Abstract:
An electrical box cover including a housing and a hood pivotally attached to the housing and moveable between an open and closed position. The housing includes a base wall adapted to be attached to an electrical box. The base wall is surrounded by an outwardly extending side wall. The side wall includes a first opening defined by an edge. A guard having an opening formed therein is insertable over the first opening and securable to the side wall.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/066,837 filed Feb. 22, 2008 which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to a cover for an electrical box, and more particularly, to a cover for an electrical box having a guard or barrier for restricting the intrusion of insects. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Covers for electrical boxes are well-known in the art. Covers are attached to an electrical box and enclose a receptacle such as an electrical outlet or switch. When designed for outdoor use, such covers typically include a lid, also referred to as a hood, to selectively envelope the receptacle. Certain of these covers, known as while-in-use covers, provide the ability to leave an electrical plug inserted into an electrical receptacle while the lid is in the closed position. While-in-use electrical box covers typically include a slot or notch in a side wall of the housing or the lid in order to accommodate the plug&#39;s cord while the lid is closed. 
         [0004]    Unfortunately, the protected space under the cover and within the box provides a welcoming environment for insects such as wasps. The insects may enter through the clearance opening around the cord and build a nest in the housing. When a user opens the lid in an attempt to access the receptacle, the user may be stung by a wasp. 
         [0005]    Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an electrical box cover which accommodates an electrical plug and cord and prevents the intrusion of insects when the lid is in the closed position. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The present invention provides an electrical box cover including a housing and hood pivotally secured thereto. 
         [0007]    The present invention further provides an electrical box cover having an opening in the housing and a guard positioned over the opening. 
         [0008]    The present invention further provides a guard which permits an electrical cord to pass there-through but restrict the ingress of insects. 
         [0009]    The present invention still further provides an electrical box cover including a housing having a base wall adapted to be attached to an electrical box. The base wall is surrounded by an outwardly extending side wall. The side wall includes a removable tab wherein removal thereof forms a first opening defined by an edge. A hood is pivotally attached to the housing and moveable between an open and closed position. A guard having a slit formed therein is insertable into the first opening and securable to the side wall. 
         [0010]    The present invention also provides an electrical box cover including a housing having a base wall adapted to be attached to an electrical box. The base wall is surrounded by an outwardly extending side wall. A hood is pivotally attached to the housing and moveable between an open and closed position. At least one of the housing or the hood includes a first removable tab wherein removal thereof creates a first cord entry opening defined by an edge. A guard disposed in the first cord entry opening. The guard includes resilient members having a first position substantially covering the first cord entry opening and having a second position to permit a cord to extend through the guard. 
         [0011]    The present invention still further provides an electrical box cover including a housing including a base wall adapted to be attached to an electrical box. The base wall is surrounded by an outwardly extending side wall. A hood is pivotally attached to the housing and moveable between an open and closed position. At least one of the housing or the hood includes a first cord entry opening defined by an edge. A guard, having a slit formed therein creating an opening for receiving a cord, is insertable into the cord opening. The guard includes a resilient member having a layer of adhesive material formed on one side thereof. The guard is foldable over itself and securable to the edge. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of an electrical box of the present invention showing a removable knockout portion. 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the electrical box of  FIG. 4  showing an electrical cord extending through the insect guard with the cover in the open position. 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is a rear perspective view of the electrical box cover in the closed position. 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  is a front perspective view of the electrical box of  FIG. 1  showing the insect guard prior to installation. 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  is a front perspective view of the electrical box of  FIG. 1  showing the insect guard installed. 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  is a bottom perspective of the electrical box cover showing the hood in the closed position and an electrical cord extending through the insect guard. 
           [0018]      FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view taken along lines  7 - 7  of  FIG. 6 . 
           [0019]      FIG. 8  is a front perspective view of the electrical box cover in the vertical orientation with the hood in the closed position. 
           [0020]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of an insect guard of the present invention. 
           [0021]      FIGS. 10-12  include front perspective views of the electrical box cover of  FIG. 1  showing the cover in a generally horizontal position. 
           [0022]      FIG. 13  is a rear perspective view of the electrical box cover in the horizontal orientation with the hood in the closed position. 
           [0023]      FIG. 14  is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of an insect guard of the present invention. 
           [0024]      FIG. 15  is a front perspective view of the electrical box cover in the horizontal orientation with the hood in the closed position. 
           [0025]      FIG. 16  is a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the cover of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0026]    With reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , electrical box cover  10  is securable to an electrical box  12 . Electrical box  12  may be an outlet box, junction box, termination box, switch box or any other type of container for housing an electrical element. The electrical box  12  may house an electrical receptacle  13  such as a switch or outlet. 
         [0027]    Referring to  FIGS. 1-3 , electrical box cover  10  may include a housing  14  and a hood  16  pivotally secured thereto. The housing  14  may include a base wall  18  which includes an opening  20  there through to accommodate the electrical receptacle  13 . The opening  20  may also accommodate one or more adapter plates and/or wall plates (not shown) which are configured to accommodate different receptacles, e.g., duplex outlet, GFCI, and light switch. Base wall  18  may further include through holes  22  in order to allow fastening hardware to attach the cover  10  to the electrical box  12  and/or electrical receptacle or to other components secured in the electrical box. The base wall  18  is perimetrically bounded by an outwardly extending side wall  24  having a front end  25 . The base wall  18  and side wall  24  form a cover interior  26 . The cover interior  26  may accommodate a plug  27  and a portion of its cord  29  when the hood  16  is in the closed position as shown in  FIG. 7 . The electrical cover  10  may be generally a rectangular box-like configuration having a first  28 , second  30 , third  32 , and fourth  34  wall portions, with the first and third wall portions being shorter in length than the second and fourth wall portions. However, it is within the contemplation of the present invention that the electrical box cover  10  may be formed in a wide variety of configurations in order to accommodate various applications. Housing  14  may be formed of a plastic material or metal using processes well known in the art. 
         [0028]    With reference to  FIGS. 2 and 7 , in the preferred embodiment, hood  16  may include a central portion  40  which may be flat or have a curvature thereto. Bounding the perimeter of the center portion  40  is a rim  42 . Rim  42  may include an L-shaped cross-sectional profile as shown in  FIG. 7 . It is within the contemplation of the present invention that rim  42  may be formed in a variety of configurations. The hood at a position adjacent the rim  42  abuts a perimeter ledge  43  extending from the upper portion of the side wall  24  when the hood  16  is in the closed position. Rim  42  further includes a recess  44 , and when the hood  16  is in the closed position, the recess  44  extends around the side wall front end  25 . Accordingly, the cover interior  26  and the electrical receptacle  13  are isolated from precipitation, dust and other contaminants. The hood  16  may be formed of a plastic or metallic material. When formed of plastic, the hood  16  may be transparent, translucent or opaque. 
         [0029]    Electrical boxes  12  may be installed in a variety of orientations with rectangular electrical boxes typically being installed in either generally vertical or horizontal orientations. In a preferred embodiment, cover  10  may be secured to an electrical box  12  in the two general positions. One position, shown for example in  FIGS. 1 ,  6  and  8 , would be for a generally vertically positioned electrical box. The other position, shown for example in  FIGS. 9-11 , would accommodate a generally horizontally oriented electrical box. 
         [0030]    Hood  16  may be pivotally secured to the side wall  24  of the housing  14 . In order to accommodate the various mounting orientations, hood  16  is preferably pivotally mountable to cover housing  14  along either one of two side wall portions. 
         [0031]    With further reference to  FIG. 5 , one of the side wall portions, for example the first side wall portion  28 , may include one or more housing first hinge members  36  thereon. The hinge members  36  may be spaced from each other and disposed adjacent the side wall front end  25 . These housing first hinge members  36  cooperate with hood first hinge members  38  disposed on, and extending from, the hood rim  42 . The hood first hinge members  38  may include C-shaped clips  46 . Housing first hinge members  36  may include round posts  47  supported above the side wall  24 . Clips  46  may resiliently engage and snap around posts  47  such that a rotatable connection is made. The housing first hinge members  36  and hood first hinge members  38  may be disposed along one side of their respective structures such that the hood  16  may be attached to the top of the housing  14  when the cover  10  is mounted in the vertical orientation as shown in  FIG. 5 . The clips  46  may also be removable from the posts  47  so that the hood  16  could be selectively attached and removed from the housing  14 . Posts  47  may include flats thereon in order to facilitate the attachment and removal of the hood. It is also within the contemplation of the present invention that as an alternative C-shaped clips could be mounted on the housing  14  and the posts being mounted on the hood  16 . 
         [0032]    The housing  14  may further include one or more housing second hinge members  48  disposed on a side wall portion adjacent the first portion  28 , such as second side wall portion  30 . Housing second hinge members  48  may be formed including a round post  47  supported above the side wall  24  similar to housing first hinge members  36 . Hood  16  may further include hood second hinge members  52  extending from an adjacent side of the hood edge as the hood first hinge members  38 . Hood second hinge members  52  may be formed similar to the hood first hinge members  38 . Hood second hinge members  52  may resiliently engage posts  47  of housing second hinge members  48  to form a rotatable connection. This connection accommodates the cover  10  when mounted in the horizontal orientation as shown in  FIG. 10 . The resilient cooperation between the hood second hinge members  52  and the housing second hinge members  48  permits the hood to be attached and removed. 
         [0033]    When it is desired to mount the electrical box cover  10  in a generally vertical position, hood  16  may be attached to the first side wall portion  28  through the cooperation of housing first hinge members  36  and hood first hinge members  38  as shown for example in  FIG. 5 . Alternatively, if the electrical box is desired to be mounted in a generally horizontal orientation such as that shown in  FIG. 10 , the hood  16  may be attached to the second wall portion  30  through the cooperation of housing second hinge members  48  and hood second hinge members  52 . The mounting flexibility of the hood  16  permits the hinge to be located at the top of the cover housing  12  regardless of the orientation. Therefore, the hood will tend to fall to the closed position via gravity when left unattended. 
         [0034]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  7 , once the electrical box cover  10  is installed to the electrical box  12 , the plug  27  may be inserted into the receptacle  13 . The plug cord  29  would therefore extend out from the cover  10 . In order to permit the hood  16  to be rotated to the fully closed position when the cord  29  is extending from the cover, an opening is preferably provided in the housing side wall  24 . It is desirable to have the cord to extend out from the bottom of the cover. Since the cover has two different orientations, either third wall portion  32  or fourth wall potion  34  will be the cover bottom wall. Accordingly, in the preferred embodiment, both the third  32  and fourth  34  side wall portions include a tab-like knockout  66  formed therein. However, only one of them needs to be removed. The knockouts  66  may be formed in a manner known in the art such as by thinning the knockout or thinning material surrounding the knockout such that it is easy to remove. The knockout  66  in the third side wall  32  portion may be removed forming an opening  68  when the electrical box is in the generally vertical direction as shown in  FIG. 1 . The knockout  66  on the fourth side wall  34  portion may be removed forming an opening  68  when the electrical box is in the generally horizontal position as shown in  FIG. 10 . 
         [0035]    When electrical box cover  10  is installed in an exterior application, the cover interior  26  is susceptible to the entrance of insects which may form nests in the protected environment of the interior. Even with the hood in the closed position, the opening created to permit the cord to extend from the cover provides a potential opening for insects. Such insects may contaminate the interior, fouling the electrical receptacle. In addition, if the nests are built by wasps or other stinging insects, this can make access to the electrical receptacle dangerous for a user. In order to prevent insects from entering the closed cover through the opening  68  through a cord may pass, a guard  70  is provided to prevent entrance of insects after one of the knockouts  66  has been removed. The guard  70  is formed to permit the cord of an electrical plug to pass there-through. 
         [0036]    With reference to  FIGS. 1 ,  4 ,  5  and  9 , guard  70  is preferably a resilient structure formed of an elastomeric material such as rubber or foam rubber. The guard  70  may be a generally planar member having an adhesive back surface  72  which is covered by removable release paper  74 . In order to install the guard in side wall portion  32 , the knockout  66  is removed resulting in opening  68 . The release paper may be removed from guard  70  exposing the adhesive. The guard  70  may then be folded along its medial line M-M and secured to the edge  76  surrounding the opening  68  left by the removed knockout  66 . The edges of the guard&#39;s adhesive back surface  72  adhere to the top and bottom surface of the side wall edge  76 . The portion of the guard&#39;s adhesive back surface  72  which does not engage the side wall adheres to itself when the guard is installed. Accordingly, the guard  70  is securely held to the housing side wall and seals the opening  68 . 
         [0037]    The manner of installing the guard is the same regardless on which side wall portion it is installed.  FIGS. 1 ,  4  and  5  show the guard  70  installed on side wall portion  32  when the cover is oriented in a vertical orientation.  FIGS. 10-13  show the guard  70  as being installed in side wall portion  34  which is preferably used when the cover  10  is in the horizontal position. 
         [0038]    Guard may include one or more slits  78  extending there through. When the guard is folded along its medial line M-M, the slits  78  radially extend from a center point  79  ( FIG. 5 ). One of the slits  80  extends to the edge  81  of the folded guard. Therefore, the cord  29  may be slid into the guard  70  and a large plug  27  need not pass through the guard  70 . As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 6 , the slits create resilient fingers  82  which permit the plug  27  and cord  29  to extend there through. The resilient nature of the guard fingers  82  causes them to compress against and engage the cord  29 , thereby reducing gaps between the cord  29  and the guard  70 . Accordingly, a corded plug may be maintained within the electrical receptacle with the hood  16  in the closed position and without any significant opening which would permit the ingress of insects and other contaminants into the cover  10 . When a cord is not extending through the guard, the fingers may assume a relaxed position forming a closed surface which covers opening  68  such that contamination and/or insects cannot enter the cover interior  26 . 
         [0039]    Guard  70  may be used to cover the opening  68  formed in either side wall portion. The knockout  66  may remain in the side wall portion which is not being used to allow the cord to pass through. Accordingly, the integrity of the cover interior is maintained since unused openings are not formed in the cover. 
         [0040]    In an alternative embodiment shown in  FIG. 8 , the guard  90  may be made of a resilient material such as rubber or foam rubber. Guard  90  may have a configuration generally conforming to the shape of opening  68 . At least a portion of a guard outer perimeter  92  may include spaced walls  93  forming a channel  94  extending along the perimeter. The channel  94  may be configured to receive the edges  76  of the opening  68 . Guard  90  may be slid on to the side wall  24 , thereby covering the knockout opening  68 . When installed, the walls  93  sandwich there between the opening edge  76 , thereby retaining the guard  90  in place. The engagement between the channel  94  and edge  76  may result in a pressure or friction fit between the two thereby helping retain the guard in place. A guard central portion  96  may include one or more slits  98 . In one embodiment, the slits radiate from a generally central point  99 . One of the slits  100  extends to a guard front edge to permit the cord of a plug to pass through the guard. Slits permit the cord  29  to be inserted there through and the finger-like projections  101  will deform to closely surround and engage the cord  29  and reduce gaps between the cord and the guard thereby restricting the ingress of insects or other contamination. 
         [0041]    While the embodiments described above disclose the guard  70  being mounted to the housing  14 , it is equally adoptable to being mounted to hood  16  as shown in  FIGS. 15 and 16 . Hood  16  may therefore include a knockout  110  the removal thereof results in an opening for receiving the guard  70 . The cord  29  may then pass through the guard  70 . The hood  16  may include a plurality of knockouts  110  (shown in phantom in  FIG. 14 ) located at different locations to accommodate the different positioning of the cover. Of course, in this embodiment, the perimeter of hood  16  may be formed having a depth sufficient to accommodate a cord ingress/egress opening that is sealed by the guard  70  in the manner described. 
         [0042]    Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to those precise embodiments and that various other changes and modifications may be affected herein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention, and that it is intended to claim all such changes and modifications that fall within the scope of the invention.