Recessed low voltage mounting assembly

• US 7,816,604 B1
• Filed: 09/19/2008
• Issued: 10/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arlington Industries Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Arlington Industries Incorporated
• Inventors: Gretz, Thomas J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel; Dhiru R
• Application Number:
  US12/284,288
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• Field of Search: 174/58, 174/59, 174/61, 174/64, 174/135, 174/50, 439/535, 248/343, 248/906, 220/4.02, 220/3.2, 220/3.3, 523/17
• US Class Current: 174/58
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2103/00 Two poles
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/76 with sockets, clips or analogous contacts and secured to apparatus or structure, e.g. to a wall
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 25/006 the coupling part being secured to apparatus or structure, e.g. duplex wall receptacle
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/121 in plain walls
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/126 with supporting means for mounting on a single wall stud
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/14 Fastening of cover or lid to box
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 248/906 Electrical outlet box support

Abstract

A recessed low voltage mounting assembly including a low voltage mounting bracket and a trim plate for installing a low voltage electrical component in either old work or new construction. Two options are provided for mounting the assembly to the wall. In new construction, two captive fasteners in the mounting bracket are available to be driven into a stud or other framework of the building. In an old work situation, rotatable flags are provided for securing the assembly to the wall. Adjustment screws for rotating and tightening the flags are accessible through apertures in the trim plate. The assembly recesses the low voltage component behind the wall surface, thereby enabling placement of low voltage devices in close proximity to the wall and mounting assembly. A second embodiment provides a one-piece version of the low voltage mounting assembly in which the trim plate is integral with the bracket.

Claims

1. A recessed low voltage mounting assembly for recessing a low voltage electrical component within a wall comprising:

a low voltage mounting bracket including short sidewalls and long sidewalls having a front edge and a rear edge;

a trim plate integral with and extending from said front edge of said short sidewalls and said long sidewalls, said trim plate including a lateral flange;

a longitudinal brace extending rearward longitudinally from said lateral flange;

a mounting arrangement including rotatable flags for securing said bracket to the wall;

said rotatable flags including flag adjustment screws having a threaded portion and head portion;

said lateral flange of said trim plate including apertures therein in axial alignment with said flag adjustment screws; and

said apertures in said lateral flange of said trim plate of a size larger than said threaded portion of said flag adjustment screws thereby enabling free rotation of said rotatable flags within said apertures in said lateral flange of said trim plate.

2. The recessed low voltage mounting assembly of claim 1 wherein

each of said rotatable flags include a flag member having a bore therein;

each of said flag adjustment screws extend into said bore of said flag member; and

rotation of said flag adjustment screws draw said flag member toward said lateral flange of said trim plate.

3. The recessed low voltage mounting assembly of claim 1 wherein said low voltage mounting bracket includes

a low voltage boss including a flat face thereon;

said low voltage boss is at a distance from said front edge of said short sidewalls thereby recessing the low voltage electrical component within the wall.

4. The recessed low voltage mounting assembly of claim 3 including

a lateral peripheral wall extending inward from said short sidewalls and long sidewalls of said bracket, said lateral peripheral wall including a front face;

a longitudinal wall extending rearward from said lateral peripheral wall to a rear edge and framing a rear opening therein; and

said flat face of said boss is flush with said front face of said lateral peripheral wall.

5. The recessed low voltage mounting assembly of claim 4 including

said longitudinal brace extending rearward longitudinally from said lateral flange to said rear edge of said longitudinal wall;

a recessed area defined by said longitudinal brace and said lateral flange, said recessed area providing space for said rotatable flags to nest when said rotatable flags are rotated to a counterclockwise position; and

said longitudinal brace providing a stop for stopping the rotation of said rotatable flags when said flags are rotated clockwise and stopping said rotatable flags in a position perpendicular to said short sidewalls of said low voltage mounting bracket.

6. The recessed low voltage mounting assembly of claim 1 including

a thick wall portion extending rearward from said lateral flange, said thick wall portion including an aperture therein for supporting each of said flag adjustment screws;

sidewall edges between said long sidewalls and said short sidewalls of said low voltage mounting bracket;

corner braces extending between said sidewall edges and said lateral flange;

a horizontal brace extending along said rear edge of said short sidewall; and

a vertical brace extending between said horizontal brace and said longitudinal wall.

7. A recessed low voltage mounting assembly for recessing a low voltage electrical component within a wall comprising:

a low voltage mounting bracket including short sidewalls, long sidewalls, and a wide flange extending along each of said short sidewalls;

a trim plate including a lateral flange and a rearward extending peripheral flange;

a longitudinal brace extending rearward longitudinally from said wide flange;

a mounting arrangement including rotatable flags for securing said bracket to the wall;

a fastening arrangement for securing said trim plate to said bracket;

said rotatable flags including flag adjustment screws having heads thereon;

said lateral flange of said trim plate including apertures therein in axial alignment with said flag adjustment screws; and

said apertures in said lateral flange of said trim plate of a size larger than said heads of said flag adjustment screws thereby enabling rotation of said rotatable flags with said trim plate secured to said mounting bracket.

8. The recessed low voltage mounting assembly of claim 7 wherein

said flag adjustment screws extend through said lateral flange of said trim plate and through said wide flange of said bracket;

each of said rotatable flags include a flag member having a bore therein;

each of said flag adjustment screws extend into said bore of said flag member; and

rotation of said flag adjustment screws draw said flag member toward said lateral flange of said trim plate.

9. The recessed low voltage mounting assembly of claim 8 including

a second mounting arrangement for securing said bracket to the wall;

and

said second mounting arrangement including captive fasteners held therein in said wide flange of said low voltage mounting bracket.

10. The recessed low voltage mounting assembly of claim 9 wherein

said wide flanges include a double-walled extension having an opening therein;

a short lateral wall extending across said opening of said double-walled extension; and

an aperture in said short lateral wall.

11. The recessed low voltage mounting assembly of claim 10 wherein said captive fastener of said second mounting arrangement is held therein in said aperture of said short lateral wall.

12. The recessed low voltage mounting assembly of claim 11 wherein

said short sidewalls of said low voltage mounting bracket include a front edge;

and

said captive fastener is at an angle of between 40 and 50 degrees with respect to said front edge of said short sidewalls.

13. The recessed low voltage mounting assembly of claim 12 wherein said low voltage mounting bracket includes

a low voltage boss including a flat face thereon;

said boss is at a distance from said front edge of said short sidewalls thereby recessing the low voltage electrical component within the wall.

14. The recessed low voltage mounting assembly of claim 13 including

a lateral peripheral wall extending inward from said short sidewalls and said long sidewalls, said lateral peripheral wall including a front face;

a longitudinal wall extending rearward from said lateral peripheral wall to a rear edge and framing a rear opening therein; and

said flat face of said boss is flush with said front face of said lateral peripheral wall.

15. The recessed low voltage mounting assembly of claim 14 including

said longitudinal brace extending rearward longitudinally from said wide flange to said rear edge of said longitudinal wall;

a recessed area defined by said longitudinal brace and said wide flange, said recessed area providing space for said rotatable flags to nest when said rotatable flags are rotated to a counterclockwise position; and

said longitudinal brace providing a stop for stopping the rotation of said rotatable flags when said rotatable flags are rotated clockwise, said longitudinal brace stopping said rotatable flags in a position perpendicular to said short sidewalls of said low voltage mounting bracket.

16. The recessed low voltage mounting assembly of claim 7 wherein

said long sidewalls and said short sidewalls of said low voltage mounting bracket include an enclosure therein;

and

said rearward extending peripheral flange of said trim plate is of a slightly smaller size than said enclosure of said low voltage mounting bracket thereby enabling said trim plate to align with and nest within said low voltage mounting bracket when said trim plate is pressed therein.

17. The recessed low voltage mounting assembly of claim 8 including

a threaded bore and an aperture in said wide flange of said low voltage mounting bracket;

a first aperture and second aperture said lateral flange of said trim plate; and

said first aperture of said trim plate is in axial alignment with said threaded bore in said low voltage mounting bracket and said second aperture of said trim plate is in axial alignment with said aperture of said low voltage mounting bracket when said trim plate is nested within said low voltage mounting bracket.

18. The recessed low voltage mounting assembly of claim 17 wherein said fastening arrangement includes a fastener for insertion through said first aperture of said trim plate into said threaded bore in said low voltage mounting bracket.

19. The recessed low voltage mounting assembly of claim 17 wherein

said flag adjustment screws extend through said second apertures in said trim plate and through said apertures in said wide flange of said low voltage mounting bracket and terminate in said bore in said flag member, and

said flag adjustment screws turn freely in said second apertures in said trim plate and said apertures in said wide flange of said low voltage mounting bracket thereby enabling rotation of said flag member with rotation of each of said flag adjustment screws.

20. The recessed low voltage mounting assembly of claim 7 including

an alignment tab extending outwards from said long sidewall of said low voltage mounting bracket;

said alignment tab enabling alignment of said low voltage mounting bracket at a proper depth with respect to a stud thereby enabling the front edge of said bracket to align flush with the face of the wall.