Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02582945 2007-03-28
ADJUSTABLE MOUNTING BRACKET ASSEMBLY
FOR MOUNTING AN ELECTRICAL BOX
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[002] This invention pertains to an adjustable mounting bracket assembly for
mounting
electrical boxes within walls, floors or ceilings and, more particularly, to
an adjustable mounting
bracket assembly employing a mounting bracket to which one or more electrical
boxes are
secured and an adapter plate which adjustably receives the mounting bracket.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
[003] There are many different methods used to secure electrical boxes to the
walls, floor or
ceilings of a structure, such as a building. When studs are used to frame the
structure, the most
common method used is to secure the box directly to the stud. The advantage of
this method is that
installation is quick and simple. However, there is no guarantee that all the
boxes installed in this
fashion will be the same height off the floor. Also, there is no guarantee
that all the boxes will be
positioned at the same depth within the wall cavity. This is important so that
any dry-wall ring or
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other device subsequently secured to the box will fit properly on the surface
of the wall material.
[004] However, if the architectural plans call for the box or boxes to be
mounted some distance
from a stud, then methods requiring direct stud-mounting cannot be employed.
In such cases, a
bracket is required in order to support the box at some distance from the
stud. There are basically
two different types of brackets used for this type of application, either
horizontal wall-mounted
brackets or vertical floor-mounted brackets. In either case, once a particular
electrical box size is
selected and secured to the bracket, the installer is limited to using only a
correspondingly sized dry-
wall ring or other cover attachment.
[005] Many different designs of floor-mounted and wall-mounted brackets are
known and they
typically are designed for mounting vertically with one end attached to the
sole plate of a wall or
between studs with standard center-to-center dimensions. Therefore, a user may
have to stock
several different sizes of brackets to accommodate different center-to-center
dimensions. This is an
added expense for the user. Moreover, when a bracket is mounted between studs
having non-
standard center-to-center dimensions, the user may have to add additional
framing before he can
install the bracket. Adjustable brackets that have been used in the past do
not have the strength and
rigidity of non-adjustable brackets and, therefore, have not been widely used.
[006] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a
bracket (which can be either
floor-, wall- or ceiling-mounted) for mounting electrical boxes between
structural supports within the
walls, floor or ceilings of a building that overcomes this deficiency. One
object of this invention is
to provide an adjustable mounting bracket assembly that is simple in
construction and easy to install
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between studs having a variety of different center-to-center dimensions.
Another object of this
invention is to provide an adjustable mounting bracket assembly that has
adequate strength and
rigidity for supporting one or more electrical boxes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[007] In accordance with the present invention, an adjustable mounting bracket
assembly for
mounting an electrical box is provided. The adjustable mounting bracket
assembly includes: (a)
a mounting bracket that includes a substantially flat mounting plate having a
first pair of
opposing sides, a first opening for receiving an electrical box and a rail
having a first aperture; a
mounting bracket attaching end; a mounting bracket mating end; and a first
pair of opposing
sides having a first pair of side walls, wherein the first pair of side walls
extend downwardly
from the opposing sides of the mounting plate to a pair of edges; (b) an
adapter plate that
includes: a substantially flat base plate having a pair of opposing sides and
a track having a
second aperture; an adapter plate attaching end; an adapter plate mating end;
and a second pair of
side walls extending downwardly from the opposing sides of the base plate; and
(c) a fastener.
The mounting bracket mating end slidably mates with the adapter plate mating
end so that the
first aperture in the rail aligns with the second aperture in the track. The
fa stener is inserted in
the first and second apertures and tightened to secure the mounting bracket to
the adapter plate.
[008] The rail preferably extends substantially between the first mating end
and the first
opening in the mounting plate for receiving an electrical box and the track
preferably extends
substantially between the second mating end and the adapter plate attaching
end of the adapter
plate. Although shorter rails and tracks are within the scope of the present
invention, it has been
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found advantageous to maximize the lengths of the rail and track in order to
provide maximum
adjustability of the distances between the opposing ends of the adjustable
mounting bracket
assembly. In preferred embodiments, the rail is formed by a first depression
in the mounting
plate and the track is formed by a second depression in the adapter plate.
When the mounting
bracket slidably receives the adapter plate, the first depression corresponds
to the second
depression so that the track slidably receives the rail and the first aperture
in the rail aligns with
the second aperture in the track.
[009] The first aperture in the rail can be a round hole or a slot and the
second aperture in the
track can also be a round hole or a slot. Preferably, the first aperture in
the rail is a slot and the
second aperture in the track is a round hole, or the first aperture in the
rail is a round hole and the
second aperture in the track is a slot. The fastener can include only a screw
when the second
aperture is a round hole with internal threads for receiving the screw. In
preferred embodiments,
the fastener includes a screw or a bolt and a nut. In some embodiments, the
nut is attached to the
base plate and aligned with the second aperture in the base plate.
[010] The mounting plate can include an opening for a second electrical box
and a plurality of
mounting hole apertures for securing the electrical box to the mounting plate.
Typically, the
openings for the electrical boxes are located in the central portions of the
mounting plate and are
spaced a sufficient distance apart so that the structural strength of the
mounting plate is
maintained. The structural strength of the mounting plate is augmented by the
side walls which
stiffen the mounting plate and resist twisting under the weight of the
electrical boxes.
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[011] The mounting bracket attaching end can include one or more bracket
mounting apertures
for attaching the mounting bracket to a first structure and the adapter plate
attaching end can
include one or more adapter plate mounting apertures for attaching the adapter
plate to a second
structure. In preferred embodiments, the second attaching end on the adapter
plate has an adapter
plate end wall extending downwardly from the adapter plate. This end wall is
particularly useful
when the adjustable mounting bracket assembly is used in a vertical
configuration and the end
wall is inserted under the sole plate of a framed wall. Once the adapter plate
is attached to a sole
plate the mounting bracket can be adjusted so that the opening for the
electrical box (or boxes) is
at the desired elevation. The attaching end of the mounting bracket, which
extends beyond the
side walls of the mounting bracket, is then attached to a stud or a horizontal
member.
[012] In another embodiment, the mounting plate has a first top surface and a
first bottom
surface and the rail extends downwardly from the first bottom surface and
forms a first
depression in the first top surface. Correspondingly, the adapter plate has a
second top surface
and a second bottom surface and the track extends downwardly from the second
bottom surface
and forms a second depression in the second top surface. The rail and track
are dimensioned so
that the rail is slidably received by the track when the mounting bracket
slidably receives the
adapter plate.
[013] The mounting bracket can also include a pair of tabs which extend
inwardly from the
edges of the side walls. The tabs in cooperation with the side walls and the
mounting plate form
a pair of C-shaped openings for receiving the side walls of the adapter plate.
In some
embodiments, more than one pair of tabs is provided for slidably receiving the
side walls of the
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adapter plate. In other embodiments, the tabs extend substantially from the
mating end of the
mounting plate to the first electrical box opening. For embodiments wherein
the mounting
bracket is slidably inserted into the adapter plate, the side walls of the
adapter plate extend to
form a pair of edges and a pair of tabs extend inwardly from the edges. The
tabs in cooperation
with the adapter plate side walls and the base plate form a pair of C-shaped
openings for
receiving the side walls of the mounting bracket.
[014] In another preferred embodiment, the substantially flat base plate is in
a first plane and
the adapter plate attaching end has a substantially flat surface in a second
plane. The first plane
and the second plane are parallel and the base plate is connected to the
adapter plate attaching
end by a connecting wall, which offsets the base plate from the adapter plate
attaching end. This
offset between the base plate and adapter plate attaching end results in the
adapter plate attaching
end and the mounting bracket attaching end being in the same plane.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[015] The preferred embodiments of the adjustable mounting bracket assembly
for mounting
electrical boxes of the present invention, as well as other objects, features
and advantages of this
invention, will be apparent from the following detailed description, which is
to be read in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
[016] FIG. 1 is a perspective, exploded view of the adjustable mounting
bracket assembly,
including the mounting bracket and the adapter plate.
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[017] FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of the adjustable mounting bracket
assembly with the
mounting bracket connected to the adapter plate.
[018] FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view of the adjustable mounting bracket
assembly with the
mounting bracket connected to the adapter plate.
[019] FIG. 4 is a top view of the adjustable mounting bracket assembly with
the mounting
bracket connected to the adapter plate.
[020] FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the adjustable mounting bracket assembly with
the mounting
bracket connected to the adapter plate.
[021] FIG. 6 is a side view of the adjustable mounting bracket assembly with
the mounting
bracket connected to the adapter plate.
[022] FIG. 7A and 7B are side views of the adjustable mounting bracket
assembly at it is
attached in a vertical configuration.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[023] The present invention is directed to an adjustable mounting bracket
assembly for
mounting electrical boxes to a structure. In many cases when an electrical box
is mounted in a
wall, floor or ceiling, the location selected for the electrical box is not
adjacent to a stnicture that
can support the electrical boxes. In these cases, the electrical box is
installed in a mounting
bracket which is then attached to one or more structural supports. The
adjustable bracket
assembly of the present invention can be adjusted to vary the distance between
the opposing ends
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so that a single bracket assembly can be used for multiple applications. The
adjustable bracket
assembly includes a mounting bracket and an adapter plate that are slidably
joined to allow the
distance between the opposing ends to be adjusted to correspond to different
structures.
[024] The adjustable bracket assembly is intended to be attached to wood or
metal wall studs in
either a horizontal or vertical configuration. When the adjustable mounting
bracket assembly is
mounted in a horizontal configuration, it is usually attached between two
adjacent studs. When
the adjustable mounting bracket assembly is mounted in a vertical
configuration, the adapter
plate attaching end is preferably attached to the toe plate at floor level and
the mounting bracket
attaching end is attached to a stud or a horizontal member connected between
two adjoining wall
studs. However, the adjustable mounting bracket assembly is not limited to
these applications
and it can be attached to almost any wall, floor or ceiling structure.
Typically, when the
adjustable mounting bracket assembly is attached to a wood frame structure,
nails or screws are
used and, when it is attached to a metal frame structure, screws or bolts are
used. However, the
adjustable bracket assembly of the present invention is not limited in any way
by the type of
structure to which it is attached nor by the type of hardware that is used to
attach it to the
structure.
[025] The adjustable mounting bracket assembly includes a mounting bracket, an
adapter plate
and a fastener that secures the mounting bracket to the adapter plate. The
mounting bracket has a
length defined by two ends, a width defined by a pair of side walls and a
substantially flat
mounting plate having a rail and one or more openings for receiving electrical
boxes. One end of
the mounting bracket is attached to a first structure and the second end mates
with the adapter
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plate. As used in the present invention, the terms "mate" and "mating" refer
to the joining of the
mounting bracket and the adapter plate by inserting or slidably inserting the
adapter plate into the
mounting bracket, as described in more detail below. It is also within the
scope of the present
invention for the dimensions of the components of the assembly to be changed
so that the
mounting bracket can be inserted into the adapter plate. In these embodiments,
the side walls of
the adapter plate have a pair of tabs instead of the side walls of the
mounting bracket.
[026] The rail is an elongated structure located, preferably, in the central
portion of the
mounting plate and it extends at least a part of the distance between the
mating end and the
electrical box opening closest to the mating end. The rail has an aperture
that extends through
the mounting plate. In a preferred embodiment, the rail is formed by a metal
stamping operation
that forms a depression in the mounting plate. The depression has side walls
and, preferably, a
substantially flat bottom. The aperture is in the bottom of the depression and
it can be a round
hole or a slot that extends substantially the entire length of the depression.
[027] The adapter plate has a length defined by two ends, a width defined by a
pair of side walls
and a substantially flat base plate having a track. One end of the adapter
plate is attached to a
second structure and the second end mates with the mounting bracket. The track
is an elongated
structure that is located and dimensioned so that it slidably receives the
rail when the mounting
bracket and adapter plate are mated together. The track has an aperture
located so that it
corresponds to the aperture in the rail when the adapter plate and mounting
bracket are joined
together. After the adapter plate is slidably received by the mounting
bracket, the two apertures
are in alignment and the fastener passes through the two apertures and is
tightened to secure the
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adapter plate to the mounting bracket. The fastener can include a screw and a
nut or an internal
screw thread can be formed in one of the apertures, preferably in the adapter
plate aperture, using
a tap so that only a screw is required. The fastener can include other
variations that would be
known to those skilled in the art, such as wing nuts, washers, split washers
and bolts in place of
screws.
[028] The mounting bracket and the adapter plate of the adjustable bracket
assembly are
preferably made from metal, most preferably steel or aluminum. The components
of the
adjustable bracket assembly can be made using a metal stamping process or
other fabrication
methods well known to those skilled in the art of metal working. The most
preferred method is a
metal stamping process that stamps the rail and the track into the mounting
plate and base plate,
respectively, and forms the side walls of the mounting bracket and adapter
plate. The adjustable
bracket assembly can also be made from a thermoplastic material and formed
using well known
extrusion or molding processes.
[029] The invention is now described in more detail with reference to the
drawings. FIG. 1,
which shows an exploded view of an adjustable mounting bracket assembly 10
that includes a
mounting bracket 12, an adapter plate 50 and a screw 80 and nut 82 fastener.
In some
embodiments, the aperture 62 in the adapter plate 50 is tapped so that a nut
82 is not needed. The
mounting bracket 12 has an attaching end 16, which is used to attach the
mounting bracket 12 to
a first structure (see FIG. 7A) and a mating end 14 that slidably receives the
adapter plate 50.
The mounting bracket 12 also includes a mounting plate 18 that has two
openings 36, 38 for
receiving an electrical box 96 (see FIG. 2) and a pair of side walls 24, 26,
which extend
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downwardly from the mounting plate 18 to a pair of edges 28, 30 (see FIG. 3).
FIG. 1 shows two
openings 36, 38 for duplex electrical boxes. However, the present invention
contemplates more
than two openings 36, 38 and that the openings can be sized to receive
electrical boxes having a
variety of sizes so that the invention is not limited to an electric box
having a specific size. The
mounting plate 18 further includes a rail 20 which extends substantially the
entire distance from
the mating end 14 to the first electrical box opening 36. The rail 20 has an
aperture 22 in its
central portion for receiving a screw 80 which is used to fasten the mounting
bracket 12 to the
adapter plate 50. The mounting bracket 12 has one or more bracket mounting
apertures 42 for
attaching the bracket 12 to a structure 92 (see FIGs. 7A and 7B) and a
plurality of electrical box
mounting apertures 40 for securing the electrical boxes to the mounting plate
18.
[030] The adapter plate 50 includes a base plate 52, a mating end 54 that is
received by the
mounting bracket 12 and an attaching end 56 for attaching the adapter plate 50
to a second
structure 92 (see FIG. 7B). A track 60 in the central portion of the base
plate 52 extends from the
mating end 54 towards the attaching end 56. The track 60 has a substantially
round aperture 62
for receiving the fastening screw 80 which first passes through the aperture
22 in the rail 20.
After the screw 80 passes through the rail aperture 22 and the track aperture
62, it engages a nut
82, which can be tightened to fixedly secure the mounting bracket 12 to the
adapter plate 50. The
base plate 52 is offset from and connected to the attaching end 56 of the
adapter plate 50 by a
connecting wall 68 so that the surface of the base plate 52 is parallel to and
below the surface of
the attaching end 56. The attaching end 56 of the adapter plate 50 has an end
wall 58 that
extends downwardly from the attaching end 56. The attaching end 56 for the
adapter plate 50 has
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one or more adapter plate mounting apertures 70 for attaching the adapter
plate 50 to a structure
90 (see FIGs. 7A and 7B).
[031] FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of the adjustable mounting bracket
assembly 10 and it
shows the mounting bracket 12 slidably receiving the adapter plate 50. The
mounting bracket's
opposing side walls 24, 26 (see FIG. 3) receive the adapter plate's opposing
side walls 64, 66 and
the adapter plate track 60 slidably receives the rail 20 on the mounting
bracket 12. An electrical
box 96 is shown in opening 38. Screws 98 are inserted in apertures 40 to
secure the electrical
box 96 to the mounting plate 18.
[032] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the rail 20 extends substantially the
entire distance
from the mating end 14 of the mounting bracket 12 to the first opening 36 for
an electrical outlet
box. The length of the rail 20 can vary and, as the length of the rail 20
increases, the adjustable
distance between the opposing ends 16, 56 of the assembly 10 increases. The
rail 20 shown in
FIG. 2 has an aperture 22 in the form of a slot, which extends substantially
the entire length of
the rail 20, and is formed by a depression in the mounting plate 18. The
dimensions of the rail 20
are selected so that when the screw 80 is inserted in the aperture 22, the
head of the screw 80 is
below the surface of the mounting plate 18 and can be rotated and moved freely
in the slot 22
along the length of the rail 20.
[033] After the adjustable mounting bracket assembly 10 is mounted on the
mounting bracket
attaching end 16 and the adapter plate attaching end 56 to two structures 90,
92 (see FIG. 7B),
such as adjoining wall studs, the fastening screw 80 is inserted into the rail
aperture 22 and the
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track aperture 62 (see FIG. 3). Tightening the fastening screw 80 and nut 82
secures the
mounting bracket 12 to the adapter plate 50 in a fixed position. The
adjustable mounting bracket
assembly 10 can be mounted in a horizontal configuration, wherein the
attaching ends 16, 56 are
attached to adjacent wall studs, or it can be mounted in a vertical
configuration, wherein the
adapter plate attaching end 56 is attached to a sole plate (also referred to
as a bottom plate) of a
framed wall structure and the mounting bracket attaching end 16 is attached to
a horizontal
member.
[034] FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view of the adjustable mounting bracket
assembly 10 with
the mounting bracket 12 mated with the adapter plate 50. The opposing side
walls 24, 26 of the
mounting bracket 12 slidably receive the opposing side walls 64, 66 of the
adapter plate 50 and
the track 60 slidably receives the rai120. The opposing side walls 24, 26 of
the mounting bracket
12 extend substantially perpendicularly from the mounting plate 18 to form a
pair of edges 28,
30. A pair of tabs 32, 34 extend inwardly from the edges 28, 30. The tabs 32,
34 shown in
FIG. 3 are located near the mating end 14 (see FIG. 1) of the mounting plate
18 and extend for
only a short distance along the edges 28, 30. However, it is within the scope
of the present
invention for the tabs 32, 34 to extend either the entire length of the edges
28, 30 or up to the
opening 36 for the electrical box. It is also within the scope of the
invention for more than one
pair of tabs to be included. The tabs 32, 34 together with the opposing side
walls 24, 26 and the
mounting plate 18 form a C-shaped opening that slidably receives the opposing
side walls 64, 66
of the adapter plate 50.
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[035] FIG. 4 is a top view of the adjustable mounting bracket assembly 10 with
the adapter
plate 50 slidably inserted in the mounting bracket 12 and fastening screw 80
tightened to secure
the adapter plate 50 to the mounting bracket 12. After the adapter plate
attaching end 56 and the
mounting bracket attaching end 16 are attached to two structures, electrical
boxes can be
mounted in the two openings 36, 38. When the adjustable mounting bracket
assembly 10 is used
in an application that requires a vertical orientation, the adapter plate
attaching end 56 is attached
to a sole plate and the mounting bracket 12 is adjusted so that the electrical
box openings 36, 38
are at the desired elevation. The fastening screw 80 is then tightened to lock
the mounting
bracket 18 at the desired elevation and the mounting bracket attaching end 16
is attached to a
stud. In another application, a horizontal member is installed between two
adjoining wall studs
and the mounting bracket attaching end 16 is attached to the horizontal member
to complete the
installation of the adjustable mounting bracket assembly 10.
[036] FIG. 5 shows the mounting bracket assembly 10 of the present invention
with the
mounting bracket 12 slidably receiving the adapter plate 50. The aperture 62
for the track 60 is
aligned with the slot 22 in the rail 20. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG.
5, the aperture 62 in
the track 60 is tapped to provide threads for receiving the fastening screw
80. When the screw 80
is inserted in the slot 22 in the rai120 (see FIG. 4) and the aperture 62 in
the track 60, but before
the screw 80 is tightened, the distance between the opposing attaching ends
16, 56 of the
mounting bracket assembly 10 can be adjusted by slidably moving the adapter
plate 50 between
the opening formed by the tabs 32, 34 and side walls 24, 26 of the mounting
bracket 12. After
the adjustable mounting bracket assembly 10 has been adjusted to the desired
position, the
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fastening screw 80 is tightened to secure the mounting bracket 12 and the
adapter plate 50 in a
fixed position.
[037] FIG. 6 is a side view of the adjustable mounting bracket assembly 10
which shows the
mounting bracket 12 slidably receiving the adapter plate 50. The side wall 24
of the mounting
bracket 12 extends beyond the side wall 66 of the adapter plate 50 and the tab
32 extends over
the top of the adapter plate side wall 66. The adapter plate 50 includes a
connecting wall 68
which connects and offsets the attaching end 56 and the base plate 52. The
offset provided by
the connecting wall 68 aligns the adapter plate attaching end 56 and the
mounting bracket
attaching end 16 so that their surfaces are in substantially the same plane.
Thus, when the
adjustable mounting bracket assembly 10 is attached to two adjoining wall
studs, the mounting
bracket assembly 10 will be substantially parallel to the surface of the wall.
[038] FIGs. 7A and 7B illustrate how the adjustable mounting bracket assembly
10 can be
adjusted for mounting in a vertical configuration between a sole plate 90 and
a stud 92. FIG. 7A
shows the mounting bracket assembly 10 with the adapter plate attaching end 56
secured to the
sole plate 90 of a framed wall and the adapter plate end wall 58 positioned
under the sole plate
90. The opposing mounting bracket attaching end 16 is extended (FIG. 7B) until
the openings
36, 38 for the electrical boxes are at the desired elevation. FIG. 7B shows
how the adjustable
mounting bracket assembly 10 is extended and the mounting bracket attaching
end 16 is secured
to a stud 92.
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[039] Thus, while there have been described the preferred embodiments of the
present
invention, those skilled in the art will realize that other embodiments can be
made without
departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is intended to include all
such further
modifications and changes as come within the true scope of the claims set
forth herein.
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