Abstract:
A temporary protective cover for an electrical outlet box is disclosed which is attached to the outlet box after wiring is installed but before wallboard is hung over the box. The protective cover has a protruding pin mounted in a keyhole shaped hole through the cover and when wallboard is mounted over the outlet box the protruding pin indicates the location of the box so a tool can be used to cut away wallboard covering the box while preventing wires inside the box from being cut. The protruding pin is then slid along the keyhole slot to its large end and is pushed inside the outlet box. The absence of the protruding pin makes it easier to apply spackle, paint and other materials to the wallboard and to sand it. The cover provides protection against spackle, paint, dust and other debris from entering the outlet box until the cover is removed by an electrician who then install outlets and switches.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
   This application is related to and claims benefit under co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/934,414, entitled “Temporary Protective Cover For An Electrical Box”, filed on Jun. 13, 2007. 

   FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates generally to electrical outlet box protectors and, more particularly, to protectors for electrical wiring inside the outlet boxes. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Electrical outlet boxes are well known in the art and are commonly used to perform two principal functions. First, an electrical outlet box commonly serves as a mounting structure for installing an electrical device, such as a light, fan or other fixture, to be exposed through a covering, such as wall board or ceiling panels. Second, an electrical outlet box commonly serves as a connection point for connecting electrical devices such as outlets and switches to electrical wires which, in turn, are connected to a main power source. 
   Electrical outlet boxes are commonly manufactured in various shapes and sizes. The particular size and shape of an electrical box is based largely upon the particular application in which the outlet box is to be used. In addition, depending on the application the material from which an outlet box is made will vary. 
   Electrical outlet boxes are typically shaped to include a back panel and one or more side panels which project perpendicularly from the back panel. The back panel and the one or more side panels together define an interior cavity into which electrical wiring is disposed. Each of the one or more side panels includes a free front edge and all the free edges collectively define an opening which provides access to the interior cavity of the outlet box. The particular volume of the interior cavity of the outlet box is typically designed based upon the number of wires entering the box and the type and number of devices attached to the outlet box. Electrical outlet boxes also commonly include one or more outwardly projecting tabs which facilitate mounting the box onto a structure. Specifically, each outwardly projecting tab is adapted to receive a securing device, such as a nail or screw, which, in turn, can be disposed into a structure, such as a support beam or outlet panel, so as to fixedly mount the outlet box onto the structure. Other inwardly projecting protrusions are adapted to receive screws or other mounting hardware of a switch, outlet or other device to be attached to the outlet box. 
   In use, a new-work electrical outlet box can be used to install an electrical receptacle, or outlet, into a wall in the following manner. During the preliminary stages of constructing a building, support beams, typically two-by-fours, are typically erected in order to define the general room configurations of the building. With the support beams erected, a nail disposed through each tab of the outlet box is driven into a support beam, thereby fixedly mounting the outlet box onto an associated support beam at a desired location within a room of the building. 
   After an electrical outlet box is attached to a wall stud or other structural member, electrical wiring which is coupled to the main electrical power source is run amongst the structural members and into the various rooms of a building. Particular wires of the electrical wiring are fed through the openings through the wall of each outlet box into its interior cavity in order to provide electrical power to the outlet or switch which is subsequently installed in the outlet box. These openings are commonly created by removing break-away tabs which are pre-formed in the walls of an outlet box. 
   Having mounted the electrical outlet boxes onto studs and having fed selected electrical wires into the interior cavity of the wall boxes, wall paneling, typically sheet rock but also referred to as wall board, is then mounted onto the support beams to enclose the various rooms of the building. The sections of wall board are typically mounted onto the support beams directly over the outlet boxes. 
   As can be appreciated, with the wall board mounted onto the support beams directly over the electrical outlet boxes, an electrician is unable to access the interior cavity of the outlet boxes and, as a result, is unable to install the electrical outlets into the outlet boxes. Accordingly, the wall board installer is required to create openings in the wall board at the location of each outlet box in order to provide a means of accessing the interior cavity of the outlet boxes. Conventionally, a router is used to pierce through the wall board and cut out a hole exposing each outlet box. The location of each outlet box behind the wall board is found by drilling a hole through the wall board at the estimated placement of the outlet boxes. Should the router hit the wiring inside an outlet box the wire is damaged. It is difficult and time consuming to fix such damaged wiring. 
   Once the wall board has been cut so as to expose the interior recess of the outlet boxes, a worker plasters the wall board to cover tape and mounting screws. Too often the plaster, or joint compound or stucco, gets into the outlet boxes and must later be removed with attendant difficulty. After the wall board has been plastered and sanded, another worker paints the wall board, thereby completing construction of the walls of the rooms. With construction of the walls having been completed, an electrician connects one or more electrical outlets or switches to the wires which are disposed within the interior cavity of the outlet boxes in order to electrically connect them to a main power source. The outlets and switches are fixedly retained in place by using one or more screws through openings formed in the electrical outlets and switches and into engagement with a threaded bore hole formed on the inside wall of the outlet box. A cover plate is then mounted over the outlets and switches and is secured in place by one or more screws. 
   Although well known and widely used in commerce, electrical outlet boxes of the type described above suffer from notable drawbacks. 
   As a first example, it has been found that disposing electrical wires within an outlet box having an open front end leaves the wires exposed during subsequent stages of construction, which is highly undesirable. Specifically, when an a outlet board installer or other person uses a router to cut an opening in the wall board in order to access the interior cavity of a outlet box, the router, on too many occasions, will contact the wires disposed within the box. As a consequence, the wiring is damaged and must be repaired. 
   As a second example, it has been found that, when a plasterer plasters over wall board or when a router is used to cut out a hole for outlet boxes, significant amounts of debris and plaster accumulate within the interior cavity of the outlet boxes. As a result, an electrician is forced to clean out the debris which has collected within the outlet boxes before installing any electrical devices. This renders the work of the electrician more labor intensive, which is highly undesirable. 
   As a third example, after the wallboard work is done a primer paint coat is often applied to the walls with a spray gun and the paint gets into the outlet boxes and onto the wires therein. It is difficult to remove the paint to identify the color of the wires and there is a chance of errors. In addition, some paints may contain chemicals that are detrimental to the plastic insulation on the wires. 
   To solve these problems various temporary protective covers for electrical outlet boxes have been devised. These covers keep debris out of the outlet boxes and protect the wiring therein. However, if a wall board installer covers an electrical outlet box with a piece of wall board and forgets to cut a hole through the wall board to expose an outlet box, the electrician has even more work to locate the outlet box and then cut a hole to expose it and complete the wiring. 
   Accordingly, there is a need in the prior art for a temporary protective cover for electrical outlet boxes that will provide a visual indication of its presence and position to both wallboard installers and to electricians, will prevent damage to wires inside outlet boxes, and will keep debris, plaster and paint out of outlet boxes until an electrician is ready to connect electrical outlets and switches to wires inside the boxes. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The aforementioned need in the prior art has been met by the present invention. A temporary, reusable protective cover for electrical outlet boxes is provided that provides both a visual indication of the presence and position of outlet boxes to both wall board installers and to electricians. This facilitates a wallboard installer cutting just installed wall board to expose outlet boxes there under. 
   Further, the novel protective cover prevents damage to wires inside outlet boxes caused by cutting wall board to expose outlet boxes, and the protective cover also keeps debris, plaster (joint compound and/or also stucco), and paint out of the outlet boxes until an electrician is ready to connect electrical outlets and switches to the wiring inside the boxes. 
   The protective cover is centered over the opening of an outlet box using small pins that fit into the screw holes at the top and bottom center of the box, to which holes electrical outlets or switches are normally screw mounted. The pins have a diameter slightly larger than the screw holes for mounting outlets or switches and are a spring type of plug known as a “banana plug” that compressed in diameter when inserted into the screw holes in the top and bottom of the outlet box. When the banana plug pins are inserted into the screw holes the protective cover the compressed plug pushes against the inside wall of the screw holes and the cover is thereby retained over the opening of the outlet box until later deliberately removed by the electrician. 
   The protective cover has a protrusion pin extending perpendicular to its front surface that causes the wallboard mounted over the cover to be dimpled or bowed outward giving a visual indication of the presence of the outlet box underneath the wallboard to the wallboard installer. With this visual indication of the presence of an outlet box the wall board installer can quickly and easily use a small router to cut onto and around the box and expose it for subsequent connection of switches, outlets etc. to wires inside the box. This minimizes router damage to the wallboard caused by initially missing an outlet box and “looking for it” by moving the router bit around to find the box, and prevents damage to wires inside the outlet box caused by the router bit entering the box and contacting the wires therein. The protective cover also keeps debris, plaster and paint out of the outlet box until an electrician is ready to connect electrical outlets and switches to the wiring inside the boxes. This speeds the electrical installation process and minimizes the chance for wiring errors and electrical shorts. 
   After the wall board installer has exposed the outlet box, the wall board installer or plasterer can quickly and easily cause the protrusion pin that extends from the front of the protective cover to pass inside the outlet box. This is done by sliding the protrusion pin upward along a keyhole shaped slot to the widest end of the keyhole and then pushing the pin rearward inside the outlet box. The wallboard is then more easily taped, spackled and sanded because the protrusion pin does not interfere with the process. 
   After the wallboard work is done the electrician returns, removes the protective covers, retrieves the protrusion pin inside the outlet box and connects switches, outlets, etc. to the wires inside the box. This is much more easily and quickly performed because there is no plaster, paint or other debris inside the outlet box. Then a vanity cover plate is mounted over the front of the outlet box in a manner known in the art. The protective cover is then reused. 

   
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     The invention will be better understood upon reading the following Detailed Description in conjunction with the drawing in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a front view of the novel protective cover plate with a keyhole slot there through; 
       FIG. 2  is a side view of the protrusion pin that is used in conjunction with the protective cover plate to dimple or bow the just installed wallboard mounted over an outlet box and thereby indicate the presence and location of the outlet box on which the protective cover plate is temporarily mounted; 
       FIG. 3  is a top view of the protrusion pin; 
       FIG. 4  is a side view of banana plug shaped mounting pin that is used to mount a protective cover plate over an outlet box; 
       FIG. 5  is a side view of the protective cover plate showing the banana plug shaped mounting pins mounted thereto, and showing the keyhole shaped hole through the cover plate used for mounting the protrusion pin; 
       FIG. 6  is a side view of the protective cover plate showing the protrusion pin as it is being inserted through the keyhole shaped opening through the cover plate from the rear of the cover plate; 
       FIG. 7  is a side view of the protective cover plate showing the protrusion pin after it is fully inserted through the keyhole shaped opening through the cover plate but before is has been slid into its retaining position in the narrow portion of the keyhole shaped opening; 
       FIG. 8  is a side view of the protective cover plate showing the fully inserted protrusion pin after it has been slid into the narrow portion of the keyhole shaped opening where it is prevented from being pushed back through the cover plate. 
       FIG. 9  is a front view of the protective cover plate with the protrusion pin as it is being inserted through the cover plate from the rear and fully extends outward from the front thereof; 
       FIG. 10  is a front view of the protective cover plate with the protrusion pin in its final, centered position after being extended through the protective cover from the rear and being slid into the narrow portion of the keyhole shaped hole; 
       FIG. 11  is a rear view of the protective cover plate with the protrusion pin as it is being inserted through the cover plate from the rear to fully extend outward from the front of the plate; 
       FIG. 12  is a rear view of the protective plate with the protrusion pin in its final, centered position after being extended through the protective cover from the rear and being slid into the narrow portion of the keyhole shaped hole; and 
       FIG. 13  is a side view of a banana plug shaped mounting pin mounted through a protective cover plate in a slidable manner to facilitate mounting the cover over electrical outlet boxes having differently spaced mounting holes. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   In  FIG. 1  is shown a front view of the protective cover  10  of a first embodiment of the invention. This is not the preferred embodiment of the invention which is described hereinafter. It is typically molded from a tough plastic. Cover  10  has a beveled edge  31  and has a length and width that match the outside dimensions of a standard electrical outlet box. Outlet boxes come in different sizes for typically mounting one, two or three switches or outlets. While one size protective cover plate is shown and described herein, for an outlet box mounting a single switch or outlet, different sized protective covers may be made for different size electrical boxes. While the term plaster is used throughout this specification it should be understood that other terms and materials also apply. The term plaster is also known as spackle, mud or joint compound. In addition, stucco may be used as an alternate material. 
   There is a keyhole shaped hole through the middle area of cover plate  10  that has a round top portion  13  and an elongated narrower portion  14  as shown. Near the top and bottom edges of cover plate  10  are holes  12  and  12   a  through cover  10 . Holes  12  and  12   a  are used for attaching a banana plug shaped mounting pin  19  of the type shown in  FIGS. 4 and 13  and mounted as shown in  FIGS. 5 through 8  and  13 . These pins  19  are used to attach cover plate  10  to an outlet or other electrical box. 
   Sometimes electrical boxes have mounting holes that are not spaced the same distance. The reason for this is that the dimensions between the mounting holes of electrical outlet boxes vary slightly from manufacturer to manufacture. Accordingly, outlets and switches are designed to have mounting screws that can attach to such mounting holes having slightly different spacing. To accommodate this mounting hole spacing problem the present invention has one round hole  12  with a fixed mounting pin  19 , and one elongated, oval hole  12   a  with a movable mounting pin  19 , such as shown in  FIG. 5 through 8  and  13 , and which are described in detail in further this detailed description. The movable mounting pin  19  mounts in an elongated mounting hole  12   a  through protective cover plate  10  and can move therein to accommodate differently spaced mounting holes of electrical boxes. When electrical outlet boxes do not have mounting hole spacing differences two round mounting holes  12  may be utilized and the mounting pins  19  may both be screwed into the plastic side walls of holes  12  through protective cover plate  10  as shown on the right side of  FIGS. 6 through 8 . 
   In  FIG. 2  is shown a side view of a protrusion pin  15  that is used in conjunction with a protective cover plate  10  to clearly indicate the presence and location of an electrical outlet box on which the protective cover plate  10  is temporarily mounted while under a piece of wallboard (not shown). A wallboard installer or other person may then use a rotary cutting tool to quickly and easily cut to the top of the protective cover and then cut around the edges of the electrical box on which the cover is mounted to thereby expose the box. This may be done without the cutting tool going inside the electrical box and damaging wires therein. 
   Protrusion pin  15  has a round, elongated top  16  having a rounded tip and having a diameter of W 3 . The length of top  16  is long enough to clearly indicate its presence when on a protective cover plate  10  underneath a piece of wall board. The top  16  of pin  15  may be longer than shown and is shown shorter for convenience. Below tip  16  is a round, necked down portion  17  having a diameter of W 4 . At the bottom is a round base  18  that has a diameter of W 5 . The length of necked down portion  17  is only slightly longer than the thickness of protective cover plate  10  and facilitates its use therewith. The dimensions W 1 , W 2  and W 3  are important to the operation of the invention as described in greater detail further in this Detailed Description. 
     FIG. 3  is a top view of protrusion pin  15  showing its round shape and the relative sizes of portions  16 ,  17  and  18 . 
   In  FIG. 4  is shown a detailed side view of a mounting pin  19  which has been described briefly hereinabove. It has a base  22  having a length slightly less than the thickness of protective plate  10  and base  22  is threaded as shown. The threads are used to cut into the side walls of a mounting hole  12  when a mounting pin  19  is screwed therein as shown in  FIGS. 6 ,  7  and  8 . The length of threaded base  22  is slightly less than the depth of a hole  12  which is the thickness of protective cover plate  10 . Pin  19  has a compressible tip  20  that has a plurality of conductive, compressible spring pieces  21  located about its longitudinal axis. The outside diameter of pin  19  at the widest point of its spring pieces  21  is slightly larger than the diameter of a hole  12 . As a pin  19  is inserted into a mounting hole  12  the spring pieces  21  are compressed and push back against the side walls of hole  12 , thereby firmly holding protective cover plate  10  to the front of an electrical outlet box. 
   In  FIG. 5  is shown a side view of a protective cover plate  10  showing the banana plug shaped mounting pins  19  mounted thereto, and showing the keyhole shaped hole  13 ,  14  through the cover plate used for mounting a protrusion pin (not shown in this Figure). Mounting pin  19  at the right side of  FIG. 5  screws into a mounting hole  12  and its threads bite into the plastic side walls of hole  12 . Mounting pin  19  at the left side of  FIG. 5  mounts to elongated hole  12   a  in a slidable fashion to permit cover plate  10  to attach to electrical outlet boxes having mounting holes that are spaced differently. This is described hereinafter in greater detail with reference to  FIG. 13 . All edges of cover plate  16  are beveled but may be rounded. 
   In  FIG. 6  is shown a side view of a protective cover plate  10  showing the keyhole shaped hole having wider, circular portion  13  and narrower slot  14  through the cover plate  10  and a protrusion pin  15  is being inserted through wider, circular keyhole portion  13  from the rear of protective cover plate  10 . The diameter W 3  of round, elongated top  16  of protrusion pin  15  is slightly less than the diameter W 1  of keyhole portion  13  which permits the easy passage of top  16  there through. However, the diameter W 5  of base  18  is greater than the diameter W 1  of hole  13  so protrusion pin  15  cannot pass all the way through cover plate  10 . 
   In  FIG. 7  is shown a side view of the protective cover  10  showing the keyhole shaped hole having wider, circular portion  13  and narrower slot  14  through the cover plate  10  and protrusion pin  15  is fully inserted through wider, circular keyhole portion  13  from the rear of protective cover plate  10 . As described in the previous paragraph the diameter W 5  of base  18  is greater than the diameter W 1  of hole  13  so protrusion pin  15  cannot pass all the way through cover plate  10  as can be seen in the Figure. 
   In  FIG. 8  is shown a side view of the protective cover  10  showing the keyhole shaped hole having wider, circular portion  13  and narrower slot  14  through the cover plate  10  and protrusion pin  15  is fully inserted through wider, circular keyhole portion  13  from the rear of protective cover plate  10  and then is slid into the narrower elongated slot  14  of the keyhole. The diameter W 3  of round, elongated top  16  of protrusion pin  15  is wider than the width W 2  ( FIG. 1 ) of the elongated slot of the keyhole so top  16  cannot move rearward through protective cover plate  10 . The diameter W 5  of base  18  is also greater than the width W 2  ( FIG. 1 ) of the elongated slot of the keyhole so protrusion pin  15  cannot pass through cover plate  10  as can be seen in  FIG. 8 . Cover plate  10  is mounted on an electrical outlet box so the wider portion of the keyhole is higher than the narrower elongated slot. Thus, gravity and some friction will retain protrusion pin  15  in the elongated slot  14  of the keyhole until it is deliberately slid upward to the position shown in  FIG. 6  and pin  15  is then pushed toward the rear of cover plate  10 . This is also shown in  FIGS. 9 through 12  which are described hereinafter. 
   In  FIG. 9  is shown a frontal view of protective plate  10  with the top  16  of protrusion pin  15  completely inserted through elongated hole  19  via keyhole shaped hole  24 , but before it is slid along the elongated slot  14  of the keyhole to be retained to protective cover  10 . In this Figure it can better be seen that with the diameter W 3  of top  16  being greater than the diameter of circular portion  13  of the keyhole that top  16  can easily pass through protective plate  10 . 
   In  FIG. 10  is shown a frontal view of protective plate  10  with the top  16  of protrusion pin  15  being slid along narrower elongated slot  14  to the bottom of the keyhole. With the diameter W 3  of top  16  being wider than the width W 2  of the elongated slot  14  protrusion pin  15  is cannot pass back through protective plate  10 . At the same time, as previously described, the base  18  of protrusion pin  14  prevents pin  14  from passing forward through protective plate  10 . This is shown in and described in greater detail with reference to  FIGS. 11 and 12 . In this position protrusion pin  15  cannot be removed from protective cover  10  in a direction perpendicular to cover  10 . 
   In  FIG. 11  is shown a rear view of protective plate  10  with the base  18  of protrusion pin resting against the back side of plate  10  after pin  15  is completely inserted through the round, wider top  13  of the keyhole, but before it is slid along the elongated slot  14  of the keyhole to be retained to protective cover  10 . In this Figure it can better be seen that with the diameter W 5  of base  18  being greater than the diameter of circular portion  13  of the keyhole that base  18  cannot pass forward through protective plate  10 . 
   In  FIG. 12  shown a rear view of protective plate  10  with the base  18  of protrusion pin  15  resting against the back side of plate  10  after pin  15  has been completely inserted through the round, wider top  13  of the keyhole, and then has been slid along the elongated slot  14 . In this Figure it can better be seen that with the diameter W 5  of base  18  being greater than the width of elongated slot  14  of the keyhole that base  18  cannot pass forward through protective plate  10 . In this position protrusion pin  15  cannot be removed from protective cover  10  in a direction perpendicular to cover  10 . 
   In  FIG. 13  is shown a side view of a banana plug shaped mounting pin  19  mounted through a protective cover plate in a slidable manner to facilitate mounting the cover over electrical outlet boxes having differently spaced mounting holes. The hole  12   a  is elongated as shown better in  FIG. 1 , and the diameter of the threaded portion  22  of mounting pin  19  being smaller than the hole permits mounting pin  19  to move within hole  12   a . To captivate pin  19  in hole  12   a  a washer  24  is placed over mounting pin  19  adjacent to its compressible top  20  as shown. In addition, the threaded portion  22  of mounting pin  19  is longer than used with hole  12  and is greater than the thickness of protective plate  10  so that it extends beyond protective plate  10  where a wide nut  23  or another fastener is screwed onto or is otherwise fastened to the end of threaded portion  22  as shown. A thread lock compound is preferably used with nut  23  so that it will be retained to threaded portion  22  while permitting free movement of mounting pin  19  in elongated hole  12   a.    
   While what has been described herein is the preferred embodiment of the invention it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that numerous changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, a hollow may be formed in the interior of protective plate  10  which permits the base  19  of a protrusion pin  15  to enter the hollow to provide additional retention capability of pin  15  to plate  10 .