Patent Publication Number: US-2007123098-A1

Title: Screwless wall-plate

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention provides a wall plate assembly which contains a wall plate having at least an opening which is adapted to receive a wiring device, such as an outlet, a switch, or a ground fault circuit interrupter (“GFCI”). The wall plate assembly is characterized by its requiring no screw to connect the wall plate to the wiring device, which is accomplished by having a set of a plurality of recesses on at least a rack located at the backside of the wall plate to be engaged with a set of a plurality of protrusions located at the corresponding side of the wiring device, thereby, by applying a gentle force and due to the engagement between the recesses and protrusions, the wall plate is securely connected to the wiring device. The wall plate further contains a groove at the outer rim of the wall plate, thereby, by inserting a pointed instrument into the groove, the wall plate can be easily detached from the wiring device.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      With the rapid advancement of technology, consumers have placed higher demands on basic consumer products. Consumers want products that have a pleasing appearance, are easy to use, and can be installed in user friendly manner. With respect to household interrupters and switches, consumers increasingly demand products that are easy to remove and/or reassemble during repairs.  
      As shown in  FIG. 1 , a prior art wall-plate assembly for mounting a wiring device, such as a ground fault circuit interrupter (“GFCI”), with a wall plate to the wall typically includes a wall plate  1 , a wiring device  2 , and an installation box  3 . Installation holes  11 ,  21  are arranged, respectively, on the wall pate  1  and the wiring device  2 . Screw holes  22 ,  31  are arranged, respectively, on the wiring device  2  and the installation box  3 .  
      During installation, the installation box  3  is first installed inside the wall. Next, the wiring device  2  is inserted into the installation box  3 . One or more screws  4  are threaded through the corresponding installation holes  21  on the wiring device  2  and then threaded into the corresponding screw holes  31  on the installation box  3 , thus securing the wiring device  2  inside the installation box  3 . Finally, one or more screws  5  are threaded through the corresponding installation holes  11  on the wall plate  1  and then threaded into the corresponding screw hole  22  on the wiring device  2 , thus securing the wall plate  1  onto the wiring device  2 .  
      Also as shown in  FIG. 1  (prior art), the wall plate  1  of the wall-plate assembly is fastened onto the wiring device  2  through multiple screws  5 . There are several problems associated with this design. Since screws are made of metal, their spray painted surface wears off easily and can develop rust, thus adversely affecting the appearance of the wall plate  1 . Similarly, exposing the metal screws  5  outside of the wall plate  1  compromises the pleasing effect of the wall plate. Additionally, it is not easy to install and remove the wall plate  1  because a screwdriver is required to manage the screws. Furthermore, it is easy to misplace or lose the tiny screws during installation and disassembly.  
      It is therefore the objective of the present invention to design a wall plate assembly which requires no screw to securely connect the wall plate to a wiring device.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention provides a wall plate which contains at least an opening, which is adapted to receive a wiring device. The wall plate has at least a rack containing a set of a plurality of recesses located at a back side of the wall plate. The wiring device contains at least a set of a plurality of protrusions at a corresponding location to the plurality of recesses. The set of the plurality of protrusions on the wiring device is adapted to engage with the set of the plurality of recesses on the rack of the wall plate to securely connect the wiring device to the wall plate. The wall plate is characterized by its capability of not requiring the use of a screw to connect the wiring device to the wall plate. The recesses and protrusions are preferably shaped as matching teeth or gears.  
      The preferred embodiment of the wall plate contains two racks located above the opening of said wall plate and two racks located below the opening of the wall plate. In this embodiment, the wiring device also contains two sets of the plurality of protrusions located at the upper side of the wiring plate corresponding to the two racks located above the opening of the wall plate and two sets of the plurality of protrusions located at the lower side of the wiring device corresponding to the two racks located below the opening of the wall plate. Each of the sets of the plurality of protrusions on the wiring device is engaged with each of the sets of the plurality of recesses on the wall plate to securely connect the wiring device to the wall plate.  
      Preferably, the wall plate comprises at least a groove which is located at an outer rim of the wall plate to facilitate the disassembly of the wall plate from the wiring device.  
      The wall plate is further characterized by not having an installation hole.  
      The wiring device is preferably an outlet, a switch, or a ground fault circuit interrupter.  
      The present invention also provides a wall plate assembly which comprises a wall plate having at least an opening which can receive a wiring device, and a wiring device which is adapted to fit into the opening of the wall plate. The wall plate contains at least a rack containing a plurality of recesses on the backside of the wall plate. The plurality of recesses on the rack is adapted to connect to the set of protrusions on the corresponding side of the wiring device. The set of the plurality of protrusions is adapted to engage with the set of the plurality of recesses on the rack to securely connect the wiring device to the wall plate. The wall plate assembly does not require a screw to connect the wiring device to the wall plate.  
      The wall plate further comprises a groove at the outer rim of the wall plate to facilitate the detachment of the wall plate from the wiring device. The wiring device is an outlet, a switch, or a ground fault circuit interrupter.  
      The present invention further provides a method for installing the wall plate assembly which comprises: inserting an installation box inside a wall; fastening the wiring device to the installation box; engaging the set of the plurality of recesses on the rack of the wall plate with the set of the plurality of the protrusions on the wiring device; and applying a gentle force to the wall plate against the wiring device to securely connect the wall plate to the wiring device, so that the recesses on the rack of the wall plate are securely locked into the protrusions on the wiring device.  
      The fastener that can be used to fasten the wiring device to the installation box includes, but is not limited to, a screw, a clasp, a tie, a snap, a pin, a clip, a toggle, a hook and eye, a buckle, a button, a press-stud, or a closure.  
      Finally, the present invention provides a method to detach the wall plate from the wiring device by inserting a pointed instrument into the groove of the wall plate; and applying a gentle force to pry open and detach the wall plate from the wiring device by causing the recesses on the rack of the wall plate to disengage with the corresponding protrusions on the wiring device. The pointed instrument used to pry open the wall plate can be a tip of a screwdriver. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The detailed description will refer to the following drawings in which like numerals refer to like elements, and in which:  
       FIG. 1  illustrates a prior art wall plate assembly, where the wall plate is fastened to the wiring device by screws.  
       FIG. 2  illustrates an exemplary wall plate assembly.  
       FIG. 3  is a partial cross-sectional side view of the wall-plate assembly of  FIG. 2  with a wall plate shown in stripe.  
       FIG. 4  is an enlarged view illustrating the engagement between the recesses on the rack of the wall plate and the protrusions on the side of the wiring device as shown in part A of  FIG. 3 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention offers an exemplary wall plate which is particularly characterized by its smooth, flat, and aesthetically appealing appearance. The wall plate is connected to a wiring device to form a wall plate assembly. The wall plate assembly is further advantageous by its characteristics of being able to easily and quickly install and remove. Additionally, the wall plate assembly of the present invention has the advantages of not requiring a screw to securely connect the wall plate to the wiring device by using a recesses-protrusions engagement principle. The wiring device is preferably an outlet, a switch, or a ground fault circuit interrupter.  
      The following designs are illustrative, but not limiting the scope of the present invention. Reasonable variations, such as those occur to reasonable artisan, can be made herein without departing from the scope of the present invention.  
       FIG. 2  illustrates an exemplary wall plate assembly.  FIG. 3  is a partial cross-sectional side view of the exemplary wall plate assembly of  FIG. 2 .  FIG. 4  is an enlarged view illustrating the engagement of the recesses-protrusions as shown in part A of  FIG. 3 .  
      As shown in  FIGS. 2-4 , an exemplary wall plate assembly includes a wall plate  6 , a wiring device  7 , and an installation box  3 . The installation box  3  may be the same as that shown in  FIG. 1 .  
      The wall plate  6  has no installation holes on its surface, thus offering a smooth and flat surface. An opening  61  is arranged near the center of the wall plate  6  to expose the wiring device  7 . The wall plate  6  includes several racks  62  with teeth-like or gear-like recesses on the backside of the wall plate  6  which allow the wall plate  6  to securely connect to the wiring device  7 .  
      The wiring device  7  includes several protrusions  23  capable of engaging with the teeth-like or gear-like recesses on the racks  62  at locations corresponding to the racks  62  on the backside of the wall plate  6 . For example, as shown in  FIG. 2 , several protrusions  23  are arranged on the upper and lower parts of the wiring device  7  to correspond to the recesses of the racks  62  on the backside of the wall plate  6 .  
      In one embodiment, four racks  62  with recesses are arranged on the backside of the wall plate  6 , two above and two below the central opening  61 , corresponding to four sets of protrusions  23  arranged on the wiring device  7 . One skilled in the art will appreciate that racks with recesses can be placed at different locations on the backside of the wall plate  6 , including the upper, lower, left, and right sides of the wall plate  6 .  
      During installation, the installation box  3  is first inserted into the utility hole on the wall. Next, the wiring device  7  is securely inserted into and fastened to the installation box  3  by a fastener, such as using one or more screws  4 . Other fastener includes, but is not limited to, clasps, ties, snaps, pins, clips, toggles, hooks and eyes, buckles, buttons, press-studs, or closures.  
      The screws  4  are threaded through the corresponding installation holes  21  on the wiring device  7  and then threaded into the corresponding screw holes  31  on the installation box  3 , securing the wiring device  2  to the installation box  3 .  
      Finally, the wall plate  6  is connected to the wiring device by engaging the recesses on the racks  62  located on the backside of the wall plate  6  with the corresponding protrusions  23  located on the wiring device  7  with a gentle upward push. Installation of the wall plate  6  is easy and quick, using the principle of teeth or gear engagement.  
      The wall plate  6  can be removed from the wiring device  7  quickly. As shown in  FIG. 2 , a groove  63  is arranged on one side of the wall plate  6  for easy and quick removal. The groove  63  is shown in  FIG. 2  as located on an upper side of the wall plate  6 . One skilled in the art will appreciate that the groove  63  may be located at other locations on the wall plate  6 .  
      When the wall plate  6  needs to be removed, a user simply inserts the tip of a pointed instrument, such as a flathead screwdriver, into the groove  63  to gently pry open the wall plate  6 . The recesses on the racks  62  on the backside of the wall plate  6  will rise above the corresponding protrusions  23  and disengage from the protrusions  23  on the wiring device  7 . The wall plate  6  can then be easily separated from the wiring device  7 .  
      While the wall plate assembly has been described in connection with an exemplary embodiment, those skilled in the art will understand that many modifications in light of these teachings are possible, and this application is intended to cover variations thereof. Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications.