Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
2~~292~
ELE~T9~ICAL DEVICE I3CX WITH CCaM131NED
Bl3MP AND TAI3 ASSEIiliSLIES
The present invention is concerned with an improvement to the
structure of a conventional electrical device box By an "electrical device
box",
there is meant an electrical outlet box, an electrical wiring box or any
similar box
used for installing electrical equipments and/or connections, especially into
a
building or dwelling.
Most the device boxes presently available in the market basically
comprise:
a generally rectangular rear wall having upper and lower edges;
upper and lower end walls integrally projecting forwards from the
upper and lower edges of the rear wall, respectively, these end walls being
generally rectangular and of the same width as tha rear wall, and having
lateral
~5 edges;
a pair of generally rectangular side vvalls each having front, rear,
top and bottom edges; and
means for detachably connecting the top and bottom edges of
each of the side walls to the upper and lower end walls so as to form
therewith
and with the rear wall an open chamber.
The means fior dotachably connecting the side walls to the upper
and lower end walls of the box usually comprises fingers insertable into
openings and/or tabs in which screws can be threaded to lock the side walls
against the lateral edges of the end wails. Most of the time, these fingers
and/or
tabs laterally project outwardly at a given distance away from the side walls
of
the box, thereby preventing it from being properly fixed to a flat supporting
structure such as the lateral side of a stud, whenever desired.
To obviate this drawback, it is of common practice to punch into
at least one and preferably both side walls of the box, four ar more identical
2
bumps in such a manner that they project outwards from the side walls at a
distance at least equal to the above mentioned given distance. Then, it
becomes possible to fix the box onto the flat supporting structure with the
adjacent side wall of the box extending parallel to the flat supporting
sturcture
at a short distance away from the same. Generally, the bumps are positioned
onto each rectangular side wall in such a manner as to define together at
least
one rectangle having sides parallel to the edges of this side wall.
It is also of common practice to cut and shape the front edges of
the side walls or the front portion of the lateral edges of the end walls in
such
a manner as to define prongs or tabs that are folded laterally outwardly to
form
some kind of stop means that can be used to align the box with respect to an
edge of the supporting structure, such as the front edge of a stud.
Both of these features, i.e. the leveling bumps and stopping tabs,
are very conventient for the users of the box. Howeuer, in practice, they
cannot
be combined in a structurally efficient manner onto the same box, because the
thickness of the bumps make it necessary for the tabs to be very long as they
must extend over the bumps which altogether define a leveling surface parallel
to the corresponding side wall. This in turn causes the tabs to be very big in
size in order to be structurally resistant when folded in useful position,
'thereby
making it necessary to use metal sheet of greater surface area to manufacture
the side walls.
The object of the present invention is to provide an improved
device box which incorporates leveling bumps and stopping tabs and yet does
not suffer from the above mentioned drawbacks.
~5 In accordance with the invention, this object is achieved with an
electrical device box of the type mentioned hereinabove, including at least
four
identical bumps punched into and outwardly projecting from at leasfi one of
its
side walls to allow fixation of the box onto a flat supporting structure with
the at
least one side wall extending parallel to the flat supporting structure at a
short
20~202~t
3
distance away from the same, the bumps defining together at least one
rectangle having sides parallel to the edges of the corresponding side wall,
wherein a small tab is cut out on tap of each of the bumps that are adjacent
to
the front edge of the at least one side wall, the tabs that are so cut, being
folded
in such a manner as to project outwards from the chamber and form together
the required stopping means for use to align the box with respect to an edge
of the supporting sructure.
Since the tabs are cut out on top of the bumps, they necessarily
project outwardly from the same, even if they are very short. Accordingly,
their
1 C1 siza and length are no more dependent on the thickness of the bumps.
Preferably, the tabs are oblong in shape and project out from the
tops of the bumps at substantially the same distance as the bumps projects out
from the side wall.
A non restrictive, preferred embodiment of the invention will now
be described with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:
Figure I is a front perspective view of a device box according to the
invention;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of a side wall of the box shown in
Figure I, having bumps and tabs projecting from the bumps; and
Figure 3 is a top plan view of the box shown in Figure I, fixed to
the lateral wall of a stud.
The electrical devica box I according to the invention as shown in
Figure I, is made of metal sheet. It basically comprises:
a generally rectangular rear wall 3 having upper and lower edges;
upper and lower end walls 5, 7 integrally projecting forwards from
the upper and lower edges of the rear wall 3, respectively, these end walls 5,
7 being generally rectangular and of the same width as the rear wall and
having
lateral edges;
a pair of generally rectangular side walls 9, ~ ~, each having front,
2~~~~~~
4
rear, top and bottom edges; and
means 13, 15 for detachably connecting the top at bottom edges
of each of the side walls 9, fl to the upper and lower end walls 5, 7 so as to
form therewith and with the rear wall 3 an open chamber IT that can be
provided internally with fixation means 19 for wires ar other electrical
equipments.
As aforesaid, the connecting means !3 may consist of tabs 21
projecting laterally outwardly from the lateral edges of the end walls and in
which screws 23 may be threaded to lock the corresponding side wall. The
connecting means 15 may consist of fingers 25 projecting from either the side
walls or the end walls, for inserting into slats or openings made in the
adjacent
wall. These connecting means and the way they operate are wall known in this
art and need not be further described.
The top and bottom edges of the side walls may be provided with
fixation tabs 27 to facilitate fixation of the bax I to an adjacent supporting
structure such as a stud 29 (see Figure 3). Once again, this feature is well
known and needs not be further described.
As is better shown in Figure 2, at least one and preferably both
side walls g, II are provided with bumps 31, 33, 35, 37 that are preferably
substantially hemispherical and identical in shape. The bumps that are
preferably four in number, are punched into and outwardly project from the
side
walls 9, ll to allow fixation of the box onto a flat surface of the supporting
structure 29 (see Figure 3)with one of the side walls extending adjacent and
parallel to this flat surface at a short distance away from the same.
As clearly shown in Figure 2, the bumps 31, 33, 35, 37 define
together a rectangle having sides parallel to the edges of the rectangular
side
wall into which they are punched.
Assuming that the tabs 21 used to detachably connect the side
walls 9, II to the end walls 5, 7, projects laterally outwardly at a given
distance
5
"d" away from the side walls of the box (see Figure 3), it is of course
compulsory that this given distance "d" be smaller than the short distance "D"
resulting from the presence of the bumps between the one side wall and the
supporting structure 29 when the box 1 is fixed onto this supporking
structure,
in order to achieve a proper leveling of the box onto the flat surface of this
supporting structure.
In accordance with the invention, a small tab 39 is cut out on top
of each of the bumps that ara adjacent to the front. edge of at least one of
the
side wails, such as bumps 31 and 33 of wall 9. The tabs 39 that are so cut,
are
folded in such a manner as to project outwardly from the chamber f7 and form
together a stopping means for use to align the box with respect to an edge 41
of the supporting structure 29 (see Figure 3).
As can be seen, the tabs 39 are preferably oblong in shape and
project out from the tops of the bumps at substantially the same distance as
said bumps projects out from the side wall.
Although, in practice, each of tho side walls 9, II may have bumps,
only one of these side wails, say wall 9, need have tabs 39 cut out in its two
bumps 31, 33 close to its front edge. Indeed, in mast cases, the box is
designed
to be reversible, thereby making it installable upside down if desired.
As can be understood, the leveling bumps and tabs can be made
in the existing side wall that are usually made of galvanized steel material.
First,
the bumps are made by stretching the steel when the forming punch goes in
the die. Then as a second operation, a cutting punch, that has an oblong
shape, cuts the material on top of the bumps all the way around except on one
26 side where the steel is used for holding the tab perpendicular to the
surface of
the side. The tab 39 may then be used as a mean of support far locating the
box I on the stud 29.
