Safety electrical receptacle

Details Safety electrical receptacle Safety electrical receptacle

1999-08-06

2001-05-08

Friedhofer, Michael (Department: 2832)

Electricity: circuit makers and breakers

Combined with or actuated by connector coupling

Coupling-actuated switch

C439S188000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06229107

ABSTRACT:

APPLICATION CONTROL NUMBER
09/368-922
REFERENCES CITED
U.S. Pat. No. 4,271,337 June 1981 Barkas
U.S. Pat. No. 5,112,237 May 1992 Yang
U.S. Pat. No. 5,186,639 February 1993 Comerci et al
U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,545 June 1994 Brothers
U.S. Pat. No. 5,374,119 December 1994 Chung
U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,635 February 1999 Hsiang
U.S. Pat. No. 5,928,019 July 1999 Chen
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The standard household or commercial electrical receptacle can present a serious shock hazard when the receptacle is open and accessible to children. The electrical contacts within the receptacle can be easily accessed through openings in the cover plate by means of inserting any electrically conductive probe and result in serious shock and/or disfigurement. Numerous efforts to provide a safe electrical outlet have been attempted with varying results as demonstrated in numerous United States Patents. A review of these patents reveals that the solutions arrived at are either extremely complicated or do not provide adequately safe or reliable solutions. In addition, these designs are not recognizable as a safety receptacle without an electrical test to determine the characteristic of the device. It is extremely important that the device not only solve the safety problem but be easily identified as a safety receptacle. In order for the device to be useful and accepted, the device must be reliable, interchangeable with those receptacles currently in use, and it must be manufactured at a reasonable cost in order to reach those who would most likely to use the invention. In the teachings of Chen, Hsiang, Barkas, Yang, Chung and others, we have found mechanisms, which fail to comply with existing electrical dimensional standards, involve modifications to external elements to operate correctly or, are of such complexity or unique component arrangement as to be uneconomical to manufacture and therefore unlikely to be utilized to attain the safety goals envisioned by the proponents. Devices which incorporate sliding actuators offer considerable potential friction resistance and will tend to wear, creating operational difficulty. In Yang's teaching, the illuminated indicator device is described as a Light Emitting Diode (LED) which has specific electrical demands not met in standard alternating current circuits. Also, the plunger design in Yang's teaching could be unintentionally defeated should a plug with a recessed face or an extra insulated cover be used in conjunction with this invention. The invention described within requires no modification of mating devices, uses and maintains adopted standards for electrical receptacle dimensions and can be manufactured at a cost comparable to most modern electrical outlet products. To address ease of operation and reliability, the described device uses a molded cam, positioned in its cavity in the safety receptacle body, which rotates about a fixed axis providing continuous operation with little friction and minimal wear regardless of repeated use. The described invention provides the required measure of safety, simple recognition of the device and a warning to alert the user to any failure of the device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The purpose of this invention is to prevent accidental electrical shock and injury by eliminating the voltage potential normally present in unprotected electrical receptacle sockets unless a proper mating plug is fully inserted into the receptacle. It is also the purpose of this invention to prevent accidental electrical shock and injury to children and others by intentional or inadvertent insertion of an electrical conducting material into the plug socket of an electrical outlet by eliminating the voltage potential normally present in the electrical receptacle until a proper mating plug is fully inserted into the receptacle. It is also the purpose of this invention to minimize the potential of electrical shock by inadvertent contact with the energized plug prongs when partially inserted into the receptacle and in contact with the energized contact therein by eliminating the voltage potential normally present in the electrical receptacle until the mating plug is fully inserted into the receptacle and removing the voltage from the plug prongs prior to the complete removal of the plug prong from the outlet socket. It is also the purpose of this invention to reduce the occurrence of arcing between the prong of the connector plug and the socket of the electrical outlet during the insertion and removal of the plug by eliminating the voltage potential normally present in the electrical receptacle until the mating plug is fully inserted into the receptacle and removing the voltage prior to the complete removal of the plug prong from the outlet socket. It is also the purpose of this invention to provide a clear visible means of identification to easily determine the device is a safety type receptacle by including a unique marking and an illuminated device located on the face of each receptacle. These markings and illuminated devices may be placed between the insertion points for the receptacle sockets, the area surrounding each of the insertion points for the receptacle sockets, or otherwise located to be easily seen and recognizable. The invention encompasses standard wall socket electrical outlet receptacles of the type found in residential, retail, commercial and industrial installations and electrical sockets used in various portable electrical extension cords and apparatus utilizing a socket receptacle configuration for a blade or pin type plug without a safeguard or other device to prevent the intentional or inadvertent insertion of a conducting device into the energized socket thereby creating a potential electric shock hazard to children and others. The invention can be incorporated within a typical electrical outlet receptacle assembly which includes a thermoplastic or other non-conducting cover and base assembly between which are mounted the “line” and “neutral” contact terminals, “ground” wire assembly, switch contacts and contact actuation means with all components electrically isolated from one another. In the invention's normal state, when the receptacle is correctly installed and wired according to design specification and it is not in use, (no mating plug inserted) there is no voltage potential from the “line” side socket to “ground” or to the “neutral” or “ground” sockets of the receptacle. Therefore, should any object capable of electrical conduction be inserted into the receptacle sockets no voltage potential will be present and no shock hazard will be likely. When the correct mating connector plug, with or without grounding pin, is inserted into the receptacle sockets, it contacts a cam which positions electrical contacts within the outlet receptacle assembly closed and energizes the opposite socket. When the mating connector plug is removed, the electrical contacts within the outlet receptacle are moved to the open position by a resilient spring bus mechanism which repositions the cam in the opposite socket, rendering the outlet safe in that the sockets are electrically inactive.
The present invention can be best understood through the following description and accompanying drawings, wherein:


REFERENCES:
patent: 2189676 (1940-02-01), Pfohl
patent: 4271337 (1981-06-01), Barkas
patent: 5112237 (1992-05-01), Yang
patent: 5186539 (1993-02-01), Comerci et al.
patent: 5320545 (1994-06-01), Brothers
patent: 5374199 (1994-12-01), Chung
patent: 5484299 (1996-01-01), Schlessinger
patent: 5865635 (1999-02-01), Hsiang et al.
patent: 5928019 (1999-07-01), Chen et al.
patent: 6111210 (2000-08-01), Allison

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