Housings for underfloor raceways

• US 6,316,725 B1
• Filed: 01/24/2000
• Issued: 11/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/1998
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: Wiremold Co (Legrand SA)
• Original Assignee: Walker Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Penczak, John P., Young, Joe, Russo, Thomas R., Cole, Michael T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Reichard, Dean A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, DHIRUBHAI R
• Application Number:
  US09/490,201
• Time in Patent Office: 659 Days
• Field of Search: 174/48, 174/49, 174/58, 174/17.R, 174/63, 174/52.6, 174/50, 522/201, 522/203, 522/205, 522/207, 220/3.2, 220/3.3, 220/3.6, 220/3.8, 220/3.94, 220/4.02, 220/4.08, 439/535
• US Class Current: 174/486
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/185 Floor outlets and access cups
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/283 in floors

Abstract

An housing is configured for connection to the raceway panels by removing the concrete above the raceway panel, cutting a hole in the raceway panel, and securing the housing in the hole in the raceway panel. Alignment clips allow the afterset housings to be ganged together to form an integral afterset assembly. Each alignment clip is configured to slidably engage with a pair of the afterset housings. In one embodiment, the afterset housing includes a preset housing that is normally configured for connection to the raceway panel prior to pouring of the concrete floor, and an adapter connectable to the preset housing and being constructed to reconfigure the preset for use as an afterset housing which is adapted for connection to the raceway panel following pouring of the concrete floor.

Claims

1. An afterset housing for providing access to an underfloor electrical distribution system of the type comprising at least one raceway panel embedded in a concrete floor, the afterset comprising:

a preset housing having an interior compartment generally defined by a bottom wall and a sidewall, the preset housing be normally adapted for connection to said at least one raceway panel prior to pouring of the concrete floor; and

an adapter connectable to the preset housing and being constructed to reconfigure the preset housing for use as said afterset housing which is adapted for connection to said at least one raceway panel following pouring of the concrete floor.

2. An afterset as set forth in claim 1, wherein the adapter slidably engagable with the bottom face of the preset housing.

3. An afterset as set forth in claim 1, wherein the preset housing is formed of metal.

4. An afterset as set forth in claim 1, wherein the preset housing is generally rectangular.

5. An afterset as set forth in claim 1, wherein multiple aftersets can be ganged together to form an integral assembly.

6. An afterset housing for providing access to an underfloor electrical distribution system of the type comprising at least one raceway panel embedded in a concrete floor, said at least one raceway panel having an interior passage defined by a top wall, a bottom wall and a pair of side walls, the afterset being configured for connection to the raceway panels by removing the concrete above said at least one raceway panel, cutting a hole in said at least one raceway panel, and securing the housing in the hole in the raceway, the afterset comprising:

a housing adapted for connection to the top wall of said at least one raceway, the housing having an interior compartment generally defined by a bottom wall and an upwardly extending sidewall, the sidewall being adapted to receive an activation assembly, the bottom wall including an aperture adapted for alignment with the aperture formed in the top wall of the raceway panel to provide access to services that are carried by the raceway; and

means for ganging at least two of the housings together to form an integral assembly, said ganging means comprising at least one alignment clip being adapted to slidably engage with a pair of adapter housings to form an integral assembly.

7. An afterset housing as set forth in claim 6, wherein said ganging means further comprises at least on ganging tab formed on the exterior of each afterset housing, the ganging tabs being configured to receive the alignment clip.

8. An afterset as set forth in claim 6, wherein the preset housing is formed of metal.

9. An afterset as set forth in claim 6, wherein the preset housing is generally rectangular.

10. An afterset as set froth in claim 6, further comprises at least one locking tab adapted to secure the afterset to the top wall of said at least one raceway panel.

11. An afterset as set forth in claim 6, further comprising a radial flange extending downwardly from the bottom wall of the housing and being configured for insertion into the opening in the top wall of the raceway.

12. An underfloor electrical distribution system for placement in a concrete floor comprising:

first and second raceway panels extending generally parallel to each other within the concrete floor, each raceway panel having a top wall, a bottom wall and a pair of side walls defining an interior passage;

a plurality of afterset housings, each housing being configured for connection to one of said first and second raceway panels by removing the concrete above the respective raceway panel, cutting a hole in the respective raceway panel, and securing the afterset housing in the hole in the respective raceway panel; and

a plurality of alignment clips, each clip being adapted to secure two of the afterset housings together to form an integral afterset assembly.

13. An underfloor electrical distribution system as set forth in claim 12, wherein the alignment clips are adapted to slidably engage with the afterset housings.

14. An underfloor electrical distribution system as set forth in claim 12, wherein each afterset housing has an interior compartment generally defined by a bottom wall and an upwardly extending sidewall, the bottom wall including an aperture that aligns with the opening formed in the top wall of a raceway panel when the adapter is connected thereto to provide access to services that are carried by the raceway panel.

15. An underfloor electrical distribution system as set forth in claim 14, wherein each afterset further comprises at least one locking tab adapted to secure the afterset to the top wall of the raceway.

16. An underfloor electrical distribution system as set forth in claim 14, wherein each afterset further comprises a radial flange extending downwardly from the bottom wall of the housing and being configured for insertion into the opening in the top wall of the raceway.

17. An underfloor electrical distribution system as set forth in claim 12, wherein the preset housings are formed of metal.

18. An underfloor electrical distribution system for placement in a concrete floor comprising:

a pair of raceway panels adapted to be positioned on a subfloor prior to pouring of the concrete floor, each raceway panel defining an interior passage and a plurality of preset openings that provide access to the interior passage;

a plurality of preset housings mountable in the preset openings and to provide access to the interior passage of said pair of raceway panels from an upper surface of the concrete floor; and

a plurality of alignment clips, each alignment clip being adapted to secure and align a preset housing carried by a first of the raceway panels with a second preset housing carried by a second of the raceway panels.

19. An underfloor electrical distribution system as set forth in claim 18, wherein each preset housing has a concrete cap and a knockout section, the concrete cap and the knockout section being removable to provide access to an interior compartment of the preset housing, the knockout being configured to align with and lockingly engage with the preset opening to secure the preset to the raceway panel during pouring of the concrete floor, whereby upon hardening of the concrete floor the concrete above the preset can be broken away to permit removal of the concrete cap, whereupon the knockout can be removed to provide access to the interior passage of the raceway panel through the preset.

20. An underfloor electrical distribution system as set forth in claim 18, wherein each preset housing comprises a bottom wall, a side wall extending from the base and defining an upper opening configured to receive the concrete cap.

21. An in-floor electrical distribution system as set forth in claim 18, further comprising a locking tab extending from the bottom wall of the housing, the locking tab being adapted to slidably engage with the raceway panel opening as the knockout protrusion is engaged with the raceway opening.

22. An underfloor electrical distribution system as set forth in claim 18, wherein the preset housings are formed of plastic.

23. An underfloor electrical distribution system as set forth in claim 18, wherein the preset housings are formed of metal.

24. An underfloor electrical distribution system as set forth in claim 23, wherein each preset housing further includes a plurality ribs extending from its bottom wall, the ribs being adapted to engage against the surface of the raceway panel when the preset is mounted on the raceway panel to provide ground continuity between the raceway panel and the preset.

25. An underfloor electrical distribution system as set forth in claim 18, wherein the preset housings are generally rectangular.

26. An underfloor electrical distribution system as set forth in claim 18, wherein the preset further comprises wire retaining clips removable mountable in the interior compartment about the periphery of the knockout section.

27. An underfloor electrical distribution system as set forth in claim 18, wherein the upper opening of the housing is adapted to receive an access assembly upon removal of the concrete cap.

28. A preset for providing access to an underfloor electrical distribution system, the underfloor electrical distribution system comprising at least one raceway panel adapted to be positioned in a concrete floor, the raceway panel defining an interior passage adapted to carry service cables and having an exterior wall defining preset openings that provide access to the interior passage, the preset comprising:

a housing mountable in the preset opening and to provide access to the interior passage of the raceway from an upper surface of the concrete floor; and

ganging means for ganging at least two of the housings together to form an integral assembly, said ganging means comprising at least one adapter clip configured to slidably engage with a pair of preset housings to form an integral assembly.

29. A preset housing as set forth in claim 28, wherein said ganging means further comprises at least one ganging tab formed on the exterior of each afterset housing, the ganging tabs being configured to slidably engage with the adapter clips.