Electricity: conductors and insulators – Covers or face plates – With closure for face plate opening
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-14
2003-04-22
Reichard, Dean A. (Department: 2831)
Electricity: conductors and insulators
Covers or face plates
With closure for face plate opening
C174S066000, C220S241000, C220S242000, C439S135000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06552269
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a safety cover for electrical outlets and more particularly pertains to a new electrical outlet cover for preventing children from playing with the electrical outlets.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of safety cover for electrical outlets is known in the prior art. More specifically, safety cover for electrical outlets heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 5,703,329; U.S. Pat. No. 5,389,740; U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,901; U.S. Pat. No. 5,045,640; U.S. Pat. No. 4,950,842; and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 342,235.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new electrical outlet cover. The inventive device includes a mounting frame forming a perimeter wall and defining a central opening for receiving the electrical outlet. The mounting frame has an upper extent, a lower extent, and a pair of side extents extending between the upper and lower extents, and a front face and a rear face for mounting adjacent to the electrical outlet housing. A pair of securing apertures is formed on the mounting frame. A cover member is removably fastenable to the mounting frame over the central opening. The cover member has a front, a back, a top, a bottom, and a pair of sides extending between the top and bottom. A pair of securing members extends rearwardly from the cover member for releasably fastening the cover member to the mounting frame. Each of the securing members extends backwardly from the back of the cover member for inserting into the securing apertures of the mounting frame.
In these respects, the electrical outlet cover according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of preventing children from playing with the electrical outlets.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of safety cover for electrical outlets now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new electrical outlet cover construction wherein the same can be utilized for preventing children from playing with the electrical outlets.
The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new electrical outlet cover which has many of the advantages of the safety cover for electrical outlets mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new electrical outlet cover which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art safety cover for electrical outlets, either alone or in any combination thereof.
To attain this, the present invention generally comprises a mounting frame forming a perimeter wall and defining a central opening for receiving the electrical outlet. The mounting frame has an upper extent, a lower extent, and a pair of side extents extending between the upper and lower extents, and a front face and a rear face for mounting adjacent to the electrical outlet housing. A pair of securing apertures is formed on the mounting frame. A cover member is removably fastenable to the mounting frame over the central opening. The cover member has a front, a back, a top, a bottom, and a pair of sides extending between the top and bottom. A pair of securing members extends rearwardly from the cover member for releasably fastening the cover member to the mounting frame. Each of the securing members extends backwardly from the back of the cover member for inserting into the securing apertures of the mounting frame.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new electrical outlet cover which has many of the advantages of the safety cover for electrical outlets mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new electrical outlet cover which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art safety cover for electrical outlets, either alone or in any combination thereof.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new electrical outlet cover which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new electrical outlet cover which is of a durable and reliable construction.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new electrical outlet cover which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such electrical outlet cover economically available to the buying public.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new electrical outlet cover which provides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new electrical outlet cover for preventing children from playing with the electrical outlets.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new electrical outlet cover which includes a mounting frame forming a perimeter wall and defining a central opening for receiving the electrical outlet. The mounting frame has an upper extent, a lower extent, and a pair of side extents extending between the upper and lower extents, and a front face and a rear face for mounting adjacent to the electrical outlet housing. A pair of securing apertures is formed on the mounting frame. A cover member is removably fastenable to the mounting frame over the central opening. The cover member has a front, a back, a top,
Patel Dhiru R
Reichard Dean A.
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