Patent Publication Number: US-7595447-B2

Title: Dual-sided mounting bracket for electrical junction boxes

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention pertains to improvements in a dual-sided mounting bracket for electrical junction boxes. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   A dual-sided mounting bracket for electrical junction boxes is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/356,836, which was filed on Feb. 21, 2006, by Dale A. Hageman, and the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The mounting bracket is adapted for being mounted between to studs in a wall between two adjacent rooms. Being dual-sided, the mounting bracket is used to mount electrical junction boxes facing oppositely, so as to serve the adjacent rooms. 
   As disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/356,836, a dual-sided mounting bracket for electrical junction boxes comprises a first stud coupling member, a second stud coupling member, a first junction box receiving section adjacent the first stud coupling member, a second junction box receiving section adjacent the second stud coupling member, and an offset portion interposed between the first junction box receiving station and the second junction box receiving section. 
   Improvements in a dual-sided mounting bracket, as described above, are disclosed in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/847,001, which was filed on Sep. 25, 2006, and the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention provides, among other improvements in a dual-sided mounting bracket for electrical junction boxes, wherein the mounting bracket comprises a first stud coupling member, a second stud coupling member, a first junction box receiving member adjacent the first stud coupling member, a second junction box receiving section adjacent the second stud coupling member, and an offset portion interposed between the first and second junction box receiving sections, and wherein each junction box receiving section has two expansive sides and two lengthwise extending edges and is adapted for mounting an electrical junction box or electrical junction boxes to a given one of the expansive sides of said junction box receiving section. 
   This invention provides an improvement wherein each junction box receiving section has a flange extending along a given one of the lengthwise extending edges of said junction box receiving section and projecting from the other one of the expansive sides of said junction box receiving section, so as to project away from an electrical junction box or electrical junction boxes mounted to the given one of the expansive sides of said junction box receiving section. 
   The flange may be one of two flanges, each extending along a respective one of the lengthwise extending edges and projecting from the other one of the expansive sides of said junction box receiving section, so as to project away from an electrical junction box or electrical junction boxes mounted to the given one of the expansive sides of said junction box receiving section. 
   This invention provides an improvement wherein each junction box receiving section has a single tab, which can be bent back so as to support said junction box receiving station against an adjacent wall panel. 
   The single tab may have a bending line, where the single tab is joined to the remainder of said junction box receiving station, and a bending line between a distal end of the single tab and the bending line mentioned before, so that the single tab can be bent back along either bending line, so as to accommodate either of two spacings from the adjacent wall panel. 
   In a mounting bracket according to this invention, one, some, or all of these improvements may be advantageously embodied. Other improvements provided by this invention are described, hereinbelow, in the detailed description of the illustrated embodiments. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In the accompanying drawings, 
       FIG. 1  is a front, perspective view of a first embodiment of a mounting bracket according to this invention, and 
       FIG. 2  is a top plan of the first embodiment. Moreover, 
       FIG. 3  is a front, perspective view of a second embodiment of a mounting bracket according to this invention and 
       FIG. 4  is a top plan of the second embodiment. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS 
   In each of the first and second embodiments, a mounting bracket  20 , which is adapted for being mounted to and between two studs S in a wall serving two adjacent rooms and which is adapted to mount electrical junction boxes B facing frontwardly and electrical junction boxes B faxing backwardly so as to serve the adjacent rooms, comprises a first stud coupling member  22 , a first junction box receiving section  24 , a second junction box receiving section  26 , an offset portion  28  interposed between the first junction box receiving station  24  and the second junction box receiving station  26 , and a second stud coupling member  30 . Preferably, the mounting bracket  20  is stamped from galvanized steel, either 18 gauge or 20 gauge. 
   In the first embodiment, wherein the mounting bracket  20  is suitable for mounting to and between studs spaced approximately twenty-four inches from each other, the first and second junction box receiving sections  24 ,  26 , have approximately equal lengths. In the second embodiment, wherein the mounting bracket  20  is suitable for mounting to and between studs spaced approximately sixteen inches from each other, the first junction box receiving section  24  is approximately twice as long as the second junction box receiving section  26 . In each of the first and second embodiments, the offset portion  28  meets each of the first and second junction box receiving sections  24 ,  26 , at approximately a right angle. In each of the first and second embodiments, the mounting bracket  20  is approximately two and one-half inches wide. 
   In each of the first and second embodiments, each junction box receiving section  24 ,  26 , has two expansive sides  100 ,  102 , and two lengthwise extending edges. Further, each junction box receiving section  24 ,  26 , is adapted for mounting an electrical junction box B or electrical junction boxes B to a given one of the expansive sides  100 ,  102 , of said junction box receiving section  24 ,  26 . 
   As provided by this invention, each junction box receiving section  24 ,  26 , has two flanges  110 ,  112 , each extending along a given one of the lengthwise extending edges, of said junction box receiving section  24 ,  26 , and projecting from the other one of the expansive sides  100 ,  102 , of said junction box receiving section  24 ,  26 , so as to project away from an electrical junction box B or electrical junction boxes B mounted to the given one of the expansive sides of said junction box receiving section  24 ,  26 . 
   The flanges  110 ,  112 , reinforce the junction box receiving sections  24 ,  26 , against bending. The mounting bracket  20  can be thus made from a light-gauge material, such as galvanized steel of 18 gauge or 20 gauge. 
   Whereas each junction box receiving station of the mounting bracket disclosed in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/847,001, supra, has plural tabs, which may be also called box back supports, each junction box receiving station  24 ,  26 , of the mounting bracket  20  disclosed herein has a single tab  140 , which may be also called a box back support. 
   As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the single tab  140  of each junction box receiving station  24 ,  26 , can be bent back so as to support said junction box receiving station  24 ,  26 , against an adjacent drywall panel P. The single tab  140  has a bending line  142 , where the single tab  140  is joined to the remainder of said junction box receiving station  24 ,  26 , and a bending line  144 , between a distal end  146  of the single tab  140  and the bending line  142 , so that the single tab  140  can be bent back along either bending line  142 ,  144 , so as to accommodate either of two commonly encountered spacings from the adjacent drywall panel P, such as a spacing of three and one-half inches or a spacing of six inches.