Electrical outlet box

Claim 1

A molded plastic hollow electrical connection box structure adapted to support itself in a small panel opening, the box comprising a back wall, a plurality of opposed sidewalls and a plurality of opposed endwalls, solid at their top, the sidewalls and endwalls extending forwardly from the back wall to collectively define, with said back wall, an open hollow box, and box-panel mounting means formed integrally with the endwalls, the mounting means including a stop ear formed at each sidewall corner and extending perpendicularly to the endwall and parallel to the adjacent sidewall and to an opposite stop ear formed at the opposite endwall corner, the mounting means further including a pair of trapezoidal, flexible cam segments extending diagonally outwardly from each endwall, each flexible cam segment being spaced mediately of the adjacent ears, each flexible cam segment end being defined by a small segment-endwall interconnecting base and a large free end and outwardly and upwardly disposed sides extending from the small base to the large free support end, the end, base and sides thereby defining the trapezoidal appearance of each cam segment, each cam segment side being free of any support from the associated endwall save at the cam segment base, the free end being spaced apart from the underlying wall to permit the cam segment to flex as the box is urged into the wall panel opening, each cam segment being originally arranged in a relatively unbent, planar, pre-assembly configuration, the small base and large free end acting together to cause cam segment flexure predominately in a cam segment flexure region adjacent the base, whereby to rotate the cam segment free end into a panel-passing position adjacent the endwall and causing a partial permanent set in the cam segment flexure region, the cam, when urged completely past the panel, springing back only part way toward its original pre-assembly position, the pastpanel cam position permanently locating that portion of the cam between the cam free end and the flexure region in a position relatively parallel to the box end wall so as to accommodate without damage forces tending to pull the box out of the wall panel, and rotating the cam segment free end into a past-panel position closer to the ears than the original cam segment free end position so as to compressively squeeze the panel between the ear and the cam segments and permanently compressively load the cam segments, one cam segment of each pair on each endwall having its base located closer to the box top and cooperating ears than the base of the other cam segment so as to provide staggered, reduced-force flexing action to the cam segments, box endwalls and wall panel as the box is urged into position on the panel.