ELECTRICAL CORD AND APPARATUS USING SAME

• US 20120231654A1
• Filed: 11/04/2010
• Published: 09/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omachron Intellectual Property Inc.
• Original Assignee: GBD Corporation (G.B.D.)
• Inventors: Conrad, Wayne Ernest
• Granted Patent: US 8,834,209 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 439/488
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6456 comprising keying elements at different positions along the periphery of the connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2103/00 Two poles
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/22 with additional earth or shield contacts
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/68 mounted on directly pluggable apparatus

Abstract

An electricity conducting cord has first and second ends, one of the ends comprising an electrical connection member engageable with a power connection member of an apparatus having an apparatus power rating, at least one of the power connection member and the electrical connection member comprising electrical connectors and a physical cord identification member, the physical cord identification member is configured to inhibit the electricity conducting cord being electrically connected to the power connection member if the electricity conducting cord has a power rating lower than the apparatus power rating.

Claims

1. An appliance having an appliance power rating the appliance comprising

(a) an electrically operated member;

(b) an electrical connection member having a first face; and

,

(c) an electricity conducting cord having a first end connectable in electric communication with the electrical connection member and a second end connectable with a source of electricity, the first end having a second face

wherein one of the first and second faces is provided with male electrical connection members and the other of the first and second faces is provided with mating female electrical connection members and at least one of the first face and the second face have at least one cord identification member configured to prevent the first end of an electricity conducting cord having a power rating lower than the appliance power rating being electrically connected to the electrical connection member.

2. The appliance of claim 1 wherein the electrical connection member has a first cord identification member and the first end of the electricity conducting cord has a second cord identification member.

3. The appliance of claim 2 wherein one of the first and second cord identification members comprises a male cord identification member and the other of the first and second cord identification members comprises a female cord identification member.

4. The appliance of claim 3 wherein the male cord identification member and the female cord identification member are sized, positioned, and/or shaped, and/or the number of male cord identification members that are provided on the end having the male cord identification members, is based on the power rating of the respective part on which the male cord identification member and the female cord identification member is provided.

5. The appliance of claim 3 further comprising a plurality of electricity conducting cords of varying gauges and the male cord identification member increases in size as the gauge of the electricity conducting cord increases.

6. The appliance of claim 3 further comprising a plurality of electricity conducting cords of varying gauges and the female cord identification member decreases in size as the gauge of the electricity conducting cord increases.

7. The appliance of claim 1 wherein the first and second cord identification members are inter-engageable only if the electricity conducting cord has a power rating the same as or higher than the appliance power rating.

8. The appliance of claim 2 wherein one of the first and second cord identification members is a male engagement member and the other of the first and second cord identification members is a female engagement member and the male engagement member is positioned and configured to be engageable with a female engagement member only if the electricity conducting cord has a power rating the same as or higher than the appliance power rating.

14. The appliance of claim 2 wherein the cord identification member of the electrical connection member is positioned or configured based on the power rating of the appliance and the cord identification member of the electricity conducting cord has a power rating based on the length and gauge of the electricity conducting cord.

15. The appliance of claim 1 wherein the cord identification member of the electricity conducting cord is positioned or configured based on the length and gauge of the electricity conducting cord.

16. The appliance of claim 1 wherein the electrical connection member is a plug and the first end of an electricity conducting cord is a socket.

17. The appliance of claim 1 wherein the electrical connection member is a socket and the first end of an electricity conducting cord is a plug.

18. The appliance of claim 1 wherein at least one of the electricity conducting cord and the electrical connection member includes a fuse.

9-13. -13. (canceled)

19-27. -27. (canceled)

28. An electricity conducting cord having first and second ends, one of the ends comprising an electrical connection member engageable with a power connection member of an apparatus having an apparatus power rating, the electrical connection member comprising a face having electrical connectors engageable with mating electrical connectors provided on the power connection member and also having a first physical cord identification member engageable with a second physical cord identification member provided on the power connection member, the physical cord identification member is configured to inhibit the electricity conducting cord being electrically connected to the power connection member if the electricity conducting cord has a power rating lower than the apparatus power rating.

30. The electricity conducting cord of claim 28 wherein one of the first and second cord identification members comprises a male member and the other of the first and second cord identification members comprises a female member.

31. The electricity conducting cord of claim 30 wherein the first physical cord identification member is sized, positioned and/or shaped, or the number of male members is based on the power rating of the respective part on which the protrusion and the recess is provided.

34. The electricity conducting cord of claim 28 wherein the first and second cord identification members are inter-engageable only if the electricity conducting cord has a power rating the same as or higher than the apparatus power rating.

35. The electricity conducting cord of claim 28 wherein one of the first and second cord identification members is a male engagement member and the other of the first and second cord identification members is a female engagement member and the male engagement member is positioned and configured to be engageable with a female engagement member only if the electricity conducting cord has a power rating the same as or higher than the apparatus power rating.

36. The electricity conducting cord of claim 28 wherein the cord identification member of the electrical connection member is positioned or configured based on the power rating of the apparatus and the cord identification member of the electricity conducting cord has a power rating based on the length and gauge of the electricity conducting cord.

37. The electricity conducting cord of claim 28 wherein the cord identification member of the electricity conducting cord is positioned or configured based on the length and gauge of the electricity conducting cord.

29. (canceled)

32-33. -33. (canceled)

38-67. -67. (canceled)