Abstract:
A modular surge protection system having a power distribution module connected to at least one surge protection module in a coplanar relationship. The power distribution module has a housing and surge protection disposed in the housing. At least one female electrical outlet is disposed on the housing and is electrically connected to the surge protection. A first portion formed on the housing connects with a corresponding second portion on the surge protection module to secure the modules together in a co-planar relationship.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]    The present application is a divisional of application Ser. No. 08/746,707, filed Nov. 15, 1996, for Modular Outlet Strip, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/499,183, filed Jul. 7, 1995, for Modular Outlet Strip, which is a re-issue of application Ser. No. 07,918,241, filed Jul. 23, 1992, for Modular Outlet Strip, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,292,257. application Ser. No. 08/746,707 is co-pending at the time of filing of the present divisional application, and the priority thereof is specifically claimed. The specification of application Ser. No. 08/746,707 is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0003]    The present invention deals with outlet strips, and more particularly, with an outlet strip which may be in the form of a surge protector of the type commonly used to protect sensitive electrically operated equipment from line current surges. Most particularly, the invention deals with a modular outlet strip or surge protector having several types of sections which are quickly connected and disconnected by virtue of “quick connect” means provided on the modules.  
           [0004]    2. Description of the Prior Art  
           [0005]    Electrically operated equipment, practically since its inception, has been subject to surges of current over the power lines to which it is connected. These current surges can be caused by naturally occurring phenomenon, such as lightning strikes during thunderstorms, which induce power surges in the power lines, or by man-made causes, such as sudden variations in the power being output from a generating station due to failures of components or other generators going on- or off-line.  
           [0006]    Some types of electrical equipment have been developed which are more sensitive to line current surges than other types. Equipment which is particularly sensitive is in the nature of television sets, stereos, answering machines, and more recently, computer equipment. Ever since the advent of this sensitive electronic equipment, those in the art have sought a convenient and economical way to protect such electrical equipment from power surges. Many surge protectors are known in the prior art, and all operate by generally well-known principles, such as by capacitors connected between live and earth which discharge in the presence of a sudden surge of power and effectively short out that Surge of power before it can reach the power supply cords plugged in to such surge protectors.  
           [0007]    However, the outlet strips and surge protectors available in the prior art are generally of one type. They consist of a line cord with the surge protection, where used, connected across many outlets connected in parallel. Normally, the surge protectors have an on/off switch, an indicator light, and from six to ten receptacles. In many cases, only one or two receptacles are needed at a particular location, and the excess of receptacles provides for a bulky and inconvenient appliance.  
           [0008]    Also, with the advent of computers with built-in telephone modems, a modem surge protector is many times needed in conjunction with a line current surge protector so that both the phone modern and the computer are protected from surges of current which may occur simultaneously. Modem surge protectors, in combination with line current surge protectors, have not been available until the time of the present invention. Thus, those skilled in the art have continued to search for solutions to the problems of how to provide a convenient, compact, and yet adaptable, surge protector.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0009]    In order to solve the above described problems of longstanding in the art, a modular outlet strip or surge protector is provided where only the number and types of modules needed are purchased and connected easily together by quick connect means. Generally, the outlet strip or surge protector consists of a power distribution portion, which is connected to a source of line current, and one or more modules of a power supply type which snap to each other, and the power distribution module, by the use of quick connect means. This provides the needed functions without, at the same time, providing a large and bulky surge protector.  
           [0010]    In one modification of the present invention, a power distribution module has a line cord having a standard and well-known three prong plug for connection to a source of line current. Connected to the line cord, seriatim, may be such as a circuit breaker, an on/off switch, an indicator light and a power transfer receptacle. A female portion of a quick connect means is also provided by which a power supply module having first and second power transfer connectors, and a male portion of the quick connect means is quickly snapped into place. The power supply modules may have as, few as one power supply receptacle, or may have as many as desired. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the power supply modules come with either two or four power supply receptacles, and either have a female portion of a quick connect means on the other end to provide for connection of additional modules, or terminate with a modem surge protector having an RJ 11 connector in the end thereof.  
           [0011]    In another modification of the present invention, the female portion of the quick connect means consists of an elongated slot at the base of a shroud, and the male portion of the quick connect means consists of an elongated ridge on a tab, said elongated ridge fitting into the slot in the female portion of the quick connect means.  
           [0012]    In a third modification of the present invention, the quick connect means consists of a male portion comprising a shroud surrounding a male power transfer connector, and having an opening therein at a predetermined position, and of a predetermined shape, to accept a portion of a female quick connect means. The relevant portion of the female quick connect means comprises a female power transfer connector contained within a reduced housing portion and having a tab with a like shaped protuberance to said opening formed thereon.  
           [0013]    Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a modular outlet strip or surge protector system.  
           [0014]    It is a further object of the present invention to provide a modular outlet strip or surge protector having a power distribution module, and one or more types of power supply modules.  
           [0015]    A still further object of the present invention is to provide a power distribution module in a modular surge protector having a line cord connected seriatim to a source of power, a circuit breaker, an indicator light and a switch, terminating in a female power transfer receptacle cooperating with the female portion of the quick connect means.  
           [0016]    It is a further object of the present invention to provide a module for use in a modular surge protection system having a plurality of power supply receptacles formed in the top thereof, a male portion of a quick connect means formed on one end thereof, and a female portion of a quick connect means formed on the other end thereof.  
           [0017]    A further object of the present invention is to provide a module for a modular surge protector system having modem surge protection means and power supply surge protection means provided in the same module.  
           [0018]    A still further object of the present invention is to provide an outlet strip or surge protector of a modular nature providing for convenience to the user by being able to be assembled in various ways depending on the user&#39;s needs.  
           [0019]    A still further object of the present invention is to provide a modular outlet strip or surge protector of the foregoing nature which is easy to manufacture and is of a low cost and economical nature. Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and appended claims, reference being made to the accompanying drawings forming a part of the specification, wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0020]    [0020]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a modular surge protector of the present invention showing the different modules usable with the system of the present invention, and how they connect together.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the interior construction of some of the modules shown in FIG. 1.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 3 is a perspective view, similar in part to FIG. 1, but showing a modification of the present invention baying different quick connect means.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 4 is a sectional view, taken in the direction of the arrows, along the section line  4 - 4  of FIG. 3.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the quick connect means shown in FIG. 1.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 6 is similar in part to FIG. 5, showing identical quick connect means, and showing a modified power transfer means.  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 7 is a view similar in part to FIG. 6, but showing a modification of the invention having a different quick connect means.  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 8 is a view similar in part to FIG. 5, but showing a further modification of the invention having a different quick connect means.  
         [0028]    FIGS.  9 - 13  show several types of quick connect means which can be used with the present invention.  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 14 is an electrical schematic of the construction shown in FIG. 1. 
     
    
       [0030]    It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiments, and is capable of being practiced or carried out in various ways within the scope of the claims. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description, and not of limitation.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0031]    Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown an exploded perspective view of the modular surge protector of the present invention, generally designated by the numeral  20 . The modular surge protector  20  consists of one or more modules  21 , such as the power distribution module  22 , the two receptacle module  23 , the modern surge protector module  24 , and the four receptacle module  25 .  
         [0032]    The power distribution module  22  typically has a line cord  26  terminating in a plug  27  for connection to a source of line current. The plug  27  maybe a two-prong or three-prong plug or other plug as desired. For purposes of illustration, there is shown a standard, three conductor, polarized connector or grounding plug, although it is to be understood that whatever type of line current the surge protector is to be used on, will dictate the particular term of the plug.  
         [0033]    Also found on the power distribution module  22  is a circuit breaker  28 , an indicator light  29 , and an on/off switch  30 .  
         [0034]    The line cord  26  is electrically connected seriatim to the circuit breaker  28  the indicator light  29  and the on/off switch  30  before eliminating at the female power transfer connector or receptacle  31 . The female receptacle  31  has a plurality of appropriately shaped receptors  32  to receive a plurality of like shaped male connectors  33  carried by the male power transfer connector  34 . An electrical schematic of the power distribution module  22 , two receptacle module  23 , the modem surge protector module  24 , and the four receptacle module  25  is shown in FIG. 14.  
         [0035]    The various modules  21  of my improved surge protector are connected by quick connect means, generally designated by the numeral  40 . Each of the quick connect means  40  contains a male portion  41  and a female portion  42 . In the embodiment shown FIGS. 1, 2 and  6 , the male portion  41  has a retainer means  43  in the form of a tab  44  having an upstanding ridge portion  45 , while the female portion  42  of the quick connect means  40  has a retaining means  47  in the form of a slot  4 . 8  which receives and retains the upstanding ridge  45  provided on the tab  44  forming a portion of the male portion  41  of the quick connect means  40 . As will be seen in the further embodiments of the invention shown in FIGS. 3, 7 and  8 , the position of the retainer means  43  and the retaining means  47  can be reversed, and they can take forms other than tabs  44  which fit in slots  48 .  
         [0036]    In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the male portion  41  of the quick connect means  40  generally takes the form of a reduced housing portion  50  surrounding the male power transfer connector  34  (FIG. 2), while the female portion  42  of quick connect means  40  takes the form of a shroud  51  formed on the end of the housing  52 . The reduced housing portion  50  of the housing  52  plugs into and is surrounded by the shroud  51 . Each module  22 , except the power distribution module  22 , contains one or more power supply receptacles  53  into which the power line cord equipment being protected is plugged into  
         [0037]    As can be seen, the live, earth, and ground female receptors in each female power transfer connector  31  are connected to the live, earth, and ground male connectors  33  in the male power transfer connector  34  by the live, earth, and ground connector strips  55  shown in FIG. 2. These are of a type well known in the art and need not be described in detail herein. The appropriate openings in the power supply receptacles  53  are in electrical communication with the appropriate ones of the live, earth, and ground connector strips  55  to properly supply power to the equipment plugged into the modules  21 .  
         [0038]    It is now possible by use of the improved modular surge protector of the present invention to provide a modem surge protector, generally designated by the numeral  60 , as at least a portion of one of the modules  21 . In this case, a standard RI 11 connector  61  is provided at one end of the module  21 , and is connected to printed circuit board  62  of a type well known in the art. The circuit board  62  is retained within slots  63  provided in the housing.  
         [0039]    It can be understood that in the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, each housing  52  no matter what its particular shape, is divided into an upper portion  52   a  and a lower portion  52   b . The upper housing portion  52   a  may be cemented, screwed or otherwise fastened to the lower housing portion  52   b . In a further modification of the invention it will be shown how these housing portions can snap together  
         [0040]    Referring now to FIG. 6, a modification of the invention shown in FIG. 5, is provided. The male portion  41  and the female portion  42  of the quick connect means  40  of the construction shown in FIG. 6 is exactly identical to the construction shown in FIG. 5. However, the female receptors  32  and the male connectors  33  shown in FIG. Shave been modified in the construction shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 5 shows a standard three-prong grounding connector familiar to many consumers. However, in certain applications, it is anticipated that it will not be desirable to have a female power transfer receptacle  31  capable of receiving a standard three-prong connector, and the modification of the invention shown in FIG. 6 has the grounding portion of the male connectors modified to be a flat strip rather than the cylindrical type of grounding prong normally used. To differentiate the female receptors and the male connectors in this modification of the invention, they have been designated  32   a  and  33   c  respectively.  
         [0041]    Referring now to FIGS. 3, 4,  7  and  8 , a further modification of the present invention is shown. In this modification, the modular surge protector  20  also has plurality of modules  21 , such as the power distribution module  22 , a four receptacle module  23 , and a surge protector module  24 . The power distribution module  24  is connected to a source of power with a line cord  26  terminating in a plug  27 . As before, the line cord  26  is connected to a circuit breaker  28 , an indicator light  29 , and an on/off switch  30 . However, several differences in the modification of the invention shown in FIG. 3 are also immediately apparent. In this modification, the modem surge protector module  60 , having the RJ 11 connector  61  at the end thereof, has four power supply receptacles  53  instead of the two shown in the construction illustrated in FIG. 1. Also, it is to be noted that a different type of quick connect means  40  is provided which has essentially reversed some of the parts present in the construction of FIG. 1. While the male portion  41  and the female portion  42  still go together to form the quick connect means  40 , the shroud  51  is now provided on the male portion  41  of the quick connect means  40 , instead of on the female portion  42 . The shroud  51  now completely covers the male connectors  33 , which lug into the female receptors  32 . The shroud  51  completely covers the male connectors  33 , which plug into the female receptors  32 . The shroud  51  completely encloses the reduced housing portion  50 .  
         [0042]    In this embodiment of the invention, the retaining means  43  is in the form of a tab  44  formed integrally with the reduced housing portion  50  and having a protuberance  65  on the end thereof. The protuberance  65  fits in the opening  66  provided in the bottom of the shroud  51 . It can be understood by one skilled in the art that the present invention has wide versatility as to the arrangement of the quick connect means. The modifications of the invention just described has had not only the male and female portions of the quick connect means reversed, but the style and arrangement of the retainer means and retaining means.  
         [0043]    To provide more stability to the invention, more than one retainer means  43  and retaining means  47  can be used. It can be seen that in FIGS. 3 and 7, the tab  43  and the opening  66  are provided in the bottom of the reduced housing portion  50  and shroud  51  respectively. Provided on the top of the reduced housing portion  50  in this modification of the invention, is dome  67  adapted to fit into circular recess  68  provided in the shroud  51 . This gives the quick connect means additional stability. As with the modification of the invention described in FIG. the modification of the invention illustrated in FIG. 3 can also have the version of the male connectors  33   a  shown in FIG. 6, as shown in FIG. 8.  
         [0044]    Referring now to FIG. 4, it can be seen how the upper housing potion  52   a  and the lower housing portion  52   b  “snap” together. In contrast to the method of attaching the upper housing portion  52   a  and the lower housing  52   b  in the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, in the modification of the invention illustrated in FIG. 3, a plurality of posts  70  are provided in the upper housing portion  52   a , which fit into mating post holes  71  provided in lower housing portion  5 Th. The posts  70  are designed by means well known in the art to “snap” into the post holes  71 , such that the two housing halves cannot be removed without being broken.  
         [0045]    Referring now to FIGS.  9 - 13 , the large variety of quick connect means  40 , which can be used with the present invention, can be seen. In FIG. 9, there is shown a “snap-lock” quick connect means, generally indicated by the numeral  75  and having a pair of protuberances  76  extending through mating openings  77  to a point just even with the shroud  51 . This “snap-lock” quick connect means  75  requires a tool for removal of the female portion  42  of the quick connect means  40 .  
         [0046]    In FIG. 10, there is a modified “snap-lock” quick connect  80 , wherein the protuberance  76 , extending through the opening  77 , has a tapered portion  78 . Because of the tapered portion  78 , the female portion  42  of the quick connect means  40  can be removed from the male portion  41  with- a tool, or by the finger pressure of the operator.  
         [0047]    Referring flow to FIG. 11, an internal snap quick connect  81  is provided, wherein a pair of domes  67  snap into an opposed pair of circular recesses  68  to complete the connection. This type of quick connect depends upon the flexibility of the particular material being used to make the connection between the male portion  41  and the female portion  42  of the quick connect.  
         [0048]    Referring now to FIG. 12, a locking type quick connect  82  is shown, wherein a pair of opposing fingers  82 A provided on the female portion of the quick connect means fit into a pair of mating recesses  84  formed in the male portion  41 . This lock type quick connect means is preferred when a permanent type connection is desired.  
         [0049]    One of the easiest types of quick connects for the ordinary consumer to use is shown in FIG. 13 and is a true finger pressure removal quick connect  85 . In this type of quick connect, a pair of opposing projections  86  are formed on the reduced housing portion  50  of the female portion  42  of the quick connect means  40 . Since the opposing projections  86  extend past the outer wall of the shroud  51 , it is easy for the operator to apply sufficient ringer pressure to cause the projections  86  to move inwardly and release the female portion  42  of the quick connect means  40 .  
         [0050]    Thus, by carefully considering the problem of how to supply a surge protection means which will meet the needs of the greatest number of purchasers at a minimum expense and meeting that need by providing a modular type surge protector, whereby the equipment owner needs only to purchase those modules actually needed, I have provided a new and novel modular surge protector.