Gangable electrical unit
View Patent ↗A gangable electrical unit for positioning an electrical component beside an electrical outlet box includes a bracket having a wall structure that defines a front opening. First and second arms extend from the bracket. The first and second arms each include an attachment wall extending from a front edge of the bracket and a support wall extending from the bracket behind the attachment wall. The attachment wall includes an electrical box mounting aperture therethrough. The bracket is configured for attachment to an adjacent electrical device mounting box by aligning the electrical box mounting apertures of the first and second arms with electrical box mounting apertures of the adjacent electrical device box. In addition, a gap between the attachment walls of the first and second arms is larger than an outer wall height of the adjacent electrical device mounting box.
1. A gangable electrical unit for positioning an electrical component beside an electrical outlet box comprising: a bracket including a wall structure that defines a front opening comprising at least two mounting bosses, one each on opposing walls of the wall structure, the wall structure further comprising at least one support wall extending at least partially between the opposing walls; and first and second arms extending outward from the bracket away from the front opening adjacent to the at least one support wall, the first and second arms each comprising an attachment wall extending from a front edge of the bracket, the attachment walls of the first and second arms each comprising an electrical box mounting aperture therethrough, the electrical box mounting apertures of each of the first and second arm attachment walls being spaced from each other a distance corresponding to spacing of electrical box mounting screws of an adjacent electrical device mounting box; wherein the bracket is configured for attachment to the adjacent electrical device mounting box by aligning the electrical box mounting apertures of the first and second arms with electrical box mounting apertures of the adjacent electrical device box; and wherein a gap between the attachment walls of the first and second arms is larger than an outer wall height of the adjacent electrical device mounting box.
2. The unit of claim 1 , wherein the at least one support wall comprising at least two support walls and the first and second arms each comprising at least one of the at least two support walls, the at least two support walls extending from the bracket behind the attachment wall.
3. The unit of claim 2 , wherein the at least two support walls extending from an outer surface of the bracket.
4. The unit of claim 2 , wherein the at least two support walls extending from an inner surface of the bracket.
5. The unit of claim 1 , wherein the box mounting aperture comprises a reentrant opening.
6. The unit of claim 5 , wherein the reentrant opening is oriented perpendicularly with respect to the attachment wall.
7. The unit of claim 5 , wherein the reentrant opening is oriented parallel with respect to the attachment wall.
8. The unit of claim 1 , wherein the wall structure comprises an enclosed box defining the front opening.
9. The unit of claim 1 , wherein the wall structure is open on at least one side.
10. A method of forming a ganged electrical unit comprising: releasing, from a first electrical device mounting box, one or more mounting screws from one or more first electrical box mounting apertures; aligning one or more second electrical box mounting apertures extending through one or more attachment walls of a gangable electrical unit bracket with the one or more first
electrical box mounting apertures, the gangable electrical unit bracket comprising at least two mounting bosses, one each on opposing walls of the gangable electrical unit bracket, and one or more arms extending outward from at least one support wall of the gangable electrical unit bracket toward the first electrical device mounting box, each of the one or more second electrical box mounting apertures being positioned one each on the one or more arms such that when the gangable electrical unit bracket is placed immediately adjacent to the first electrical device mounting box, each of the one or more second electrical box mounting apertures aligns with one of the one or more first electrical box mounting apertures; and replacing the one or more mounting screws of the first electrical device mounting box.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein releasing one or more mounting screws comprises removing the one or more mounting screws.
12. The method of claim 10 , wherein releasing one or more mounting screws comprises loosening the one or more mounting screws.
13. The method of claim 10 , wherein replacing the one or more mounting screws of the first electrical device mounting box comprises passing the one or more mounting screws through both the second electrical box mounting apertures with the one or more first electrical box mounting apertures.
14. The method of claim 10 , further comprising mounting an electrical device within the gangable electrical unit via the at least two mounting bosses.
15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the one or more arms comprises at least two arms each with an attachment wall of the one or more attachment walls, the method further comprising accommodating an outer wall height of the first electrical device mounting box in a gap between the attachment walls of the at least two arms of the gangable electrical unit bracket.
16. The method of claim 10 , wherein releasing the one or more mounting screws of the first electrical device mounting box comprises loosening the one or more mounting screws without removing them from the box, and wherein replacing the one or more mounting screws of the first electrical device mounting box comprises tightening the one or more mounting screws.