Abstract:
A system of architectural moldings that form a passage for electrical wiring ( 30 ), coaxial cables, fiber optic cables, and associated devices used in transmitting low-voltage power, communication, and control signals. The architectural moldings may also be used to cover pre-existing wiring raceways and conduits. The system may be installed when constructing a building or when retrofitting an existing structure. The moldings can be removably mounted on the interior surfaces of residential and commercial structures in a manner that allows for easy removal and replacement of some or all of the moldings without disturbing the enclosed wiring and cables or harming finished surfaces. The moldings may be made of wood, polyurethane, fiberboard, or any material suitable for manufacturing pieces that resemble baseboards, cornice moldings, chair rails, casings, or other interior millwork. The system of moldings facilitates upgrades or modifications to the number, type, or placement of wiring, cables, outlets, jacks, or associated devices.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    This application is a continuation in part of application Ser. No. 09/836,022, which was filed on Apr. 17, 2001, and which issued as U.S. Pat. No. ______. This invention relates to coverings or enclosures for electrical wiring and cables. More particularly, it relates to novel and improved protective architectural moldings that provide channels for electrical wiring, cables, and associated devices. Sections of the moldings may be easily removed and reinstalled to facilitate initial installation and modifications to the electrical wiring and cables used for automation, communication, control, entertainment, networking, and/or security systems.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Prior Art  
           [0004]    Recent years have brought unprecedented advancement in communication, entertainment, computer networking, security, automation, and control systems for homes and commercial buildings. Most existing homes were not built to accommodate these new technologies. Furthermore, the current rate of change in these technologies makes it very difficult to pre-wire new “smart” homes and buildings to fully anticipate future needs and opportunities. The design philosophy for these new systems is typically one of “star” or “hub and spoke” topography that requires most devices to be connected individually back to a central hub or connection point. The star topography requires an increasing number of wires and cables in greater lengths, compounding the difficulty of accommodating the new technologies. As a result, an unmet need exists for an attractive, cost-effective, and easily modifiable means of accommodating the wiring and cables for these complex electronic systems in existing structures and for future-proofing new construction for the technologies being developed.  
           [0005]    Existing finished structures, in particular, present difficulties to installing such systems or networks due to the complications of running wiring and cables in the interior of walls that have already been covered. Snaking electrical lines vertically in the space between wall studs is feasible for short runs of wiring or cable to complete the last few feet of connection to a device or jack. The greater need, however, is to link all the cables and wires in a generally horizontal direction back to a central connection and control hub. However, running wiring and cables horizontally through the studs is difficult, time-consuming, and disruptive to the finished structure. Portions of the wallboard must be cut out, holes drilled through or notches cut in the studs, and the wall surfaces must be patched and refinished after installation. The drilling of holes or notching of studs can weaken the structure. The demolition and repair procedure is often much more costly and time-consuming than the actual running of cables. The installer risks running into existing electrical power lines, plumbing lines, or other obstructions concealed within the walls, ceilings, and floors. Exterior walls and shared walls between adjacent dwelling spaces can make installing these additional wires and cables nearly impossible due to the presence of fiberglass or foam weather insulation, sound insulation, or fire walls.  
           [0006]    Surface-mounted wiring raceways and conduits with snap-on covers have been designed for carrying electrical wires, but their use detracts from the appearance of a residence or professional office. Some of these raceways are surface-mounted on walls and other interior surfaces along with existing moldings. Others may take the place of baseboards and are made of materials such as metal or plastic, which have no resemblance to classical wood millwork. Generally, they are considered undesirable for residences because they look like wire raceways rather than finished interior trim that complements the appearance of a home. Furthermore, baseboard-style raceways do not provide means for continuing wiring and cables around doors, windows, or other wall openings to reach any point in the room or to connect these same wires and cables back to a central control hub.  
           [0007]    Interior and exterior millwork has been used for centuries to provide an attractive, finished look to homes and commercial structures. However, to date, millwork has not been designed to provide a channel for electrical wiring and cables that can extend completely around the perimeter of rooms via baseboard, casings, crown moldings and related connection moldings. Further, ordinary millwork cannot provide easy access for installation and modification of the wiring, cables, and related electrical devices via removable portions of the molding.  
           [0008]    Customary methods of installing standard moldings use finish nails, staples, and/or adhesives to attach them to a structure. Setting of the nails or staples below the surface of the molding then requires the multi-step process of filling the resultant indentations with wood putty or the like, sanding, priming, and painting or staining the exposed surfaces. Performing these steps on the moldings after installation is time-consuming and inefficient compared to painting or staining prior to installation, due to non-ergonomic working positions and the care required to avoid getting finish treatments on adjacent surfaces.  
           [0009]    Since standard means of installing moldings does not permit it to be easily removed, subsequent maintenance or remodeling (such as painting, stripping, staining, wallpapering, changing flooring, etc.) requires a relatively high degree of care to perform these steps on the moldings and/or adjacent surfaces.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0010]    Applicant&#39;s invention constitutes moldings with exposed surfaces that are similar in appearance to those of ordinary architectural interior or exterior moldings presently used in homes and commercial structures. The moldings are designed to provide at least one channel or passageway for wiring, cables, and other power, communication, networking, and control transmissions, or to cover existing wiring conduits and raceways. In addition, the invention includes the combination of these pieces with each other and/or with interior wall, floor, or ceiling space penetrations in order to complete all or a portion of a computer network, audio, video, security, communication, control or automation system in a residential or commercial structure.  
           [0011]    An object of this invention is to provide a system for installing wiring and cables that is easier and faster than going through studs in the walls.  
           [0012]    In addition, some or all of the moldings are designed so that sections may be easily removed and reinstalled in order to facilitate installation and modification of the covered wiring and cables. Means of removably attaching portions of the moldings of the present invention include the following: interlocking joinery such as rabbet, scarf, dovetail, finger, mortise and tenon, or lap joints, mating, or matching pieces; a hook and loop fastening system such as Velcro®; reclosable fasteners such as the 3M Dual Lock™ fastening system; double-stick foam tape; push fasteners; row boat fasteners; removable/repositionable tape; plastic or metal clips; retaining clips or springs; couplings; releasable attachments; and temporary adhesives, caulking, or sealants.  
           [0013]    The moldings of the present invention may have a natural wood finish, or one that can be painted or stained. The present invention may be constructed from hardwoods such as mahogany, birch, white oak, red oak, maple, ash, walnut, or poplar; soft woods such as cedar, pine, Douglas fir, or redwood; or medium-density fiberboard, polyurethane, and other materials that can be formed to have the appearance of wood.  
           [0014]    The moldings of the present invention may also be made of stone, tile, or various composite or synthetic materials that provide high durability as may be required in commercial structures such as hotels, museums, schools, churches, entertainment venues, and office buildings.  
           [0015]    The moldings of the present invention may have design features of styles to complement the appearance of the room, including Victorian, country, traditional, southwest, colonial, or other architectural styles of the twentieth and earlier centuries.  
           [0016]    It is another object of the invention for the baseboard moldings to accommodate and cover wiring and cables when the baseboard is surface-mounted on an interior wall near the floor.  
           [0017]    It is a further object of the invention for the baseboard moldings to provide connections to other trim pieces, such as corner pieces or casings, in order to complete the wiring and cable connections in a structure, while minimizing penetrations in the wall studs.  
           [0018]    The present invention may also make use of all or part of a previously installed non-removable baseboard as part of the support structure for the present invention.  
           [0019]    Door and window casings of the present invention can be used to support and cover sections of the wiring and cables of a network; they are particularly useful in completing connections throughout the structure.  
           [0020]    Cornice and crown moldings may also be used where convenient for the purpose of covering wiring and cables, again with the object of providing an appealing finish when they are surface-mounted on an interior wall near the ceiling. These can be particularly useful for connecting speakers, low-voltage lighting, and/or security monitoring devices. They may also be used to cover access openings in ceilings for the connection of devices mounted on the ceiling of the room. The inventive molding, mounted at the ceiling level, is also useful for covering wiring around the perimeter of a room, using fewer lineal feet than would be required by a combination of baseboards, door casings, and possibly window casings to circumnavigate an entire room.  
           [0021]    Chair rails, or other horizontal trim pieces, may be used in a similar manner for providing a decorative cover for cables and wiring at different elevations between the floor and ceiling.  
           [0022]    Vertical runs of wiring and cables can be achieved by the use of inventive vertical corner trim work, for either interior or exterior corners. Alternatively, vertical runs can also be accomplished by feeding wire vertically within the wall space between studs to connect wiring behind cornice moldings with wiring behind baseboards or door casing moldings.  
           [0023]    Corner pieces of various styles are used to provide connections between various horizontal and vertical trim pieces.  
           [0024]    In addition to actually carrying wiring and cables, the moldings of the present invention can be used to cover and camouflage functional wiring raceways and electrical conduits.  
           [0025]    A finished appearance in any given layout may require the installation of sections of matching trim work which does not actually carry cables or wiring, if network capabilities are not presently needed for a particular section of a room.  
           [0026]    It is a yet another object of the invention for the moldings to optionally have periodic control panels, switches, receptacles, jacks, and ports for the connection of various pieces of electronic equipment, as needed by the user.  
           [0027]    The moldings of the present invention may be used in combination with other hardwired or wireless systems to complete an electronic system in a residential or commercial structure.  
           [0028]    Depending on the network and connections needed for a particular residential or commercial structure, a combination of the interior and exterior trim, wall, floor, and ceiling penetrations and interior runs, and wiring raceways and conduits, may be used by the designer, builder, or end-user.  
           [0029]    The moldings of the present invention may also be used to cover penetrations in the walls, floors, or ceilings in order to feed wires and cables from one room to another or to connect wires and cables to electrical jacks, ports, or other devices.  
           [0030]    The moldings of the present invention may also be used to cover open slots in the walls that permit inspection of the wall space for signs of termites or other pest infestations.  
           [0031]    The moldings of the present invention may also reduce installation time by providing surfaces for installing nails, screws, or staples, which are then hidden by the removable molding pieces. This feature eliminates the need for filling fastener indentations, sanding, priming, and finish painting or staining after installation. Surface treatments can be applied to the moldings prior to installation, with minimal need for touch-up of the exposed surfaces after installation Finally, unlike the currently available wiring conduits and raceways, the present invention provides an aesthetically-pleasing appearance, which complements the decor of the home or commercial structure in which it is installed. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0032]    [0032]FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view illustrating the outward, finished appearance of the moldings of the present invention, which have been installed in the interior of a residence.  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, partial cutaway view of a section of a three-piece baseboard installed according to the present invention.  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, partial cutaway view of a section of a three-piece baseboard installed according to an alternate embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, partial cutaway view of sections of casing molding with a removable portion, installed according to the present invention.  
         [0036]    [0036]FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, partial cutaway view of a section of casing molding with a removable portion, installed according to an alternate embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 6 is an exploded view of a plinth block with a removable faceplate installed according to the present invention.  
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 7 is an exploded view of a plinth block with a removable faceplate installed according to an alternate embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0039]    [0039]FIG. 8 is an exploded view of a corner block with a removable faceplate installed according to the present invention.  
         [0040]    [0040]FIG. 9 is a fragmentary, partial cutaway view of a section of crown molding installed according to the present invention.  
         [0041]    [0041]FIG. 10 is a fragmentary, partial cutaway view of a section of crown molding installed according to an alternate embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0042]    [0042]FIG. 11 is an exploded view of an alternative embodiment of a plinth block of the present invention.  
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0043]    In accordance with the present invention, FIG. 1 shows interior walls and a door in a home with a system of decorative moldings of the present invention covering the low-voltage wiring and cables. Baseboard moldings  1 ,  2  have the appearance of decorative baseboard, but also provide channels or conduits for wiring and cables. Crown moldings  3 ,  4  are also designed to cover wiring and cables along the upper part of a room. Casing moldings  5 ,  6  around a doorway provide channels or conduits for home automation or networking cables and wiring; they are particularly useful for extending the electrical connections around doors and windows of rooms and throughout homes. Chair rail  7 , an alternative decorative molding, provides a channel or conduit for connecting circuits and networks at a height a few feet above floor level. Plinth block  8  is an example of a millwork piece installed at the intersection of the baseboard  2  and the door casing  6 . Each such piece has openings on the side that abuts the baseboard  2  and on the top that abuts the door casing  6 . With this design, the plinth block  8  presents a finished appearance on its exposed surfaces, while permitting the passage of cables and wiring from the end of the baseboard  2  through the plinth block  8  and into the door casing  6 . Millwork pieces such as the outside base corner  9 , the inside base corner  10 , the inside crown corner  11 , the outside crown corner  12 , and the casing corner block  13  are designed like the plinth block  8 . As a result, adjacent moldings fit together tightly to form continuous millwork, with each molding enclosing a portion of a continuous passageway for wiring and cables. Devices may be connected to the wiring and cables at jack  14  and receptacle  15 .  
         [0044]    [0044]FIG. 2 illustrates the features and functionality of a baseboard molding  21  made according to the present invention. The baseboard molding  21  has the appearance of classical or typical interior trim comprising a base cap  22 , a furring strip  23 , and a main board  24 . The base cap  22  has a downward extending section that may be permanently or semi-permanently attached to the wall  32  by using nails, staples, or screws  35  on surface  34  that will not be seen when the baseboard molding  21  is fully assembled. The furring strip  23  provides support for the main board  24  and spacing for the channel  26 . The furring strip  23  may be formed with an upwardly-beveled surface to provide a contact angle for simplifying installation of nails, staples or screws  28  when attaching the furring strip  23  to the wall  32  and/or the floor  33 . The main board  24  is removably attached to the furring strip  23  and the base cap  22  with removable attachment means such as the hook and loop attachment strip  25  of Velcro TM shown in the figure. The spacing of the furring strip  23 , the main board  24 , and the base cap  22  creates a longitudinal channel  26  that may be used for the passage of wiring  30 , cables  31 , and associated devices. A series of brackets  27  may be installed at appropriate positions between the furring strip  23  and the base cap  22  for the purpose of providing support for the cables  31  and wiring  30 . These brackets  27  may be attached to the wall  32  and/or the furring strip  23 . The height of the brackets  27  may be sized to aid in the correct positioning of the base cap  22  during its initial installation. The baseboard molding  21  of the present invention has much utility. It conceals and protects wiring  30  and cables  31  as they pass along the lower perimeter of walls  32  of a room. The removable main board  24  may be fitted with outlets, jacks  38 , or other connections for electronic devices. The main board  24  is removable to provide access to the channel  26  for installation or modification of the cables  31  and wiring  30 . The main board  24  also covers access holes  37  to the wall space, which permit extension of the wiring  30  and cables  31  to adjacent rooms or connection to electrical devices that may be mounted on the wall  32  above the baseboard molding  21 . If access holes  37  are made wide enough, the removable main board  24  also allows periodic inspection or treatment of the wall space for-termites or other pests. Attachment of the base cap  22  to the wall  32  along its non-exposed surface  34  means that the exposed base cap surface  36  is not marred by entry holes for the nails, staples, or screws that are traditionally used for installing baseboards. This feature, along with the use of reclosable fastener means on the main board  24 , eliminates the time-consuming installation steps of filling nail or staple indentations with wood putty, sanding, and refinishing the exposed surfaces of the baseboard molding  21 . If screws  28  are used for attaching the base cap  22  and/or the furring strip  23 , these pieces may be removed in the future to facilitate home maintenance and redecorating activities, such as repainting, wallpapering, or refinishing floor surfaces.  
         [0045]    [0045]FIG. 3 illustrates the features and functionality of an alternative embodiment of the baseboard molding  41  of the present invention. The baseboard molding  41  has the appearance of classical or typical interior trim comprising a base cap  42 , a furring strip  43 , and a main board  44 . The base cap  42  has a downward extending section that may be permanently or semi-permanently attached to the wall  52  by using nails, staples, or screws  55  on surface  56  that will not be seen when the baseboard molding  41  is fully assembled. The furring strip  43  extends outward from the wall to provide an interlocking connection  45  for support of the main board  44  and spacing for the channel  46 . The furring strip  43  may have an upwardly beveled surface to provide a contact angle for simplifying installation of nails, staples or screws  48  attaching the furring strip  43  to the wall  52  and/or the floor  53 . The main board  44  may be installed by inserting its lower beveled edge into the interlocking connection  45  in the furring strip  43 , thus forming a vertical scarf joint, and then pressing the upper edge against the base cap  42  to secure-it with removable attachment means such as the hook and loop attachment strip  54  of Velcro TM shown in the figure. The spacing of the furring strip  43 , the main board  44 , and the base cap  42  creates a longitudinal channel  46  that may be used for the passage of cables  51 , wiring  50 , and associated devices. A series of brackets  47  may be installed at appropriate positions between the furring strip  43  and the base cap  42  for the purpose of providing support for the cables  51  and wiring  50 . These brackets  47  may be attached to the wall  52  and/or the furring strip  43 . The height of the brackets  47  may be sized to aid in the correct positioning for the base cap  42  during its initial installation. The baseboard molding  41  of the present invention has much utility. It conceals and protects wiring  50  and cables  51  as they pass along the lower perimeter of walls  52  of a room. The removable main board  44  may be fitted with outlets, jacks  58 , or other connections for electronic devices. The main board  44  is removable to provide access to the channel  56  for installation or modification of the cables  51  and wiring  50 . The main board  44  also covers access holes  57  to the wall space, which permits extension of the wiring  50  or cables  51  to adjacent rooms or connection to electrical devices that may be mounted on the wall  52  above the baseboard molding  41 . If access holes  57  are made wide enough, the removable main board also allows periodic inspection or treatment of the wall space for termites or other pests. Attachment of the base cap  42  to the walls  52  along its non-exposed surface  56  means that the exposed base cap surface  59  is not marred by entry holes for the nails, staples, or screws that are traditionally used for installing baseboards. This feature, along with the use of reclosable fastener means on the main board  44 , eliminates the time-consuming installation steps of filling nail or staple indentations with wood putty, sanding, and refinishing the exposed surfaces of the baseboard molding  41 . If screws  48 ,  55  are used for attaching the base cap  42  and/or the furring strip  43 , these pieces may be removed in the future to facilitate home maintenance and redecorating activities, such as repainting, wallpapering, or refinishing floor surfaces.  
         [0046]    [0046]FIG. 4 shows portions of a decorative casing molding  61  made according to the present invention. The casing molding  61  has the appearance of classical or typical interior trim. Casing sidewalls  67  have protrusions  75  for attachment to bracket  63 , which are equipped with flexible snap-on attachment extensions  66 . Bracket  63  is attached to wall  73  using nails, staples, or screws  64 . Brackets may also be equipped with one or more enclosures  76  for supporting the wiring  69  and cables  68 . Face board  62  may be removably attached to sidewalls  67  using removable attachment means such as the hook and loop attachment strip  78  of Velcro TM shown in the figure. The spacing of casing sidewalls  67  and face board  62  creates a channel  74  for passage of wiring  69  and cables  68 . The casing assembly  61  has much utility in that it provides a finished decorative appearance when installed along the door jambs  70 ,  71  around the door  72 . It conceals and protects wiring  69  and cables  68  as they pass around a doorway or window, and it permits completion of electrical connections around the perimeter surfaces of a room. Attachment of the casing sidewalls  67  using brackets  63  means that the exposed sidewall surfaces are not marred by entry holes for the nails, staples, or screws that are traditionally used for installing casings. This feature, along with the use of reclosable fastener means on the face board  62 , eliminates the time-consuming installation steps of filling nail or staple indentations with wood putty, sanding, and refinishing the exposed surfaces of the casings. The face board  62  may also cover access holes to the wall space, which permits extension of the wiring  69  and cables  68  to adjacent rooms or connection to electrical devices that may be mounted on the wall surfaces  73  around the casing assembly  61 . The casing assembly  61  may also provide support for associated electrical devices such as jacks or control switches (not shown). Since the sidewalls  67  and the face board  62  are removably attached, these pieces may be removed to facilitate home maintenance and redecorating activities, such as refinishing, repainting, or wallpapering.  
         [0047]    [0047]FIG. 5 shows portions of an alternative decorative casing molding  81  made according to the present invention. The casing molding  81  has the appearance of classical or typical interior trim. Casing sidewalls  83  are connected to a back plate  82 , which in turn is attached to the wall  91  around the door jamb  89  using nails, staples, or screws  86 . The face plate  84  may be removably attached to sidewalls  83  using removable attachment means such as hook and loop attachment strips  85  of Velcro TM  85  shown in the figure. The spacing of casing sidewalls  83  and face plate  84  creates a channel  87  for passage of wiring and cables  88 . The casing assembly  81  has much utility in that it provides a finished decorative appearance when installed along doorjamb  89  around door  90 . It conceals and protects wiring and cables  88  as they pass around a doorway or window, and it permits completion of electrical connections around the perimeter surfaces of a room. Attachment of the casing sidewalls  83  to back plate  82  means that the exposed sidewall surfaces are not marred by entry holes for nails, staples, or screws that are traditionally used for installing casings. This feature, along with the use of reclosable fastener means on the face plate  84 , eliminates the time-consuming installation steps of filling nail or staple indentations with wood putty, sanding, and refinishing the exposed surfaces of the casings. The face plate  84  may also cover access holes to the wall space, which permits extension of the wiring or cables  88  to adjacent rooms or connection to electrical devices that may be mounted on the wall surfaces  91  around the casing. The casing assembly  81  may also provide support for associated electrical devices such as jacks or control switches (not shown). Since the sidewalls  83  and the face plate  84  are removably attached, these pieces may be removed to facilitate home maintenance and redecorating activities, such as refinishing, repainting, or wallpapering.  
         [0048]    [0048]FIG. 6 shows an exploded view of a plinth block  100  made according to the present invention. Plinth blocks are typically used at the base of a door casing, or they may be used with a window casing that extends to the floor  107 . The plinth block  100  is constructed with a back plate  101  that has front extensions  102 ,  109 , which together form a channel  110  for passage of cables and wiring  105 . The back assembly  101  is attached to the wall  108  using nails, staples, or screws  106 , which are driven through back plate surface  111 . The face plate  103  is removably attached to the front extensions  102 ,  109  by removable attachment means such as the hook and loop attachment strips  104  of Velcro TM shown in the figure. The plinth block  100  has much utility in that it provides a finished decorative appearance when installed at the base of a doorway. It conceals and protects wires and cables and provides a critical transition function between baseboards and door casings to permit completion of electrical connections around the perimeter-surfaces of a room. Attachment of the back plate  101  to the wall  108  through surface  111  means that the exposed surfaces of the front extensions  102 ,  109  are not marred by entry holes of the nails, staples, or screws that are traditionally used for installing plinth blocks. This feature, along with the use of reclosable fastener means on the face plate  103 , eliminates the time-consuming installation steps of filling nail or staple indentations with wood putty, sanding, and refinishing the exposed surfaces of the plinth block  100 . Since the back assembly  101  and the face plate  103  are removably attached, these pieces may be removed to facilitate home maintenance and redecorating activities, such as refinishing, repainting, wallpapering, or refinishing floor surfaces.  
         [0049]    [0049]FIG. 7 shows an exploded view of an alternative embodiment of plinth block  121  made according to the present invention. Plinth blocks are typically used at the base of a door casing, or they may be used with a window casing that extends to the floor  134 . The plinth block  121  is constructed with a back plate  122  that has front extensions  123 ,  124 , which together form a channel  133  for passage of cables  130  and wiring  129 . Front extension  124  has an opening  125  for passage of the cables  130  and wiring  129  between the plinth block  121  and an adjacent baseboard (not shown). The back assembly  122  is attached to the wall using nails, staples, or screws  128  driven through back plate surface  135 . The removable face plate  127  may be attached to the front extensions  123 ,  124 , in several ways, including the example shown, in which the edges of the face plate  127  are slid into grooves  126  in front extensions  123 ,  124 . The plinth block  121  has much utility in that it provides a finished decorative appearance when installed at the base of a doorway or window casing. It conceals and protects wires and cables and provides a critical transition function between baseboards and casings to permit completion of electrical connections around the perimeter surfaces of a room. Attachment of the back plate  122  to the wall  132  through back plate surface  135  means that the exposed surfaces of the extensions  123 ,  124  are not marred by entry holes for the nails, staples, or screws that are traditionally used for installing plinth blocks. This feature, along with the methods used for removably installing the face plate  127 , eliminates the time-consuming installation steps of filling nail or staple indentations with wood putty, sanding, and refinishing the exposed surfaces of the plinth blocks. Since the back plate  122  and the face plate  127  are removably attached, these pieces may be removed to facilitate home maintenance and redecorating activities, such as refinishing, repainting, wallpapering, or refinishing floor surfaces.  
         [0050]    [0050]FIG. 8 illustrates an exploded view of an upper casing corner block  141  made according to the present invention. The back plate  156  is attached to wall  155  at the upper corner of a door jamb  153 ,  154  to provide a transition between the casings (not shown) at the side and top of the door or window. The back plate  156  can be attached with nails, staples, or screws  150  driven through back plate surface  142 . The sidewalls  143 ,  144 ,  145  form channel  148 ,  149  for the passage of wiring  151  and cables  152  between the side and top casings (not shown). The sidewalls  143 ,  144 ,  145  also provide support for the removable face plate  147 . The removable face plate  147  may be held in place in several different ways, including the example shown, in which the edges of the face plate  147  are slid into grooves  146  formed in sidewalls  143 ,  144 , thus forming a partial dovetail joint. The casing corner block  141  has much utility in that it provides a finished decorative appearance when installed at the top of a doorway or window casing. It conceals and protects wiring and cables and provides a critical transition function between side and top casings to permit completion of electrical connections around the perimeter surfaces of a room. Attachment of the back assembly  156  through back plate surface  142  means that the exposed surfaces of the sidewalls  143 ,  144 ,  145 ,  157  are not marred by entry holes for the nails, staples, or screws that are traditionally used for installing casing corner blocks. This feature, along with the methods used for removably installing the face plate  147 , eliminates the time-consuming installation steps of filling nail or staple indentations with wood putty, sanding, and refinishing the exposed surfaces of the casing corner blocks. Since the back plate  156  and the face plate  147  are removably attached, these pieces may be removed to facilitate home maintenance and redecorating activities, such as refinishing, repainting, wallpapering, or refinishing floor surfaces.  
         [0051]    [0051]FIG. 9 represents an example of a crown molding  161  made according to the present invention. The crown molding  161  may be constructed or built up from multiple pieces of molding to give the desired finished appearance. Brackets  166  are attached to the wall  173  and ceiling  172  using nails, staples, or screws  167 . Brackets  166  have attachment extensions  168  at each end for holding the lower crown molding section  162  tightly against the wall  173  and for holding the upper crown molding section  163  tightly to the ceiling  172 . The resulting gap between the upper and lower crown molding sections  163 ,  162  is fitted with a removable face plate  165 , which is placed into the gap so that it lies against the back side of both the upper and lower crown molding sections  163 ,  162 . The removable face plate  165  may be held in place in a number of ways, including the example shown, in which the removable face plate  165  is supported by a rabbet edge  164  of the lower crown molding section  162 . After it is installed, the crown molding  161  defines a channel  175  for wiring and cables  169 , which may be supported on the brackets  166  by cable clamps  174 . The crown molding  161  of the present invention has much utility. It conceals and protects wires and cables as they pass along the upper perimeter surfaces of a room. The removable face plate  165  provides access to the channel  175  for installation or modification of the cables and wires. The face plate  165  also covers access holes  176  to the wall space, which permits extension of the wiring and cables  169  to adjacent rooms and connection to electrical devices that may be mounted on surfaces of the adjacent wall  173  or ceiling  172 . If access holes  176  are made wide enough, the removable face plate  165  also allows periodic inspection or treatment of the wall space for termites or other pests. Since the upper and lower crown molding sections  163 ,  162  are attached to the wall  173  and ceiling  172  using brackets  166 , the exposed surfaces of the crown molding  162  are not marred by entry holes for the nails, staples, or screws that are traditionally used for installing crown molding. This feature, along with the use of a removable face plate eliminates the time-consuming installation steps of filling nail or staple indentations with wood putty, sanding, and refinishing the exposed surfaces of the crown molding. The temporary attachment of the crown molding pieces also permits their removal to facilitate home maintenance and redecorating activities, such as refinishing, repainting, or wallpapering.  
         [0052]    [0052]FIG. 10 represents an alternative embodiment of the crown molding  181  made according to the present invention. The crown molding  181  may be constructed or built up from multiple pieces of molding to give the desired finished appearance. Upper crown molding section  185  and lower crown molding section  184  are attached to the ceiling  195  and wall  192 , respectively, using nails, staples, or screws  190 ,  191  driven through the non-exposed surfaces  182  of the upper and lower crown moldings  185 ,  184 . The resulting gap between the upper and lower crown molding sections  184 ,  185  is then fitted with a removable face plate  186 , which is placed into the gap so that it lies against the back sides of the upper and lower crown molding sections  184 ,  185 . The removable face plate  186  may be held in place in a number of ways, including the example shown, in which the removable face plate  186  is supported by a rabbet edge  183  of the lower crown molding section  184 . After it is installed, the crown molding  181  defines a channel  196  for wiring and cables  188  which can be supported by cable clamps  187 . The crown molding  181  of the present invention has much utility. It conceals and protects wires and cables as they pass along the upper perimeter surfaces of the room. The removable face plate  186  provides access to the channel  196  for installation or modification of the cables and wires. The face plate  186  also covers access holes  189  to the wall space, which permits extension of the wiring and cables to adjacent rooms and connection to electrical devices that may be mounted on the surfaces of wall  192  or ceiling  195 . If access holes  189  are made wide enough, the removable face plate  186  also allows periodic inspection or treatment of the wall space for termites or other pests. Because the upper and lower crown molding sections  185 ,  184  are attached to the wall  192  and ceiling  195  with nails, staples, or screws  190 ,  191  along its unexposed surface  182 , the exposed crown molding section surfaces  197  are not marred by entry holes for the nails, staples, or screws that are traditionally used for installing crown molding. This feature, along with the use of removable faceplate  186 , eliminates the time-consuming installation steps of filling nail or staple indentations with wood putty, sanding, and refinishing the exposed surfaces of the crown molding. The use of screws  190 ,  191  for attachment of the crown molding pieces also permits their removal to facilitate home maintenance and redecorating activities, such as refinishing, repainting, or wallpapering.  
         [0053]    [0053]FIG. 11 represents another embodiment of the plinth block of the present invention. Plinth block  201  consists of the support block  202 , and inserts  204  that fit into recesses  203  to cover nails or screws  206  used to attach support block  202  through holes  205  into the wall  209 . Support block  202 , which may be constructed from a single piece or multiple pieces, provides a generally right-angle channel  207  for the passage of wiring and cables  208  from between adjacent baseboards and casings (not shown). Inserts  204  fit into recesses  203 , but are removable to provide access to screws  206  in order to facilitate future removal of plinth block  201 . The plinth block  201  has much utility in that it provides a finished decorative appearance when installed at the base of a doorway or window casing. It conceals and protects wires and cables and provides a critical transition function between baseboards and casings to permit completion of electrical connections around the perimeter surfaces of a room. Attachment of the support structure  202  with recessed screws  206  through holes  205  means that the exposed surfaces of the support structure  202  are not marred by entry holes for the nails, staples, or screws that are traditionally used for installing plinth blocks. This feature, along with the use of inserts  204 , eliminates the time-consuming installation steps of filling nail or staple indentations with wood putty, sanding, and refinishing the exposed surfaces of the plinth blocks. Since the plinth block  201  is removably attached, it may be removed to facilitate home maintenance and redecorating activities, such as refinishing, repainting, wallpapering, or refinishing floor surfaces.