Abstract:
A two-gang pre-wired TV bridge kit including a kit, package, or assembly of components for mounting a TV to a wall with minimal disruption to the wall surface. The kit includes a fully assembled two-gang pre-wired electrical box with a pre-wired receptacle, a pre-wired junction box including a flexible cord connected thereto by a cord grip fitting, a trim plate and a cover plate. The cord grip fitting enables a secure connection between the pre-wired electrical box and the flexible cable that is permanently secured to the electrical box. The trim plate includes deep sidewalls for creating a recessed area for positioning the junction box behind the wall surface and rotatable flags for securing the junction box to wallboard. A cover plate secures to the trim plate within the recessed area. The flexible cord is plugged into an existing electrical outlet to feed electricity to the pre-wired receptacle.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to provisional U.S. Application No. 61/674,031, filed Jul. 20, 2012, and is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/385,395 filed Feb. 18, 2012 and still pending, which is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/660,745 filed Mar. 3, 2010 and still pending, the entire contents of which all of said applications are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to the installation of electrical components and specifically to two-gang pre-wired television (TV) bridge kit that eliminates the need to disturb wall studs and minimizes the amount of time required by an installer to provide electrical service and low voltage connections on a wall for the mounting of a flat panel TV or similar device thereto. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Commonly owned U.S. application Ser. No. 13/385,395, filed Feb. 18, 2012 provided a two-gang pre-wired TV bridge kit for enabling a homeowner to rapidly install an electrical outlet on a wall while eliminating damage to the wall surface. The two-gang pre-wired TV bridge kit enabled a homeowner to rapidly connect electrical feed from an existing electrical outlet to a wall mounted TV or similar electrical device. The two-gang pre-wired TV bridge kit vastly simplified and minimized the time for installing power to a wall-mounted TV and eliminated the need to remove drywall, drill studs, and feed electrical supply cable through the studs in order to power the electrical device. 
     Although the two-gang pre-wired TV bridge kit provided a kit that vastly simplified the task of providing power to a wall-mounted TV or similar electrical device, the two-gang pre-wired TV bridge kit of the parent application could be improved by adding functionality to enable supplying communications signals to the device such as CATV cables for carrying the TV signal or the cabling for a surround sound system connected to the TV. 
     What is needed therefore is a device and method for supplying power and low voltage connections to a wall-mounted TV. Such a device should eliminate the need for altering the surrounding wall surface and underlying studs, eliminate the need to pull power and low voltage cables through adjacent studs in the wall, and eliminate the need to make extensive repairs to the drywall and wall surface after the cables are installed. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention is a two-gang pre-wired TV bridge kit including a kit, package, or assembly of components for mounting a TV to a wall with minimal disruption to the wall surface. The kit includes a fully assembled two-gang pre-wired electrical box with a pre-wired receptacle and a pre-wired junction box with cord grip and flexible cord. The cord grip fitting enables a secure connection between the two-gang pre-wired electrical box and the flexible cable that is permanently secured to the electrical box to reverse feed power to the first pre-wired junction box. The pre-wired junction box includes a trim plate with deep sidewalls for creating a recessed area for positioning the junction box a substantial distance from the wall surface. The trim plate includes rotatable flags for securing the junction box to the wallboard. A cover plate secures to the trim plate within the recessed area. The flexible cord is plugged into an existing electrical outlet to reverse feed electricity from the existing electrical outlet into the two-gang pre-wired TV bridge kit. 
     OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES 
     Several advantages are achieved with the two-gang pre-wired TV bridge kit of the present invention, including:
         (1) The two-gang pre-wired TV bridge kit vastly simplifies the task of providing power and low voltage signals such as CATV to a wall-mounted TV by eliminating the need to remove drywall or disrupt the wall surface surrounding the TV.   (2) As all electrical connections are pre-wired, the two-gang pre-wired TV bridge kit enables a homeowner to easily and rapidly install electrical supply and low voltage cables to a wall-mounted electrical device such as a TV.   (3) The two-gang pre-wired TV bridge kit eliminates the need to alter underlying studs in order to supply electricity or signal feeds to a wall-mounted TV.   (4) The two-gang pre-wired TV bridge kit completely eliminates the need to pull electrical cables through adjacent studs in the wall in order to power the TV in the desired location.   (5) The two-gang pre-wired TV bridge kit provides a means of powering a TV without damaging surrounding wall surfaces.   (6) The two-gang pre-wired TV bridge kit eliminates unsightly visible cables surrounding any wall-mounted TV to which it supplies power.       

     These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be better understood by reading the following description along with reference to the drawings. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a two-gang pre-wired TV bridge kit according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a fully assembled two-gang pre-wired electrical box with a pre-wired receptacle that forms a portion of the two-gang pre-wired TV bridge kit of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a pre-wired junction box with cord grip and flexible cord that forms a portion of the two-gang pre-wired TV bridge kit of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a front perspective view of a trim plate that forms a portion of the two-gang pre-wired TV bridge kit of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is a rear perspective view of the trim plate. 
         FIG. 6  is a side view of the trim plate. 
         FIG. 7  is a top view of the trim plate. 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the pre-wired junction box with cord grip and flexible cord in alignment with a trim plate and cover plate to be secured to the wallboard. 
         FIGS. 9   a ,  9   b , and  9   c  are conceptual schematics depicting the installation sequence of the two-gang pre-wired TV bridge kit of the present invention to form a bridge between the pre-wired receptacle and an existing wall outlet. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  there is shown a preferred embodiment of a two-gang pre-wired TV bridge kit  20  according to the present invention. The two-gang pre-wired TV bridge kit  20  is an assembly of electrical components, many of them pre-wired to provide a simple and efficient means to rapidly provide electrical power and low voltage cables to a homeowner&#39;s chosen location for mounting a flat panel TV or similar electrical device. The two-gang pre-wired TV bridge kit  20  includes two pre-wired electrical boxes including a first electrical box  22  and a second electrical box  24  that are pre-wired to each other and connected by electrical cable  26 . The bridge kit  20  includes a trim plate  28  and a cover plate  30 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 2 , first electrical box  22  is a two-gang box that includes a high voltage side  32  including a pre-wired receptacle  34  and a low voltage side  36  including a flexible insert  38 . The two-gang box  22  includes an integral flange  40  with apertures  42  there through and flag screws  44  extending through the apertures  42  and attached to rotatable flags  46 . The first box  22  includes sides  48  and ends  50  with rails  52  on the ends extending from the front  54  to the rear  56  of the first box  22 . The rotatable flags  46  are located adjacent the rails  52 . The high voltage side  32  of first electrical box  22  includes an electrical junction box  58  including a back wall  60 , side walls  62 , end walls  63 , and a recessed area  64  with a knockout  66  therein. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , second electrical box  24  is a pre-wired high voltage junction box that is pre-wired with a cord grip  68  and a flexible cord  70 . The cord grip  68  is secured to a cord grip mount  72  which includes a 45° surface  74  for angling cord grip  68  at a 45° angle with respect to the front face  76  of the second box  24 . Second electrical box  24  includes side walls  78 , end walls  80 , and a back wall  82  defining a high voltage electrical enclosure  84 . End walls  80  include a recessed area  86  and a knockout aperture  88  through which pre-wired cable  26  extends. Flexible cord  70  includes an electrical plug  90  at its end. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , trim plate  28  includes a flange  92  with a front surface  94  and a rear surface  96 . Side walls  98  and end walls  100  extend from the interior portion of the rear surface  96 . Short rails  102  extend from the flange  92  along the end walls  100  at the junction of side walls  98  and a pair of long rails  104  are located interior of the short rails  98  and extending from the flange  92  along the end walls  100 . Apertures  106  pass through the flange  92  and through bosses  108  integral with the rear surface  96  of the flange  92  and with the end walls  100 . Flag screws  44  pass through the apertures  106  and are secured to rotatable flags  46 . 
     End walls  100  and side walls  98  of electrical box  28  (see  FIG. 2 ) and trim plate  28  include interior surfaces  110  (see  FIGS. 4 and 5 ) that extend to a low voltage side  112  and to a high voltage side  114 . Low voltage side  112  includes two bosses  116  on opposing sides of the end walls  100  with apertures  118  therein for mounting of a low voltage component (not shown). High voltage side  114  includes planar mounting surface  120 , posts  122 , and apertures  124  extending into planar mounting surface  120 . The depth of interior surfaces  110  recess the low voltage side  112  and high voltage side  114  well below the flange  92 , which will insure that any low and high voltage components secured in the second box will be recessed well within the wall. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 6 and 7 , the side walls  98  and end walls  100  of trim plate  28  are each tapered from their juncture  125  with flange  92  to their rear edges. As shown in  FIG. 6 , long rails  104  are tapered from a wider base  126  at the juncture with the flange  92  to narrower at their ends  128  as shown by distance D1 compared to distance D2. Similarly, as shown in  FIG. 7 , end walls  100  taper from a wider base  130  at the juncture with the flange  92  to narrower at their rear edge  128  as shown by distance D3 compared to distance D4. The tapered long rails  104  and end walls  100  will make it easier for an installer to insert the trim plate  28  into an opening in the wallboard. 
       FIGS. 9   a - 9   c  illustrate the installation sequence of the two-gang pre-wired TV bridge kit of the present invention to form a bridge between a pre-wired receptacle and an existing wall outlet. Flat panel TVs are commonly mounted on a wall. One problem commonly encountered in this situation is that the nearest existing wall outlet may be located a substantial distance from the desired mounting location of the TV. In the conventional method of installing an in-wall electrical outlet box, the homeowner is thus faced with the task of pulling cable through the wall from the nearest available existing outlet and routing it to the location selected for the new TV. This distance may be 8 to 10 feet or more and therefore requires routing wire horizontally through several wall studs. This is a time consuming task that involves removal of the wallboard, drilling holes through the existing wall studs, pulling electrical cable through the newly drilled holes, and then repairing the damaged wallboard and the wall surface. This is a tremendously time consuming task that, as a result of all the wall damage, is also expensive. When faced with this task, a typical homeowner typically hires a qualified electrician to install the new receptacle. 
     The two-gang pre-wired TV bridge kit of the present invention provides a means for the homeowner to install his own power receptacle while at the same time providing a means for also routing low voltage cables to the TV. Modern TVs typically require one or more low voltage connections such as a CATV cable, cables for surround sound, and cables for connection to peripheral devices such as video games, DVRs, and disc players. The bridge kit of the present invention provides the means for routing a plurality of low voltage cables to the newly installed TV. 
     With reference to  FIG. 9   a , first electrical box  22  and trim plate  28  both include a low voltage passageway  131  therein for passage of low voltage cables (not shown) there through in order to supply first electrical box  22  with low voltage connections. To operate the two-gang bridge kit  20  of the present invention, two rectangular holes are cut in the wallboard, locating the top hole  132  at a desired location for a TV. The bottom hole  134  is located directly below the top hole, preferably low on the wall. The pre-wired junction box assembly or second electrical box  24  including prewired cable  26 , flexible cord  70 , and plug  90 , is placed through the top hole  132  and fed down toward the bottom hole  134 . If desired, as shown in  FIG. 9   b , a flexible insert  38  may be inserted in each of the low voltage passageways  131  to provide a more attractive TV bridge kit. 
     As shown in  FIG. 9   b , first electrical box  22  is then pressed into the top hole  132  until flange  40  is flush with the surface of the wallboard  136  and the flag screws  44  are tightened to secure the first box  22  to the wallboard. As shown in  FIG. 8 , the second electrical box  24  and flexible cord  70  are then pulled through the bottom hole  134  and flexible cord  70  is pulled through the trim plate  28 . The junction box  24  is secured to the trim plate  28  with trim plate screws  138  after which the trim plate  28  is secured to the wallboard  136  by tightening the flag screws  44 . The cover plate  30  is then secured to the trim plate  28  with cover plate screws  140  as shown in  FIG. 9   b.    
     As shown in  FIG. 9   c , after both electrical box assemblies  22  and  24  are secured to the wallboard with flag screws  44 , the pre-wired TV bridge  20  is simply plugged into an existing wall outlet  142 . The flexible cord  70  of the TV bridge  20  can be of a length to accommodate a wall outlet  142  that is a substantial distance from the new location of the TV mount. After the flexible cord  70  is plugged into outlet  142 , electrical supply is reverse fed from the existing wall outlet  142  to all the components of the TV bridge  20 , including the junction box  24  and the first electrical box  22 . This is contrary to conventional electrical installations, in which electrical supply is routed from existing boxes that are behind the wall surface. 
     A flexible insert  38  may be secured to the low voltage mount  112  (see  FIG. 4 ) of trim plate  28  to provide a pathway for low voltage wiring (not shown) to be routed between the first electrical box  22  and second electrical box  24 . Low voltage cables are simply passed through the flexible insert  38  on first electrical box  22  and are dropped down behind the second electrical box  24  and pulled through the flexible insert  38  that is secured to the trim plate  28 . This can be done during installation, as shown in  FIG. 9   a , or can be done later by simply loosening flag screws  44  and removing the trim plate  28  from the wallboard or wall  136  and then retrieving the low voltage cables from the wall cavity behind bottom hole  134  and passing them through the flexible insert  38  in the trim plate  28 . Trim plate  28  is then reattached to the wall by retightening the flag screws. As shown in  FIG. 2 , flexible insert  38  includes a center aperture  146  and a plurality of slits  148  radiating from the center aperture. 
     As described hereinabove, the TV bridge vastly simplifies the task of supplying electricity to a newly installed TV or other electrical device. It eliminates the need to tear up walls by removing wallboard, to drill holes through studs, and to repair the damaged wall. Only two simple holes are required to be made in the wallboard and the TV bridge completely eliminates the messy and time-consuming job of drilling holes in wall studs, pulling electrical cable through the studs, and replacing wallboard and finishing the wall. 
     As both of the electrical boxes  22  and  24  are pre-wired, there is no need for the installer to make any internal wiring connections within the electrical boxes. Flexible cord  70  could be substantially long, such as 8 feet in length or even longer, to enable an installer to reach a substantially distant existing electrical outlet. If, for example, the existing electrical outlet is 8 feet away from the second electrical box  24 , and wall studs (not shown) are spaced at 16-inches, the pre-wired TV bridge kit  20  of the present invention eliminates the need to remove a substantial amount of wallboard and the need to drill through 6 studs. The two-gang pre-wired TV bridge kit  20  thereby provides a means of supplying line voltage to a TV or similar electrical appliance or device without the need to tear up existing walls and to drill holes in the studs and pull cables there through. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the recessed area  64  on second electrical box  24  may include a knockout or removable wall portion  66 . The recessed area  64  enables the use of electrical fittings or connectors such as the Black Button™ push-in fitting  144  or connector for connecting non-metallic cable to electrical boxes. The Black Button™ push-in fitting is available from Arlington Industries of Scranton, Pa. Use of the push-in fitting  144  prevents any part of the fitting from projecting beyond the end walls  80  and interfering with placement of the two-gang pre-wired TV bridge kit in locations where space is tightly restricted. 
     Various portions of the two-gang pre-wired TV bridge kit  20 , including the first and second electrical boxes  22  and  24 , may be constructed of metal or plastic. Most preferably, the electrical boxes  22  and  24 , the trim plate  28 , and the cover  30  are each molded in one piece of plastic. Suitable plastics include polycarbonate and polyvinylchloride. 
     Although the description above contains many specific descriptions, materials, and dimensions, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments of this invention. Thus the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than by the examples given.