Receptacle box and method of installing same
AssigneeATAS International, Inc.
InventorsChad Michael Hagenbuch, Theodorus Antonius Bus
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present application teaches a receptacle box and methods of installing same for use in new and existing home and building construction.
Claims13
A method of installing a receptacle outlet box on a surface of a structure overlying a throughhole that extends between an interior and an exterior of the structure, the structure having at least one pre-installed building panel attached thereto, the receptacle outlet box having a box portion and a cover portion, the box portion having a front side and a rear side that is attachable to the surface, the rear side having a rear opening and at least one flange that extends interior to a perimeter of the rear opening, the front side having a front opening, at least one flange that extends away from a perimeter of the front opening, and a first stop member located on a bottom portion of the front side, the cover portion having at least one slot and a second stop member located on a bottom portion thereof, the method comprising:
- cutting a hole in the at least one building panel overlying the throughhole in the structure, the hole being sized and shaped to receive the rear side of the receptacle outlet box;
- inserting the receptacle outlet box into the hole so that the rear side contacts the surface of the structure, at least a portion of the throughhole aligns with at least a portion of the rear opening of the rear side of the receptacle outlet box, and the at least one building panel is located between the at least one flange of the front side of the box portion and the surface of the structure;
- attaching the receptacle outlet box to the surface;
- and
- inserting the at least one flange of the box portion into the at least one slot of the cover portion, and moving the cover portion toward the first stop member until the second stop member moves past the first stop member and a bottom edge of the first stop member and a top edge of the second stop member become coplanar.
A method for installing a plurality of structural panels and a receptacle outlet box onto a building structure, the building structure comprising an underlayment already installed thereon, the method comprising:
- (a) identifying a location of a throughhole to be formed in the underlayment;
- (b) installing the plurality of structural panels to the building structure over the underlayment;
- (c) after performing step (b), cutting a body hole in one or more of the plurality of structural panels of sufficient size to enable a body of the receptacle outlet box to be attached to the building structure directly atop the underlayment, the throughhole being located at least partially within the body hole, the body of the receptacle outlet box having a plurality of rear flanges located in a first plane, a plurality of side panels, and a plurality of front flanges located in a second plane, the plurality of side panels extending from the first plane to the second plane, the plurality of rear flanges having a plurality of fastener apertures therein;
- (d) fastening the body of the receptacle outlet box to the building structure through the underlayment using a plurality of fasteners that are passed through the plurality of fastener apertures;
- and
- (e) attaching a cover to the body by sliding the cover along the second plane to engage at least some of the plurality of front flanges of the body until a front opening in the cover overlaps the throughhole.
A method of constructing a receptacle outlet box, the method comprising:
- (a) providing a first blank made from a single sheet of material, the first blank including a first panel, a second panel, a third panel, a fourth panel, and an assembly flange, the first panel being connected to the second panel at a first edge, the second panel being connected to the third panel at a second edge, the third panel being connected to the fourth panel by a third edge, and the fourth panel being connected to the assembly flange by a fourth edge, each of the first, second, third, and fourth panels including an exterior flange extending from a top side thereof and an interior flange extending from a bottom side thereof;
- (b) folding the first blank along the first, second, third, and fourth edges to form a box shape;
- (c) fastening the assembly flange to the first panel;
- (d) folding the exterior flanges of the first, second, third, and fourth panels in a first direction relative to the box shape such that the exterior flanges are coplanar;
- (e) folding the interior flanges of the first, second, third, and fourth panels in a second direction relative to the box shape such that the interior flanges are coplanar, the second direction being opposite the first direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.