Abstract:
A protective cable frame for providing a portal for routing low voltage cables through a wall. The protective cable frame includes a substantially rectangular frame portion with an inner periphery having a rounded surface, two ends, and arms extending from each end. The arms include an outer bore and an inner slot therein. The inner slots enable insertion of fasteners for direct mounting of the cable frame to a low voltage bracket or an electrical box and permit squaring of the cable frame with respect to the wall. The outer bores in the arms of the protective cable frame enable receipt of fasteners for mounting a cover plate thereto. The protective cable frame is capable of receiving low voltage cables for routing them through a wall to an adjacent room. The rounded surface on the inner periphery provides a gentle bend radius to cables routed there through.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to the installation of low voltage wiring in buildings and specifically to a protective cable frame for use with a low voltage bracket or an electrical box in combination with a decorative cover plate for routing low voltage electrical cables or communications cables through walls. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A wide variety of low voltage components such as telephone cables, coax cables for television and interne 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 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. 
     U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/384,423, sharing inventorship with the present invention, disclosed a cable routing assembly including a low voltage bracket and a scoop or frame for acting as a sight barrier for substantially blocking the view of low voltage or communication cables entering the wall. 
     Although several cable routing devices with sight barriers have been proposed for routing cables through walls, there are also situations in which the primary concern is accommodating a large number of cables and providing a safe opening through the wall. What is needed therefore is a cable routing device that provides an attractive wall portal for low voltage cables. The cable routing device should be capable of accommodating and supporting a large number of cables while providing a gradual or gentle bend radius to the cables passing through the device. The cable routing device should be easy to install and provide a cable portal that is visually pleasing to the homeowner. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention is a protective cable frame for providing a wall portal for routing low voltage cables there through. The protective cable frame includes a substantially rectangular frame portion with an inner periphery, an outer periphery, two ends, and arms extending from each end. The arms include an outer bore and an inner slot therein aligned along a vertical axis extending longitudinally through the cable frame. An ear extends outward laterally from each arm and includes apertures therein. The inner slots enable insertion of fasteners for direct mounting of the cable frame to a low voltage bracket or an electrical box and the width of the slots permit squaring of the cable frame with respect to the wall. The outer bores in the arms of the protective cable frame enable receipt of fasteners for mounting a cover plate thereto. An opening in the protective cable frame is capable of receiving low voltage cables for the purpose of routing them through the wall and into an adjacent room. A rounded surface is provided on the inner periphery of the cable frame to provide a gentle bend radius to any cables routed there through. 
     OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES 
     Several advantages are achieved with the protective cable frame of the present invention, including:
         (1) The protective cable frame provides a large portal for routing low voltage wires and cables through walls.   (2) The large portal is unimpeded by the cable shields or outward extending nose portions that are common on many prior art cable portal devices.   (3) The protective cable frame provides a cable portal with a broad cable support surface thereby preventing excessive bends on communication cables.   (4) The protective cable frame accommodates standard DECORA® cover plates, which is a registered trademark of and are available from Leviton Manufacturing Company, Little Neck, N.Y.   (5) As the protective cable frame is configured for use with conventional decorative cover plates, the protective cable frame for a single gang electrical box does not require the manufacture of a specially designed cover plate.   (6) The protective cable frame may be used to provide an insert for either a low voltage bracket or an electrical box.   (7) The protective cable frame provides a wide surface to convert conventional low voltage brackets or electrical boxes into acceptable cable portals.   (8) The protective cable frame provides an insert that completely covers the sharp edge surrounding the opening in a conventional decorative electrical cover.   (9) The protective cable frame includes a curved surface on its inner periphery that provides a gradual bend radius to any cables extending there across thereby protecting the cables from abrasion and excessive bends.       

     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 the preferred embodiment of a protective cable frame according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a front elevation view of the protective cable frame of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a side view of the protective cable frame of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a sectional view of the protective cable frame taken along line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 5  is a sectional view of the protective cable frame taken along line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 6  is a sectional view of the protective cable frame taken along line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 7  is a detailed view of a portion of the protective cable frame as viewed along line  7 - 7  of  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 8  is a sectional view of the protective cable frame taken along line  8 - 8  of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 9  is a rear perspective view of the protective cable frame of the present invention flush against the back of a cover plate. 
         FIG. 10  is an exploded perspective view of the protective cable frame of the present invention in alignment with a low voltage mounting bracket and a cover plate for attachment to a wall. 
         FIG. 11  is an exploded perspective view of the protective cable frame of the present invention in alignment with an electrical box and a cover plate for attachment to a wall. 
         FIG. 12  is a sectional view of the protective cable frame of the present invention secured to a low voltage bracket and a cover plate to form a cable portal through a wall. 
     
    
    
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                 INDEX TO REFERENCE NUMERALS IN DRAWINGS 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                 20 
                 protective cable frame 
               
               
                 22  
                 frame member 
               
               
                 24 
                 end of frame member 
               
               
                 26  
                 arm 
               
               
                 28 
                 frame opening 
               
               
                 30  
                 inner periphery 
               
               
                 32 
                 outer periphery 
               
               
                 34  
                 outer bore 
               
               
                 36  
                 inner slot 
               
               
                 38  
                 central axis 
               
               
                 40  
                 longitudinal flange 
               
               
                 42  
                 forward peripheral flange 
               
               
                 44  
                 front edge 
               
               
                 46  
                 rearward peripheral flange 
               
               
                 48 
                 rear edge 
               
               
                 50 
                 flat center portion 
               
               
                 51 
                 curved surface 
               
               
                 52  
                 cable support surface 
               
               
                 53  
                 ear 
               
               
                 54 
                 aperture 
               
               
                 56 
                 curved shoulder 
               
               
                 58 
                 curved inner corner 
               
               
                 60 
                 side of arm 
               
               
                 62 
                 countersunk area 
               
               
                 64 
                 cover plate 
               
               
                 66 
                 back side of cover member 
               
               
                 68 
                 peripheral wall of cover plate 
               
               
                 70 
                 recessed area 
               
               
                 72 
                 low voltage mounting bracket 
               
               
                 74 
                 wall 
               
               
                 76 
                 inner aperture 
               
               
                 78 
                 outer aperture 
               
               
                 79 
                 face flange 
               
               
                 80 
                 rotatable flag 
               
               
                 82 
                 fastener 
               
               
                 84 
                 fastener 
               
               
                 86 
                 aperture in cover plate 
               
               
                 88 
                 sharp edge around cover opening 
               
               
                 90 
                 cover opening 
               
               
                 92 
                 electrical box 
               
               
                 94 
                 aperture in electrical box 
               
               
                 96 
                 wallboard 
               
               
                 97 
                 axis 
               
               
                 D1 
                 distance peripheral flanges extend from longitudinal flange 
               
               
                 D2 
                 depth of recessed area of cover plate 
               
               
                 R1 
                 radius of curved surface of cable support 
               
               
                 T1 
                 thickness of arm portion of protective cable frame 
               
               
                 W1 
                 width across frame member 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  there is shown a preferred embodiment of a protective cable frame  20  according to the present invention. The protective cable frame  20  includes a one-piece frame member  22  with two ends  24 , an arm  26  extending from each end  24 , and an frame opening  28  therein. The frame member  22  includes an inner periphery  30  surrounding the frame opening  28  and an outer periphery  32 . The protective cable frame  20  includes an outer bore  34  and an inner slot  36  aligned along a central longitudinal axis  38  through the frame member  22 . A longitudinal flange  40  extends outward from and around the outer periphery  32  of the frame member  22 . A forward peripheral flange  42  extends forward from the longitudinal flange  40  to a front edge  44  and a rearward peripheral flange  46  extends rearward from the longitudinal flange  40  to a rear edge  48 . The inner periphery  30  of the protective cable frame  20  includes a flat center portion  50  and two curved surfaces  51  extending away from the center  50  to the front edge  44  to the rear edge  48 . The entire surface of the inner periphery  30  including the flat center  50  and curved surfaces  51  combine to form a broad cable support surface  52  that extends around the entire inner periphery  30  and will support any cables (not shown) inserted there through thereby providing a gentle bend radius to the inserted cables. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the protective cable frame  20  includes two ears  53  extending from each of the arms  26 . Each of the ears  53  includes apertures  54  therein. As shown in the front view of the protective cable frame  20  in  FIG. 2 , the frame member  22  includes four curved shoulders  56  and curved inner corners  58  on the inner periphery  30  surrounding the frame opening  28 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , the longitudinal flange  40  is coplanar with each of the arms  26  and extends around the outer periphery  32  of the frame member  22 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 4-6 , the inner periphery  30  of the protective cable frame  20  includes flat center portion  50  and curved surfaces  51  sloping away from center  50 . Preferably the width W 1  across the frame member  22 , as shown in  FIG. 5 , is no less than 0.35 inch. The wide width of the inner periphery  30  of the frame member  22  provides substantially greater support to any cables (not shown) that are fed through the protective cable frame  20 . Preferably, as shown in  FIG. 4 , protective cable frame  20  is symmetrical about central axis  59  and thus forward peripheral flange  42  and rearward peripheral flange  46  both extend the same distance as shown by D 1  in  FIG. 6 . Thus, as the sides of the protective cable frame  20  are mirror images, when placed in operation the protective cable frame  20  can be reversed. As shown in  FIG. 6 , the entire surface of the inner periphery  30  includes the flat center  50  and curved surfaces  51  that combine to form a broad cable support surface  52  that will support any cables inserted there through and will provide a gentle bend radius to the inserted cables. Preferably the radius (see R 1  in  FIG. 6 ) of the curved surface  51  is no less than 0.06 inch and the width of the cable support surface is no less than 0.35 inch. In order to enable the arms  26  to fit within the recessed area of a conventional decorative cover plate (see  FIG. 12 ), the thickness T 1  of the arms  26  and the thickness of the longitudinal flange  40  are equal and are preferably no greater than 0.059 inch. 
     With reference to  FIG. 7 , the curved inner corners  58  of the frame member  22  portion of the protective cable frame  20  provide gently curved surfaces at each corner of the frame member  22  to cover the sharp edges and 90-degree corners inherent in a conventional decorative cover plate (not shown). As shown in  FIG. 8 , the arms  26  of the protective cable frame  20  include two sides  60  and the outer bore  34  in each arm  26  includes a countersunk area  62  on each side  60 . Providing a countersunk area  62  on each side  60  of each arm  26  further contributes to the reversibility of the protective cable frame  20 . It is important that inner slots  36  are wide enough to enable alignment and squaring of the protective cable frame  20  in order that a cover (not shown) that is later secured to the protective cable frame  20  is square with the wall. Preferably the inner slots  36  include a width no less than 0.57 inch to enable squaring of the protective cable frame  20  with respect to the wall. 
     With reference to  FIG. 9 , there is shown a protective cable frame  20  according to the present invention in relationship to a conventional decorative cover plate  64  that it is used in conjunction with. When fitted flush against the back side  66  of the cover plate  64  the outer bores  34  of the protective cable frame  20  will align with the apertures (not shown) in the cover plate  64 . The decorative cover plate  64  includes a peripheral wall  68  around its outer periphery that creates a recessed area  70  on the back side  66  of the plate. Forward peripheral flange  42  of protective cable frame  20  nests within the opening of the cover plate  64  thereby covering the sharp edges of the cover plate  64  and providing a broad cable support surface  52  for cables (not shown) to rest on. 
     Referring to  FIG. 10 , the protective cable frame  20  is shown in alignment with a low voltage mounting bracket  72  and a decorative cover plate  64  for attachment to a wall  74 . The low voltage mounting bracket  72  includes inner apertures  76 , outer apertures  78 , a face flange  79 , and rotatable flags  80  for securing the low voltage mounting bracket  72  to the wall  74 . 
     For operation of the protective cable frame  20  of the present invention with a low voltage mounting bracket, reference is made to  FIG. 10 . Low voltage mounting bracket  72  is first secured to the wallboard in an opening in wall  74 . Protective cable frame  20  is then secured to low voltage mounting bracket  72  with fasteners  82  secured through inner slots  36  of frame member  22  into inner apertures  76  of low voltage mounting bracket  72 . Wide inner slots  36  enable adjustment of the alignment of protective cable frame  20  with respect to the wall  74  to compensate for any misalignment of the low voltage mounting bracket  72  with respect to the wall  74 . After protective cable frame  20  is secured to the low voltage mounting bracket  72  and the wall  74 , fasteners  84  are secured through apertures  86  in cover plate  64  into outer bores  34  in protective cable frame  20  to secure the cover plate  64  to the protective cable frame  20  and thus to the low voltage mounting bracket  72  and the wall  74 . Protective cable frame  20 , being symmetric from side to side as described hereinabove, is reversible, thus simplifying installation in the field as an electrical installer does not need to be concerned about which side needs to face in or out. The inner periphery  30  of protective cable frame  20  will present a broad cable support surface  52  to any cables (not shown) inserted within the frame opening  28  thereby covering sharp edges  88  surrounding the opening  90  in the cover plate  64  and providing a gradual or gentle bend radius to any cables passing through the frame opening  28  of the protective cable frame  20 . 
     For operation of the protective cable frame  20  of the present invention with a conventional electrical box, reference is made to  FIG. 11 . The electrical box  92  can be an old work box or a newly installed electrical box. One or more knockout areas (not shown) within the electrical box  92  may be removed to enable cables to pass through the electrical box. Protective cable frame  20  is secured to electrical box  92  with fasteners  82  secured through inner slots  36  of frame member  22  into apertures  94  in the electrical box  92 . The wide inner slots  36  enable adjustment of the alignment of protective cable frame  20  with respect to the wall  74  to compensate for any misalignment of the electrical box  92  with respect to the wall  74 . After protective cable frame  20  is secured to the electrical box  92  and the wall  74 , fasteners  84  are secured through apertures  86  in cover plate  64  into outer bores  34  in protective cable frame  20  to secure the cover plate  64  to the protective cable frame  20  and thus to the electrical box  92  and the wall  74 . In the same manner as for the low voltage mounting bracket described hereinabove, the inner periphery  30  of protective cable frame  20  presents a broad cable support surface  52  to any cables (not shown) inserted within the frame opening  28  thereby covering sharp edges  88  surrounding the opening  90  in the cover plate  64  and providing a gradual or gentle bend radius to any cables passing through the protective cable frame  20  and through the electrical box  92 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 12 , the protective cable frame  20  of the present invention is depicted in sectional view after being secured to sheetrock or wallboard  96 . The depth D 2  of the recessed area  70  of cover plate  64  is sufficient to accommodate nesting of both the protective cable frame  20  and face flange  79  of the low voltage mounting bracket  72  within the recessed area  70 . Thus, when cover plate  64  is secured to the protective cable frame  20 , peripheral wall  68  of cover plate  64  is pulled flush against the wallboard  96  and recessed area  70  is large enough to accommodate longitudinal flange  40  of protective cable frame  20  and the face flange  79  of the low voltage mounting bracket  72 . The inner periphery  30  of the protective cable frame  20  includes a center a curved surface  51  extending away from each side of the center  50 , the curved surfaces  51  providing a gradual bend radius to any cables (not shown) that are extended through the frame opening  28  of the protective cable frame  20 . The longitudinal flange  40  of the protective cable frame  20  fits entirely within the recessed area  70  of a conventional decorative electrical box cover plate  64  when the cover plate  64  is secured to the protective cable frame  20 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 2 , in a protective cable frame  20  according to the present invention it is important that the outer bores  34  in the frame member  22  are aligned along a central axis  97  and the outer bores  34  include a spacing and pattern to match the spacing and pattern of the apertures  86  in a conventional decorative electrical box cover plate  64  as shown in  FIG. 10 . It is also important that the inner slots  36  in the frame member  22  are aligned along the central axis  97  and the inner slots  36  include a spacing and pattern to match the spacing and pattern of the apertures  76  in a conventional low voltage bracket  72  as shown in  FIG. 10  or the apertures  94  in a conventional electrical box  92  as shown in  FIG. 11 . 
     Most preferably, the one-piece frame member  22  of the protective cable frame  20  is molded in one piece of plastic. Preferably, the plastic is polycarbonate, polyvinyl chloride, acrylonitrile-butadiene styrene, or polyethylene. 
     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.