US2329481A - Device for installing electrical wall fixtures - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 14, 1943. G, L, PARkEs 2,329,481

DEVICE FOR INSTALLING ELECTRl [CAL WALL FIXTURES Filed Aug. 20, 1942 (Ittornegs Patented Sept. 14, 1943 UNITED STATES orrica;

DEVICE FOR INSTAILING-ELECIRICAL W LLFIXTURES George L. Parkes, Lyons,-Pa.'..,

Application August 20, 1942, Ser-ial-No.,4,5 5,5.48

3 Claims. (01. 174--'48) My invention relates to new and useful improvements in device for installing and attaching lighting fixtures to the walls of a room, and more particularly it relates to a device for this purpose that will facilitate installation, will protect breakage and damage to the wall aperture, will securely hold the electric wires, and will safely carry any attached lighting fixture.

My main objects are to provide an improved and economical device that will simplify the operation, shorten the time and save expenses in making such installations, avoid damages to the wall and protect the aperture in the latter, and which may be fixedly secured to any part of the wall so as to provide an improved and safer support for the attached lighting fixture or other electrical connection.

When installations of re-looated or added new lighting fixtures are required, the known and common practice has been to out an aperture through the plastered or otherwise finished wall surface at the place selected for the fixture, and

then fish the electric wires through the wall,

spaces and draw them outwardly through such aperture for connection to the lighting fixture. The, desired position for the fixture determines the location of the wall aperture, leaving essentially. to chance the suitability of the wall construction around such aperture to provide for adequate attachment and safe support for the fixture; and further the operation of fishing out the wires and attempts to securely fasten the fixture frequently causes suflicient damages to the wall and the aperture as to require needed and costly repairs to the wall and its decorative finish with no certainty than this lighting fixture will remain safely secured.

My improved device effectively overcomes any such deficiencies, or damage to the wall and its aperture, and provides for a removable and firmly secured attachment of the lighting fixture in any part of the wall; and it essentially consists of an annular box-like member that will protect the aperture and strengthen the surrounding wall surface, that may be easily and securely attached to a carrying strap laid on the interior surface of the wall and will provide an adequate hand opening for fishing the wires, and will removably receive and fixedly carry a wire clamping member having means for readily attaching the lighting fixture. More particularly my invention consists of a new and improved construction for the above described purpose, the novelty and manifold advantages of which will be more fully described hereinafter in connection with the accompanying iii drawing,- and specifically defined in .the appended claims.

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional elevation, taken on the line 2-2.of Fig. 2, indicating a preferred,

embodiment of my invention as applied to a Thewall to which the lighting fixture is to be attachedmay, be of any well known construction; a

that indicated in the ,drawing beinga usual.

plastered ceiling wall 5, held by laths 6 to joists 1 for an upperfloor 8, leaving an interior space 9 through which theelectric wires maybe fished to a determinedly located wall aperture I 0.

This; aperture ill, for my improved device, has,

desirably, a, larger'diameter than usually employed, soasto-giveample room to extend a workmans hand into the space 9 to facilitate fishing of the wires. And to protect this opening and Strengthen the wall surrounding it, weakened by-cuttingawayportions of the laths, my first operation,-before anyfishing for the wires, is to fit into said aperture Iii the ring-like or cylindrical portion l5 of my annular box-like member untilits, surrounding outer flange I6 is seated against; the walli, with an inner. flange .ll surf rounding-a hand opening l8 and forming a seat for a wire-clamping member which will later herein be described.

Should the flange I6 of my above described annulus, by happy chance, lie beneath a joist I, a screw through the plaster 5 into said joist will firmly anchor that portion, but the diametrally opposite side must be secured, and in most cases the flange l6 merely seats against the plaster all around making it diflicult to securely fasten it to the wall or plaster. To secure my flange I6, I take advantage of the large hand opening I8, to insert into the interior space 9, of this wall several, usually two will sufiice, strap plates or batten-like strips 20 and I arrange these to lie across a plurality of laths 6 tangentially to said annulus and secure the flange 16 to these straps as by screw bolts 2| passing through the plaster and lath. These straps clamp the flange tightly to the plaster, and the strain of this fastening is divided and spread over enough wall surface to safely carry any electric light fixture to be hung therefrom.

With the box-like member or annulus thus securely held in place on the wall, fishing of the wires may be easily accompanied, helped materially by the large hand aperture l8, and the aperture l being fully protected against damage in drawing the wires therethrough. With the wires drawn through this hand aperture l8, the next operation is to securely clamp them against retraction and for ready attachment to the fixture and to provide means for securing the fixture.

My improved means for these purposes, as shown in the drawing, comprises a plate 25 adapted to fit within the ring portion of said annulus and seat against the flang ll of the latter, and said plate has apertures 26 through which the wires are drawn, and a central aper ture for a stud post 29 of a wire clampin togglelike fixture 28 mounted on said plate This clamping fixture i shown with recess and screw-bolt clamp plates 3| in registry with the plate apertures 26 to accommodate up to four electric circuit wires and it has radial extensions 32, 32, which are shown as diametrally opposed and adapted to enter through notches l9, [9 on said annulus or ring flange H, and when turned out of registry with said notches, to seat on the top side of said flange IT, to which they may be clamped by tightening screws 33 normally loosely holding clamping fixture 28 to plate 25.

The stud post 29 projects downwardly through the central aperture in plate 25, and'may be threaded, or otherwise adapted, to engage the supportin pipe for a lighting fixture, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, with its rose cup entirely enclosing and hiding from sight the flange l6 of the annulus member.

With my improved device, as above described, it will be readily seen that my annulus member, first easily applied to the wall aperture I0 and securely held to the wall 5 by means of the interior straps or battens 20, not only adequately prevents wall damages but greatly facilitates all necessary fishing for the wires. And the wires, drawn through the hand opening I8 maybe quickly clamped in the recesses 30 by tightening the screw bolts of clamp plates 3|, with the wire ends extended through the plate aperture 26 for attachment to the lighting fixture as usual. After the wires are thus secured to the free clampin member, this plate 25 and its attached clamping holder are inserted within the ring I5, and

the radial extensions 32, 32 entered through notches l9, l9, and turned out of registry with the latter and plate 25 seated against flange I], then tightening of screws 33 will firmly secure them in place, and the lighting fixture may be attached to stud post 29. There is no fumbling or hunting of hidden or difiicult connecting parts, and the entire operation may be completed in short time with little skill, and will insure a safe support for the lighting fixture.

My improved device has proved of great value and convenience and ha saved considerable time and expense in remodeling old buildings, but it is not limited to such work, and it may be usefully applied to certain side walls, as well as the ceiling wall shown in the drawing. And the specific preferred construction disclosed in the above description and drawing may of course be modified within the spirit of my invention a defined in the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a device of the character described for installing electrical wall-fixtures, the combination with a removable wire-end and fixturecarrying member having a toggle clamping arm, of a fixed support for attachabl securing said carrying member comprising, a wall-aperture protectin annulus, defining a hand-pole opening through said wall, having a rim-portion engaging in said wall aperture, an exterior rim-flange encircling the wall around said aperture, and an interior rim-flange having notches to receive said toggle arm and forming a clamping seat for supporting said carrying member.

2. In the construction set forth in claim 1, means for fixedly securin said aperture protecting annulus to said wall comprising a strap laid interioriy of said wall tangentially to said rim, and a screw clamp extending through said exterior rim-flange and wall and engaging said strap.

3. A device of the character described for installing electrical wall-fixtures comprising, a wall-aperture protectin annulus fixedly attachable to the wall, defining a hand-hole through the latter, and having a notched interior flangedrim forming a supporting seat, and a removably attachable wire-end and fixture-carrying memher having a toggle-like arm turnably engageable through said notches with one surface of said supporting seat, a co-operating plate engageable with the other surface of said supporting seat, and screw means for attachin said plate to said arm so as to clampingly engage said supporting plate to removably attach said carrying member to said fixed annulus.

GEORGE L. PARKES.

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