Electrical outlet box mounting

• US 4,057,164 A
• Filed: 02/20/1976
• Issued: 11/08/1977
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/1976
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: William Maier
• Original Assignee: William Maier
• Inventors: Maier, William
• Primary Examiner(s): Marcus, Stephen
• Application Number:
  US05/659,893
• Time in Patent Office: 627 Days
• Field of Search: 220/3.2, 220/3.3, 220/3.4, 220/3.5, 220/3.6, 220/3.7, 220/3.8, 220/3.9, 220/3.92, 220/3.94, 174/57, 174/58, 248/221 D, 248/221 F, 248/DIG. 6
• US Class Current: 220/3.6
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/125 with supporting bar extending between two separate studs of a wall frame
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/126 with supporting means for mounting on a single wall stud
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 248/906 Electrical outlet box support

Abstract

An electric outlet box having a support flange projecting laterally outwardly from one side of the box is attachable to a flange of a channel-shaped metal wall stud common to dry wall construction by the support flange and suitable fasteners. A leveling screw is threaded through a threaded hole in the bottom of the box adjacent the side of the box opposite to the side from which the support flange projects. The leveling screw projects through the bottom of the box with one end thereof being inside the box and slotted, and the other end being outside the box and provided with an enlarged flat head. The leveling screw is manually adjustable by a screw driver engaged in the slotted end in order to engage the enlarged screw head with a rear wall panel supported by the metal stud behind the box and to level the box with respect to a front wall panel supported by the metal stud.

The particular arrangement of the outlet box and mounting with reference to the dry wall and metal stud constitutes part of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. An electrical outlet box for mounting in an opening in the front panel of a hollow wall having a yieldable wall stud and front and back wall panels supported on opposite sides of said stud, said outlet box comprising a bottom wall, a pair of opposite side walls and an open front, a single laterally projecting mounting flange means extending from one only of said side walls for securing said box to said stud with said open front facing outwardly through the opening in the front panel, a threaded hole in said bottom wall of said box adjacent the other of said side walls, and leveling means for adjusting the level of the box by moving said other side of said box relative to said one side of said box when said one side is secured to said stud by its mounting flange, said leveling means comprising a leveling screw extending through said threaded hole in threaded engagement therewith, said leveling screw being adjustable inwardly and outwardly of said box to engage the back wall panel and give support to said box adjacent the side of said box opposite the side from which the mounting flange projects.

2. The electrical outlet box according to claim 1 wherein said leveling screw includes a threaded stem having a pair of opposite ends, one end being slotted and facing toward the open front of said box, the other end projecting outwardly from said bottom wall on the opposite side of said bottom wall from said slotted end, and an enlarged flat head on said other end normal to said stem.

3. The electrical outlet box according to claim 1 wherein said mounting flange is formed integrally with and extends longitudinally on the outer surface of said one side wall from which it projects, said flange being apertured to receive fasteners for securing the box to the wall stud of said hollow wall.

4. The electrical outlet box according to claim 3 wherein said flange is spaced from said open end by a distance to accommodate the thickness of a front wall panel.

5. The electrical outlet box according to claim 3 wherein said bottom, said pair of side walls and said outwardly projecting flange are integrally formed from extruded stock material.

6. The combination of an electrical outlet box and a hollow wall, said hollow wall including front and back wall panels and a yieldable metal wall stud therebetween for supporting said front and back wall panels, an opening in said front wall panel adjacent said metal wall stud, said outlet box having a bottom wall, an open front, a pair of side walls and a single laterally projecting mounting flange extending outwardly from one only of said side walls, said outlet box being mounted in said opening with said one wall juxtaposed to said stud and with said laterally projecting mounting flange overlying said metal stud, fasteners extending through said flange and into said stud, a threaded hole in said bottom wall of said box adjacent the other of said side walls, and leveling means for adjusting the level of said box by moving the other side of said box relative to said one side of said box which is juxtaposed to said stud and secured to said stud by said fasteners extending through said mounting flange, said leveling means comprising a leveling screw extending through said threaded hole in threaded engagement therewith, said leveling screw having a slotted end inside of said box with the slot facing said open front and a headed end outside of said box between said bottom wall of said box and said rear wall panel, said leveling screw being adjustable inwardly and outwardly of said box to engage the headed end of said screw against said rear wall panel and to give support to said box on the side of said box opposite to said mounting flange.

7. The combination according to claim 6 wherein said leveling screw is adjusted to engage said rear wall panel and to bring the open front of said box into parallelism with said front wall panel.

8. The combination according to claim 6 wherein said metal stud is channel-shaped in transverse cross-section and includes a central web which is normal to said front and rear wall panels and a pair of flanges formed integral with said central web on the same side thereof and normal thereto, one of said flanges of said channel being normally parallel to and underlying said front wall panel and the other of said flanges being normally parallel to and underlying said rear wall panel, said mounting flange of said outlet box overlying said one flange of said wall stud which underlies said front wall panel, said metal stud being yieldable permitting displacement of said outlet box relative to said opening when said leveling screw is out of engagement with said rear wall panel, said leveling screw when engaged with said rear wall panel giving support to said outlet box to prevent inward displacement of said outlet box relative to said opening in said front wall when inward thrust is applied to said box.