Self-supporting electrical fixture support

• US 7,381,892 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2006
• Issued: 06/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thomas & Betts International LLC (ABB Limited)
• Original Assignee: Thomas & Betts International Incorporated (ABB Limited)
• Inventors: Dinh, Cong Thanh, Archer, John Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Estrada; Angel R.
• Application Number:
  US11/635,740
• Publication Number:
  US 20070079981A1
• Time in Patent Office: 544 Days
• Field of Search: 174/480, 174/481, 174/50, 174/53, 174/57, 174/58, 174/60, 174/61, 174/135, 174/503, 174/62, 174/63, 220/3.2, 220/3.3, 220/3.4, 220/3.5, 220/3.6, 220/3.7, 220/3.8, 220/3.9, 220/4.02, 439/535, 248/27.1, 248/205.1, 248/200, 248/906, 248/300
• US Class Current: 174/58
• 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 electrical outlet box and/or assembly is attachable to the wall stud. The assembly in one embodiment includes an outlet box having a perimetrical side wall, a back wall and open front face defining a box interior. The assembly may also include a communications frame or a ceiling light box. A mounting bracket is integrally formed with the box and extends from the side wall. The mounting bracket includes, integrally formed therewith, an attachment structure for directly securing the bracket to the stud and positionally fixing the bracket without the use of additional securement hardware. The bracket may be a U-shaped member having a planar face abutting the face of the stud and a pair of spaced apart arms extending therefrom for engagement with opposite sides of the stud.

Claims

1. An assembly for supporting an electrical fixture to a structural stud comprising:

a support for terminating an electrical fixture; and

a mounting bracket formed integrally with said support for placement on said structural stud;

said mounting bracket having formed thereon stud attachment structure for directly securing and positionally fixing said bracket to the structural stud without use of additional securement hardware;

said stud attachment structure including a frame surrounding a resilient gripping element extending in cantilevered fashion from said frame, said gripping element being deflectable to allow attachment of said bracket to said stud and resiliently positionable in biting engagement with said stud to secure said bracket thereon.

2. An assembly of claim 1 wherein said bracket and said support are integrally molded.

3. An assembly of claim 1 wherein said fixture support includes a single gang outlet box.

4. An assembly of claim 1 wherein said fixture support includes a multi-gang outlet box.

5. An assembly of claim 1 wherein said fixture support includes a communications fixture frame.

6. An assembly of claim 1 wherein said fixture support includes an outlet box and a communications fixture frame.

7. An assembly of claim 1 wherein said bracket is a U-shaped member having a front face and a pair of spaced apart arms extending therefrom.

8. An assembly of claim 7 wherein said gripping elements extend from said arms.

9. An assembly of claim 7 including a stiffening rib on at least one end of said face.

10. An assembly of claim 7 wherein said bracket includes at least one slot extending from one of said arms across said face.

11. A method of securing an electrical fixture to a structural stud, the electrical fixture being mounted to a support having a first side wall and a mounting bracket extending from this side wall, the mounting bracket having resiliently deflectable gripping elements thereon, the improvement comprising the step of directly positioning the bracket over the stud to resiliently deflect said gripping elements permitting said positioning of bracket on said stud and for placing said resilient gripping elements in biting engagement with said stud securing the support to the stud and for positionally fixing the support to the stud without use of additional securement hardware.

12. The method as set forth in claim 11 further comprising the step of integrally forming the support and the bracket.

13. The method as set forth in claim 11 further comprising the step of forming said support and said bracket of non-metallic material.

14. The method as set forth in claim 11 further comprising the step of forming an alignment aperture in said bracket.

15. The method as set forth in claim 11 further comprising the step of terminating wires in said support after said support is secured and positionally fixed to the stud without the use of additional securement hardware.

16. The method as set forth in claim 14 further including the steps of:

placing a scribed mark on said structural stud; and

aligning said mounting bracket with said alignment aperture over said scribed mark.