Electrical wiring box arrangement with alignable grounding strap
AssigneeGTE Sylvania Canada Limited
InventorWilliam Nattel
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Electrical wiring box arrangments comprise a wiring box with a wall structure having a channel for slideably receiving a gripping member for engaging the mounting screw of a wiring device mounted in the box. The gripping member comprises a body having two opposed elements which engage and grip the threads of the mounting screw. Inwardly tapering wall portions of the box wall channel urge the two gripping member elements toward one another as the mounting screw is tightened, insuring a firm grip between the mounting screw and the gripping member.
Claims7
An electrical wiring box arrangement including in combination, an electrical wiring box and a grounding member;
- said wiring box including:
- a wall structure comprising front-to-rear walls and a rear wall therebetween which together define a chamber within the box with a forward facing opening for receiving an electrical wiring device,
- said wall structure including support means for seatably receiving said grounding member and the mounting yoke of a wiring device mounted in said box chamber, said support means including screw retaining means for retaining the mounting screw of said wiring device,
- said wall structure further including first and second retaining means for retaining said grounding member against outward removal from said box in a direction toward said forward facing opening while permitting lateral slideable movement of said grounding member;
- said grounding member including:
- screw receiving means for receiving said wiring device mounting screw and providing electrical contact between said mounting screw and said grounding member,
- means for attaching the ground conductor wire of an electrical cable,
- electrically conductive pathway means between said screw receiving means and said ground conductor wire attachment means, and
- first and second attachment means for coacting with said box wall first and second retaining means to attach said grounding member to said box wall structure;
- whereby said grounding member is received and seated on said box wall support means and retained by said grounding member attachment means coacting with said box wall retaining means to attach said grounding member to said box wall structure while permitting lateral sliding movement of said grounding member to permit direct alignment of said screw receiving means of said grounding member and said screw retaining means of said box wall support member, the mounting screw of a wiring device mounted in said box chamber passing through said grounding member screw receiving means making firm electrical contact with said grounding member, and being received and retained by said screw retaining means of said box wall support means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.