Decorative Frame Concealing Electrical Outlet Plates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electrical wall plates are unattractive and lack a solution for concealment, which negatively impacts room décor as landlines are phased out and holes in the wall remain when phone jacks are removed.
Innovation Solution
A decorative covering assembly with a transparent cover and base member, featuring a mounting bracket to hide electrical outlet plates, allowing for the display of decorative substrates like images or patterns, securely attaching to the wall without visible fasteners.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a conventional electrical wall plate is left in place, then the wall hole is covered and the structure remains simple, but the aesthetic appearance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The wall plate assembly is divided into functional segments: the original electrical wall plate remains in place, while a separate decorative frame assembly is mounted over it. The frame consists of a base member with mounting bracket and a transparent cover member, allowing the electrical function to remain simple while adding aesthetic enhancement.
Solution Approach 2:
The decorative frame assembly is nested over the existing electrical wall plate. The base member mounts to the wall plate, and the transparent cover member nests over the base member, creating a layered structure where the original wall plate is concealed but remains functional.
2Shape
If the wall plate is removed, then the aesthetic appearance improves, but the wall hole remains and structural integrity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The decorative frame assembly is extracted as a separate aesthetic element that can be mounted independently. The mounting bracket is designed to attach to the existing wall plate structure, extracting the aesthetic enhancement function from the wall plate itself and allowing the wall plate to remain in its original position for structural purposes.
3Shape
If a decorative cover is added over the wall plate, then the aesthetic appearance improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The transparent cover member serves multiple functions: it provides aesthetic enhancement by displaying decorative substrates, it protects the base member and mounting bracket, and it maintains the structural integrity of the wall plate assembly. The base member similarly provides both mounting functionality and structural support.
4Shape
If the wall plate is concealed, then the aesthetic appearance improves, but the accessibility to electrical connections deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The transparent cover member and base member can be removed as a unit to provide access to the electrical wall plate when needed. The mounting bracket is designed to allow for removal and reinstallation, providing dynamic access while maintaining aesthetic appearance during normal use.
Data Source
AI summary
When a wall mounted telephone is removed from its mounting plate, the telephone wall plate and jack remains and this is unsightly. The frame of the present invention allows the telephone plate to remain, but be obscured. The frame assembly includes a removable, transparent cover that releasably attaches to a base member and a photograph, a drawing, other graphic decorative material or written indicia is sandwiched therebetween.