Outlet box connector and combination

• US 4,103,101 A
• Filed: 03/28/1977
• Issued: 07/25/1978
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/1977
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: William Maier
• Original Assignee: William Maier
• Inventors: Maier, William
• Primary Examiner(s): Truhe, J. V.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tone, David A.
• Application Number:
  US05/781,862
• Time in Patent Office: 484 Days
• Field of Search: 174/65 R, 285/158, 285/189, 285/396, 285/402, 339/122 R, 339/124, 339/126 R, 339/127 R, 339/127 C, 339/188 R, 339/188 C, 339/188 T, 339/90 R, 339/90 F, 248/27.1, 248/56
• US Class Current: 174/660
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/0691 Fixing tubing to casing by auxiliary means co-operating with indentations of the tubing, e.g. with tubing-convolutions
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/04 Metal casings

Abstract

A one-piece connector for connecting electric cables to an electrical outlet box comprises a tubular body having an inner portion adapted to fit inside an opening in an outlet box, an outer portion adapted to receive a sheathed cable therein, an annular shoulder on the connector for abutting the outer surface of the box wall, a pair of arcuate lugs provided at diametrically opposite sides of the connector for passage through recesses in the edge of the box opening when the connector is inserted in the opening, the lugs having arcuately spaced opposite side edges, raised arcuate portions between the shoulder and the arcuate lugs which exceed the diameter of the opening in the box wall and become wedged against the edge of the opening when the connector is rotated in the opening, the arcuate raised portions each beginning at one side edge of one of the arcuate lugs and terminating medially between the opposite side edges of the respective arcuate lug, flat raised portions beginning at the medial terminus of the arcuate raised portions and continuing to the other side edge of the arcuate lugs providing a raised surface of increasing diameter as the connector is rotated in order to limit the rotation of the connector in the box opening, an annular bushing inside the tubular body which is integral with the connector and is adapted to fit between the cable sheath and cable insulation at the end of a cable inserted in the outer portion of the tubular connector, and inwardly depressed helical tongues formed integral with the connector in the outer portion for engaging grooves in the cable sheath and locking the cable in the connector.

Claims

1. The combination of an electrical outlet box having a wall provided with a substantially circular opening and with diametrically opposed arcuate recesses in the edge of the opening, a cable connector rotatably received in said opening, an annular shoulder provided on said connector for abutting the outer surface of the box wall, and a pair of arcuate lugs provided at diametrically opposite sides of the connector for passage through said recesses when the connector is inserted in the opening, the connector being rotatable in the opening to a fastened position wherein said lugs abut the inner surface of the box wall to retain the connector and box in assembled relation, portions of said connector being raised to exceed the diameter of said opening in the box wall, said raised portions becoming wedged against the edge of the opening when the connector is rotated to its fastened position, the improvement wherein said raised portions include a pair of diametrically opposed arcuate raised portions and a pair of diametrically opposed flat raised portions, the flat raised portions being continuations of said arcuate raised portions and providing a raised surface of increasing diameter as the connector is rotated in said opening to limit rotation of the connector in said opening.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein said connector is tubular and includes an inner end portion which extends inside of said box and an outer end portion which extends outside of said box when said connector is fastened in assembled relationship with said box, said outer end portion having plurality of inwardly depressed helical tongues formed integral with the connector in a helical pattern for engaging helical grooves in a flexible metallic cable sheath when a cable having the flexible metalic sheath is screwed into the outer end portion of said connector.

3. The combination set forth in claim 2 wherein each of said tongues is formed by cutting the wall of said connector along a pair of axially spaced parallel helical lines to form parallel side edges of said tongues and by cutting an end cut across the inner ends of said parallel helical lines to form a free end of said tongue, said tongue being depressed inwardly from the wall of said connector about a bend line at the other end of said parallel helical lines opposite said free end.

4. The combination set forth in claim 3 wherein said free end of each of said tongues has a sharp bottom edge for biting into the bottom surface of the groove in the metalic flexible cable connector in order to resist rotation of the cable in a direction to unscrew the cable from the connector.

5. The combination of claim 1 wherein said connector is a one piece tubular elbow and includes an inner end portion which extends inside of said box and an outer end portion which extends outside of said box when said connector is fastened in assembled relation with said box.

6. The combination of claim 5 wherein said connector has an annular bushing integrally supported coaxially within the outer end portion thereof to provide a spacer for separating the inner end of a flexible metallic cable sheath from the inner insulation of a cable having the flexible metallic sheath.

7. The combination of claim 1 wherein said connector is tubular and includes an inner end portion which extends inside of said box, an outer end portion which extends outside of said box when said connector is fastened in assembled relation with said box, and an annular bushing integrally supported coaxially within said connector to provide a spacer for separating the inner end of a flexible metalic cable sheath from the inner insulation of a cable supported within said outer end portion and having the flexible metalic sheath.

8. The combination of claim 7 wherein said bushing has a tubular wall of constant internal diameter and of progressively decreasing external diameter moving from the inner end to the outer end thereof.

9. An electrical outlet box cable connector for use with an electrical outlet box having a wall provided with a substantially circular opening and with diametrically opposed arcuate recesses in the edge of the opening, said connector comprising a tubular body, an annular shoulder provided on said body for abutting the outer surface of the box wall, a pair of arcuate lugs provided at diametrically opposite sides of the connector for passage through the recesses of the box when the connector is inserted in the opening, said lugs being axially spaced from said annular shoulder so that said lugs will engage the inner surface of the box wall when the connector is rotated in the opening to a fastened position to retain the connector and box in assembled relation, portions of said tubular body between said lugs and said annular shoulder being raised to exceed the diameter of the opening in the box wall, whereby said raised portions may become wedged against the edge of the opening when the connector is rotated to its fastened position, the improvement wherein said raised portions include a pair of diametrically opposed arcuate raised portions and a pair of diametrically opposed flat raised portions, the flat raised portions being continuations of said arcuate raised portions and providing a raised surface of increasing diameter as the connector is rotated in the opening toward its fastened position to limit rotation of the connector in the opening.

10. The connector of claim 9 wherein said tubular body includes an inner end portion which extends inside the box and an outer end portion which extends outside of the box when said connector is fastened in assembled relationship with the box, said outer end portion having a plurality of inwardly depressed helical tongues formed integral with the connector in a helical pattern for engaging helical grooves in a flexible metalic cable sheath when a cable having the flexible metalic sheath is screwed into the outer end portion of said connector.

11. The connector of claim 10 wherein each of said tongues is formed by cutting the wall of said connector along a pair of axially spaced parallel helical lines to form parallel side edges of said tongues and by cutting an end cut across the inner ends of said parallel helical lines to form a free end of said tongue, said tongue being depressed inwardly from the wall of said connector about a bend line at the other end of said parallel helical lines opposite said free end.

12. The connector of claim 11 wherein said free end of each of said tongues has a sharp bottom edge for biting into the bottom surface of the groove in the metallic flexible cable connector inorder to resist rotation of the cable in a direction to unscrew the cable from the connector.

13. The connector of claim 9 wherein said connector is a one piece tubular elbow and includes an inner end portion for insertion inside of the outlet box and an outer end portion which remains outside of the outlet box when said connector is fastened in assembled relation with the outlet box.

14. The connector of claim 13 wherein said connector has an annular bushing integrally supported coaxially within the outer end portion thereof to provide a spacer for separating the inner end of a flexible metallic cable sheath from the inner insulation of a cable having the flexible metallic sheath.

15. The connector of claim 9 wherein said connector is tubular and includes an inner end portion for insertion inside of an outlet box, an outer end portion which remains outside of the outlet box when said connector is fastened in assembled relation with the outlet box, and an annular bushing integrally supported coaxially within said connector to provide a spacer for separating the inner end of a flexible metallic cable sheath from the inner insulation of a cable supported within said outer end portion and having the flexible metallic sheath.

16. The combination of claim 15 wherein said bushing has a tubular wall of constant internal diameter and of progressively decreasing external diameter moving from the inner end to the outer end thereof.