Note : Les revendications sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or
privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
1. The combination of a sealing membrane and an electrical
outlet box, and a cover plate, which electrical outlet box has side
and bottom walls and outer edges on said outlet box side walls, said
sealing membrane being formed of flexible, compressible, resilient,
fire resistant and , at expected operating temperatures, non-toxic,
material and having side and bottom walls,
said sealing membrane having bottom and side walls
being dimensioned and shaped to be placed inside and overlie the
side and bottom walls of said box,
an edge flange on said membrane adapted to extend
outwardly from the outer extremity of said membrane side walls,
over said outlet box side wall edges, and adapted to be clamped
against said edges by an outlet box cover plate,
wherein said edge flange is dimensioned to include
a surrounding portion adapted to extend over drywall which surrounds
an aperture for said box,
said surrounding portion being of substantially uniform
thickness sufficient to be clamped against said drywall by said
outlet box cover plate.
2. The combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein said
membrane is provided separately from said box.
3. The combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein said
cover plate generally defines a flat plane and has a downwardly
curved peripheral edge substantially uniform about its periphery,
wherein said cover plate is dimensioned so that said
peripheral edge may contact said drywall when installed,
wherein said surrounding portion of said membrane is
thick enough to be compressed against said drywall with said cover
plate installed and thin enough to allow said cover plate edges to
contact said drywall.
4. The combination as claimed in claim 2 wherein said
cover plate generally defines a flat plane and has a downwardly
curved peripheral edge substantially uniform about its periphery,
wherein said cover plate is dimensioned so that said
peripheral edge may contact said drywall when installed,
wherein said surrounding portion of said membrane is
thick enough to be compressed against said drywall with said cover
plate installed and thin enough to allow said cover plate edges to
contact said drywall.
5. A method of installing an outlet box, comprising :
providing an electrical outlet box,
which electrical outlet box has side and bottom walls
and outer edges on said outlet box side walls; and providing a
sealing membrane, separate from said box, said sealing membrane being
formed of flexible, compressible, resilient, fire resistant and at
expected operating temperatures, non-toxic, material and having side
and bottom walls,
said sealing membrane being dimensioned and shaped
to be placed inside and overlie the side and bottom walls of said
box,
an edge flange on said membrane adapted to extend
outwardly from the outer extremity of said membrane side walls,
over said outlet box side wall edges, and adapted to be clamped
against said edges by an outlet cover plate,
wherein said edge flange is dimensioned to include a
surrounding portion adapted to extend over drywall which surrounds
an aperture for said box,
said surrounding portion being of substantially uniform
thickness sufficient to be clamped against said drywall by an
outlet box cover plate,
forming an aperture in the membrane,
passing power wires, through said aperture,
installing the membrane in the outlet box,
connecting the power wires to a receptacle,
attaching the receptacle to the outlet box, and
applying cover plate to seal the surrounding portion of
said edge flange against drywall surrounding said box.
6. The method as claimed in claim 5 wherein said cover plate
has downturned peripheral edges outwardly of said surrounding
portion, and said cover plate is applied to compress said surrounding
portion until said peripheral edges contact said drywall.
7. A sealing membrane for use with an electrical outlet box,
which electrical outlet box has side and bottom walls and outer
edges on said outlet box side walls, said sealing membrane being
formed of flexible, compressible, resilient, fire resistant and,
at expected operating temperatures, non-toxic material and having
side and bottom walls, said side walls defining an outer extremity,
said sealing membrane being dimensioned and shaped to be
placed inside and overlie the side and bottom walls of said box,
an edge flange extending to an outer periphery on said
membrane extending outwardly from the outer extremity of said
membrane side walls, and adapted to extend over said outlet box
side wall edges, to be clamped against said edges by an outlet box
cover plate,
wherein the outer periphery of said edge flange has a
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downwardly extending rim dimensioned to extend over the edges and
then a short distance along the outer side of the box.
8. The sealing membrane as claimed in claim 7 wherein said
membrane is provided separately from said box.
9. A membrane for use with an electrical outlet box, which
outlet box has side and bottom walls and outer edges on said
outlet box side walls,
said sealing membrane being formed of flexible,
compressible, resilient, fire resistant and, at expected temperatures,
non-toxic, material and having side and bottom walls,
and dimensioned and shaped to receive therein said
outlet box,
an edge flange on said membrane adapted to extend inwardly
from the outer extremity of said side walls over said box side wall
edges and to be clamped there against by an outlet box cover plate.
10. Membrane as claimed in claim 9 wherein said membrane is
provided separately from said box.
11. In combination, an electrical outlet box having side and
bottom walls and outer edges on said outlet box side walls,
a flexible compressible resilient coating layer on the
side and bottom walls, said layer being formed of material which
is fire resistant and non-toxic at expected temperatures.
12. A combination as claimed in claim 11 wherein said coating
is on the inside of said box.
13. A combination as claimed in claim 11 wherein said coating
is on the outside of said box.
14. A combination as claimed in claim 12 wherein said layer
extends over the outside edge of the box and is dimensioned to be
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clamped by a cover plate against said outside edge.
15. A combination as claimed in claim 13 wherein said layer
extends over the inside edge of said box and is dimensioned to be
clamped by a cover plate against said outside edge.
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