Patent ID: 8500462

Claim:
Junction box for a solar panel comprising a housing comprising sidewalls and a top wall defining an interior space; a lid; a plurality of internal contact elements which are arranged at least partially in said interior space; a first coupling comprising a first contact element; and a second coupling comprising a second contact element; wherein one of said internal contact elements is in an electrical contact with said first contact element and one of said internal contact elements is in an electrical contact with said second contact element, wherein one of said contact elements penetrate at least one of the sidewalls, so that said contact element that penetrates the sidewall provides an electrical contact from external contact elements to said internal contact elements; wherein said top wall comprises an opening extending only partially in said top wall, such that access to said internal contact elements in a substantially perpendicular direction to the surface of a solar panel for connecting the internal contact elements to the solar panel is provided, and wherein the top wall comprises an outer sidewall that extends substantially perpendicular from the top wall and that surrounds substantially the outer circumference of the top wall, so that an overflow space is defined by the top wall and the outer sidewall.