ELECTRICAL APPARATUS HAVING QUICK CONNECT COMPONENTS

• US 20090107693A1
• Filed: 06/20/2008
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The West End Design Group LLC
• Original Assignee: The West End Design Group LLC
• Inventors: Meyer, Mark H.
• Granted Patent: US 7,767,905 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 174/60
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/086 Assembled boxes
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/123 in thin walls
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 248/906 Electrical outlet box support

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for power distribution improve and can standardize electrical connections between electrical cables and the multitude of electrical switches, receptacles, and fixtures of known technology. The invention can include modular hardware components such as junction boxes, electrical devices, adaptors, a/b switches, etc. that simplify both installation and inspection requirements at the job site. Optional color coding can facilitate proper wiring of the components. The invention allows field wiring to be completed more quickly and accurately thereby advantageously reducing associated costs and increasing safety.

Claims

1. An electrical apparatus comprising:

a. a junction box comprising a rear wall, a top wall, a bottom wall, a left side wall, a right side wall, and a front face, wherein at least a portion of the front face is open to expose a cavity bounded at least in part by the walls;

b. a housing adapted for containing at least a portion of an entry wire within the junction box;

c. an aperture at a set location in the housing adapted for exposing to the cavity at least a non-insulated portion of the entry wire;

d. wherein the junction box is adapted to receive a modular connection unit such that a conductive connection is automatically made between the exposed non-insulated portion of the entry wire and the connection unit.

2. An electrical apparatus comprising:

a. a junction box comprising a rear wall, a top wall, a bottom wall, a left side wall, a right side wall, and a front face, wherein at least a portion of the front face is open to expose a cavity bounded at least in part by the walls;

b. a housing adapted for containing at least a portion of an entry wire within the junction box;

c. an aperture in a fixed and standardized location on the housing adapted for exposing at least a non-insulated portion of the entry wire to the cavity;

d. wherein the junction box is adapted to receive a modular connection unit having a conductive connector in a fixed and standardized location thereon such that, upon the junction box receiving the connection unit, the conductive connector automatically passes into the aperture and automatically electrically connects to the exposed non-insulated portion of the entry wire.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising strip gauges on the exterior of the junction box.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the housing comprises an insulation section and a bare wire section, wherein the interior diameter of the insulation section being greater than the interior diameter of the bare wire section.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the junction box comprises an inspection hole configured to allow a viewer to view an insulation section of a wire in the housing.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising a wire indicia attached to the junction box to indicate the appropriate wire to be housed by the housing.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the interior diameter of the insulation section is configured to accommodate the diameter of an insulated wire to be housed therein and the interior diameter of the bare wire section is configured to accommodate the diameter of a bare wire to be housed therein.

8. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a plurality of housings each adapted for containing at least a portion of a corresponding plurality of entry wires within the junction box.

9. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the housing comprises a series of axially aligned semi-circular retaining structures.

10. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the entry wire is electrically connected to a power source.

11. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the housing is oriented substantially horizontally with respect to the junction box.

12. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising an exit housing adapted for containing at least a portion of an exit wire within the junction box.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the exit housing is oriented substantially vertically with respect to the junction box.

14. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the conductive connector is adapted to directly connect to the exposed non-insulated portion of the entry wire.

15. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the conductive connector is selected from the group consisting of a clip, a brush, a bar, and a clamp.

16. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the conductive connector is springingly attached to the connection unit.

17. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the junction box has an irregularity on one of its interior surfaces and the connection unit has a complementary irregularity on its exterior to guide the proper placement of the connection unit within the junction box.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the irregularity comprises an alignment spine and the complementary irregularity comprises an alignment groove.

19. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the connection unit is adapted for integration with an electrical device to allow handling of the electrical device and connection unit as a single component.

20. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the junction box is slidably engageable to a mounting bracket that is secured to a wall stud.

21. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the junction box comprises at least one flange configured to slidably engage a mounting bracket connected to a wall stud.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the mounting bracket comprises

a. a front face;

and

b. two side faces connected to the front face,

c. wherein at least one of the side faces comprises on its exterior face at least one rail to slidably engage the flange on the junction box.

23. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the junction box comprises a flex tab extending outwardly from at least one of the walls, the tab adapted to springingly engage an interior face of a wall.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the flex tab is unitarily part of the junction box.

25. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the junction box further comprises a cable entry shield extending outwardly from at least one of the walls.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising a nipple connectable to the cable entry shield and adapted to surround a wire passing through the cable entry shield.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the cable entry shield comprises a cable retaining clamp.

28. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the cable entry shield comprises a ring for retaining a cable tie.

29. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the cable entry shield is unitarily part of the junction box.

30. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the modular connection unit comprises a cowling and an electrical device electrically connected to the cowling and the conductive connector thereon.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the electrical device is selected from the group consisting of a switch, a receptacle, a dimmer, a timer, a fan control, a single pole electrical device, a double pole electrical device, and an A/B switch device.

32. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the electrical device and the cowling are rigidly connected to form an electrical device assembly.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the electrical device assembly comprises an A/B switch device having thereon a manually activatable external switch adapted to switch the electrical device assembly'"'"'s internal electrical pathway.

34. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the electrical device assembly further comprises a mounting strap with mounting strap ears.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the junction box further comprises a threaded hole oriented to receive a threaded fastener from its front face and wherein the electrical device assembly further comprises a threaded hole adapted to axially align with the threaded hole of the junction box when the electrical device assembly is placed in the junction box.

36. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the cowling has a volume that is at least 80% of the cavity volume.

37. The apparatus of claim 30, further comprising an adapter plate with break-away guides adapted to facilitate connection of the cowling and the electrical device.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the adapter plate further comprises securing tabs to secure the electrical device within the cowling.

39. The apparatus of claim 30, further comprising a gasket configured to sealingly fit between the electrical device and the cowling.

40. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the cowling is configured to have a standardized size and dimensions.

41. The apparatus of claim 30, further comprising a wall plate adapted to engage the junction box.

42. The apparatus of claim 41, further comprising a gasket adapted to sealingly fit between the wall plate and the modular connection unit.

43. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the wall plate comprises a securing clip that engages a notch on the junction box.

44. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the housing is unitarily part of the junction box.

45. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a protective cover removably attached to the front face of the junction box.

46. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the protective cover is see-through.

47. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the junction box is made from a unitary piece of non-conductive material.

48. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a plurality of such junction boxes connected to each other, wherein at least one of the housings on each box are aligned to be capable of having at least one single continuous entry wire extend across the junction boxes via the housings.

49. The apparatus of claim 48, wherein the plurality of boxes are made from single unitary piece of material.

50. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the housing further comprises a support ramp adapted to support a wire in the housing.

51. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the housing further comprises opposed stabilization walls adapted to stabilize the conductive connector.

52. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the aperture of the housing is further defined by opposed angled walls.

53. An electrical apparatus comprising:

a. a junction box comprising a rear wall, a top wall, a bottom wall, a left side wall, a right side wall, and a front face, wherein at least a portion of the front face is open to expose a cavity bounded at least in part by the walls;

b. a plurality of housings, each adapted to contain a portion of a corresponding plurality of entry wires from one or more power sources within the junction box, wherein each housing has an insulation section adapted to contain an insulated portion of the respective wire and a bare-wire section adapted to contain a non-insulated portion of the respective wire;

c. an aperture in at least some of the bare-wire sections of the housings adapted to expose at least a non-insulated portion of the respective wire to the cavity;

d. a viewing portal in at least some of the insulation sections of the housings adapted to allow a line of sight from the front face of the junction box to the insulated portion of the respective wire; and

e. a plurality of wire indicia connected to the junction box and viewable from the front face of the junction box, wherein each wire indicia indicates which wire should be placed in a corresponding housing,

f. wherein the junction box is adapted to receive a connection unit such that a conductive connection would be automatically made between the exposed non-insulated portion of the entry wire and the connection unit.

54. A electrical apparatus comprising:

a. a junction box structure having a cable channel therein, the cable channel adapted for retaining at a set location and orientation at least a portion of an entry wire;

b. an aperture in the cable channel adapted for exposing at a set location and orientation at least a non-insulated portion of the entry wire to the interior of the junction box;

c. wherein the junction box is configured to receive a modular cowling having a conductive element disposed thereon at a set location and orientation corresponding to the set location and orientation of the aperture such that upon receiving the cowling in the junction box the conductive element automatically conductively connects to the exposed portion of the entry wire.

55. The apparatus of claim 54, wherein the conductive element of the modular cowling is conductively connectable to an electrical device.

56. A method of wiring an electrical device, comprising the steps of:

a. providing a junction box;

b. leading a wire into a cable channel into the junction box such that at least a non-insulated portion of the wire is oriented in a set location and orientation within the junction box;

c. providing a modular cowling adapted to matingly fit within the junction box in a set orientation, the cowling having a conductive element disposed thereon at a set location and orientation corresponding to the location and orientation of the non-insulated portion of the wire; and

d. positioning the cowling within the junction box thereby automatically conductively connecting the conductive element with at least a portion of the non-insulated portion of the wire.

57. An apparatus comprising:

a wall plate adapted to overlay an electrical device and configured to fixedly engage a junction box that houses the electrical devices without the use of screws or a sub-plate.

58. A mounting bracket for mounting an electrical junction box, comprising:

a. a front face; and

b. a first side face and a second side face connected to the front face, each side face forming an approximately 90 degree angle with the front face,

c. wherein at least one of the side faces comprises a means for securing the bracket to a wall stud and wherein the first side face comprises on its exterior face a means for slidably mounting a junction box.

59. The apparatus of claim 58, wherein the means for mounting comprises at least one rail configured to slidably engage a flange on the junction box.

60. The apparatus of claim 58, further comprising a front detent and a rear detent on the bracket configured to bound the slidable movement of the junction box.

61. The apparatus of claim 58, wherein the means for securing comprises integral angled nail sets configured to engage a wall stud to prevent removal of the bracket.

62. The apparatus of claim 58, wherein the second side face comprises a blade edge at the end distal from the front face.

63. The apparatus of claim 58, wherein any of the faces may have material cutouts.

64. An assembly comprising:

a. an electrical device assembly configured to be at least partially mounted in a wall;

b. electrical conductors inside the assembly including at least one traveler conductor capable of serving as a traveler wire;

c. a first electrical path in the assembly that does not include the traveler conductor;

d. a second electrical path in the assembly that includes the traveler conductor; and

e. a manually activatable external switch on the assembly adapted to select between the first electrical path and the second electrical path.

65. The assembly of claim 64, wherein the electrical device assembly is configured to connect to a junction box in a wall and to receive at least one wire from a power source.

66. The assembly of claim 65, wherein the electrical device assembly is a first electrical device assembly configured to receive at least one wire from an electrical fixture and at least one wire from a second electrical device assembly that is electrically connected to the electrical fixture, and wherein the first electrical device assembly further comprises an activator switch adapted for controlling a flow of power to the electrical fixture.

67. A method for wiring a multi-way electrical connection, comprising the steps of:

a. providing a first and second electrical device assemblies configured to be at least partially mounted in a wall;

b. providing electrical conductors inside the first and second assemblies including at least one traveler conductor capable of serving as a traveler wire;

c. providing a first electrical path inside the first and second assemblies that does not include the traveler conductor and a second electrical path inside the first and second assemblies that includes the traveler conductor;

d. providing a manually activatable external switch on the first and second assemblies adapted to select between the first electrical path and the second electrical path;

e. electrically connecting at least one first wire from the first assembly to an electrical fixture and from the electrical fixture to the second assembly;

f. electrically connecting at least second wire from the first assembly to the second assembly without electrically connecting the second wire to the electrical fixture;

g. selecting the manually activatable external switch on the first assembly to a first position corresponding to the first electrical path; and

h. selecting the manually activatable external switch on the second assembly to a second position corresponding to the second electrical path.

68. An electrical apparatus comprising:

a. a junction box comprising a rear wall, a top wall, a bottom wall, a left side wall, a right side wall, and a front face, wherein at least a portion of the front face is open to expose a cavity bounded at least in part by the walls;

b. a housing adapted for containing at least a portion of an entry wire within the junction box;

c. an aperture in a fixed and standardized location on the housing adapted for exposing a portion of the entry wire to the cavity;

d. wherein the junction box is adapted to receive a modular connection unit having a conductive connector in a fixed and standardized location thereon such that, upon the junction box receiving the connection unit, the conductive connector automatically passes into the aperture and automatically electrically connects to the entry wire.