Wall clamping junction box

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9673597-B2
Application number	US-201514791249-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 2, 2015
Priority date	Jul 2, 2015
Publication date	Jun 6, 2017
Grant date	Jun 6, 2017

Abstract

An enclosure such as an electrical junction box has fixed clamping flanges exterior to the enclosure, screws rotatable relative to the enclosure and operative for drawing clamping brackets from an initial elevated position towards the clamping flanges for clamping the edges of an opening cut in drywall or the like, thereby to fasten the enclosure inside a wall or ceiling. The clamping brackets are initially retracted in the enclosure and rotation of the screws releases the brackets to an extended clamping position relative to the clamping flanges.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wall clamping box for installation between wall edges of an opening defined in a wall, comprising:
a housing having a plurality of side walls between a top and a bottom;
a pair of outer flanges exterior to an opposite two of said side walls;
a pair of slots in said opposite two of said side walls;
a clamping bracket slidable in each of said slots; and
a pair of clamping screws captive to said housing and threaded to said clamping brackets, said screws rotatable for drawing said brackets along said slots from an initial elevated position towards said outer flanges;
said brackets moving through said slots from an initial retracted position in said initial elevated position to an extended position responsive to rotation of said screws;
such that a pair of said wall edges adjacent to said side walls is clamped between the extended brackets and said outer flanges thereby fastening said box to said wall.

2. The junction box of claim 1 wherein said clamping screws are tiltable between an initial inclined position wherein said brackets are retracted into said housing and an upright position wherein said brackets are extended from said housing.

3. The junction box of claim 2 further comprising a spring on each of said screws operative for urging said each screw with a corresponding one of said brackets toward said upright position; and
a detent on each of said brackets engageable with an upper end of a corresponding of said slots in said initial elevated position for keeping said bracket in said retracted position.

4. The junction box of claim 3 wherein said spring is operative for righting said screw from said tilted position toward said upright position upon disengagement of said detent by displacement of said bracket towards said outer flanges thereby to release said bracket toward said extended position through said slot from said retracted position.

5. The junction box of claim 3 wherein said spring is a coil spring loosely coaxial with said screw.

6. A wall clamping junction box for installation between wall edges of an opening defined in a wall, said box having a top between a plurality of side walls and a bottom;
a pair of outer flanges exterior to opposite ones of said side walls;
a pair of clamping brackets each threaded to a screw shaft of a corresponding clamping screw, said clamping screw rotatable in screw holes in said box so as to draw one of said brackets from an initial elevated position towards said outer flanges such that a wall edge adjacent to one of said side walls is clamped between each of said brackets and said outer flanges thereby fastening said box to said wall;
each said clamping screw being tiltable between an initial inclined position with said brackets retracted into said box and an upright position with said brackets extended from said box;
spring means normally urging each said clamping screw towards said upright position;
detent means for holding said brackets in said retracted position and said clamping screw in said initial inclined position, said detent means releaseable by turning said clamping screw for downward displacement of a corresponding one of said brackets along said clamping screw thereby releasing said screw towards said upright position for extending said brackets to a clamping position relative to said clamping flanges.

7. The junction box of claim 6 wherein each said screw is rotatable and slidable in a screw opening through a corresponding screw flange attached to said box; and said spring means are in compression between each said screw flange and a clamping bracket threaded to said screw.

8. The junction box of claim 7 wherein each said clamping screw has a screw head in interference with an underside of said screw flange thereby to limit upward displacement of said clamping screw through said screw flange under urging of said spring means.

9. The junction box of claim 6 wherein each said bracket detent is a tab on an upper edge of said clamping bracket for engaging an upper end of said slot to keep said clamping bracket retracted and said clamping screw tilted, said detent tab moving into said slot and disengaging from said slot upper end upon downward displacement of said clamping bracket along said clamping screw thereby freeing said clamping screw from said tilted position towards said upright position under urging of said compressed spring such that said clamping bracket is pushed out through said slot to said extended position on the freed clamping screw.

10. The junction box of claim 6 wherein each said clamping bracket has an inner portion threaded to a said clamping screw, an outer end portion for limiting tilting of said screw and a stop face for limiting extension of said clamping bracket.

11. The junction box of claim 6 said spring means comprising a coil spring coaxial on each of said screws operative for urging said clamping screw with a said clamping bracket toward said initial elevated position in a corresponding one of said slots with an upper edge of said bracket against an upper end of said corresponding slot; and
said detent comprising a tab on said upper edge of said bracket engageable with said side wall in said elevated position for keeping said bracket in said retracted position under urging of said coil spring.

12. The junction box of claim 6 wherein said spring means is operative for righting said screw from said tilted position upon release of said detent by downward displacement of said bracket along said screw thereby to extend said bracket through said slot from said retracted position.

13. An enclosure for installation between wall edges of an opening defined in a wall, said enclosure having a plurality of side walls between a top and an open bottom;
clamping flanges on said side walls exterior to said enclosure;
screws rotatable in screw holes of said enclosure
clamping brackets each in threaded engagement with one of said screws and responsive to rotation of said screws for movement towards said flanges from an initial elevated position such that a pair of wall edges adjacent to said side walls is clamped between said brackets and said clamping flanges thereby fastening said enclosure to the said wall;
said clamping brackets being initially held in a retracted position in said enclosure, said rotation of said screws being operative for releasing said brackets through corresponding slots in said side walls to an extended clamping position relative to said clamping flanges.

14. The enclosure of claim 13 wherein said clamping brackets are displaceable along said slots responsive to said rotation of said screws.

15. The enclosure of claim 13 further comprising detent means for holding said brackets retracted into said enclosure in said initial elevated condition of said brackets and releaseable in response to said rotation of said screws.

16. The enclosure of claim 15 further comprising spring means urging said brackets to said extended clamping condition upon release of said detent means.

Assignees

• Dmf Inc
• Dmf Inc

Inventors

• Lee Nathan

Classifications

• H02G3/121 Primary

  in plain walls · CPC title

• H02G3/123 Primary

  in thin walls · CPC title