US2823932A - Hole edge gripping electrical junction box connector - Google Patents

Description

CTOR

Feb. 18, 1958 E. A. SCHIGUT HOLE EDGE GRIPPING ELECTRICAL JUNCTION BOX CONNE Filed Feb. 23, 1955 IN VEN TOR. 62

United States Patent Ofilice HOLE EDGE GRIPPING ELECTRICAL JUNCTION BOX CONNECTOR Emil A. Schigut, Fallbrook, Calif. Application February 23, 1955, Serial No. 490,049 2 Claims. (Cl. 285-162) The present invention relates to connectors and more particularly and specifically to novel and improved connectors for attaching electric conduits in electric outlet boxes.

It has heretofore been a practice in attaching electric conduits in outlet boxes to provide a connector tional engaging portion thereof. 7 7

Still further disadvantages have been found in the use of prior art devices growing out of the inherent inflexifails to allow for the variations in sizes and imperfections inherent in the knock-out holes of different commercial outlet boxes encountered in electrical work.

disadvantages inherent in prior constructions.

It is a primary object of this invention to provide a ment to the outlet box.

A further object is the provision of a connector of the type described which provides for inherent flexibility holes having imperfections therein and to holes of various sizes and non-uniform configurations. I

Still an additional object of this invention is the provision of a connector for attaching electric conduits to 2,823,932 Patented Feb. l8, 1958 2 electn'c outlet boxes which provides for a novel and improved locking construction which insures a firm and box and which will remain in secure engagement under the maximum of stress on the connector through the conduit.

Still another object and advantage of the instant invention is the provision of an electrical connector of the Still other objects and advantages of the present inntion will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art when the following general statement and description are read in the light of the accompanying drawings.

The nature of the present invention may be defined in general terms as consisting of a conduit connector associmember formed of a resilient material, a slot extending throughout the length of said tube with the edges defining the slot in normally spaced apart relationship, a

a connector constituting the present invention, 11 generally designates an electric outlet box, and 12 generally designates a sheathed electric conduit.

a longitudinal slot 14 extending throughout its length with the edges 15 defining the slot being normally in spaced apart relationship.

At one end the tube 13 formed by striking up said ears outwardly of the tube, being disposed toward the tongue end of the tube.

Intermediate the tongues 16 and the raised cars 18 the tube is additionally provided with a pair of diametrically opposed lugs 20 which are struck outwardly of the tube with the abutment portions of the lugs disposed in the direction of the tongues and away from the ears 18.

A pair of radially projecting abutments 2'1 and 22 is formed integrally from the tube in opposed positions along the tube edges defining the slot 14 at points closely adjacent the tongued end of the tube and intermediate the tongues immediately adjacent each side of the slot 14. The abutments 21 and 22, which are of general rectangular cross section, project outwardly of the tube so as to place their extended ends in substantially the same circumferential plane with the outermost surfaces of the shoulders 16:: of the tongues 16. These abutments 21 and 22 serve purposes to be hereinafter described.

In use of the connector above described in conjunction with an outlet box 11 and electric conduit 12, the tube is positioned within the box with the end thereof remote to the tongues 16 being passed outwardly of the box through a conventional knock-out hole 23 in the wall of the box to bring the tongues 16 into resilient engagement with the peripheral edge 24 of the knock-out opening. By forcing the tube outwardly of the knock-out opening against the resilience of the tongues 16 the tube may be brought to a position, as illustrated in Fig. 3, where the peripheral edge 24 of the knockout opening will pass over the lugs 17 in the resilient tongues, thereby frictionally engaging the peripheral edge 24 between the lugs 17 and the annular shoulders 16a of the tongues.

While the tube is being moved outwardly through the knock-out opening 23 the outermost ends of the abutments 21 and 22 will be brought into engagement with portions of the peripheral edge 24 of the knock-out opening and upon continued forceful movement of the tube through the opening these abutments will cut into the peripheral edge forming keyed engagement therewith, thereby cooperating with the lugs 17 and the annular shoulders 16a of the tongues to securely lock the connector in the knock-out opening.

When the tube has been positioned in the knock-out opening of an outlet box as described above, a sheathed conduit 12, consisting ofa convolutely woundmetallic cable having overlapping convolutions 25, may be threaded on the extended end of the tube by reason of the threaded engagement of the internal abutments 26 of the convolutions of the cable with the ears 18 and the lugs 20 formed on the extended end of the tube. In this manner the conduit is securely attached to the extended end of the connector providing continuous access through the conduit and the connector into the outlet box. V

It should be noted that by reason of the slot 14 extending throughout the length of the connector that there is not only flexibility in the connection established by the conduit and the outlet box through the intermediate connector, but there is also provided an allowance for nonuniformity in knoc -out opening sizes and shapes by reason of the compressibility of the tube within the limitations defined between the spaced apart edges defining the slot. At the same time, the opposed abutments 21 and 22 serve to preserve the circumferential continuity of the tube by preventing compression beyond the point of the abutment of the shoulders simultaneously with the abutment of the edges 15 defining the slot thereby preventing distortion of the tube and thus eliminating the possibility of improper engagement of the connector in the junction box and with the attached conduit.

From the foregoing it is now apparent that a novel and improved connector has been provided for the purposes described which satisfies all of the objects and advantages heretofore set forth. In the foregoing description certain terms have been used for brevity and clearness of understanding, but no unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirements of the prior art since such words are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadly construed.

Thus having described my invention, its construction and operation, and the new and useful results obtained thereby, what I desire to claim is:

1. For use with an electric junction box provided with a conduit outlet opening in a face thereof, and an electric conduit, a connector for fastening said conduit in. said outlet opening including, an open ended tube having a slot throughout its length, a plurality of resilient tongues formed integrally with one end of said tube, said tongues being turned to lie substantially parallel with said tube for a spaced distance from the end thereof, a pair of abutments formed integrally from said tube and projecting substantially radially outwardly from points on those edges defining the longitudinal slot in said tube, said abutments being located in spaced opposition adjacent the tongue supporting end of said tube with the extended ends thereof projecting outwardly to lie substantially in the same plane as the outer surfaces of said tongues, and means on the second end of said tube for engaging an electric conduit.

2. A connector construction as definedin claim 1 wherein said projecting abutments are of rectangular cross section with their greater lengths being disposed longitudinally of said tube.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

Images