Patent ID: 7762042

Claim:
A quick-connect system for connecting sections of wireway, comprising first and second wireway sections, each wireway section having a length along an X-axis, a height along a Y-axis and a width along a Z-axis, each wireway section defining an interior space for placement of wire, and a connector for connecting the first and second wireway sections in generally longitudinal alignment along said X-axis, said connector having a length along the X-axis, a height along the Y-axis and a width along the Z-axis, and said connector comprising a bottom wall and opposing side walls configured to overlap adjacent ends of the first and second wireway sections, and at least one set of two spaced apart and longitudinally aligned screw holes in each of the bottom and side walls of the connector for receiving connector screws, each of said first and second wireway sections comprising a bottom wall, at least one bottom wall slot extending from said interior space through the bottom wall of the section generally adjacent a first end of the section for receiving a respective connector screw, said at least one bottom wall slot comprising a first portion toward said first end of the section for receiving a head of the connector screw and a second portion farther away from said first end of the section for receiving a shank of the screw, a pair of side walls extending up from the bottom wall, at least one side wall slot extending from said interior space through each side wall generally adjacent said first end of the section for receiving a shank of a respective connector screw, said at least one side wall slot extending from an end edge of the side wall and being configured such that a longitudinal centerline of the slot has both X-axis and Y-axis components, wherein said connector is sized for a telescoping fit inside adjacent ends of the first and second wireway sections, the side wall slots in the wireway sections being configured to permit movement of the connector relative to the wireway sections along paths having X-axis and Y-axis components as the connector is telescoped inside adjacent ends of the first and second wireway sections, and wherein said at least one side wall slot comprises a first longitudinal slot portion extending generally along said X-axis from said end edge of the side wall at the first end of the section, a second transverse slot portion extending generally along said Y-axis from the first slot portion toward the bottom wall of the section, and a third longitudinal slot portion extending generally along said X-axis from the second slot portion toward a second end of the section.