Wall outlet box for a dryer vent exhaust conduit with pipe support tab

• US 7,731,045 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2006
• Issued: 06/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inovate Acquisition Company
• Original Assignee: Richard J. Harpenau
• Inventors: Harpenau, Richard J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Stashick; Anthony
• Assistant Examiner(s): Braden; Shawn M
• Application Number:
  US11/550,568
• Publication Number:
  US 20080093359A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,329 Days
• Field of Search: 220/3.2, 220/3.3, 220/3.7, 174/58, 174/59, 174/64
• US Class Current: 220/3.2
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/123 in thin walls

Abstract

A wall outlet box having a plurality of walls defining an enclosure open at the front thereof is provided. The enclosure can include a back, opposing sides, a top, and a bottom. Forward facing edges of the enclosure can define a front periphery with a mounting lip extending therefrom for mounting the outlet box into a wall. At least one port is provided to engage with a dryer exhaust conduit and at least one measurement member extends from an edge of the port. The at least one measurement member can extend to at least a length approximately equal to a length of the protruding exhaust conduit sufficient to securely attach a flexible hose thereto, such that the exhaust conduit may be placed against the measurement member as a template prior to installation and cutting of the exhaust conduit and the outlet box.

Claims

1. A wall outlet box, comprising:

a plurality of walls defining an enclosure open at a front thereof, said enclosure including a back surface, a pair of opposing side surfaces, a top surface, and a bottom surface, wherein said opposing side surfaces, said bottom surface and said top surface have forward facing edges defining a front periphery;

a mounting lip extending outwardly from at least a portion of said front periphery for mounting said wall outlet box into a wall;

at least one port in at least one of said opposing side surfaces, said back surface and said top surface to engage with an exhaust conduit, whereby a flexible hose can be securely attached to a protruding portion of the exhaust conduit and at least a portion of the flexible hose can be housed in said enclosure; and

at least one measurement member extending across a portion of said at least one port such that the exhaust conduit may be placed against said at least one measurement member as a template prior to installation and cutting of the exhaust conduit and the outlet box, wherein the measurement member comprises first and second flexible portions, wherein the first flexible portion is adapted to be rotated in a downward direction in a plane perpendicular to a plane of said at least one port, wherein the second flexible portion is adapted to be rotated in an upward direction in a plane parallel to the plane of said at least one port thereby defining a protruding lip, wherein the first and second flexible portions when rotated define a conduit support portion having an L-shape and being adapted to support the exhaust conduit.

2. The wall outlet box of claim 1, wherein said mounting lip is configured to allow said wall outlet box to be mounted to at least one vertical wall stud in a stud wall.

3. The wall outlet box of claim 1, wherein said top surface, said bottom surface, and said opposing side surfaces flare outwardly from said back surface to said front periphery.

4. The wall outlet box of claim 1, wherein said bottom surface is adapted to guide the flexible hose towards the exhaust conduit.

5. The wall outlet box of claim 4, wherein said back surface and said bottom surface are curved such that at least a portion of said back surface and said bottom surface comprise a substantially continuous surface.

6. The wall outlet box of claim 1, wherein the at least one measurement member is frangibly removable from the at least one port.

7. The wall outlet box of claim 1, wherein the wall outlet box is constructed from heat resistant materials selected from the group consisting of metal alloys, fiberglass, ceramic materials, and plastic materials.

8. A wall outlet box, comprising:

a plurality of walls defining an enclosure open at a front thereof, the enclosure having a front periphery;

a mounting lip extending outwardly from at least a portion of said front periphery for mounting said wall outlet box into a wall;

at least one port in at one of the plurality of walls to engage with an exhaust conduit, whereby a flexible hose can be securely attached to a protruding portion of the exhaust conduit and at least a portion of the flexible hose can be housed in said enclosure; and

at least one measurement member extending across a portion of said at least one port such that the exhaust conduit may be placed against said at least one measurement member as a template prior to installation and cutting of the exhaust conduit and the outlet box, wherein the measurement member comprises first and second flexible portions that are adapted for rotation into an L-shape having a protruding lip, wherein the L-shape defines a conduit support portion adapted to support the exhaust conduit.

9. The wall outlet box of claim 8, wherein the first flexible portion is adapted to be rotated in a downward direction in a plane perpendicular to a plane of said at least one port.

10. The wall outlet box of claim 8, wherein the second flexible portion is adapted to be rotated in an upward direction in a plane parallel to the plane of said at least one port thereby defining the protruding lip.

11. The wall outlet box of claim 8, wherein said enclosure includes a back surface, a pair of opposing side surfaces, a top surface, and a bottom surface, wherein said opposing side surfaces, said bottom surface and said top surface have forward facing edges defining the front periphery.

12. The wall outlet box of claim 8, wherein the plurality of walls comprise a bottom surface adapted to guide the flexible hose towards the exhaust conduit.

13. The wall outlet box of claim 11, wherein said back surface and said bottom surface are curved such that at least a portion of said back surface and said bottom surface comprise a substantially continuous surface.

14. The wall outlet box of claim 8, wherein the at least one measurement member is frangibly removable from the at least one port.