Tool-Free Pivoting Mount for Electrical Box Uprights
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical box designs require costly manufacturing processes for upright frame hooks, impose specific mounting orientations, and necessitate tool-assisted screwing for frame locking, limiting ease of use and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A mounting device for uprights on the bottom of electrical boxes that allows pivoting without tool use, featuring a U-section metal profile with notched openings and lateral flanges, enabling secure attachment and easy pivoting without altering the frame's shape or requiring tools.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the upper ends of the uprights are formed into hooks during recovery operation, then the frame can be suspended and pivoted, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The upright is divided into functional segments: a straight main body for mounting and a separate pivoting mechanism at the end. This eliminates the need for costly hook formation during recovery while maintaining pivoting capability through a simpler, modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the expensive, permanently formed hook with a simpler, less costly pivoting mechanism that achieves the same functional result without requiring costly metal recovery operations.
2Reliability
If the uprights are formed with asymmetric hooks, then the frame can be suspended, but the mounting orientation is constrained
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of forming hooks at the upper ends of uprights, the invention inverts the approach by creating a pivoting mechanism at the lower end that engages with the box bottom. This allows the upright to pivot freely while maintaining stable suspension, eliminating orientation constraints.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transforms the static, fixed-oriented hook into a dynamic pivoting mechanism that can adapt to different mounting orientations. The pivoting capability allows the frame to be installed in various orientations while maintaining secure suspension.
3Strength
If screws and screwing tools are used to lock the frame, then the frame is securely fixed, but tool intervention is required
Solution Approach 1:
The pivoting mechanism incorporates a self-locking feature that secures the frame without requiring external screwing tools. The mechanism automatically locks into position through its own structural design, enabling tool-free installation while maintaining strong fixation.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the screw-and-screwdriver mechanical system with a self-locking pivoting mechanism. This substitution eliminates the need for tool intervention while maintaining equivalent or superior locking strength through clever mechanical design.
Data Source
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AI summary
The device (100) has a base plate (110) comprising a receiving unit (119) that receives a free end of a post (20) and a pivoting unit on a base. A lock (120) has two stable positions on the base plate. The receiving unit releases a free end of a frame in a stable position while prohibiting the pivoting unit of the base plate. The receiving unit maintains the free end of the post between the lock and the base plate in another stable position while authorizing the pivoting unit of the base plate. The lock and base plate include complementary transferring units (123, 115). Independent claims are also included for the following: (1) an assembly (2) an electrical box.