FR3035902A1 - CONNECTING BOX - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a junction box comprising at least a cover, a bottom and side walls comprising lids (22). The box is in particular in the form of an upper half-box assembled with a lower half-box, the upper half-box and the lower half-box comprising assembly means, the upper half-box and the half-box. lower box being each molded in one block, the upper and lower half-box comprising the lid or the bottom respectively fixed to half-side walls (4, 5, 6, 7), the half-side walls of the upper half-box and respectively of the lower half-box being also fixed between them two by two.

Description

The technical sector of the present invention is that of the construction of buildings and more particularly the installation of systems or accessories used for the installation of networks such as water supply networks, drainage systems, wastewater or electrical networks. During the construction of the buildings, connection boxes embedded in the concrete are planned to delimit protected spaces in which pipes, ducts or cables open for their future use. These spaces will be accessible later to make connections. Connection boxes are for example provided in rooms requiring a water supply. The junction boxes can be used for example for sanitary fixtures or heaters. The application FR-2997431 teaches a molded connection box of a single block that can be stacked with other identical connection boxes. This box, however, has a complex structure requiring significant investment efforts for the manufacture of its mold. The object of the present invention is to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a junction box requiring less investment. The invention thus relates to a junction box 25 comprising at least a cover, a bottom and side walls comprising lids, characterized in that it is in the form of an upper half-box assembled with a half lower box, the upper half-box and the lower half-box comprising assembly means, the upper half-box and the lower half-box being each molded in one piece, the upper half box and respectively lower half comprising the lid or the bottom fixed to half-side walls, the half-side walls of the upper half-box and respectively the lower half-box being otherwise fixed together. According to a feature of the invention, the upper half-box and the lower half-box are identical to one another and come from the same mold. According to another feature of the invention, the assembly means comprise at least one peripheral wall extending transversely and in the extension of the half-side walls of each lower or upper half-box, opposite the lid. or respectively from the bottom. According to another particularity of the invention, the assembly means comprise projecting hooks connected to each peripheral wall and / or openings made in each peripheral wall, the hooks or openings of the upper half-box being intended for to cooperate with the openings or respectively the hooks of the lower half-box.

According to another feature of the invention, each hook comprises a front branch extended by two lateral branches each having a locking notch, the front branch being connected by a central branch to the peripheral wall.

According to another particularity of the invention, the assembly means comprise projecting guide pins connected to the peripheral wall and / or housings made in the housing wall to cooperate with the half-box. , the pins or respectively the upper half-box being intended for the housing or lower pins respectively. Another feature of the invention is that the bottom bottom and the top half-box lid respectively comprise tubular studs of determined height extending inwardly of the box to delimit a spacing between two lower half-boxes or respectively upper stacked one on the other. According to another feature of the invention, said lower and upper half-box comprises four half-side walls of which three half-walls are equipped with a plurality of lids and a remaining half-wall is free of operculum.

According to another feature of the invention, the covers on one and the same side half-wall are separated from each other by at least one reinforcing rib and are separated from a junction edge with the bottom or 5 respectively the cover by at least one softening groove. According to another feature of the invention, said edge comprises notches arranged opposite said reinforcing ribs separating said lids.

A first advantage is that the mold for the manufacture of each half-box no longer requires the development of articulation zone between walls. The investment for the manufacture of the mold is thus reduced. This investment is even smaller if a same mold can be used to make the two halves of a box. Another advantage of the present invention also comes from the fact that the box can be made from two identical half-boxes which facilitates logistics. Thus, one does not deliver a stock of funds and a stock of lids but a stock of half-boxes. Losses due to errors or accidents are also advantageously reduced. Another advantage of the present invention is that the half-boxes can be stacked for transport. A pallet comprising approximately 700 half-boxes may for example be delivered to a construction site. A further advantage is that the box can be closed easily and then has a significant mechanical strength to maintain its integrity.

An advantage of the invention is also that the box, whose lid is removed to access the connection space, then remains integrated in the slab. This facilitates its use and limits the amount of waste for example compared to cardboard boxes. In addition the pre-cuts in the upper part of the box, protruding above the slab, allow to remove this upper part sharply. The upper part is for example broken or cut.

An advantage of the invention is that the junction box can be easily maintained, for example by wire, thanks to the notches made on the edges.

Other features, advantages and details of the invention will be better understood on reading the additional description which will follow of embodiments given by way of example in relation to drawings in which: FIG. perspective view of a half-box; - Figure 2 shows a front view of a clip hook; - Figure 3 shows a detail showing the assembly by clipped hooks; FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the positioning of two half-boxes by means of the guide pins; - Figure 5 shows a perspective view of a closed box; and Figure 6 shows a sectional view of a stack of half-boxes. The invention will now be described in more detail. FIG. 1 represents a perspective view of a half-box 2. The half-box 2 comprises a bottom 3 fixed to lateral half-walls 4, 5, 6 and 7. The half-side walls 4-7 are elsewhere fixed between them two by two. The half-box 2 thus forms a molded piece of a single rigid or semi-rigid block. The half-box, for example lower, here comprises four half-side walls for forming, with a complementary half-box, for example upper, a box comprising four side walls. We speak here of bottom 3 of the half-box 2, but this bottom 3 can also constitute a lid of the box. An upper half-box may be structurally identical to the lower half-box with which it is associated. The two upper and lower half-boxes can even be strictly identical and from the same mold.

The plastic material used for molding allows elastic deformations of half-walls 4-7 and bottom 3 rigidly connected to each other. The bottom comprises on its inner face ribs 27 and grooves 28. The ribs 27 form a grid and terminate with triangular reinforcements 29 joining the bottom 3 and the side half-walls 4-7. These triangular reinforcements 29 are arranged transversely to the bottom 3 and transversely to one of the half-side walls.

The grooves 28 each extend diagonally with respect to the ribs or parallel to one of the ribs. A groove 28 may be disposed between two ribs delimiting between them an area facing a cap 22. This groove splits into two grooves to form a T / 5 near a side half-wall. The two branches of the T then extend towards this half-side wall and up to a cap disposed on this side half-wall. Each operculum is for example disposed opposite an area delimited by one or two ribs. Each seal is, for example, joined to two grooves on the internal face of the lateral half-wall. These two grooves each join the bottom and extend on the bottom by two other grooves joining two grooves forming the two branches of a T. The foot of this T is for example formed by a groove extending parallel to a groove. rib. The edges 24 joining the bottom 3 and each half-side wall 4, 5, 6 and 7 comprise notches 26. These notches also provide robustness to the half-box. These notches 26 are arranged facing reinforcing ribs 23 disposed on an outer face of the half-side walls and separating the covers 22. These notches 26 arranged regularly over the entire periphery of the upper and lower faces of the box constitute blocking passages in position for the fixing threads of the box. The box is fixed for example by iron son on a grid before pouring a slab. The bottom 3 also includes tubular studs 3035902 6 for stacking the half-boxes without blocking them. An example of a stack will be described later in connection with FIG. 6. Each of the three half-side walls 5, 6 and 7 comprises a plurality of lids. On each of these half-side walls are arranged three lids 22. The number of lids is not limiting. Each operculum comprises at least one circular groove in which a discontinuous day is produced. The discontinuous day forms dotted here.

Each lid comprises for example two concentric circular grooves in each of which a discontinuous day is formed. Thus, two holes of two different diameters can be envisaged. The covers 22 are each framed on either side by two reinforcement ribs 23 arranged on the outer face of the half-side walls. Furthermore, two softening grooves 25a and 25b are arranged in parallel on this outer face, between each lid and the edge 24 connecting the bottom and this side half-wall.

Concave edges 38 join the half-side walls two by two. This inversion of curvature, with respect to the half-side walls joined together, further increases the mechanical strength of the half-box. The half-side wall 4 is devoid of lids. This half-side wall comprises zones of extra thickness. A thicker zone extends along the bottom 3. Two thicker zones are arranged along the joining edges with the two adjacent half-side walls 5 and 7. Two thicker middle regions extending between the bottom and the edge 30 opposite the bottom. The edge of the half-box, opposite the bottom 3, is in the form of a peripheral wall 8 extending transversely to the half-side walls. The peripheral wall 8 is parallel to the bottom 3. The peripheral wall 8 extends towards the outside of the box. The half-side walls 4-7 comprise triangular 37 or rectangular reinforcements 38 supporting the peripheral wall 8. These reinforcements are shown in more detail in FIG.

Two peripheral walls 8 of two half-boxes can be assembled to one another by the assembly means. The assembly means may be in the form of glue or staples or in the form of elements directly obtained by molding as described below. The peripheral wall 8 is for example extended by projecting hooks 9 intended to cooperate with openings 10 of a complementary half-box. The peripheral wall 8 may also comprise openings 10 intended to cooperate with projecting hooks 9 of a complementary half-box. The half-box here comprises on the edge of its half-side wall 7 two pairs of openings 10 arranged opposite two pairs of hooks 9 on the edge of the side half-wall 5 opposite. Two half boxes returned on one another can cooperate to close. Each half-box comprises on the edge of its half-side wall 6 or 4, a pair of openings 10 arranged symmetrically with respect to a pair of projecting hooks 9.

Two half-boxes turned over one another can cooperate to close. The peripheral wall 8 is also extended by guide pins, in the form of crosspieces 16 or in the form of strips 15, designed to cooperate with housings 18 or 17 of a complementary half-box. The peripheral wall 8 may also comprise housings 18 or 17 intended to cooperate with pins 16 or 15 for guiding a complementary half-box. Circular housings 18 are provided for cross brace pins. Rectangular housings 17 are provided for lamella-shaped guide pins. The half-box 2 here comprises on the edge of its lateral half-wall 7 guiding pins 15 in the form of strips arranged opposite two rectangular housings 17 on the edge of the opposite side half-wall 5. Two half boxes returned on one another can cooperate to close.

The half-box comprises on the edge of its side half-wall 6 or 4, a guide pin in the form of a lamella and a rectangular opening arranged symmetrically with respect to one another. Two half boxes 5 turned over one another can cooperate to close. The peripheral wall 8 is also extended, on each side of the lateral half-wall 7, by a guide pin in the form of a crosspiece 16. These two braces 16 are arranged opposite two round housings 17 made in the peripheral wall 8 on each side of the opposite half-side wall 5. Two half boxes returned on one another can cooperate to close. Figure 2 shows a front view of a hook / 5 clip. The hook 9 comprises a front branch 11 extended by two lateral branches 12a and 12b each having a locking notch 13a and 13b. The front branch 11 is connected by a central branch 14 to the peripheral wall. The hook can thus snap into the thickness of the peripheral wall of the complementary half-box. Its front branch 11 passes through the associated opening while the lateral branches bend until the notches 13a and 13b come at the peripheral wall. The side branches then unfold to prevent a return movement. Figure 3 shows a detail showing in particular the assembly of the hooks 9 in their opening. Seen from below, it appears that the central branch 14 is disposed between two passages 34 and 35. These passages 34 and 35 on the one hand facilitate the molding and on the other hand increase the flexibility of the central branch 14. The pins of guiding are also represented in their housing. Since the spindle 16 is longer than the spindle 15, a first guide is made by the crosspieces 16 and then a more precise guide is provided during the complementary guide by the slats 15. A slat or a housing for a lamella is for example systematically arranged between two hooks 3035902 9 or between two openings for hooks. In the closed position, the spider pin 16 runs along the concave portion 38 connecting two half-side walls. The triangular reinforcements 37 of the two half-boxes 5 come here opposite. Rectangular reinforcements 36 also come face to face. These reinforcements extend transversely to the peripheral wall and transversely to a half-side wall. Part of the two concentric peripheral grooves 32 and 33 of the covers may also be seen in greater detail. FIG. 4 represents a perspective view showing the positioning of two half-boxes by means of the guide crosspieces. A half-box 2b makes the bottom 3b while another / 5 half-box 2a makes the lid. The bottom 3a of the upper half-box will constitute the lid of the box. Without limitation, the two half-boxes are identical and from the same molding. As shown in FIG. 4, the bottom 3a comprises on its outer face peripheral ribs 40 and two diagonal ribs 39 joining these peripheral ribs 40. Softening grooves 41 are arranged between the ridges 24 and the peripheral ribs 40. These grooves 41 disposed over the entire periphery of the upper face of the cover 25 also constitute pre-cuts for clearly removing the upper face of the box. This upper face, intended to be broken or cut, may be provided to protrude above the slab. Grooves 25a and 25b constituting precuts may also be provided in the upper part of the side walls, over the entire periphery of the box. The two half-boxes 2a and 2b will be assembled by joining their peripheral wall 8a and 8b in abutment against each other. The hooks and the guide pins 35 allow the closure of the box. Each side wall will be formed by two half-side walls 4a and 4b, 6a and 6b, 7a and 5b or 5a and 7b. Figure 5 shows a perspective view of a closed box 3035902. The hooks are clipped into the corresponding openings of the opposite half-box. The two half-side walls 4a and 4b constitute a first side wall of the box 1. The two half-side walls 6a and 6b form a second side wall of the box 1. The two half-side walls 5a and 7b constitute a third side wall of the box 1. The two half-side walls 7a and 5b form a fourth side wall of the box 1. The bottom 3b of the lower half-box / 0 2b is the bottom of the box 1 while the bottom 3a of the upper half-box 2a constitutes the lid of the box 1. Figure 6 shows a sectional view of a stack 100 of half-boxes. In each half-box, the half-side walls 15 have a determined angle A30 to the bottom. This angle A30 makes it possible to insert a half-box into another. The angle A30 is for example between 2 degrees and 10 degrees. Each half-box is thus flared. Furthermore, the bottom of the half-box comprises tubular studs 20 of determined height extending inwardly of the box to delimit a spacing H21 between two half-boxes stacked one on the other. Thus, it is possible to maintain a clearance J31 between two half-side walls of two half-boxes stacked one inside the other. This offset H21 in height makes it possible not to damage the half-boxes during their stacking. One does not come to force for example on the half-side walls. In addition, the structure of the half-box has both stiffening elements and softening elements, as described above, allowing it to be sufficiently strong to allow its stacking without being damaged. The installation of the box according to the invention ensures great ease of handling. Indeed, half a box is installed and the user has full access to the interior. It can therefore without any hindrance to position its connections with the sheaths. Then, the user only has to arrange the complementary half-box to close the assembly before 3035902 11 proceed to pour the slab. The lids of the upper half-box can also be used to pass ducts for future connection before pouring the slab.

It should be obvious to those skilled in the art that the present invention allows other embodiments. Therefore, the present embodiments should be considered as illustrating the invention.

Claims (10)

REVENDICATIONS1. Connection box (1) comprising at least one cover (3a), a bottom (3b) and side walls comprising covers (22), characterized in that it is in the form of an upper half-box (2a) assembled with a lower half-box (2b), the upper half-box and the lower half-box comprising assembly means, the upper half-box (2a) and the lower half-box (2b) being each molded in a single block, the upper and lower half respectively comprising the lid (3a) or the bottom (3b) respectively fixed to side half-walls (4a, 5a, 6a, 7a, 4b, 5b, 6b, 7b), the half-side walls of the upper half-box (2a) and respectively the lower half-box (2b) being elsewhere fixed together in pairs. 2. junction box (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the upper half-box (2a) and the lower half-box (2b) are identical to one another and come from the same mold. 20 3. junction box (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the connecting means comprise at least one peripheral wall (8) extending transversely and in the extension of the half-side walls (4, 5). 6, 7) of each lower or upper half-box, opposite the lid or the bottom respectively. 4. junction box (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that the assembly means comprise projecting hooks (9) connected to each peripheral wall 30 (8) and / or openings (10) formed in each wall device (8), the hooks (9) or respectively the openings (10) of the upper half-box being intended to cooperate with the openings (10) or the hooks (9) of the lower half-box. 35 5. junction box (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that each hook (9) comprises a front branch (11) extended by two lateral branches (12a, 12b) each having a locking notch (13a, 13b) , The front branch (11) being connected by a central branch (14) to the peripheral wall (8). 6. junction box (1) according to one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that the assembly means comprise pins (15 or 16) protruding guide connected to the peripheral wall (8) and / or housings (17 or 18) made in the peripheral wall (8), the pins (15 or 16) or respectively the housings (17 or 18) of the upper half-box being intended to cooperate with the housings (17 or 18) or respectively the pins (15 or 16) of the lower half-box. 7. junction box (1) according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the bottom of the lower half-box and respectively the lid of the upper half-box comprises tubular studs (20) of determined height extending inwardly of the box to delimit a spacing (H21) between two lower or upper half-boxes respectively stacked one on the other. 20 8. junction box (1) according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that said half-lower box and respectively upper comprises four half-side walls (4, 5, 6, 7) of which three half walls (5, 6, 7) are provided with a plurality of lids (22) and a remaining half-wall is devoid of operculum. 9. junction box (1) according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the covers (22) on the same side half-wall are separated from each other by at least one rib (23). ) and are separated from an edge (24) connecting with the bottom or the lid respectively by at least one softening groove (25a, 25b). 10. junction box (1) according to claim 9, characterized in that said edge (24) comprises notches (26) disposed opposite said reinforcing ribs (23) separating said lids (22).