Multi-device yoke for a surface raceway system

A device yoke comprising a mounting plate having at least two openings to accommodate at least two different types of electrical devices and a device box attached to the mounting plate. The device box includes at least a side wall and a bottom wall for separating the wires to be routed into the box from the wires not routed into the box. The multi-device yoke can be combined with a multiple device cover plate to form a multiple device mounting system. The multi-device yoke and multiple device mounting system could optionally include terminal lug means attached to the mounting plate to provide a grounding lug to meet other electrical standards.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
 The present invention is directed toward the field of raceway or wire duct
 systems. In particular, a multiple device yoke is described for use in a
 raceway system having both high voltage power wires and low voltage
 communication wires. The multiple device yoke provides access to both high
 voltage and low voltage within a single yoke while maintaining channel
 separation of the high voltage and low voltage wires within the raceway
 system.
 The need for varying types of electrical wiring in residential and
 commercial buildings have steadily increased. Electrical wiring is used to
 supply electricity to power electrical devices within a home or business
 and is used to carry low voltage signals that are used in providing many
 services such as telephone, intercom, cable television, video, music,
 alarm, internet access, and other computer network services. Surface
 raceway systems provide a convenient way to route electrical wiring both
 in new construction and in remodeling projects.
 Access to multiple types of wiring within the raceway system is often
 needed at a single location. For example, a computer may require access to
 both power and telephone or other communication wires at a single location
 so that the computer can receiver power and can connect to an intranet or
 internet.
 Presently known methods provide access to multiple types of electrical
 wires by using separate device yokes having a single type of electrical
 connector for each type of electrical wire accessed. If both low and high
 voltage wires need to be accessed at the same locations, at least two
 single device yokes are needed. For example, a single device power yoke
 with a power receptacle would be employed to provide access to power, a
 single device telephone yoke with a telephone connector would be provided
 to provide access to telephone services, and a single device cable
 television yoke with a cable television connector would be provided to
 provide access to cable television services. This method may be functional
 but suffers from many disadvantages. Space is wasted. This method is more
 expensive. The material cost is higher and it takes longer and is more
 expensive to install. Also, this method is less appealing aesthetically.
 Presently known raceway systems that include both high voltage and low
 voltage wires in the same raceway system also use wide diameter raceways
 and typically divide the raceway system into separate channels of equal
 width. These raceway systems have channel widths that are wider than the
 device yokes and connectors that provide access to wires within the
 channel. Because power receptacles are wide, the channels containing power
 wires are wide. This results in lower utilization efficiency of the
 raceway system. Most often the high voltage channel does not have to be as
 wide as the power receptacle to house all of the power wires. The low
 voltage channel, on the other hand, generally requires more space in the
 raceway than the high voltage power wires. Therefore, greater utilization
 efficiency could be achieved if some of the space allocated to the high
 voltage wires could be utilized for low voltage wires. In addition, to
 meet Canadian standards, device yokes must also include grounding lugs
 which are not available in presently known raceway systems.
 Therefore, there remains a need in this art for a multiple device yoke that
 can provide access to both high voltage power and a low voltage
 communication wire. There remains a more particular need in this art for a
 multi-device yoke that allows the end user to install low and high voltage
 connectors side by side using only one yoke. There remains a more
 particular need for a multiple device yoke that has an attached box to
 isolate the high voltage lines from the low voltage lines. There remains a
 more particular need for a multi-device yoke that has an attached box base
 which can be removed if not needed. There remains a further need for
 multiple device yoke that includes a grounding lug to provide extra
 safety. There remains a need for a multiple device yoke that can be used
 in narrow width raceway systems such as those that are around 4 inches or
 narrower. There remains a need for a multiple device yoke that can
 accommodate the apportioning of more than half of the raceway system to
 the low voltage communication wires while providing space for a high
 voltage power outlet.
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
 The present invention overcomes the problems noted above and satisfies the
 needs in this field for a multi-device yoke for a raceway system. An
 important feature of the multi-device yoke is the capability to run both
 high voltage and low voltage connectors in the same yoke without the need
 for an additional box base. The multi-device yoke has an attached divider
 and box base so that power connectors such as duplex or GFCI connectors
 can be installed in one section and communication connectors such as voice
 or data jacks can be installed in another section per National Electrical
 Code requirements.
 The device yoke comprises a mounting plate having at least two openings to
 accommodate at least two different types of electrical devices and a
 device box attached to the mounting plate. The device box includes at
 least a side wall and a bottom wall for separating the wires to be routed
 into the box from the wires not routed into the box. The multi-device yoke
 of the present invention can be combined with a multiple device cover
 plate to form a multiple device mounting system.
 The multi-device yoke and multiple device mounting system could optionally
 include terminal lug means attached to the mounting plate to provide a
 grounding lug to meet other electrical standards.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
 Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 sets forth a preferred embodiment of
 the multi-device mounting system 2 of the present invention. The
 multi-device mounting system 2 is adapted for use in raceway or wire duct
 systems 8 used in new or remodeling construction when high voltage and low
 voltage electrical wires need to be routed to different areas of a
 building. The multi-device mounting system 2 is applicable to many raceway
 systems but is particularly useful in narrow raceway systems such as
 systems four inches wide or narrower where real estate is especially at a
 premium. The multi-device mounting system 2 comprises a device yoke 10,
 which provides a mounting location for both high voltage devices such as
 GFCI or duplex receptacles and low voltage devices such as telephone,
 cable television or other low voltage connectors, and a cover plate 36.
 As best seen in FIGS. 2-5, device yoke 10 comprises a mounting plate 12 for
 use in attaching device yoke 10 to sections of surface raceway 8 and a
 device box 20 for accommodating and providing isolation for a high voltage
 outlet device to be mounted onto device yoke 10. Mounting plate 12 is
 provided with a high voltage opening 14 for providing a high voltage
 outlet device access to high voltage power lines within the raceway
 system, a low voltage opening 16 for providing low voltage outlet devices
 access to low voltage lines within the raceway system, and a divider
 section 15 which is formed between and divides high voltage opening 14 and
 low voltage opening 16. Mounting plate 12 is optionally provided with a
 recessed area 18 which provides a convenient location for the inclusion of
 a grounding lug 13 to device yoke 10 to facilitate the meeting of Canadian
 electrical standards. The preferred device yoke 10 is fabricated from a
 plastic material such as PVC. from an injection molding process in which
 the device box 20 is formed integral with the mounting plate 12. Mounting
 plate 12 optionally includes flanged surfaces 22 which are adapted for
 attaching device yoke 10 to raceway system 8.
 Device box 20 provides an isolated location for the mounting and wiring of
 a high voltage outlet device such as a GFCI or duplex power receptacle.
 Device box 20 in the embodiment shown includes a front wall 22, a back
 wall 24, a side wall 26, and a bottom wall 28. Side wall 26 preferably is
 aligned with and extends perpendicularly from divider section 15 of
 mounting plate 12. Front wall 22 and back wall 24 preferably are aligned
 with and extend perpendicularly from front and back edges 17 and 19,
 respectively. Bottom wall 28 attaches to bottom edges 23, 25, & 27 of
 front wall 22, back wall 24, and side wall 26, respectively. Front wall
 22, back wall 24, side wall 26, and bottom wall 28 combine to form a
 partially enclosed region that is preferably enclosed on four of six
 sides. Front, back and bottom walls 22, 24, & 26, each also include
 extended break-a-way walls 29, 30 & 32 that removably attach to outer
 edges of front, back and bottom walls 22, 24, & 26 to provided user
 selectable access to the interior of device box 20. Divider wall 34 may
 optionally be provided to extend perpendicularly and lengthwise from
 bottom wall 26 to provide channel isolation to a surface raceway system.
 Front wall 22, back wall 24, and side wall 26 are sized so that they
 surround and at least partially isolate a high voltage device from wires
 that run within the raceway system but are not run into the device box but
 provide space for the routing of wires underneath the box within the
 raceway system.
 The device yoke 10 may include a pair of device mounting openings 40, cover
 plate mounting openings 42, and yoke device mounting opening 44. Device
 mounting openings 40 provide a mechanism for mounting a high voltage
 device to the device yoke 10. Device mounting openings 40 could optionally
 be pre-threaded for attachment by screws. Also device mounting openings 40
 could open into a device attachment cavity within device attachment member
 48.
 Similarly, cover plate mounting openings 42 provide a mechanism for
 mounting cover plate 34 to the device yoke 10. Cover plate openings 42
 could optionally be pre-threaded for attachment by screws. Also cover
 plate mounting openings 42 could open into a cover plate attachment cavity
 within cover plate attachment member 50.
 The multi-device mounting system 2 also includes a choice of cover plates
 34 for covering high and low voltage devices mounted within the device
 yoke 10. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, cover plate 36 provides an
 opening 52 for a GFCI device on one side and openings 54 for a plurality
 of voice/data communication devices on the other side. In the embodiment
 shown in FIG. 7, cover plate 38 provides opening 56 for a duplex
 receptacle on one side and openings 58 for a plurality of voice/data
 communication devices on the other side. It is to be understood that one
 of skill in the art could modify the cover plate configuration in a
 variety of different ways to take advantage of the separate high voltage
 and low voltage access provided by the device yoke 10 of the present
 invention.
 In use both low and high voltage wires can be routed within a raceway
 system. In a location where device receptacles are desired, a device yoke
 can be mounted onto the raceway system. Wires within the raceway system
 can be positioned around and underneath the device box as needed and the
 wires to be connected to device receptacles routed so that there is access
 to them through the appropriate outlet openings. Both high voltage and low
 voltage devices can be connected to the appropriate wires and the devices
 mounted to the device yoke. The cover plate is then installed over the
 devices and the device yoke using screws or other fastening means to
 complete the installation.
 Having described in detail the preferred embodiment of the present
 invention, including its preferred manner of use, it is to be understood
 that this invention could be carried out with different elements and
 steps. This preferred embodiment is presented only by way of example and
 is not meant to limit the scope of the present invention which is defined
 by the following claims.