Patent Application
20160099555
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This invention relates to improvements in a universal box mounting adapter and system. More particularly, the present universal box mounting adapter is an adapter for mounting 4″ and 4 11/16″ electrical boxes directly to studs using side tabs. The universal box mounting adapter further includes bendable back supports and integral conduit support flanges.
Description of Related Art including information disclosed under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98:
Houses and buildings require connection of electricity to operate light appliances and equipment. To connect these devices an installer uses electric boxes that are mounted upon. Walls are generally formed against wooden or metal studs, although metal of a channel configuration is particularly common in modern residential and commercial applications. In such applications, electric boxes tend to be supported by assemblies, frames or brackets that are in turn mounted to the metal studs or to other components that rest directly on the floor.
Electric boxes are supported in many fashions within the walls on supporting studs. The electrical boxes may be fastened directly to a wall stud, albeit this method is generally discouraged on metal studs for practical reasons. The electrical boxes may rest within a bracket that attaches along one side to a vertical wall stud. Traditional methods of mounting such electric boxes therefore require electricians or the like to maintain a complete stock of each type of mounting bracket that may be necessary as the situation demands.
There are a number of patents and or publications have been made to address these issues. Exemplary examples of patents and or publication that try to address this/these problem(s) are identified and discussed below.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,525 issued on Oct. 23, 1990 to Donald T. Coffey et al., discloses an Electrical Box Mounting Bracket. This bracket is configured to grasp a side stud or can span across two studs if the studs a spaced close enough together. This patent is only configured for a single electrical box, and does not include a system for securing multiple junction boxes, it further does not provide support for conduit and does not includes pin holes for multiple mounting configurations.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,439,443 issued on Oct. 21, 2008 to Cong Thanh Dinh discloses a Mounting Bracket for Electrical Boxes. The bracket can universally be secured to a stud wall with both front and side holes for nailing or screwing the bracket to the stud. This bracket has limited versatility to accept conduit or other mounting accessories. These limitations provide limited options for an installer to mount the bracket in different configurations to studs.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,403,289 issued on Mar. 26, 2013 to Eric R. Rinderer discloses a Universal Electrical Box Mounting Device. This mounting system is predominately configured for mounting of a single adapter to metal stud walls. If multiple adapters are used the multiple adapters are first secured to separate strip that is secured to the metal studs. While some configurations have an enlarged hole for a conduit, the opening does not securely hold the conduit to prevent undesirable movement of the conduit within the opening. The mounting device further requires a separate strip to mount an electrical box between stud walls.
What is needed is a universal box mounting adapter and system. Disclosure found in this document provides a solution with an adapter for mounting 4″ and 4 11/16″ boxes directly to studs using side tabs.
It is an object of the universal box mounting adapter and system to mount 4″ and 4 11/16″ boxes directly to studs. The side tabs include a plurality of holes where screws can be inserted for securing the universal box mounting adapter onto wood or metal studs. When the universal box mounting adapter is secured it provides a stable base for connecting an electrical junction box behind the universal box mounting adapter and also provide a mounting front for a finish plate where drywall, sheetrock or similar sheet material can be used for the finished wall surface. The front plate has keyholes for accommodating 4S and 5S boxes.
It is an object of the universal box mounting adapter and system to include an integral conduit support flange. The integral conduit support flange maintains the position of rigid conduit as the rigid conduit connects to the universal box mounting adapter. The support allows an installer to secure a variety of different accessories to the universal box mounting adapter to accommodate conduit securing devices such a tie wire, one-hole straps, conduit clips, Colorado jim clips, zip ties and bat wings.
It is an object of the universal box mounting adapter and system for the integral conduit support flange to have slots and pinholes for use with a wide assortment of conduit supporting accessories.
It is another object of the universal box mounting adapter and system to operate with a universal box mounting adapter kick bracket for placing junction boxes between studs at a desired height. The kick bracket provides horizontal and vertical installations as well as versatile positioning of the universal box mounting adapter system.
It is another object of the universal box mounting adapter and system to allow for mounting in either a vertical or a horizontal orientation. Features pinholes along the length for adjusting the location of the universal box mounting adapter.
It is still another object of the universal box mounting adapter and system to have integral wings for supporting the kick bracket when installed in a vertical orientation, the universal box mounting adapter and kick bracket make up a system of configurations to meet the needs of an installer.
It is still another object of the universal box mounting adapter and system to operate with 16″ or 24″ on center studs. Building and houses are usually constructed with studs placed 16″ or 24″ on center and electrical outlets can be adjacent to the studs or placed between the studs. The universal box mounting adapter can further be configures to accept multiple junction boxes between the studs. A floor stand can also be used to set the universal box mounting adapter 15″ or 18″ from the floor.
Various objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention, along with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals represent like components.
The center of the universal box mounting adapter 20 is open 36 within the boundary 34 for access to wiring within the universal box mounting adapter 20. This face 35, has a plurality of mounting holes 71, 72, 73 and keyhole slots 70 for securing an electrical box cover. The bottom of the face 35 has a tab 38. The face 35 bends 39 to an open 94 horizontal support 95.
The horizontal support 95 has vertical sides 90 and front-facing tabs 92 with mounting or securing holes 93. The vertical sides 90 also have holes 91 for securing our mounting the universal box mounting adapter 20. The holes 91 can be used to screw the universal box mounting adapter 20 into the side of a stud 21. The center 94 of the horizontal support 95 is open. The back of the horizontal support has central tab 50 and two joined tabs 61 and 62.
The central tab 50 is secured to the horizontal support 95 with an open hinge 51. The open hinge allows the central tab 50 to easily bend on the horizontal support 95. The central tab 50 further includes a plurality of open slots 52, 53 and 54 that allows the central tab 50 to be easily bent at these locations without special tools. The central tab 50 can be bent back horizontally and further bent at slot 53 to fit within a 6-inch stud wall where the end portion 55 is oriented vertically. The central tab 50 is an adjustable back support.
The two joined tabs 61 and 62 are secured to the horizontal support 95 with open hinges 63 and 64. These two joined tabs 61 and 62 are joined at the top through tab 60 that promotes uniform bending of tabs 61 and 62. Tab 60 joins to the tabs 61 and 62 through open hinges 65 and 66 that promote uniform bending of the top tab 60. The top tab 60 provides a plurality of holes 68 and a slot 67 for a plurality of conduit supporting options as shown and described in
The breakable wing 18 has a plurality of pin holes 111 and 113 for securing the breakable wing 18 to stud walls and a plurality of other holes 112 for securing the universal box mounting adapter 20 or for securing the breakable wing 18 to a stud. The breakable wing 18 further has imprints 14 or indicia 115 for consistent box placement of the universal box mounting adapter 20. A number different installation options are possible for mounting a single or two universal box mounting adapter(s) 20.
The triple universal box mounting adapter 120 can be connected to an extender 140 by securing the extender 140 with tabs 125, 126 and 140. A screw locks the parts together. The extender 140 is securable to the floor stand with tabs 141, 142, and 154. A bend 153 allows the front of the extender 140 and the floor stand 150 to be essentially parallel. While an extender 140 is shown, none or multiple extenders can be used. The bottom of the floor stand 150 has a bottom bend 152 and a hole to secure the floor stand 150 to a stud.
Thus, specific embodiments of a universal box mounting adapter and system have been disclosed. It should be apparent, however, to those skilled in the art that many more modifications besides those described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive subject matter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims.
Not Applicable.
