Snap fit electrical connector assembly with operating tool for facilitating the connection of a connector assembly to an electrical box

An electric connector assembly comprising:

• a connector body having an inlet end portion and an outlet end portion, and a bore extending therethrough,
• said outlet end portion defining an outlet opening,
• a radially outwardly extending flange connected about said connector body between the inlet end portion and outlet portion,
• a snap fit retaining ring having a leading end and a trailing end defining a frustro-conical configuration circumscribing said outlet end portion,
• said leading end having a diameter which is less than the diameter of said trailing end,
• said frustro-conical retaining ring having locking tangs and grounding tangs formed out of the surface of said retaining ring,
• said locking tangs having the free ends thereof bent laterally outwardly relative to said surface of said retainer ring,
• means for securing said retainer ring on said outlet end portion,
• said securing means including circumferentially spaced apart lugs connected to said outlet end portion,
• and said retaining ring having corresponding complementary slots adapted to receive said lugs,
• said slots having a width grater than the width of said lugs,
• and a tool adapted to engage said slots,
• said tool including an elongated plate having opposed ends,
• one of said ends having a U-shaped cutout,
• said U-shaped cutout having opposed parallel edges and an arcuate segment for straddling said retainer ring whereby said parallel edges engage said slots, so that a force applied to the other end of said plate imparts an opposite force on said outlet end portion and associated retainer ring to seat and lock the same to an electric box.

A method of securing a snap fit connector assembly to a knockout hole of an electric box installed within a finished wall comprising the steps of

• utilizing a connector assembly having a frustro-conical outlet end portion circumscribed by a complementary frustro-conical, snap fit, retainer ring having a leading end and a resilient trailing end wherein the diameter of said leading end is less than the diameter of said resilient trailing end and said resilient trailing end having a diameter slightly greater than the diameter of the knockout hole, and having locking tangs and opposed slots disposed between said leading end and trailing end,
• aligning the outlet end of the connector assembly with the knockout hole of the electric box and resting the outlet end of the connector assembly in the knockout hole so that said slots are disposed within the electric box,
• utilizing a tool having opposed ends, and one of said ends being provided with an open ended cutout portion defined by opposed parallel edges,
• inserting said one end having the cutout portion with said parallel edges of said tool through the electric box opening and into engagement with said opposed slots,
• and applying a force on the other end of said tool to effect the pulling of said outlet end portion of the connector assembly through the knockout hole to fully seat and lock said connector assembly to the electric box.