Method and apparatus for providing an environmental barrier between an interior and exterior of an electrical enclosure using a plug and seal

Abstract:

An electrical fixture is disclosed that has an electrical enclosure, a knockout plug coupled to the electrical enclosure with an interference fit, and a seal coupled to a circumference of the knockout plug between the knockout plug and electrical enclosure so that the seal provides an environmental barrier between an interior and exterior of the electrical enclosure. A method is also disclosed for providing an environmental barrier for a tapered-threaded knockout of an electrical enclosure including placing a seal on a knockout plug and pressing the knockout plug into the tapered-threaded knockout to establish an interference fit between the knockout plug and tapered-threaded knockout. The knockout plug is detachably coupled to the tapered-threaded knockout, with the seal providing an environmental barrier between interior and exterior portions of the electrical enclosure.

Citations

2527908 3787606 3927249 4051322 5147979 5920035 6180882 6323433 6733345

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Claims:

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical fixture, comprising: a knockout plug having plug sealing and interference surfaces; an electrical enclosure having a fitting surface complementary to theinterference surface and forming an interference fit with the interference surface; an enclosure-sealing surface positioned adjacent to the fitting surface; a pipe-fitting surface approximately coaxial with the enclosure sealing and fitting surfaces; and an o-ring seal seated circumferentially on the plug sealing and enclosure-sealing surfaces to form an environmental seal between the knockout plug and electrical enclosure wherein the seal provides an environmental barrier between interior andexterior portions of the electrical enclosure.

2. The fixture of claim 1, wherein the interference surface comprises: an approximately smooth surface extending around at least a portion of a circumference of the knockout plug.

3. The fixture of claim 1, wherein the pipe-fitting surface comprises: a tapered-threaded surface to accept a threaded portion of the conduit or pipe, when the knockout is removed.

Patent number:
6940012
View patent at USPTO

Filing date:
October 28, 2003

Issue date:
September 6, 2005

Inventor:
Patrick Case (Fresno, CA)

Assignee:
B-K Lighting, Inc. (Madera, CA)

Primary Examiner:
Dean A. Reichard

Assistant Examiner:
Angel R. Estrada

Attorney, Agent or Firm:
Koppel, Jacobs, Patrick & Heybl

Current U.S. Classification: 174/50 174/58 174/60 174/666 220/3.2 220/3.8 439/535