Electrical box for concrete walls

• US 7,449,633 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2006
• Issued: 11/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thomas & Betts International LLC (ABB Limited)
• Original Assignee: Thomas & Betts International Incorporated (ABB Limited)
• Inventors: Lalancette, Daniel, Lupsa, Ioan Liviu
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, DHIRUBHAI R
• Application Number:
  US11/512,473
• Publication Number:
  US 20070044986A1
• Time in Patent Office: 804 Days
• Field of Search: 174/58, 174/57, 174/50, 220/4.02, 439/535, 248/906, 361/826
• US Class Current: 174/58
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/121 in plain walls
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 248/906 Electrical outlet box support

Abstract

An electrical outlet box for accommodating an electrical fixture includes a generally rectangular box having a back wall, a perimetrical side wall surrounding said back wall defining an open front face and a box interior, said side wall includes of a first and second set of generally parallel spaced apart wall portions; and a slidable extension nested within said generally rectangular box, that can be moved from within the generally rectangular box to an extended position beyond the open front face.

Claims

1. An electrical outlet box for accommodating an electrical fixture comprising:

a generally rectangular box having a back wall;

a perimetrical side wall surrounding said back wall defining an open front face and a box interior;

a slidable extension nested within said generally rectangular box, that can be moved from within said generally rectangular box to an extended position beyond said open front face, said slideable extension securable in said extended position beyond said open front face, and at least one resilient locking tab, said resilient locking tab configured to secure said slideable extension in said extended position beyond said open front, and at least one outwardly directed collar extending from one pair of parallel wall portions adjacent said open front face; and

at least one movable fastening structure slideably held within said collar for rigidly mounting said electrical outlet box to a structural member.

2. An electrical outlet box of claim 1 having a movable mounting tab for accommodating a ground screw.

3. An electrical outlet box of claim 1, wherein said movable fastening structure has a notch for facilitating removal of a portion of said movable fastening structures.

4. An electrical outlet box of claim 3 wherein said notch is located at a predetermined point along said movable fastening structure that corresponds to the distance said fastening structure protrudes from a finished wall.

5. An electrical outlet box of claim 1, further including frangible elements on said side wall and said back wall for creating an opening into said box interior.

6. An electrical outlet box of claim 5, wherein said frangible elements are generally circular.

7. An electrical outlet box of claim 6, wherein said frangible elements include an oval shaped frangible port located approximately at the center of said frangible element.

8. An electrical outlet box of claim 1, wherein said extended position beyond said open front face is a predetermined distance that corresponds to the depth of a wall finish material.