MXPA06001868A - Recessed floor box cover assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a recessed floor box assembly including a cover and floor box housing designed to be adaptable to the cover. The cover is designed to be removable and repositionable for covering the open face of the box housing in either the closed or open positions. The cover can be selectively positioned to open or close an access opening into the box housing while still retaining a covering on the box housing.

Description

COVER ASSEMBLY FOR BUILT-IN FLAT BOX CROSS REFERENCE WITH RELATED APPLICATION This requirement claims priority of the provisional application of the United States of America No. 60 / 653,336, filed on February 16, 2005, which is incorporated herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to recessed floor boxes that house wires or power cables and communication for termination. More specifically, the present invention relates to a recessed floor box assembly with a removable rotating press cover that can be reinsected to cover the box while it is either in service or while not in service.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is well known to lay electrical wires and telecommunication wires under the floor surface. These cables and electrical systems can be placed below the floor surface to be more efficient in supplying power and data / telecommunication signals in commercial differencies. Cables and electrical cables below the floor can be accessed through a hole in the floor surface. In order to provide convenient access to the wires or cables, as well as termination devices that terminate the wires, a floor box is typically placed in the hole through the floor. The cables are typically housed in ducts that are placed below the floor surface. These ducts are typically made of metal, ie, steel, iron, aluminum, etc., by structural rigidity to support the weight of the floor on top of the ducts. After the ducts are properly placed on the floor, then the concrete covers the ducts to create the actual floor surface. The thickness of the concrete floor, and the depth at which the ducts should be buried in the floor, are usually regulated by local building codes. The floor boxes can be integrated into the ducts before the concrete is poured. However, in most cases, the concrete floor is emptied over the ducts and then holes are drilled in the floor to insert the floor boxes that are connected to the duct. With many of the electrical boxes, especially those used for domestic termination devices placed inside a floor, it is desirable to build the box to be water resistant, to protect the components housed therein. The undesirable accumulation of water inside the box can be detrimental to these components. Various electrical codes and standards such as those published by Under riters Laboratories (UL) require that floor boxes have a certain degree of water resistance, that is, resistance to water ingress for a period of time. The technique has seen a wide variety of box constructions that are designed to prevent the accumulation of water inside the box. Many of these designs use gaskets that interpose between the box and the cover of the box to prevent the entry of water between them. Although these joints adequately prevent water ingress, the structure of the joint depends on the precise assembly of the components, including the joints.

Many of these electrical floor boxes have covers or access panels that can be opened to provide access to the interior of the box to install sockets to make connections for wires and cables. The covers of the floor boxes are always open when they are in use. In this way, the cover can not be closed or put back on the box when the wires or cables are connected to the inside of the box. Alternatively, some of the covers of the floor boxes may have a small access on them. The door or access allows the cover to be in a closed position, while the wires can exit through the access. Nevertheless, the access itself protrudes from above the cover which can slip away and may also create a trip hazard. In addition, it is desirable to provide a cover assembly having a removable rotary press cover to cover a box if it is in the open or closed positions. It is also desirable to provide a cover assembly having a removable rotary press cover that is capable of operating to selectively open or close the access opening to the box without protruding parts that can detach or create a trip hazard.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention discloses a floor box cover assembly having a floor box housing that includes a bottom surface, a vertical wall surrounding the surface ending in an open face, and a tongue projecting toward an interior of the floor. Accommodation that has a practically level surface with an open face. The assembly also includes a removable, removable cover, which includes a gripping portion adapted to align with the tab of the housing of the box such that when the cover is placed on top of the housing of the housing. the box, the notched portion of exit aligns with the tab to completely enclose the open face thus preventing access through it. The cover is also capable of being repositioned for placement on the upper part of the housing of the box such that the outlet notch portion no longer aligns with the tongue, thus providing an opening that allows the threads to pass through.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a perspective view of the floor box assembly with the components, the floor box and the cover according to the present invention. Figure 2 is a perspective view of the surface below the cover according to the present invention. Figure 3 is a perspective view of the floor box assembly in a "no service" or closed position according to the present invention. Figure 4 is a perspective view of the floor box assembly in an "in service" or open position according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODALITIES The present invention provides a cover assembly for a recessed floor box, more particularly a recessed floor box assembly that employs a cover or cover to cover the box while it is in service or while it is not in service. The cover is removable and repositionable layers to selectively open or close an access opening in the box. The floor box cover assembly of the present invention is water resistant, thus keeping the covered electrical connections dry and free of any contamination. Referring to Figure 1, there is shown a perspective view of the cover assembly for floor box 10 of the present invention. The cover assembly for floor box 10 is used in combination with a floor box housing 20 to provide for the termination of the energy, communication and communication through it. The embodiment of FIGURE 1 shows a generally rectangular deposit section 20 including a flat bottom surface 21 and a vertical wall 22 that encircles all four sides of the surface 21 terminating in a generally rectangular open face 24 . This generally rectangular open face 24 defined by the housing of the floor box 20 allows insertion therein within both power receptacles or contacts and communication / data for connection to data and electrical wires. As shown by way of example, the electrical contacts 25 are located in the lower surface 21 of the housing 20, and the opening 24 allows access to these contacts 25. A slot 23 is provided in an upper edge of one side of the wall vertical 22 as shown in Figure 1 to assist in dismounting the cover 12 of the housing 20. In this embodiment, the housing of the floor box includes retainers 26 on the upper edge of the vertical wall 22 which are used in conjunction with the cover assembly 10 for separating and reassembling the cover to the housing of the floor box 20 as will be described in more detail below. Additionally, as shown in Figure 1, housing 20 of the floor box includes also a projection or a tongue 27 projecting towards the interior of the housing 20. The tongue 27 has an upper surface 27a which is flush with the open face 24. The tongue 27 is preferably placed in the middle of one side of a wall 22 and is designed to align with the cover assembly 10 as will be described in more detail below. The housing 20 of the floor box can be integrally or unitarily formed of a suitable plastic material such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and can be formed through a wide variety of known plastic forming techniques. further, the housing 20 of the floor box can be formed of different metallic materials as is known in the art. It is within the contemplation of the invention that the housing 20 of the floor box can be any of a variety of shapes, for example, round, square, rectangular, octagonal, oval or some other form as is known in the art, and designed to adapt to the floor box cover assemblies described herein. For brevity, only the rectangular version is described in detail. Referring to both of Figures 1 and 2, there is shown a version of the cover assembly 10 for floor box of the present invention. The cover assembly 10 may preferably be formed of any metal or plastic material known in the art. As shown, the cover assembly 10 includes a flat member or cover 12 having an upper surface 12a. The cover assembly 10 for floor box in this embodiment is generally rectangular in shape to fit on the open face 24 of the housing 20. The cover includes an outlet notch portion 12b preferably positioned in the middle of one side of the cover 12 to align with the tongue 27 of the housing 20 of the floor box. Referring to the hour in I to Fig. 2, there is shown a lower surface 12c of the cover 12. The underside of the cover 12 includes a pair of engaging elements 14 located on its opposite edges. The engaging elements 14 are designed for pressure-resilient coupling with the retainers 26 on the upper edge of the vertical wall 22 of the housing 20 of the floor box, thereby securing the cover assembly 10 to the housing 20 of the floor box . In order to separate the cover 12 from the housing 20 from the floor box, a finger or tool can be inserted into the slot 23 of the housing 20 of the floor box, which resiliently forces the engaging elements 14 to disengage from the detents 26, thus separating the cover 12 from the housing 20 from the housing. Referring now to Figure 3, there is shown a perspective view of the cover assembly 10 and the box housing 20 assembled together in a "not in service" or "closed" position. In this position, the cover assembly 10 is arranged in such a way that the notch 12b is placed over the tongue 27. In other words, in this position, the open face 24 of the housing 20 of the floor box is completely covered and not There is access or opening provided for the wiring to pass through or to the floor box. Referring to Figure 4, there is shown a perspective view of the cover assembly 10 and the box housing 20 assembled together in an "in service" or "open" position. In this position, the box housing 20 is covered with the cover assembly 10 after it has been removed, rotated and repositioned. In this position, the notch 12b of the cover 12 is not aligned with the tongue 27 of the floor box, thereby creating an opening 40 therethrough for the entry of wires or cables. The cover assembly 10 for floor box of the present invention provides a means for covering the box housing 20 while it is either in service, or while not in service. Referring again to FIG. 3, the cover assembly 10 is assembled with the box housing 20 in a position "not in service". In this position, the cover 12 is placed in the upper part of the box housing 20 with the hooking elements 14 facing the open face 24 of the box. The notch 12b in the cover 12 is aligned with the tongue 27 of the housing housing 20 and with a little force, the engaging elements 14 fit directly into the retainers 26 of the housing housing 20, thereby securing the cover 12 on the housing of box 20 and completely covering the open face 24. However, when the service is required, that is, the wiring needs to enter the housing 20 of the box, the cover 12 is removed from the housing 20 of the box. This is achieved by a finger or a tool inserted in the slot 23 of the housing 20 of the box, forcing the latching elements 14 to disengage from the detents 26, thus separating the cover 12 from the housing 20 from the box. The cover 12 is then removed and repositioned, (preferably after being rotated approximately 180 degrees for the rectangular boxes, possibly less for other box configurations) and then pushed back into place by forcing the engaging elements. to fit into the seals 26 of the box, thereby securing the cover 12 back onto the housing 20 of the box. However, in this new position, the notch 12b of the cover 12 is no longer aligned with the tongue 27 of the housing 20 of the box as shown in Figure 4. The notch 12b of the cover 12 now provides the opening 40 for that the wires or wires enter the housing 20 of the box.

Therefore, this assembly of the cover assembly 10 and the box housing 20 is known as the "in service" position. Regardless of which position is selected, there is nothing that extends above the surface of the floor that could create a trip hazard. Although the cover assembly 10 of the present invention as shown and described is rectangular in shape, it is understood that the cover assembly may include other shapes such as square, round, oval, octagonal or other different shapes known in the art. Additionally, as mentioned above, the housing 20 of the floor box would then be designed to conform to the shape of the cover assembly 10. As such, if the shape of the cover assembly 10 is square, then the box housing 20 can be designed in such a way that the cover 12 only needs to be rotated preferably 90 degrees as opposed to 180 degrees which would be the case if the cover assembly 10 is rectangular in shape. Additionally, if the cover assembly 10 is round, then the box 20 is designed in such a manner that the cover frame 12 needs only to be rotated preferably approximately 120 degrees. Other quantities would also suffice. In a preferred alternate embodiment, a joint 50 shown in Figure 1 can be positioned between the housing housing 20 and the cover assembly 10 to prevent water or any other liquid from entering beyond the open face 24 to protect the electrical contacts 25 on the bottom surface 21 of the box housing 20. The cover assembly 10 may include a slot (not shown) disposed on the bottom surface thereof. The gasket 50 can be sized to fit within the groove and be retained in place by friction adjustment or adhesive or some other means. Alternatively, the gasket 50 can be placed as shown in Figure 1 along the periphery of the open face 24. When the cover 10 is in the non-closed position, i.e. the cover assembly 10 and the box housing 20 are assembled together, board 50 is engaged and a waterproof seal is created between cover 12 and box housing 20. Additionally, an edge (not shown) can preferably be placed around open face 24 to assist to compress the joint 50 uniformly to create an even greater liquid-tight seal.

Although the particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications can be made without departing from the teachings of the invention. The material set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is given by way of illustration only and not as a limitation. The actual scope of the invention is intended to be defined in the following claims when viewed in its proper perspective based on the prior art.

Claims (10)

1. A floor box assembly characterized in that it comprises: a floor box assembly including a bottom surface, a vertical wall surrounding the bottom surface ending in an open face, and a tongue projecting towards an interior of the housing that it has a practically level surface with an open face; a removable cover, which can be repositioned, that includes a portion with outlet gripping adapted to align with the tongue of the housing of the box. such that when the cover is placed on top of the housing of the box in a first position, the exit notch portion aligns with the tongue to completely enclose the open face thus preventing access therethrough; said cover is capable of being repositioned for positioning on the upper part of the housing of the box in a second position in such a way that the outlet notched portion no longer aligns with the tongue, thus providing an opening that allows the threads to pass through. The assembly according to claim 1, further characterized in that the box housing includes detents on an upper edge of the vertical wall. The assembly according to claim 2, further characterized in that the cover includes latching elements on its lower surface wherein said latching elements are designed for pressure-resilient coupling with the detents, thereby fixing the cover on the cash housing. The assembly according to claim 3, further characterized in that the box housing includes a slot positioned on the upper edge of the vertical wall. The assembly according to claim 4, further characterized in that an insert in the slot forces the latching elements to disengage from the detents, thus separating the housing cover from the housing. The assembly according to claim 1, further characterized in that the cover can be placed on the upper part of the housing of the box in the two open and closed positions. The assembly according to claim 1, further characterized in that the housing of the floor box is designed to be adaptable to the cover. The assembly according to claim 1, further characterized in that the cover is rotated at an angle in the range of between 1o and 180 °. The assembly according to claim 8, further characterized in that the cover and the housing of the floor box is substantially rectangular in shape and the cover is rotated through 180 °. 10. The assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that it also comprises a seal placed between the housing of the box and the cover to create a liquid-tight seal.