Low voltage buss system

• US 10,186,801 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2015
• Issued: 01/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ideal Industries Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Ideal Industries Incorporated
• Inventors: Zantout, Alan Emad, Swedberg, Benjamin David, Fildes, Trevor Don
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thienvu
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sun, Pinping
• Application Number:
  US14/986,225
• Publication Number:
  US 20160268728A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,118 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/20 Cooling means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/266 Arrangements to supply power to external peripherals either directly from the computer or under computer control, e.g. supply of power through the communication port, computer controlled power-strips
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4068 Electrical coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6205 Two-part coupling devices held in engagement by a magnet
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2103/00 Two poles
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 25/142 Their counterparts
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 25/147 Low voltage devices, i.e. safe to touch live conductors
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/37 Converter circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/18 via data-bus transmission

Abstract

An electrical buss has a carrier and at least a pair of electrically conductive elements. The at least a pair of electrically conductive elements extend linearly along a length of the carrier and at least a portion of each of the least a pair of electrically conductive elements is exposed at a surface of the carrier. A connector is releasably couplable to the electrical buss adjacent to the surface of the carrier. The connector has at least a pair of electrically conductive contacts for engaging with the electrically conductive elements at any desired location along the length of the carrier.

Claims

1. A device for connecting to an electrical bus comprising a carrier, at least a pair of electrically conductive elements providing DC power linearly arranged along a mating surface of the carrier, and a linearly arranged ferromagnetic element carried by the carrier, the device comprising:

a housing adapted to be releasably couplable to the electrical bus, the housing having a mating surface adapted to be disposed upon the mating surface of the carrier, the mating surface of the housing carrying at least three electrically conductive contacts wherein the at least three electrically conductive contacts are concentrically arranged on the mating surface of the housing about an axis that is perpendicular to the mating surface of the carrier when the housing is disposed on the carrier such that the mating surface of the housing is rotatatable about the axis that is perpendicular to the mating surface of the carrier to allow the mating surface of the housing to be disposed in a plurality of positions upon the mating surface of the carrier in each of which at least two of the electrically conductive contacts engage with the at least a pair of electrically conductive elements, a magnet arranged to generate a magnetic field to magnetically cooperate with the ferromagnetic element, and an output port electrically coupled to the at least three electrically conductive contacts for providing DC power received from the at least the pair of electrically conductive elements via the at least two of the electrically conductive contacts engaged with the at least the pair of electrically conductive elements to a further device couplable to the output port.

2. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the ferromagnetic element carries an electrical signal and the magnet is arranged to engage with the ferromagnetic element to receive the electrical signal.

3. The device as recited in claim 2, wherein the electrical signal received from the ferromagnetic element via the magnet is provided to the output port.

4. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the housing further comprises a pair of forks insertable into an AC power outlet and the pair of forks are coupled to a circuit for converting AC power received from the AC power outlet via the pair of forks to DC power for provision to the output port.

5. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the housing comprises an upper portion and a base portion that is rotatable relative to the upper portion and wherein the base portion comprises the mating surface of the housing.

6. The device as recited in claim 5, wherein the upper portion comprises the output port.

7. The device as recited in claim 6, wherein one of the base portion and the upper portion further comprises a pair of forks insertable into an AC power outlet and the pair of forks are coupled to a circuit for converting AC power received from the AC power outlet via the pair of forks to DC power for provision to the output port.

8. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the magnet is positioned on the axis that is perpendicular to the mating surface.

9. A device for connecting to an electrical bus comprising a carrier, at least a pair of electrically conductive elements providing DC power linearly arranged along the carrier, and a linearly arranged ferromagnetic element carried by the carrier, the device comprising:

a housing adapted to be releasably couplable to the electrical bus, the housing having at least three, concentrically arranged, electrically conductive contacts arranged such that at least two of the electrically conductive contacts engage with the at least a pair of electrically conductive elements when the housing is releasable coupled to the electrical bus, at least one magnet arranged to generate a magnetic field to magnetically cooperate with the ferromagnetic element, an output port electrically coupled to the at least three electrically conductive contacts for providing DC power received from the at least the pair of electrically conductive elements via the at least two of the electrically conductive contacts engaged with the at least the pair of electrically conductive elements to a further device couplable to the output port, a pair of forks insertable into an AC power outlet, and a circuit coupled to the pair of forks for converting AC power received from the AC power outlet via the pair of forks to DC power for provision to the output port.

10. The device as recited in claim 9, wherein the ferromagnetic element carries an electrical signal and the magnet is arranged to engage with the ferromagnetic element to receive the electrical signal.

11. The device as recited in claim 10, wherein the electrical signal received from the ferromagnetic element via the magnet is provided to the output port.

12. The device as recited in claim 9, wherein the housing comprises an upper portion and a base portion that is rotatable relative to the upper portion and wherein the at least three-concentrically arranged, electrically conductive contacts are disposed on the base portion.

13. The device as recited in claim 12, wherein the upper portion comprises the output port.

14. The device as recited in claim 13, wherein one of the base portion and the upper portion comprises the pair of forks.