Threaded snap in connector

• US 6,596,939 B1
• Filed: 12/26/2001
• Issued: 07/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arlington Industries Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Arlington Industries Incorporated
• Inventors: Gretz, Thomas J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Reichard, Dean A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Estrada, Angel R.
• Application Number:
  US10/034,152
• Time in Patent Office: 573 Days
• Field of Search: 174/65.R, 174/50, 174/151, 174/845, 174/152.G, 174/153.G, 174/153.R, 439/142, 439/552, 439/144, 439/578, 439/411, 439/439, 439/460, 439/98, 403/197, 285/194, 285/921, 285/154.1, 285/146.1
• US Class Current: 174/359
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 5/00 Devices for use where pipes, cables or protective tubing pass through walls or partitions passing insulated pipes through walls F16L59/121; arrangements for leading electric cables or lines through walls, floors or ceilings H02G3/22
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/083 Inlets

Abstract

The disclosure shows an electrical connector with both a snap ring and threaded end for fastening the connector to an access hole in an electrical junction box. The snap ring has snap lock tangs to hold the connector in the box and resist pull out forces. The snap ring also has grounding tangs for grounding the connector. Also, the connector has locking tabs that are designed to be seated in apertures located in the leading end of the connector. The connector has a threaded leading end having a standard pitch, which has been truncated to a smaller diameter. As the snap ring is very thin, it can be easily stamped from thin spring steel or its equivalent and mass-produced at a low unit cost. The snap locking tangs are deflected inward as they are pushed into a typical access hole in an outlet box or electrical panel. The thinness of the snap ring wall permits the snap ring to enter the hole of the electrical junction box and lock the ring and connector together to resist being pulled out. If the installer feels the connector should be threaded into a threaded access aperture or that a standard lock nut should be installed; it is only necessary to use a screwdriver or other tool to manually remove the snap ring and expose the truncated threads. The snap ring may have the leading and trailing edges turned inward for stabilizing the snap ring.

Claims

1. A threaded snap in connector for attachment to an electrical junction box:

A connector having a trailing end portion;

A leading end portion on said connector having a leading edge;

A flange separating said trailing end portion from said leading end portion;

A first depression on said leading end portion near said flange;

Threads on said leading end portion;

A second depression on said leading end portion adjacent said leading edge of said leading end portion;

A third depression located in said leading end portion;

A removable annular shaped metal snap ring with a leading edge and a trailing edge surrounding said leading end portion;

Inward turned portions on said leading edge portion and said trailing edge portion of said snap ring;

A locking tab on said snap ring extending inwardly from said snap ring into said third depression to prevent said snap ring from being removed in a linear forward direction from said threaded portion; and

A snap locking tang on said snap ring and extending outwardly to resist the connector from being pulled from an electric junction box.

2. The connector of claim 1 where said annular shape snap ring has a first end in the form of a tongue and a second end in the form of a groove with said two ends meeting each other to complete the annulus.

3. The connector of claim 1 where said annular shaped snap ring has a thickness of from approximately 0.013 to approximately 0.022 inches.

4. The connector of claim 1 where said annular shaped snap ring has a thickness of from approximately 0.017 to approximately 0.018 inches.

5. The connector of claim 1 where said annular shaped snap ring has a grounding tang extending outward and rearwardly of said trailing edge of said annular shaped snap ring.

6. The connector of claim 1 where said locking tab is angled inwardly and forwardly.

7. The connector of claim 6, wherein said depression further includes:

A vertical forward wall in said third depression;

An abutment edge at the end of said locking tab; and

Said abutment edge abutting said vertical forward wall to prevent said annular shaped snap ring from moving forward in a linear direction.

8. The connector of claim 7, which further includes:

Two opposite side walls in said third depression;

Two opposite side walls on said locking tab; and

Said side walls on said locking tab adjacent said side walls in said third depression to prevent said annular shaped snap ring from rotating relative to said connector.

9. The connector of claim 1, which further includes:

Said locking tab is angled inwardly and forwardly with two sides;

Said snap locking tang is angled outwardly and rearwardly with two sides; and

An opening adjacent to and shared between said locking tab and said snap locking tang.

10. The connector of claim 1, wherein said threads are truncated normal trade size threads.

11. The connector of claim 1 wherein said leading end portion has a small raised portion between said flange and said turned inward portion of said trailing edge of said snap ring.

12. An electrical junction box connector comprising:

An electrical junction box having an access hole with an inside wall of a standard trade size;

A threaded snap in connector attached to said electrical junction box through said access hole;

A trailing end portion on said connector;

A leading end portion on said connector;

A flange separating said trailing end portion from said leading end portion;

A first depression on said leading end portion near said flange;

A second depression on said leading end portion adjacent said leading edge of said leading end portion;

Threads on said leading end portion;

A third depression located in said leading end portion;

A removable annular shaped snap ring with a leading edge and a trailing edge surrounding said leading end portion;

Inward turned portions on said leading edge and said trailing edge of said snap ring;

A locking tab on said snap ring extending inwardly from said snap ring into said third depression to prevent said snap ring from being removed in a linear forward direction from said leading end portion; and

A snap locking tang on said snap ring and extending outwardly to resist the connector from being pulled from said electric junction box.

13. The junction box connection of claim 12 has a first end in the form of a tongue and a second end in the form of a groove with said two ends meeting each other to complete the annulus.

14. The junction box connection of claim 12 where said annular shaped snap ring has a thickness of from approximately 0.013 to approximately 0.022 inches.

15. The junction box connection of claim 12 where said annular shaped snap ring has a thickness of from approximately 0.017 to approximately 0.018 inches.

16. The junction box connection of claim 12 where said annular shaped snap ring has a grounding tang extending outward and rearwardly of said trailing edge of said annular shaped snap ring with said grounding tang in electrical contact with said inside wall of said access hole.

17. The junction box connection of claim 12 where said locking tab is angled inwardly and forwardly.

18. The junction box connection of claim 17 which further includes:

A vertical forward wall in said third depression;

Two opposite sidewalls on said locking tab;

An abutment edge of the end of said locking tab;

Two opposite sidewalls on said locking tab;

Said abutment edge abutting said vertical forward wall to prevent said annular shaped snap ring from moving forward in a linear direction; and

Said side walls on said locking tab adjacent said side walls in said third depression prevent said annular shaped snap ring from rotating relative to said connector.

19. The junction box connection of claim 13 wherein said tongue and said groove are substantially rectangular with closely facing side walls that slide past one another.

20. A method of making an electrical junction box connection including the following:

Providing an electrical junction box having a wall and an access hole, with an inside wall in the access hole of a standard trade size;

Providing a threaded snap in connector having a leading end portion and a trailing end portion a flange, separating the trailing end portion and said leading end portion and threads and a depression on the leading end portion;

Providing a removable annular shaped snap ring surrounding the leading end portion with inwardly turned portions on the leading edge and trailing edge;

Providing a locking tab on said snap ring angled inwardly and forwardly and entering the depression to prevent the snap ring from moving forwardly with respect to the connector and to prevent rotation with respect to the connector;

Providing a snap locking tang on the snap ring angled rearwardly and outwardly;

Determining whether to use a threaded connector or a snap ring for holding the connector to the junction box;

If the decision is to use a snap ring;

Pushing the connector toward the access hole with the snap locking tang being forced inward until the junction box wall is cleared and snap locking the connector to the junction box;

If the decision is to use a threaded connector;

(1) Removing the annular ring by lifting the locking tab out of the depression;

(2) Providing either an access hole with a threaded opening or a threaded lock nut; and

(3) Screwing the connector into the threaded access hole or pushing the connector into the access hole and holding in place by a locking nut.