| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|
| 20090184787 | Protective Device Having a Thin Construction - The present invention is directed to a wiring device that includes a front cover assembly. The front cover assembly includes a front cover having at least one plug receptacle opening disposed therein. A ground strap is coupled to the cover assembly. A device assembly includes a plurality of line terminals configured to be connected to an AC power source, a plurality of load terminals configured to be connected to a downstream load, and at least one set of receptacle load terminals in communication with the at least one receptacle opening. The device assembly also includes a fault response circuit coupled to the plurality of line terminals. A back cover is coupled to the front cover assembly to accommodate the device assembly therein. The ground strap element is disposed between the front cover assembly and the back cover. The back cover extending beyond the ground strap a distance substantially less than or equal to one inch. | 07-23-2009 |
| 20090251148 | Protective Device with End-Of-Life Indication Before Power Denial - The present invention is directed to an electrical wiring device that includes an automatic self-test assembly coupled to the plurality of line terminals or the plurality of load terminals, the detection circuit, the fault detection circuit and the circuit interrupter assembly. The automatic self-test assembly is configured to cause the detection circuit to generate a simulated sensor fault signal during a predetermined half-cycle of an AC line cycle in accordance with a predetermined periodic testing schedule, monitor the fault detection signal corresponding to the simulated sensor fault signal, and generate a test result signal based on monitoring the fault detection signal. The automatic self-test assembly also includes a noise immunized decision circuit configured to evaluate a plurality of test results to thereby provide a noise immunized end-of-life signal. One of the conductive paths that connects the plurality of line terminals and the plurality of load terminals being interrupted in response to the noise immunized end-of-life signal. | 10-08-2009 |
| 20100053826 | Electrical Wiring Device - The present invention is directed to an electrical wiring device that includes a plurality of line terminals including a line hot terminal and a line neutral terminal, and a plurality of load terminals including a load hot terminal and a load neutral terminal. An interrupting contact assembly includes four sets of interrupting contacts configured to provide electrical continuity at least between the line hot terminal and the load hot terminal and the line neutral terminal and the load neutral terminal in a reset state. The four sets of interrupting contacts are open in a tripped state. A miswire prevention arrangement is configured to prevent the interrupting contact assembly from maintaining the reset state when the load hot terminal and the load neutral terminal are connected to a source of AC power. | 03-04-2010 |
| 20100123982 | PROTECTIVE DEVICE HAVING A THIN CONSTRUCTION - The present invention is directed to an electrical wiring device that includes a front cover member having a front major surface and a back cover member having a back major surface substantially in parallel with the front major surface. The housing further includes an electrically isolating member disposed between the front cover member and the back cover member such that a front interior region is formed between the front cover member and the electrically isolating member and a rear interior region is formed between the back cover member and the electrically isolating member. The user accessible reset button assembly establishes a plane normal to the major front surface and subdividing the rear interior region into a first rear interior region portion and a second rear interior region portion. The interrupting contact assembly is configured to provide electrical continuity between the plurality of line terminals, the plurality of load terminals and the plurality of receptacle terminals in a reset state. The plurality of line terminals, the plurality of load terminals and the plurality of receptacle terminals are decoupled in a tripped state. A protective electrical assembly includes a sensor assembly coupled to the plurality of line terminals and a solenoid assembly coupled to the interrupting contact assembly. The sensor assembly and the solenoid assembly are substantially disposed in the first rear interior region portion. The sensor assembly includes at least one toroidal transformer having a toroidal axis and the solenoid assembly including a solenoid coil having a solenoid coil axis. The toroidal axis and the solenoid coil axis are substantially parallel to one another. | 05-20-2010 |
| 20110115511 | ELECTRICAL DEVICE WITH MISWIRE PROTECTION AND AUTOMATED TESTING - The present invention is directed to an electrical wiring device that includes an actuator assembly that is responsive to the fault detection signal. The actuator assembly includes a breaker coil configured to generate an actuation force in response to being energized. A circuit interrupter includes four sets of movable contacts configured to be driven into a reset state in response to a reset stimulus, the four sets of movable contacts being configured to be driven into a tripped state in response to the actuation force. A self-test circuit is coupled to the plurality of line terminals or the at least one sensor. The self-test circuit is configured to automatically generate a test signal from time to time during a predetermined portion of an AC power line cycle. The self-test circuit is configured such that the test signal is sensed by the at least one sensor when the at least one sensor is operational, the sensor output signal being a function of the test signal. A monitor circuit is configured to monitor the fault detection circuit or the actuator assembly; the mechanical actuation force is substantially inhibited when the fault detection circuit or at least a portion of the actuator assembly properly respond to the test signal. The monitor circuit generates an end-of-life response if the fault detection circuit or the actuator assembly do not respond to the test signal within a predetermined period of time. | 05-19-2011 |
| 20110148423 | PROTECTIVE DEVICE WITH AUTOMATED SELF-TEST - The present invention is directed to an electrical wiring device that includes at least one sensor that provides a sensor output signal corresponding to electrical perturbations propagating on the plurality of line terminals or the plurality of load terminals. A protective circuit assembly configured to detect a fault condition when the sensor output signal substantially corresponds to at least one predetermined fault criterion and generate a trip actuation signal in response thereto. A solenoid coil is configured to generate a trip actuation force in response to the trip actuation signal. A circuit interrupter assembly includes movable contacts configured to be driven into a tripped state in response to the trip actuation force. An automatic fault simulation circuit is configured to generate a self-test signal without execution of software code. The self-test signal is generated such that it is sensed by the at least one sensor if the at least one sensor is operational. An end-of-life detection circuit is coupled to the protective circuit assembly. The end-of-life detection circuit is configured to monitor the protective circuit assembly without execution of software code. The end-of-life detection circuit is configured to substantially inhibit the trip actuation force when the protective circuit assembly detects the fault condition and generates the trip actuation signal in response to the self-test signal. The end-of-life detection circuit is configured to generate an end-of-life response if the protective circuit assembly does not respond to the self-test signal within a predetermined period of time. | 06-23-2011 |
| 20110188160 | PROTECTIVE DEVICE HAVING A THIN CONSTRUCTION - The present invention is directed to an electrical wiring device that includes a housing having a front cover member having a front major surface. The front major surface includes at least one set of receptacle openings formed in at least one end thereof. The at least one set of receptacle openings is configured to accommodate at least one plug set including a ground prong, hot plug blade and neutral plug blade. The housing further comprises a front cover member, a back cover member, and an electrically isolating separator member disposed therebetween. The electrically isolating separator member includes at least one ground compartment configured to accommodate and electrically isolate the ground prong. A protective circuit assembly is at least partially disposed on a printed circuit board (PCB) that is positioned in the back cover member such that a lower spatial region is formed between the PCB and the at least one ground compartment. The lower spatial region is within a lower plane substantially parallel to the back major surface. The protective circuit assembly includes an actuator assembly and a toroidal sensor having a central toroid aperture. The actuator assembly includes a solenoid coil operatively connected to a latch block assembly. The at least one ground compartment, the toroidal sensor and the solenoid coil are substantially aligned with a central longitudinal plane normal to the front major surface. An end portion of the actuator assembly is substantially adjacent a side wall of the at least one ground compartment and the central toroid aperture is substantially disposed in the lower plane such that a distance from the interior ground strap portion and the back major surface is less than or equal to a predetermined distance. | 08-04-2011 |
| 20110261490 | PROTECTION DEVICE WITH A SANDWICHED CANTILEVER BREAKER MECHANISM - The present invention is directed to a protective electrical wiring device that includes a housing assembly having a plurality of receptacle terminals comprising hot user-accessible terminal structure and a neutral user-accessible terminal structure accessible via at least one user-accessible receptacle. A circuit interrupting assembly is coupled to a fault detection circuit. The circuit interrupting assembly is configured to establish electrical continuity between the plurality of line terminals, the plurality of load terminals and the plurality of receptacle terminals in a reset state and interrupt the electrical continuity in a tripped state. The circuit interrupting assembly includes at least one first circuit interrupter member and at least one second circuit interrupter member, the at least one first circuit interrupter member being configured to drive the at least one second circuit interrupter member into the reset state in response to a make force. The at least one first circuit interrupter member and the at least one second circuit interrupter member are counter-driven into the tripped state by a break force. At least one stop member is disposed in a substantially fixed position relative to the housing assembly. The at least one stop member is configured to limit the movement of the at least one second circuit interrupter member such that a gap between the at least one first circuit interrupter member and the at least one second circuit interrupter member is substantially equal to a predetermined distance in the tripped state. | 10-27-2011 |
