Two piece face plate for wall box mounted device
First Claim
1. In combination, a two piece face plate and a wall box mounted device;
- said wall box mounted device having an attached generally thin, flat, rectangular yoke plate, said yoke plate having first and second openings therethrough located on centers which match the center-to-center spacing of threaded openings in said wall box which receive said device;
said yoke plate having third and fourth openings for receiving mounting screws, said third and fourth openings being spaced on centers which match the center-to-center spacing of the mounting openings of a decorative wall plate;
said two piece face plate including an adapter plate and a wall plate;
said adapter plate comprising a generally thin, flat rectangular plate of length and width substantially equal to the length and width respectively of a single wall box;
said adapter plate having first and second openings therein on a center-to-center spacing and with a symmetry equal to that of said third and fourth openings in said yoke plate, whereby said adapter plate can be fastened to said yoke plate in a position parallel to and juxtaposed to said yoke plate and extending across the full opening of said wall box and substantially sealing the entry to said wall box;
said adapter plate further having at least first and second spaced snap connection means accessible from the surface of said adapter plate which faces away from said yoke plate;
said adapter plate further having an access opening therethrough;
said wall plate comprising a generally thin, flat rectangular plate having an opening therethrough in alignment with said access opening and having an interior surface facing said adapter plate and an exterior surface opposite to said interior surface;
at least first and second snap connector means extending from said interior surface of said wall plate and in alignment with said first and second snap connector means respectively of said adapter plate and operable into and out of snap connection therewith;
said exterior surface of said wall plate being undisturbed by features due to plate mounting structures, the length and width of said wall plate being at least equal to the length and width of said adapter plate.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A two piece face plate for wall mounted devices having a rectangular escutcheon is disclosed. An adapter plate having the length and width of the wall box opening is connected to the yoke of a wall box mounted device at the screw openings in the yoke plate reserved for the connection of the wall plate. Snap receiving openings are contained in the adapter plate. A decorative wall plate, which is free of mounting screw openings, has projecting snaps which project into the snap openings in the adapter plate. An internal flange extending from the wall plate produces a shadow around the periphery of the wall plate relative to the wall in which the switch is mounted. A plural gang wall box is disclosed which receives respective devices and respective adaptor plates. A common wall plate is snapped into position relative to all adapter plates.
293 Citations
43 Claims
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1. In combination, a two piece face plate and a wall box mounted device;
- said wall box mounted device having an attached generally thin, flat, rectangular yoke plate, said yoke plate having first and second openings therethrough located on centers which match the center-to-center spacing of threaded openings in said wall box which receive said device;
said yoke plate having third and fourth openings for receiving mounting screws, said third and fourth openings being spaced on centers which match the center-to-center spacing of the mounting openings of a decorative wall plate;
said two piece face plate including an adapter plate and a wall plate;
said adapter plate comprising a generally thin, flat rectangular plate of length and width substantially equal to the length and width respectively of a single wall box;
said adapter plate having first and second openings therein on a center-to-center spacing and with a symmetry equal to that of said third and fourth openings in said yoke plate, whereby said adapter plate can be fastened to said yoke plate in a position parallel to and juxtaposed to said yoke plate and extending across the full opening of said wall box and substantially sealing the entry to said wall box;
said adapter plate further having at least first and second spaced snap connection means accessible from the surface of said adapter plate which faces away from said yoke plate;
said adapter plate further having an access opening therethrough;
said wall plate comprising a generally thin, flat rectangular plate having an opening therethrough in alignment with said access opening and having an interior surface facing said adapter plate and an exterior surface opposite to said interior surface;
at least first and second snap connector means extending from said interior surface of said wall plate and in alignment with said first and second snap connector means respectively of said adapter plate and operable into and out of snap connection therewith;
said exterior surface of said wall plate being undisturbed by features due to plate mounting structures, the length and width of said wall plate being at least equal to the length and width of said adapter plate. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
- said wall box mounted device having an attached generally thin, flat, rectangular yoke plate, said yoke plate having first and second openings therethrough located on centers which match the center-to-center spacing of threaded openings in said wall box which receive said device;
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22. A two piece face plate for a conventional, NEMA conforming, wall box mounted device of the type which is mountable to a conventional, NEMA conforming, wall box and has a rectangular escutcheon extending from a metal yoke plate and a pair of spaced, conventional, NEMA conforming, threaded openings for receiving cover plate retaining screws;
- said two piece face plate comprising;
an adapter plate and a wall plate;
said adapter plate comprising a generally thin, flat rectangular plate of length and width approximately equal to the length and width of a conventional wall box opening and having a central rectangular opening therein of dimension adapted for receiving a rectangular device escutcheon and having first and second spaced openings symmetrically located on a central line through the length of said flat rectangular plate;
said adapter plate further having first snap connector means and being free of means for supporting a wall box mounted device;
said wall plate comprising a generally thin, flat rectangular plate of a length and width each greater than that of said adapter plate and having a rectangular opening therethrough of length and width equal to that of said rectangular opening in said adapter plate and juxtaposed therewith;
said wall plate further having second snap connector means extending from one surface thereof and in alignment with said first snap connector means of said adapter plate and operable into and out of engagement therewith;
whereby said adapter plate is supportable by being connected to the wall box mounted device by screws extending through said first and second openings and engageable in said pair of threaded openings of the wall box mounted device, said adapter plate being operable to enclose the full exposed opening of the wall box. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
- said two piece face plate comprising;
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35. A face plate structure for a plurality of wall box mounted devices which are mounted in a multi-ganged wall box;
- said multi-ganged wall box forming a plurality of spaced volumes for receiving respective ones of said plurality of wall box mounted devices therein;
said plurality of spaced volumes each having a respective set of first and second openings which receive mounting screws for mounting respective ones of said wall box mounted devices in said volumes;
each of said wall box mounted devices having a generally thin flat rectangular yoke plate which has first and second openings therethrough on centers which match the spacing of said first and second sets of openings in said spaced volumes, and having third and fourth openings for receiving the mounting screws of a decorative wall plate;
said face plate structure comprising a plurality of identical adapter plates and a single wall plate;
each of said adapter plates comprising a generally thin, flat rectangular plate of length and width substantially equal to the length and width of the surface opening of any of said plurality of spaced volumes;
each of said adapter plates having first and second openings therein having a center-to-center spacing and a symmetry equal to that of said third and fourth openings in any of said yoke plates, whereby each of said adapter plates can be fastened to a respective one of said plurality of volumes in a position parallel to and juxtaposed to said respective one of said yoke plates and extends across the full opening of its said respective volume and whereby each of said plurality of adapter plates abuts edge-to-edge with all adjacent adapter plates to substantially sell the full entry of said wall box;
said wall plate comprising a single generally thin, flat plate having a height at least equal to the height of said adapter plates and a width equal to at least the total combined width of each of said adapter plates; and
snap connection means for connecting and holding said wall plate in a covering position extending across each of said adapter plates. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
- said multi-ganged wall box forming a plurality of spaced volumes for receiving respective ones of said plurality of wall box mounted devices therein;
Specification