Tool-Free Latching Floor Box Cover With Lid Lift Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electrical floor box covers require tools to open and close, creating inconvenience and posing a tripping hazard due to their design, especially when in the open position.
Innovation Solution
An electrical floor box cover with a latchable lid that can be opened and closed without tools, featuring a frame with a beveled upper surface and a lid lifting device that biases the lid away from the fully closed position, allowing unassisted movement to a fully open position while maintaining a low profile.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a tool-activated latch is used to secure the lid in the closed position, then the lid can be reliably secured, but the ease of operation deteriorates because a tool is required to open and close the lid
Solution Approach 1:
The lid lifting device enables the lid to be opened without external tool assistance. When the latch is actuated to the released position, the lifting device automatically engages the lid and raises it to the open position, allowing the system to serve itself rather than requiring user intervention with tools.
Solution Approach 2:
The lid lifting device acts as an intermediary mechanism between the latch system and the lid. It translates the latch release action into automatic lid opening by providing the mechanical force and motion needed to raise the lid, eliminating the need for direct user manipulation with tools.
2Ease of operation
If the lid is designed to extend upwardly from the base when open, then access to electrical components is permitted, but the tripping hazard increases
Solution Approach 1:
The lid lifting device changes the spatial dimension in which the lid opens. Instead of rotating upward in a vertical arc that creates a tripping hazard, the lid is raised in a vertical direction parallel to the floor surface, allowing cables to extend through the lid while maintaining a low profile that eliminates tripping hazards.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the lid position based on operational needs. The lid can be in a closed position for safety, an open position for access, or a raised position when open where cables can extend through it without creating tripping hazards. This dynamic positioning resolves the contradiction between access and safety.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables tool-free operation and reduces tripping hazards by allowing the lid to lie flat in the fully open position, enhancing user convenience and safety.
Implementation Method 1
A lid lifting device is disposed between the lid and the frame, the lid lifting device urging the lid away from the closed position
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical floor box cover includes a frame having a lower surface disposable on a flooring surface and a beveled upper surface. The frame defines an access opening to permit access to an electrical box. A lid is securable to the frame and movable between a fully open position in which the access opening is substantially uncovered and a closed position. A lid lifting device is disposed between the lid and the frame, the lid lifting device urging the lid away from the closed position. A latch is disposed on the frame and includes an actuating member movable by a user between a latched and unlatched position without the use of a tool. When the actuating member is moved to the unlatched position, the lid lifting device lifts at least a portion of the lid above the frame to an initial open position wherein the lid substantially covers the access opening. Movement of the lid by the user from the initial open position to the fully open position is unassisted by the lid lifting device.