LATERALLY EXPANDABLE MODULAR ELECTRIC BOX AND METHOD OF REDUCING WIRING TIME AND MOUNTING WALL DISFIGURATION

COFFRET ELECTRIQUE A EXTENSION MODULAIRE LATERALE ET METHODE POUR REDUIRE LES TEMPS D'INSTALLATION AINSI QUE LES DOMMAGES CAUSES AU MUR DE MONTAGE

English Abstract

There is no prior way to retrofit one or more laterally
extending electrical boxes for extra switches, outlets or
accessories such as rheostatic controls in existing walls without
tearing out a portion of the wall, removing the box, rewiring a
new ganged box and refinishing the wall. This invention provides
nodular lateral box extensions constructed to be installed from
the open front end and supported by the installed box anchored to
a beam with the wall being cut only enough to receive the
extension modular box. This efficiently requires the wiring of
only additional modules and avoids repair and repainting of
walls.

Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEDGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. The method of expanding an installed electrical box
laterally to add selected switches, outlets and accessories
comprising the steps of: providing a modular open front and
closed back electrical anchor box module anchored in place
with an open front facing a wall opening, said anchor box
module having a removable sidewall plate affixed to the anchor
box module by channelwork interconnection means integrally
disposed on the anchor box module and said removable sidewall
plate which makes the sidewall plate slidably removable in a
direction perpendicular to said open front and parallel to the
sidewall plate, expanding the wall opening sufficient to
permit a passage into the wall opening of an expansion box
module carrying channelwork interconnection means for mating
with the anchor box comprising fastening means for overlapping
and securing to the closed back of the anchor box, and
integrally affixed front-to-back oriented interlocking
channelwork on the expansion box for mating with the anchor
box module channelwork interconnection means to replace a
removed sidewall thereby securing the expansion box upon the
anchor box module for support thereby, interconnecting the
expansion box module to the anchor box module in a rigid
supporting joint comprising the channelwork interconnection
means integrally disposed on the anchor box module accessible
from the open front of the anchored anchor box mated into the
channelwork of the expansion box by extending the expansion
box through the wall opening in a direction parallel to the
removable sidewall plate and perpendicular to the open front
of the anchored anchor box, and securing the expansion box to
the closed back of the anchor box module with said fastening
means.


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2. The method of claim 1, wherein said expansion box module has
two open sides integrally containing said channelwork
interconnection means structure respectively for
interconnecting with said anchor box having the sidewall
removed and for interconnecting with said removed sidewall
further comprising the step of: ganging said expansion box
module between said anchor box module and said removable
sidewall plate.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the expansion box has two open
sides respectively to mate with the anchor box for support and
to mate with a sidewall plate removed from the anchor box
further comprising the steps of:
removing the removable sidewall plate from the anchor
box, and
affixing the sidewall plate removed from the anchor box
module to the interconnected expansion box module as
an end closure sidewall plate of a ganged array

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising the step of:
ganging a plurality of expansion boxes of similar
structure between said anchor box module and the
removable sidewall plate with corresponding said
rigid supporting joints supporting the plurality of
ganged expansion boxes upon said anchored in place
anchor box module.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of expanding the wall
opening sufficient to permit passage into the expanded wall
opening of an expansion box module further comprises:
removal of only a portion of wall adjacent the anchor box
module substantially just large enough to receive


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the expansion box module extending through the
expanded wall opening alongside the anchor box
module, whereby the expansion box module is
installed without requiring significant
reconstruction and finishing of the wall about the
interconnected modules.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the anchor box module is in
place in a finished wall site and contains accessories,
further comprising the steps of:
installing and wiring the expansion box module to the
anchor box module by way of the wall opening without
removing the anchor box module.

7. A wall mountable electrical wiring system, comprising in
combination:
at least two open front modular electrical boxes adapted
to form side-by-side ganged boxes enclosed by two
outermost sidewall;
each of said modular boxes being adapted for receiving
wiring, receptacles, switches, accessories and at
least one removable sidewall one of said boxes
comprising an anchor box including anchoring means
for affixing said anchor box firmly in-situ in a
finished wall site adaptable for ganged connection
to at least one further box;
a structure for removing said removable sidewall from an
affixed said anchor box in a direction normal to the
open front of the anchor box by an access solely
from the open front of the anchor box; and


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support means on the boxes for ganging one said further
box as an extension box in-situ to the anchor box to
be supported in place thereby in response to
movement into the open front of the anchor box in a
direction normal to the open front of the boxes,
said support means comprising interlocking
channelwork oriented in a front to rear direction of
the anchor box and securing means overlapping back
walls on the boxes for affixing the extension box
firmly to the in-situ anchor box module and for
affixing the removable sidewall to the extension box
with the overlapping securing means solely
accessible from the open front of the extension box.

8. The electrical wiring system of claim 7 wherein the
extension box has substantially flat rectangular top, bottom
and back walls, without sidewalls.

9. The electrical wiring system of claim 8, wherein an outer
sidewall plate removed from the anchor box module is affixed
as an outermost sidewall to the extension box.

10. The electrical wiring system of claim 7 wherein the
interlocking channelwork is disposed at the two open sides of
said extension box and comprises one mating member for a
tongue and groove joint disposed at the open sides on both the
bottom and top panels of the extension box thereby permitting
mating of side-by-side ganged boxes by motion in a direction
normal to the open box fronts.



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Description

CA 02491073 1994-05-30
LATERALLY EXPANDABLE MODULAR ELECTRICAL BOX AND
METHOD OF REDUCING WIRING TIME AND MOUNTING WALL DISFIGURATION
TECHNICAL FIELD:
This invention relates to electrical boxes for installing
switches, plugs and accessories flush with a wall surface, and
more particularly it relates to laterally expandable modular
electrical boxes and methods of mounting with less labor and
mounting wall disfiguration.
BACKGROUND ART:
In the electrical trades it is frequently required to expand
an existing electrical box containing a plug or switch by
mounting at the same location a two to four gang box for mounting
additional switches, plugs or accessories such as rheostats. With
the current commercially available electrical boxes, this is a
costly and time consuming task. Thus single gang electrical boxes
are anchored inside a mounting wall so that the open box front is
flush with a mounting wall to receive a fitting and decorative
cover. To expand the service at that location with addition of
one or more boxes in a ganged mount, the wall must be broken away
and disfigured to obtain access to the anchoring structure.
Because present boxes are generally affixed to a stud behind the
wall by nails or screws horizontally disposed, a significant
section of the wall must be removed to be able to insert tools
for removing the box and for remounting the new ganged box
replacement. Also the resident box with fittings and wiring must
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CA 02491073 1994-05-30
be removed to make room for the new ganged box installation whi
requires the electrician to remove the wires and fittings and
reconnect wiring in a new box. The wall then must be restored to
receive the flush mounted ganged assembly with one to three
additionally ganged boxes extending laterally from the initial
box position after the ganged boxes are anchored in place and
wired, including rewiring of the replaced initial box. After that
the disfigured wall, often wallboard, will have to be repapered
or repainted.
0 It is the object of this invention to improve the state of
the art by introduction of a new electrical box configuration and
accompanying method of replacing single gang electrical boxes
with multiple gang boxes which considerably reduces cost, labor
and disfigurement of walls.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will
be found throughout the following description, claims and
accompanying drawings.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION:
Prior art electrical box structure is replaced by modular
gangable box configurations that permit lateral ganging of boxes
20 for increased~service by mounting and support features permitting
expansion and installation of additional ganged boxes from the
open front of the box with removal of only that portion of the
wall necessary to insert the new gangs from the wall side. The
gangs are anchored in place to the original gang, without
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CA 02491073 1994-05-30
removal, by access from the wall side without necessity of
removal of any wall surrounding the box.
The original boxes, anchorable on a stud or the like, thus
have a removable side plate opposite to the stud, secured in
place by fittings accessible from the open box front with the
decorative cover plate removed. This permits the boxes to stay
intact as originally wired, and further permits one or more
laterally extending gangs to be fitted in place of the removed
side plate. The new gangs are supported by attachment to the
LO anchor box with screws or the like, and are inserted simply by
horizontal movement through a wall opening just large enough to
pass the ganged box so that no disfigurement and repair is
necessary.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS:
In the accompanying drawings, like reference characters
refer to similar features throughout the several views to
facilitate comparison, and:
Figure 1 is a front view sketch, partly broken away, of a
two gang electrical box installation,
Figure 2 is a front view of an anchor box configuration
20 provided by the invention, and
Figure 3 is an exploded view sketch front view of a multiple
gang electrical box assembly afforded by the invention.
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CA 02491073 1994-05-30
THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT:
As seen from Figure 1, two electrical boxes 15, 16 are gang
mounted laterally side-by-side. The anchor box 15 has nails 17
driven into stud 18 for anchoring the ganged assembly in place.
Switches 20, plugs 21 or other accessories may be wired in the
boxes and held in place with the open fronts of the otherwise
closed back boxes positioned flush with the front surface of the
wall 22. Ganged box 16 is supported on and by the anchor box 15
by means of a screw-mount panel 25 extension tab on box 16
affixed to the rear closed panel 26 of the anchor box 15. This
LO mounting structure requires access only from the front of box 15,
without removal of the box 15. Thus, the wall board need only be
removed at borders 28, 29, and not otherwise disfigured for
fitting the ganged box 16 into place. Only box 16 supplying
additional service need be wired.
Contrast that simple, low labor, low cost, non-disfiguring
installation made possible by improved box structure with the
conventional manner of extending electrical service by installing
one or more laterally ganged boxes. As may be seen from the nails
17, to remove the previously installed anchor box 15, the
20 ' wallboard 22 would have to be disfigured enough to permit a tool
to remove nails 17 and box 15 and to replace it with a ganged
box. Clearly the invention has avoided disfiguring of the wall
and has simplified the method of extending electrical service by
ganging boxes to eliminate the formerly required steps of
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CA 02491073 1994-05-30
disfiguring and restoring the wall about the installation, and
replacing and rewiring an originally anchored box.
In Figure 2, the preferred anchor box embodiment is shown in
more detail. The hatching represents a cross section through
replaceable end plate 30 in a plane parallel to and adjacent to
the rear wall 26 of the anchor box 15. The panel 25 has three
screws 31 for firmly affixing the end plate 30 to the box 15 for
support. The interconnection with the anchor box 15 and the end
plate 30 or further laterally ganged boxes is further
0 strengthened by the flanged ends 33 of the anchor box and the
mated ribs 34 and channels 35 respectively on the end plate 30
and the flanged ends 33. Similar interconnecting structure is
provided for ganged on boxes. The ribs 34 and grooves 36 thus
provide in accordance with this invention structure for mounting
and supporting attachments to the anchor box 15 from the open-
front access position without requiring any side access that is
required in prior art systems and methods.
In Figure 3 the exploded view illustrates the structure of
the ganging boxes 16 with the ability to mount and support
0 further ganging boxes from the front without wall disfiguration.
Thus the right end'flanging 43 and screw access holes 45 are
similar to those of anchor box which fits with either an end
plate 30 or a ganged bvx 16. No anchor box anchoring attachments
48 are necessary for anchoring the ganging boxes in place since
the interconnecting structure provides the necessary mounting and
support functions far all added gangable boxes.


CA 02491073 1994-05-30
The improved box ganging structure therefore affords the
savings of time, labor and inconvenience in the retrofitting of
ganged boxes to an already installed anchor box by the simplified
steps of cutting out only enough wall to receive one or more
ganging boxes and mounting the ganging boxes from front openings
while the anchored box remains in place without removal or
rewiring.
It is evident therefore that this invention has improved the
state of the art by provision of improved gangable electrical
p boxes and an efficient retrofit method of ganging-on additional
laterally extending boxes. Those features of novelty
representative of the spirit and nature of the invention are
therefore set forth with particularity in the following claims.
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Representative Drawing