Wall outlet with direct current output

• US 6,061,261 A
• Filed: 09/12/1996
• Issued: 05/09/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation, Hyundai Electronics America Incorporated (SK Hynix Inc.)
• Inventors: Ellsworth, Daniel L., Chen, Dao-Long
• Primary Examiner(s): Hecker, Stuart N.
• Application Number:
  US08/712,826
• Time in Patent Office: 1,335 Days
• Field of Search: 363/146, 363/147, 363/178
• US Class Current: 363/146
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6675 with built-in power supply
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/703 operated by engagement or disengagement of coupling parts, e.g. dual-continuity coupling partH01R13/71 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/7039 the coupling part with coding means activating the switch to establish different circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2103/00 Two poles
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/58 Contacts spaced along longitudinal axis of engagement
• 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 29/00 Coupling parts for selective co-operation with a counterpart in different ways to establish different circuits, e.g. for voltage selection, for series-parallel selection, programmable connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/28 using discharge tubes with control electrode or semiconductor devices with control electrode to produce the intermediate ac

Abstract

An AC-DC voltage conversion integrate circuit that integrates all the control and protection circuits, as well as the power transistors, into a single module. Passive components, such as the transformer and capacitors, are very small, as the switching frequency is in the KHz or MHz range. Including one or more integrated switched mode power supply ICs in every wall outlet allows for providing a plurality of DC voltages from such outlets.

Claims

1. In combination:

an electrical wall outlet comprising at least one connector and an AC voltage to DC voltage converter coupled to said at least one connector; and

means for selecting a particular DC voltage, from a plurality of DC voltages, for coupling to said at least one connector, wherein said means for selecting comprises at least one of a plurality of objects insertable into said at least one connector, said objects having different insertable lengths.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said means for selecting comprises a linear switch.

3. In combination:

an electrical wall outlet comprising at least one connector and an AC voltage to DC voltage converter coupled to the connector; and

means for selecting a particular DC voltage, from a plurality of DC voltages, for coupling to said at least one connector, wherein said means for selecting comprises an object insertable into said at least one connector, wherein said object, when inserted in said wall outlet, actuates a variable resistor.

4. In combination:

an electrical wall outlet comprising at least one connector and an AC voltage to a DC voltage converter coupled to said at least one connector; and

means for selectively enabling power to said converter.

5. The combination of claim 4 wherein said means for selectively enabling comprises a switch which is switched by insertion of an object into said at least one connector.

6. In combination:

an electrical wall outlet comprising a connector and an AC voltage to a DC voltage converter coupled to the connector; and

means for coupling either said AC voltage or said DC voltage to said connector, wherein said means for selectively coupling is selected by a DC plug comprising a DC pin, and wherein said DC pin has one of a plurality of different lengths depending on the DC voltage to be provided to said at least one connector.

7. The combination of claim 6 wherein the DC plug further comprises two AC pins.

8. A method for supplying at least one voltage to a wall outlet receptacle, comprising the steps of:

converting an AC voltage to a DC voltage; and

providing either said DC voltage or said AC voltage to said wall outlet receptacle as determined by a plug in the receptacle, wherein said converting step is disabled when the plug is not in the receptacle.

9. A method for supplying at least one voltage to a wall outlet receptacle, comprising the steps of:

converting an AC voltage to a DC voltage; and

providing either said DC voltage or said AC voltage to said wall outlet receptacle as determined by a plug in the receptacle, wherein DC voltage is provided to said wall outlet receptacle when the plug is in the receptacle, and AC voltage is provided to said wall outlet receptacle when the plug is not in the receptacle.

10. A method for supplying at least one DC voltage to a wall outlet, comprising the steps of:

coupling at least a portion of a device requiring power to the wall outlet, and then enabling power to an AC to DC voltage converter to provide the at least one DC voltage to the wall outlet; and

decoupling the at least a portion of a device from the wall outlet, and then disabling power to the AC to DC voltage converter.

11. A wall outlet, comprising an AC to DC voltage converter;

and

a switch for selectively activating power to the AC to DC voltage converter.

12. The wall outlet of claim 11, further comprising a receptacle for receiving a plug, wherein the switch is switched by the plug.

13. A method, comprising the step of selectively activating power to an AC to DC voltage converter located in a wall outlet when a plug is inserted in the wall outlet.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein length of the plug selects at least one of a plurality of DC voltages to be provided by the wall outlet.

15. A wall outlet, comprising:

a DC portion having at least one DC output receptacle for providing a DC voltage;

an AC portion having at least one AC output receptacle for providing an AC voltage;

a modular AC voltage to a DC voltage converter disposed between the DC portion and the AC portion; and

a switch for selectively powering the voltage converter.

16. The wall outlet of claim 15, wherein an AC supply voltage is connected to the voltage converter, and wherein the voltage converter couples the AC voltage to the AC portion and couples the DC voltage to the DC portion.