Safety electrical connection system

• US 6,817,873 B1
• Filed: 10/07/2002
• Issued: 11/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alexandra Block, ANDREW KALANI NIHEU & JAY DEEP CHITNIS, Andrew M. Jenkins, Anne M. Mahoney, Baker Ken, Baum Family Trust, Binkley Family Trust, Bonnie Austin, Brandon Dinoto, Brandon Moore Utma, BRIAN DRISCOLL AND/OR DRISCOLL INVESTMENTS INC., Bruce Johnson, BRUCE & LORENE BOWERS, BRUCE & SANDY BRANDENBURG, CARL A LARSON, TRUSTEE LARSON 1995 REVOCABLE TRUST DTD 11/17/1995, CARL KOBAYASHI & MISHELLE NISHIDA, Chea Chung, CHRISTOPHER MOORE INDIVIDUALLY & AS TRUSTEE MOORE FAMILY TRUST DTD 10/3/2006, Christy L. Hendrickson Trust, CLAUDE KORDUS TRUSTEE KORDUS FAMILY TRUST, CLIFF & MAKOTO MCQUEEN, Court Wilson, Craig Hillegas, Daniel Allen, Daniel C. Serpe, DANIEL & KIMBERLY DOTSON, Daniel White, Dan Way, DAVID & BONNIC AUSTIN INDIVIDUALLY AND AS TRUSTEES AUSTIN FAMILY TRUST DTD 10/1/1999, David Caldwell, David L. Lyon, Dominique Pandolfi, DONALD D. LEARNED, TRUSTEE DONALD LEARNED TRUST C/O SCOTT LEARNED, DONALD & MARY SPENCER, Don Farris Inc Retirement Trust, Doug Cox, Elizabeth Willis, Eric Rawa, Estate Of Gary W. Dixon, GARY & BARBARA A. GENTZKOW AND/OR BARBARA GENTZKOW'S IRA, GARY & LINDSEY BLOCK, George Block, Glenn Frieder, Gloria Marie Gammill, GREG A. JIRAK & LORI HUBBART, GREG BLOCK, TRUSTEE, BLOCK FAMILY TRUST DTD 6/22/1990, Greg MacDonald, Gregory A. Block, Gregory Bernett, HARDEY, JULIE E. AKA JULIE HELLUM FBO BREE DIXON, Hardie David, Howard Brian Malloy, Ian Nausner, IVAN & LORI MENDELSON, James Clifford, James Gammill, JAMES GEVARGES & DOMINIQUE BEITKANOUN, JAMES & KIM WEINBERGER, JAMES & ROBYN CARBAUGH, JANELL SKOMER AKA JANELL SOHMER-BLOCK C/O GREGORY BLOCK, Jeffrey Lubin, Jeffrey Teza, Jeff Schott, Jerry E. Jageman, John Chu, John F. Zolezzi, JOHN & LAUARIE DEWITT AND/OR THIEIR IRAS, JOHN & LYNN BOWEN, TRUSTEES BOWN FAMILY TRUST DTD 11/21/1985, Jon Hillegas, JULIUS & MARRIETTA ZOLEZZI, KASHAN PIRACHA (KPN, LLC), Katherine Williams, KENNETH & JANET SHANER, Ken Rubin, Kevin Thomas Dinoto, Kristopher Dinoto, Laura Lewis, Laurence Balter, LINDA MOORE INDIVIDUALLY & AS TRUSTEE LINDA B. MOORE PERSONAL TRUST, Lisa Odenweller, Lori Shook, MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS LIMITED C/O SMC MULTI-MEDIA, Man-Ling Lai, Marc Cahal, Marc Odenweller, MARION J. BAUER ROSIDUARY TRUST C/O BLOCK, GAUNCE & ASSOCIATES, MARK & DIANA KENNEY, TRUSTEES KENNEY FAMILY TRUST DTD 11/29/1996, Mark McDonald, Marview Holdings, Inc., Maui Preparatory Academy, Megan Molloy, Melody Kitchens, MICHAEL & ANASTASIA FARRELL AND/OR STERLING TRUST CO. FBO MICHAEL FARRELL, Michael Bosworth, Michael Dewitt, MICHAEL MCLOUGHLIN, TRUSTEE MCLOUGHLIN FAMILY TRUST DTD 3/22/1994, Milton F. Damerow, NGUYEN, PETER (KPN, LLC), Nicholas Block, Nicole Cox, Norman M. Estin Trust, Parvis Nabavi, Paul Block, Persis Hataria, PHILIP BURKHARDT, TRUSTEE BURKHARDT 2005 FAMILY TRUST AND/OR THEIR IRAS, Phillip Moore, PHYLLIS ORNDORFF, TRUSTEE PHYLLIS ORNDORFF TRUST DTD 12-30-2010, RANDY & LONA KENT, R/Com Retail Services, LLC, Richard Babcock, RICHARD & DEBRA MYTKO, RICHARD & JACQUELINE SMITH, Robert C. Albrow, Robert M. Skomer, Robert W. Dudley Trust, Ronald S. Chapman, RYAN & SUSAN BOWERS, Ryota Komaru, Samantha Carroll, Scot Hall, Sean Mundy, Shaochong Yan, SMC Multi-Media Products Company Limited (SMC Multi-Media Limited), S Steven Podstreleny, Steve Benshoof, Steve Marlette, Steven Purves, Steven Sreb, STUART & KAREN SHAFER, Sydney Block, TERRENCE E. LEE, TRUSTEE TERRENCE E. LEE TRUST, Terrill Stewart, Terry Davis, THOMAS DINOTO, TRUSTEE DINOTO FAMILY TRUST DTD 1/11/1993, Thomas Goergen, Thomas H. Zolezzi, Timothy Karis Sirak LLC, TIM WALKER, TRUSTEE WALKER FAMILY TRUST DTD 7/21//2009, Valeo Partners LLC, Vincent Guzzetta Vascular Associates Co., WALTER & REBECCA HICKEL C/O CALWEST PROPERTIES, WARREN & ROBIN COHEN, Wendy Frieder, William Orndorff
• Original Assignee: Protectconnect Incorporated
• Inventors: Gorman, Michael P.
• Primary Examiner(s): HYEON, HAE M
• Application Number:
  US10/265,857
• Time in Patent Office: 771 Days
• Field of Search: 439/139-142, 439/145, 439/911, 439/299, 174/66, 174/67
• US Class Current: 439/140
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/4538 Covers sliding or withdrawing in the direction of engagement
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6395 for wall or panel outlets
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/71 Contact members of coupling parts operating as switch , e.g. linear or rotational movement required after mechanical engagement of coupling part to establish electrical connection
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2103/00 Two poles
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/78 with additional earth or shield contacts
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 439/911 Safety, e.g. electrical disconnection required before opening housing

Abstract

A blocking outlet and corresponding locking plug provide a completely enclosed safety electrical connection system for supplying electrical power from a wall fixture. The blocking outlet installs in a conventional wall-mounted electrical box, providing access to building electrical wiring. The outlet has receptacles that retain spring-loaded covers, which have a closed position generally flush with the front side of the face plate. The springs provide sufficient tension to the covers to block small children from inserting fingers or foreign objects into a receptacle, preventing inadvertent exposure to hazardous voltage. Yet adults can easily insert a corresponding locking plug directly into a receptacle without cover removal. Regardless, the interior of a receptacle has no exposed contacts. Small access apertures in the interior of an outlet receptacle contain recessed contacts. When inserted, the plug compresses the cover fully into the receptacle to an open position, exposing the access apertures to retractable plug prongs. An ergonomic finger hold on the plug is pulled-out to retract the prongs for insertion into an outlet. After insertion, the finger hold is pushed-in to extend the prongs into the access slots, wiping against the outlet contacts and connecting the plug to electrical power. The extended prongs also lock the plug into the receptacle. For removal, the finger hold is pulled-out, unlocking the plug, which can then be easily pulled from the outlet. A face plate seals the receptacles and provides a wall trim for both the electrical box and the outlet in a manner comparable to a standard face plate. An adapter plug has a socket that accepts a standard AC plug, converting it to a locking plug.

Claims

1. A safety electrical connection system comprising:

a safety outlet adapted to electrically connect to an electrical power source;

a receptacle defined by said safety outlet and having an opening;

a cover disposed in said receptacle and having a closed position proximate to and blocking said opening and an open position distal to said opening;

a safety plug adapted to transmit power to an electrical load;

a probe defined by said safety plug and adapted to insert into said receptacle;

a prong disposed within said probe and having an unlocked position retracted within said probe and a locked position extending from said probe;

a push button disposed on said safety plug and configured to be pressed so as to move said prong to said unlocked position;

an aperture defined within said receptacle and adapted to receive said prong in said locked position;

a ground sleeve disposed within said receptacle; and

a ground bar disposed along said probe,

said ground bar configured to contact said ground sleeve when said probe is inserted into said receptacle.

2. The safety electrical connection system according to claim 1 further comprising an adapter socket disposed on said safety plug and adapted to receive a standard plug so as to connect said safety plug to an electrical load.

3. The safety electrical connection system according to claim 2 further comprising a door disposed on said safety plug and adapted to enclose said standard plug.

4. A safety electrical connection system comprising:

a safety outlet adapted to electrically connect to an electrical power source;

a receptacle defined by said safety outlet and having an opening;

a cover disposed in said receptacle and having a closed position proximate to and blocking said opening and an open position distal to said opening;

a safety plug adapted to transmit power to an electrical load;

a probe defined by said safety plug and adapted to insert into said receptacle;

a prong disposed within probe and having an unlocked position retracted within said probe and a locked position extending from said probe;

a ground sleeve disposed within said receptacle; and

a ground bar disposed along said probe,

said ground bar configured to contact said ground sleeve when said probe is inserted into said receptacle.

5. The safety electrical connection system according to claim 4 further comprising an adapter socket disposed on said safety plug and adapted to receive a standard plug so as to connect said safety plug to an electrical load.

6. The safety electrical connection system according to claim 5 further comprising a door disposed on said safety plug and adapted to enclose said standard plug.

7. A safety electrical connection system comprising:

a safety outlet adapted to electrically connect to an electrical power source;

a receptacle defined by said safety outlet and having an opening;

a cover disposed in said receptacle and having a closed position proximate to and blocking said opening and an open position distal to said opening;

a safety plug adapted to transmit power to an electrical load;

a probe defined by said safety plug and adapted to insert into said receptacle;

a prong disposed within said probe and having an unlocked position retracted within said probe and a locked position extending from said probe;

a finger hold disposed on said safety plug and configured to be pulled-out and pushed-in so as to move said prong between said unlocked position and said locked position; and

an aperture defined within said receptacle and adapted to receive said prong in said locked position.

8. The safety electrical connection system according to claim 7 further comprising:

a ground sleeve disposed within said receptacle; and

a ground bar disposed along said probe,

said ground bar configured to contact said ground sleeve when said probe is inserted into said receptacle.

9. The safety electrical connection system according to claim 8 further comprising an adapter socket disposed on said safety plug and adapted to receive a standard plug so as to connect said safety plug to an electrical load.

10. The safety electrical connection system according to claim 9 further comprising a door disposed on said safety plug and adapted to enclose said standard plug.