Electrical box mounting bracket
First Claim
1. A bracket for mounting an electrical box on a mounting bar, said bracket comprisingfront and rear jaws movable between open and closed positions, the jaws being movable toward said open position for allowing movement of the bracket relative to the mounting bar and toward said closed position for gripping the mounting bar at a selected position along the mounting bar,said jaws being biased toward said closed position, anda device for attachment of an electrical box to the bracket,wherein each jaw comprises a jaw body adapted for contact with a respective side of the mounting bar and a jaw extension, the jaw extensions of the jaws being squeezable against said bias for moving the jaws toward said open position,wherein said jaws are biased toward said closed position by a spring integrally connecting said jaw bodies in spaced apart relation,wherein said spring comprises two spring members extending between said first and second jaws, andwherein each spring member comprises a front spring portion connected to the front jaw and a rear spring portion connected to the rear jaw, the front spring portion having a first spring rate and the rear spring portion having a second spring rate less than the first spring rate.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A bracket is disclosed for mounting an electrical box on a mounting bar. The bracket comprises a front jaw and a rear jaw. The jaws are movable toward an open position for allowing movement of the bracket relative to the mounting bar and toward a closed position for gripping the mounting bar at a selected position along the mounting bar. The jaws are biased toward the closed position. An electrical box is attached to the front jaw. In one embodiment, the front jaw, rear jaw and a spring for urging the jaws closed are integrally formed from a single piece of sheet metal.
67 Citations
10 Claims
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1. A bracket for mounting an electrical box on a mounting bar, said bracket comprising
front and rear jaws movable between open and closed positions, the jaws being movable toward said open position for allowing movement of the bracket relative to the mounting bar and toward said closed position for gripping the mounting bar at a selected position along the mounting bar, said jaws being biased toward said closed position, and a device for attachment of an electrical box to the bracket, wherein each jaw comprises a jaw body adapted for contact with a respective side of the mounting bar and a jaw extension, the jaw extensions of the jaws being squeezable against said bias for moving the jaws toward said open position, wherein said jaws are biased toward said closed position by a spring integrally connecting said jaw bodies in spaced apart relation, wherein said spring comprises two spring members extending between said first and second jaws, and wherein each spring member comprises a front spring portion connected to the front jaw and a rear spring portion connected to the rear jaw, the front spring portion having a first spring rate and the rear spring portion having a second spring rate less than the first spring rate.
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2. A bracket for mounting an electrical box on a mounting bar, said bracket comprising
front and rear jaws movable between open and closed positions, the jaws being movable toward said open position for allowing movement of the bracket relative to the mounting bar and toward said closed position for gripping the mounting bar at a selected position along the mounting bar, said jaws being biased toward said closed position, and a device for attachment of an electrical box to the bracket, wherein each jaw comprises a jaw body adapted for contact with a respective side of the mounting bar and a jaw extension, the jaw extensions of the jaws being squeezable against said bias for moving the jaws toward said open position, wherein said jaws are biased toward said closed position by a spring integrally connecting said jaw bodies in spaced apart relation, wherein said spring comprises two spring members extending between said first and second jaws, wherein each spring member comprises a front spring portion angling down from the front jaw and a rear spring portion angling down from the rear jaw, and wherein said front and rear jaws and said spring members are formed as a single piece of bent sheet metal.
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9. A bracket for mounting an electrical box on a mounting bar, said bracket comprising
a front jaw adapted for attachment of an electrical box to the jaw, a rear jaw, the front and rear jaws being movable between open and closed positions, the jaws being movable toward said open position for allowing movement of the bracket relative to the mounting bar and toward said closed position for gripping the mounting bar at a selected position along the mounting bar, and a spring urging the jaws toward said closed position, the front jaw, rear jaw and spring being integrally formed as a single piece of sheet metal, wherein said front jaw comprises a front jaw body, said rear jaw comprising a rear jaw body including a pair of spaced apart legs disposed on opposite sides of the front jaw body, wherein said legs have clamping formations extending forward from the legs configured for clamping contact with said mounting bar, wherein said spring comprises a pair of spring members adjacent opposite sides of the front jaw body connecting the front jaw body to the rear jaw, and wherein each spring member comprises a front spring portion angling down from the front jaw and a rear spring portion angling down from the rear jaw, said front spring portion having an upper juncture with the front jaw, said rear spring portion having an upper junction with the rear jaw, and said front and rear spring portions having a lower generally concave juncture with one another.
Specification