Wall installation connection box unit with a functional surface body

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11982072-B2
Application number	US-202117209877-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 23, 2021
Priority date	Mar 24, 2020
Publication date	May 14, 2024
Grant date	May 14, 2024

Abstract

A wall installation connection box unit including a box housing body having a rear-side base portion and a sleeve portion projecting forward from the base portion, which sleeve portion peripherally surrounds a sanitary component mounting space, which space is accessible via an open front end face of the sleeve portion, a functional surface body including a functional surface, and a connection device which is configured for releasable fastening of the functional surface body to the base portion in different axial levels of the functional surface and includes at least one connection structure on the base portion radially outside the sleeve portion and a connection body cooperating with the connection structure, which connection body is user-operable via an actuation interface to be movable relative to the connection structure and to the functional surface body between a released position and a fastened position. Illustratively, the actuation interface of the connection body is located on a side of the functional surface body facing away from the base portion of the box housing body or the actuation interface, or the connection body is rotatable between the released position and the fastened position, or the connection device is configured for selective releasable fastening of the functional surface body in front of a front side or behind a rear side of the base portion of the box housing body.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A wall installation connection box unit, comprising:
a box housing body having a rear-side base portion and a sleeve portion projecting forward from the base portion, which sleeve portion peripherally surrounds an installation component mounting space, which installation component mounting space is accessible via an open front end face of the sleeve portion;
a functional surface body including a functional surface; and
a connection device which is configured for releasable fastening of the functional surface body to the base portion in different axial levels of the functional surface, and comprises at least one connection structure on the base portion radially outside the sleeve portion and a connection body cooperating with the connection structure, which connection body is user-operable via an actuation interface to be movable relative to the connection structure and to the functional surface body between a released position and a fastened position;
wherein:
the actuation interface of the connection body is located on a front side of the functional surface body positioned opposite the base portion of the box housing body whereby the actuation interface remains accessible after positioning the connection box unit in a wall opening, or
the connection body is rotatable between the released position and the fastened position, or
the connection device is configured for selective releasable fastening of the functional surface body in a first position and a second position, wherein, in the first position, the functional surface body is in front of a front side and, in the second position, the functional surface body is behind a rear side of the base portion of the box housing body whereby the wall installation connecting box unit can be installed with the functional surface body fastened in the first position or in the second position.

2. The wall installation connection box unit according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one connection structure is a connection structure element disposed in the base portion of the box housing body.

3. The wall installation connection box unit according to claim 2 , wherein the connection structure element includes a sleeve element extending continuously through the base portion between a front side and a rear side of the base portion.

4. The wall installation connection box unit according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one connection structure includes a bolt mounting opening having an opening edge which includes a locking profile, and the connection body includes a connection bolt insertable into the bolt mounting opening and turnable within the bolt mounting opening between the released position and the fastened position, which bolt has a counter-locking profile on its peripheral side, wherein the locking profile and the counter-locking profile in the fastened position of the connection bolt cooperate in a locking manner to prevent axial removal of the connection bolt from the bolt mounting opening and in the released position of the connection bolt enable axial removal of the connection bolt from the bolt mounting opening.

5. The wall installation connection box unit according to claim 4 , wherein the actuation interface of the connection body includes a tool interface on an end face of the connection bolt.

6. The wall installation connection box unit according to claim 4 , wherein the locking profile includes one or more locking bars axially spaced from each other, which locking bars each extend within a locking bar circumferential sector of the bolt mounting opening, and the counter-locking profile includes one or more counter-locking bars axially spaced from each other, which bars each extend within a counter-locking bar circumferential sector.

7. The wall installation connection box unit according to claim 4 , wherein at least one of the locking profile beyond the locking bar circumferential sector and the counter-locking profile beyond the counter-locking bar circumferential sector include at least one snap-on bar within a snap-on bar circumferential sector.

8. The wall installation connection box unit according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one of:
a captive securing element which retains the connection body captive on the functional surface body in the preassembled state;
an end position detent which locks the connection body in the fastened position on the functional surface body in an unlockable manner; and
a rotation lock element which comprises corresponding end position stops on the connection body, on the one hand side, and on the functional surface body or on the connection structure, on the other hand side.

9. The wall installation connection box unit according to claim 1 , wherein the functional surface body includes a closed annular body with a sleeve portion passage opening and at least one connection body passage opening.

10. The wall installation connection box unit according to claim 1 , wherein the sleeve portion and the base portion of the box housing body are integrally formed from a synthetic foamed material, the connection structure being molded to the base portion or the connection structure being embedded into the synthetic foamed material of the base portion.

11. The wall installation connection box unit according to claim 1 , wherein the actuation interface of the connection body is located on a front side of the functional surface body positioned opposite the base portion of the box housing body whereby the actuation interface remains accessible after positioning the connection box unit in a wall opening.

12. The wall installation connection box unit according to claim 1 , wherein the connection body is rotatable between the released position and the fastened position.

13. The wall installation connection box unit according to claim 1 , wherein the connection device is configured for selective releasable fastening of the functional surface body in a first position and a second position, wherein, in the first position, the functional surface body is in front of a front side and, in the second position, the functional surface body is behind a rear side of the base portion of the box housing body whereby the wall installation connecting box unit can be installed with the functional surface body fastened in the first position or in the second position.

Assignees

• Hansgrohe Se

Inventors

• Lehmann Günther
• Schorer Jürgen

Classifications

• E03B7/095 Primary

  Component holders or housings, e.g. boundary boxes · CPC title

• H02G3/0616

  Joints for connecting tubing to casing · CPC title

• H02G3/10

  for surface mounting on a wall · CPC title

• E03C1/0401 Primary

  Fixing a tap to the sanitary appliance or to an associated mounting surface, e.g. a countertop · CPC title

• E03C1/021 Primary

  Devices for positioning or connecting of water supply lines (connection to the tap body E03C1/0403) · CPC title