construction structure. The lower part of the slot 28 is defined by a platform 32, which preferably extends a small distance inwards towards the interior of the housing to form an edge 33. The edge 33 facilitates the initial placement of the screw 30 in the mounting guide . The platform 32 is also preferably formed at an angle with respect to the eyebrow 22. In particular, starting inside the housing, the platform 32 is closer to the eyebrow 22 and gradually tilts down away from the eyebrow as it ends on the outside of the accommodation. In other words, the depth of the slot 28 is at its deepest inside the housing 14 and gradually becomes deeper as it approaches the outside of the housing. As will be discussed in more detail below, the platform 32 forms part of a screw guide for retaining the mounting screw 30 during assembly of the box assembly 10 in a construction. The cover unit 16 generally includes a frame 34 and a cover 36 hingedly attached to the frame to protect the interior of the housing when the cover is fixed thereto. The lid 36 may include a releasable fastener 38 to secure the lid in a closed position. By releasing the latch 38, the lid 36 can be pivoted on its hinge 40 to provide access to the interior of the housing 14. Shaped on the lower surface 41 of the frame 34 (i.e., the side of the frame facing the housing 14 when assembling ) is at least one nail 42 extending downward. The cover 16 preferably includes the same number of nails 42 as the housing 14 has slots 32. The nail 42 has a width, which is slightly less than the width of the slot 34 formed in the housing 14, to provide a ratio of sliding fit between the two when the cover 16 is fixed to the housing. The nail 42 also has a length, which is sufficiently smaller than the depth of the groove 32 formed in the housing 14., to provide a receiving space or guide for the screw 44 between the nail and the platform 32 of the slot when the cover 16 is fixed to the housing. In this regard, the finger 42 terminates on an opposite surface 46, which is preferably formed at an angle with respect to the frame 34. In particular, starting inside the frame 34, the opposite surface 46 is closer to the frame and gradually Tilt down away from the frame as you approach the edge of the frame. In other words, the length of the nail 42 is at its minimum inside the frame 34 and gradually becomes larger as it approaches the outside of the frame. In this manner, the opposite surface 46 of the nail 42 cooperates with the platform 32 and the side walls of the slot 28 to form a screw receiving space 44 formed therebetween, as is more clearly shown in Figure 3. The receiving space of thyme 44 thus formed provides a guide for mounting the screw 30 during the installation of the box assembly 10 in a structure of the construction 48. Preferably, the screw receiving space 44 is defined by an internal guide portion and an outer portion threadable In particular, both the opposite surface 46 of the nail 42 and the platform 32 of the slot 28 are preferably provided with an internal screw guide portion 46a and 32a, which, when the nail seats in the slot, are positioned separately from each other at a distance that is essentially the same as the diameter of the screw 30. These guide portions 46a and 32a thus define an initial insertion guide for the screw 30. The opposite surface 46 of the nail 42 and the platform 32 of slot 28 are the two preferably provided with a stirrup leading to a narrower external portion 46b and 32b. As the screw 30 is tightened, it will cut the threads in the narrower outer portions 46b and 32b of the finer opposed surface 46 and the platform 32 to further increase the thyme guide outwardly from the box assembly 10 in a structure of the construction 48. In use, the box assembly 10 is first assembled by attaching the cover unit 16 to the base housing 14 using one or more fasteners 26. The reinforced box assembly 10 is then placed within an opening of a frame structure. construction 48, such as a substructure of a floor or roof. During this positioning step, the mounting screw 30 can be pre-inserted by hand and retained by the screw guide 44 formed between the cover 16 and the housing 14. This allows the installer to use both hands when placing the box 10 inside the structure 48. Once placed in an appropriate manner, the installer can use a screwdriver from inside the box 10 to drive the screw 30 outwards towards the structure of the construction. Again, since the screw 30 is retained by means of the screw guide 44, the installer does not have to use a hand to hold both the screw and the box during installation. Also, the screw guide 44 is formed without necessity by expensive and complicated molding tools. By providing one portion of the screw guide 44 on the cover unit and the other portion of the screw guide on the housing 14, a standard molding die with a dividing line is all that is required. Therefore, as a result of the present invention, a simple step box assembly is provided, easy to manufacture, assemble and install. Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to those precise embodiments and that various other changes and modifications can be made by one skilled in the art without depart from the scope or spirit of invention, and that it is intended to claim all these changes and modifications that fall within the scope of the invention.

Claims (16)

1. A step box assembly for terminating electrical and / or communication wires comprising: a housing defining an interior therein; and a cover attached to the housing; characterized in that a mounting screw guide is formed between the cover and the housing by joining the cover to the housing for retaining and guiding a mounting screw during assembly of the box assembly to a structure.

A step box assembly according to claim 1, further characterized in that the cover includes a bottom surface and the housing includes an upper surface, the mounting screw guide being formed between the bottom surface of the cover and the surface top of the housing by attaching the cover to the housing.

3. A step box assembly according to claim 2, further characterized in that the upper surface of the housing includes an aperture adapted to receive a screw to hold the cover to the housing.

A step box assembly according to claim 2, further characterized in that the upper surface of the housing includes a groove formed therein and the lower surface of the cover includes a nail extending therefrom, said nail cooperating with the slot to form the mounting screw guide.

A step box assembly according to claim 4, further characterized in that the nail has a width substantially equal to the width of the slot to provide the sliding fit relationship between them.

6. A step box assembly according to claim 4, further characterized in that the slot includes a bottom defined by a platform and the finger includes an opposite surface, the mounting screw guide being formed between the platform and the opposite surface.

A step box assembly according to claim 6, further characterized in that the slot platform extends inward toward the interior of the housing to form an edge to facilitate initial placement of the mounting screw in the screw guide of mounting.

A step box assembly according to claim 6, further characterized in that the platform and the opposite surface of the nail are formed at an angle with respect to the upper surface of the housing, with the platform closest to the top surface of the accommodation in said interior of the accommodation.

A step box assembly according to claim 6, further characterized in that the platform and opposite surface of the nail define an inner guide portion adjacent to the interior of the housing and an external threadable portion, said guide portion having a dimension practically equal to the diameter of a mounting screw and the threaded portion is narrower than the guide portion, wherein the threaded portion is adapted to be threaded by the mounting screw when tightening the mounting screw.

A step box assembly according to claim 1, further characterized in that the mounting screw guide is formed between the respective mold division lines of the housing and the cover. 1.

A step box assembly according to claim 1, further characterized in that the housing is adapted to contain the electrical and / or communication accessories directly therein.

12. A step box assembly according to claim 1, further characterized in that the housing is adapted to mount a box for passage thereto.

13. A step box assembly in accordance with the claim 12, further characterized in that it comprises a passage box mounted to the housing, said passage box having electrical and / or communication accessories mounted thereon.

14. A step box assembly according to claim 1, further characterized in that the cover comprises an abutment and a hinged cover in an articulated manner to said frame.

15. A step box assembly according to claim 14, further characterized in that the lid includes a fastener adapted to releasably engage the frame.

16. A step box assembly for the termination of electrical and / or communication wires, characterized in that it comprises: a housing having a side wall ending in an upper eyebrow and defining an interior therein, said upper eyebrow has a transverse groove formed therein that communicates with the interior of the housing; and a cover attached to the housing, said cover has a lower surface and a nail extending from the lower surface, said nail being received in the groove of the housing to define a mounting screw guide for retaining and guiding a mounting screw during assembly of the box assembly to a structure.