US2299675A - Cantilever support for outlet boxes or the like - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 20, 1942.

CANTILEVER SUPPORT FOR OUTLET BOXES OR THE LIKE Filed Feb. 8. 1941 INVENTOR Wwwwf ATroRNEw/s M. B.` AUSTIN, JR 2,?99,675

Patented Oct. 20, 1942 cANTmEvER SUPPORT FOR oUrLE'r BOXES R THE LIKE Merritt B. Austin, Jr., Winnetka, Ill.

Application February 8, 1941, Serial No. 378,097

4 Claims.

Ihe present invention relates to a cantilever support for outlet boxes or the like receptacles, and, more particularly, to a support which can be used to mount either a shallow or deep outlet box and at the same time reinforce the member holding the outlet box.

In mounting outlet boxes in the ceiling, it sometimes becomes impossible to use supporting members extending from joist to joist because of the presence between the joists of pipes, conduits or other obstructions. When this situation is present, a cantilever support is used which Ais secured to one of the joists to project there- `arm and hold the arm securely against movement due to the weight carried by the outlet box.

When it was desired to mount such a cantilever type of support in, for example, a ceiling Ahaving a limited space requirement it was necessary to turn the bracket on the side in order to accommodate the outlet box. When this was done, the reinforcing or truss effect of the reinforcing arm was completely lost since it would then be disposed in a horizontal plane and could have no effective action in supporting the weight 4at the outer end of the outlet-supporting arm.

The present invention overcomes the difficulties encountered with these types of supporting members by providing a supporting member capable of supporting and securely holding an `outlet in deep or shallow position and reinforcing the outlet-receiving member in either position.

This is accomplished by employing a bracket having a pair of supporting members disposed in parallel planes. The members are secured together at one end and are provided with mounting means at their other end whereby the bracket can be secured to a supporting member to project therefrom. Either of the supporting members can be utilized to mount an outlet box or the like in proper position and the other member will function as a truss or support for the outlet-carrying member.

Since either member Vcan be used to carry and support the outlet in proper position, the bracket can be used for deep or shallow outlets Without being required to be turned on its side in a horizontal position as was heretofore necessary in limited space requirements.

The ends of the bracket, which are mounted to the support, are laterally offset to provide a broad attaching base for the bracket and at the same time locate the members to be secured to the support in a position in which they can be readily secured without interference by the bracket.

The bracket, in the preferred form of the invention, is formed from a single piece of flat strap-like material, with the flat surfaces disposed n parallel planes and connected at their free ends by a portion of the strap which is at substantially right angles with the members. The nat surfaces, when cooperating with the attaching means for the outlet box, will hold the outlet against twisting or turning movement.

Further, as the carrying members extend in their respective planes for the full length of the bracket, the outlet can be adjusted to any position along the member thus providing the maximum adjustment of the outlet.

An important practical feature of the invention is the construction whereby the attaching means for the outlet box can be moved from one supporting member to the other without being removed from the bracket. as it can be carried around the portion connecting the ends of the members.

Other features and advantages of the invention Will be apparent from the specification and claims when considered in connection with the drawing, in which:

Figure 1 shows the bracket mounted to a support and supporting an outlet in deep position.

Fig. 2 is a View similar to Fig. 1 showing the bracket supporting an outlet in shallow position.

Fig. 3 is an end view of Fig. 1 showing the attaching means.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the bracket shown in Fig. 1.

The cantilever support of the present invention comprises a bracket having a pair of outletsupporting members l0 and Il disposed in parallel planes and joined at one end by a portion l2. These members are adapted to receive an attaching member I3 of an outlet box or the like receptacle I 4, having the usual knockouts Ma in the sides thereof, to support the outlet box therefrom in predetermined adjusted position therealong. The attaching member may be in the form of a loop I3a extending around the outlet-supporting member and have means,

not shown, cooperating with the attaching inember for clamping the box to the bar in the desired position. The other ends of the members IB and Il are provided with mounting means l5, I6 by which the bracket may be secured to the side of a joist ll or other support to project therefrom.

With this type of bracket, which is secured only to one side of its support, the outlet box can be ymounted in desired locations between joists and other supports irrespective of the presence or absence of conduits, pipes or other obstructions between the joists.

While the bracket may be made of stiff rod or other material, in the preferred form of the invention it is bent up .from a relatively heavy, rigid, flat metal strap with the flat surfaces of the outlet-supporting members lil and lll disposed in parallel planes. rIhe flat surfaces cooperate with theloop Ita to hold the outlet against rotation on the supporting member.

The members lil and l! are connected at one end by the portion i2 of the strap bent at right angles to each of the members l and Il. The other ends of the members I@ and il are bent at right angles to the members to form the attachingmeans or members i and it which are provided with suitable apertures i8 through which nails lil or the like pass to anchor the member in position.

Thus it will be seen that by bending the bracket up from one piece of relatively stiff strap material a simple and efficient mounting is provided which can be readily and cheaply manufactured.

As will be noted in Figs. 3 and fi, the ends of the members le and H are laterally ciset. This lateral offset provides a broad base for the bracket. Since the members iii, ii are always disposed within the limits oi this base, the attaching means for mounting the outlet box will be within .the limits of the base. The base will, therefore, counteract any twisting movement by the bracket should lateral pressure be applied to the outlet box and tend to turn it from its predetermined position.

Furthermore, by laterally ohsetting the attach- -ing members I3 and Mi, the securing of the device ,is greatly facilitated, since the nails or other securing means will be exposed and the vbracket will not interfere with the hammering or other manipulation necessary to drive home the nails, screws, or other securing means.

Since the 'bracket-attaching lmeans are bent at right angles to the members I, H, the only position in which the outlet box can be supported by the members so as to lie parallel to the ceiling or wall would occur when the supporting members lo and il are disposed above one another and portion i2 is perpendicular to the ceiling.

In this position, it will be readily seen that when one outlet-supporting member acts kas the support for the outlet, the other one automatically serves to support the free end of the member `and form in eifect a truss to reinforce and hold the member in position.

the attaching member I3 to lock the outlet in position over the opening in the laths 2i) and the plaster covering 2l is positioned thereover.

In mounting this outlet in this position, the attaching members I5, It of the bracket are projected downwardly, placing the supporting member Il a substantial distance from the ceiling.

The member l0 in this position acts through the connecting portion l2 as a reinforcing member to provide a support for the outer end of the member Il and forms a truss to hold the outer end of the member against downward movement due to weight which might be applied to the outlet box Ul.`

When it is desired to use the bracket to mount the outlet box in a shallow position for use without a plaster cover, such as shown in Fig. 2, it is merely necessary to slide the loop Ita around the portion I2 and dispose the outlet box on the outlet-supporting member lil. The bracket is then reversed so that the attaching means I5, IG extend upwardly and the outlet box can then be disposed as close tothe ceiling as desired so that it projects through .the lath and plaster cover.

In this position, the member Il acts through the connecting portion I2 to support the outer end of the outlet-supporting member IS and forms a truss to hold the outer end of the member l against downward movement due to any Weight being applied to the outlet box.

From both of these g-ures it will loe apparent that the bracket provides a maximum amount of adjustment for the outlet box, for the loop can be moved to support the box in operative position along substantially the entire length of the support-engaging member, the Shar-p right angle turn at the end permitting adjustment substantially to the end of each of the support-engaging members.

Variations and modiiications may be made within the scope of this invention and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

I claim:

l. A cantilever support for an outlet box comprising a bracket having a pair of spaced members disposed in parallel planes, said members being joined together at one end vand having means -at the other ends to rigidly mount the bracket to the side of a supporting member to project therefrom with the members disposed one above the other, either of said members being adapted to have an outlet box clamped thereto and supported thereby while the other member Yreinforces, and Vholds the outlet-supporting member in position, said mounting means lying entirely below the supporting surface of one of the members where- `by the member can be positioned .in shallow position to Vreceive an outlet bo-x without .interference from said mounting means.

2. A cantilever support for an outlet box comprising a bracket having -a pair of spaced outletsupporting arms having fiat surfaces .disposed vin parallel planes, each of said arms being adapted to cooperatek with an attaching means for .the outlet box to support the outlet box, said arms being joined together at one `end to produce a continuous path whereby the attaching means for the outlet can be moved into cooperative relation witheither arm Without removal from the bracket; and means at the other end of each of the'arms for rigidly securing the bracket on the side of a supporting member to project therefrom with one of vthe arms lsupporting the outlet box and being reinforced by the other arm, at least the means at the end of one of said arms lying in the space between the arms whereby the arm connected thereto can be secured close to the edge of the support without interference by the mounting means.

3. A cantilever support for an outlet box cornprising a bracket having a pair of spaced members disposed in parallel planes, either of said members being adapted to support an outlet box, said members being joined together at one end and having mounting means including means at the other ends of said members disposed at an angle thereto and extending in the same direction to mount the bracket on the side of a support to project therefrom the means at the end of one of said members lying in the space between said members, said mounting means being adapted to locate either of said members in a position to receive the outlet box and hold the outlet box while the other member reinforces the outlet-supporting member.

4. A bracket for mounting an outlet box on the side of a joist and in spaced relation thereto comprising a pair of spaced arms having nat surfaces for the full length thereof, either of said arms being adapted to receive an attaching means for the outlet box, the arms being joined together at one end and having the other ends bent at an angle to the flat surface and extending in the same direction, at least one of said ends lying in the space between said arms, said ends forming mounting means for securing the bracket to the side of the support with the arms one above the other, said bracket being adapted to be reversed whereby one or the other of the armsmay be used to support said outlet box in a deep or shallow relation depending on the position of said mounting means.

MERRITT B. AUSTIN, J R.

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