Abstract:
A sconce box assembly for mounting sconces on walls of various wallboard thicknesses and shallow wall cavities with no disruption to the surrounding wall. The sconce box assembly includes an electrical box having a sidewall, a back wall, an electrical cavity, and wing bosses extending from the sidewall. First rotatable wings secured to the wing bosses are adapted for rotation between a retracted position, in which the rotatable wings are positioned inside the sidewall perimeter, and an extended position in which the rotatable wings are positioned outside the sidewall perimeter. Retracting the wings facilitates insertion of the electrical box through a hole in a wall. Extending the wings facilitates tightening the wings and clamping the electrical box to the wallboard. The invention contemplates at least one second rotatable wing that may be used optionally in place of the first rotatable wing in order to accommodate attachment to various thicknesses of wallboards.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to provisional U.S. Application No. 61/984,151, filed Apr. 25, 2014, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to mounting of electrical components to walls and specifically to a sconce box assembly for securing a sconce light to a wall having a shallow wall cavity. 
     BACKGROUND 
     It is common for homeowners to remodel or upgrade bathrooms, kitchens, and other areas of their homes. Usually, the homeowner desires to add additional lighting or upgrade the existing lighting as part of the remodeling project. As the project involves reworking an existing or “old” home, this is typically termed an old work situation. 
     Usually a conventional sconce box is used to provide an electrical enclosure and a mounting surface for installing the new sconce light. Conventional sconce boxes are typically constructed to fit a standard wall cavity, which is typically constructed with 2×4-inch studs and includes a spacious 3.5-inch wall cavity. 
     Unfortunately, especially in an old work situation, the wall cavity at the desired location of the new sconce is sometimes severely reduced by existing water pipes, electrical cables, or similar devices within the interior wall cavity. The installer therefore must typically remove a substantial portion of the existing wallboard, reroute the piping through the wall cavity, and then replace the wallboard. This leads to a substantially higher installation time and installation cost. 
     Accordingly, what is needed is an apparatus and method for quickly securing a wall sconce to a wall, and especially an apparatus and method that enables the installing of a sconce light to a section of wall in which the interior wall cavity is substantially reduced by interior piping or similar obstructions. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a sconce box assembly that is adaptable to mounting on walls of various wallboard thicknesses and with shallow wall cavities with no disruption to the surrounding wall. The sconce box assembly includes an electrical box having a sidewall, a back wall, an electrical cavity, and wing bosses extending from the sidewall. First rotatable wings secured to the wing bosses are adapted for rotation between a retracted position in which the rotatable wings are positioned inside the sidewall perimeter, and an extended position in which the rotatable wings are positioned outside the sidewall perimeter. Retracting the wings facilitates insertion of the electrical box through a hole in a wall and extending the wings facilitates tightening of the wings thereby clamping the electrical box to the wallboard. The invention contemplates at least one second rotatable wing that may be used optionally in place of the first rotatable wing in order to accommodate mounting to thicker wallboards. 
     OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES 
     A first object of the invention is to enable the mounting of a sconce device or similar electrical fixture to a wall in substantially any location, including areas that have substantially shallow wall cavities within the wall. 
     A second object of the invention to simplify the mounting of a sconce to a wall by enabling the installer to avoid removing existing wallboard and rerouting piping within the wall cavity and the subsequent task of repairing the damaged wall. 
     A further object of the invention is to reduce the time and cost involved in mounting a sconce to a wall. 
     A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus and method that enables the installing of a sconce light to a section of wall in which the interior wall cavity is substantially reduced by interior piping or similar obstructions. 
     A further object of the invention is to provide a sconce box assembly that is adaptable for mounting to walls of various thicknesses. 
     A further object of the invention is to provide a sconce box assembly that reduces the number of stock keeping units (SKUs) required to be kept on hand for various wall thicknesses. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) 
       Reference is made herein to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded isometric view of a sconce box assembly in accordance with embodiments of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is an elevation view of an electrical box which forms a portion of the sconce box of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a side view of the electrical box. 
         FIG. 4  is a top view of the electrical box. 
         FIG. 5  is a sectional view of the electrical box taken along line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 6  is a top view of a first rotatable wing that forms a portion of the sconce box of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 7  is a side view of the first wing. 
         FIG. 8  is a bottom view of the first wing. 
         FIG. 9  is an isometric view of the first wing. 
         FIG. 10  is a top view of a second and alternative rotatable wing that may be used with the sconce box of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 11  is a side view of the second wing. 
         FIG. 12  is a bottom view of the second wing. 
         FIG. 13  is an isometric view of the second wing. 
         FIG. 14  is an isometric view of a first embodiment of a sconce box assembly including the first wings rotated to a retracted position. 
         FIG. 15  is a side view of the sconce box assembly of  FIG. 14  with the first wings rotated to an extended position. 
         FIG. 16  is an isometric view of the sconce box assembly of  FIG. 14 . 
         FIG. 17  is a plan view of a second embodiment of a sconce box assembly according to the present invention including the second wings rotated to an extended position. 
         FIG. 18  is a side view of the sconce box assembly of  FIG. 17 . 
         FIG. 19  is an isometric view of the sconce box assembly of  FIG. 17 . 
         FIG. 20  is a side view of the first embodiment of the sconce box assembly secured to a wallboard. 
         FIG. 21  is a side view of the second embodiment of the sconce box assembly secured to a wallboard. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     With reference to  FIG. 1 , the present invention comprises a sconce box assembly  20  for securing a light fixture or similar device to a wall. The sconce box assembly  20  includes an electrical box  22  having a sidewall  24  and a back wall  26  forming an electrical cavity  28 . The back wall  26  includes an inner surface  30 . Two wing bosses  32  are integral with the sidewall  24  and inner surface  30  of the back wall  26 . Back wall  26  may include one or more openings  34  or knockout areas  36  therein. 
     The wing bosses  32  include bores  38  therein and sconce box assembly  20  includes a first rotatable wing  40  secured within the bore  38  of the wing boss  32  by a self-threading fastener  42  such as the screws shown in  FIG. 1 . In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , the first wings  40  include a main body portion  43  including a planar top surface  44 , an aperture  46  therein, and a stop arm  48 . When assembled to the electrical box  22  with fasteners  42 , the rotatable wings  40  may be rotated from a retracted position, wherein a first side  50  of stop arm  48  is in contact with inner surface  52  of sidewall  24 , to an extended position wherein a second side  54  of stop arm  48  is in contact with inner surface  52  of sidewall  24 . As will be described hereinafter, according to the present invention, at least two embodiments of the rotatable wings may be provided with the sconce box assembly to enable the assembly to be secured to walls constructed of various conventional wallboard thicknesses. Preferably, there are two wing bosses  32  with the wing bosses preferably aligned 180° apart on the sidewall  24  of the electrical box. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the electrical box  22  includes two fixture bosses  56  integral with the sidewall  24  and inner surface  30  of the back wall  26 , with the fixture bosses preferably aligned 180° apart on the sidewall  24 . The fixture bosses  56  include bores  58  therein. Two flanges  60  extend from opposing sides of the sidewall  24 . The flanges  60  include a front surface  62  and a rear surface  64  and the rear surface of each flange  60  is planar with the rear surface  63  of the back wall  26 . The sidewall  24  is substantially circular with two flat portions  65  aligned substantially at a 90° angle from the flanges  60 . The faces  66  (see  FIG. 1 ) of wing bosses  32  and the fixture bosses  56  are planar with the planar rim  68  of the sidewall  24 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , an electrical fitting  70  may be fitted within one or more of the openings  34  in the back wall  26  of the electrical box  22 . One such electrical fitting  70  may be the Black Button® push-in fitting 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 will enable push-in connection of a non-metallic cable (not shown) to the electrical box portion  22  of the sconce box assembly. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 6-9 , the first wings  40  include a substantially triangular profile including sides  72 , a first corner  74  and two opposing corners  76 . Aperture  46  is located adjacent first corner  74  and stop arm  48  extends from a side  72  of the first wing  40  substantially near the aperture  46 . The stop arm  48  extends from the bottom surface  78  of the first wing  40 . Stop arm  48  includes a first side  50  and a second side  54 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 10-13 , there is shown a second embodiment of the rotatable wings. Second wing  80  may optionally be used in place of first rotatable wing in order to accommodate attachment of the electrical box to a thicker wallboard. Optional second wing  80  is substantially similar to the first wing described hereinabove and includes the top surface  44 , bottom surface  78 , a substantially triangular profile including sides  72 , a first corner  74  and two opposing corners  76 , an aperture  46  and a stop arm  48  including a first side  50  and a second side  54 . The critical difference in second wing  80  is that the top surface is not planar but includes a base portion  82 , a center portion  84 , and an end portion  86 . End portion  86  is preferably offset from base portion  82  by distance D 1  as shown in  FIG. 11 . Further, as shown in  FIG. 13 , center portion  84  of second rotatable wing  80  includes an indentation  87  therein. Thus second wing  80 , as a result of the offset in the wing, can accommodate a thicker wallboard than the first wing. As in the first embodiment of the wing, stop arm  48  acts to limit the rotation of the second wing  80  with respect to the electrical box portion of the sconce box assembly. The offset D 1  in rotatable wing  80  enables a single size electrical box to accommodate several nominal thicknesses of wallboard. 
     According to the present invention, the first wing  40  and second wings  80  are interchangeable on the electrical box  22  to form a sconce box assembly  20  appropriate for attachment to various nominal thicknesses the wallboard. Additional interchangeable wings are within the scope of the invention in order to accommodate wallboards having other nominal thicknesses. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 14-16 , a first embodiment of a sconce box assembly  20  includes the two rotatable first wings  40  assembled to the electrical box  22 . The sconce box assembly  20  is operated by first cutting a substantially circular hole in the wallboard (not shown) at the preferred location on a wall. The diameter of the circular hole in the wall is preferably slightly larger than the outer diameter D 2  across the circular wall portions  88  of sidewall  24  (see  FIG. 2 ). The installer determines the thickness of the wallboard, which typically is a nominal thickness such as ½-inch or ⅝-inch. 
     As shown in  FIG. 14 , for installation on a wall, the first wings  40  are rotated to their retracted positions, with first side  50  of each of the stop arms  48  in contact with inner surface  52  of sidewall  24 , and tightened sufficiently such that the stop arms  48  cannot swing freely away from the retracted position. In the retracted position, the wings  40  are retracted within the sidewall  24  of the electrical box  22 . The electrical box portion  22  of sconce box assembly  20  is then slipped within the hole in the wall and pulled outwards until front surface  62  of flanges  60  is flush with the back surface of the wallboard. Flat portions  65  of the sidewall  24  enable the electrical box to slip easily within the hole in the wall. 
     First wings  40  are then rotated to their extended positions by turning fasteners  42  clockwise, wherein the second side  54  of stop arm  48  is in contact with the inner surface  52  of the sidewall  24 , as shown in  FIGS. 15 and 16 , and are tightened against the sidewall  24  of the electrical box  22  until the wallboard is clamped tightly between the first wings  40  and the flanges  60 . Electrical wiring (not shown) is typically pulled into the box prior to the attachment of the sconce box assembly  20  to the wall. After the sconce box assembly is secured to the wall, the leads from a light fixture, or similar wall mounted electrical device, can be secured to the electrical wiring and the electrical fixture secured by appropriate mounting plate and screws (not shown) driven into the fixture bosses  56  of the electrical box  22 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 17-19 , a second embodiment of a sconce box assembly  90  is created by replacing the first wings (see  FIG. 14 ) with the second wings  80 . The wings  40  and  80  are interchangeable on the electrical box  22  to form a sconce box assembly that is appropriate for attachment to the wallboard thickness at the installation site. Second wing  80  such as shown in  FIGS. 17-19  may include an offset D 5  (see  FIG. 18 ) to facilitate connection to a thicker wallboard than that accommodated by the first wing. The operation of the second embodiment of the sconce box assembly  90  is identical to the operation for the first embodiment described hereinabove, with the exception being that the second wing  80  accommodates attachment to a thicker drywall or wallboard. 
     One substantial advantage offered by the sconce box of the present invention is that it reduces the number of stock keeping units (SKUs) required to be kept on hand for various wall thicknesses. Although the specific embodiments described herein are directed to installation on nominal wallboard thicknesses of ½-inch and ⅝-inch, the offset D 5 , such as shown in  FIG. 18 , could be varied to accommodate other nominal wallboard thicknesses, such as ¾-inch. Thus, the sconce box assembly of the present invention is typically provided as a kit or package, with the package including electrical box  22  and at least two rotatable wings  40  and  80  to accommodate at least two thicknesses of wallboard. Thus the installer has all the components to adapt the sconce box assembly to fit substantially any nominal thickness of wallboard and does not have to transport several different sconce boxes to the job site. 
     With reference to  FIG. 20 , the first embodiment of the sconce box assembly  20  is shown after being secured to a drywall or wallboard  92  of a first nominal thickness. The rotatable wings  40  are rotated outward to their extended position and tightened against the sidewall  24  to clamp the electrical box  22  portion of the sconce box assembly  20  to the wall. As shown in  FIG. 21 , the second embodiment of the sconce box assembly  90  is depicted secured to a drywall or wallboard  94  of a second nominal thickness. The rotatable wings  80  are rotated outward to their extended position and tightened against the sidewall  24  to clamp the electrical box  22  portion of the sconce box assembly  90  to the wall. 
     As stated hereinabove, the sconce box assembly of the present invention provides an apparatus and method for quickly securing a wall sconce to a wall, and particularly an apparatus and method that enables the installing of a sconce light to a section of wall in which the interior wall cavity is substantially reduced by interior piping or similar obstructions. With reference to  FIG. 5 , the critical factors that enable the sconce box assembly to fit within a shallow wall cavity include the depth D 4  of the electrical box and the fact that the rear surface  63  is flat with no structures protruding from the flat rear surface  63 . The depth D 4  of the electrical box is preferably no greater than 0.562 inches. The substantially shallow depth D 4  of the electrical box  22  of the present invention enables the mounting of a sconce fixture in extremely shallow wall cavities, such as those locations in which water pipes or other obstructions severely limit the cavity depth available to the installer. 
     According to a preferred embodiment, the electrical box  22  and wings  40  and  80  are most preferably constructed of metal, such as galvanized steel, but may also be molded of plastic in one piece. 
     The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.