There are several well known types of electrical raceway systems which are designed to be placed in a floor. There are, for example, "underfloor raceways" as defined in Article 354 of the National Electrical Code of "cellular metal floor raceways" as defined in Article 356 of the National Electrical Code.
Service fittings designed for use in either of the two mentioned raceway systems, and conceivably in some other systems, can generally be referred to as service fittings for use with a raceway system designed to be placed in a floor. It should be noted that when the service fitting is referred to as a service fitting for an electrical raceway system to be placed in a floor, it is the raceway system which is placed in the floor, not necessarily the entirety of the service fitting.
As used herein, the simple term "duct" or "raceway", or the phrase "raceway system for placement in a floor" or the like are intended to refer in a generic sense to an "underfloor raceway" or to a "cellular metal floor raceway" or both. Where the term "underfloor duct" or "underfloor raceway" is used, it is intended as a reference to the particular type of system defined in Article 354 of the National Electrical Code.
The service fitting disclosed in this application is designed primarily for use with an underfloor duct for use as part of an underfloor raceway, and is illustrated and described as such herein. It can, however, be used as part of a cellular metal floor raceway system and thus is generically referred to as service fitting for an electrical raceway system to be placed in a floor.
Underfloor duct is an electrical raceway system designed to be imbedded in the concrete floor of offices, classrooms, laboratories, manufacturing areas, supermarkets, etc., for the purpose of providing an enclosed raceway for wires and cables from their originating panel to their point of use. Such an underfloor raceway system includes two types of ducts, namely feeder ducts and distribution ducts. Complementing these two types of ducts are junction boxes, support couplers and supports, horizontal and vertical elbows, power and telephone outlets and numerous cast and sheet metal fittings such as conduit adapters, change of direction duct runs, "Y" takeoffs, etc.
Typical service fittings designed for use with the distribution ducts of such underfloor duct systems are monument fittings, flush fittings or recessed fittings.
Monument fittings are those which include a rigid framework which mounts at the floor level and is communicated with the distribution duct through a vertical extension of the duct. The rigid monument fitting framework has an opening in which a power outlet, telephone outlet, computer outlet or the like is connected.
The difficulty with fixed monument fittings is their permanent location and the fact that they are sometimes damaged due to their exposure, or that they sometimes interfere with placement of furniture or movement of personnel in the building.
One alternative to such fixed monument fittings is a recessed service fitting composed of a tile or carpet ring, a door which when closed is flush with the floor and various hardware components that make up the interior of the service fitting and are recessed into the floor. To access the power receptacles of such a recessed service fitting, one must open the door, reach down into the fitting, then close the door and allow the wires to exit out through a convenient opening. This operation can be tedious if one has to access the fitting very often. Also, there is a general fear of some office workers of reaching down into the fitting.
Typical examples of such recessed service fittings are seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,237,666 to Kohaut (See FIG. 6), and U.S. Pat. No. 3,932,696 to Fork et.al. (See FIG. 28).
A typical example of a flush floor service fitting is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,443,654 to Flachbarth et.al.
Also, the prior art has included service fittings for use with electrical raceway systems, which service fittings are pop-up fittings of the type that can be retracted to a hidden position and extended to an operating position.
Many of the disadvantages of both fixed monument fittings and hidden recessed fittings are overcome by these pop-up fittings which are initially hidden in the floor until they are needed, at which time they can be extended to above the floor level.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,794,956 to Dubreuil discloses a recessible electrical floor outlet assembly. The service fitting of Debreuil as best seen in FIG. 3 thereof is spring-biased toward an extended position. Latching devices are provided for releasably locking the service fitting in a retracted position. As seen in FIG. 7, the Dubreuil device has guide rods upon which the extensible member slides.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,433,886 to Myers discloses a recessible electric service device which is manually extendable and utilizes threaded rods to hold the service fitting in either an extended or retracted position.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,811,574 to Guerrero discloses a manually adjustable electric floor receptacle which has grooves in a cylindrical extendable member which are engaged by lugs in the fixed member to prevent rotation of the extendable member.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,646,244 to Cole discloses another manually extendable service fitting designed to be placed in a floor.
Extendable electrical service fittings have also been designed for placement in other structures, such as a wall or even in furniture.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,196,842 to Strazzabosco discloses an extendable wall socket.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,511,198 to Mitchell et.al. discloses a pop-up electrical receptacle unit designed for placement in a desk. The metchell et.al. apparatus is spring-biased toward an extended position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,788 to Byrne discloses a manually retractable power center designed for placement in furniture.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,507,900 to Landis shows a floor fitting which can be arranged flush with the floor or can be pivoted up about one edge for assembly with a fixed monument type housing.