240 volt outlet tester

• US 7,068,038 B2
• Filed: 06/11/2004
• Issued: 06/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: Molloy, Philip Andrew, Patrick, Ronald Dale, Mason, Larry Boyd, Lock, Dave Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Benson, Walter
• Application Number:
  US10/866,223
• Publication Number:
  US 20050275409A1
• Time in Patent Office: 746 Days
• Field of Search: 324/508, 324/133
• US Class Current: 324/508
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/67 Testing the correctness of wire connections in electric apparatus or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/69 of terminals at the end of a cable or a wire harness; of plugs; of sockets, e.g. wall sockets or power sockets in appliances

Abstract

A 240 volt outlet tester is described. The 240 volt outlet tester includes a housing with three or four prongs extending outwardly from a base of the housing. The prongs are designed so that they can be inserted into either a three or four wire 240 volt outlet. Indicator lights are integrated into the housing. A test circuit is located within the housing. The test circuit is designed to detect whether the 240 volt outlet has been wired correctly. If the 240 volt outlet is correctly wired, all the indicator lights integrated into the housing illuminate. If the 240 volt outlet is improperly wired, one or more indicator lights do not illuminate.

Claims

1. A three prong 240 volt outlet tester, comprising in combination:

a housing having three electrically conductive prongs that extend from a base of the housing and that are designed to fit into a three wire 240 volt outlet, and when plugged into the three wire 240 volt outlet, the three prongs comprise a first live terminal, a second live terminal, and a neutral terminal;

a first indicator light and a second indicator light integrated into the housing; and

a circuit located within the housing designed to test wiring to the three wire 240 volt outlet, wherein the circuit includes a first parallel circuit and a second parallel circuit, wherein the first parallel circuit is connected between the first live terminal and the neutral terminal and includes a first resistor connected in parallel with the first indicator light, wherein the second parallel circuit is connected between the first live terminal and the second live terminal and includes a second resistor connected in parallel with the second indicator light.

2. The three prong 240 volt outlet tester of claim 1, wherein the first and second indicator lights identify a status of the wiring to the 240 volt outlet when the three prong 240 volt outlet tester is inserted into the three wire 240 volt outlet.

3. The three prong 240 volt outlet tester of claim 1, wherein the first resistor has a resistance of about 150 kilo ohms and the second resistor has a resistance of about 12 kilo ohms.

4. The three prong 240 volt outlet tester of claim 1, further comprising a third resistor connected in series with the first indicator light and a fourth resistor connected in series with the second indicator light.

5. The three prong 240 volt outlet tester of claim 4, wherein the third and fourth resistors have a resistance of about 100 kilo ohms.

6. The three prong 240 volt outlet tester of claim 1, further comprising a line resistor connected between the second parallel circuit and the second live terminal.

7. The three prong 240 volt outlet tester of claim 6, wherein the line resistor has a resistance of about 12 kilo ohms.

8. A four prong 240 volt outlet tester, comprising in combination:

a housing having four electrically conductive prongs that extend from a base of the housing and are designed to fit into a four wire 240 volt outlet, and when plugged into the four wire 240 volt outlet, the four prongs comprise a first live terminal, a second live terminal, a neutral terminal, and a ground terminal;

a first indicator light, a second indicator light, and a third indicator light integrated into the housing; and

a circuit located within the housing designed to test wiring to the four wire 240 volt outlet, wherein the circuit includes a first parallel circuit, a second parallel circuit, and a third parallel circuit, wherein the first parallel circuit is connected between the first live terminal and the ground terminal and includes a first resistor connected in parallel with the first indicator light, wherein the second parallel circuit is connected between the first live terminal and the second live terminal and includes a second resistor connected in parallel with the second indicator light, and wherein the third parallel circuit is connected between the second live terminal and the neutral terminal and includes a third resistor connected in parallel with the third indicator light.

9. The four prong 240 volt outlet tester of claim 8, wherein the first, second, and third indicator lights identify a status of the wiring to the 240 volt outlet when the four prong 240 volt outlet tester is inserted into the four wire 240 volt outlet.

10. The four prong 240 volt outlet tester of claim 8, wherein the first resistor and the third resistor have a resistance of about 150 kilo ohms and the second resistor has a resistance of about 12 kilo ohms.

11. The four prong 240 volt outlet tester of claim 8, further comprising a fourth resistor connected in series with the first indicator light, a fifth resistor connected in series with the second indicator light, and a sixth resistor connected in series with the third indicator light.

12. The four prong 240 volt outlet tester of claim 11, wherein the fourth, fifth, and sixth resistors have a resistance of about 100 kilo ohms.

13. The four prong 240 volt outlet tester of claim 8, further comprising a line resistor connected between the second parallel circuit and the second live terminal.

14. The four prong 240 volt outlet tester of claim 13, wherein the line resistor has a resistance of about 12 kilo ohms.

15. A method for testing wiring to a three wire 240 volt outlet, comprising in combination:

connecting a first parallel circuit between a first live terminal of the 240 volt outlet and a neutral terminal of the 240 volt outlet, wherein the first parallel circuit includes a first resistor connected in parallel with a first indicator light; and

connecting a second parallel circuit between the first live terminal of the 240 volt outlet and a second live terminal of the 240 volt outlet, wherein the second parallel circuit includes a second resistor connected in parallel with a second indicator light.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first and second indicator lights identify a status of the wiring to the 240 volt outlet.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the first resistor has a resistance of about 150 kilo ohms and the second resistor has a resistance of about 12 kilo ohms.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising connecting a third resistor in series with the first indicator light and a fourth resistor in series with the second indicator light.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the third and fourth resistors have a resistance of about 100 kilo ohms.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising connecting a line resistor between the second parallel circuit and the second live terminal.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the line resistor has a resistance of about 12 kilo ohms.

22. A method for testing wiring to a four wire 240 volt outlet, comprising in combination:

connecting a first parallel circuit between a first live terminal of the 240 volt outlet and a ground terminal of the 240 volt outlet, wherein the first parallel circuit includes a first resistor connected in parallel with a first indicator light;

connecting a second parallel circuit between the first live terminal of the 240 volt outlet and a second live terminal of the 240 volt outlet, wherein the second parallel circuit includes a second resistor connected in parallel with a second indicator light; and

connecting a third parallel circuit between the second live terminal of the 240 volt outlet and a neutral terminal of the 240 volt outlet, wherein the third parallel circuit includes a third resistor connected in parallel with a third indicator light.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the first, second, and third indicator lights identify a status of the wiring to the 240 volt outlet.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the first resistor and the third resistor have a resistance of about 150 kilo ohms and the second resistor has a resistance of about 12 kilo ohms.

25. The method of claim 22, further comprising connecting a fourth resistor in series with the first indicator light, connecting a fifth resistor in series with the second indicator light, and connecting a sixth resistor in series with the third indicator light.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the fourth, fifth, and sixth resistors have a resistance of about 100 kilo ohms.

27. The method of claim 22, further comprising connecting a line resistor between the second parallel circuit and the second live terminal.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the line resistor has a resistance of about 12 kilo ohms.