Recessed Electrical Outlet Box Self-Adjusting Ring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electrical outlet floor boxes face challenges due to tapered interior sidewalls, which lead to insufficient attachment mechanisms for electrical receptacles, resulting in inadequate accommodation and potential contamination issues.
Innovation Solution
A recessed electrical outlet assembly with a self-adjusting ring device that accommodates the tapered interior walls of the housing, combined with a tethered sealable contaminant device to protect the receptacle from contamination and physical damage, and a method for secure installation within concrete floors using an adhesive attachment ring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional attachment mechanisms are used in floor boxes with tapered interior sidewalls, then the receptacle can be mounted, but the attachment is insufficient and inadequate due to the taper
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment mechanism includes a spring-loaded clip that dynamically adjusts to the tapered interior sidewall of the floor box. The spring allows the clip to compress and expand, maintaining constant contact pressure and secure attachment despite the changing diameter of the tapered wall, thereby resolving the contradiction between attachment strength and tapered shape
Solution Approach 2:
The attachment mechanism changes its physical parameters (compression force, contact area) in response to the tapered geometry. As the clip moves along the tapered wall, the spring compresses or expands to maintain optimal attachment parameters, allowing the mechanism to adapt to the varying diameter and ensure sufficient attachment strength throughout the tapered section
2Ease of operation
If the floor box is open for receptacle installation, then access is provided, but contamination can enter when the receptacle is not in use
Solution Approach 1:
The contaminant device is a separate, removable component that can be taken out when receptacle access is needed and placed back when the receptacle is not in use. This extraction principle allows the floor box to alternate between open (for access) and closed (for contamination protection) states, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and protection from harmful factors
Solution Approach 2:
The contaminant device acts as an intermediary element between the open floor box and the external environment. It provides a sealing barrier that can be deployed when needed, mediating between the need for access and the need for contamination protection without permanently blocking either function
3Ease of operation
If the receptacle is exposed for use, then accessibility is improved, but physical damage risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The protective cover is a dynamic component that can be opened or closed based on whether the receptacle is in use. When closed, it provides physical protection; when opened, it allows access. This dynamic switching resolves the contradiction between accessibility and protection from physical damage
Data Source
AI summary
An outlet box assembly for installation within a concrete floor, or any other type of poured flooring, includes a housing for accommodating a receptacle assembly with an electrical power and/or data receptacle as well as the wiring connected to the receptacle and the receptacle assembly has a self adjusting attachment ring that accommodates the tapered inner walls of the housing and the receptacle assembly accommodates either a standard electrical outlet or a multimedia outlet with connections for power and one or more of voice data and audio video data.