US3312770A - Service box assembly - Google Patents

Description

April 1967 w. o. MCKENNA ETAL 3,312,770

SERVI CE BOX ASSEMBLY Filed April 16, 1964 INVENTOR. VV/LL/AM O. M KEN/v BY HARRY R. Orr

awm 0/2) I Arm/we 5 5 United States Patentv O 3,312,770 SERVICE BOX ASSEMBLY William 0. McKenna, Oakland, and Harry R. Ott, Richmond, Califi, assignors to Benner-Nawman, Inc., Oakland, Califl, a corporation of California Filed Apr. 16, 1964, Ser. No. 360,334 1 Claim. (Cl. 17448) This invention relates to a service box assembly and the like, and more particularly pertains to a receptacle for mounting terminal protector and connector blocks in a void defined between the upstanding studs and construction walls of a building.

The invention is particularly useful in regard to providing a common location for making telephone connections between a service line from an aerial drop, for example, on the one hand and a number of individual telephone wires from inside the building. a

In certain types of housing construction, it has been found advantageous to install telephone connection wires in virtually every room of the house prior to the completion of construction. The individual wires are brought to a common location in the building. This oftentimes is merely a conveniently located void defined between two adjacent wall studs. Later, when it is desired to install telephone service, the service line is brought, either from underground cable or by an aerial drop to the void containing the individual wires. Ordinarily, a service box is installed in the outside wall of the building and suitable connections made between the individual wires and the telephone service line.

In general, it is an' object of the present invention to provide an improved service box for such connections.

Another object of the invention is to provide a service box of the kind described for supporting terminal protector and connector blocks in a void between wall studs to provide a substantially unobstructed access thereto both from above and below.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simplified service box construction capable of being manufactured from a minimum of parts 'andutilizing a mini mum of labor.

These and other objects of the invention will be more clearly apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment when taken in conjunction with the following drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a receptacle according to the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an end view taken along the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a planned View schematically showing disposition of the receptacle of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 shows another embodiment of the receptacle according to the invention;

FIGURE 5 shows a cable connection assembly incorporating a receptacle according to FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of a cable access adaptor as incorporated in FIGURE 5; 7

FIGURE 7 is a front elevation view of a pair of receptacles vertically aligned to provide modular expansion of connector block needs.

In general, there has been provided a receptacle for mounting terminal protector and connector blocks in a void defined between a pair of upstanding studs and two construction walls attached to the studs. The receptacle comprises generally a U-shaped member formed to extend between the studs to support electrical connection blocks in the void. The manner of supporting the U-shaped member provides a substantially unobstructed access to the terminal blocks both from above and below. Accordingly, where individual wires from the various rooms of a building terminate in a void at a position above the service box, they can be readily attached to terminal protector and connector blocks therein with equal facility as where the individual wires are brought into the void at a location below the service box.

In the drawings a U-shaped member 10 is formed With a number of prepunched holes suitable for receiving screws attaching terminal protector and connector blocks (not shown). Member 10 is formed from a fiat length of material such as metal wherein the end portions 11, 12 are bent normal to the plane of member 10.

An enclosing framework forms the walls of a casing to be carried in and extend through an opening in one of the construction walls to provide access therethrough to the connection blocks carried on member 10. Thus, a casing 13 is formed from the rectangular framework which includes longitudinally extending top and bottom Walls 14, 15 and side walls 16, 17. The ends 18, 19 of casing 13 are open. Walls 1417 extend through an opening 20 formed in one of two construction walls 21, 22. A pair of upstanding studs 23, 24 serve to define a void 25 between the inner surfaces of walls 21, 22.

The inner end 18 of casing 13 is formed to terminate substantially in the plane of the inner surface of construction wall 21. End portions 11, 12 of member 10 are secured to casing 13, as by spot welding, to support member 10 in the void a sufilcient distance beyond the inner end 18 of casing 13 to provide unobstructed access to connection blocks on member 10. Member 10 is spaced from the inner surface of construction wall 22 opposite opening 20. The spacing is sufiicient to allow a fastener such as a nut to be applied to the end of bolts employed in the p-re-punched holes therein.

In order to attach casing 13 to studs 23, 24, it is formed to include a skirt 26 having outstanding tabular portions 27 lying substantially in the plane of the inner surface of construction wall 21. Tabular portions 27 extend laterally to overlie the studs and include nail holes 28-for.

mounting the receptacle in opening 20. V

The outer end 12 of casing 13 is dimensioned and adapted to extend beyond the outer surface of construction wall 21 so as to form a coaming 29 around opening The outer end of the receptacle is then closed by a removable cover or door 30 engaging or seated on coaming 29. The edge of coaming 25 is turned inwardly to form a lip 31. Lip 31 extends around the coaming and lies in the plane of the outer end 19 of casing 13. To hold the door in place, a portion of casing 13 is bent inwardly to form a protruding seat 34 adjacent to and spaced from lip 31. As shown in the drawings, this is provided by a pair of dimpled depressions 32, 33 pressed into the top wall 14. The opposite side of wall 14 in the region of dimples 32, 33, therefore, forms a protruding seat 34 adjacent to and spaced from lip 31.

The receptacle is substantially weather-tight. Door 30 is formed with a lip 3:; extending partially around its perimeter and formed to overlie lip 31. Thus, the bottom and side edges of door 30 are turned inwardly to form the lip 35. The top edge of door 30 is bent out of the plane of the door in order to form an edge portion of a building construction is arranged substantially as described above but includes a flat plate 40 of generally rectilinear construction. Plate 40 is formed with opposed longitudinal edges 41, 42 of a length adapted to extend between studs 23, 24. The other edges 43, 44 extend laterally of edges 41, 42 and each includes a pair of tab portions 45, 46, and 47, 48 respectively, outsanding from each of the laterally extending edges 43, 44.

Each pair of tab portions is spaced apart along their respective edge 43 or 44 and are bent transversely to the surface of plate 40 for attachment to casing 49 to dispose plate 40 in the void 25. The spacing between the respective tab portions of each pair is dimensioned to provide a handhold 51, 52 at each side for gripping the framework to provide easy handling.

Doors 30 can be held in place by any suitable means such as the screws 39 or by a turning lock of conventional design having a single blade adapted to be turned to engage the lip of the casing.

While it may normally be preferable to plan to have the telephone service line enter a building construction at a particular void from an underground cable so as to be brought up into the bottom of the void containing all the individual wires, such is not always possible. Furthermore, it is not always known just exactly where this service connection-is to be brought in until after the walls of the building have been put in place. Therefore, suitable means may need to be provided for cable access to a void such as 25 entering directly through the face of the wall.

Accordingly, a cable acess adaptor unit 60 is' arranged for passing a cable, such as from an aerial drop, through a hole formed in the construction wall at a point below a service box receptacle of the kind described above.

. The cable is led through the hole to the terminal protector and connector blocks in the void and suitable connections are made. The adaptor unit 60 is formed of a fiat sheet of material providing a face plate 61 arranged and dimensioned to be disposed below the receptacle and to lie substantially in the plane of the inner surface of a construction wall such as wall 21. Face plate 61 extends to overlay studs 23, 24 for attachment thereto as by driving nails through holes 62.

A cable access hole 63 is formed in face plate 61 a' measured distance 64 from the upper edge 65 of plate 61. p In order to protect hole 63 from the elements, an awning-like cover 66 having triangular-shaped end surfaces 67 formed with outstanding tabs 68 and a tab 69 bent coplanar with tabs 68. Cover 66 is secured to face plate 61 as by spot welding and carried thereon so as to shield 'hole 63.

Means are provided to accurately locate hole 63 with respect to the receptacle. The upper edge of plate 61 is formed with a tab portion 71 outstanding therefrom and bent out of the plane of the face plate in a direction adapted to lead away from void 25. Tab portion 71 is disposed to engage the inside surface of bottom wall 15 of the receptacle and to hang therefrom so as to dispose hole 63 a measured distance from the inside surface of the casing 13. The length of tab portion 71 is substantially coextensive with the spacing between side walls 16, 17, and thereby serves to center the hole 63 with respect thereto.

In order to provide a finishing surface for the material of the construction wall, the lower margin 72 of plate 61 is bent out of the plane thereof in a direction leading away from void 25 and formed with a reversely bent edge 73.

been provided a service box receptacle arrangement permitting considerable versatility in making connection to a service line. Terminal protector and connector blocks are supported within a void formed between wall studs and disposed for completely unobstructed access to the blocks, both from above and below the service box location.

It will also be readily apparent that a casing 13 can be formed as an integral unit with skirt 26 in a single drawing action and the U-shaped member 10 attached by spot welding, for example, Accordingly, in but a few manipulative steps, a service box construction of the kind described can be manufactured.

It will be further evident from the foregoing construction that as additional terminal protector and connector blocks are required, or upon initial installation, the above described receptacles can be employed in modular fashion. An elongated version of the receptacle of FIGURE 4 is shown so arranged in FIGURE 7. Accordingly it is to be noted, as shown in FIGURE 7, that the unobstructed access opening defined between the upper edge 41 and casing 49 of one receptacle can be aligned with a lower unobstructed access opening defined between edge 42 and casing 49 of another receptacle.

In aligning a pair of receptacles as shown in FIGURE 7, the lower edge 42 of plate40 of the upper receptacle extends to overlie the upper edge 41 of plate 40 of the lower receptacle. Similarly the lower edge of skirt 74 of the upper receptacle is adapted to overlie the upper edge of skirt 74 of the lower receptacle. Obviously, the reverse procedure can be followed whereby the upper edge 41 of the lower receptacle overlies the lower edge 42 of the upper receptacle. Connector blocks 75 together with cables 76 are shown mounted in place in the receptacles of FIGURE 7 whereby cables 76 can run between blocks 75 in both receptacles.

It should also be apparent from FIGURE 7 that edges 41, 42 extend respectively above and below a horizontal plane through the transverse horizontal portions of casing 49 to permit the above overlapping relationship providing a continuous back plate support for connector blocks 75 and cable 76.

We claim:

A receptacle for mounting terminal protector and connector blocks in a void defined between a pair of upstanding studs and two construction walls attached to the studs, said receptacle comprising a U-shaped member formed to extend between -a pair of studs to support terminal protector and connector blocks in said void to pro vide a substantially unobstructed access thereto from above and below, an enclosing framework secured to the endsof said U-shaped member and forming the walls of a casing to be carried in and extend through said opening to provide access through the wall to the protector blocks in said void, said casing being open at its inner and outer ends, the inner end of said casing terminating substantially in the plane of the inner surface of the last-named construction wall, the ends of said U-shaped member being carried by said casing to support the U-shaped member in the void a distance beyond the inner end of said casing and spaced from the construction wall opposite the opening, the outer end of said casing being dimensioned and adapted to extend, beyond the outer surface of said last-named construction wall to from a coaming around the opening, and a door removably seated on the coaming and closing the outer end of the casing, said casing having portions outstanding therefrom and extending to overlie the studs for attachment thereto to mount the receptacle in said opening, the upper and lower edges of said U-shaped member extending respectively above and below horizontal planes through the uppermost and lowermost horizontal portions of said enclosing framework whereby a plurality of said receptacles can be disposed in vertical alignment with the lower edge of the upper of said U-shaped mem- 5 bers overlapping the upper edge of the lower of said U- 2,247,646 7/1941 Terry 17466 shaped members. 2,544,266 3/1951 Kennedy 2203.94 X 2,742,173 4/1956 Janson 2203.8 References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 LEWIS H. MYERS, Primary Examiner. 1,982,957 12/1934 Knell. H. W. COLLINS, Assistant Examiner.

2,014,444 9/1935 Miller 17450X

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