Patent Publication Number: US-2022239082-A1

Title: Electrical junction box for installation on metal roofs to accommodate internal wiring of solar panels

Description:
FIELD 
     The present invention relates generally to a junction box that is arranged to sit flush atop a seem or gap created by roofing shingles or roofing panels that is weatherproof and sealed from the outside environment. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Junction boxes are well known in the art. The first sealed junction boxes or wet room boxes were commercially available beginning in the 1920s. Kaiser and Spelsberg began their cast iron junction box commercial line in 1926, being one of the first companies to make the junction box commercially available. Since that time, junction boxes have taken various forms. changing from metal to plastic materials, along with the location physical junction boxes were needed, such as on roofs, external structural walls, etc. 
     In response to the 1970s energy crisis, the U.S. Congress passed the Solar Energy Research, Development and Demonstration Act of 1974 which spurred the beginning of residential solar power options that were previously only widely available for commercial developments. In 2006, the U.S. enacted the Solar Investment Tax Credit that kickstarted an annual growth rate of fifty percent of solar energy use in the last ten years. With the financial incentives in place, the necessary supporting components for installation began being developed. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 3,701,448 describes an electrical junction box arranged to house electrical components on a roof and is further arranged to be mounted on the underside of roofing panels via an integral groove having tabs that frictionally engage a ridge underside the roofing panels. The junction box also threadably secures to the underside ridge and when fully installed, is in an upside-down configuration. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 10,505,354 discloses an electrical junction box having an integral flashing. The flashing is arranged to be fixed to an external surface on a structure via an adhesive. The junction box also comprises a closed bottom and an open top. The open top is sealed from external weather by a threadably secured cover. 
     Thus there is a long-felt need for a junction box that is weather resistant and has a means of resting flush atop a roof where there may be seams or gaps between roofing shingles or roofing panels, while preventing water or rain from entering the junction box or a through-bore in the roof where electrical conduit passes through. 
     SUMMARY 
     A junction box, comprising, a housing having an open top and a closed bottom, a cover, arranged to secure to the open top of the housing, a flexible casing having four side members arranged to sealably surround the housing, an outwardly extending shelf fixedly secured to an outside surface of the four side members of the flexible casing, and, a flexible rim fixedly secured to a top surface of the shelf forming a pair of oppositely arranged V-shaped channels on a bottom surface of the shelf. 
     The present invention also generally comprises a junction box, comprising, a housing having an open top and a closed bottom, a cover, arranged to secure to the open top of the housing, and, a flexible casing having four side members arranged to sealably surround the housing, the flexible casing further comprising an outwardly extending shelf, the shelf comprising an embedded flexible, deformable member. 
     A general object to this invention is to provide a junction box that is arranged to rest flush atop a seam or gap of a roof, e.g., shingles or metal roof panels. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a junction box that is water-tight and weatherproof to protect internal electrical components. 
     A further object of the present invention is to provide a junction box that includes a flexible outer shelf that is mailable to provide a flush contact with a roof top having a variety of external features, e.g., seams between shingles or metal roof panels, or other components such as an electrical wire, or an irregular shaped roofing section. 
     This and other objects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will become readily apparent upon a review of the following detailed description of the disclosure, in view of the drawings and appended claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Various embodiments are disclosed, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings in which corresponding reference symbols indicate corresponding parts, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of the present invention shown installed atop a shingled roof; 
         FIG. 2  is a front side view of the invention shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a top view of the invention shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a sectional view of the invention shown in  FIG. 1 , taken generally along lines  4 - 4  in  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective exploded view of the invention shown in  FIG. 1 ; and, 
         FIG. 6  is a sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention shown in  FIG. 1 , taken generally along lines  4 - 4  in  FIG. 3 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     At the outset, it should be appreciated that like drawing numbers on different drawing views identify identical, or functionally similar, structural elements. It is to be understood that the claims are not limited to the disclosed aspects. 
     Furthermore, it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to the particular methodology, materials and modifications described and as such may, of course, vary. It is also understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular aspects only and is not intended to limit the scope of the claims. 
     Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood to one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. It should be understood that any methods, devices or materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the example embodiments. 
     It should be appreciated that the term “substantially” is synonymous with terms such as “nearly,” “very nearly,” “about,” “approximately,” “around,” “bordering on,” “close to,” “essentially,” “in the neighborhood of,” “in the vicinity of,” etc., and such terms may be used interchangeably as appearing in the specification and claims. It should be appreciated that the term “proximate” is synonymous with terms such as “nearby,” “close,” “adjacent,” “neighboring,” “immediate,” “adjoining,” etc., and such terms may be used interchangeably as appearing in the specification and claims. 
     Adverting now to the figures,  FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the present invention in an installed configuration. Junction box  100  is shown in  FIG. 1  affixed to roof shingles  200 ,  201 , and  202 . It should be appreciated that, although junction box  100  is shown affixed to roofing shingles, it may also be fixed to metal roof panels, or to siding panels on the external walls of a structure. Junction box  100 , in a preferred embodiment, generally comprises four (4) components: housing  10 , flexible casing  11 , cover  12 , and seal  13  of cover  12 . Flexible casing  11  further comprises extended shelf  14  and flexible rim  15 . Flexible casing  11  and flexible rim  14  are preferably made of any suitable flexible material such as rubber. Extended shelf  14  extends from the lower external walls of flexible casing  11  and, in a preferred embodiment, is a singular piece. Flexible rim  15  is fixed to an upper surface of extended shelf  14  and may be comprised of any suitable malleable material, such as but not limited to aluminum. Housing  10  is arranged to accept necessary electrical components to support roof accessories, such as solar panels. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , extended shelf  14  of flexible casing  11  is arranged to rest atop a roof, and in a preferred embodiment, specifically arranged to rest directly on a seam or gap between shingles, roofing panels, or siding panels. Flexible rim  15  of extended shelf  14  is arranged to be bent or formed to create ridge  16  in flexible rim  15  (discussed further infra) to ensure flush contact of extended shelf  14  atop shingles  200 ,  201 ,  202  across roof shingle seam  210 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , roof shingle  201  overlaps roof shingles  200  and  202 , creating seam  210  that creates a vertical height difference between the higher shingle  201  and the lower shingles  200  and  202 . Flexible rim  15  allows extending shelf  14  to form ridge  16  in a configuration that maintains flush contact with roof shingles  200 ,  201 , and  200 , sealing flexible casing  11  from external weather, e.g., snow or rain, that may damage electrical conduit or the roof where the conduit passes through. It should also be appreciated that flexible rim  15  may also be bent or formed in a downward direction to create a protrusion that would fit between roof shingle gap  220  created by shingles  200  and  201 . 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a front side view of a first embodiment of the present invention. Junction box  100  includes ridge  16  of extended shelf  14  and ridge  18  of flexible rim  15 . A bend in flexible rim  15  creates ridge  18  that results in ridge  16  on extended shelf  14  on bottom surface  14   a  of extended shelf  14 . Ridges  16  and  18  allow for a flush fit atop a seam or gap between roofing members as shown in  FIG. 1 . Also shown in  FIG. 2  is seal  13  that is arranged to provide a weather resistant seal between cover  12  and housing  10  (discussed further infra). It should be appreciated that, although seal  13  in the present embodiment is a separate component of junction box  100 , it may be integral with housing  10  or with cover  12 . 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a top view of the first embodiment of the present invention. Cover  12  is secured to housing  10  by screws  20   a - 20   d . Cover  12  may also be secured by other means, such as a snap-fit, to reduce the additional hardware needed to assembly junction box  100 . Flexible rim  15  is shown as a substantially square shape having rounded corners with a center aperture (shown in  FIG. 5 ), and may be adjustable in shape or size to accommodate different shapes or sizes of extended shelf  14  (not shown in  FIG. 3 ) of flexible casing  11 . 
       FIG. 4  illustrates a sectional view taken generally along lines  4 - 4  in  FIG. 3  of the first embodiment of the present invention. Housing  10  comprises walls  32  and base  31  that form interior  30  of housing  10 . Cover  12  of junction box  100  includes internal ridge  12   a  on its bottom surface. Internal ridge  12   a  creates an outer channel that is arranged to accept seal  13  on its bottom surface. Internal ridge  12   a  is configured to have an outer diameter that is equal to the inner diameter of walls  32  to fit within housing  10 . The outer surface of walls  32  and the outer surface of base  31  of housing  10  are arranged to snuggly fit within aperture  40  of flexible casing  11 . Lip  11   a  of flexible casing  11  is the preferably of the same material as flexible casing. Lip  11   a  has an inner diameter than is less than the outer diameter of housing  11  thereby increasing the frictional grip of flexible casing on housing  11 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , housing  11  is not fully inserted into aperture  40  when junction box  100  is fully assembled and installed. The bottom surface of base  31  of housing  11  is parallel with bottom surface  14   a  of extended shelf  14 , not coplanar. The distance between the bottom surface of base  31  and the bottom surface  14   a  of extended shelf  14  is such that when flexible rim  15  is formed to have ridge  18 , and when extended shelf  14  subsequently has ridge  16 , a raised seam between roofing shingles (shown in  FIG. 1 ) will not contact the bottom surface of base  31 . It should be appreciated that the distance between bottom surface of base  31  of housing  11  and bottom surface  14   a  of extended shelf  14  may be any acceptable length so long as bottom surface  14   a  is in flush contact atop roof shingles and a roof shingle seam when junction box  100  is engaged to a roof. It should also be appreciated that base  31  of housing  10  is arranged to be user-drilled to contain at least one through-bore in order to accommodate electrical conduit, and other electrical components necessary to support roof accessories, such as connections to a solar panel, that may be housed within interior  30  of housing  10 . 
       FIG. 5  illustrates an exploded perspective view of the first embodiment of the present invention. Cover  12  includes four (4) apertures  21   a - 21   d  that are arranged to accept four (4) screws  20   a - 20   d . Seal  13  is additionally secured to cover  12  via apertures  22   a - 22   d  that are arranged to accept four (4) screws  20   a - 20   d . Seal  13  is sandwiched between cover  12  and the top edge of walls  32  and corners  33  of housing  10 . Cover  12  and seal  13  are secured to housing  10  via screws  20   a - 20   d  that threadably engaging apertures  23   a - 23   d . Apertures  23   a - 23   d  may be threaded or may use another securing method such as a snap fit, thusly screws  20   a - 20   d  may be pins arranged to secure to apertures  23   a - 23   d . Flexible rim  15  is fixedly secured to extended shoulder  14 , via an adhesive, or any other acceptable securing means such that rim  15  will not be removeable from shoulder  14  of flexible casing  14 . Base wall  11   b  is comprised of four continuous walls, and, in combination with lip  11   a , comprises flexible casing  11 . Lip  11   a  and base walls  11   b  of flexible casing  11  are arranged to fit aperture  15   a  of flexible rim  15 . Lip  11   a  and base walls  11   b  of flexible casing  11  are further arranged to frictionally grip and hold the outer surface of walls  32  and corners  33  of housing  10  within aperture  40  of flexible casing  11 . 
       FIG. 6  illustrates a sectional view of the second embodiment of the present invention taken generally along lines  6 - 6  in  FIG. 3 . It should be appreciated that the differences between the first embodiment and the second embodiment are only in respect to the configuration of flexible rim  15  and extended shoulder  14 , and the aforementioned description of  FIGS. 1-5  applies to the second embodiment of the present invention shown in  FIG. 6 . Junction box  100  in an alternative embodiment includes flexible rim  15  embedded within extended shoulder  14  of flexible casing  11 . In view of weather that a secured junction box on a roof will experience, embedding flexible rim  15  protects the material from weather changes. Additionally, embedding rim  15  within shoulder  14  also prevents possible safety concerns whereas an improperly secured rim  15  may possibly be snagged by a user installing junction box  100 . Embedding rim  15  within shoulder  14  also increases the general weather durability of the present invention. 
     It will be appreciated that various aspects of the disclosure above and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be desirably combined into many other different systems or applications. Various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations, or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art which are also intended to be encompassed by the following claims. 
     REFERENCE NUMERALS 
     
         
           10  housing 
           11  flexible casing 
           11   a  lip of flexible casing  11   
           11   b  base walls of flexible casing  11   
           12  cover 
           12   a  internal ridge of cover  12   
           13  seal of cover  12   
           14  extended shelf of flexible casing  11   
           14   a  bottom surface of extended shelf  14   
           15  flexible rim of flexible casing  11   
           16  ridge of extended shelf  14   
           18  ridge of flexible rim  15   
           20   a  first screw 
           20   b  second screw 
           20   c  third screw 
           20   d  fourth screw 
           21   a  first aperture of cover  12   
           21   b  second aperture of cover  12   
           21   c  third aperture of cover  12   
           21   d  fourth aperture of cover  12   
           22   a  first aperture of seal  13   
           22   b  second aperture of seal  13   
           22   c  third aperture of seal  13   
           22   d  fourth aperture of seal  13   
           23   a  first aperture of housing  10   
           23   b  second aperture of housing  10   
           23   c  third aperture of housing  10   
           23   d  fourth aperture of housing  10   
           30  interior of housing  10   
           31  base of housing  10   
           32  internal walls of housing  10   
           33  internal corners of housing  10   
           40  aperture of flexible casing  11   
           100  junction box 
           200  roof shingle 
           201  roof shingle 
           202  roof shingle 
           210  roof shingle seam 
           220  roof shingle gap