Electricity: conductors and insulators – Overhead – Towers – poles or posts
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-29
2001-01-30
Kincaid, Kristine (Department: 2831)
Electricity: conductors and insulators
Overhead
Towers, poles or posts
C174S068100, C439S210000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06180878
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a do-it-yourself electrical distribution system that utilizes an extensible raceway that includes extension cords connecting outlet boxes that can be mounted at varying positions along the raceway. The system permits easy installation of external outlets that can be placed at various distances along the raceway.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Wall outlets provide access to electrical service in buildings and home. It is not unusual, especially in older structures, that it is desired to provide additional outlets along or up a wall to accommodate the installation of additional electrical equipment. A wide variety of so-called “power strips”, track systems and cordless extension systems have been designed and provided for this purpose. The installation of conventional track systems generally requires “hard wiring” of the system into the existing electrical system of the structure. This tends to be complicated and dangerous for the homeowner. To overcome this problem, systems such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,603,621 to Elmouchi, that include an adaptor that enables manual electrical coupling between a conductor strip and a conventional duplex wall outlet when the adaptor is positioned over the face of the outlet have been designed. U.S. Pat. No. 5,306,165 to Nadeau describes an electric power distribution system that plugs into an existing outlet and along which various wall outlets may be positioned. U.S. Pat. No. 2,979,686 to Longmire shows a raceway plugged into an existing wall outlet that may be extended using a series of additional raceways to form an arrangement where an electrical plug can be plugged into the raceway at varying lengths.
While all of the foregoing provide useful solutions to the problem of adding electrical distribution inside of a structure without hard wiring, there remains the problem of terminating the raceway contained wiring or conductor strip when the length of the section of raceway purchased does not exactly meet the length required for a particular installation. For example, if one were running such a strip along the base of a wall from a point that required a turn at a corner two feet, three and one half inches from the last junction, it would be necessary to cut the purchased strip to obtain such an odd length. This poses the problem of joining the next strip section, to that already cut, at the corner. A similar problem could occur in any installation and for a variety of reasons.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a simplified extensible raceway for electrical outlets comprising a cutable raceway that includes an electrical extension cord that can plug into an existing outlet and be extended in any direction by connection within the raceway to electrical outlet box that engages the raceway and an existing supporting structure and includes an additional pair of electrical extension cords having both male and female ends. Terminal electrical outlet boxes are also provided.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3308416 (1967-03-01), Boyd
patent: 4017137 (1977-04-01), Parks
patent: 4690474 (1987-09-01), Smart et al.
patent: 5523529 (1996-06-01), Holliday
patent: 5614695 (1997-03-01), Benito Navazo
patent: 6037538 (2000-03-01), Brooks
Arlington Industries Inc.
Kincaid Kristine
Patel Dhiru R
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