Abstract:
A reversible protective cable chute for attachment to a horizontal electrical box or low voltage frame to enable the routing of low voltage cables there through. A first embodiment of the reversible protective cable chute includes a cable shield that is used in conjunction with a conventional decorative cover plate and a second embodiment includes a cover integral with the cable shield. In the first embodiment, the cable shield includes two ears with apertures therein for mounting directly to a conventional single gang electrical box or conventional low voltage frame. Bores are provided in the ears of the protective cable shield for receipt of fasteners for mounting a standard decorative plate thereto. A second embodiment of the reversible protective cable chute includes a cover integral with the cable shield for direct mounting to an electrical box or low voltage frame.

Description:
This application is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/082,030 filed Apr. 8, 2008 and still pending, which is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/075,326 filed Mar. 11, 2008 and still pending, and is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/011,162 filed Jan. 24, 2008 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,563,979 and still pending, all of which are commonly owned by the assignee of the present invention and the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to the installation of low voltage wiring in buildings and specifically to a reversible protective cable chute for routing low voltage electrical or communications cables from one room to an adjacent room through interior walls. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A wide variety of low voltage components such as telephone cables, coax cables for television and internet service, wiring for home entertainment systems and surround sound, and cables for connecting computers to peripherals such as printers and facsimile machines, are prevalent in today&#39;s homes and offices. Frequently it is necessary to route these low voltage wires and cables through interior walls in order to connect low voltage components in separate rooms. 
     In some cases, holes are simply made in the baseboard or walls and low voltage cables are simply routed through the holes. However, this is an unsightly solution and detracts from the overall appearance of the building. One prior art device for routing low voltage components is that of U.S. Pat. No. 4,688,747 to Helmsdorfer, et al., issued on Aug. 25, 1987, which includes a wall aperture molding with a removable plate cover. The plate cover clips to the molding plate with the plate cover extending downwardly and outwardly from the molding plate to define a cable passage between the lower edge of the plate cover and the molding plate. The molding plate may be further provided with a gate slot to provide installation over pre-existing cables. 
     However, one disadvantage with prior art wall aperture moldings such as that described above is that they are not complementary with wall openings prepared for conventional electrical devices. Therefore, in order to install the prior art molding plate, a hole must be made specifically sized for the molding plate. A further disadvantage with the aperture molding described above is that it is limited to one orientation with respect to the molding plate, which orientation includes the plate cover extending outward from the plate and wall. There is no arrangement for mounting the plate cover such that it extends into the wall. 
     Although the parent patent application Ser. Nos. 12/011,162, 12/075,326, and 12/082,030 provided several protective cable chutes for routing low voltage wires through interior walls, the cable chutes were for use with an electrical box or low voltage frame mounted in the standard vertical orientation. Frequently the electrical box or low voltage frame is mounted on a wall in a horizontal orientation. The current invention therefore provides two embodiments of a reversible protective cable chute for use with a horizontally mounted electrical box or low voltage frame. The reversible protective cable chute may be used with conventional electrical boxes or conventional low voltage frames for the purpose of providing an aesthetically attractive portal for routing low voltage cables through walls. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention is a reversible protective cable chute that can be mounted to a horizontal electrical box or low voltage frame to enable routing low voltage cables there through. A first embodiment of the reversible protective cable chute includes a cable shield that is used in conjunction with a conventional decorative cover plate and a second embodiment includes a cover integral with the cable shield. In the first embodiment, the cable shield includes two ears with apertures therein for mounting directly to a conventional single gang electrical box or conventional low voltage frame. Threaded bores are provided in the ears of the protective cable shield for receipt of fasteners for mounting a standard decorative plate thereto. A second embodiment of the reversible protective cable chute includes a cable shield and integral cover that are mounted to an electrical box or low voltage frame to provide an opening and passageway for receiving low voltage cables for the purpose of routing them through the wall and into an adjacent room. 
     OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES 
     Several advantages are achieved with the reversible protective cable chute of the present invention, including:
         (1) The reversible protective cable chute provides a device for routing low voltage wires and cables through walls.   (2) The protective cable chute provides an aesthetically attractive portal for wires and cables passing through walls.   (3) A first embodiment of the protective cable chute for a single gang electrical box may be used with conventional decorative cover plates and therefore does not require the manufacture of a specially designed cover plate.   (4) The protective cable chute may be used with horizontally mounted electrical boxes or low voltage frames.   (5) Several configurations are available to the installer to provide several options for an attractive installation. The reversible protective cable chute can be mounted with the cable shield extending outward or inward and with the nose portion opening oriented upward or downward, thereby allowing selection of one of four possible mounting installations for added flexibility in routing cables through walls.   (6) By using the protective cable chute of the present invention, the installer may be able to utilize existing installed electrical boxes and low voltage frames for routing low voltage cables and thereby avoid creating additional holes in the walls.       

     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 an exploded perspective view of a first and preferred embodiment of a reversible protective cable chute according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a front perspective view of a cable shield that forms a portion of the reversible protective cable chute of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a rear perspective view of the cable shield of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is a front view of the cable shield of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 5  is a side view of the cable shield of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 6  is a sectional view of the cable shield taken along line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the first embodiment of the reversible protective cable chute secured to a wall in a first orientation with the cable chute oriented outward and down. 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the first embodiment of the reversible protective cable chute secured to a wall in a second orientation with the cable chute oriented inward and up. 
         FIG. 9  is a front view of the reversible protective cable chute of  FIG. 1  after being secured to an electrical box and installed on a wall. 
         FIG. 10  is an exploded perspective view of a second embodiment of a reversible protective cable chute according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 11  is a front view of the reversible protective cable chute of  FIG. 10 . 
         FIG. 12  is a sectional view of the reversible protective cable chute taken along line  12 - 12  of  FIG. 11 . 
         FIG. 13  is a sectional view of the reversible protective cable chute taken along line  13 - 13  of  FIG. 11 . 
         FIG. 14  is a detailed view of the two-way mounting aperture on the left side of the cable chute of  FIG. 13 . 
         FIG. 15  is a perspective view of the second embodiment of the reversible protective cable chute secured to a wall in a first orientation with the cable chute oriented outward and down. 
         FIG. 16  is a perspective view of the second embodiment of the reversible protective cable chute secured to a wall in a second orientation with the cable chute oriented inward and up. 
     
    
    
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                 INDEX TO REFERENCE NUMERALS IN DRAWINGS 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                 20 
                 reversible protective cable chute, first embodiment 
               
               
                 22 
                 cable shield 
               
               
                 24 
                 cover plate 
               
               
                 26 
                 electrical box 
               
               
                 28 
                 wall 
               
               
                 30 
                 cable shield fastener 
               
               
                 32 
                 cover fastener 
               
               
                 34 
                 base portion of cable shield 
               
               
                 36 
                 end of cable shield 
               
               
                 38 
                 ear 
               
               
                 40 
                 outer bore 
               
               
                 42 
                 inner bore 
               
               
                 44 
                 nose portion 
               
               
                 46 
                 sidewall 
               
               
                 48 
                 top wall 
               
               
                 50 
                 outer wall 
               
               
                 52 
                 planar outer edge 
               
               
                 54 
                 planar side edge 
               
               
                 56 
                 rectangular-shaped nose portion opening 
               
               
                 58 
                 peripheral collar 
               
               
                 60 
                 open area 
               
               
                 62 
                 rear opening 
               
               
                 64 
                 cable passageway 
               
               
                 66 
                 lower portion of nose 
               
               
                 70 
                 reversible protective cable chute, second embodiment 
               
               
                 72 
                 cover plate 
               
               
                 74 
                 cable shield 
               
               
                 76 
                 nose portion 
               
               
                 78 
                 two-way aperture in cover plate 
               
               
                 80 
                 fastener 
               
               
                 82 
                 raised outer periphery of cover plate 
               
               
                 84 
                 side wall 
               
               
                 86 
                 top wall 
               
               
                 88 
                 outer wall 
               
               
                 90 
                 end wall 
               
               
                 92 
                 outer edge 
               
               
                 94 
                 side edge 
               
               
                 96 
                 bottom edge of cover plate opening 
               
               
                 98 
                 front recessed area 
               
               
                 100 
                 rear recessed area 
               
               
                 101 
                 axis perpendicular to front surface of cover plate 
               
               
                 102 
                 axial center of cover plate aperture 
               
               
                 104 
                 countersunk area 
               
               
                 106 
                 center of cover plate aperture 
               
               
                 108 
                 fastener 
               
               
                 110 
                 rear surface of cable chute 
               
               
                 112 
                 bore in electrical box 
               
               
                 114 
                 front surface of cable chute 
               
               
                 D1 
                 distance nose portion extends from base portion 
               
               
                 D2 
                 depth of front opening 
               
               
                 H1 
                 height of front opening 
               
               
                 W1 
                 width of front opening 
               
               
                 W2 
                 width at center of cover plate aperture 
               
               
                 Θ1 
                 angle of lower edge of nose portion with respect to horizontal 
               
               
                 Θ2 
                 angle of countersunk area around cover plate aperture 
               
               
                 Θ3 
                 angle of side walls of cable shield with respect to cover plate 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  there is shown a first embodiment of the present invention, a reversible protective cable chute  20  including a cable shield  22  and a conventional decorative cover plate  24 . The reversible protective cable chute  20  is depicted in alignment with a horizontally mounted electrical box  26  secured in a wall  28 . Cable shield fasteners  30  secure the cable shield  22  to the electrical box and cover fasteners  32  secure the cover plate  24  to the cable shield  22 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the cable shield  22  includes a base portion  34  having two ends  36  and two ears  38  extending from each end  36 . Outer bores  40  and inner bores  42  are provided in the ears  38 . The cable shield  22  further includes a nose portion  44  having sidewalls  46 , a top wall  48 , and an outer wall  50 . A planar outer edge  52  is provided on the outer wall  50  and a planar side edge  54  is provided at the lower end of the sidewalls  46 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , a substantially rectangular-shaped nose portion opening  56  is formed by the outer edge  52  and side edge  54  of the outer wall  50  and sidewalls  46  respectively rectangular-shaped nose portion opening  56  is formed by the outer edge  52  and side edge  54  of the outer wall  50  and sidewalls  46  respectively. A peripheral collar  58  extends outward from the base portion  34  in the opposite direction of the nose portion  44 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 4-6 , the cable shield  22  further includes a substantially wide open area  60  with width W 1  that is visible from the front of the cable shield  22 . As shown in  FIG. 5  the nose portion  44  extends a substantial distance D 1  from the base portion  34  thereby creating a substantially deep open area  60  with depth D 2 . The cable shield  22  includes a rear opening  62  and an open cable passageway  64  extending between the open area  60  and rear opening  62 . As shown in  FIG. 6 , the angle Θ 1  of the outer edge  52  of the nose portion  44  with respect to horizontal combined with the height H 1  of the side edge  54  above the lower portion  66  of the nose  44  creates an open area  60  that is readily visible from the front of the nose portion  44 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , the open area  60  is of width W 1  and height H 2 . Angle Θ 1  of the outer edge  52  of the nose portion  44  with respect to horizontal is preferably between 5 and 9 degrees. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 7 and 8 , the first embodiment of the reversible protective cable chute  20  may be secured to a wall in several orientations, with the cable shield  22  being reversed with respect to the electrical box or low voltage frame (not shown) to meet the installer&#39;s requirements. The cable shield  22  can be installed with the nose portion  44  extending away from the box, as shown in  FIG. 7 . In this configuration low voltage cables may be routed upward into the open area  60  and through the wall  28 . 
     An alternative configuration for the first embodiment of the reversible protective cable chute  20  is depicted in  FIG. 8 . In this configuration, the cable shield  22  is secured to secured to an electrical box or frame member (not shown) with the nose portion  44  extending into the box or frame member and therefore into the wall  28 . The cover plate  24  is then secured to the cable shield  22  to complete the installation. In this configuration low voltage cables may be routed into the rear opening  62  and through the wall  28 . The configuration depicted in  FIG. 8  may be used in those situations in which space is at a premium and it would be undesirable to have the nose portion  44  extending into the room. 
     With reference to  FIG. 9  there is a front view of the reversible protective cable chute  20  after being secured to an electrical box and installed on a wall  28  with the nose portion  44  extending into the room. As shown in  FIG. 9 , the front opening provides a substantially wide open area  60 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 10  there is shown a second and preferred embodiment of the reversible protective cable chute  70  according to the present invention. The reversible protective cable chute  70  is a one-piece device in which the cover plate  72  is integral with the cable shield  74 . The cable shield  74  includes a nose portion  76  extending outward from the cover plate  72 . The reversible chute  70  can be installed with the nose portion  76  extending outward from the electrical box  26  as shown in  FIG. 10  or it can be reversed and secured to the box  26  with the nose portion  76  extending into the box  26 . The one-piece cable chute  70  includes two-way apertures  78  for accepting fasteners  80  there through for securing the cable chute  70  to the electrical box  26 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 11 and 12 , the one-piece reversible cable chute  70  includes a substantially wide and high open area  60  in the same manner as the first embodiment of the cable chute. As shown in  FIG. 11 , the open area  60  includes a substantial width W 1  and height H 2  in same manner as the first embodiment. Cover plate  72  is provided with a raised outer periphery  82 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 12 , the cable shield  74  portion of the one-piece reversible cable chute  70  includes a side wall  84 , top wall  86 , outer wall  88 , end wall  90 , outer edge  92  at the lower tip of the end wall  90 , and a side edge  94 . The cover plate  72  opening includes a bottom edge  96  that will define the lower edge of the open area  60 . The one-piece reversible cable chute  70  includes an open area  60 , rear opening  62 , and cable passageway  64  as shown. 
     The cover plate  72  portion of the one-piece reversible cable chute  70 , as shown in  FIG. 13 , includes a front recessed area  98  and a rear recessed area  100 . The front recessed area  98  extends between the outward extending cable shield  74  and the raised outer periphery  82  of the cover plate  72 . Cover plate apertures  78  are provided in the cover plate  72  on either side of the side walls  84  of the cable shield  74 . The side walls  84  of the cable shield  74  preferably slope inward slightly at an angle Θ 3  with respect to an axis  101  perpendicular to the front surface of the cover plate  72 . Preferably angle Θ 3  is between 2 and 5 degrees. As shown in  FIG. 14 , cover plate two-way aperture  78  with axis  102  includes countersunk areas  104  on both sides of the cover plate  72 . The countersunk areas  104  are critical to enable the one-piece cable chute  70  to be reversible with respect to any box or frame that is connected to while providing an attractive installation with the head of the fasteners (not shown) residing below the surface of the recessed areas  98  and  100  of the cover plate  72 . Preferably the angle Θ 2  of the countersunk areas  104  is between 75 and 85 degrees. The width W 2  at the center  106  of the cover plate two-way aperture  78  is preferably no more than 0.02 inch greater than the outer thread diameter of the cover plate fastener (not shown) that will be passed there through. As the one-piece cable chute  70  is preferably molded in one piece of plastic, it is critical that width W 2  not exceed the preferred stated dimension with respect to the fastener in order for the cover plate  72  at the center  106  of aperture  78  adequately hold the fastener. 
     Reference is made to  FIGS. 15 and 16  for an explanation of the operation of the one-piece reversible cable chute  70  of the present invention. The reversible cable chute  70  is a device for providing an attractive attachment for an electrical box or low voltage frame for the purpose of passing low voltage wiring from one room into an adjacent room. The cable chute  70  may be secured to the box  26  with the cable shield  74  extending outward into the room as shown in  FIG. 15  or it may be reversed and secured to the box  26  with the cable shield  74  extending into the electrical box  26  as shown in  FIG. 16 . In either case the reversible cable chute  70  provides a portal for passing low voltage cables between separate rooms in a building. For creating an installation with the nose portion  76  of the cable shield  74  extending outward into the room, the cable chute  70  is simply aligned with the rear surface  110  of the cable chute  70  facing the box and with the cover plate apertures  78  aligned with the bores  112  in the electrical box  26 . Fasteners  108  are then driven through cover plate  72  and tightened into bores  112  to secure the reversible cable chute  70  to the electrical box  26 . Since low voltage cables (not shown) will be passed through the cable chute  70 , there is no requirement by the electrical code to seal the box or frame member. 
     Alternatively, the cable chute  70  may be installed with the nose portion  76  of the cable shield  74  extending into the box  26  as shown in  FIG. 16 . For creating an installation with the nose portion  76  of the cable shield  74  extending into the electrical box  26 , the cable chute  70  is simply aligned with the front surface  114  of the cable chute  70  facing the box  26  and with the cover plate apertures  78  aligned with the bores  112  in the electrical box  26 . Fasteners  108  are then driven through cover plate  72  and tightened into bores  112  to secure the reversible cable chute  70  to the electrical box  26 . The countersunk areas  104 , being provided on both the front surface  114  and rear surface  110  of the cover plate  72 , enable the fasteners  108  in the final configuration to be recessed within the cover plate  72  regardless of whether the front surface  114  or rear surface  110  is facing outwards from the wall  28 . Raised periphery  82  and recessed areas  98  and  100  on cover plate  72  enable the cover plate  72  to fit flush against wall  28 , even if electrical box  26  juts slightly outward of the wall surface. 
     The protective cable chutes  20  and  70  of the present invention are preferably molded of plastic but could also be formed of metal. For the first embodiment of the reversible protective cable chute  20  shown in  FIG. 1 , the cable shield  22  is most preferably molded in one piece of plastic and the cover plate  24  is simply a conventional decorative electrical cover plate that is available in most hardware stores. For the second and preferred embodiment of the reversible protective cable chute  70 , shown in  FIGS. 15 and 16 , the cable chute  70  is most preferably molded in one piece of plastic. The plastic used to form the cable shield  22  of cable chute  20  and the one-piece cable chute  70  is preferably polypropylene, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), acrylonitrile-butadiene styrene (ABS), or polycarbonate. 
     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.