Mounting bracket with far side support
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mounting brackets for electrical boxes lack adjustability and stability, particularly allowing excessive vertical movement that can prevent full threading of mounting screws, and fail to accommodate electrical boxes of varying sizes and depths effectively.
Innovation Solution
A one-piece, integrally formed mounting bracket with a far side support member and a cable guide that can be bent to accommodate different positions and depths, featuring a frangible member for easy separation and attachment, and a central opening with key-hole slots to secure screws, ensuring stability and adjustability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a large central cutout is used in the mounting bracket to accommodate different box sizes, then adaptability is improved, but vertical movement of electrical boxes increases causing mounting screws to bottom out on the bracket
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting bracket is divided into multiple functional zones: a central cutout area for box accommodation, side support surfaces for stability, and a far side support member for depth adjustment. This segmentation allows the bracket to provide both adaptability through the large central opening and stability through the distributed support surfaces that prevent vertical movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention adds a far side support member that extends into the wall cavity, creating a third dimension of support. This far side support prevents the electrical box from moving vertically by providing a backing surface, while the large central cutout maintains adaptability for different box sizes.
2Ease of operation
If mounting screws are allowed to move vertically within the central cutout, then ease of installation is improved, but threading of wiring device screws into the cover is prevented
Solution Approach 1:
The far side support member provides preliminary support that prevents the electrical box from moving vertically during the installation process. By anticipating and preventing the vertical movement that would cause threading issues, the design ensures that mounting screws remain properly positioned for successful wiring device installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The far side support member acts as an intermediary element between the mounting bracket and the electrical box, providing a stable backing surface that prevents excessive movement. This intermediary support allows the central cutout to remain large for ease of installation while preventing the vertical displacement that would interfere with screw threading.
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical box mounting bracket includes a mounting frame having a central opening. A removable support member is coupled to an inner edge of the central opening by a frangible tab. A removable extension member is coupled to the support member by a frangible tab that can be removed and attached to an end of the support member. A cable guide is coupled to an inner edge of the central opening by a first fold line and is bendable to a position for supporting a cable. The cable guide has a body or support plate with a plurality of adjacent cable openings with a retaining tab between two adjacent cable openings. The retaining tab is bendable from a first open position for inserting a cable into the cable openings and a second closed position to retain the cable in the cable openings.