Temporary protective junction box cover
OwnerMcArvie Crawford, Jr.inventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A temporary protective cover for junction boxes with or without installed switches and/or outlets and for conduit bodies, empty or containing wires or cables of various sizes and uses. The protective cover having a front and rear surface; having a trapezoidal cavity sized to receive installed switches and/or outlets in junction box; the protective cover having two elongated tabs that extend on either side of installed switch or plug inside junction box, for securing the protective cover to junction boxes and conduit bodies; having rectangular or circular cavity opening that is sized to fit openings of junction boxes or conduit bodies, in such a manner that the cover remains fixed relative to the junction box or conduit body.
Claims16
A temporary plastic protective cover for an electrical junction box, comprising:
- vertical sidewalls that form a cavity that is sized to enclose a light switch when such extends through an opening of the junction box into the cavity during use, wherein the protective cover is trapezoidal in shape and the cavity's opening is rectangular in shape and size, it is dimensions are substantially similar to the dimensions of the opening of the junction box, and wherein the vertical sidewalls each include a plurality of grip ridges positioned and aligned to provide grip to a hand squeezing the vertical sidewalls simultaneously;
- a plurality of extending side tabs that are adapted to slide into the vertical sidewalls of the junction box and to frictionally engage the sidewalls,
- wherein the plurality of extending side tabs are functionally coupled to the vertical side walls such that when a user squeezes the grip ridges of the vertical side walls, the plurality of extending side tabs rotate inwardly towards the cavity thereby allowing a user to insert or remove the temporary protective plastic cover to or from the junction box.
A method of using a temporary protective cover to protect and cover contents of an interior or exterior electrical junction box that rests on the surface or is embedded within a wall surface, comprising the steps of:
- providing a temporary protective cover including right and left extended side tabs extending from vertical side walls that each include grip ridges shaped and positioned such that a user simultaneously squeezing opposite grip ridges causes the side tabs to turn inward so they may be inserted to frictionally engage interior walls of junction box;
- removing a standard-sized electrical box cover plate, or prior to the installation of electrical cover plate;
- squeezing opposite grip ridges thereby causing the side tabs to turn inward;
- and
- inserting the extending tabs to frictionally engage interior walls of junction box.
A protective cover for an electrical junction box, comprising:
- a top edge along a top wall;
- a bottom edge along a bottom wall;
- a first side tab coupled to the top wall along an edge adjacent to the top edge and to the bottom wall along an edge adjacent to the bottom edge, the first side tab including a first grip ridge protruding from an exterior of the cover;
- a second side tab coupled to the top wall opposite the first side tab and coupled to the bottom wall opposite the first side tab, the second side tab including a second grip ridge protruding from the exterior of the cover and positioned opposite the first grip ridge and parallel thereto, wherein either the first and second side tabs extend beyond the top and bottom walls or the top and bottom walls extend beyond the side tabs, thereby forming first and second extending portions that may friction fit into a junction box during use;
- and
- a base member coupled to each of the top wall, the bottom wall, the first extended tab and the second extended tab at angles such that:
- a cavity is formed therein that is deeper than a width of the base member between the first and second side tabs, the cavity being an interior of the cover, and
- the first and second extending portions are not parallel with each other.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.