Electrical outlet box

A synthetic resin electrical outlet box comprising:

• a back wall;
• a plurality of side walls each intersecting said back wall at a right angle and forming an open-sided right parallelepiped therewith, at least one of said side walls defining with said back wall at least one conductor window located adjacent a second of said side walls, said second side wall forming a conductor guide for a conductor inserted through said conductor window;
• flexible, resilient locking tongues substantially closing each of said conductor windows and each pivotally secured in said box for pivotation at a location immediately adjacent the respective adjacent second side wall, each of said locking tongues including:
• a hinge web secured to the one of said side walls in which the respective conductor window is located;
• an elongated locking plate having a first end hingedly joined to, and formed integrally with, said hinge web, and having a second end;
• an arcuate toe formed on the second end of said locking plate and having a concave side on the inside of the box and a convex side facing the outer side of the box, said locking plate and arcuate toe substantially filling and blocking the respective conductor window in which said locking tongue is located;
• and
• teeth extending across each arcuate toe on the convex side thereof and extending perpendicularly to lines projected normal to the respective side wall to which the respective locking tongue including the respective toe is joined;
• and
• a guide plate projecting from each one of said side walls which defines with said back wall a conductor window and located immediately adjacent the respective conductor window and positioned cooperatively with said respective second side wall for forming a path of guidance for a respective flexible, resilient locking tongue when said respective locking tongue undergoes pivotation to admit a conductor inserted into said box through said respective conductor window.

In an electrical outlet box of the type which includes a plurality of side walls, a back wall which extends normal to the side walls, and an open front opposite the back wall, the improvement which comprises:

• a conductor window formed in, and defined by, the back wall and one of said side walls;
• a flexible, resilient locking tongue hingedly connected to said one side wall, and, in an at-rest, non-deflected position extending into and blocking said conductor window;
• first teeth carried on said locking tongue for engaging a conductor extended through said window;
• second teeth carried on said back wall adjacent said window at a location for cooperating with said first teeth in engaging a conductor extended through said window;
• and
• concavely arcuate cusp means secured to said back wall at a location spaced from said window and locking tongue in a direction spaced toward another of said side walls from said one side wall and projecting from said back wall into the interior of the box at a location aligned with and spaced from said second teeth for deflecting toward the interior of the box, a conductor extended into said box through said window and along said back wall.

A synthetic resin box structure comprising:

• a plurality of intersecting walls defining an enclosure;
• a window at the intersection of two walls and having a portion in one of the two walls and a portion in the other of the two walls;
• a flexible, resilient locking tongue pivotally connected to said one of said two walls and extending as a cantilever into said window for blocking said window;
• cooperating teeth on said tongue and said other of said two walls positioned for cooperative engagement with an elongated electrical conductor extending through said window from the outside to the inside of the box;
• and
• means for guiding an elongated electrical conductor through said window, along a portion of said other of said two walls and thence toward the center of the interior of the box, said guide means including:
• a guide plate projecting from one of said two walls away from the other of the two walls and toward the interior of said box structure adjacent said locking tongue and said window;
• a portion of a third of said intersecting walls, said portion projecting parallel to said guide plate and positioned on the opposite side of said flexible locking tongue and said window from said guide plate at a location adjacent said window;
• and
• a cusp having an arcuate, concave surface aligned with said window at a location interiorly of the box and spaced from said window and from said locking tongue along said other of said two walls whereby a conductor extended through said window and into engagement with said cooperating teeth will, upon further extension past said cooperating teeth, contact said cusp and be deflected by said cusp toward the interior of said box structure.