Clips for mounting electrical fittings in new wall and ceiling construction

Claim 2

A clip for securing electrical conduit boxes to walls or ceilings comprising: a screw-engaging face having a plurality of perforations therein, and further having a plurality of tines grouped around each of said perforations and projecting from one side of said screw-engaging face; a box-engaging projection extending from said screw-engaging face in a plane substantially normal thereto and in the same direction therefrom as said tines extend; a box-engaging flange interconnecting said box-engaging projection and said screw-engaging face and projecting from the opposite side of said screw-engaging face from the side from which said tines project, said box-engaging projection being further characterized in having a plurality of bendable taps thereon for securing said box-engaging projection in a knockout hole in an electrical conduit box.

Claim 3

In combination with an electrical conduit box of generally Right parallelepiped configuration having an open front, a back, and a pair of substantially parallel sidewalls extending normal to said back and having forward edges adjacent said open front, a pair of clips each engaging a separate one of the sidewalls of said electrical conduit box, each of said clips comprising: a box-engaging projection hooked over the forward edge of the respective adjacent sidewall of the electrical conduit box to which the respective clip is engaged; a perforated screw-engaging face extending substantially normal to said box-engaging projection in a plane extending substantially parallel to the open front of said electrical conduit box and substantially normal to the sidewalls thereof; said screw-engaging face having perforations extending therethrough covering a major portion of the total areal extend of said screw-engaging face, and wherein each of said perforations has a substantially conically shaped opening thereinto on one side of said screw-engaging face, and is further characterized in having a plurality of tines grouped around said opening through the screw-engaging face disposed on the opposite side of said screw-engaging face from the conically shaped opening therethrough, said tines in the grouping around each perforation opening being inclined toward each other within the grouping, and each of said tines being substantially triangular in configuration and terminating in a point spaced from the major plane of said screw-engaging face, said tines being at least three in number within each grouping around each perforation opening, and the tines each being prestressed to a work hardened state; and a pair of brace flanges bearing against the respective adjacent sidewall of said electrical conduit box, and each formed integrally with, and extending normal to, said screw-engaging face in the same direction as said box-engaging projection and said tines extend therefrom, said brace flanges extending substantially parallel to each other and being spaced from said box-engaging projection to receive between the brace flanges and the box-engaging projection, the respective adjacent sidewall of said electrical conduit box to which the respective clip is engaged.

Claim 4

In combination with an electrical conduit box of generally Right parallelepiped configuration having an open front, a back, and a pair of substantially parallel sidewalls extending normal to said back and having forward edges adjacent said open front, a pair of clips each engaging a separate one of the sidewalls of said electrical conduit box, each of said clips comprising: a box-engaging projection hooked over the forward edge of the respective adjacent sidewall of the electrical conduit box to which the respective clip is engaged; a perforated screw-engaging face extending substantially normal to said box-engaging projection in a plane extending substantially parallel to the open front of said electrical conduit box and substantially normal to the sidewalls thereof; said screw-engaging face having perforations extending therethrough covering a major portion of the total areal extend of said screw-engaging face, and wherein each of said perforations has a substantially conically shaped opening thereinto on one side of said screw-engaging face, and is further characterized in having a plurality of tines grouped around said opening through the screw-engaging face disposed on the opposite side of said screw-engaging face from the conically shaped opening therethrough, said tines in the grouping around each perforation opening being inclined toward each other within the grouping, and each of said tines being substantially triangular in configuration and terminating in a point spaced from the major plane of said screw-engaging face, said tines being at least three in number within each grouping around each perforation opening, and the tines each being prestressed to a work hardened state; and a pair of brace flanges bearing against the respective adjacent sidewall of said electrical conduit box, and each formed integrally with, and extending normal to, said screw-engaging face in the same direction as said box-engaging projection and said tines extend therefrom, said brace flanges extending substantially parallel to each other and being spaced from said box-engaging projection to receive between the brace flanges and the box-engaging projection, the respective adjacent sidewall of said electrical conduit box to which the respective clip is engaged.

Claim 5

A clip as defined in claim 1 wherein there are at least three of said tines around each of said perforations, and the tines around each of said perforations are inclined toward each other and are prestressed to a work-hardened state.