Push-in cable connector and electrical box assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9247662-B2
Application number	US-201414209482-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2014
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	Jan 26, 2016
Grant date	Jan 26, 2016

Abstract

A cable connector is provided for coupling to and mounted within the internal cavity of an electrical box for securing an electrical cable passing through an opening in the electrical box. The cable connector includes a body having a first end positioned next to or adjacent the cable opening in the electrical box and a second end spaced from the first end and the cable opening. At least one and typically two retaining members are spring biased from the first end of the body and extend into a cable passage of the body toward the second end. A front wall is provided at the second end of the body with an opening for receiving the wires and forming a stop member to prevent the armor sheathing from passing through the front wall.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical box assembly comprising;
an electrical box having a cavity, a rear wall, and a side wall with a cable opening for receiving an electrical cable;
a cable connector mounted within said cavity of the electrical box and forming a cable passage aligned with the cable opening in the electrical box, said cable connector having a flexible cable retainer coupled to said side wall and extending within the electrical box and substantially parallel to said side wall and overlying the cable opening in the electrical box and having a bottom edge for gripping an outer surface of the cable passing through the cable opening; and
a front wall coupled to said rear wall of said electrical box and spaced from said flexible cable retainer for contacting a metal sheath of a metal sheathed cable, said front wall having an opening to allow wires from the cable to pass through.

2. The electrical box assembly of claim 1 , wherein
said cable retainer has a first leg with a width to extend across the cable opening and a second leg with a second length overlying said cable opening, and having a width to extend across said cable opening and where said first leg is substantially parallel to said second leg.

3. The electrical box assembly of claim 2 , wherein
said first leg has a bottom edge positioned in said cable opening and said second leg has a bottom edge positioned in said cable opening, and where said bottom edge of said first leg is spaced from and substantially parallel to said bottom edge of said second leg.

4. The electrical box assembly of claim 3 , wherein
said bottom edge of said first leg is spaced from said rear wall of said electrical box a distance less than a diameter of the cable.

5. The electrical box assembly of claim 1 , wherein
said cable retainer includes a first leg having a free end extending at least partially across the cable passage and overlying at least a portion of the cable opening in the side wall of the electrical box, and where said first leg is sufficiently flexible to allow a cable to pass through the cable opening and into the cable passage of the cable connector.

6. The electrical cable assembly of claim 5 , wherein
said cable retainer has a second leg extending at least partially across the cable opening and being substantially parallel to said first leg.

7. The electrical box assembly of claim 6 , wherein
said first leg has a first length and said second leg overlying said first leg has a second length less than said first leg, whereby said bottom edge of said first leg is spaced from said bottom edge of said second leg.

8. The electrical box assembly of claim 7 , wherein
said first leg and said second leg each have a bottom edge with a substantially V-shaped recess aligned with the axis of the cable passage for engaging a top surface of the cable and capturing the cable between the V-shaped recess and the rear wall of the electrical box.

9. The electrical box assembly of claim 1 , wherein
said rear wall of said electrical box has a detent extending upward into the cavity and being aligned with the cable opening and the cable retainer to engage the cable passing through the cable passage.

10. An electrical box assembly comprising:
an electrical box having a cavity, a rear wall and a side wall with at least two cable openings having a dimension for receiving an electrical cable, said side wall having an inner face and an outer face; and
a cable connector mounted within a cavity of the electrical box and forming a cable passage aligned with the cable opening in the electrical box, said cable connector having a flexible first leg having a first length and a flexible second leg having a second length less than said first length, each said leg being within the electrical box and coupled to said inner face of said side wall and extending parallel to said side wall at least partially across the cable opening in the electrical box, each said leg and having a bottom edge for gripping an outer surface of the cable passing through the cable opening, and where said bottom edge of said first leg is spaced from said bottom edge of said second leg.

11. The electrical box assembly of claim 10 , further comprising
a front wall coupled to said rear wall and spaced from said first leg and said second leg for contacting a metal sheath of a metal sheathed cable, said front wall having an opening with a dimension to allow wires from the cable to pass through while preventing the armor sheath of a metal clad cable from passing through.

12. The electrical box assembly of claim 10 , wherein
said bottom edge of said first leg is spaced from said rear wall a first distance and said bottom edge of said second leg is spaced from said rear wall a distance greater than said first distance.

13. The electrical box assembly of claim 12 , wherein
said first leg and said second leg each have a bottom edge with a substantially V-shaped recess aligned with the axis of the cable passage for engaging a top surface of the cable and capturing the cable between the V-shaped recess and the rear wall of the electrical box.

14. The electrical box assembly of claim 10 , wherein
said rear wall of said electrical box has a detent extending upward into the cavity and being aligned with the cable opening and the cable retainer to engage the cable passing through the cable passage.

15. The electrical box assembly of claim 10 , wherein
said first leg and second leg are coupled together along top edges thereof, and where said top edges are coupled to said side wall of said electrical box whereby said first leg and second leg bend along a plane substantially parallel to said top edges and substantially parallel to said rear wall.

16. An electrical box assembly comprising:
an electrical box having a cavity, a rear wall and a side wall with at least two cable openings having a dimension for receiving an electrical cable, said side wall having an inner face and an outer face; and
a cable connector mounted within said cavity of the electrical box and forming a cable passage aligned with the cable opening in the electrical box, said cable connector having two adjacent flexible first legs coupled together along a top edge and having a first length, and two adjacent flexible second legs coupled together along a top edge and having a second length less than said first length, each said leg being parallel to said side wall and coupled to said inner face of said side wall to overlie said cable openings, said first legs having a width to cover a width of said cable openings and having a bottom edge spaced from said rear wall a distance less than a diameter of a first cable, and said second legs having a width to cover the width of the cable openings and having a bottom edge spaced a distance less than a diameter of a second cable that is different than said first cable for gripping the outer surface of the cable.

17. The electrical box assembly of claim 16 , wherein
said first legs and said second legs are coupled together and substantially parallel to each other.

18. The electrical box assembly of claim 16 , wherein
said first legs and said second legs are integrally formed together and coupled along a top edge of said legs.

19. The electrical box assembly of claim 18 , wherein
said top edge of said legs are coupled to said side wall of said electrical box, and where said legs bend along a plane substantially parallel to said top edge and substantially parallel to said rear wall of said electrical box.

Assignees

• Hubbell Inc

Inventors

• Korcz Krzysztof W
• Johnson Steven J
• Wagner Richard J

Classifications

• H05K5/0247 Primary

  Electrical details of casings, e.g. terminals, passages for cables or wiring · CPC title

• H02G3/083 Primary

  Inlets · CPC title

• H02G3/0691

  Fixing tubing to casing by auxiliary means co-operating with indentations of the tubing, e.g. with tubing-convolutions · CPC title