US20180205212A1 - Square to octagon electrical adapter for a square electrical junction box - Google Patents
Square to octagon electrical adapter for a square electrical junction box Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20180205212A1 US20180205212A1 US15/410,484 US201715410484A US2018205212A1 US 20180205212 A1 US20180205212 A1 US 20180205212A1 US 201715410484 A US201715410484 A US 201715410484A US 2018205212 A1 US2018205212 A1 US 2018205212A1
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- junction box
- shaped
- square shaped
- square
- baseplate
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Images
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
- H02G—INSTALLATION OF ELECTRIC CABLES OR LINES, OR OF COMBINED OPTICAL AND ELECTRIC CABLES OR LINES
- H02G3/00—Installations of electric cables or lines or protective tubing therefor in or on buildings, equivalent structures or vehicles
- H02G3/02—Details
- H02G3/08—Distribution boxes; Connection or junction boxes
- H02G3/081—Bases, casings or covers
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
- H02G—INSTALLATION OF ELECTRIC CABLES OR LINES, OR OF COMBINED OPTICAL AND ELECTRIC CABLES OR LINES
- H02G3/00—Installations of electric cables or lines or protective tubing therefor in or on buildings, equivalent structures or vehicles
- H02G3/02—Details
- H02G3/08—Distribution boxes; Connection or junction boxes
- H02G3/18—Distribution boxes; Connection or junction boxes providing line outlets
- H02G3/20—Ceiling roses or other lighting sets
Definitions
- the present invention generally relates to adapters and device rings for electrical junction boxes. More particularly, the present invention relates to an adapter that can be used to adapt a square electrical junction box to accommodate an electrical device having an alternative configuration, such as, for example, an octagonal or circular electrical device.
- junction boxes are used to harness electrical wiring from a circuit breaker and further relay that electrical wiring to electrical devices including but not limited to power outlets, switches, thermostats, smoke detectors, and lighting fixtures such as wall sconces or ceiling lights.
- Junction boxes are typically mounted onto a wall stud or ceiling joist prior to placing drywall or they are added during renovation if an additional electrical device is required.
- Junction boxes come in various geometric shapes such as square, rectangular, circular, and octagonal. An installer chooses a particular shaped junction box depending on the particular application of the project. For example, a square shaped junction box may be particularly useful to house two switching devices or a circular junction box may be used to save space inside a wall and mount a circular electrical apparatus such as smoke detector.
- Cover plates and device rings are used in conjunction with junction boxes to secure the electrical apparatus being installed to the junction box.
- a cover plate or device ring is typically coupled to an exposed face of the junction box that permits the electrician or user to access the wiring contained within the junction box.
- Cover plates and device rings typically are commercially available in the same shapes as exposed face of the junction boxes and are designed to match the shape of the corresponding junction box.
- the property owner may want to change the currently installed electrical apparatuses or fixtures in a particular room.
- One of the issues that arises during this process is that the junction box currently installed behind the wall is of a different shape than the device ring or fixture plate of the new apparatus. It is tedious time consuming and expensive process to remove the existing junction box and install the proper shaped junction box and as such, adapters have been created to accommodate different shaped boxes and device.
- An example of this would be during a remodel the property owner may want to change thermostats from a rectangular thermostat to a circular thermostat.
- the existing the junction box is square shaped and the thermostat requires a circular shaped junction box to have the best cosmetic appearance.
- a square to circular adapter can be mounted onto the square junction box and the square portion can be covered with drywall. The adapter then provides the thermostat a cosmetically appealing circular mounting base.
- the present invention addresses the issues of limited cutout space on current adapters while providing an appropriate adapter for device with octagonal mounting plates to eliminate the need to change in wall junction boxes or make on job extra modifications to install the device.
- a square to octagon adapter is provided such that a square junction box can be used to accommodate a round or octagonal mounting plate or device while maximizing the usable area of the existing square junction box.
- the square to octagon adapter comprises a generally square baseplate with an octagonal shaped opening.
- the octagonal shaped opening is configured such that at least four sides of the octagonal shaped opening run parallel to the four sides of the baseplate.
- the baseplate additionally comprises at least two angled slots disposed in opposite diagonal corners configured to accommodate a screw or mechanically similar fastener or mating mechanism.
- the baseplate additionally comprises at least two flanges extending from the baseplate into the octagonal shaped opening from opposite sides of the octagonal shaped opening. The at least two flanges are configured to receive screws or similar fasteners or mechanical mating mechanisms to accommodate a complimentary mounting plate or electrical device.
- the baseplate additionally comprises a wall projecting normal to the baseplate at least partially surrounding the octagonal shaped opening.
- the at least two flange members may be configured to extend from the wall into the octagonal shaped opening.
- the octagonal shaped opening is configured to have adjacent sides with equal lengths.
- the octagonal shaped opening is configured to have adjacent sides alternating between a first length and a second length where the first length is longer than the second length.
- the sides of the octagonal shaped opening with the first length are configured to run parallel with respective sides of the outer perimeter of the baseplate.
- the square to octagon adapter includes locking mechanism to help prevent screws coupling the square to octagon adapter to the electrical junction box from backing out once the screws are tightened.
- a system in yet another aspect of the invention, includes a square electrical junction box, a square to octagon adapter, and an electrical device.
- octagonal shaped refers to the traditional definition of an octagon i.e. a plane figure with eight straight sides and eight angles, as well as a plane figure with four straight sides interconnected by four radial members generally forming an eight sided figure resembling an octagon.
- generally square shaped refers to the traditional definition of a square i.e. a plane figure with four equal straight sides and four right angle, as well as a plane figure with four equal length sides interconnected by four radial members generally forming a four sided figure representing a square.
- FIG. 1A is a perspective view of an electrical junction box with adapter installed into a wall.
- FIG. 1B is an exploded perspective view of an electrical junction box with adapter.
- FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an adapter in accordance with the present invention.
- FIG. 3 is a perspective view of another embodiment of an adapter in accordance with the present invention.
- FIG. 4 is a top view of yet another embodiment of an adapter in accordance with the present invention.
- FIG. 5 is a top view of still another embodiment of an adapter in accordance with the present invention.
- FIG. 6 is a cross-section view of through line 6 - 6 of FIG. 4 .
- FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B represent an adapter system 10 for adapting an electrical device 12 having a mounting configured for a first type of electrical junction box and adapting it to couple to a second type of electrical junction box 14 .
- FIG. 1A depicts adapter system 10 installed into a wall
- FIG. 1B depicts an exploded view of the adapter system 10 .
- Adapter system 10 minimally comprises a square electrical junction box 14 , a square to octagon adapter 16 coupled to the electrical junction box, and an electrical device 12 coupled the square to octagon adapter 16 .
- the electrical device 12 for example may include but not be limited to a lighting fixture, a thermostat, a smoke or CO detector, or any other electrical device that is designed to mount to a round or octagonal electrical junction box.
- FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 represent example embodiments of the square to octagon adapter 16 .
- the square to octagon adapter 16 comprises a generally square baseplate 18 having an octagonal shaped opening 20 , and a means to accommodate coupling to the electrical junction box 28 , 30 .
- the baseplate 18 additionally comprises a front surface 19 and a rear surface 21 .
- the octagonal shaped opening 20 is configured such that at least four sides of the octagonal shaped opening 20 run parallel to the four sides of the outer perimeter of the baseplate 18 .
- the octagonal shaped opening 20 may further be configured to have all eight sides of the octagonal shaped opening 20 comprise equal lengths.
- the octagonal shaped opening 20 may be configured to have adjacent sides alternating between a first length and a second length wherein the first length is longer than the second length.
- the sides of the octagonal shaped opening 20 with the first length may be configured to run parallel with respective sides of the outer perimeter of the baseplate to maximize the total open area of the octagonal shaped opening 20 .
- the baseplate 18 additionally comprises a wall 26 projecting normal to the baseplate 18 and at least partially surrounding the perimeter octagonal shaped opening 20 .
- the wall 26 helps to provide additional support and stability for coupled electrical devices 12 .
- the outer dimensions of the baseplate 18 and octagonal shaped opening 20 vary depending upon the electrical junction box currently installed.
- the baseplate 18 may be dimensioned to accommodate standard square junction boxes sizes such as 4′′, 4 11/16′′, and 6′′ and octagonal shaped openings 20 may be dimensioned to emulate an octagon junction box of 31 ⁇ 2′′ or 4′′.
- the height dimension of the support wall 26 may also vary depending on the electrical device 12 to be installed.
- a standard height may be about 5 ⁇ 8′′.
- the baseplate 16 additionally comprises electrical junction box coupling means 22 .
- at least two angled open ended slots 28 , 30 disposed in opposite diagonal corners from each other are configured to accommodate a screw or mechanically similar mating mechanism.
- the respective slots 28 , 30 run parallel to each other and both have open ends extending through adjacent sides of the baseplate 18 perimeter. In this configuration an installer may slide the slots 28 , 30 of square to octagon adapter plate 16 around screws that are partially tightened into junction box 14 and tighten then tighten the screws to fix or couple the adapter 16 in place.
- the respective slots 28 , 30 run parallel to each other and both have open ends extending through opposite sides of the baseplate 18 perimeter.
- an installer may rotate square to octagon adapter plate 16 such that the slots 28 , 30 rotate around screws that are partially tightened into junction box 14 and tighten then tighten the screws to fix or couple the adapter 16 in place.
- electrical junction box coupling means 22 may comprise holes instead of slots, or at least one hole and one slot.
- the baseplate 18 may have slots in either configuration as described above in all four corners of the baseplate 18 . Having slots located in all four corners gives optimal flexibility to the installer as it allows for greater compatibility with existing square junction box coupling feature locations, and allows the installer couple the adapter 16 in four different rotational states as well allowing the installer to couple the adapter 16 through either the front surface 19 or rear surface 21 of the baseplate 18 . The ability to couple the adapter 16 via the front surface 19 or rear surface 21 gives the installer the ability to better accommodate the existing position of the junction box 14 in relation to the drywall.
- junction box 14 is deeper into the drywall, it may be pertinent to couple the adapter 16 such that the rear surface 21 is in contact with the junction box 14 so that the support wall 26 extends out towards the drywall and the fixture or electrical device 12 is placed at the proper depth.
- the existing junction box 14 is flush with the drywall, it may be pertinent to couple the adapter 16 such that the front surface 21 is in contact with the junction box 14 so that the support wall 26 extends into the junction box 14 and the fixture or electrical device 12 is placed at the proper depth.
- the baseplate 18 in some embodiments may comprise locking features 32 designed to prevent tightened screws mating the adapter 16 to the junction box 14 from backing out.
- the locking features 32 in one configuration comprise tabs 32 located adjacent to the slots 28 , 30 such that the tabs 32 will be at least partially covered and compressed by a coupling screw extending through the slots 28 , 30 .
- the tabs 32 are configured to extend slightly above either the front or rear surface such that when a screw head is tightened the tabs 32 are compressed into the baseplate 18 and provide a return compressive force on the screw head. In this configuration, the tabs 32 act as locking washer using a return compressive force to hold the screws in place.
- the square to octagon adapter 16 further comprises an electrical device coupling means 24 .
- the electrical device coupling means 24 comprises at least two flanges 36 extending from the baseplate 18 into the octagonal shaped opening 20 from opposite sides of the octagonal shaped opening 20 .
- the at least two flanges 36 extend from opposite sides of the octagonal shaped opening 20 wherein the opposite sides are located in opposite corners of the baseplate 18 .
- the at least two flanges 36 extend from the support wall 26 normal into the octagonal shaped opening 20 .
- the at least two flanges 36 are configured to receive screws or similar mechanical mating mechanisms to accommodate a complimentary mounting plate or electrical device 12 .
- the components of such as the square to octagon adapter 16 may be comprised of standard materials in the industry including but not limited to metals such as steel, G 60 steel, cold rolled steel, stainless steel, or galvanized steel, aluminum or polymers such as ABS, fiberglass, polycarbonate or polystyrene.
- a method for adapting a square electrical junction box 14 to a round or octagonal electrical device 12 includes the steps of identifying a square junction box 14 , identifying an electrical device 12 to be installed, coupling a square to octagon adapter 16 to the electrical junction box 14 , extending electrical wires from the electrical junction box 14 through an octagonal shaped opening 12 of the square to octagon adapter 16 , coupling the electrical wires to the electrical device 12 , coupling the electrical device 12 directly to the square to octagon adapter 16 or coupling a mounting plate of the electrical device 12 directly to the square to octagon adapter 16 .
- the method includes the steps of identifying a square junction box 14 , identifying an electrical device 12 to be installed, coupling the electrical device 12 directly to a square to octagon adapter 16 or coupling a mounting plate of the electrical device 12 directly to the square to octagon adapter 16 , coupling the electrical wires to the electrical device 12 , coupling the square to octagon adapter plate 16 to the junction box 14 .
- the method includes steps of identifying a square junction box 14 , identifying an electrical device 12 to be installed, coupling the electrical wires to the electrical device 12 , coupling the electrical device 12 directly to a square to octagon adapter 16 or coupling a mounting plate of the electrical device 12 directly to the square to octagon adapter 16 , coupling the square to octagon adapter plate 16 to the junction box 14 .
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Abstract
Description
- The present invention generally relates to adapters and device rings for electrical junction boxes. More particularly, the present invention relates to an adapter that can be used to adapt a square electrical junction box to accommodate an electrical device having an alternative configuration, such as, for example, an octagonal or circular electrical device.
- Junction boxes are used to harness electrical wiring from a circuit breaker and further relay that electrical wiring to electrical devices including but not limited to power outlets, switches, thermostats, smoke detectors, and lighting fixtures such as wall sconces or ceiling lights. Junction boxes are typically mounted onto a wall stud or ceiling joist prior to placing drywall or they are added during renovation if an additional electrical device is required. Junction boxes come in various geometric shapes such as square, rectangular, circular, and octagonal. An installer chooses a particular shaped junction box depending on the particular application of the project. For example, a square shaped junction box may be particularly useful to house two switching devices or a circular junction box may be used to save space inside a wall and mount a circular electrical apparatus such as smoke detector.
- Cover plates and device rings are used in conjunction with junction boxes to secure the electrical apparatus being installed to the junction box. A cover plate or device ring is typically coupled to an exposed face of the junction box that permits the electrician or user to access the wiring contained within the junction box. Cover plates and device rings typically are commercially available in the same shapes as exposed face of the junction boxes and are designed to match the shape of the corresponding junction box.
- In the process of a home or building renovation or remodel, the property owner may want to change the currently installed electrical apparatuses or fixtures in a particular room. One of the issues that arises during this process is that the junction box currently installed behind the wall is of a different shape than the device ring or fixture plate of the new apparatus. It is tedious time consuming and expensive process to remove the existing junction box and install the proper shaped junction box and as such, adapters have been created to accommodate different shaped boxes and device. An example of this would be during a remodel the property owner may want to change thermostats from a rectangular thermostat to a circular thermostat. In this example, the existing the junction box is square shaped and the thermostat requires a circular shaped junction box to have the best cosmetic appearance. In this case, a square to circular adapter can be mounted onto the square junction box and the square portion can be covered with drywall. The adapter then provides the thermostat a cosmetically appealing circular mounting base.
- Most adapters currently in the prior art are square to circular. The circular, often raised portion of the plate/ring/cover is substantially smaller in diameter than the square box opening it is being mounted to. Due to this limitation, installers often need to purchase additional mounting straps and plates in order for the fixtures to be properly secured to the in wall junction box. Tremendous field modifications are required with the current square to round rings because they provide extremely limited area for wiring and fixture protrusions/voltage adapters to be mounted inside of an electrical junction box. Additionally many electrical devices and fixtures exist with octagonal mounting plates and the currently existing square to circular adapters cannot accommodate the octagonal mounting plate.
- The present invention addresses the issues of limited cutout space on current adapters while providing an appropriate adapter for device with octagonal mounting plates to eliminate the need to change in wall junction boxes or make on job extra modifications to install the device.
- In view of the above, a square to octagon adapter is provided such that a square junction box can be used to accommodate a round or octagonal mounting plate or device while maximizing the usable area of the existing square junction box.
- In one aspect, the square to octagon adapter comprises a generally square baseplate with an octagonal shaped opening. The octagonal shaped opening is configured such that at least four sides of the octagonal shaped opening run parallel to the four sides of the baseplate. The baseplate additionally comprises at least two angled slots disposed in opposite diagonal corners configured to accommodate a screw or mechanically similar fastener or mating mechanism. Further, the baseplate additionally comprises at least two flanges extending from the baseplate into the octagonal shaped opening from opposite sides of the octagonal shaped opening. The at least two flanges are configured to receive screws or similar fasteners or mechanical mating mechanisms to accommodate a complimentary mounting plate or electrical device.
- In another aspect of the invention the baseplate additionally comprises a wall projecting normal to the baseplate at least partially surrounding the octagonal shaped opening. In this aspect of the invention, the at least two flange members may be configured to extend from the wall into the octagonal shaped opening.
- In another aspect of the invention, the octagonal shaped opening is configured to have adjacent sides with equal lengths.
- In another aspect of the invention, the octagonal shaped opening is configured to have adjacent sides alternating between a first length and a second length where the first length is longer than the second length. In this aspect, the sides of the octagonal shaped opening with the first length are configured to run parallel with respective sides of the outer perimeter of the baseplate.
- In another aspect of the invention, the square to octagon adapter includes locking mechanism to help prevent screws coupling the square to octagon adapter to the electrical junction box from backing out once the screws are tightened.
- In yet another aspect of the invention, a system includes a square electrical junction box, a square to octagon adapter, and an electrical device.
- In yet another aspect of the invention, a method for adapting a square electrical junction box for a round or octagonal electrical device is described.
- It is to be understood by a person of skill in the art that the term “octagonal shaped” refers to the traditional definition of an octagon i.e. a plane figure with eight straight sides and eight angles, as well as a plane figure with four straight sides interconnected by four radial members generally forming an eight sided figure resembling an octagon.
- It is to be understood by a person of skill in the art that the term “generally square shaped” refers to the traditional definition of a square i.e. a plane figure with four equal straight sides and four right angle, as well as a plane figure with four equal length sides interconnected by four radial members generally forming a four sided figure representing a square.
- The methods, systems, and apparatuses are set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or can be learned by practice of the methods, apparatuses, and systems. The advantages of the methods, apparatuses, and systems will be realized and attained by means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the methods, apparatuses, and systems, as claimed.
- In the accompanying figures, like elements are identified by like reference numerals among the several preferred embodiments of the present invention.
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FIG. 1A is a perspective view of an electrical junction box with adapter installed into a wall. -
FIG. 1B is an exploded perspective view of an electrical junction box with adapter. -
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an adapter in accordance with the present invention. -
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of another embodiment of an adapter in accordance with the present invention. -
FIG. 4 is a top view of yet another embodiment of an adapter in accordance with the present invention. -
FIG. 5 is a top view of still another embodiment of an adapter in accordance with the present invention. -
FIG. 6 is a cross-section view of through line 6-6 ofFIG. 4 . - The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments, read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The detailed description and drawings are merely illustrative of the invention rather than limiting, the scope of the invention being defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.
- With reference to the drawings,
FIG. 1A andFIG. 1B represent anadapter system 10 for adapting anelectrical device 12 having a mounting configured for a first type of electrical junction box and adapting it to couple to a second type ofelectrical junction box 14.FIG. 1A depictsadapter system 10 installed into a wall, whileFIG. 1B depicts an exploded view of theadapter system 10.Adapter system 10 minimally comprises a squareelectrical junction box 14, a square tooctagon adapter 16 coupled to the electrical junction box, and anelectrical device 12 coupled the square tooctagon adapter 16. Theelectrical device 12 for example may include but not be limited to a lighting fixture, a thermostat, a smoke or CO detector, or any other electrical device that is designed to mount to a round or octagonal electrical junction box. -
FIG. 2 andFIG. 3 represent example embodiments of the square tooctagon adapter 16. The square tooctagon adapter 16 comprises a generallysquare baseplate 18 having an octagonal shapedopening 20, and a means to accommodate coupling to theelectrical junction box baseplate 18 additionally comprises afront surface 19 and arear surface 21. - In one embodiment, the octagonal shaped
opening 20 is configured such that at least four sides of the octagonal shapedopening 20 run parallel to the four sides of the outer perimeter of thebaseplate 18. The octagonal shapedopening 20 may further be configured to have all eight sides of the octagonal shapedopening 20 comprise equal lengths. Alternatively, the octagonal shapedopening 20 may be configured to have adjacent sides alternating between a first length and a second length wherein the first length is longer than the second length. In this alternative representation, the sides of the octagonal shapedopening 20 with the first length may be configured to run parallel with respective sides of the outer perimeter of the baseplate to maximize the total open area of the octagonal shapedopening 20. The maximized area gives the installer a larger opening than a traditional round adapter, and thus makes it easier to route wires to and from the junction box. In some embodiments, thebaseplate 18 additionally comprises awall 26 projecting normal to thebaseplate 18 and at least partially surrounding the perimeter octagonal shapedopening 20. Thewall 26 helps to provide additional support and stability for coupledelectrical devices 12. - The outer dimensions of the
baseplate 18 and octagonal shapedopening 20 vary depending upon the electrical junction box currently installed. By way of example and not meant to be limiting, thebaseplate 18 may be dimensioned to accommodate standard square junction boxes sizes such as 4″, 4 11/16″, and 6″ and octagonal shapedopenings 20 may be dimensioned to emulate an octagon junction box of 3½″ or 4″. In embodiments that comprise theadditional support wall 26, the height dimension of thesupport wall 26 may also vary depending on theelectrical device 12 to be installed. By way of example and not meant to be limiting, a standard height may be about ⅝″. - In order to couple the square to
octagon adapter 16 to theelectrical junction box 14, thebaseplate 16 additionally comprises electrical junction box coupling means 22. In one embodiment, at least two angled open endedslots respective slots baseplate 18 perimeter. In this configuration an installer may slide theslots octagon adapter plate 16 around screws that are partially tightened intojunction box 14 and tighten then tighten the screws to fix or couple theadapter 16 in place. In another configuration, therespective slots baseplate 18 perimeter. In this configuration an installer may rotate square tooctagon adapter plate 16 such that theslots junction box 14 and tighten then tighten the screws to fix or couple theadapter 16 in place. In other embodiments, electrical junction box coupling means 22 may comprise holes instead of slots, or at least one hole and one slot. - In another embodiment, the
baseplate 18 may have slots in either configuration as described above in all four corners of thebaseplate 18. Having slots located in all four corners gives optimal flexibility to the installer as it allows for greater compatibility with existing square junction box coupling feature locations, and allows the installer couple theadapter 16 in four different rotational states as well allowing the installer to couple theadapter 16 through either thefront surface 19 orrear surface 21 of thebaseplate 18. The ability to couple theadapter 16 via thefront surface 19 orrear surface 21 gives the installer the ability to better accommodate the existing position of thejunction box 14 in relation to the drywall. If thejunction box 14 is deeper into the drywall, it may be pertinent to couple theadapter 16 such that therear surface 21 is in contact with thejunction box 14 so that thesupport wall 26 extends out towards the drywall and the fixture orelectrical device 12 is placed at the proper depth. Alternatively, if the existingjunction box 14 is flush with the drywall, it may be pertinent to couple theadapter 16 such that thefront surface 21 is in contact with thejunction box 14 so that thesupport wall 26 extends into thejunction box 14 and the fixture orelectrical device 12 is placed at the proper depth. - As shown in
FIG. 4 and detailed in the cross-section shownFIG. 6 , thebaseplate 18 in some embodiments may comprise locking features 32 designed to prevent tightened screws mating theadapter 16 to thejunction box 14 from backing out. The locking features 32 in one configuration comprisetabs 32 located adjacent to theslots tabs 32 will be at least partially covered and compressed by a coupling screw extending through theslots FIG. 3C thetabs 32 are configured to extend slightly above either the front or rear surface such that when a screw head is tightened thetabs 32 are compressed into thebaseplate 18 and provide a return compressive force on the screw head. In this configuration, thetabs 32 act as locking washer using a return compressive force to hold the screws in place. - In order to couple an
electrical device 12 to the square tooctagon adapter 16, the square tooctagon adapter 16 further comprises an electrical device coupling means 24. In one embodiment the electrical device coupling means 24 comprises at least twoflanges 36 extending from thebaseplate 18 into the octagonal shaped opening 20 from opposite sides of the octagonal shapedopening 20. In one configuration of this embodiment, the at least twoflanges 36 extend from opposite sides of the octagonal shapedopening 20 wherein the opposite sides are located in opposite corners of thebaseplate 18. In another embodiment, the at least twoflanges 36 extend from thesupport wall 26 normal into the octagonal shapedopening 20. The at least twoflanges 36 are configured to receive screws or similar mechanical mating mechanisms to accommodate a complimentary mounting plate orelectrical device 12. - The components of such as the square to
octagon adapter 16 may be comprised of standard materials in the industry including but not limited to metals such as steel, G60 steel, cold rolled steel, stainless steel, or galvanized steel, aluminum or polymers such as ABS, fiberglass, polycarbonate or polystyrene. - In yet another aspect of the invention, a method for adapting a square
electrical junction box 14 to a round or octagonalelectrical device 12 is described. One method includes the steps of identifying asquare junction box 14, identifying anelectrical device 12 to be installed, coupling a square tooctagon adapter 16 to theelectrical junction box 14, extending electrical wires from theelectrical junction box 14 through an octagonal shaped opening 12 of the square tooctagon adapter 16, coupling the electrical wires to theelectrical device 12, coupling theelectrical device 12 directly to the square tooctagon adapter 16 or coupling a mounting plate of theelectrical device 12 directly to the square tooctagon adapter 16. Or in the alternative, the method includes the steps of identifying asquare junction box 14, identifying anelectrical device 12 to be installed, coupling theelectrical device 12 directly to a square tooctagon adapter 16 or coupling a mounting plate of theelectrical device 12 directly to the square tooctagon adapter 16, coupling the electrical wires to theelectrical device 12, coupling the square tooctagon adapter plate 16 to thejunction box 14. Or in yet another alternative, the method includes steps of identifying asquare junction box 14, identifying anelectrical device 12 to be installed, coupling the electrical wires to theelectrical device 12, coupling theelectrical device 12 directly to a square tooctagon adapter 16 or coupling a mounting plate of theelectrical device 12 directly to the square tooctagon adapter 16, coupling the square tooctagon adapter plate 16 to thejunction box 14. - While the invention has been described in connection with various embodiments, it will be understood that the invention is capable of further modifications. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses or adaptations of the invention following, in general, the principles of the invention, and including such departures from the present disclosure as, within the known and customary practice within the art to which the invention pertains.
Claims (18)
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US15/410,484 US10027099B1 (en) | 2017-01-19 | 2017-01-19 | Square to octagon electrical adapter for a square electrical junction box |
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US15/410,484 US10027099B1 (en) | 2017-01-19 | 2017-01-19 | Square to octagon electrical adapter for a square electrical junction box |
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