Patent ID: 7030315

Claim:
A utility box, comprising: a housing, and a ring affixed on an upper circumferential rim of the housing, the ring adapted to receive a cover, the ring forming a through hole extending straight through from an upper surface of the ring to a lower surface of the ring, the through hole having, a bore having a first diameter at an upper portion of the through hole near the upper surface of the ring, the bore adapted to receive an attachment means depending from the cover, tabs at a lower portion of the through hole near the lower surface of the ring, the tabs partially forming a retaining recess having a second diameter disposed between the tabs and the bore, the tabs extending partially into the second diameter and forming a third diameter, the tabs adapted to receive a fastener there through, where the fastener has a fourth diameter, the retaining recess adapted to receive a flexible washer having a fifth diameter that deforms to pass through the tabs to return to its fifth diameter within the retaining recess, where the tabs are adapted to retain the flexible washer within the retaining recess against a first downward force, and to allow the flexible washer to be ejected from the retaining recess through the tabs upon application of a second downward force that is greater than the first downward force, and a fastener cavity disposed within the through hole between the bore and the retaining recess, the fastener cavity having a sixth diameter, the fastener cavity adapted to receive the fastener, which mates with and secures the attachment means depending from the cover, where the fastener is retained within the fastener cavity when the flexible washer is disposed within the retaining recess, and the fastener is loosed from the fastener cavity when the flexible washer is removed from the retaining recess, the fastener cavity adapted to prohibit complete rotation of the fastener around an axis that is substantially parallel to the through hole when the fastener is disposed within the fastener cavity, where, the fourth diameter is greater than the first diameter, the sixth diameter is greater than the fourth diameter, the fifth diameter is greater than the fourth diameter, the second diameter is greater than the fifth diameter, and the third diameter is less than the fifth diameter.