Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Attorney Docket No.: 007034.00078
ELECTRICAL BOX ASSEMBLY AND METHOD FOR
MANUFACTURING THE SAME
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[01] The present invention relates to an electrical box ring for use in an
electrical box
assembly and a method for producing such an electrical box ring and assembly.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[02) In supplying power to residential, commercial or industrial buildings a
common
electrical power distribution systern includes a number of electrical box
assemblies containing a number of electrical components that are connected to
the
building's power supply. The electrical box assemblies are mounted to either
the
floor or walls of the building by means of mounting plates. A typical box
assembly can be seen in US Patent No. 6,188,022, herein incorporated by
reference.
1031 Each electrical box assembly further comprises an electrical box ring,
also
commonly known as a mud ring. A typical electrical box ring has a planar plate
portion, which can be mounted to the mounting plate, and a box ring portion
extending therefrom. Electrical box rings are generally used to hold one or
more
electrical devices behind the wall covering of buildings. Such wall coverings
can
include dry-wall, wall board, panelling or other modular wall panels. Routers
are
used to cut a right angle opening in the wall covering into which the
electrical box
is inserted. To ensure a proper fit plaster, also known as mud, or other
suitable
filler material is filled in around the electrical box ring.
1041 The size of an electrical box ring is determined by the number of
electrical
devices it will be used to hold. This is commonly described as 1-Gang, 2-Gang,
3-
Gang etc., to denote box rings used to hold 1,2 and 3 electrical devices,
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respectively. The depth of the box ring can also vary, depending on the depth
of
the wall into which it is being inserted.
[051 Electrical box rings can be made of plastic or metals, including steel
and less
commonly aluminum or zinc. Plastic electrical box rings can be made by
injection
moulding methods well known in the art. Aluminum and zinc electrical box rings
can be made by die casting methods, which are also well known in the art.
Although limited use of plastic has been seen in recent years, plastic
electrical box
rings can only be used for very low voltage applications and are not suited
for
many commercial and industrial uses. Metallic, and in particular steel
electrical
box rings meet all safety requirements for higher voltage applications and are
presently the most commonly used material for electrical box rings.
[06] Electrical box rings are most commonly made by a stamping process that
involves
stamping a piece of sheet metal, most commonly steel, to form an outline of
the
desired size and shape of electrical box ring and then folding the stamped
sheet
into the electrical box ring.
[07] Stamping electrical box rings has been found to be a relatively easy and
efficient
process. However, in folding the stamped sheet to assemble the electrical box
ring, the side walls of the box portion can never be made at right angles to
the
plate portion and the resulting side walls are typically quite sloped. The
sloped
side walls result in additional installation steps, since the box rings does
not make
a perfect fit into the right angle aperture in the wall covering. As a result
it
becomes necessary to fill in the spaces around the mounted box ring with
plaster
or other filler material.
[08] It is therefore greatly desirable to develop an electrical box ring that
can be
inserted directly into a router-cut aperture in a building wall, without the
need to
additionally apply plaster, mud or other filler material.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[09] The present invention thus generally provides an electrical box ring for
use in an
electrical box assembly. The electrical box ring comprises a plate portion
defining
a first aperture and a box ring portion having at least one side wall defining
a
second aperture. The first and second apertures are continuous when the plate
portion is brought together with the box ring portion. Furthermore, the side
wall
of the box ring portion engages the plate portion at substantially 90 and is
affixed
thereto by mechanical engaging means.
[10] According to one aspect, a two-part multiple gang electrical box ring is
provided
that includes a plate portion defining a first aperture, comprising one or
more
positioning tabs extending into the first aperture and one or more slots
formed at a
meeting point between the plate portion and the positioning tabs and aligned
with
the first aperture. The box ring portion comprises at least one side wall
defining a
second aperture that is continuous with the first aperture when the plate
portion is
brought together with the box ring portion, and one or more fixing tabs
extending
from said side wall. The plate portion is affixed to the side wall of the box
ring
portion at a substantially 90 angle when the fixing tabs are inserted into
the slots
and the positioning tabs and the fixing tabs are folded against the side wall.
[11] In producing the electrical box ring of the present invention a method is
generally
provided that involves providing a plate portion defining a first aperture and
a box
ring portion having at least one side wall defining a second aperture. Next,
the
plate portion is aligned with the box ring portion such that the first
aperture is
continuous with the second aperture and the plate portion and the side wall
meet
at a substantially 90 angle and the plate portion is affixed to the box ring
portion
by mechanical engaging means.
[12] According to one aspect, the method involves providing a plate portion
defining a
first aperture, having one or more positioning tabs extending into the first
aperture
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and one or more slots formed at a meeting point between the plate portion and
the
positioning tabs and aligned with the first aperture and also providing a box
ring
portion having at least one side wall defining a second aperture and one or
more
fixing tabs extending from said side wall. The plate portion is then aligned
with
the box ring portion such that the first aperture is continuous with the
second
aperture and the plate portion and the side wall meet at a substantially 90
angle.
The fixing tabs are inserted into the slots, the positioning tabs are folded
against
the side wall and the fixing tabs are then also folded against the side wall.
[131 A kit is provided for producing an electrical box ring comprising a plate
portion
defining a first aperture, a box ring portion comprising at least one side
wall
defining a second aperture and mechanical engaging means.
[14J According to one aspect, a kit is provided for producing an electrical
box ring,
which contains a plate portion defining a first aperture, comprising one or
more
positioning tabs extending into the first aperture and one or more slots
formed at a
meeting point between the plate portion and the positioning tabs and aligned
with
the first aperture and a box ring portion comprising at least one side wall
defining
a second aperture and one or more fixing tabs extending from said side wall.
[151 According to another aspect, a kit is provided for producing an
electrical box
assembly, comprising an electrical box, a mounting bracket, a two-part
multiple
gang box ring comprising a plate portion defining a first aperture, a box ring
portion having at least one side wall defining a second and mechanical
engaging
means, and fastening means.
[16J According to a further aspect, a kit is provided for producing an
electrical box
assembly, comprising an electrical box, a mounting bracket and a two part
multiple gang electrical box ring comprising a plate portion defining a first
aperture, comprising one or more positioning tabs extending into the first
aperture
and one or more slots formed on the positioning tabs formed at a meeting point
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between the plate portion and the positioning tabs and aligned with the first
aperture and a box ring portion having at least one side wall defining a
second
aperture and comprising one or more fixing tabs extending from said side wall.
Fastening means are also provided in the kit.
[17] A kit is further provided for producing an electrical box assembly, which
includes
a mounting plate portion defining a first aperture and a box ring portion
having at
least one side wall defining a second aperture. Mechanical engaging means
connect the box ring portion to the mounting plate. An electrical box is also
adapted to be connected to the mounting plate.
[18] According to one aspect, the kit includes a mounting plate portion, a box
ring
portion, and an electrical box. The mounting plate defines a first aperture
and
includes one or more positioning tabs extending into the first aperture and
one or
more slots formed at a meeting point between the plate portion and the
positioning tabs and aligned with the first aperture. The box ring portion has
at
least one side wall defining a second aperture, and includes one or more
fixing
tabs extending from said side wall. The electrical box is adapted to be
connected
to the mounting plate. Each of the fixing tabs is adapted to be inserted into
one of
the slots of the mounting plate to assemble the electrical box assembly.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[19] The present invention will now be described in further detail with
reference to the
following drawings, in which:
[20] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the parts of one embodiment of a two-part
electrical box ring, in an unassembled form;
[21] Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the parts of another embodiment of a two-
part
electrical box ring, in an unassembled form;
[22] Fig. 3a is a perspective view of a one embodiment of a plate portion of
an
electrical box ring;
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[23] Fig. 3b is a perspective view of another embodiment of a plate portion of
an
electrical box ring;
[24] Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the parts of one embodiment of a two-part
electrical box ring in an assembled form;
[25] Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of an electrical box
ring;
[26] Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of an electrical
box ring;
[27] Fig. 7 is a flow diagram of a first method;
[28] Fig. 8 is a flow diagram of a second method;
[29] Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the assembled electrical box ring of Fig.
4 and an
electrical box attached to a mounting plate;
[30] Fig. 10 is a perspective view of another embodiment of an electrical box
ring in
assembled form;
[31] Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the parts of one embodiment of an
electrical box
ring and a mounting plate, in an unassembled form;
[32] Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the parts of another embodiment of an
electrical
box ring and a mounting plate, in an unassembled form;
1331 Fig. 13 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a mounting plate of an
electrical box ring;
[34] Fig. 14 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a mounting plate
of an
electrical box ring; and
[35] Fig. 15 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of a mounting plate
of an
electrical box ring.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[36] The present invention employs a novel two-part electrical box ring that
assembles
to form an electrical box ring having substantially right-angled side walls.
When
assembled, this box ring can be made to precisely fit into a router-cut hole
in a
dry-wall wall panel and eliminates the need for additional filler material to
be
applied around the box. The electrical box rings of the present invention are
generally multiple gang electrical box rings, meaning they can accommodate one
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or more electrical devices within them. It is understood that the multiple
gang
electrical box ring may be dimensioned to accommodate only one electrical
device therein.
[37] A general illustration of one embodiment of the box ring is given in Fig.
4. The
two stamped portions of the electrical box ring 22 include a plate portion 2
and a
box ring portion 6. The box ring portion comprises a stamped sheet metal piece
which is then folded to the form of a box having two open ends. The folded box
ring portion 6 includes a side wall 8. A flow diagram showing the steps
required
to assemble this embodiment of the electrical box ring 22 is illustrated in
Fig. 7.
The electrical box ring 22 is assembled by engaging the plate portion 2 and
the
side wall 8 of the box ring portion 6 at substantially a 90 angle and then
affixing
the box ring portion 6 to the plate portion 2 by any known mechanical engaging
means. Such mechanical engaging means can include, for example, rivets,
screws,
such as self-tapping screws, welding, spot welding, latching, brackets, pins
or tab-
and-slot features. When assembled, the plate portion 2 meets the side wall 8
of the
box ring portion at a substantially 90 angle. For the purposes of the present
invention, substantially 90 is defined as being any angle between 85 and 95
,
more preferably between 87.5 and 92.5 .
[38] In one embodiment, the engaging means are a series of tabs and slots that
can be
used to affix the plate portion 2 to the box ring portion 6. A tab and slot
arrangement is advantageous in that the tabs and slots can be stamped into the
two
parts of the electrical box ring 22 directly at the stamping stage and
therefore, no
additional materials or pieces are required. Tabs and slots are also preferred
since
they have been found to be less cumbersome to assemble than, for example,
screws or rivets and provide a cleaner finish than, for example, welding the
two
parts together. It is desirable to have a clean finish and minimize the number
of
significant projections of metal parts extending into the inside of the
electrical box
ring. Such projections have been found to damage the electrical wiring located
in
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the electrical box ring and are thus prohibited by the Underwriter's
Laboratory
codes.
[39] Fig. 1 illustrates one exemplary embodiment of the electrical box ring 22
in an
unassembled form, showing one embodiment of the tabs and slots. The first part
of the electrical box ring 22 is a plate portion 2 having a first aperture 4
formed
therein. The second part of the electrical box ring is a box ring portion 6,
which
comprises one or more side walls 8 that defines a second aperture 10. As seen
in
Fig. 4, one or more mounting tabs 12 are also optionally formed along one or
more edges of the box ring. Holes formed in the mounting tabs can receive any
suitable fastener which may be used to fix components within the box or attach
cover plates (neither shown). The box ring portion 6 and the plate portion 2
have
been illustrated as having a generally square or rectangular shape, however,
it
must be noted that electrical box rings of the present invention can be of any
shape, including circular, hexagonal or octagonal. Very often, electrical box
rings
are in the shape of a square or rectangle with chamfered corners and this
formation is also included in the scope of the shape of the present electrical
box
ring.
[40] The first aperture 4 is approximately equal in size to the second
aperture 10, but
can also be nominally smaller or larger, and has an identical shape. In the
embodiment of Fig. 1, the side walls 8 of the box ring portion 6 include one
or
more fixing tabs 16 that extend therefrom. Although two of the side walls 8 in
Fig. 1 are shown to have two fixing tabs 16 each, it is to be understood that
any
number of fixing tabs 16 on any number of the side walls 8 will satisfy the
requirements of the present invention and are included in the scope of the
invention. The fixing tabs 16 correspond to matching slots 18 fonmed on the
plate
portion 2. As with the fixing tabs 16, any numbers of slots 18 along any side
of
the first aperture 4 are included in the scope of the present invention. In
this
embodiment, the first aperture 4 is nominally smaller than the second aperture
10.
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1411 In assembling the electrical box ring of Fig. 1, the fixing tabs 16 are
inserted into
the slots 18 and then folded over against either the side wall 8 or the plate
portion
2. An assembled electrical box ring 22 is illustrated in Fig. 4, which shows
the
90 angle formed between the side walls 8 and the plate portion 2.
[42] In a second exemplary embodiment shown in Fig. 2, one or more fixing tabs
16
can extend from the plate portion 2 into the first aperture 4, and correspond
to one
or more slots 18 formed in the side walls 8 of the box ring portion 6. In
assembling the electrical box ring of this embodiment, the side walls 8 of the
box
ring portion 6 are slightly compressed into the second aperture 10 as the box
ring
portion 6 is inserted in the first aperture 4 of the plate portion 2, until
the fixing
tabs 16 on the plate portion 2 align with the slots 18 in the side wall 8 of
the box
ring portion 6, at which time the side walls 8 are released to return to their
original position and the fixing tabs 16 become inserted into the slots 18.
The
fixing tabs 16 can then be folded against the side wall 8.
[43] Figs. 3a and 3b illustrate additional embodiments of the plate portion 2,
in which
one or more positioning tabs 20 extend from the plate portion 2 into the first
aperture 4. It is to be understood that any number of positioning tabs 20 on
any
side of the first aperture 4 are included in the scope of the invention. These
positioning tabs 20 are folded during assembly of the electrical box ring 22
to
further affix the box ring portion 6 to the plate portion 2. In the embodiment
of
Fig. 3a, the slots 18 are located a point where the positioning tabs 20 extend
from
the plate portion 2, in which case the first aperture 4 and the second
aperture 10
are equal in size. However, it is also possible for the slots 18 to be placed
further
back on the plate portion 2, and positioned at any location around the first
aperture 4, not necessarily aligned with the positioning tabs 20, as
illustrated in
Fig. 3b.
[44] The flow diagram of Fig. 8 illustrates the steps for one exemplary method
of
assembling a box ring 22 using the plate portion of Fig. 3a or Fig. 3b. First,
the
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fixing tabs 16 are inserted into the slots 18, then the positioning tabs 20
are folded
over against the side wall 8 and finally the fixing tabs 16 are folded over
against
the side wall 8. Fig. 5 shows a cross-section of the side wall 8 and plate
portion 2
when the box ring 22 is assembled with the positioning tabs 20 and fixing tabs
16
folded against the side wall 8. It should be noted that the folded positioning
tabs
20 and fixing tabs 16 add very little extra material to an inside surface of
the side
wall 8, and form no interfering projections.
1451 In another method for assembling the electrical box ring 22, first the
fixing tabs
16 are inserted into the slots 18, then the fixing tabs 16 are folded over
against the
plate portion 2 and finally the positioning tabs 20 are folded over against
the plate
portion 2. Fig. 6 illustrates an embodiment of the assembled electrical box
ring 22
when the positioning tabs 20 and fixing tabs 16 are folded against the plate
portion 2. Again, the folded fixing tabs 20 and the positioning tabs 16 add
very
little material to the plate portion and cause no interference when the
electrical
box ring 22 is mounted.
[46] To further facilitate a flush mounting of the electrical box ring 22 to
the wall
covering, the plate portion 2 of the present invention can optionally be
provided
with bevelled screw holes (not shown), into which flat head screws can be
screwed to a perfectly flat mounting surface and a more exact fit of the
electrical
box ring 22 into the wall covering.
[47] The two-part multiple gang electrical box ring 22 of the present
invention can be
provided as a ready to assemble kit containing the plate portion 2 having one
or
more positioning tabs 20 and one or more slots 18 formed therein, and the box
ring portion 6 having one or more fixing tabs 16 formed thereon. The two parts
can then be easily assembled by the methods of the present invention, either
at a
construction site just prior to installation, or a number of kits can be
assembled for
later installation.
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[48] A kit is also provided for an entire electrical box assembly 30, with the
electrical
box ring 22 of the present invention. Fig. 9 illustrates one embodiment of the
assembled electrical box assembly 30. As shown in Fig. 9, the kit includes an
electrical box, a mounting bracket or plate 32, and the two-part electrical
box ring
22 that includes the plate portion 2 having one or more positioning tabs 20
and
one or more slots 18 formed therein and a box ring portion 6 having one or
more
fixing tabs 16 extending therefrom. The electrical box ring 22 is assembled as
described above, and the plate portion 2 is affixed to the mounting plate 32,
as
shown in Fig. 9. Fastening means are also provided in the kit, for fastening
the
plate portion 2 to the mounting plate 32. In one embodiment, the fastening
means
is a plurality of screws, although any known separate or integral fastening
means
can be used for this purpose. As shown in Fig. 9, the mounting plate 32 may
have
an electrical box 34 attached thereto, on the surface opposite the electrical
box
ring 22.
[49) Figs. 10-15 illustrate components of another embodiment of an electrical
box
assembly 40. In this embodiment, the assembly 40 has an electrical box ring 42
that contains a ring portion 6 and a plate portion 44 having a first aperture
4
formed therein, as described above. However, in the assembly 40 shown in Figs.
10-15, the plate portion 2 described above may be embodied in a mounting plate
44, rather than a plate for attachment to a standard mounting plate 32. Fig.
10
illustrates an example of an assembled electrical box assembly 40, where the
ring
portion 6 is attached directly to a mounting plate 44, without the use of an
intermediate portion 2 described above. Such a mounting plate 44 is generally
adapted for mounting to a portion of a building or similar structure. For
example,
the mounting plate 44 may be mounted in a wall, such as by spanning between
studs, or may be mounted in any other location where an electrical box is
needed,
such as in a floor, as known in the art. Although the mounting plates 44 are
depicted as a certain size and shape in the Figs., a mounting plate 44 as
described
herein can have any size and shape necessary for mounting where desired.
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Similar to the electrical box ring 22 and assembly described above, the
electrical
box ring 42 can be a multiple gang electrical box ring.
[50] As described above, the box ring portion 6 of the box assembly 40 may, in
one
embodiment, be constructed from a stamped sheet metal piece which is then
folded to the form of a box having two open ends. The folded box ring portion
6
includes one or more side walls 8 that define a second aperture 10. As seen in
Figs. 10-12, one or more mounting tabs 12 are also optionally formed along one
or more edges of the box ring portion 6. Holes formed in the mounting tabs can
receive any suitable fastener which may be used to fix components within the
box
or attach cover plates (neither shown).
[51] The plate portion 44 contains mechanical connection features as described
above
with respect to plate portion 2. The electrical box ring 42 is assembled by
engaging the plate portion 44 and the side wall 8 of the box ring portion 6 at
substantially a 90 angle and then affixing the box ring portion 6 to the
plate
portion 44 by mechanical engaging means. Such mechanical engaging means can
include, for example, rivets, screws, such as self-tapping screws, welding,
spot
welding, latching, brackets, pins or tab-and-slot features. When assembled,
the
plate portion 44 meets the side wall 8 of the box ring portion at a
substantially 90
angle. As stated above, for the purposes of the present invention,
substantially
90 is defined as being any angle between 85 and 95 .
[52] As described above, in the embodiments illustrated in Figs. 10-15, the
mechanical
engaging means includes fixing tabs 16 that connect to matching slots 18. In
the
embodiment shown in Fig. 11, the side walls 8 of the box ring portion 6
include
one or more fixing tabs 16 that extend therefrom. Although two of the side
walls
8 in Fig. 1 are shown to have two fixing tabs 16 each, it is to be understood
that
any number of fixing tabs 16 on any number of the side walls 8 will function
suitably and are included in the scope of the invention. The fixing tabs 16
correspond to matching slots 18 formed on the plate portion 44. As with the
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fixing tabs 16, any number of slots 18 along any side of the first aperture 4
are
included in the scope of the present invention. In this embodiment, the first
aperture 4 is nominally smaller than the second aperture 10.
[53] In assembling the electrical box ring of Fig. 11, the fixing tabs 16 are
inserted into
the slots 18 and then folded over against either the side wall 8 or the plate
portion
44. An assembled electrical box ring 22 is illustrated in Fig. 10, which shows
the
90 angle formed between the side walls 8 and the plate portion 44.
[54] In a second exemplary embodiment shown in Fig. 12, one or more fixing
tabs 16
can extend from the plate portion 44 into the first aperture 4, and correspond
to
one or more slots 18 formed in the side walls 8 of the box ring portion 6. In
assembling the electrical box ring 42 of this embodiment, the side walls 8 of
the
box ring portion 6 are slightly compressed into the second aperture 10 as the
box
ring portion 6 is inserted in the first aperture 4 of the plate portion 44,
until the
fixing tabs 16 on the plate portion 44 align with the slots 18 in the side
wall 8 of
the box ring portion 6, at which time the side walls 8 are released to return
to their
original position and the fixing tabs 16 become inserted into the slots 18.
The
fixing tabs 16 can then be folded against the side wall 8.
[55] Figs. 13-15 illustrate additional embodiments of the plate portion 44, in
which one
or more positioning tabs 20 extend from the plate portion 2 into the first
aperture
4. It is to be understood that any number of positioning tabs 20 on any side
of the
first aperture 4 are included in the scope of the invention. These positioning
tabs
20 are folded during assembly of the electrical box ring 42 to further affix
the box
ring portion 6 to the plate portion 44. In the embodiment of Fig. 13, the
slots 18
are located a point where the positioning tabs 20 extend from the plate
portion 44,
in which case the first aperture 4 and the second aperture 10 are
approximately
equal in size. The embodiment of Fig. 14 contains positioning tabs 20 similar
to
those shown in Fig. 13. However, in Fig. 14, the slots 18 are placed further
back
on the plate portion 44 and are not aligned with the positioning tabs 20. The
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embodiment of Fig. 15 has slots positioned in alignment with the positioning
tabs
20, similarly to the embodiment shown in Fig. 13. However, in Fig. 15, the
positioning tabs 20 have beveled or tapered edges 46 and cut-out portions 48,
rather than being rectangular. In further embodiments, the slots 18 may be
positioned at any location around the first aperture 4, not necessarily
aligned with
the positioning tabs 20, and the positioning tabs 20 may be positioned and/or
shaped in any suitable way.
[56] The electrical box assembly 40 can be assembled in a manner similar to
that
described above. For example, as already described, the box ring assemblies 40
shown in Figs. 11 and 12 can be assembled by inserting the fixing tabs 16 into
the
slots 18, and then bending or folding the tabs 16 to secure the box ring
portion 6
to the plate portion 44.
[57] In another example, the exemplary method illustrated in Fig. 8 can be
used to
assemble the box assembly 40 using the plate portion 44 of Figs. 13, 14, or
15.
First, the fixing tabs 16 are inserted into the slots 18, then the positioning
tabs 20
are folded over against the side wall 8. Finally the fixing tabs 16 are folded
over
against the side wall 8. This method may create an assembly having a cross-
section similar to the cross-section of the assembled box ring 22 shown in
Fig. 5,
which shows the side wall 8 and plate portion 2 with the positioning tabs 20
and
fixing tabs 16 folded against the side wall 8. It should be noted that the
folded
positioning tabs 20 and fixing tabs 16 add very little extra material to an
inside
surface of the side wall 8, and form no interfering projections.
[58] In another method for assembling the electrical box assembly 40 using the
plate
portion 44 of Figs. 13, 14, or 15, first the fixing tabs 16 are inserted into
the slots
18. Next, the fixing tabs 16 are folded over against the plate portion 44.
Finally
the positioning tabs 20 are folded over against the plate portion 44. This
method
may create an assembly having a cross-section similar to the cross-section of
the
assembled box ring 22 shown in Fig. 6, which illustrates the positioning tabs
20
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and fixing tabs 16 being folded against the plate portion 2. Again, the folded
fixing tabs 20 and the positioning tabs 16 add very little material to the
plate
portion and cause no interference when the electrical box ring 22 is mounted.
[59] As shown in Fig. 10, the assembly 40 may have an electrical box 34
attached to
the mounting plate 44, on the surface opposite the box ring portion 6. This
electrical box 34 can be attached to the mounting plate 44 by mechanical
engaging means, as described above, including by using a tab and slot
arrangement. Thus, the method of assembly described above may also include
attaching an electrical box 34 to the plate portion 44 using mechanical
engaging
means.
[60] The electrical box assembly 40 may be provided as a kit, in either
assembled or
unassembled format. The assembled kit generally includes the electrical box
ring
42, which includes the box ring portion 6 and the plate portion 44, configured
and
assembled in a manner as described above. Further, the kit and assembly 40 may
also include an electrical box 34, as described above, attached to the plate
portion
44 opposite the box ring portion 6.
[61] This detailed description of the product and methods is used to
illustrate one
embodiment of the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in
the art
that various modifications can be made in the present product and methods and
that various alternative embodiments can be utilized. Therefore, it will be
recognized that various modifications can also be made to the applications to
which the method and product are applied without departing from the scope of
the
invention, which is limited only by the appended claims.
