SAFETY ELECTRICAL OUTLET AND SWITCH SYSTEM

• US 20120129365A1
• Filed: 01/27/2012
• Published: 05/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• 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.
• Granted Patent: US 8,388,371 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 439/92
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/652 with earth pin, blade or socket
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/70 with built-in switch
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2103/00 Two poles
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/78 with additional earth or shield contacts
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 25/006 the coupling part being secured to apparatus or structure, e.g. duplex wall receptacle
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 4/64 Connections between or with conductive parts having primarily a non-electric function, e.g. frame, casing, rail
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 43/00 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing, assembling, maintaining, or repairing of line connectors or current collectors or for joining electric conductors of trolley lines B60M1/28
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/126 with supporting means for mounting on a single wall stud
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/14 Fastening of cover or lid to box
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49126 Assembling bases
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49128 Assembling formed circuit to base
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49169 Assembling electrical component directly to terminal or elongated conductor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49174 Assembling terminal to elongated conductor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49194 Assembling elongated conductors, e.g., splicing, etc.
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49204 Contact or terminal manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49208 by assembling plural parts
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49222 forming array of contacts or terminals

Abstract

An electrical box is mounted on a wall stud, and a wiring panel is installed within the electrical box so as to partition the interior of the electrical box into a user inaccessible wiring compartment and a user accessible module compartment. A protective cover is attached to the wiring panel so as to protect the wiring panel during a makeup phase of wall panel installation and painting. After the makeup phase, the protective cover is removed from the wiring panel and a module having a user operable electrical function is mounted to the wiring panel within the user accessible module compartment.

Claims

1. An electrical wiring system comprising:

an assembled wiring panel sized to fit within an electrical box that houses a power cable and is attached to a construction framing stud, wherein the wiring panel comprises;

a first side comprising a first nonconductive surface and a plurality of electrical panel contacts associated therewith;

a nonconductive panel key structure; and

a nonconductive thermoplastic second side that interfaces with the power cable;

whereas the first side and second side are fastened together to create an assembled wiring panel that internally contains at least a hot bus, neutral bus and ground bus;

said assembled wiring panel comprising a plurality of external power wire connection points that are configured to connect the electrical panel contacts on the first side with the power cable using at least an internal hot bus, a neutral bus and a ground bus; and

a removable module having an electrical function, the module comprising a plurality of module electrical contacts associated therewith that are configured to connect to the plurality of panel electrical contacts on the first side of the wiring panel, wherein the module further comprises a nonconductive module key structure that is configured to engage the nonconductive panel key structure in only one orientation.

2. The electrical wiring system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of electrical panel contacts and the plurality of module electrical contacts do not provide for only one orientation between the wiring panel and the removable module.

3. The electrical wiring system of claim 1, wherein the first nonconductive surface, the nonconductive panel key structure and the nonconductive module key structure comprise thermoplastic.

4. The electrical wiring system of claim 1, further comprising the electrical box, the electrical box comprising at least one of the group comprising:

a single wide configuration, a double wide configuration, a triple wide configuration, or quadruple wide configuration.

5. The electrical wiring system of claim 1, wherein the power cable is routed through a side of the electrical box.

6. The electrical wiring system of claim 1, wherein the assembled wiring panel is further configured to provide positive tactile feedback when the nonconductive module key structure fully engages the nonconductive panel key structure.

7. The electrical wiring system of claim 1, wherein the assembled wiring panel is assembled outside the electrical box.

8. The electrical wiring system of claim 7, wherein the assembled wiring panel is placed in the electrical box prior to insertion of the removable module.

9. The electrical wiring system of claim 1, wherein the nonconductive thermoplastic module key structure is configured to engage the nonconductive thermoplastic panel key structure without the use of tools.

10. The electrical wiring system of claim 1, wherein the module electrical contacts are configured to couple with the panel electrical contacts without requiring a user to access exposed portions of wires.

19. The electrical wiring system of claim 1, wherein the nonconductive thermoplastic module key structure is configured to engage the nonconductive thermoplastic panel key structure without the use of tools.

20. The electrical wiring system of claim 1, wherein the module electrical contacts are configured to couple with the panel electrical contacts without requiring a user to access exposed portions of wires.

11. An electrical wiring system comprising:

an assembled wiring panel sized to fit within an electrical box that houses a power cable and is attached to a construction framing stud, wherein the wiring panel comprises;

a first side comprising a first nonconductive surface and a plurality of electrical panel contacts associated therewith;

a nonconductive panel key structure; and

a nonconductive second side that interfaces with the power cable;

whereas the first side and second side are fastened together to create an assembled wiring panel that internally contains a plurality of isolated power busses;

said assembled wiring panel comprising a plurality of isolated external power wire connection points that are configured to connect the electrical panel contacts on the first side with the power cable; and

a removable module having an electrical switch function, the module comprising a plurality of module electrical contacts associated therewith that are configured to connect to the plurality of panel electrical contacts on the first side of the wiring panel, wherein the module further comprises a nonconductive module key structure that is configured to engage the nonconductive panel key structure in only one orientation.

12. The electrical wiring system of claim 11, wherein the plurality of electrical panel contacts and the plurality of module electrical contacts do not provide for only one orientation between the wiring panel and the removable module.

13. The electrical wiring system of claim 11, wherein the first nonconductive surface, the nonconductive panel key structure and the nonconductive module key structure comprise thermoplastic.

14. The electrical wiring system of claim 11, further comprising the electrical box, the electrical box comprising at least one of the group comprising:

a single wide configuration, a double wide configuration, a triple wide configuration, or quadruple wide configuration.

15. The electrical wiring system of claim 11, wherein the power cable is routed through a side of the electrical box.

16. The electrical wiring system of claim 11, wherein the assembled wiring panel is further configured to provide positive tactile feedback when the nonconductive thermoplastic module key structure fully engages the nonconductive thermoplastic panel key structure.

17. The electrical wiring system of claim 11, wherein the assembled wiring panel is assembled outside the electrical box.

18. The electrical wiring system of claim 17, wherein the assembled wiring panel is placed in the electrical box prior to insertion of the removable module.