Mini appliance leakage current interrupter

• US 6,122,155 A
• Filed: 11/05/1999
• Issued: 09/19/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tower Manufacturing Corporation (Tower Products Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Tower Manufacturing Corporation (Tower Products Incorporated)
• Inventors: Aromin, Victor V., MacKay, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Jackson, Stephen W.
• Application Number:
  US09/435,217
• Time in Patent Office: 319 Days
• Field of Search: 361/42, 361/45
• US Class Current: 361/42
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/7135 with ground fault protector H01R13/7132 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 3/338 also responsive to wiring error, e.g. loss of neutral, break

Abstract

A miniature appliance leakage current interrupter (ALCI) interrupts the flow of current through a pair of lines extending between a source of power and a load. The ALCI comprises a circuit breaker having a pair of normally closed switches, one switch being located in each of the pair of lines between the source of power and the load. The circuit breaker is connected to a relay circuit which selectively opens the pair of normally closed switches. The relay circuit is connected to a fault detection circuit which detects the presence of a ground fault condition in the pair of lines. When the ground fault condition detected exceeds a predetermined value, an integrated circuit chip in the fault detection circuit causes the relay circuit to open the circuit breaker. The ALCI further includes a housing having a top, a bottom, a front end and a rear end. A prong assembly for supplying power from the source of power to the remainder of the ALCI is in line mounted on the housing. In one embodiment of the present invention, the housing is permanently mounted on an electrical cord connected to the load and the prong assembly includes a line contact prong and a neutral contact prong. In another embodiment of the present invention, the housing is constructed so that it can be removably mounted on an electrical cord connected to the load and the prong assembly includes a line contact prong, a neutral contact prong and a ground contact prong.

Claims

1. An appliance leakage current interrupter (ALCI) for interrupting the flow of current through a pair of lines extending between a source of power and a load, said appliance leakage current interrupter comprising:

(a). a housing comprising a top, a bottom, a front end and a rear end,

(b). a prong assembly for supplying power from the source of power to the remainder of said appliance leakage current interrupter, said prong assembly comprising first and second contact prongs which are in line mounted on said housing.

2. The ALCI of claim 1 further comprising:

(a). a circuit breaker having a pair of normally closed switches, one switch being located in each of the pair of lines extending between the source of power and the load,

(b). a relay circuit for selectively opening the pair of normally closed switches,

(c). a fault detection circuit for detecting the presence of a ground fault condition in the pair of lines extending between the source of power and the load and for causing said relay circuit to open said circuit breaker when said fault condition detected exceeds a predetermined value, said fault detection circuit comprising an integrated circuit chip and a transformer.

3. The ALCI of claim 2 wherein said first contact prong is a neutral contact prong and said second contact prong is a line contact prong.

4. The ALCI of claim 3 wherein the first and second contact prongs extend out the front end of said housing.

5. The ALCI of claim 4 wherein said housing is mounted on an end of an electrical cord connected to the load, the electrical cord having a longitudinal axis.

6. The ALCI of claim 5 wherein said prong assembly further comprises a pair of conductive bracket arms positioned within said housing, each bracket arm being in contact with an associated contact prong and a pair of conductive contact arms pivotally mounted within said housing, each contact arm capable of selective contact with an associated bracket arm, said contact arms being connected to the remainder of said appliance leakage current interrupter such that only when each contact arm is in contact with its associated bracket arm, power is supplied to said appliance leakage current interrupter.

7. An appliance leakage current interrupter (ALCI) for interrupting the flow of current through a pair of lines extending between a source of power and a load, said appliance leakage current interrupter comprising:

(a). a housing comprising a top, a bottom, a front end and a rear end,

(b). a prong assembly for supplying power from the source of power to the remainder of said appliance leakage current interrupter, said prong assembly comprising first, second and third contact prongs which are in line mounted on said housing.

8. The ALCI of claim 7 further comprising:

(a). a circuit breaker having a pair of normally closed switches, one switch being located in each of the pair of lines extending between the source of power and the load,

(b). a relay circuit for selectively opening the pair of normally closed switches,

(c). a fault detection circuit for detecting the presence of a ground fault condition in the pair of lines extending between the source of power and the load and for causing said relay circuit to open said circuit breaker when said fault condition detected exceeds a predetermined value, said fault detection circuit comprising an integrated circuit chip and a transformer.

9. The ALCI of claim 8 wherein said first contact prong is a neutral contact prong, said second contact prong is a line contact prong and said third contact prong is a ground contact prong.

10. The ALCI of claim 9 wherein the first, second and third contact prongs extend out the front end of said housing.

11. The ALCI of claim 10 wherein said housing is constructed so that it can be removably mounted on an end of an electrical cord connected to the load, the electrical cord having a longitudinal axis.