Claims
- 1. An elongated expandable raceway for electrical wiring, said raceway comprising
- an elongated main section defining a main wiring passage that is generally U-shaped in cross-section, including a central arm with opposite long edges along said section and generally parallel first and second side arms extending forward from said opposite edges of said central arm, said elongated main section having a longitudinal axis along its elongated extent;
- said first side arm having a first indexing formation in the vicinity of said central arm;
- an elongated auxiliary section having a generally L-shaped cross-section including a first auxiliary arm extending in the direction of said central arm of said main section and with opposite long edges along said section, and a second auxiliary arm extending forward from one said edge of said first auxiliary arm; said first auxiliary arm having a second free edge;
- said first indexing formation of said first side arm being disposed and shaped for receiving and mounting said second free edge of said first auxiliary arm, and said first indexing formation being positioned on said first side arm such that said auxiliary section is capable of being mounted thereon in a direction generally traverse to the longitudinal axis of said main section when said central arm of said main section abuts a mounting surface on which said main section is supported;
- with said auxiliary section being operatively mounted to said main section by utilizing said first indexing formation, said second auxiliary arm being parallel to and spaced from said first side arm of said main section, and said auxiliary section cooperates with said first side arm to define three sides of a first auxiliary wiring passage that is generally U-shaped in cross-section.
- 2. An elongated expandable raceway for electrical wiring as defined by claim 1, wherein said first auxiliary arm and said first indexing formation are so shaped and placed that said first auxiliary arm and said central arm are generally coplanar.
- 3. An elongated raceway for electrical wiring as defined by claim 2 in which said second side arm of said main section has a respective second indexing formation in the vicinity of said central arm;
- said second indexing formation being disposed and shaped for receiving and mounting said free edge of said first auxiliary arm, such that said second auxiliary arm is parallel to and spaced from said second side arm and said first auxiliary arm and said central arm are generally coplanar, and said auxiliary section cooperates with said second side arm to define a second auxiliary wiring passage having three sides and is generally U-shaped in cross-section.
- 4. An elongated raceway for electrical wiring as defined by claim 3 in which said first and second auxiliary wiring passages are disposed outside of said main wiring passage and are disposed along opposite sides of said main section.
- 5. An elongated raceway for electrical wiring as defined by claim 4 wherein each of said indexing formations comprises a longitudinal slot having a longitudinally extending entrance which is disposed outside of said main wiring passage and which is shaped and positioned to be accessible when said central arm abuts a mounting surface on which said main section is supported.
- 6. An elongated raceway for electrical wiring as defined by claim 5 wherein said first auxiliary arm has along its free edge an indexing rib shaped to enter said longitudinal slot through said entrance.
- 7. An elongated raceway for electrical wiring as defined by claim 6 wherein said indexing rib is angled to engage in said slot and prevent removal of said rib from said slot, with said central arm and said auxiliary first arm coplanar.
- 8. An elongated raceway for electrical wiring as defined by claim 6, wherein said indexing formations each include a projection extending into said slot to serve as a first hook; said first auxiliary arm free edge having a second hook thereon shaped to engage the first hook such that with said first arm and said central arm coplanar, said first and second hooks engage to prevent extraction of said second hook from said elongated slot.
- 9. An elongated raceway for electrical wiring as defined by claim 6, further comprising a removable snap-on cover for said main wiring passage, and wherein said first and second side arms, in the vicinity of their said free edges, are provided with respective longitudinally extending inwardly projecting first and second holding ribs for operative engagement by respective first and second securing ribs on said removable snap-on cover for said main wiring passage.
- 10. An elongated raceway for electrical wiring as defined by claim 9 wherein said first and second side arms, in the vicinity of their said free edges, are provided with respective longitudinally extending first and second holding grooves enterable along their lengths from outside of said main wiring passage;
- said second auxiliary arm, in the vicinity of its said free edge, being provided with a longitudinally extending auxiliary holding rib;
- a removable snap-on auxiliary cover for one of said first and second auxiliary wiring passages, and
- with said auxiliary section mounted to said main section, said auxiliary holding rib projecting toward said main section for operative engagement by an auxiliary holding rib on said removable snap-on auxiliary cover for one of said first and second auxiliary wiring passages.
- 11. An elongated raceway for electrical wiring as defined in claim 10 in which said auxiliary cover includes spaced longitudinal first and second edges;
- said auxiliary holding rib being in the vicinity of said first edge;
- said second edge being adapted to enter said grooves.
- 12. An elongated raceway for electrical wiring as defined in claim 11 wherein said second auxiliary arm is provided with a longitudinal auxiliary holding groove in the vicinity of its said free edge and an auxiliary indexing formation in the vicinity of said first auxiliary arm;
- both said auxiliary holding groove and said auxiliary indexing formation being enterable from outside of an auxiliary wiring passage that is defined by said auxiliary section.
- 13. An elongated raceway for electrical wiring as defined by claim 10 wherein said cover on said main section and said auxiliary passage cover are generally coplanar when they are closed.
- 14. An elongated expandable raceway for electrical wiring as defined in claim 3, wherein said first indexing formation of said first side arm is a generally U-shaped formation facing toward said first auxiliary arm;
- said first auxiliary arm having a first auxiliary formation for being received in said first indexing formation of said first side of said main section, said first auxiliary formation comprising a U-shaped jaw shaped to fit in said U-shaped first indexing formation, to position said main and auxiliary sections with respect to each other.
- 15. An elongated raceway for electrical wiring as defined by claim 14, further comprising a main cover over the open side of said U-shaped main section and an auxiliary cover over the open side of said U-shaped auxiliary section;
- respective fixtures on each of said covers and respective said walls of said main and auxiliary sections for defining the open sides of those sections so as to enable said covers to be removably fastened to said respective walls of said respective sections.
- 16. An elongated raceway for electric wiring as defined in claim 3, wherein said raceway is comprised of a series of said main sections arranged end to end and a series of auxiliary sections arranged end to end, with each auxiliary section operatively mounted to the respective said main section;
- at the adjacent ends of neighboring main sections, a respective splice connector extending between adjacent sections.
- 17. An elongated raceway for electrical wiring as defined in claim 16, wherein the splice connector comprises a short length panel that extends across the junction between adjacent main sections;
- respective junction fixtures in both of the main sections of a junction for holding said splice connector there.
- 18. An elongated raceway for electrical wiring as defined in claim 17, further comprising a divider extending from said central arm of said main section toward the open side of the U-shape thereof and extending along said main section to divide it; and a divider fixture on the splice connector for supporting the divider panel.
- 19. An elongated raceway for electrical wiring as defined in claim 17, wherein said splice connector comprises an essentially flat panel; said splice connector support fixtures on the main section comprise projections from said side arms of said main section inward to and spaced away from said central arm as to define a splice connector support slot at each side of said central arm, and said splice connector being shaped for fitting in the respective said slots at said central arm and said side arms of the main section.
- 20. An elongated raceway for electrical wiring as defined in claim 19, wherein said divider supporting fixture comprises a pair of detent projections extending from said splice connector toward the open side of said U-shaped main section, and said divider comprises a panel having an end toward said splice connector including a pair of support legs thereon spaced apart for engaging between the pair of projections on the splice connector for supporting the divider panel to said splice connector.
- 21. An elongated raceway for electrical wiring, said raceway including:
- a main wiring passage having a longitudinal extent and a longitudinal axis therethrough and an auxiliary wiring passage outside of said main wiring passage;
- said main wiring passage being defined by a main section which in cross-section is generally U-shaped and includes a central arm and first and second parallel side arms extending in the same direction from opposite ends of said central arm;
- said auxiliary wiring passage being defined by said first side arm in combination with an auxiliary section;
- in cross-section, said auxiliary section being generally L-shaped and including a first auxiliary arm and a second auxiliary arm at one end of said first auxiliary arm and generally at right angles thereto;
- said side arms and said second auxiliary arm being generally parallel, and said central arm and said first auxiliary arm being generally coplanar;
- said auxiliary section and said main section having respective connecting means which are adapted to cooperate with one another such that said auxiliary section may be operatively positioned onto and connected to said main section in a direction generally transverse to the longitudinal axis of said main passage after said main section is secured to a support surface with said central arm adjacent said support surface.
- 22. An elongated expandable raceway for electrical wiring, said raceway comprising
- an elongated main section defining a main wiring passage that is generally U-shaped in cross-section, including a central arm with opposite long edges along said section and generally parallel first and second side arms extending forward from said opposite edges of said central arm, said elongated main section having a longitudinal axis along its elongated extent;
- said first side arm having a first indexing formation in a vicinity of said central arm;
- an elongated auxiliary section having a generally L-shaped cross-section including a first auxiliary arm extending in the direction of said central arm of said main section and with opposite long edges along said auxiliary section, and a second auxiliary arm extending forward from one said edge of said first auxiliary arm; said first auxiliary arm having a free edge;
- said first indexing formation of said first side arm being disposed and shaped for receiving and mounting said free edge of said first auxiliary arm, and said first indexing formation being positioned on said first side arm such that said auxiliary section is capable of being mounted thereon in a direction generally traverse to the longitudinal axis of said main section when said central arm of said main section abuts a mounting surface on which said main section is supported;
- with said auxiliary section being operatively mounted to said main section by utilizing said first indexing formation, said second auxiliary arm being parallel to and spaced from said first side arm of said main section, and said auxiliary section cooperates with said first side arm to define three sides of a first auxiliary wiring passage that is generally U-shaped in cross-section;
- said first indexing formation having a member extending between said central arm and said first side arm, with said member and said central arm defining a space only open in a direction of said first side arm;
- said free edge of said first auxiliary arm being of a generally U-shaped formation to be received in said space of said first indexing formation and to mate therewith.
- 23. An elongated raceway for electrical wiring as defined in claim 22, wherein said member of said first indexing formation is generally L-shaped as it extends between said central arm and said first side arm.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 08/235,555, filed Apr. 28, 1995, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 08/164,135, filed Dec. 8, 1993, now both abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (5)
Foreign Referenced Citations (9)
Number |
Date |
Country |
0278923 |
Feb 1987 |
EPX |
0389382 |
Mar 1989 |
EPX |
2425518 |
Jan 1980 |
FRX |
1130492 |
May 1962 |
DEX |
1236621 |
Mar 1967 |
DEX |
2804419 |
Aug 1979 |
DEX |
1374928 |
Nov 1974 |
GBX |
1433401 |
Apr 1976 |
GBX |
2132421 |
Jul 1984 |
GBX |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
235555 |
Apr 1994 |
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Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
164135 |
Dec 1993 |
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