Electrical Installation Box with Profiled Retainer for Mixed Cable and Conduit Use
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electrical installation boxes lack flexibility in accommodating both conduits and cables, requiring separate accessories and limiting installers to either conduit or cable installation options, with limited capacity for either type.
Innovation Solution
An electrical installation box with a profiled retainer featuring alternating long and short trapezoidal flanges that can be adjusted to accommodate either cables or conduits, incorporating chamfered conduit locking and support edges, and bottom openings for conduit insertion, allowing for the installation of up to 8 cables or conduits without additional accessories.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the installation box is designed with separate interfaces for conduits and cables, then the box can support both conduit and cable installations, but the device complexity increases and requires additional accessories
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by designing a single multifunctional interface that can accommodate both conduits and cables. The profiled retainer with alternating long and short flanges creates a universal interface structure that adapts to different installation types without requiring separate dedicated interfaces for conduits versus cables, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining versatility
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies dynamics through the knock-out feature of the profiled retainer. The retainer can be selectively removed or retained based on installation requirements - it remains in place for cable installations to provide flange-based cable management, and can be knocked out for conduit installations to create open conduit entries. This dynamic adaptability allows one interface structure to serve multiple functions
2Adaptability or versatility
If the installation box provides limited interfaces for either 4 cables or 4 conduits, then the box structure remains simple, but the adaptability and installation options are restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the interface into multiple modular units, each containing a profiled retainer with alternating long and short flanges. Instead of having a single complex interface for 4 cables or 4 conduits, the box provides multiple identical modular interfaces that can be independently configured. Each module can accommodate cables using the flange structure or conduits by knocking out the retainer, allowing flexible combination of cable and conduit installations across multiple facets
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies universality by designing each facet interface to be multifunctional - the same profiled retainer structure serves both as a cable management component with flanges and as a conduit cover when knocked out. This universal interface design allows the box to support mixed installations of cables and conduits across different facets without requiring different interface types
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to an electrical installation box (100) for installation of conduits (116) and cables (110) comprising plurality of facets (102), each of said facets (102) having sides (104) connectively abutting the sides of an adjacent facet thus forming a hollow box with an open end (106), wherein at least one of said facets (102) is provided with a profiled retainer (108) for accommodating said cables (114), wherein said profiled retainer (108) is formed of alternative long flanges (112) and short flanges (114) protruding inwardly, and wherein said profiled retainer's periphery is configured to be knocked out for accommodating conduits (116), when necessary.