Knockout for electrical box

• US 9,029,716 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2012
• Issued: 05/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thomas & Betts International LLC (ABB Limited)
• Original Assignee: Thomas & Betts International Incorporated (ABB Limited)
• Inventors: Lupsa, Ioan-Liviu, Goyette, Andre, Lalancette, Daniel, Veillette, Marc-Antoine
• Primary Examiner(s): Thompson, Timothy
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIZZUTO, CHARLES M
• Application Number:
  US13/668,423
• Publication Number:
  US 20130175086A1
• Time in Patent Office: 918 Days
• Field of Search: 174/666
• US Class Current: 174/666
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/085 including knock-out or tear-out sections

Abstract

A knockout structure for a wall of an electrical box includes a cutout that penetrates through the thickness of the wall to form a knockout on an interior of the cutout along a substantial perimeter of the knockout. The knockout structure also includes a first bridge section interrupting continuity of the cutout and maintaining a connection between the wall and the knockout. The knockout structure further includes a second bridge section interrupting continuity of the cutout and maintaining a connection between the wall and the knockout, the second bridge section being different than the first bridge section and on a same half of the perimeter of the knockout.

Claims

1. A knockout structure for a wall of an electrical box, the knockout structure comprising:

a cutout forming a knockout on an interior of the cutout, the cutout penetrating through the thickness of the wall along a substantial perimeter of the knockout;

a first bridge section interrupting continuity of the cutout and maintaining a connection between the wall and the knockout; and

a second bridge section interrupting continuity of the cutout and maintaining a connection between the wall and the knockout, the second bridge section being different than the first bridge section and on a same half of the perimeter of the knockout.

2. The knockout structure of claim 1, wherein the knockout is substantially circular.

3. The knockout structure of claim 2, wherein the first bridge section and the second bridge section are separated along the perimeter of the knockout by less than ninety degrees.

4. The knockout structure of claim 2, wherein the first bridge section and the second bridge section are separated along the perimeter of the knockout by less than thirty degrees.

5. The knockout structure of claim 1, wherein the width of first bridge section is equal to width of second bridge section.

6. The knockout structure of claim 1, wherein the width of the first bridge section is configured to provide one-half of a required knockout strength for the knockout.

7. The knockout structure of claim 1, wherein the width of first bridge section and the width of second bridge section, when combined, are configured to provide a required knockout strength for the knockout, and

wherein, when the knockout is removed, an effective diameter of the cutout is larger than an effective diameter that would result from use of a single bridge section providing the same required knockout strength.

8. The knockout structure of claim 1, wherein the wall includes an indention adjacent to the first bridge section with a straight edge outside the interior of the cutout.

9. The knockout structure of claim 1, wherein the width of the first bridge section is less than five percent of the perimeter of the knockout.

10. The knockout structure of claim 1, wherein the width of the first bridge section and the width of second bridge section, when combined, are less than ten percent of the perimeter of the knockout.

11. The knockout structure of claim 1, wherein the wall comprises galvanized steel.

12. The knockout structure of claim 1, wherein the cutout is formed using a punching process.

13. An electrical box, comprising:

a wall extending perpendicularly from a base; and

the wall including a knockout, wherein the knockout includes;

a cutout extending around a majority of the knockout, the cutout penetrating through the thickness of the wall,

a first bridge section interrupting continuity of the cutout, and

a second bridge section interrupting continuity of the cutout, the second bridge section being different than the first bridge section and on a same half of a perimeter of the knockout.

14. The electrical box of claim 13, wherein the knockout is substantially circular and wherein, when the knockout is removed, an effective diameter of the cutout is at least ninety eight percent of a largest diameter of the cutout.

15. The electrical box of claim 13, wherein the first bridge section and the second bridge section are separated along a perimeter of the cutout by less than thirty degrees.

16. The electrical box of claim 13, wherein a combined width of the first bridge section and width of the second bridge section are configured to provide a required knockout strength for the knockout.

17. A knockout structure for a wall of an electrical box, the knockout structure comprising:

a cutout, the cutout penetrating through the thickness of the wall to form a substantially circular knockout; and

a bridge section interrupting continuity of the cutout and maintaining an attachment between the wall and the knockout,

wherein the knockout is configured to be separated from the wall by detaching the knockout at the bridge section, and

wherein, when separated from the wall, the knockout is configured to detach at a detachment line along the bridge section such that the detachment line is located outside a diameter of the substantially circular knockout.

18. The knockout structure of claim 17, wherein the cutout includes tangential lines extending between a substantially circular section of the cutout and a portion of the bridge section outside the diameter of the substantially circular knockout.

19. The knockout structure of claim 17, wherein the cutout includes tangential arcs extending between a substantially circular section of the cutout and a portion of the bridge section outside the diameter of the substantially circular knockout.

20. The knockout structure of claim 17, wherein the bridge section includes an indention in the wall, wherein the indentation includes a straight edge outside the interior of the cutout.