Efficient installation electrical hardware system and method of use

Abstract

An improved installation system for electrical hardware, such as power outlets, electrical switches, light fittings, ceiling fans and the like, whereby the cutting of their installation access holes in drywall panels is accomplished much faster than prior art methods and with a high degree of accuracy by the use of the hole cutting system, comprising the magnetic block assembly, corresponding magnetic template assembly and the hole cutter. In conjunction with the aforementioned; the electrical hardware's associated electrical boxes are wired directly to their electrical supply and the hardware is in turn, electrically connected to them by their respective sets of electrical terminals which make simultaneous contact with each other upon their installation. Additionally, the latching pawl mechanism and alignment device supports the weight of heavy light fittings and ceiling fans and aligns their electrical connections while they're being fixed into their installed position. These features taken together make this improved installation system substantially superior to all prior art.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO OTHER APPLICATIONS[0001]This Application is a CIP of Ser. No. 14 / 086,665.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention[0002]The present invention relates generally to the field of installation of power outlets, electric switches and lighting fixtures. During a recent home renovation, the installation of domestic power outlets, electric switches, light fittings and their associated electrical boxes was found to be time consuming and installer unfriendly, particularly for a do-it-yourself installer. It was determined that these issues presented an opportunity for improvements to the method of installation of standard United States power outlet, electric switches, light fittings, their corresponding electrical boxes (“electrical hardware”). Moreover it was realized that as a result of such improvements, considerable time and money can be saved during home construction if the electrical component installation process is made simpler, faster and more user friend...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0026]A further object of the present invention is that the entire wiring system for any new building can now be fully tested prior to drywall installation, making any required wiring changes or repairs comparatively quick and easy.

[0027]Another object of the present invention is the elimination of extra wire lengths from within the electrical box and the simplified electrical connections speed up and simplify power outlet, electric switch, light fitting and ceiling fan installation and reduces the likelihood of wiring errors.

[0028]An additional related object of the present invention is that wire connections are much safer to accomplish over prior art because screwdriver blade puncture wounds are far less likely to occur when power outlets and such do not need to be held by hand while tightening the terminal screws.

[0029]A further object of the present invention is that worn out or defective outlets, electric switches, light fittings and ceiling fans can easily be replaced in just a few minutes, even by an inexperienced do-it-yourself installer.

[0030]Another object of the present invention is that heavy or bulky light fittings such as ceiling fans are more easily installed and removed due to the addition of an integral latching pawl arrangement and the elimination of directly wired connections.

[0031]An additional object of the present invention is that the electrical boxes no longer need to contain 12 inches of extra power cable because this can now be looped in the space behind the box with the benefit that the electrical boxes can be about half the size of the prior art versions, thereby realizing a significant savings in material resources and costs.

Problems solved by technology

Either way, this was significantly more difficult for ceiling installations because of the weight of the drywall panels and the much more awkward overhead working position.

Once the drywall was temporarily in place, however held, accurately determining the correct locations for the electrical box holes was difficult.

This is because the electrical boxes are behind the wide panel of drywall and cannot readily be located from the front.

Moreover they are often some distance from the edge of the drywall, making accurate hole location even more difficult.

However, to a greater or lesser degree, they are all rather unwieldy and without real commercial viability.

Because new work prior art electrical boxes were often designed to have their outer edges more or less flush with the front face of the drywall panel through the cut-out holes, the temporarily positioned drywall panel was often bowed over those boxes during mark out and consequently its edges were distorted from their final installed positions.

Prior art electrical boxes that had a depth adjustment feature which allowed them to be initially flush with the rear face of the drywall (avoiding bowing) were still almost as difficult to accurately locate for hole mark out as other prior art alternatives.

It follows that power outlet holes in drywall were prone to be mispositioned, sometimes necessitating unsightly repairs or the scrapping of material.

Prior art installation of drywall has been labor intensive and time consuming because it was often first put up into place for the marking out of power outlet and electric switch holes, taken down in order to cut the holes and then finally repositioned for permanent installation.

Another problem with the prior art has been its awkward nature and the time it took to wire wall and ceiling power outlets, or light fittings and electric switches.

This makes it cumbersome to install the power outlet, electric switch, or light fitting, particularly if more than one power cable needs to be used.

Moreover, wiring the power Outlet, electric switch, or light fitting was often cumbersome and time consuming because the wires had to be held in the right place, wrapped around the electrical terminals, then held steady while the terminal screws were tightened.

In the case of prior art ceiling outlets for light fittings, the wiring of light fittings has been even more cumbersome because of having to work overhead and at the same time bear the weight of the light fitting.

Even then, their size and bulky shape usually obstructed the electrical box, making wiring more difficult.

However, to a greater or lesser degree, they have all fallen short of a complete solution for a number of reasons, which will now be explained.

While this patent includes some novel safety features (column 2, lines 20-24), it is questionable whether the North American construction industry found these features of sufficient compelling value for the product to remain commercially viable for long.

Moreover, this safety module electrical distribution system fails to address the issues of speeding up or simplifying the wiring of its associated electrical box.

This safety module electrical distribution system also completely fails to teach any improvement to the drywall installation process.

The connections between the circuit box and the various modular inserts are flimsy and prone to misalignment and breakage.

Like the previous reference, this reference fails to address the issues of speeding up or simplifying the wiring of its circuit box or installation of the drywall.

Moreover, relying on the power cable's wires as its sole means of support once connected make them vulnerable to fracture, particularly when considering the brittleness typically induced in wiring by the cyclical heating and cooling that naturally occurs when electrical power is cycled on and off over a prolonged period.

However, there is no elaboration on how that might be accomplished.

It follows that, in the likely event of an electrical disconnection, the broken or loose wires would not be able to be re-connected without removal of the surrounding drywall, an unacceptable inconvenience to the user.

Moreover, like the previous reference, this reference also fails to teach any improvement to the drywall installation process.

In similar fashion to the previous reference, the wiring connection arrangement is highly problematic and the power distribution system as a whole completely fails to teach any improvement to the drywall installation process.

While this version uses a more robust method of connection, the connections are still not accessible once the drywall has been permanently installed.

So as before, in the event of an electrical disconnection, the electrical box cannot be re-connected without removal of the surrounding drywall.

Likewise, these references also completely fail to teach any improvement to the drywall installation process.

These are also similarly problematic for power cable connection and drywall installation.

Moreover, when the fan or light fitting needs to be replaced, the owner is also restricted to purchasing a replacement with the same exact receptacle plate (which may well not be available).

Like the previous references, this reference failed to teach speeding up or simplifying wiring of the electrical box or installation of the drywall.

This device requires that the drywall sheet be temporarily offered up into its installed position and be taken back down again, which is now an unnecessary and laborious additional step (Summary, column 1, lines 40-62).

Moreover, this device does very little to speed up the process of accurate electrical box hole location and cutting.

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