# US 5,350,884 A · Exhibition hall electrical floor box > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 5,350,884 A - Document ID: US5350884A - Status: Granted - Kind: A - Application number: 07/966,720 - Filed: 1992-10-26 - Granted: 1994-09-27 - Earliest claimed: 1992-10-26 - Inventors: Gary L. Littrell - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5350884A ## CPC - H02G 3/185: {Floor outlets and access cups} - H02G: INSTALLATION OF ELECTRIC CABLES OR LINES, OR OF COMBINED OPTICAL AND ELECTRIC CABLES OR LINES ## Abstract The exhibition hall electrical floor box includes a housing having a plurality of chambers therein. Each chamber accommodates a particular type or types of electrical connection therein. Chambers adapted to engage a cylinder type connector therein each have a fitting therein positioned in such a manner as to cause the connector to lie diagonally across corners of the chamber horizontally as well as vertically to produce a box having a significantly decreased height, such decreased height requiring significantly less concrete to be poured to create a flush mounting of the box within the floor. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An exhibition hall floor electrical box comprising a housing in the form of a short rectangular box having a base mounting flange about a bottom surface thereof, said housing being divided into a plurality of adjacent chambers and having passages therein through which cable, passed through conduit engaged to said box, may extend into appropriate ones of said chambers, at least one of said chambers being adapted to engage a cylinder type connector via a fitting which is provided in a bottom corner of said chamber and is angled relative to the corner in such a manner as to cause the cylinder type connector to lie across opposite corners of the chamber at an angle in both the horizontal and vertical planes. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The box of claim 1 wherein one of said chambers is divided into subchambers by the provision of an isolating wall therein extending across the chamber. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The box of claim 2 wherein a connector mounting platform is supported above a base of said box by a peripheral ledge within a chamber requiring such platform. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The box of claim 3 wherein each chamber has a cover. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The box of claim 4 wherein each cover is supported on a shoulder of walls defining said chamber. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The box of claim 5 wherein said wall shoulder includes a seal member thereon to create a fluid tight engagement between said shoulder and a cover mounted thereover. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The box of claim 6 wherein said cover has an opening therein through which an access cable end extends. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The box of claim 7 wherein each chamber includes an access passage therein for allowing engagement of conduit carried cable to at least one fitting of said box. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The box of claim 8 wherein said at least one cylinder type connector fitting is supported on a fitting support wall and is engaged to a cable fed thereto via a cable channel provided in a contiguous chamber, said channel terminating behind said fitting support wall. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The box of claim 9 wherein each channel is L shaped and has a cover mounted thereover. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The box of claim 9 wherein two such contiguous chambers are provided. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The box of claim 11 wherein said fitting support wall is unitary with said box. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The box of claim 9 wherein said fitting support wall comprises a wedge seated within a bottom corner of said chamber, said wedge having means for engaging a fitting thereto and lying across said corner at an acute angle relative to a floor of said box, a bottom edge of said wedge being positioned further from said corner than a top edge of said wedge. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The box of claim 13 wherein an opening is provided in said wedge within which said fitting seats, said opening having an angled alignment with a top edge of an opposite corner of said chamber. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The box of claim 14 wherein said conduit engaging passageways are spaced from one another. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The box of claim 15 wherein such a passageway is compartmented by upright inset walls. ### Claim 17 (depends on 8) The box of claim 8 wherein a fitting support wall for engaging a cylinder type connector is a separate structure engageable within an end chamber of said box and is fed a connecting cable via a contiguous passageway created at a corresponding end of said box. ### Claim 18 A compartmented exhibition hall floor electrical box comprising a housing in the form of a short rectangular box having a base mounting flange about a bottom surface thereof, said housing being divided into a plurality of adjacent chambers and having passages therein through which cable, passed through conduit engaged to said box, may extend into appropriate ones of said chambers, at least one of said chambers being adapted to engage a cylinder type connector via a fitting which is provided in a bottom corner of said chamber and is angled relative to the corner in such a manner as to cause the cylinder type connector to lie across opposite corners of the chamber at an angle in both the horizontal and vertical planes and further having at least one chamber divided into subchambers by the provision of an isolating wall therein extending across the chamber. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The box of claim 18 wherein a connector mounting platform is supported above a base of said box by a peripheral ledge within a chamber requiring such platform. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The box of claim 19 wherein each chamber has a cover. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The box of claim 20 wherein each cover is supported on a shoulder of walls defining said chamber. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The box of claim 21 wherein said wall shoulder includes a seal member thereon to create a fluid tight engagement between said shoulder and a cover mounted thereover. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The box of claim 22 wherein said cover has an opening therein through which an access cable end extends. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The box of claim 23 wherein each chamber includes an access passage therein for allowing engagement of conduit carried cable to at least one fitting of said box. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) The box of claim 24 wherein said at least one cylinder type connector fitting is supported on a fitting support wall and is engaged to a cable fed thereto via a cable channel provided in a contiguous chamber, said channel terminating behind said fitting support wall. ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) The box of claim 25 wherein each channel is L shaped and has a cover mounted thereover. ### Claim 27 (depends on 25) The box of claim 25 wherein two such contiguous chambers are provided. ### Claim 28 (depends on 27) The box of claim 27 wherein said fitting support wall is unitary with said box. ### Claim 29 (depends on 25) The box of claim 25 wherein said fitting support wall comprises a wedge seated within a bottom corner of said chamber, said wedge having means for engaging a fitting thereto and lying across said corner at an acute angle relative to a floor of said box, a bottom edge of said wedge being positioned further from said corner than a top edge of said wedge. ### Claim 30 (depends on 29) The box of claim 29 wherein an opening is provided in said wedge within which said fitting seats, said opening having an angled alignment with a top edge of an opposite corner of said chamber. ### Claim 31 (depends on 30) The box of claim 30 wherein said conduit engaging passageways are spaced from one another. ### Claim 32 (depends on 31) The box of claim 31 wherein such a passageway is compartmented by upright inset walls. ### Claim 33 (depends on 24) The box of claim 24 wherein a fitting support wall for engaging a cylinder type connector is a separate structure engageable within an end chamber of said box and is fed a connecting cable via a contiguous passageway created at a corresponding end of said box. ### Claim 34 An exhibition hall floor electrical box comprising a housing in the form of a rectangular box having a reduced vertical profile, the rectangular box having a base mounting flange about a bottom surface thereof, said housing being divided into a plurality of adjacent chambers and having passages therein through which cable, passed through conduit engaged to said box, may extend into appropriate ones of said chambers, at least one of said chambers being adapted to house a cylinder type connector which is provided in an associated immediately adjacent end of said chamber and is angled relative to the end in such a manner as to cause the cylinder type connector to lie at an angle away from the associated immediately adjacent end of said chamber, the chamber to house a cylinder type connector having an upwardly angled connector wall on which a cylinder type connector can be mounted to extend in an upwardly angled direction towards an opposite end of the chamber associated therewith. ### Claim 35 (depends on 34) The exhibition hall floor electrical box of claim 34 wherein the rectangular box has wiring channels underlying and behind said upwardly angled connector walls at opposite ends of the side by side chambers where said wiring is disposed, and raceway passageways partially underlying the box and extending along the side by side chambers each connected to one of the wiring channels, the raceway passageways each being in communication with said wiring channel behind an associated one of said upwardly angled connector walls, the raceway passageways extending in directions generally parallel to sides of the chambers of the rectangular box, the wiring channel and the raceway passage being compactly oriented relative to the upwardly angled connector wall. ### Claim 36 (depends on 34) The exhibition hall floor electrical box of claim 34 wherein the rectangular box has a wiring channel underlying and behind said upwardly angled connector wall where wiring is to be disposed, and a raceway passageway partially underlying the box at one side of said wiring channel, the raceway passageway being in communication with said wiring channel behind said upwardly angled connector wall support, the upwardly angled connector wall being oriented relative to the chamber enabling wiring to be extended through the wiring channel behind the upwardly angled connector wall into the raceway passageway, the raceway passageway extending in a direction generally parallel to one side of the rectangular box, the wiring channel and the raceway passageway being compactly oriented relative to the upwardly angled connector wall. ### Claim 37 In combination, an exhibition hall floor electrical box, and an electrical fitting for mounting in the box having wiring attached thereto, the electrical box comprising a housing in the form of a rectangular box having a reduced vertical profile, the rectangular box having a base mounting flange about a bottom surface thereof, said housing being divided into a plurality of adjacent chambers and having passages therein through which cable, passed through conduit engaged to said box, may extend into appropriate ones of said chambers, the chamber to house a cylinder type connector having an upwardly angled connector wall on which a cylinder type connector can be mounted to extend in an upwardly angled direction towards an opposite end of the chamber associated therewith, said chambers each being adapted to house a cylinder type connector which connector is mounted on said upwardly angled connector wall at one end of said chamber associated therewith, said connector being angled relative to the end in such a manner as to cause the cylinder type connector to lie at an angle extending upwardly and away from the associated mounting flange disposed at the adjacent end of said chamber. ### Claim 38 (depends on 37) The combination of claim 37 wherein the rectangular box has a wiring channel underlying and behind said upwardly angled connector wall where said wiring is disposed, and a raceway passageway partially underlying the box at one side of said wiring channel, the raceway passageway being in communication with said wiring channel behind said upwardly angled connector wall, the wiring extending from the connector behind said upwardly angled connector wall through the wiring channel behind the upwardly angled connector wall into the raceway passageway, the raceway passageway extending in a direction generally parallel to one side of the rectangular box, the wiring channel and the raceway passage being compactly oriented relative to the upwardly angled connector wall. ### Claim 39 In combination, an exhibition hall floor electrical box, and an electrical fitting for mounting in the box having wiring attached thereto, the electrical box comprising a housing in the form of a rectangular box having a reduced vertical profile, the rectangular box having a base mounting flange about a bottom surface thereof, said housing being divided into a plurality of adjacent chambers and having passages therein through which cable, passed through conduit engaged to said box, may extend into appropriate ones of said chambers, at least a side by side pair of said chambers each being adapted to house a cylinder type connector, the side by side pair of the chambers each having an upwardly angled connector wall at one end of the chamber, said cylinder type connectors each being mounted on an associated one of the upwardly angled connector walls causing the cylinder type connector to extend in an upwardly angled direction towards an opposite end of the chamber associated therewith, the upwardly angled connector walls in the adjacent side-by-side chambers being located at an opposite end of the chambers thus enabling the upwardly angled connectors in side-by-side chambers to extend in opposite directions relative to one another when mounted in their respective chambers on said upwardly angled connector walls. ### Claim 40 (depends on 39) The combination of claim 39 wherein the rectangular box has a wiring channel underlying and behind said upwardly angled connector wall where said wiring is disposed, and a raceway passageway partially underlying the box at one side of said wiring channel, the raceway passageway being in communication with said wiring channel behind said upwardly angled connector wall, the wiring extending from the connector behind said upwardly angled connector wall through the wiring channel into the raceway passageway, the raceway passageway extending in a direction generally parallel to one side of the rectangular box, the wiring channel and the raceway passage being compactly oriented relative to the upwardly angled connector wall.