Two-piece electrical receptacle housing having a barbed post and resilient hoop connection

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6398594
  • Patent Number
    6,398,594
  • Date Filed
    Monday, March 12, 2001
    23 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, June 4, 2002
    22 years ago
Abstract
A ground fault receptacle housing for an electrical device having a backing portion with a base and a wall extending from the base. The wall has a hoop portion that forms an exterior channel extending therethrough. A cover portion is adapted to couple to the backing portion and has a front face with apertures therein for access to the electrical device. A wall extends from the front face and has a substantially inflexible post extending from the wall. The post has a body portion and a tapered protrusion thereon, the protrusion having a largest perimeter that is greater than at least a perimeter in portion of the exterior channel. When the protrusion passes through the channel, at least a portion of the hoop portion stretches, while the wall extending from the base of the backing portion remains substantially stationary. The protrusion is adapted to engage the end surface of hoop portion after passing through the channel, while the body portion of the post is positioned within the channel without substantially stretching the hoop portion when the protrusion engages the end surface.
Description




FIELD OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates to the assembly of an electrical receptacle housing. More particularly, the present invention relates to the assembly of a two-piece ground fault receptacle housing having multiple barbed posts on a first portion of the housing that couple to respective resilient hoops on a second portion of the housing.




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




Many conventional electrical receptacle housings employ a two-piece housing that is formed by separate mateable front and back covers. The covers generally mate together using any know means, such as screws, rivets, or snap-fit. A mounting bridge with ears at opposite ends generally extends between the front and back covers and allows the housing to be attached to a suitable structure, such as a building wall or an electrical box. In some electrical receptacle designs, the mounting bridge has a generally U-shape so as to wrap around portions of the mated front and back covers of the housing and couples to the front and back covers. In other electrical receptacle designs, the mounting bridge is a relatively flat shape and is disposed between the mated front and back covers of the housing. The bridge can be coupled to the housing using any mechanical fasteners, such as screws or rivets.




In many conventional receptacle housings, the two-piece housing is coupled together using fasteners or screws, as described above. This fastener type housing forms a rigidly secured, hard to separate housing, but is cumbersome and difficult to assemble. In many situations, it is necessary to assemble many housings, each having multiple fasteners, creating a time consuming, tedious job.




Additionally, other conventional receptacle housings have a snap-fit design, wherein the front cover snaps to the back cover, holding the bridge in-between. Several designs of snap-fit of housings for electrical receptacles are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,087 to Brant, U.S. Pat. No. 5,510,760 to Marcou et al and U.S. Pat. No. 6,015,303 to Bonilla et al., which are herein incorporated by reference. A design of a snap-fit housing for an accessory strip to an outlet cover plate is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,613,874 to Orlando et al., which is herein incorporated by reference. While these prior art snap-fit designs allow a quick assembly of the housing without the use of screws or rivets, they do not provide a rigidly coupled housing. In many instances the two housing portions can be twisted or pulled apart relatively easily, thus exposing the electrical receptacle to the outside environment and the installer/user, and possibly causing electrical shock to the installer/user or damage to the electrical receptacle.




Consequently, a need still remains for a snap-fit housing for an electrical receptacle that is quick and easy to assemble, while simultaneously providing a housing that is difficult or unlikely to be pulled or twisted apart.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide an improved electrical receptacle housing.




Another object of this invention is to provide an electrical receptacle housing, which can be easily and rapidly assembled.




Still another object of this invention is to provide an electrical receptacle housing having a two-part housing, which is difficult to disassemble.




Yet Another object of the present invention is to provide an electrical receptacle housing having a two-piece housing, which are coupled together using a snap-fit connection, rather than the more conventional fastening means.




The foregoing objects are basically attained by providing a electrical wiring device housing, comprising a first section having a first wall, a first side wall extending from the first wall, and a connecting unit extending from the first side wall. The connecting unit has a connecting wall that has a normally substantially planar configuration and is spaced from the first side wall and an end wall that is adjacent the connecting wall. The housing also comprises a second section that has a second wall, a second side wall extending from the second wall, and a post extending from the second wall. The post has a barb at the distal end thereof, the barb is adapted to pass between the connecting wall and the first sidewall and engage the end wall of the connecting unit. The first side wall remains substantially stationary while at least a portion of the connecting wall flexes away from the first side wall when the barb passes therebetween, and the connecting wall returns to the normally substantially planar configuration when the barb engages the end wall.




By forming a electrical wiring device housing in this manner, the housing is quick and easy to assembly and is extremely difficult to disassemble.




Other objects, advantages and salient features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses preferred embodiments of the invention.




As used in this application, up, down, upper and lower refer to relative directions depending on the orientation of the two pieces of the housing relative to each other, and do not limit the housing to any specific orientation.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




Referring to the drawings which form a part of this disclosure:





FIG. 1

is top perspective view of a two-piece housing according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, prior to engagement of the first and second pieces of the housing.





FIG. 2

is a top perspective view of the housing of

FIG. 1

, after engagement of the first and second pieces of the housing and with the electrical receptacle therein.





FIG. 3

is a bottom perspective view of the housing of

FIG. 1

, prior to engagement of the first and second pieces of the housing.





FIG. 4

is a bottom perspective view of the housing of FIG.


2


.





FIG. 5

is a top plan view of the second piece of the housing of FIG.


1


.





FIG. 6

is a side elevational view of the second piece of the housing of FIG.


5


.





FIG. 7

is a top plan view of the first piece of the housing of

FIG. 1







FIG. 8

is a side elevational view of the first piece of the housing of FIG.


8


.





FIG. 9

is an end view in section of the housing of

FIG. 2

, after engagement of the first and second pieces of the housing.





FIG. 10

is a side view in section of the housing of

FIG. 9

, taken along lines


10





10


.





FIGS. 11



a-e


is a partial side view in section of the barb and hoop portion of the housing in

FIG. 1

being coupled together.





FIGS. 12



a-e


is a partial end view in section of the barb and hoop portion of the housing in

FIG. 1

being coupled together.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION





FIGS. 1-4

illustrate an electrical wiring device housing


10


in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Wiring housing


10


is a ground fault interrupter receptacle for preferably housing an electrical duplex outlet


11


; however, wiring housing


10


can house any electrical device desired. Housing


10


preferably has a first section


12


and a second section


14


that can be coupled together in such a manner that they are difficult to disassemble.




The electrical duplex outlet


11


is preferably a conventional electrical duplex outlet as is known to one skilled in this art and has a bridge


218


for coupling to an outlet box or any other device, attaching members or screws


216


for connecting electrical wiring, specifically hot and neutral wires, and attaching member or screw


220


for connecting electrical wiring, preferably a ground wire.




First section or backing portion


12


(

FIGS. 3 and 4

) is preferably formed of a plastic material, such as nylon (specifically, ZYTEL 101F-NC10) but can be any thermoplastic, polymer or synthetic nonconductive material. ZYTEL 101F NC010 is sold by DuPont and is an internally lubricated PA 66 that has been developed for fast cycles and high productivity and has the following mechanical properties measured at about 23° C.:


















Value















Property




Test Method




Units




50% RH




DAM


















Yield Stress




ISO 527-1/2




MPa




53




83






50 mm/min






Nominal Strain at Break




ISO 527-1/2




%




>50




18






50 mm/min






Yield Strain




ISO 527-1/2




%




25




4,4 






50 mm/min






Tensile Modulus




ISO 527-1/2




MPa




1200




3100 






1 mm/min











ISO = International Standards










MPa = Mega Pascal










RH = Relative Humidity










DAM = Dry as Molded Organization













First section


12


is preferably a molded portion of the housing having a substantially smooth, planar surface or first wall


16


. Backing portion


12


has a first end


18


, a second end


20


, a first side


22


, a second side


24


, and is surrounded by a perimeter wall


26


. Wall


26


extends substantially perpendicularly from planar surface


16


. Wall


26


is formed of several different sidewalls or sections.




As can be seen specifically in

FIGS. 1 and 7

, perimeter wall


26


has a U-shaped portion


28


that extends from first end


18


. The U-shaped portion is comprised of three, preferably unitary or integrally formed sections or substantially rigid base walls


30


,


32


and


34


. Section


30


extends along substantially the entire length of first end


18


and substantially perpendicularly from planar surface or base


16


. Sections


32


and


34


each extend along a portion of sides


22


and


24


, respectively and substantially perpendicularly from planar surface


16


. However, sections


30


,


32


and


34


do not necessarily need to be unitary and can be separate if desired and can extend at any suitable angle relative to planar surface


16


.




As seen in

FIGS. 1

,


2


,


7


and


8


section


30


has a substantially rectangular protrusion or extension


36


that projections away from planar surface


16


and is substantially coplanar with section


30


. Sections


32


and


34


each have a hoop portion or connecting unit


38


and


40


, respectively, integrally or unitarily formed thereon. However, hoop portions


38


and


40


may be coupled to sections


32


and


34


in any suitable manner desired. Hoop portions


38


and


40


are substantially similar so only one will be described herein.




Hoop portion


38


is formed from three separate walls or portions


42


,


44


and


46


. The three walls of the hoop portion


38


and section


32


are integrally formed or coupled together to define a continuous resilient hoop having a substantially rectangular through passageway or external channel


52


. Channel


52


however, does not have to be substantially rectangular and the walls


42


,


44


and


46


and section


32


can be configured to form any shape channel desired. Portion or connecting wall


42


preferably has a normally substantially planar configuration and is substantially parallel to and spaced from section


32


. Walls


44


and


46


preferably extend substantially perpendicular from and are preferably unitary with section


32


and wall


44


. Each hoop portion has a first end


48


and a second end


50


, which are defined by the end surfaces of walls


42


,


44


and


46


, as shown in

FIGS. 1-4

. As seen in

FIGS. 11



a-e


and


12




a-e


the interior portion of walls


42


,


44


and


46


taper downwardly and inwardly. The interior portion of wall


42


is preferably about 0.242±0.005 inches at its shortest length D and about 0.342±0.005 at its widest. The interior portion of walls


44


and


46


are preferably about 0.08±0.005 inches at their shortest length E and about 0.10±0.005 at their widest. The short length of walls


42


,


44


and


46


and wall


32


form a narrow portion


51


of in through passageway


52


. Narrow portion


51


has a perimeter A. Perimeter A is preferably about 0.644 inches, but may be any measurement that allows the housing to couple together as described herein and walls


42


,


44


and


46


do not necessarily need to be the lengths stated and may be any length desired. Additionally, each wall


32


and


34


has a groove or trench


53


and


55


, respectively, on the exterior surface of the wall and a ridge


57


and


59


, respectively, in the interior surface.




Adjacent U-shaped portion


28


(

FIGS. 1 and 7

) are two shorter or lower portions or walls


58


and


60


that are preferably unitary with and extend substantially perpendicular to planar surface


16


. Walls


58


and


60


are recessed slightly inwardly toward the center of surface


16


, relative to U-shaped portion


28


, and each wall


58


and


60


has a protrusion


62


and


64


, respectively extending outwardly and substantially parallel with planar surface


16


therefrom. Protrusions


62


and


64


extend to about the same distance as U-shaped portion


28


.




Sections or substantially rigid base walls


66


and


68


are adjacent walls


58


and


60


and are preferably unitary with and extend substantially perpendicular to planar surface


16


. However, walls


66


and


68


can extend at any suitable angle relative to planar surface


16


. Walls


66


and


68


are preferably rectangular and have hoop portions


70


and


72


, respectively, which are substantially similar to design and use as hoop portions


38


and


40


and therefore will not be discussed in detail here. Each wall


66


and


68


has two ridges


74


and


76


that extend from planar surface


16


adjacent each wall's outside edges on the interior surface of walls


66


and


68


and terminate preferably before reaching the end of walls


66


and


68


. Additionally, as seen in

FIGS. 1

and


3


, the exterior surface of walls


66


and


68


each have a groove or trench


77


and


79


, respectively. Section


66


and


68


, walls


58


and


60


, and sections


32


and


34


of U-shaped portion


28


form U-shaped apertures or openings


78


and


80


.




As shown in

FIG. 7

, adjacent sections


66


and


68


are two shorter or lower portions or walls


82


and


84


that are preferably unitary with and extend substantially perpendicular to planar surface


16


. Walls


82


and


84


are similar to walls


58


and


60


described above. Walls


82


and


84


are recessed slightly inwardly toward the center of surface


16


, relative to sections


66


and


68


and each wall


82


and


84


has a protrusion


86


and


88


, respectively extending outwardly and substantially parallel with coplanar surface


16


therefrom. Protrusions


86


and


88


extend to about the same distance outwardly sections


66


and


68


.




At second end


20


, section


12


has another U-shaped portion


90


(FIGS.


1


and


7


). U-shaped portion


90


is comprised of three, preferably unitary or integrally formed sections or substantially rigid base walls


92


,


94


and


96


. Section


92


extends along substantially the entire length of second end


20


and substantially perpendicularly from planar surface


16


. Sections


94


and


96


each extend along a portion of sides


22


and


24


, respectively and substantially perpendicularly from planar surface


16


. However, sections


92


,


94


and


96


do not necessarily need to be unitary and can be separate if desired and can extend at any suitable angle relative to planar surface


16


. Section


92


is preferably slightly shorter or narrower than section


30


of U-shaped portion


28


and has a protrusion or extension


98


that projects away from planar surface


16


and is substantially coplanar with section


92


. Additionally, section


92


is higher on the side of the projection adjacent wall


24


than on the side of the projection adjacent wall


22


and has an indentation or recess


93


adjacent wall


22


.




Sections


94


and


96


each has a hoop portion or connecting unit


100


and


102


(

FIGS. 1-4

and


7


), respectively integrally or unitarily formed thereon. Hoop portions


100


and


102


are substantially similar and therefore only hoop portion


100


will be described herein. Hoop portion


100


is formed from three separate walls or portions


104


,


106


and


108


, as shown specifically in FIG.


7


. The hoop portion also has a first end


110


and a second end


112


. The three walls of the hoop portion


100


and section


94


are integrally formed or coupled together to define a through passageway or channel


114


. Portion or connecting wall


104


has a normally substantially planar configuration and is substantially parallel to and spaced from section


94


. Wall


106


extends substantially perpendicular from and is preferably unitary with section


94


and wall


106


, while wall


108


is also preferably unitary or integral with section


94


and wall


106


, wall


108


extends at an angle other than 90-degrees from section


94


and wall


106


. However, each wall can extend at any desired angle relative to section


94


. The interior portion of walls


104


and


108


taper downwardly and inwardly. Wall


104


is preferably about 0.204±0.005 inches at its shortest length and about 0.213±0.005 at its widest. Walls


106


and


108


are preferably about 0.09±0.005 inches at their shortest length and about 0.11±0.005 at their widest. The short length of walls


104


and


108


and wall


106


and section


94


form a narrow portion


51


in through passageway


52


, narrow portion


51


having a perimeter A′. Perimeter A′ is preferably about 0.588 inches, but may be any measurement that allows the housing to couple together as described herein and walls


104


,


106


and


108


do not necessarily need to be the lengths stated and may be any length desired. Additionally, sections


94


and


96


each have a ridge or wall


119


and


121


, respectively that extends along the exterior surface adjacent walls


82


and


84


, respectively. Sections


66


and


68


, walls


82


and


84


, and sections


94


and


96


of U-shaped portion


90


form U-shaped apertures or openings


123


and


125


.




As seen in

FIGS. 1 and 2

, second section or cover portion


14


is preferably a plastic, such as nylon (specifically, ZYTEL 101F NC010, as described above) but can be any thermoplastic, polymer or synthetic nonconductive material.




Second section


14


is preferably a molded portion of the housing having a substantially smooth, planar surface or second wall


124


. Surface


124


preferably has openings or apertures


126


therethrough for two electrical plugs or outlets. However, surface


124


can have any number of openings for any type of electrical device or it can have no openings. Additionally, surface


124


preferably has openings or apertures


128


for test


129


or reset


131


buttons, as are known to one of ordinary skill in the art. The interior surface


135


of portion


14


has walls or raised portions


137


that generally trace or outline apertures


126


and


128


, as seen specifically in FIG.


3


.




Cover portion


14


has a first end


130


, a second end


132


, a first side


134


, a second side


136


, and is surrounded by a perimeter wall


138


. Wall


138


preferably extends substantially perpendicularly from planar surface


124


, but may extend at any suitable angle. Wall


138


is formed of upper portion


140


and lower portion


142


. Upper portion


140


is preferably smooth and preferably extends substantially entirely around surface


124


, except at second end


132


, wherein two small grooves are cut out of upper portion


140


forming tongue


144


.




Lower portion


142


is preferably unitary or integral with upper portion


140


and is comprised of two preferably substantially similar portions


146


and


148


. However, it is not necessary for the portions to be similar and each may be any configuration desired. Portion


146


extends downwardly from upper portion


140


and substantially the entire length of first side


134


and along a portion of first and second ends


130


and


132


, as seen specifically in

FIGS. 1-3

. Lower portion


146


is preferably substantially parallel to and extends from upper portion


140


in such a manner that inner surface


150


of lower surface


146


is in substantially the same plane as outer surface


152


of upper portion


140


, defining upper portion end surface


154


and lower portion end surface


155


. However, upper portion


140


and lower portion


146


do not necessarily have to be parallel or have coplanar inner and outer surfaces and one can extend from the other in any manner desired, such as coplanar or any other angle. Additionally, lower portion


146


has two sections


156


and


158


that extend from end surface


154


of upper portion


140


farther than the rest of lower portion


146


, as seen specifically in FIG.


3


. Sections


156


and


158


each have a groove or recess


160


and


162


, respectively.




Lower portion


146


has three substantially inflexible or rigid, rectangular posts or elongate members


164


,


166


and


168


extending therefrom having a cross-sectional area B with a perimeter that is less than the narrow portion of channel


52


or perimeter A, as seen specifically in

FIGS. 11



a-e


and


12




a-e.


Each post is coupled to and preferably integral or unitary with exterior surface


170


of portion


146


. As seen in

FIGS. 1-4

, posts


164


,


166


and


166


each have a body portion


165


,


167


and


169


that extend outwardly and downwardly from portion


146


and terminate into a tapered protrusion or barb


172


,


174


or


176


, respectively, at the distal end thereof. Protrusions or wedges


172


and


174


are substantially similar and therefore, only protrusion


172


will be described herein. As seen in

FIGS. 1 and 5

, protrusion


172


is substantially coplanar or flush with surface


178


of barb


164


, but extends or protrudes substantially perpendicularly from surfaces


180


,


182


and


184


, defining a rear substantially planar surface


186


having a perimeter C. Perimeter C has a cross-sectional area that is greater than the narrow portion of channel


52


or perimeter A, as seen specifically in

FIGS. 11



a-e


and


12




a-e.


Perimeter C is preferably about 0.76 inches and has two sides F that are preferably about 0.10±0.005 inches and two sides G that are about 0.28±0.005 inches; however the perimeter and length of the sides of the barb may be any measurement that allows the housing to couple together as described herein. Protrusion or wedge


172


of barb


164


does not necessarily need to be perpendicular relative to surfaces


180


,


182


or


184


and may extend at any angle (acute, obtuse or otherwise) from any of the sides and not necessarily the same angle from each side. Protrusion


172


tapers downwardly and inwardly to an end or point


186


. Additionally, both the body portions


165


,


167


and


169


and the protrusions


172


,


174


and


176


of the posts


164


,


166


and


168


may be any configuration desired, such as oval, circular, triangular or any other suitable polygon. Post


168


is set in farther toward the center of portion


14


than posts


164


and


166


, but is otherwise substantially similar to posts


164


and


166


.




As seen in

FIGS. 1 and 6

, protrusion


176


is similar to protrusions


172


and


174


and the discussion of protrusion


172


applies to protrusion


176


; except protrusion


176


is substantially coplanar or flush with both sides


188


and


190


and extends or protrudes substantially perpendicularly from surfaces


192


and


194


, defining a rear substantially planar surface


196


. Surface


196


defines a cross-sectional area having a perimeter B′ that is less than the narrow portion of channel


114


or perimeter A′. Perimeter B′ is preferably about 0.68 inches and has two sides that are preferably about 0.10±0.005 inches and two sides that are about 0.24±0.005 inches; however the perimeter and length of the sides of the barb may be any measurement that allows the housing to couple together as described herein. Protrusion


176


tapers downwardly and inwardly to an end or point


198


.




Portion


148


is substantially similar to portion


146


, described above and the description of portion


146


applies to portion


148


. Portion


148


has three elongate members or posts


204


,


206


and


208


that are substantially similar to posts


164


,


166


and


168


described above, each post having a protrusion


210


,


212


and


214


, respectively. However, portion


148


does not extend along second end


132


in the same manner as portion


146


. As seen in

FIG. 3

, portion


148


ends at comer


200


of upper portion


140


and along second end


132


, member


202


extends outwardly and away from end


132


.




It is noted that the housing


10


, as described above, preferably has six hoop portions and six posts that couple together on a one-to-one basis, but is possible that the housing can have as few as one hoop/post connection and as many as desired (i.e. 2-5 or greater than 6) to achieve the coupling of the two pieces of the housing described above.




Assembly




As seen in

FIGS. 1-6

, to assemble housing


10


, first section


12


and second section


14


are moved toward each other along longitudinal axis X of elongate members


164


,


166


,


168


,


204


,


206


and


208


. Protrusions


172


,


174


and


176


are inserted into channels


52


of hoop portions


40


and


72


and channel


114


of hoop portion


102


, respectively, and protrusions


210


,


212


and


214


are inserted into channels


52


of hoop portions


38


and


70


and channel


114


of hoop portion


112


, respectively. The tapered walls of the protrusions engage the tapered walls of the hoop portions. As the protrusions are further inserted, the perimeters A and A′ of the hoop portions are increased or resiliently expanded, as seen specifically in

FIGS. 11



d


and


12




d,


while the base walls or sections (


32


,


34


,


66


,


68


,


94


and


96


) and the elongate members remain substantially stationary. In other words, as the protrusion or barb passes through channel


52


or


114


, at least a portion of the connecting walls resiliently flex outwardly or away from the sections or base walls of the hoop and the elongate members and base walls do not substantially bend. At least a portion of each wall and preferably each entire wall is adapted to stretch when the protrusion passes through the channel


52


. The walls expand since the length of walls D and E are shorter than sides G and F of the barb or protrusion, respectively. In other words, the ratio of the length of wall D to side G is between about 0.83 to 0.90 and the ratio of the length of wall E to side F is between about 0.70 and 0.90. When the protrusion passes entirely through the channel or aperture and the end surface of each protrusion engages the abutment or end surface of the hoop portion, as seen specifically in

FIGS. 2

,


9


and


10


, the walls of the hoop portions return to a normal, unstretched position under their natural resiliency with a portion of the elongate member, preferably the body portion, remaining in the aperture. The hoop portion is designed to withstand a certain outwardly directed hoop stress that allows it to expand without breaking or permanently deforming, and to contact inwardly once the barb passes therethrough.




When the sections


12


and


14


are assembled, lower portion


142


of section


14


and openings


78


,


80


,


123


and


125


preferably form a rectangular opening allowing access to the interior of the housing


10


. These openings enable a connection, for example, a screw


216


or other type of connection, for hot and neutral wires or any type of desired electrical connection as is know in the art. Additionally, the lower portion of section


92


allows another access opening in housing


10


for an electrical connection


220


, such as a grounding wire. Additionally, extensions


36


and


98


are slightly spaced from upper wall


140


of housing portion


14


, allowing the bridge


218


for the electrical duplex to pass therethrough.




This assembly allows the two parts of the housing to be snap-fitted together easily and simply while making it extremely difficult to pull or twist the two halves apart. Specifically, the perimeter of cross-section of the end surface of each protrusion or barb is significantly larger that the respective channel in the hoop portion, and therefore it is very difficult to pull the barb backwardly through the aperture, without using a device or mechanism to stretch each hoop portion. The end surface of the protrusion simply abuts or contacts the end surface of its respective hoop portion. Additionally, the redundancy of the posts and the general rigidity of the housing make the housing resistant to twisting and the two pieces of the housing are therefore not likely to be pulled apart.




While a specific embodiment has been chosen to illustrate the invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.



Claims
  • 1. An electrical wiring device housing, comprising:a first section having a first wall, a first side wall extending from said first wall, and a connecting unit extending from said first side wall, said connecting unit having a connecting wall that has a normally substantially planar configuration and is spaced from said first side wall, a first member connecting said connecting wall to said first side wall and having a normally substantially planar configuration and an end wall that is adjacent said connecting wall and said first member; and a second section having a second wall, a second side wall extending from said second wall, and a post extending from said second wall and having a barb at the distal end thereof, said barb having first and second protrusions extending outwardly relative to said post, said barb adapted to pass between said connecting wall, said first member and said first side wall and said first and second protrusions engage said end wall of said connecting unit adjacent said connecting wall and said first member; said first side wall remaining substantially stationary while at least a portion of said connecting wall flexes away from said first side wall and at least a portion of said first member flexes outwardly when said barb passes therebetween, said first and second protrusions contacting said connecting wall and said first member, respectively, causing said flexing and said connecting wall and said first member returning to said normally substantially planar configurations when said barb engages said end wall.
  • 2. An electrical wiring device housing according to claim 1, whereinsaid barb has a side G, said side G being longer than said connecting wall.
  • 3. An electrical wiring device housing according to claim 2, whereinsaid connecting wall and said side G have a ratio between about 0.83 and 0.90.
  • 4. An electrical wiring device housing according to claim 1, where insaid barb has a side F, said side F being longer than said first sidewall.
  • 5. An electrical wiring device housing according to claim 4, whereinsaid first sidewall and said side F have a ratio between about 0.70 and 0.90.
  • 6. An electrical wiring device housing according to claim 1, whereinsaid connecting wall is coupled to said sidewall by said first member and a second member, a portion of said second member flexing outwardly when said barb passes between said connecting wall and said first sidewall.
  • 7. An electrical wiring device housing according to claim 6, whereinsaid connecting wall, said first sidewall and said first and second members form a substantially rectangular through passageway.
  • 8. An electrical wiring device housing according to claim 7, whereinsaid connecting wall and said first and second members are tapered downwardly and inwardly, forming a narrow portion of said through passageway.
  • 9. An electrical wiring device housing according to claim 8, whereinsaid post has a cross-sectional area that is less than the cross-sectional area of said narrow portion of said through passageway.
  • 10. An electrical wiring device housing according to claim 6, wherein said connecting wall, said first side wall and said first and second members form a continuous hoop.
  • 11. An electrical wiring device housing according to claim 10, whereina portion of said hoop is resilient.
  • 12. An electrical wiring device housing according to claim 1, whereinsaid connecting wall is tapered inwardly, toward said first sidewall.
  • 13. An electrical wiring device housing according to claim 6, wherein said barb has a rear substantially planar surface and said rear substantially planar surface engages said end wall.
  • 14. An electrical wiring device housing according to claim 13, wherein said rear substantially planar surface engages said end wall and said first and second members.
  • 15. An electrical wiring device housing according to claim 1, further comprisinga second connecting unit extends from said first side wall and has a second connecting wall and a second end wall; and a second post extends from said second side wall, said second post having a second barb, and said second barb adapted to pass between said second connecting wall and said first side wall and engage said second end wall of said second connecting unit.
  • 16. A receptacle housing for an electrical device, comprising:a backing portion having a base and at least one section extending from said base, said at least one section having an exterior channel extending therefrom with first, second and third walls and first and second end surfaces; and a cover portion adapted to couple to said backing portion having a face with at least one aperture therein for said electrical device, at least one side wall extending from said face, and at least one substantially inflexible post extending from said at least one side wall and having a body portion and a protrusion thereon, said protrusion adapted to pass through said exterior channel; at least a portion of said first, second and third walls adapted to stretch outwardly said protrusion passes through said exterior channel while said at least one section remains substantially stationary, and said protrusion adapted to engage said second end surface of said channel adjacent said first, second and third walls after passing through said channel, said body portion of said post being positioned within said channel without substantially stretching said first, second, or third walls when said protrusion engages said second end surface.
  • 17. A receptacle housing according to claim 16, whereinsaid channel forms a substantially rectangular through passageway.
  • 18. A receptacle housing according to claim 16, whereinsaid first, second, and third walls and said at least one section form a continuous hoop.
  • 19. A receptacle housing according to claim 16, whereinsaid first, second, and third walls each have a downwardly and inwardly tapering portion, said tapering portions defining a narrow portion of said channel.
  • 20. A receptacle housing according to claim 19, whereinsaid body portion of said post has an outer perimeter that is less than the perimeter of said narrow portion of said channel.
  • 21. A receptacle housing according to claim 16, whereinsaid protrusion is tapered and forms a wedge.
  • 22. A receptacle housing according to claim 16, whereinsaid protrusion has a rear substantially planar surface and said rear substantially planar surface engages said second end surface of said exterior channel.
  • 23. A receptacle housing according to claim 16, further comprisingat least two sections each having an exterior channel extending therefrom; and at least two side walls each having at least one inflexible post extending therefrom, each post having a body portion and a protrusion thereon, each said protrusion adapted to pass through a respective exterior channel.
  • 24. An electrical wiring device housing, comprisinga first section having a substantially rigid base wall and a hoop portion integrally formed with said base wall, said base wall and said hoop portion forming an aperture having a perimeter A, said hoop portion being formed of resilient material and an end surface; and a second portion having an elongated member with a barb at a distal end thereof, said barb having a largest outer perimeter B, said outer perimeter B being greater than perimeter A, and said barb having an abutment surface, said abutment surface extending at least half way around said outer perimeter B; a portion of said elongate member being received in said aperture and said barb being located adjacent said aperture with said abutment surface engaging said base wall and said end surface, thereby resisting movement of said barb through said aperture.
  • 25. An electrical wiring device housing according to claim 24, whereinsaid aperture forms a substantially rectangular through passageway.
  • 26. An electrical wiring device housing according to claim 25, whereinsaid through passageway has a downwardly and inwardly tapering portion, said tapering portion defining a narrow portion of said through passageway.
  • 27. A method for enclosing an electrical device in a receptacle housing having a first section with a substantially rigid base wall and a hoop portion integrally formed with said base wall, said base wall and said hoop portion forming an aperture defining a perimeter and being formed of resilient material, and having a second portion with an elongated member having a longitudinal axis and having a barb at a distal end thereof, said barb having an abutment surface and defining an outer perimeter, the outer perimeter being larger than the perimeter of the aperture, and the abutment surface extending at least half way around the outer perimeter B, comprising the steps ofmoving the first section and the second section toward each other along the longitudinal axis of the elongate member, inserting the barb in the aperture, the barb increasing the perimeter of the hoop portion, while the base wall remains substantially stationary, passing the barb through the aperture, engaging the abutment surface with the hoop portion, and returning the hoop portion to a normal, unstretched position, a portion of the elongate member remaining within the aperture.
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