Standing box for electrial fixtures

• US 3,975,074 A
• Filed: 04/04/1975
• Issued: 08/17/1976
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/1975
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hubbell, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Harvey Hubbell, Inc. (Hubbell, Inc.)
• Inventors: Fuller, Alvin Walter
• Primary Examiner(s): Custer, Jr., Granville Y.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Abrams, Neil
• Application Number:
  US05/565,052
• Time in Patent Office: 501 Days
• Field of Search: 174/48, 174/49, 220/3.3, 220/3.5, 220/3.7, 220/3.94, 339/44, 339/89, 339/94, 339/122, 339/129, 339/130, 339/159
• US Class Current: 439/277
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 25/006 the coupling part being secured to apparatus or structure, e.g. duplex wall receptacle
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 31/02 Intermediate parts for distributing energy to two or more circuits in parallel, e.g. splitter with a holder adapted for supporting apparatus to which its counterpart is attached H01R33/92
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/185 Floor outlets and access cups

Abstract

Disclosed is a standing box incorporating electrical convenience outlets and adapted for selective electrical and mechanical connections to a floor box. The standing box is made as a single integral structure which facilitates both types of connections to an electrical wiring device, such as an electrical receptacle, mounted in the floor box. The mechanical connection utilizes an annular sealing gasket which compresses with little or no disruptive torsional displacement when the connection is effected. The standing box presents a relatively low silhouette and hence a relatively small obstruction to surrounding floor surfaces.

Claims

1. The combination of a standing box unit and a floor box unit and gasket means for sealing both units when the units are connected together, the standing box unit comprising:

a housing mounting at least one electrical convenience outlet thereon;

an electrical plug having a plurality of electrically conductive prongs extending therefrom;

a hollow stem joined at a first end to the underside of said housing and having a second, open end for housing the plug;

a circular flange at the second end of said stem extending radially outwardly therefrom and having an outer diameter substantially equal to that of the gasket;

a passageway common to said first end of said stem and the interior of said housing for allowing passage of wiring connections between the convenience outlet and the plug and insulated wires for electrically connecting said outlet to said plug;

the underside of said housing including a plurality of openings disposed outwardly of said passageway but encompassed within said stem, a plurality of plug-retaining elements passing axially into said stem through said openings;

said plug including a plurality of openings axially aligned with the openings in said housing in which said retaining elements are secured, whereby the plug is affixed in said stem to said housing with the prongs of the plug extending along said axis and projecting beyond said flange of said stem;

an externally-threaded collar loosely mounted on said stem between the underside of the standing box and said flange, said collar having an internal diameter less than the external diameter of said flange;

the floor box unit including an outwardly-facing receptacle mounted fixedly below the surface of a floor in which the floor box unit is mounted;

a flat floor plate mounted fixedly to the floor box unit substantially flush with said surface, said floor plate having an internally threaded portion adjacent the upper surface thereof and an annular shoulder portion inwardly of said threaded portion;

said shoulder portion supporting the gasket thereon;

the external threads of said collar mating with the internal threads of said floor plate;

means disposed on a portion of the surface of said collar which projects above the floor surface for facilitating rotation of said collar into said floor plate, whereby rotation of said collar drives said flange axially to compress the gasket with minimum torsional stresses against said shoulder portion of said floor plate and thereby effect a sealed, threaded mounting of the standing box unit to the floor box unit.

2. The combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means on the collar surface comprises a pin mounted substantially parallel to the axis of said stem.

3. The combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means on the collar surface comprises at least one groove extending radially from the stem axis.