Patent Publication Number: US-2018054048-A1

Title: Device for protecting installed elements during construction

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Wiring is necessarily installed in most new construction during the framing phase. New work boxes and electrical boxes are installed prior to the installation of drywall and mudding, and new and old work boxes may be exposed again during remodeling or reconditioning processes. It is critical to protect the installed wiring from intrusions, including but not limited to mud, paint, dust, sawdust, insects, moisture, and cutting tools. Moreover, drywall must necessarily be installed whole, leaving the builder to mark and then cut toward the box and the wiring contained therein. To date, no real solution exists for protecting the wiring installed prior to other construction phases. This is what the present invention aims to correct. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to construction, and, more specifically, to electrical boxes and the protection thereof. 
     Disclosed is a protective device configured to fit within standard single, double, triple, etc. old and new work gang boxes. The device is easily scaled to fit within circuit breaker boxes. The device is comprised essentially of at least one wall, a solid recess, and fastener holes that correspond to the fastener holes on standard old and new work boxes, ceiling boxes, or circuit breaker boxes. When in place, the device protects wiring from encroachment of paint, mud, dust, wallpaper adhesive, cutting tools such as rotozips and routers, and other elements common to construction or remodel sites. In preferred embodiments, the device is comprised of a material similar in properties as electrical gang boxes, which is to say that it is a strong, rigid plastic, capable of withstanding impacts from blunt objects and cutting tools without compromising the wiring within. 
     The foregoing is a summary and thus contains, by necessity, simplifications, generalizations and omissions of detail; consequently, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the summary is illustrative only and is NOT intended to be in any way limiting. Other aspects, embodiments, features and advantages of the device and/or processes and/or other subject matter described herein will become apparent in the teachings set forth herein. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Certain embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the following drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is an isometric view of one embodiment of the box defender; 
         FIG. 2  is a front view of one embodiment of the box defender; 
         FIG. 3  is a side view of one embodiment of the box defender; 
         FIG. 4  is an isometric environmental view of one embodiment of the box defender in use; 
         FIG. 5  is a different isometric environmental view of one embodiment of the box defender in use; and 
         FIG. 6  is an isometric view of another embodiment of the box defender. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     This invention relates generally to construction, and, more specifically, to electrical boxes and the protection thereof. 
     Specific details of certain embodiments of the invention are set forth in the following description and in  FIGS. 1-5  to provide a thorough understanding of such embodiments. The present invention may have additional embodiments, may be practiced without one or more of the details described for any particular described embodiment, or may have any detail described for one particular embodiment practiced with any other detail described for another embodiment. 
     A primary goal of the box defender is to provide an impenetrable protective barrier for wall boxes, and thus the wiring within, installed prior to other construction or remodeling phases, such as hanging drywall. Currently, when drywall is hung over installed boxes, the installer must carefully measure where the box should end up relative to the drywall once it is installed, and then must basically make an educated guess as to where to begin the cut to allow access to the box. If the installer is incorrect in where to make the cut, the wiring within the box could be compromised, leading to significant, and costly, rework that may entail removing all of the wiring. When the box defender is in place, if the installer inadvertently cuts within the boundary of the box, the cutting implement merely nicks the box defender, preventing the unintentional destruction of the wiring. The same is true for circuit boxes, for which the box defender easily scales. In fact, currently, once circuit boxes are installed, many local codes require that no one other than the electrician opens them again. However, many drywall installers are forced to violate this code so that the drywall can be hung properly. With the box defender, the electrician can place the defender in the circuit box, the drywall can be hung and cut, and then the box can be closed. 
       FIG. 1  is an isometric view of the box defender  100 . The box defender  100  is comprised essentially of walls  101  that form a solid perimeter, a rim  102  that allows the box defender to sit against the rim of wall boxes, a recessed area  104  with solid floor  103 , fastener holes  105 , and fastener berth  106 . Walls  101  are configured to easily slide just inside the perimeter of boxes, creating a snug fit, but not one that relies on strong pressure to remove the defender  100 . Walls  101  are short in depth relative to the depth of wall boxes, which allows plenty of room for the wires or cables within the box. At the top and bottom of the box defender  100 , walls  101  may include fastener berths  106 , which are recesses in the wall configured to slip over the fastener holes at the top and bottom of standard wall boxes. This makes the box defender  100  almost universally compatible with both old and new work boxes. 
     Since the perimeter of defender  100  is necessarily slightly smaller than the perimeter of wall boxes, the box defender includes a rim  102 . Rim  102  is configured to sit atop the gap between the inside wall of the box and the outside wall of the box defender, preventing the intrusion of undesirable elements into the box through said gap. In preferred embodiments, rim  102  includes fastener holes  105 . Fastener holes  105  are designed to correspond with the fastener holes in wall boxes, such that both the box and the box defender  100  are able to be fastened into place during further construction. Fastener holes  105  also correspond to fastener berth  106 , allowing for a near-perfect fit within the perimeter of the wall boxes. Fasteners may not be required for some applications, and, as such, some embodiments of the box defender may not include fastener holes  105  or berths  106 . 
     Box defender  100  also critically includes recess  104 . In preferred embodiments, recess  104  includes a solid floor  103 , the solid floor being solidly joined with walls  101  around the entire perimeter. Recess  104  generally corresponds to the depth of walls  101 , though it will be slightly shallower due to the thickness of the material. When in place, walls  101  and floor  103  create an impregnable cover for wall boxes, leaving only the fastener holes  105  exposed. When fasteners are in place, the entire box, and the wiring or cables within, are protected. 
       FIG. 2  is a front view of the box defender, showing that rim  102  includes fastener holes  105  at the top and bottom. If the box is installed sideways, then the box defender  100  is easily rotated to correspond to the orientation of the box. 
       FIG. 3  is a side view showing the depth of box defender  100 . Particularly, it can be seen that recess  104 , formed by rim  102  and floor  103 , is approximately as deep as wall  101 . Or, alternatively, that wall  101  corresponds in depth directly to the depth of recess  104 . This recess allows for lighter box defenders  100 , as well as preventing the recess from adhering to or interfering with walling installation. 
       FIG. 4  is an environmental view of the box defender  100  in place in a single gang wall box  200 . It can be seen that holes  105  directly correspond to the fastener holes in the wall box, and that floor  103  forms a solid protective layer over the entire volume of the box  200 . 
       FIG. 5  is an environmental view of the box defender  100  in place in a double gang box  201 . In some embodiments, the box defender  100  may simply be multiplied to correspond to double, triple, quadruple, etc. gang wall boxes. In this application, each single gang box defender  100  is placed in a position such that fastener holes  105  correspond to the fastener holes of the multiple gang box, as seen in  FIG. 5 . In other embodiments, the box defender  100  may be scaled to meet the size of the box without multiplying the number of single gang defenders. This is particularly applicable for circuit boxes. 
       FIG. 6  is an isometric view of a different embodiment of the box defender  100 , in which the box defender includes at least one door  301 . This embodiment, while applicable as above, may also be applicable for circuit boxes such as, in one non-limiting example, a 200 amp electrical panel. For this use, the box defender  100  would be sized appropriately, and the locations of holes  105  may shift to align with the fasteners for the electrical panel. Door  301  may be permanently or removably coupled with box defender  100  via one or more hinges  302 . In some embodiments, hinge  302  may be a standard butt or Mortise style hinge. In other embodiments, hinge  302  may be a spring loaded or gate hinge, inducing door  301  to close upon release to offer an additional element of protection. Hinge  302  may, in some embodiments, be a simple joint of a more flexible material that allows the door to open and close, without actually including a pin or plate like other hinges. In a further embodiment, door  301 , hinge  302 , and box defender  100  may be a single unit machined or extruded such that the door is flexibly affixed to the box defender by the hinge, while permitting a user or installer to carry a single unit rather than multiple elements of the combination. Hinge  302  may join door  301  to box defender  100  at wall  101  or rim  102 . While  FIG. 6  depicts door  301  opening horizontally and joined with the left side of box defender  100 , it should be understood that hinge  302  may join the door to the box defender on either lateral side or on the top or bottom of the box defender. In some embodiments, recess  104  may include floor  103 , but in other embodiments, floor  103  may be removed to allow access to the electrical elements once the door  301  is open. 
     While the actual material of the box defender  100  is not disclosed, particular material properties should be considered. First, the material should be lightweight, such that carrying multiple box defenders around a construction site is not unduly burdensome. Second, the material should be substantially rigid, holding its shape whether or not it is in place in a wall box. Third, the material should be durable. One primary goal of the box defender is to prevent cutting tools from nicking or cutting wires and cables within the box, and a material that easily yields to cutting tools is improper. Finally, the material should be chemically non-reactive and non-conductive. Construction sites are full of corrosive materials, adhesives, paints, etc., and a chemically non-reactive material would be strongly preferred. A non-conductive material is particularly desired, as well, given that a primary purpose of the defender is to protect electrical wiring from the intrusion of other construction materials. For these reasons, a particularly ideal material is a non-conductive rigid PVC. However, it should be understood that other materials, such as wood, might also be sufficient. 
     It also should be understood that each of the elements disclosed herein could be a single element, all of which are brought together to form the single box defender. For instance, floor  103  might be welded to walls  101 , forming an impregnable barrier. However, it should also be understood that other manufacturing methods, such as extruding or molding a plastic, or machining of plastics or other materials, such that the entire defender is essentially a single piece of material, would be sufficient. 
     Finally, it should also be understood that, while the box defender disclosed herein is configured for rectangular boxes, the same essential elements (walls, floors, rims) could be combined to form different perimeters. For example, ceiling boxes are typically round, but are no less vulnerable during later construction phases, and the box defender could easily be reconfigured to correspond directly to a ceiling box, offering the same benefits as it does with the wall boxes. 
     While particular aspects of the present subject matter described herein have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that, based upon the teachings herein, changes and modifications may be made without departing from the subject matter described herein and its broader aspects and, therefore, the appended claims are to encompass within their scope all such changes and modifications as are within the true spirit and scope of this subject matter described herein. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the invention is defined by the appended claims. It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). 
     While preferred and alternative embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, as noted above, many changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not limited by the disclosure of these preferred and alternate embodiments.