Dec. 15, 1959
N. A. APPLETON ETAL
2,91 7,263
ELECTRICAL FIXTURE FASTENER
Filed Feb. 27. 1957
I
INVENTORS
NORTON A. APPLETON
ARTHUR I. APPLETON
/ p
United States Patent 0 " Ice
2,917,263
Patented Dec. 15, 1959
2
embedded in the wood of av wall stud or ?oor joistyand
taken through the median line of the end ?ange and ‘
hanger; and
2,911,263
Figs. '5 and .6 are views in end elevation and transverse
section illustrating the end ?ange of the bar hanger and
the integral nailing prong.
ELECTRICAL FIXTURE iFAS-TENER
Norton A. Appleton, ‘Chicago, and vArthur -I. Appleton,
Northbrook, ,Ill., assig'nors .to Appleton Electric Com
.pany, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois
Application February 27,‘1957,‘~Serial No..642,858
While the invention has been described in connection
with the preferred ‘embodiment, ‘it ‘will .be understood
that ‘it is not intended 'to be limited to such embodiment
10 but is intended to include all modi?cations, alternative
constructions and equivalents which are included within
7 Claims. (Cl. 248-—216)
‘the spirit and scope .of the appended claims.
7
Referring to the drawings, the present invention is
.shown embodied Iin an extensible bar hanger having
This invention relates to electrical ?xtures and more 15 telescoping sect-ions 11, ;121and a hanger stud13 which
is employed for holding .an outlet box '14 or the like
‘particularly to a bar ‘hanger for supporting ‘electrical
electrical ?xture in ‘place. ‘This hanger stud 13 also
outlet boxes or the like ‘between spaced 'wooden ‘building
‘members such as ?oor joists or wall studs.
Of the ‘various known'types of bar hangers, ‘one which
.serves for locking ‘the telescoping sections together so
.-.as to :?x the overall length ofthe hanger. The hanger
‘in the co-pending application of Arthur ‘I. Appleton,
Serial No. v597,242, ?led July '11, ‘1956. "When ‘installing
this ‘type of hanger, ordinarily the ‘workman holds the
hanger in position by ‘hand while hammering nails vwhich
provide ‘permanent fastening means, through the ‘ends of
the hanger into the wooden building members.
vfloor or ceiling joists or wall studs 17a, 17b as indicated
offers particular advantages by ‘reason of employing a 20 .also .has end ?anges 15a, 15b provided with openings
16a, 16b ‘for receiving nails for permanently fastening
novel, extensible arrangement so that its length may be
.the hanger between wooden building members such as
adjusted to ‘different stud or joist spacings, ‘is’ illustrated
generally in Fig. 2.
25
In carrying out the invention, the outlet box 14 is
temporarily fastened in place on the joists or studs 17a,
17b by means of an L-shaped nailing prong or retainer
‘18a, 18b which, .as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, v‘is struck out
of deformable ?at sheet material presented by that por
The general object of this ‘invention is to provide 'a
retainer for fastening an electrical ?xture, such as an '30 tion of the support ‘for the box that lies adjacent the
surface of the wooden building members. In the present
outlet box, in place on building joists or-‘studs. A'related
instance ‘the box 14is supported by the bar hanger :which
has 'end'?anges 15a, 15b lying adjacent the ‘joists orstuds.
object (of the invention is to ‘provide an integral nailing
prong for fastening a member to a wooden support.
the prong vwhich is sharpened into the surface of the
wooden members. ‘Permanent nails may then be ‘in
The nailing prong 18a, ‘18b is therefore struck ‘out of
thexm'eta‘l of the hanger ends, .so'that with the ends of
‘the hanger held ?at against the beam .or stud on which
the hanger is to be fastened, the bent prong may be given
‘a light ‘hammer blow and the toe ‘portion 20, 20b of the
prong which has'a sharpened point v21a, 21b driven into
40 the surface of the wood for supporting the'hanger. The
stalled, and particularly in overhead installation and
awkward ceiling work, a saving-in time and reduction
in cost of installation results.
Another object is to form the integral nailing prong
18b may be struck out in a punch press type forming
operation, and thus at a :relativelylow cost added to the
‘It is a more speci?c object of the invention to provide
an outlet box support with ya retainer formed as an in
tegral vnailing vprong'bent such that with the ?xture held
against the studs or joists, the nailing prong may be
given a light blow as ‘by a hammer to drive ‘the toe of
35
hanger may be ?xed in ‘permanent pos'itionwith ordinary
nails. It is contemplated that the nailing prongs 18a,
by striking the same out 'of flat sheet material such as is 45 hanger construction.
For the purpose ofstrengthening the'nailingprong, as
provided by the end flange 'of the bar hanger support
appears most clearly ‘in Figs. 3 and 6, the s‘hank'portion
for the box. A further object istto provide an integral
19a, 19b and toe ‘portion 20a, 20b thereof maybe'forrned
nailing prong wherein the sharpened ‘point of the toe of
With a‘ slight transverse CUI'VO'SO :as to resist bendingand
the prong lies substantially within the opening in ‘the
sheet material left by the metal removed therefrom to 50 retain substantially the original angular relation and
form. _As shown in Fig. 3, the shank 19a of the L-shaped
make the prong. Thus the nailing prong is ‘protected
prong 18a is integral with the end flange 15a of the
against being broken off or bent during shipment v.or
hanger and extends out of :the plane of the surface of
handling. Moreover, due to the pointbeing shielded or
the ?ange with the :toe portion ‘curved :back along an
concealed, the danger of injury-to tworkmen from ‘cuts or
scratches is reduced.
55 are I struck from about the hinge point of "the ‘prong as
shown in Figs. 2, 4 and 6, so that the point 21a which
,-A further object is to provide iarconstruction'ifor the
is left sharpened from the forming die lies within the
?xture retainer which is inexpensive to manufacture yet
opening 22a left in the material of the ?ange. The point
which is durable and sturdy so as to be satisfactoryunder
is thus protected somewhat against being ‘bent during
conditions of rough handling to which devices of this
shipping or other handling.
general type are frequently exposed.
.
60
To insure that the point of the nailing :prong will
Otherobjects will appear vfrom the-following descrip
tion taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings
enter the wood of the supporting stud or joist-ata proper
‘Figure 1 is a .perspective view :of a bar hanger con
angle, the free end of the toe portion 20a, 20b of the
nailing prong 18a, 18b is shown herein carriedgrso as
of the bar hanger of the previous ?gures;
Fig.4 is asectional view ‘illustrating-rtheinailing prong
though .the particularangle would vary according to ‘the
angle the :toeis carriedby theshank. Due to .thecurved
wherein:
.
to enter an adjacent wooden member at substantially
structed in accordance with theipresent invention;
65
right angles-to the face or surface ofcthe member. This
"Fig. 2 is va view in side elevation of the bar hanger
angular relation is shown in Fig. 6. In order to hammer
shown in ‘Figure 1, supported between ?oor “joists or wall
the ‘prong into the wood, the prong should bestruck by
studs;
'
I
blows directed substantially parallel to thevtoe, as ‘herein
Fig. '3 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view
of the integral nailing prong formed .in the ‘end "?anges 70 shown at about right angles to the wooden support, .al—
7
2,917,268
3
'
4
member, said toe portion as it enters the wood describing
con?guration of the toe and shank, however, as the nail
ing prong 18a, 18b is driven into the member the point
a curve a tangent to which forms an included .angle less
than 90° relative to said plate so as to clamp the latter to
21a, 21b of the nailing prong describes an upward curve
de?ned ,by the are I. As illustrated in Fig. 4, with the
the Wooden member.
3. An integral fastener for nailing a sheet metal mem
toe portion 20a and point 21a completely embedded, the
shank poriton 19a of the nailing prong lies substantially
ber to a support, said member being positionable against
the support, said fastener comprising a nailing tang struck
in the plane of the end ?ange 15a. It is a feature of the
from the sheet metal vof said member leaving an opening
present invention that the embedded nailing prong offers
therein, said fastener having a shank hinged at one end to
substantial resistance to removal from the wood while
yet enabling removal by prying as with a screwdriver or 10 the member so as to extend away from the support engag
ing side of the member carrying a transversely curved toe
claw hammer. As will be observed, the curved nailing
terminating in a tip and angled toward the support en
prong 18a under normal conditions retains substantially
gaging side of the member so as to enter the support
the same “set” placed in it by the forming die while it
through said opening in the member, said shank having a
is being driven into the wooden supporting member,
pivoting about its hinge without exerting substantial force 15 length about equal to the distance between the hinge point
of the shank and the initial point of entry of the toe
into the support, so that the tang is pivotable freely about
on the bracket tending to shift it from the original place
ment on the support. The shank portion 19a on the other
its hinge by ‘hammer blows directed substantially parallel
hand lies substantially ?at against the outer surface of
the wood, having lost substantially all the “set” placed in ' to the toe and struck to drive the toe into the support,
the prong by the forming die. The toe portion to be ex 20 the transverse curve in the toe strengthening the same so
that it retains its set while being embedded, said toe
tracted from thewood is required to describe a curved
entering the support without exerting substantial force on
withdrawing path which the ?at con?guration of the
?anged ends of the bar hanger prevents. Thus the nailing
the member tending to shift it from the original placement
prong clamps the ?ange to the stud or joist and tempo
on the support.
rarily yet securely holds the hanger in position. The nail 25
4. An integral fastener for nailing a member to a
support, said member being positionable against the‘ sup
openings 16a, 16b in the end ?anges and on each side
port, said fastener comprising a nailing tang struck from
of the nailing prong are provided for receipt of ordinary
the member leaving an opening therein, said fastener
nails which may be driven in place to hold permanently
having a shank hinged at one end to the member, a
the ?xture in position.
It will be readily appreciated that in installing an outlet 30 longitudinally and transversely curved toe terminating in
a point, said toe being carried at the other end of said
box with a bar hanger having the retainer means of the
shank and angling toward the support engaging side of
‘present invention, after having obtained the adjustment
the member so that the free end thereof enters the sup
in length to accommodate the particular stud or joist spac
port through said opening, said toe lying throughout its
ing involved, with one hand the bar hanger is held in place
with the ?at outer surface of one end ?ange against the 35 length along an arc struck from about the hinge point
at the said one end of the shank, said shank having a
surface of the respective ?oor joist or stud. The work
length about equal to the distance between the hinge
man then with a hammer may strike the end of the hanger
point of the shank and the initial point of entry of the toe
a sharp blow to drive the nailing prong into the wood,
into the support so that the tang pivots about its hinge
repeating this operation to fasten both ends of the bar
hanger. Particularly in awkward ceiling work in over 40 point while the toe of said tang is hammered into the
support traveling in a curved path de?ned by the same
head installation between joists, once the bar hanger has
are without exerting substantial force on the member
been supported in place by means of the integral nailing
tending to shift it from the original placement on the
prongs, both hands are left free so that permanent fasten—
support, the transverse curve in the toe strengthening
ing devices may also be hammered into place using the
nail openings 16a.
We claim as our invention:
‘
-
45 the same so that it retains the longitudinal curve while
being embedded.
1. In an outlet box support made of sheet metal and
adapted to be permanently installed against a wooden
5. In a bar hanger for supporting an electrical box or
which forms an included angle less than 90° relative to
the shank so as to clamp the support to the wood.
2. A retainer for supporting an outlet box on a wooden
formed integral with the respective ?ange so as to be
the like between a pair of laterally spaced supports such
as wooden joists or studs, a pair of coaxially connected
building member, a retainer for holding the support in
60
elongated members adjustable relative to each other for
place,.comprising a nailing prong struck from the support,
changing the overall length of the hanger, said members
said nailing prong including a shank portion hinged to
being provided with ?anges at opposite ends of the hanger
the support and a pointed curved toe portion angling from
formed substantially at right angles to the'axis of the
said shank to be driven into the surface of the wooden
elongated hanger members and adapted upon lengthwise
building member and at least partially embedded therein,
said curved toe lying throughout its length along an arc 55 adjustment of the members for positioning against such
spaced supports, a pair of L-shaped nailing prongs one
struck from about'the hinge point, said shank having a
struck from each ?ange leaving an opening therein and
length equal to the distance between the hinge point of
carried on the inside face of the ?ange so that said ?ange
the shank and the initial point of entry of the toe into
is positionable for installation directly against the sup
the building member, said toe portion as it enters the
wooden building member describing .a curve a tangent to 60 port, each of. said prongs including a shank portion
hinged thereto and projecting inwardly away from the
support engaging side of the ?ange, the shank portion of
each prong'carrying a pointed toe portion angled toward
building member comprising a nailing prong struck from
a ?at plate to leave an opening in the same, said ?at plate 65 the opening in the ?ange so that the toe portions of the
prongs are drivable outwardly of the ?anges through the
providing means for mounting the box and supporting the
respectivegopenings into the supports by hammer blows
same on the building member, said nailing prong includ
on the prong directed substantially parallel to the toe por
ing a shank portion formed'integral with the plate and
tion thereof whereby said prongs when embedded lie sub
projecting from one surface of the plate, and a reversely
curved toe portion angling from said shank on a uni 70 stantially parallel with the axis of the hanger, the shank
portion of each prong having a length about equal to the
form curve throughout its length, the free end of said
toe lying at substantially right angles relative to said
distance between the hinge point and the initial point of
plate and within the opening in the plate so as to be
drivable as by a hammer blow directed at right angles to
. entry of the toe portion into the support so that the
prong pivots about the hinge point while said prong is
the plate into the surface of an adjacent wooden building 75 driven into the support, the toe of each prong having a
2,917,263
5
said members having end ?anges and being adapted to be
positioned between spaced wooden building members with
strengthening transverse curve so that it retains its shape
while being driven into the support.
the outside face of each ?ange abutting one of the build
ing members, a retainer device comprising, in combina
tion, an L-shaped nailing prong struck from each of the
end ?anges and carried on the inside face of the ?ange
so that said ?ange is positionable for installation directly
against the building member, each prong having a shank
6. In an outlet box support having ?anges adapted to
be permanently fastened to a wooden building member for
supporting the box, a retainer comprising, in combina
tion, a nailing prong having a shank hinged to one of
said ?anges and extending out of the plane of said one
?ange in a direction away from the support engaging side
thereof, said shank having a curved sharpened toe por
portion hinged to the respective ?ange and extending at
tion angled so as to be drivable into the surface of an 10 an acute angle with respect to the latter, and a pointed
toe portion angling from the shank toward the ?ange so as
adjacent building member and embedded therein, said
to be drivable into the surface of the adjacent building
shank having a length about equal to the distance be
by hammer blows on the prong and directed substantially
tween the hinge point of the shank and the initial point
parallel to the toe.
of entry of the toe into the member, said curved toe lying
throughout its length along an arc struck from about the 15
References Cited in the ?le of this patent
hinge point so that the prong pivots about the hinge point
while being driven into the member without exerting sub
, UNITED STATES PATENTS
stantial force on the ?ange tending to shift it from the
original placement on the member.
‘
7. In an extensible bar hanger having cooperating
elongated members and means for locking said elongated
members together to ?x the overall length of the hanger,
20
1,850,616
Barnett _____________ __ Mar. 22, 1932
2,233,334
2,732,162
Austin ______________ __ Feb. 25, 1941
McKinley ____________ __ Jan. 24, 1956
2,804,797
Seely ________________ ..- Sept. 3, 1957