Electrical connectors – Comprising coupling part of indeterminate length laterally... – Included in prefabricated building panel
Reexamination Certificate
2001-10-23
2003-06-10
Bradley, P. Austin (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
Comprising coupling part of indeterminate length laterally...
Included in prefabricated building panel
C439S654000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06575777
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a wiring system used to provide electricity to individual work spaces created by a plurality of partitions subdividing an office area.
Open office space is typically partitioned to be used efficiently. By using a plurality of office panels or partitions, valuable space can be divided into individual cubicles providing employees with their own work spaces. The office panels are generally rectangular and may be provided with decorative surfaces. Each panel is provided with fasteners along the side edges which allow several adjacent panels to be attached to one another in orientations such as end to end or perpendicularly to one another.
Each panel is provided with a raceway which extends the length of each panel and is used to support a wiring system. The raceway may be located along the lower edge of the panel or near the middle of the panel at a height above the upper surface of a work surface such as a desk top. The wiring system is used to electrically connect adjacent panels while providing each panel with electricity. The wiring system includes receptacles mounted on a distribution harness (
FIGS. 4 and 5
) which, when supplied with electricity, provides each individual work station with receptacles for electrically operated equipment such as computers, lamps or the like. The receptacles are conventionally duplex receptacles in that each receptacle is provided with a pair of outlets.
Referring to
FIGS. 4 and 5
, one method of supplying electrical receptacles
40
to a plurality of individual work stations defined by office panels includes the use of buss or distribution harness
38
. Each end of distribution harness
38
is provided with connector
44
having a plurality of openings for receiving the socket ends of the receptacles
40
, jumper cables and power entry. Electrical current is supplied to the wiring system from either a ceiling power entry
61
, which would plug into one outlet of a receptacle, or a floor power entry
61
, which is plugged into connector
44
secured to one end
43
of distribution harness
38
(FIG.
5
). From power entry
61
, the electrical current travels through distribution harness
38
to receptacles
40
.
Receptacles
40
are electrically connected to distribution harness
38
which carries a plurality of jacketed wires or buss bars which are constructed from stamped metal (not shown). Distribution harness
38
typically carries eight or ten wires (although the present invention is not so limited) with each receptacle
40
being electrically connected to a ground wire, a neutral wire and a hot wire, the three wires defining a circuit. If desired, each receptacle
40
attached to harness
38
may be electrically connected to the same ground and neutral wires, however, receptacles
40
may be connected to different hot wires to define a second circuit. The first receptacle
40
is in engagement with connector
44
located at one end of distribution harness
38
and is connected to a combination of three wires of a first circuit. The second receptacle
40
, plugged into connector
44
at the opposite end of distribution harness
38
, may be electrically connected to the same or a second combination of three wires of a second circuit. By placing two receptacles on two separate circuits, overloading of a single circuit is prevented if, for example, more than one piece of equipment was plugged into receptacles
40
on that single circuit.
Distribution harness
38
is provided with elongated body portion
42
having ends
43
. One connector
44
is integrally attached to elongated body
42
at each end
43
(
FIG. 5
) and connectors
44
include sockets
46
having openings
47
, one pair of sockets protruding from each side of connector
44
. Socket
46
of connector
44
electrically connects with socket
48
located at one end of receptacle
40
while one socket
49
at the end of jumper cable
50
is electrically linked to socket
47
of connector
44
to define a pathway for electrical current between receptacle
40
, connector
44
and jumper cable
50
. One receptacle
40
is electrically attached to each socket
46
of connector
44
such that receptacles
40
may be mounted adjacent one another. A pair of receptacles
40
may be placed in one office panel being spaced the length of distribution harness
38
. One socket
49
of jumper cable
50
is secured to socket
47
of connector
44
while the second socket
49
of cable
50
is secured to a socket of a second connector disposed on distribution harness
38
in an adjacent office panel, thereby allowing distribution harnesses
38
of adjacent office panels to be electrically connected (FIG.
4
).
Once receptacles
40
are electrically joined with connectors
44
, receptacles
40
are secured to brackets
52
which are in turn fixed to distribution harness
38
(FIG.
5
). Tabs
54
extending from receptacle housing
56
are provided with apertures
58
which align with apertures
60
in brackets
52
. Fasteners are placed through aligned apertures
58
and
60
, securing receptacles
40
to buss or harness
38
. A plurality of wires or stamped buss bars (not shown) extend the length of distribution harness
38
between connectors
44
. All eight or ten wires are carried through connectors
44
to form contacts (not shown). Each receptacle
40
includes three wires (not shown) extending through receptacle
40
, connecting with connectors which align with each opening of the outlets in receptacle
40
. These wires have contacts at each end which provide means for electrically connecting to different combinations of ground, neutral and hot wires in connector
44
. By having each receptacle
40
associated with a separate circuit, overloading of a single circuit is prevented.
A problem with the current wiring system is the cost of the distribution harness. The distribution harness is a relatively large component of the system which requires that the raceway disposed at the bottom of the office panel be large enough to support the assembly. This adds to the cost of manufacturing and assembling the office panels when the wiring system is installed. Further, the size of the distribution harness limits the number of receptacles to two in each panel. The distribution harness is an expensive component of the wiring assembly which in turn increases the overall expense of supplying electricity to a plurality of work stations in an office. The assembly of the distribution harness assembly is time consuming due to the number of parts which must be assembled which again increases the cost of manufacturing. Furthermore, outlets in a duplex receptacle must be on the same circuit.
It is desired to provide a wiring assembly for providing office panels with a plurality of receptacles which eliminates the need for a distribution harness while being cost effective and easy to assemble.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a wiring assembly for office panels in which the wires conventionally carried by the distribution harness are carried directly by the receptacle, thus eliminating the buss or distribution harness. The receptacle is preferably plugged into a quad connector and the wiring system is supplied power by a typical ceiling or floor power entry. Each receptacle picks off three wires from the eight or ten wires carried by the receptacle to provide the receptacle with electrical power. The receptacles may be wired to one circuit or a plurality of circuits to a partitioned area depending on how the area is being utilized. A jumper cable links one end of the first receptacle to one end of a second receptacle. The receptacles are wired in different circuits by being electrically connected to a different combination of three wires.
If desired, each outlet in a duplex or larger receptacle could be connected to a different circuit.
The advantages of eliminating the distribution harness include reducing the size of the wiring assembly as well as the cost of the assembly. The installation time required for placing the ele
Henriott Jay M.
Hibler Jennifer L.
Hoffman Keith A.
Baker & Daniels
Bradley P. Austin
Kimball International Inc.
Nguyen Phuong Chi
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