Recessed power system

• US 10,285,297 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2016
• Issued: 05/07/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bretford Manufacturing Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Bretford Manufacturing Incorporated
• Inventors: Bratcher, Virgil, Petrick, Christopher, Banach, Matt, Goodfellow, Andrew, Mowry, Jeff, Deros, Yani
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): Matey, Michael A
• Application Number:
  US15/183,841
• Publication Number:
  US 20160302321A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,055 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/4536 Inwardly pivoting shutter
• 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 24/76 with sockets, clips or analogous contacts and secured to apparatus or structure, e.g. to a wall
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/84 Hermaphroditic coupling devices
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/026 Multiple connections subassemblies

Abstract

A power system includes a chassis, a plurality of conductors disposed within the chassis, and apertures formed within the chassis to provide consistent access to power provided by the conductors by a modular power component when the modular power component is oriented in at least two orientations relative to the chassis. The modular power components are removable from the power system and may be implemented to provide AC or DC power at a surface. The modular power components rotate relative to the chassis to extend above the surface when in use or to be flush with the surface when not in use.

Claims

1. A connector for a power system, comprising:

a first connector body having a first surface, a first portion of the first surface defining a concave area and a second portion of the first surface defining a convex area, the convex area and concave area being mirror images of each other, the first surface being configured to mate with a similarly configured second surface of a matching second connector body;

a plurality of magnets disposed about the first surface of the first connector body;

a first male electrical connector prong extending from the first surface of the first connector body; and

a first female electrical connector slot defined in the first surface of the first connector body.

2. The connector of claim 1, wherein the first female electrical connector slot is configured to receive a second male electrical connector prong extending from the second surface of the matching second connector body.

3. The connector of claim 1, wherein the first male electrical connector prong extends outward from the first connector body from the concave area of the first portion of the first surface and the first female electrical connector slot is defined within the first connector body in the convex area of the second portion of the first surface.

4. The connector of claim 1, wherein the connector includes three male electrical connectors extending from the first surface of the first connector body and three female electrical connector slots defined within the first connector body and accessed through slots defined in the first surface.

5. The connector of claim 4, wherein the three male connectors extend from the concave area of the first portion of the first surface and the three female electrical connector slots are defined in the convex area of the second portion of the first surface.

6. The connector of claim 1, further comprising at least one asymmetric feature of the first surface defining the connector as either a male connector or a female connector.

7. The connector of claim 6, wherein the at least one asymmetric feature is a tab extending beyond the first surface on a first location of the first surface and an indentation extending into the first surface at a second location of the first surface.

8. The connector of claim 7, wherein the first location and the second location are symmetrically located about a center line of the first surface.

9. The connector of claim 6, wherein the first location and second location are reversed in a male version of the connector when compared to a female version of the connector.

10. A power system, comprising:

at least one modular power component having a first female receptacle formed thereon for receiving a male plug;

a body configured to receive the at least one modular power component;

a locking slide disposed within the body and movable relative to the body, the locking slide having a plurality of extensions to selectively engage feet of the modular power component within the body in a first position relative to the body and a corresponding plurality of openings to selectively not engage the feet of the modular power component within the body in a second position relative to the body, wherein the locking slide is movable between the first position and the second position to selectively enable the modular power component to be secured within the body when the locking slide is in the first position and to selectively enable the modular power component to be separated from the body when the locking slide is in the second position;

a chassis disposed within the body, the chassis having a plurality of slots in each of a plurality of modular power component receiving areas;

at least a second modular power component having a second female receptacle formed thereon;

the plurality of modular power components being supported by the chassis in the modular power component receiving areas, the modular power components having power connectors extending through the slots; and

a power distribution system disposed below the chassis and in electrical communication with the power connectors of each of the plurality of modular power components;

wherein a first subset of the slots in a first of the receiving areas are arranged to correspond with the power connectors of a first of the modular power components when the first of the modular power components is oriented in a first direction, and wherein a second subset of the slots in the first of the receiving areas are arranged to correspond with the power connectors of the first of the modular power components when the first of the modular power components is oriented in a second direction.

11. The power system of claim 10, wherein the locking slide is movable from the first position to the second position from outside the body via an aperture in the body.

12. The power system of claim 10, wherein the first direction is 180 degrees rotated from the second direction.

13. The power system of claim 10, wherein at least one slot of the first subset of slots is also included in the second subset of slots.

14. The power system of claim 13, wherein at least two slots of the first subset of slots are not included in the second subset of slots.

15. The power system of claim 10, wherein the power distribution system includes a plurality of conductors disposed below the slots.

16. The power system of claim 15, wherein the plurality of conductors includes a first pair of hot conductors, a second pair of neutral conductors, and at least one ground conductor.

17. The power system of claim 16, wherein the plurality of conductors are formed as bus bars, wherein the ground conductor is a middle bus bar and the first and second pair of hot and neutral conductors being arranged symmetrically relative to the middle bus bar.

18. The power system of claim 17, wherein the chassis is configured to shed water away from the plurality of conductors.

19. The power system of claim 17, wherein the chassis is configured to prevent a person from touching the conductors when the modular power component is removed from the power system.

20. A power system, comprising:

a body configured to house one or more modular power components, the body having a top surface with a circumferential lip extending beyond a peripheral edge of the body to support the body within an aperture in a worksurface of a piece of furniture when the body is inserted into the aperture in the worksurface of the piece of furniture;

a retaining bracket configured to extend beyond the peripheral edge of the body and below a lower surface of the worksurface of the piece of furniture;

a plurality of first friction elements on the retaining bracket, the plurality of first friction elements being configured to engage a corresponding plurality of second friction elements on the body to hold the retaining bracket relative to the body; and

spring tabs formed on an upper surface of the retaining bracket to engage the lower surface of the worksurface of the piece of furniture to pull a lower surface of the circumferential lip into snug engagement with a top surface of the worksurface of the piece of furniture.

21. The power system of claim 20, wherein the retaining bracket is configured to encircle the body, wherein first friction elements on the retaining bracket are formed in four locations about an interior surface of the bracket, and wherein the second friction elements on the body are formed in four corresponding locations on an exterior surface of body.

22. The power system of claim 20, wherein the body has a plurality of tabs, and wherein the second friction elements on the body are formed on the tabs.

23. The power system of claim 20, wherein the first and second friction elements are serrated teeth.

24. The power system of claim 20, wherein the first and second friction elements are bumps and detents.