Cable conduit electrical box

A cable conduit electrical box including a base having at least one opening for receiving a cable conduit, a cover removably attachable to the base, and an adapter removably positioned on the base or the cover for sealing the at least one opening around the cable conduit. The adapter may be secured with mounting tabs or mounting apertures.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to cable conduit and more specifically to cable conduit electrical boxes for securing an electrical device which hides line voltage cables and low voltage cables on a wall for a more aesthetically pleasing appearance.

2. Background Art

Electrical cords and plugs are well known and are used to provide electrical current to a number of devices. Modern televisions are light enough to be hung on the wall, yet still need to be connected to an electrical outlet. In new construction, an electrical outlet can be located where a television will ultimately be mounted, yet the majority of households have electrical outlets near the floor. In these instances, the television electrical cable droops from the mounted television to reach the electrical outlet near the floor and creates an unsightly appearance. Further, DVD players, cable boxes, and similar devices which play through the television must be connected to the television with an HDMI cable or other suitable cable. These cables then must be run up the wall and further clutters the television's appearance. In other applications an electrical box may not be properly positioned and a homeowner would then have to cut into the wall and run appropriate electrical wiring behind the wall.

SUMMARY

Aspects of this disclosure relate to an aesthetically pleasing cable conduit and electrical boxes. In one aspect, a cable conduit electrical box including a base having at least one opening for receiving a cable conduit, a cover removably attachable to the base, and an adapter removably positioned on the base or the cover for sealing the at least one opening around the cable conduit.

In an implementation, the adapter may further include at least one mounting tab engageable with the base or the cover. The adapter may further include three mounting tabs engageable with the base or the cover. The adapter may further include an aperture corresponding to a width and a height of the cable conduit. The adapter may not include an aperture where the cable conduit is absent. The adapter may be slidably engaged in the cover.

The cover may further include a track arranged to receive the adapter. The track may further include a locking tab. The adapter may further include a locking tab arranged for engagement with the track locking tab. The adapter may further include removable portions to receive cable conduit of a smaller dimension. The base may further include at least one mounting pin. The at least one mounting pin may be positioned adjacent the at least one opening. The adapter may further include at least one mounting aperture. The adapter at least one mounting aperture may be secured to the at least one opening. The adapter may further include a tab engageable with a track in the cover.

In another aspect, a cable conduit electrical box includes a base having at least one opening for receiving a cable conduit and at least one mounting device adjacent the at least one opening, a cover removably secured to the base, an adapter having at least one mounting aperture and a conduit aperture, and wherein the adapter at least one mounting aperture is engaged with the base at least one mounting device.

In another aspect, the method of mounting a cable conduit electrical box includes the steps of providing the cable conduit electrical box having a base, a cover, and an adapter, mounting the base to a wall, mounting the cable conduit to the wall with an end of the cable conduit adjacent an opening in the base, selecting the adapter having an conduit opening sized to seal the cable conduit, mounting the adapter to the base or the cover, and installing the cover to the base.

In an implementation, the step of mounting the adapter may include the step of mounting the adapter to the base. The step of mounting the adapter may include the step of mounting the adapter to the cover. The method may include the step of positioning the adapter in a track within the cover.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This disclosure, its aspects and implementations, are not limited to the specific components or assembly procedures disclosed herein. Many additional components and assembly procedures known in the art consistent with the intended operation and assembly procedures for a cable conduit electrical box will become apparent for use with implementations of a cable conduit electrical box from this disclosure. Accordingly, for example, although particular components are disclosed, such components and other implementing components may comprise any shape, size, style, type, model, version, measurement, concentration, material, quantity, and/or the like as is known in the art for such implementing components, consistent with the intended operation of a cable conduit electrical box.

FIGS. 1 through 6illustrate a first implementation cable conduit electrical box10having a base12and a cover14with cover14covering substantially all of base14, the cable conduit electrical box10arranged to receive cable conduit16in connection with the base12and cover14. Referring toFIG. 2, base10may include a plurality of base openings18and a central opening20for receiving an electrical device or other suitable component. Base openings18may be positioned on each straight side of base12or in any suitable location which is arranged to receive cable conduit16. The base openings are preferably sized and shaped to receive cable conduit of the largest commercially available size so that the cable conduit electrical box10is generally universally sized. Further, base openings18are generally recessed within base12enough so that the cable conduit16end portions may be protected and retained at least partially within the cable conduit electrical box10. For example, base12and cover14may be any suitable shape, including, but not limited to, round, square, rectangular, or octagonal. The base12may also include various known protrusions for receiving and holding the cover14in a snap-like or locking mechanism as will be discussed in greater detail below.

Adapters22may be sized to suitably fit within the area of base openings18, with the adapters22having a body24and conduit openings26of various sizes. The adapters may further include at least one or more adapter tabs28and one or more of the adapter tabs28may include a locking tab30. In one implementation, the cable conduit electrical box10includes a plurality of adapters22with different sizes of conduit openings26that are arranged to fit various width and height of cable conduit16. Further, adapters22may include blanks or other suitable filler components that do not include conduit openings26for base openings18which are not receiving cable conduit16to advantageously seal the cable conduit electrical box10.

FIGS. 3-5illustrate various views of cover14and an interior cavity44with a cover track32having a cover track slot34and a track locking tab36. Further, cover connectors38are shown which are used to interact with base12to removably secure the cover14to the base12. As shown inFIG. 3, cover track slot34may include one or more tracks arranged to align with and receive adapters22and specifically adapter tabs28therein. In the implementation shown, three adapter tabs28are shown and three corresponding cover track slots34are used to receive the three adapter tabs28, although any suitable number of mounting tabs may be utilized. The adapters22, cover tracks32, and track slots34are preferably positioned at each location on base12and cover14where cable conduit16may be positioned. The track slots34may also include the locking tab36arranged for engagement with adapter locking tab30when adapter22is positioned within the track slots34.

As can be envisioned from the illustrations, it is advantageous to first secure base12to a wall structure and then cut cable conduit16to the appropriate length so that it terminates within base opening18. With the terminating end of cable conduit16positioned within base opening18, the user then selects an adapter22having an appropriately sized adapter conduit opening26and the adapter22is secured within cover14and cover track slot34until adapter locking tab30engages track locking tab36. The user will also insert any suitable blank adapters, or those adapters without adapter conduit openings26therein and locate the blank adapters in any cover track slots34which are not receiving cable conduit16. The user may then secure the cover14to base12to thereby enclose the cable conduit electrical box10with cable conduit16appropriately positioned within the base12and cover14and sealed from the surrounding environment as can also be seen inFIG. 6.

FIGS. 7 and 8illustrate another implementation of a cable conduit electrical box10having structure similar to the first implementation described above. Immediately noticeable differences are a plurality of mounting pins40positioned on base12adjacent base openings18. Specifically, in one application, mounting pins40are positioned on each side of each base opening18such that, by way of non-limiting example, when four base openings18are utilized, there may be 8 mounting pins40in base12. Adapters22may also be slightly modified to incorporate body24having conduit openings26arranged to be selectively sized for various cable conduits16. The adapters22may further include a mounting tab28with a locking tab30to connect the adapter to cover14. Specifically, adapters22include one or more adapter mounting apertures42which are aligned with and arranged to be securely mated with mounting pins40to seal the area around cable conduit16and base18or the area of base18if no cable conduit is utilized. Once again, adapters22may include a variety of different conduit openings26, may be blank (i.e. not have any conduit opening), and/or may have removable portions such that the user can remove any necessary adapter portions and select the appropriate sized conduit opening26.

While installation is similar to the first implementation, the user may decide to install the adapters on base12before installing cover14or may select to install the adapters within cover14initially. Additionally, the adapter mounting apertures42and base mounting pin40arrangement allows for better alignment between the base12, adapters22, and cover14so that an easier installation is achieved.

It will be understood that implementations are not limited to the specific components disclosed herein, as virtually any components consistent with the intended operation of a method and/or system implementation for a cable conduit electrical box may be utilized. Components may comprise any shape, size, style, type, model, version, class, grade, measurement, concentration, material, weight, quantity, and/or the like consistent with the intended operation of a method and/or system implementation for a cable conduit electrical box.

The concepts disclosed herein are not limited to the specific implementations shown herein. For example, it is specifically contemplated that the components included in a particular implementation of a cable conduit device may be formed of any of many different types of materials or combinations that can readily be formed into shaped objects and that are consistent with the intended operation of a cable conduit electrical box. For example, the components may be formed of: rubbers (synthetic and/or natural) and/or other like materials; polymers and/or other like materials; plastics, and/or other like materials; composites and/or other like materials; metals and/or other like materials; alloys and/or other like materials; and/or any combination of the foregoing.

Furthermore, embodiments of the cable conduit electrical box may be manufactured separately and then assembled together, or any or all of the components may be manufactured simultaneously and integrally joined with one another. Manufacture of these components separately or simultaneously may involve extrusion, pultrusion, vacuum forming, injection molding, blow molding, resin transfer molding, casting, forging, cold rolling, milling, drilling, reaming, turning, grinding, stamping, cutting, bending, welding, soldering, hardening, riveting, punching, plating, and/or the like. If any of the components are manufactured separately, they may then be coupled or removably coupled with one another in any manner, such as with adhesive, a weld, a fastener, any combination thereof, and/or the like for example, depending on, among other considerations, the particular material(s) forming the components.

In places where the description above refers to particular implementations of a cable conduit electrical box, it should be readily apparent that a number of modifications may be made without departing from the spirit thereof and that these implementations may be applied to other cable conduit electrical boxes. The accompanying claims are intended to cover such modifications as would fall within the true spirit and scope of the disclosure set forth in this document. The presently disclosed implementations are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the disclosure being indicated by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description. All changes that come within the meaning of and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be embraced therein.