Electrical wiring devices with a protective shutter

• US 20070049077A1
• Filed: 08/31/2005
• Published: 03/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Leviton Manufacturing Company Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Leviton Manufacturing Company Incorporated
• Inventors: Germain, Frantz
• Granted Patent: US 7,455,538 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 439/135
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 83/04 with testing means for indicating the ability of the switch or relay to function properly
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/4534 Laterally sliding shutter
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/652 with earth pin, blade or socket
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2103/00 Two poles
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/78 with additional earth or shield contacts
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 25/006 the coupling part being secured to apparatus or structure, e.g. duplex wall receptacle

Abstract

Electrical wiring devices with user accessible connections and a shutter system for preventing unwanted objects from being inserted into the devices to the user accessible connections is provided.

Claims

1. An electrical wiring device with user accessible connections comprising:

a housing having a top cover with at least two slots for receiving the prongs of a load connection device;

a user accessible connection within the housing; and

a shutter moveable between a blocking position relative to the at least two slots and an open position relative to the at least two slots, the shutter being movable from the blocking position to the open position by the insertion of the prongs of the load connection device into the slots.

2. The electrical wiring device according to claim 1, wherein the shutter movement from the blocking position to the open position is a sliding movement.

3. The electrical wiring device according to claim 1, wherein the shutter movement from the blocking position to the open position is a rotational movement.

4. The electrical wiring device according to claim 1, wherein the electrical wiring device is a receptacle with a set of blade receiving slots and wherein the shutter when in the blocking position is between the set of blade slots and the user accessible connection.

5. The electrical wiring device according to claim 4, wherein the shutter includes a pair of inclined surfaces wherein one inclined surface is aligned with one blade receiving slot and the other inclined surface is aligned with the other blade receiving slot, such that when at least a portion of load connection device is inserted into the set of blade receiving slots that portion engages the inclined surfaces.

6. The electrical wiring device according to claim 5, wherein when the portion of a load connection device is inserted into the set of blade receiving slots that portion engages the inclined surfaces and upon substantially equal pressure applied to the inclined surfaces allows the shutter to move from the blocking position to the open position.

7. The electrical wiring device according to claim 4, wherein the receptacle is a duplex receptacle with two sets of at least two blade slots and a shutter for each set of blade slots.

8. The electrical wiring device according to claim 4, wherein the receptacle is a circuit interrupting device having at least one set of blade receiving slots and a shutter associated with the at least one set of blade receiving slots.

9. An electrical wiring device with user accessible connections comprising:

housing means with at least one set of slots in a top surface for permitting the prongs of a load connection device into the housing means for electrically connecting the load connection device to internally located user accessible contacts; and

shutter means located behind the top surface and at least partially moveable between a blocking position which blocks access to the internally located user accessible contacts through at least one of the slots and an open position which allows access to the internally located user accessible contacts through the slots, the shutter means being movable from the blocking position to the open position upon insertion of the prongs of a load connection device into the slots.

10. The electrical wiring device according to claim 9, wherein the shutter means movement between the blocking position and the open position is a sliding movement.

11. The electrical wiring device according to claim 9, wherein the shutter means movement between the blocking position and the open position is a rotational movement.

12. The electrical wiring device according to claim 9, wherein the housing means forms at least part of an electrical receptacle and wherein the at least one set of slots comprises a pair of slots.

13. The electrical wiring device according to claim 9, wherein the shutter means includes means for facilitating movement of the shutter means from the blocking position to the open position.

14. The electrical wiring device according to claim 13, wherein the means for facilitating movement of the shutter means comprises a pair of inclined surfaces aligned with the at least one set of slots.

15. The electrical wiring device according to claim 14, wherein the at least one set of slots comprises one set of two slots and wherein one inclined surface is aligned with one slot and the other inclined surface is aligned with the other slot, such that when at least a portion of load connection device is inserted into the set of slots that portion engages the inclined surfaces.

16. The electrical wiring device according to claim 14, wherein when the portion of a load connection device is inserted into the at least one set of slots that portion engages the inclined surfaces and upon substantially equal pressure applied to the inclined surfaces allows the shutter means to move from the blocking position to the open position.