Adjustable Mounting Bracket for Electrical Box with Folded Extension Plate
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical box mounting brackets often fail to provide secure support to both sides of the electrical box, leading to potential movement during use, and lack adaptability for varying wall cavity depths.
Innovation Solution
A unitary, adjustable mounting bracket formed from sheet material, featuring a support plate and an integrally formed extension plate that can be folded to accommodate different wall cavity depths, with a bendable locking tab to secure the extended position, ensuring stable support by contacting both the wall stud and opposing wall.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single bracket supports only one side of the electrical box, then the bracket structure is simple, but the electrical box experiences movement during use
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket is divided into multiple functional segments: a main body portion for mounting to the wall stud, extension arms that can be adjusted to different lengths, and support elements that contact the electrical box. This segmentation allows each part to perform its specific function while maintaining overall structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple support functions into a single integrated bracket structure that simultaneously provides one-sided mounting to the wall stud and adjustable extension to support the electrical box at varying distances, eliminating the need for separate mounting and extension components.
2Ease of manufacture
If the extension arm length is fixed, then the bracket is easier to manufacture, but it cannot accommodate wall cavities of different depths
Solution Approach 1:
The extension arm is designed with adjustable length capability, allowing it to be configured dynamically to match different wall cavity depths. This is achieved through mechanisms such as telescoping sections, adjustable joints, or removable extensions that enable the bracket to adapt its geometry while maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket incorporates design features that allow modification of key parameters such as extension arm length and angles of attachment. These parameter changes enable the same bracket design to accommodate a range of wall cavity depths without requiring completely different bracket configurations for each application.
3Reliability
If both sides of the electrical box are supported by brackets, then movement is resisted, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket is designed as a universal support structure that can function effectively whether supporting one side or both sides of the electrical box. The same basic bracket design with adjustable extension arms can be configured to provide single-sided or dual-sided support, eliminating the need for different bracket types for different support configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using multiple separate brackets to achieve bilateral support, the invention inverts the approach by using a single adaptable bracket structure that can be configured to provide equivalent support functionality, thereby reducing the number of components while maintaining stability.
Data Source
AI summary
A mounting bracket for supporting an electrical box or other electrical device to a wall stud is adapted to contact an opposing wall to resist movement of the bracket. The bracket includes a front plate and a support plate extending perpendicular to the front plate and having a length to engage the opposing wall. The extension plate is integrally formed with the support plate and can be folded to an outward extended position to increase the effective length of the stabilizing plate to accommodate wall cavities of different depths. The extension plate includes fold lines so that an end portion can be bent to shorten the effective length of the extension plate.