Electricity: conductors and insulators – Boxes and housings – With electrical device
Reexamination Certificate
2003-05-16
2004-09-14
Patel, Dhiru R (Department: 2831)
Electricity: conductors and insulators
Boxes and housings
With electrical device
C174S053000, C174S135000, C439S131000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06791030
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to wiring receptacle assembly and, more specifically, to a rotating bracket disposed within a wiring receptacle assembly that allows a ground fault circuit receptacle to be rotated between a coupling position and an operation position.
2. Background Information
Prior art electrical receptacles located in outdoor, or wet, locations were typically protected from the elements by covers over the individual outlets. Each cover included a resilient seal that would resist the passage of water or other contaminants. These covers were generally coupled to a spring that biased the cover into a closed position when the receptacle was not in use. When a user needed to plug a device into the receptacle, the cover was moved to an open position and the plug inserted into the receptacle. This system provided adequate protection while the cover was in the closed position, and so long as the user remembered to unplug any devices before the receptacle was exposed to inclimate weather or otherwise exposed to water.
This system, however, suffered from disadvantages. For example, a user could forget a device was plugged in leaving the receptacle exposed to elements. Other devices, such as holiday lights, were intentionally left plugged in to a receptacle in a wet location during inclimate weather. Additionally, the resilient seal on the cover could become degraded due to general wear and tear, thus requiring a replacement of the cover assembly and potentially allowing the receptacle to be damaged. Moreover, in view of these disadvantages, the National Electric Code, section 406.8, has been amended to reflect that receptacles in wet location must be enclosed, even during use.
An enclosure for receptacles in wet locations may be a simple housing with a sealable cover as is know in the prior art. However, such enclosures typically have the ground fault circuit receptacle assembly placed behind an internal cover plate, called a deadfront, and attached to the back of the housing. This configuration makes coupling the conductors to the ground fault circuit receptacle assembly electrical couplings difficult as the ground fault circuit receptacle assembly electrical couplings are located on the side opposite the outlets.
Accordingly, there is a need for a wiring receptacle assembly wherein the ground fault circuit receptacle assembly electrical couplings are easy to access.
There is a further need for a device within a receptacle enclosure to allow the ground fault circuit receptacle assembly to be easily moved from a coupling position to an operational position.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These needs, and others, are met by the present invention which provides a bracket structured to support a receptacle and to be rotatably attached to an enclosure. The rotating bracket includes an opening sized to allow the face plate of a ground fault circuit receptacle to be exposed. The bracket further rotates between a first position, wherein the ground fault circuit receptacle assembly electrical couplings exposed, to a second, operational position. In the first position, conductors may be easily attached to the ground fault circuit receptacle assembly electrical couplings.
The enclosure may also include other components, such as a disconnect assembly, and a deadfront to further protect the components. In the preferred embodiment, the deadfront includes an angled portion structured to cover the rotating bracket. The housing adjacent to the rotating bracket may include a stop device, such as a raised tab, to easily position the rotating bracket at the proper angle.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5122069 (1992-06-01), Brownlie et al.
patent: 5486650 (1996-01-01), Yetter
patent: 5773757 (1998-06-01), Kenney et al.
patent: 5941724 (1999-08-01), Reed
patent: 6491539 (2002-12-01), Johnston
Eaton Corporation
Moran Martin J.
Patel Dhiru R
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