IP Library Granted Patent US 7,388,162
Granted Patent B1
US 7,388,162 · App. 11/589,008 · Granted Jun 17, 2008

Electrical box and adapter assembly for brick wall installation

Assignee: Arlington Industries, Inc.
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,388,162
App. No.
11/589,008
Granted
Jun 17, 2008
Kind
B1
Abstract

An electrical box assembly for providing electrical service on a brick wall. The assembly includes an electrical outlet box and an adapter. The adapter includes sidewalls defining an internal cavity, an open front, an open rear, and arcuate cable holders for temporarily holding electrical cables until they are routed into the outlet box. Outward extending tabs are provided on the sidewalls of the adapter for enabling secure anchoring of the adapter into a hole in a brick wall. The outlet box includes sidewalls, a hinged cover, and bosses for accepting an electrical device. A fastening arrangement is provided for securing the outlet box to the adapter. Electrical service is provided by mortaring the adapter into a hole in the wall, sliding the outlet box slid into the cavity of the adapter, and securing the outlet box to the adapter with the fastening arrangement.

Claims (82)

1. An electrical box assembly comprising:

an outlet box including a back wall, sidewalls, and an open front defining an enclosure therein;

a flange extending from said sidewalls of said outlet box;

an adapter including sidewalls and an inner cavity;

said sidewalls of said outlet box capable of nesting within said sidewalls of said adapter;

a fastening arrangement for securing said outlet box to said adapter;

a cover rotatably secured to said outlet box for selectively closing or opening said open front of said outlet box

said sidewalks of said adapter include a rear edge;

a corner at a juncture of said sidewalls of said adapter at said rear edge; and

an arcuate cable holder bridging between two of said sidewalls of said corner.

2. The assembly of claim 1 including

an outer surface on said sidewalls of said adapter; and

mortar anchoring tabs extending from said outer surface of said sidewalls of said adapter.

3. The assembly of claim 2 wherein

a flange extends from said sidewalls of said adapter;

said flange of said adapter includes a rear surface;

said mortar anchoring tabs extend a distance from said sidewalls of between 0.2 and 0.4 inch; and

said mortar anchoring tabs extend a distance of between 0.75 and 2.0 inches from said rear surface of said flange.

4. The assembly of claim 2 wherein said mortar anchoring tabs include a thickness of at least 0.07 inch.

5. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said sidewalls of said outlet box are telescopically received within said sidewalls of said adapter.

6. The assembly of claim 1 wherein

said sidewalls of said adapter include an inner surface;

said sidewalls of said outlet box include an outer surface; and

the dimension across said inner surface of said sidewalls of said adapter are between 0.06 and 0.25 inch larger than the dimension across said outer surface of said outlet box.

7. The assembly of claim 1 including

a flange extending from said sidewalls of said adapter;

a front edge on said adapter, said flange of said adapter extending outward from said sidewalls and forward from said front edge; and

a recessed area at said front edge of said adapter formed by said forward extending flange.

8. The assembly of claim 7 wherein said recessed area is capable of accepting caulking or similar material therein for sealing said outlet box to said adapter.

9. The assembly of claim 1 wherein

said outlet box includes bosses within said enclosure; and

said bosses capable of accepting fasteners from an electrical device for securing it therein.

10. The assembly of claim 9 wherein

said outlet box is molded in one piece of plastic; and

said adapter is molded in one piece of plastic.

11. The assembly of claim 10 wherein said bosses are molded integrally with said one piece outlet box.

12. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said back wall of said outlet box includes one or more removable knockout areas therein.

13. The assembly of claim 1 wherein

said sidewalls of said outlet box include a front edge; and

U-shaped cord openings in said front edge of said sidewalls.

14. The assembly of claim 13 wherein

said cover member includes a peripheral sidewall;

U-shaped cord openings in said peripheral sidewall of said cover member; and

said cover member in a closed position upon said front edge of said outlet box creates a substantially circular cord opening in said sidewalls of said cover member and said sidewalls of said outlet box.

15. An electrical box assembly comprising:

an outlet box including a back wall, sidewalls, and an open front defining an enclosure therein;

a flange extending from said sidewalls of said outlet box;

an adapter including sidewalls and an inner cavity;

a flange extending from said sidewalls of said adapter;

said sidewalls of said outlet box capable of nesting within said sidewalls of said adapter;

a fastening arrangement for securing said outlet box to said adapter;

a cover rotatably secured to said outlet box for selectively closing or opening said open front of said outlet box;

wherein said fastening arrangement comprises apertures in said flange of said outlet box;

bores in said flange of said adapter; and

fasteners for threading through said apertures in said flange of said outlet box and into said apertures of said flange of said adapter.

16. An electrical box assembly comprising:

an outlet box including a back wall, sidewalls, a front edge and an open front defining an enclosure therein;

a flange extending from said sidewalls of said outlet box;

an adapter including sidewalks and an inner cavity;

said sidewalls of said outlet box capable of nesting within said sidewalls of said adapter;

a fastening arrangement for securing said outlet box to said adapter;

a cover rotatably secured to said outlet box for selectively closing or opening said open front of said outlet box;

said sidewalls of said outlet box include a front sidewall portion adjacent said flange of said outlet box;

a rear sidewall portion extending backward from said front sidewall portion;

said front sidewall portion is of a greater dimension than said rear sidewall portion thereby dividing said enclosure into a first enclosure and a second enclosure;

a peripheral lip at the juncture of said first and second enclosures;

bosses for mounting an electrical device, said bosses including front faces that are at substantially the same depth as said peripheral lip within said outlet box wherein said depth of said bosses recess the electrical device a substantial distance behind said front edge of said outlet box.

17. An electrical box assembly comprising:

an outlet box including a back wall, sidewalls having a rear edge, and an open front defining an enclosure therein;

a flange extending from said sidewalls of said outlet box;

an adapter including sidewalls and tabs extending outward from said sidewalls;

a flange extending from said sidewalls of said adapter;

said sidewalls of said outlet box capable of nesting within said sidewalls of said adapter;

a fastening arrangement for securing said outlet box to said adapter; and

an arcuate cable holder bridging between two of said sidewalls of said outlet box at said rear edge.

18. A method of installing an electrical box on a brick wall including:

a) providing an electrical box assembly including an outlet box including a back wall, sidewalls of a first dimension, and an open front defining an enclosure therein, a flange extending from said sidewalls of said outlet box, an adapter including sidewalls of a second dimension and an inner cavity, tabs extending outwards from said sidewalls of said adapter, a flange extending from said sidewalls of said adapter, a fastening arrangement for securing said outlet box to said adapter, and a cover rotatably attached to said outlet box for selectively closing or opening said open front of said outlet box;

b) providing a hole in the brick wall, the hole capable of accommodating the sidewalls of said adapter;

c) sliding said adapter into the hole in the brick wall until said flange of said adapter is flush against the brick wall;

d) filling the hole surround said adapter with mortar;

e) sliding said outlet box into said inner cavity of said adapter until said flange of said outlet box is flush against said flange of said adapter; and

f) securing said outlet box to said adapter with said fastening arrangement.

Assignments (2)
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Apr 1, 2026
From: ARLINGTON INDUSTRIES, LLC
To: ANTARES CAPITAL LP
Reel/Frame 075416/0848 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 27, 2006
From: GRETZ, THOMAS J.
To: ARLINGTON INDUSTRIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 018484/0890 →