Combination electrical box and mounting bracket assembly

Abstract

A combination electrical box and mounting bracket assembly is provided which includes an electrical box and a mounting bracket attached to the electrical box. The mounting bracket is configured and dimensioned for enabling the mounting bracket to be secured to a truss joist, especially to a floor truss joist, such as a TGI floor I truss joist. The mounting bracket is contoured to resemble the shape of a portion of the floor truss joist at which the mounting bracket is secured to. The combination assembly significantly reduces the force applied to the electrical box by electrical equipment and/or devices connected to wires/cable received by the electrical box as compared to prior art mounting brackets by distributing the force to a larger surface area of the mounting bracket and truss joist.

1 . A mounting bracket for mounting an electrical box to a structural element, said mounting bracket comprising: 
 an L-shaped plate having at least one hole for receiving at least one fastening member through a vertical portion of the L-shaped plate and along an axis substantially parallel to a plane of a horizontal portion of the L-shaped plate; and    a lip portion extending substantially perpendicularly from said horizontal portion of the L-shaped plate and opposite in direction from said vertical portion of the L-shaped plate, said lip portion adapted for adjoining to said electrical box.    
   
   
       2 . The mounting bracket according to  claim 1 , wherein said horizontal portion of the L-shaped plate is the shorter portion of the “L” and the vertical portion of the L-shaped plate is the longer portion of the “L”.  
   
   
       3 . The mounting bracket according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one hole is provided to the vertical portion of the L-shaped plate.  
   
   
       4 . The mounting bracket according to  claim 1 , wherein the structural element is a floor I truss joist, and wherein the horizontal and lip portions abut a beam of the truss joist and the vertical portion abuts a panel of the truss joist connecting two beams of the truss joist upon mounting the electrical box to the truss joist.  
   
   
       5 . The mounting bracket according to  claim 1 , wherein a rear surface of the L-shaped portion is provided with an adhesive for adhesively mounting the mounting bracket to the structural element.  
   
   
       6 . The mounting bracket according to  claim 1 , wherein the L-shaped plate and the lip portion are unitary.  
   
   
       7 . The mounting bracket according to  claim 1 , wherein the L-shaped plate and the lip portion are manufactured from galvanized steel.  
   
   
       8 . A combination electrical box and mounting bracket assembly for mounting an electrical box to a structural element, said combination assembly comprising: 
 a mounting bracket comprising: 
 an L-shaped plate having at least one hole for receiving at least one fastening member through a vertical portion of the L-shaped plate and along an axis substantially parallel to a plane of a horizontal portion of the L-shaped plate; and  
 a lip portion extending substantially perpendicularly from said horizontal portion of the L-shaped plate and opposite in direction from said vertical portion of the L-shaped plate;  
 wherein said electrical box is adjoined to said lip portion and adapted for receiving at least one of an electrical wire and a data cable.  
   
   
   
       9 . The combination assembly according to  claim 8 , wherein said horizontal portion of the L-shaped plate is the shorter portion of the “L” and the vertical portion of the L-shaped plate is the longer portion of the “L”.  
   
   
       10 . The combination assembly according to  claim 8 , wherein the at least one hole is provided to the vertical portion of the L-shaped plate.  
   
   
       11 . The combination assembly according to  claim 8 , wherein the structural element is a floor I truss joist.  
   
   
       12 . The combination assembly according to  claim 11 , wherein the horizontal and lip portions abut a beam of the truss joist, and the vertical portion abuts a panel of the truss joist connecting two beams of the truss joist upon mounting the electrical box to the truss joist.  
   
   
       13 . The combination assembly according to  claim 8 , wherein a rear surface of the L-shaped plate is provided with an adhesive for adhesively mounting the mounting bracket to the structural element.  
   
   
       14 . The combination assembly according to  claim 8 , wherein the L-shaped plate and the lip portion are unitary.  
   
   
       15 . The combination assembly according to  claim 8 , wherein the L-shaped plate and the lip portion are manufactured from galvanized steel.  
   
   
       16 . A method for mounting an electrical box to a structural element, said method comprising: 
 providing a mounting bracket comprising: 
 an L-shaped plate; and  
 a lip portion extending substantially perpendicularly from a horizontal portion of the L-shaped plate and opposite in direction from a vertical portion of the L-shaped plate;  
   adjoining the electrical box to said lip portion, said electrical box being adapted for receiving at least one of an electrical wire and a data cable; and    mounting the mounting bracket to said structural element to mount said electrical box to said structural element by providing at least one fastening member through at least one hole defined by the L-shaped plate and along an axis parallel to at least one of a plane of the vertical portion of the L-shaped plate and the horizontal portion of the L-shaped plate.    
   
   
       17 . The method according to  claim 16 , wherein the structural element is a floor I truss joist.  
   
   
       18 . The method according to  claim 17 , wherein the mounting step comprises positioning the mounting bracket against the truss joist in a manner where the horizontal and lip portions abut a beam of the truss joist and the vertical portion abuts a panel of the truss joist.  
   
   
       19 . The method according to  claim 18 , further comprising: 
 traversing at least one fastening member through a hole of the mounting bracket; and    using said fastening member to secure the mounting bracket to the truss joint.    
   
   
       20 . The method according to  claim 16 , wherein the mounting step comprises: 
 removing a backing member from a rear surface of the mounting bracket to reveal an adhesive;    adhesively mounting the mounting bracket to the structural element using the adhesive.