In the field of wiring homes and buildings, whether for new construction or for improvements or expansion, substantial development and product improvements have been made. Typically, these improvements are directed to enabling installers to securely and safely mount any desired wiring to any desired location in the most efficient and quickest manner.
In any particular installation or location, various conduits or cables must be interconnected to each other as well as connected to the primary power supply in a suitable power distributing outlet box, junction box, meter box, or other enclosure. In these instances, flexible metal conduit and/or armor or metalclad cables within which the electrical power carrying wires are contained, must be securely mounted to the housing of a junction box or outlet box, or connected to an appropriate solid or rigid metal tubing or conduit.
In addition, in order to assure that the installed conduits or cables and the electrical power carrying wires contained therein are properly and safely installed for operation, power distributing outlet boxes, junction boxes, meter boxes, and other similar enclosures typically incorporate grounding electrode conductors which are interconnected to the power supply and extend from the particular box to a properly installed grounding rod or remote grounded location. In this way, all of the power carrying wires installed in the particular home or building are properly connected to a grounded location.
Although the requirement for properly securing a grounding rod or grounding electrode conductor to the power distributing outlet box, junction box, meter box, or other similar enclosure, in which the grounding rod/grounding electrode conductor is interconnected to the power carrying wires, commercially available products which are capable of achieving the desired mounted connection are both limited and expensive. Typically, these prior art products incorporate components which are expensive to manufacture due to tolerance requirements for enabling these components to peripherally surround and secure the grounding rod/grounding electrode conductor to the housing of the clamp or connector. Consequently, a need exists in the industry for the production of bonding and grounding clamp/connectors which are capable of being manufactured inexpensively, while also providing a high quality, highly effective and easily employed product.
Therefore, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a bonding and grounding clamp/connector which is capable of being easily installed in any desired electrical outlet box, junction box, meter box, or similar enclosure for securing the grounding rod/grounding electrode conductor thereto.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a bonding and grounding clamp/connector having the characteristic features described above which is manufactured from easily produced components, thereby achieving a safe, effective, and cost efficient product.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a bonding and grounding clamp/connector having the characteristic features described above which virtually eliminates complicated installation techniques and achieves an easily installed product which is capable of being used by individuals of widely varied experiences.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a bonding and grounding clamp/connector having the characteristic features described above which enables the entire assembly and mounted engagement to be achieved quickly and easily by a single individual.
Other and more specific objects will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.