Outlet box

Application filed July 22, 1925. Serial No. 45,146.

My invention relates to outlet boxes and has for one of its objects to provide simple and efficient means for securing the box in position in a wall and at the same time β bracing the wall itself, so as to avoid any danger of having the plaster cracked or broken at those portions adjacent to the box. According to the design illustrated the supporting means are adapted to cooperate with 10 a wall composed of lath and plaster and means are provided for engaging both the interrupted and the uninterrupted laths. It is my purpose to provide means for stiffening the wall structure by bracing the interrupted 15 laths and enabling them to take advantage of the stiffness of the adjacent uninterrupted laths. Another object is to/provide an advantageous form of supporting bracket for securing the box to the adjacent stud or up20 right.

I accomplish my objects by the construction illustrated in the accompanying draw. ings in which Figure 1 is a perspective view showing my device mounted in position in a 25 wall to which the plaster has not yet been applied.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the manner of attaching the stud bracket to one side of the box.

Figure 3 is a plan section of the box showing it mounted in position in the finished wall to which plaster has been applied.

Like numerals denote like parts throughout the several views.

In my device the box itself is of ordinary form, being of sheet metal open at the front and closed at the sides. The front edges of the box in practice are intended to come flush with the outer or front surface of the plaster . 40 when the wall is complete. In the form illustrated the upper and lower sides 10 and 12 respectively are provided with apertured lugs 14 for securing the box to the uninterrupted laths 16, which pass adjacent to the 45 upper and lower sides of the box and are secured at the ends to the studding 18 by nails 20 or other appropriate fastening means.

The vertical sides 22,24 close the box at the 50 sides, and it is common so to place the box that one of the upright sides 22 will stand near the side of the studding, although this is not essential. This side of the box is provided with a bracket 26 which in the present 55 form has a front portion adapted to contact the front of the stud and an end portion 28 extending at right angles to the front portion and adapted to come between lugs 30 struck from the metal forming the side of the box as shown in perspective in Figure 2. eo While the design may be greatly varied, lugs 32 may be formed at the extremity of the end portion for engaging the sides of the lugs 30. After the parts are assembled the lugs 30 may be peened over onto the end portion 28 to 65 rigidly hold the parts assembled, as illustrated in Figures 1 and 3. The main body of the bracket has rows of apertures 34 for receiving nails 36 or other fastening devices for securing the bracket to the stud. 70

The opposite side wall 24 has fastened to it a brace or steadying element having a main body 38 adapted to contact the side of the box and a flange 40 arranged at right angles to it in a vertical plane and located in posi- 75 tion to engage the back of the laths: in other words, the front surface of flange 40 is as far back of the front edge of the box as the thickness of a lath plus the thickness of the proposed plaster layer 41. The flange 40 has 80 fingers 42 projecting above and below the box to engage the uninterrupted laths-16 as well as the interrupted laths 44 which terminate at the side of the box. <It is desirable, also, to form vertical projections 46 at the for- 85 ward portion of the main body of the brace for engaging the front of the uninterrupted laths 16. Thus in the best form of the device the uninterrupted laths will pass between two vertically arranged fingers 42, 46 ex- 90 tending above and below the top and bottom of the box respectively.

In practice the parts are assembled as illustrated in Figures 1 and 3. The box is secured at one side by nailing the bracket 26 to the 95 studding. The opposite side, top and bottom, are braced by the element 38, the lateral flange 40 whereof engages the back of the interrupted laths 44 and the fingers 42,46 whereof pass to either side of the uninterrupted laths 100 16. After the parts are thus assembled the plaster 41 is applied to the lath to finish the wall in the usual manner. This gives a most rigid construction. The brace 38 with its projecting fingers in reality straddles the un- 105 interrupted lath, thus holding the box rigid with respect to them. The interrupted laths 44, which might otherwise yield if pressure were exerted from the front of the wall, are braced by the flange 40. Thus it may be said 110

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that the interrupted laths takeadvantageof 2.. An_;outlet .box.haying; struck put lugs the rigidity off the uninterrupted laths to brace themselves through the agency of the lateral flange 40, which engages the back of 5 the laths both within and beyond the vertical confines of the box. It will be evident, therefore, that my invention provides means of very simple form for not only holding the box rigidly in position but also bracing .the 10 wall and making a unitary structure of it at those portions adjacent to the box; thusclim· £ the vicinity of tlie box.

formed-inaside, and a.supporting bracket for the outlet box having a main body portion adapted for attachment to a stud, a flange formed at an angle to thebody portion, said flange having oppositely extending ears at its , end and an intermediate portion engaging said struck out lugs, said lugs being flexible whereby to resiliently engage and secure the flange detachably therebetween.

muse3. The combination .within outlet box inating the danger of crackingithe.plasterdn; formed of sheet material, of a supporting the vicinity of the box. . bracket, said bracket having a mam body porHavin thus described my invention what tion for attachment to a stud, and an integral