Patent ID: 8120882
Filing Date: 2012-02-21
Classification: H01H

Abstract:
1. An electrical wiring device comprising: a housing portion including a plurality of line terminals and a plurality of load terminals accessible from external portions thereof, the housing portion further including a separator member, the plurality of line terminals being disposed on a first side portion of the separator member, the plurality of load terminals also including a plurality of receptacle terminals disposed on a second side portion of the separator member; a cover portion coupled to the housing portion, the cover portion including a plurality of receptacle openings selectively coupled to the plurality of line terminals in an operative state, the cover portion also comprising a user-accessible device control region disposed proximate the plurality of receptacle openings, the cover portion further comprising at least one lens cover opening, a portion of the at least one first lens cover opening having a first edge juxtaposed with the user-accessible device control region and a second edge substantially disposed along a peripheral edge of the cover portion; an interrupting contact assembly including four sets of interrupting contacts that are configured to provide electrical continuity between the plurality of line terminals and the plurality of load terminals in a reset state and configured to interrupt the electrical continuity in a tripped state; at least one detection circuit disposed in the housing portion on the first side portion of the separator member and coupled to the plurality of line terminals or the plurality of load terminals, the at least one detection circuit being configured such that the interrupting contact assembly is substantially prevented from effecting the reset state in the event of a miswired condition, an end-of-life condition, or a fault condition; and an illumination assembly coupled to the at least one detection circuit and disposed in the housing portion, the illumination assembly including at least one light emitting element, an illumination circuit, and at least one lens disposed in the at least one lens cover opening in optical communication with the at least one light emitting element, the illumination circuit being configured to selectively drive the at least one light emitting element between a deenergized state and a light emitting state in response to an ambient light condition, the miswire condition, the end-of-life condition, the reset state or the trip state, the at least one lens having a surface area that is a function of the first edge juxtaposed with the user-accessible device control region and the second edge substantially disposed along a peripheral edge of the cover portion such that light emitted by the at least one light emitting element is directed into a spatial volume proximate the electrical wiring device.