Abstract:
An electrical panel box which includes a cavity defined by a back face, two opposing side walls, a top wall and a bottom wall and a front face extending beyond the periphery of the side walls and top and bottom walls for securing the electrical panel box in a wall, the front face being fitted with mounting brackets on either its top edge or its bottom edge or both, the mounting bracket having secured thereto an access plate which allows the electrician access to the region directly above the top wall of the housing or the below the bottom wall of the housing so as to permit snaking of additional electrical conduit, cable or wires without having concern for contacting the main electrical conduit into the house thus causing a short or a flash and possible injury to the electrician.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention is related to electrical circuitry, and in particular, the electrical panel box from which electrical cables distribute power to various locations within a residence, commercial building or industrial complex. 
   2. Description of the Prior Art 
   All residential, commercial locations, and industrial locations have at least one electrical panel box located within the structure which serves as the load center to distribute via electrical conduit, cable, or wires power to various locations within the structure. These electrical panel boxes or load centers are commonly referred to in a residential setting as the breaker panel box as it allows the home owner to disrupt electrical power to various portions of the residence. The box also serves as a safety feature in that a surge or overload will cause the breakers to engage so as to prevent damage from such surge or overload. The panels of the prior art and the Applicant&#39;s electrical panel box will hereafter be described with respect to a residential dwelling. 
   The typical electrical panel is constructed of metal and is designed to be secured between adjacent vertical wall studs in a residential dwelling. It has a front door which opens and allows the home owner access to the breaker switches. 
   Typically in new construction, once the residence is framed, the electrician can come in, locate and install the electrical panel, and then run conduit, cable or wires from the electrical panel through the walls to the various electrical outlets and appliances. Since the wall board and ceiling board has not yet been installed, the electrician can run the conduit, cable or wires very easily by just drilling holes through the studs so the conduit, cable or wire may be installed. 
   The problem which the electrician faces is when a homeowner adds new electrical requirements to an existing residence. These new electrical requirements could include an addition to the residence, a swimming pool, or a hot tub or spa. At this time, all of the walls and ceilings of the residence are covered with wall board or plaster board, and the electrician must therefore snake the conduit, cable or wires from or to the electrical panel box through the walls to the location which requires additional outlets or a source of electrical power. He accomplishes this by opening the electrical panel and attempts to snake the new wiring either upwardly or downwardly to the desired location. As the electrician is doing this, the electrical panel box is hot in that the main electricity cable or conduit from the street enters the house through the electric meter and is then directed to the electrical panel box for distribution within the house. Since the electrician is attempting to snake the conduit, cable or wire with a metal snake through the top or bottom of the electrical panel, the electrician must be very careful not to make contact with a hot location such as to cause a short or a flash which could cause serious injury to the electrician. 
   Applicant&#39;s invention can be incorporated on new construction to provide for a safer means for accomplishing the tasks described, or can be created in kit form to modify electrical panel boxes already in place if and when additional wiring or power is required. 
   OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
   An object of the present invention is to provide for a novel electrical panel box which incorporates a removable front plate which allows access to the top or the bottom of the electrical panel box for the snaking of additional electrical conduit, cable or wires. 
   A still further object of the present invention is to provide for a novel electrical panel box having an additional access panel which allows access to the top portion or bottom portion of the electrical panel box for the snaking of additional electrical conduit, cable or wires which provides safety to the electrician and prevents the possibility of shorts and flashes. 
   A still further object of the present invention is to provide for a novel bracket and access panel which can be installed with existing electrical panel boxes which allows the electrician access to the top portion or bottom portion of the electrical panel box and provides for safety factors in that it eliminates the possibility of shorts or flashes and injury to the electrician when snaking new conduit, cable or wires. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   An electrical panel box which includes a cavity defined by a back face, two opposing side walls, a top wall and a bottom wall and a front face extending beyond the periphery of the side walls and top and bottom walls for securing the electrical panel box in a wall, the front face being fitted with mounting brackets on either its top edge or its bottom edge or both, the mounting bracket having secured thereto an access plate which allows the electrician access to the region directly above the top wall of the housing or the below the bottom wall of the housing so as to permit snaking of additional electrical conduit, cable or wires without having concern for contacting the main electrical conduit into the house thus causing a short or a flash and possible injury to the electrician. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent, particularly when taken in light of the following illustrations wherein: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an electrical panel of the prior art; 
       FIG. 2  is a top view of an installed electrical panel of the prior art; 
       FIG. 3  is a rear view of an electrical panel of the prior art; 
       FIG. 4  is a front exploded view of an electrical panel of the present invention incorporating an extended mounting bracket and access plate; 
       FIG. 5  is a side view of the electrical panel of the present invention; and 
       FIG. 6  is a front view of Applicant&#39;s invention in kit form in order to refit existing installed electrical panel boxes. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a typical electrical panel box  10  of the prior art. Electrical panel box  10  is comprised of a housing portion  12  defined by a back wall  14 , opposing side walls  16  and  18 , a bottom wall  20  and a top wall  22 . A front wall  24  is secured to the housing member  12 , front wall  24  having a hinged door  26  allowing access to the interior of the housing where after fully wired, the various circuit breakers would be located. Front wall  24  extends beyond the periphery of housing member  12  and is formed with a plurality of apertures  28  for the receipt of threaded fasteners  30 . The housing member  12  is dimensioned from side wall  16  to side wall  18  to fit snugly between adjacent vertical wall studs  32  and be secured thereto (See  FIGS. 2 and 3 ). The extended periphery of front face  24  is dimensioned such that threaded fasteners  30  passing through the apertures  28  will engage into the adjacent wall  34  thereby securing the electrical panel box. 
     FIG. 1  also illustrates that the top wall of the housing member is formed with embossed punch outs  36  which can be selectively knocked out or removed by the electrician to allow for the passage of electrical conduit, cable or wires. One of the embossed punch outs  36  would be removed to allow for the insertion of electrical conduit coming from the electric meter on the residence. This electrical conduit would provide the power to all of the other electrical conduits emanating from the electrical panel box  10  and being directed to various parts of the residence in order to provide power for lights, electrical receptacles, and appliances. In that regard there is always power to the electrical panel box  10 , but the power to the various portions of the residence can be interrupted by the breaker switches (not shown). 
   It should also be noted that the bottom wall  20  of housing member  12  is also formed with embossed punch outs  36  so that the electrical conduit can emanate from both the top wall  22  and the bottom wall  20  if necessary depending upon the electrical circuitry design for the residence. 
   When the electrical panel box is initially positioned in the residence, the interior walls of the residence would not yet have been covered with plaster board or wall panels. As such it would be very easy for the electrician to run conduit, cable and wires from the electrical panel box  10  through the embossed punch outs  36  to various portions of the residence. However, when the residence is completed, the plaster board or wall paneling abuts the top wall  22  and bottom wall  20  of housing member  12  and abuts the vertical periphery of the front face  24 . 
   At this point, if the home owner requires additional electrical power to another portion of the residence for whatever reason, e.g. expansion, addition of a spa, addition of a pool, the electrician must now snake a new electrical conduit, cable or wire through one of the unused embossed punch outs  36  in the top  22  or bottom  20  of the housing member  12  in order to thread that conduit through the encapsulated walls to the desired location. In this regard the snake is a thin metal wire and care must be taken because the electrical service to the electrical panel box  10  from the outside meter is on or hot and if the electrician makes contact with the metal snake, a short or a flash could occur which could serious injure the electrical installer. 
     FIG. 4  is a front exploded view of Applicant&#39;s electrical panel box  10 A and  FIG. 5  is a side view. The housing member  12  would be the same as that of the prior art. The main modifications come with respect to the front face  24 A of the electrical panel box  10 A. The front face  24 A would have a unitary integrated bracket  50  extending upwardly from the top edge  52  of front face  24 A. The integrated unitary bracket would be comprised of two vertical legs  54  and  56  and a horizontal leg  58 . Depending upon the electrical circuitry design of the residence, an identical unitary integrated bracket  50 A could extend downwardly from the lower edge  60  of front face  24 A. In this configuration, the plaster board or wall board would be cut such that it coincided with the inner edge of the vertical legs  54  and  56  and the inner edge of horizontal leg  58  of the integrated unitary bracket  50 . The unitary integrated bracket  50  could have a plurality of apertures  62  there through for the receipt of threaded fasteners  64  in order to secure an access plate  68  thereto. This procedure could be utilized with respect to unitary integrated bracket  50  extending upwardly from the top edge  52  of the front face  24 A, or for an integrated unitary bracket  50  extending downwardly from the lower edge  60  of the front face or both  24 . 
   In this configuration, the electrical panel box  10 A is secured between two adjacent vertical wall studs  32  and to the wall via threaded fasteners  30  and through apertures  28 . The integrated unitary bracket  50  is also secured to the wall via fasteners  64 . At this step it can be seen that the electrical panel box  10 A is secured to the wall and the brackets  50  are secured to the wall, and the wall board is secured, thus defining an opening  70  above the top wall  22  of the housing member  12  and/or if desired, an opening  72  below the bottom wall  20  of the housing member  12 . 
   This opening  70  or  72  allows the electrician to remove an access panel  68  and to utilize the metal snake to snake electrical conduit upwardly or downwardly without having concern for the hot wire coming into the electrical panel box  10 A from the exterior electric meter. The access panel  68  may be secured by threaded fasteners or could be in the form of a hinged door similar to the door  26  of the panel box which could be pivoted so as to allow access. From a safety standpoint, this allows the electrician to work more safely and more quickly. The design does not detract from the aesthetics of the room in which the electrical panel box  10 A is located and maintains the integrity of the electrical panel box  10 A and the conduit entering and emanating there from, but when necessary, allows the electrician quick and easy access to either the space above or below the electrical panel box  10 A for the snaking of electrical conduit, cable or wires. 
     FIG. 6  illustrates the bracket and access panel mount  50  and  68  respectively when it is utilized as an aftermarket item in converting an electrical panel box  10  of the prior art so as to allow the electrician access to the space above or below the panel box. 
   Bracket  50 A is formed of two vertical legs  54 A and  56 A and a horizontal leg  60 A. It has a first set of apertures  62 A identical to those apertures on bracket  50  for receipt of a threaded securing means  64 A to secure the access plates  68 A to the bracket. 
   Proximate the lower portion of legs  54 A and  56 A are a further series of apertures  80  which may be in the form of a circular aperture or a slot. Apertures  80  are designed to allow the legs  54 A and  56 A of bracket  50 A to extend downwardly behind the face plate  24  of an existing electrical panel box  10 . Apertures  80  are designed to accommodate threaded apertures  30  which secure face plate  24  to the wall  35 . The reason for a plurality of apertures or slots is to accommodate electrical panel boxes from a variety of manufacturers in which the apertures on the face plate oftentimes vary in their distance from the top edge of the face plate. In this configuration, the user would remove the top most threaded fasteners  30  from the face plate  24 . The user would then insert the legs  54 A and  56 A of bracket  50 A behind the face plate and slide them down until the apertures or slots  80  on the lower portion of legs  54 A and  56 A align with the top most apertures on the face plate  24 . Fasteners  30  would then be repositioned now passing through the front face  24  of the electrical panel box  10 , and through the apertures and legs  54 A and  56 A of bracket  50 A. The user would then take a cutting knife and cut out or remove the wallboard or plaster board in the space defined by the top edge of the front face  24  and the interior edges of legs  54 A and  56 A and cross leg  58 A. The user now has an access area to the top or bottom portion of the electrical panel box  10 . The user would then take the preformed and predrilled access plate  68 A and secure through the apertures  62 A into the wall  35 . The access plate  68 A now serves as a safety guard preventing anyone from accidentally placing their hand into this void, but allow for its removal for a trained electrician to have access to this space to safely snake conduit, cable or wire. 
   While the present invention has been described with respect to the exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art that many modifications or changes can be achieved without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore it is manifestly intended that the invention be limited only by the scope of the claims and the equivalence thereof.