Patent Publication Number: US-9425536-B2

Title: Wall outlet lighting power supply system

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not applicable to this application. 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not applicable to this application. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to a power supply for low voltage lighting and more specifically it relates to a wall outlet lighting power supply system for efficiently providing electrical power to low voltage lighting utilizing a conventional AC wall outlet. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Any discussion of the related art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such related art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field. 
     Low voltage power supplies are used to convert high voltage alternating current (AC) electrical power to low voltage direct current (DC) electrical power such as but not limited to 12 volts DC. Low voltage power supplies are used to provide electrical power to various items such as outdoor lighting, indoor lighting, light strips and flexible LED light strips. Light strips, such as flexible LED light strips, have become increasingly popular in various applications such as but not limited to under cabinet lighting, TV back lighting, staircase lighting, architectural lighting, bar lighting, kitchen lighting, toe kick lighting, ceiling cove lighting, decorations and vehicles. A flexible LED light strip is comprised of an elongated flexible strip of printed circuit board (PCB) having two or more electrically conductive traces to provide electrical power, a plurality of light-emitting diodes (LED) attached along the front surface of the flexible strip and electrically connected to the conductive traces, and a length of adhesive along the back surface of the flexible strip. The LEDs may emit the same light or may change colors to provide a range of light options. Most conventional flexible LED light strips utilize a low-voltage 12V DC electrical power. 
     Conventional light strips, including flexible LED light strips, require a low voltage power supply to be installed by an electrician. The electrician electrically connects the low voltage power supply to a light switch or an electrical junction box that is positioned within the building wall. The installer must first directly wire the low voltage power supply to the light switch or electrical junction box with the wires extending either through the wall or outside of the wall with a spacer or conduit. The installer then attaches the low voltage power supply to the outside surface of the wall near the light switch or electrical junction box utilizing conventional fasteners. 
     The main problem with conventional power supplies is that they are awkward to install since they must be attached to a wall and then have wires ran through the wall to the light switch or electrical junction box. Another problem with conventional power supplies is that they are difficult for the end consumer to install and often times require an electrician to install thereby delaying and increasing the cost of the installation. Another problem with conventional power supplies is that they are bulky and unsightly making them difficult to install in a professional looking manner. 
     Another type of low voltage power supply is comprised of a wall outlet plugin that plugs directly into the wall with the AC/DC converter outside of the wall outlet and the low voltage wires extending from the converter. The main problem with wall outlet power supplies is that they are unsightly and require the low voltage wires to be exposed. Another problem is the wall outlet power supplies require an AC power wall outlet near the light switch. 
     Because of the inherent problems with the related art, there is a need for a new and improved wall outlet lighting power supply system for efficiently providing electrical power to low voltage lighting utilizing a conventional AC wall outlet. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention generally relates to a power supply for low voltage lighting which includes a housing, a power plug attached to the housing for electrically connecting to a power socket of a conventional wall outlet, a low voltage power supply positioned within the housing and electrically connected to the power plug, and a plurality of low voltage wires extending from housing and electrically connected to the low voltage power supply. The housing includes at least one spacer to maintain a rear wall of the housing in a parallel relationship with respect to a building wall when connected to the wall outlet. The housing includes a door to provide access to a wiring area. The housing also includes at least one opening to allow for the low voltage wires to extend through. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, some of the features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and that will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction or to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of the description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Various other objects, features and attendant advantages of the present invention will become fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a front upper perspective view of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a rear upper perspective view of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a front view of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a front view of the present invention with the door removed. 
         FIG. 5  is a rear view of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a side view of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a top view of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a side cutaway view of the present invention attached to a conventional wall outlet. 
         FIG. 9  is a top view of the present invention attached to the conventional wall outlet. 
         FIG. 10  is an exploded view of a variation of the present invention with the door and the wiring area on a side of the housing. 
         FIG. 11  is an upper perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 12  is a rear view of the alternative embodiment of  FIG. 11 . 
         FIG. 13  is a bottom view of the alternative embodiment of  FIG. 11 . 
         FIG. 14  is a block diagram illustrating the electrical connections of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     A. Overview. 
     Turning now descriptively to the drawings, in which similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views,  FIGS. 1 through 14  illustrate a wall outlet lighting power supply system  10 , which comprises a housing  20 , a power plug  50  attached to the housing  20  for electrically connecting to a power socket of a conventional wall outlet  12 , a low voltage power supply  62  positioned within the housing  20  and electrically connected to the power plug  50 , and a plurality of low voltage wires  52  extending from housing  20  and electrically connected to the low voltage power supply  62 . The housing  20  includes at least one spacer to maintain a rear wall  24  of the housing  20  in a parallel relationship with respect to a building wall  11  when connected to the wall outlet  12 . The housing  20  includes a door  26  to provide access to a wiring area  27 . The housing  20  also includes at least one opening to allow for the low voltage wires  52  to extend through. 
       FIGS. 1 and 8  illustrate a conventional wall outlet  12  having an upper power socket  14 , a lower power socket  15  and a wall plate  13  that surrounds the wall outlet  12 . The wall outlet  12  further includes a conventional junction box  16  that is attached to a wall stud or the building wall  11 . The wall outlet  12  may have different structures and designs which are well known in the electrical industry to provide alternating current (AC) electrical power. 
     B. Housing. 
       FIGS. 1 through 13  illustrate exemplary housings  20  suitable for usage for the present invention. The housing  20  is preferably constructed of a non-conductive material such as but not limited to plastic. The housing  20  is further preferably comprised of a rectangular shaped structure as best illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 6  of the drawings, however, the housing  20  may have various other shapes. The housing  20  preferably is comprised of a front wall  22 , a rear wall  24 , a pair of side walls connecting the front wall  22  to the rear wall  24 , an upper portion  23  and a lower portion  25 . 
     The housing  20  preferably includes a fastener opening  28  that receives a fastener member  18  to directly attach the housing  20  to the wall outlet  12  by using the opening within the wall plate  13  as illustrated in  FIGS. 11 and 12  of the drawings. The housing  20  also may include a guide member  29  comprised of a non-conductive material that extends outwardly and is insertable into the ground plug of the lower power socket  15  when the power plug  50  is inserted into the upper power socket  14  as illustrated in  FIG. 12  of the drawings. 
     The housing  20  has an interior space that stores and protects the electronic components utilized to provide low voltage power to low voltage lighting  70  such a flexible LED light strips (e.g. a power switch  60 , a low voltage power supply  62 , a dimmer switch  64  and the like). The housing  20  preferably has a main interior that stores the electronic components and a wiring area  27  that is separated from the main interior. The housing  20  may include an auxiliary power socket  54  that is positioned within the front wall  22  of the housing  20  and electrically connected to the power plug  50  to provide AC power to an external device as illustrated in  FIG. 11  of the drawings. 
     C. Wiring Area. 
     The wiring area  27  is a space utilized for connecting electrical wires such as the low voltage wires  52  extending from the main interior. The low voltage wires  52  extend from the low voltage power supply  62  within the main interior area into the wiring area  27 . The wiring area  27  is further for providing access to the openings  30 ,  32  within the housing  20  to extend the low voltage wires  52  through to the low voltage lighting  70  or other low voltage electrical device to be electrically connected to the low voltage power supply  62 . The wiring area  27  is preferably within a lower part of the housing  20  as illustrated in  FIGS. 4 and 8  of the drawings, however, the wiring area  27  may be positioned within the upper part or a side part of the housing  20  as illustrated in  FIG. 10  of the drawings. 
     The wiring area  27  is preferably separated from the main interior by a divider as best illustrated in  FIG. 8  of the drawings. At least one door  26  is removably attached to the housing  20  to selectively enclose and expose the wiring area  27  as shown in  FIGS. 4, 8 and 10  of the drawings. The door  26  is preferably slidably connected to the housing  20  exposing an opening within the front wall  22  or one of the sidewalls  21  of the housing  20  thereby exposing the wiring area  27  and the low voltage wires  52 . 
     Low voltage connectors  56  may be utilized that are attached to the housing  20  and that are electrically connected to the low voltage power supply  62  thereby allowing low voltage wires  52  to be easily connected and removed.  FIGS. 4, 8 and 10  illustrate a low voltage connector that utilizes fasteners to removably attach exposed low voltage wires  52  and  FIG. 13  illustrates a low voltage connector that has an electrical coupler structure that low voltage wires  52  with mating couplers can be removably connected to. The low voltage connectors  56  are preferably positioned within the wiring area  27  as illustrated in  FIGS. 4, 8 and 10  of the drawings, however, the low voltage connectors  56  may be positioned externally of the housing  20  as illustrated in  FIG. 13  of the drawings. 
     D. Wire Openings. 
     The housing  20  includes at least one side opening to allow the low voltage wires  52  to extend through and outside of the housing  20  to be electrically connected to the low voltage lighting  70  or other low voltage device. The housing  20  preferably includes at least one side opening within one or both of the sidewalls  21  connecting the wiring area  27  and an area external of the housing  20  as illustrated in  FIGS. 1, 2, 6 and 8  of the drawings. 
     The housing  20  further preferably includes at least one rear opening within the rear wall  24  of the housing  20  connecting the wiring area  27  and an area external of the housing  20 . It is preferable to have a plurality of rear openings  32  and a plurality of side openings  30  as illustrated in  FIGS. 2 through 6  the drawings. The side openings  30  and the rear openings  32  may have removable covers to allow the installer to easily remove selected openings  30 ,  32  that they want to extend low voltage wires  52  through. 
     E. Spacers. 
     The housing  20  includes at least one spacer  40 ,  42  extending outwardly from the rear wall  24  of the housing  20  as best illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 5  of the drawings. The spacer  40 ,  42  is positioned so that a distal end of the spacer  40 ,  42  engages a building wall  11  surrounding a wall outlet  12  and not a wall plate  13  that encloses the wall outlet  12  when the power plug  50  is connected to the power socket of the wall outlet  12  as illustrated in  FIGS. 8 and 9  of the drawings. 
     The spacer  40 ,  42  is near the lower portion  25  of the housing  20 . The spacer  40 ,  42  extends outward from the rear wall  24  a distance at least equal to or greater than a thickness of a wall plate  13  for the wall outlet  12  (e.g. greater than ¼ of an inch). In particular, the at least one spacer extends outwardly a distance from the rear wall  24  sufficient to maintain a parallel relationship between a rear surface of the rear wall  24  and a building wall  11  surrounding the wall outlet  12  when the power plug  50  is fully inserted into the power socket as best illustrated in  FIG. 8  of the drawings. 
     The housing  20  preferably has a width greater than the width of the wall plate  13  and more particularly a width greater than 2¾ inches. The spacers  40 ,  42  are positioned near each of the opposing sidewalls  21  to prevent engagement with the wall plate  13  by the spacers  40 ,  42  when the power plug  50  is inserted into the upper power socket  14  or the lower power socket  15  as best illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 9  of the drawings. 
     The housing  20  preferably includes a first spacer  40  extending outwardly from the rear wall  24  of the housing  20  near a first sidewall  21  of the housing  20  and a second spacer  42  extending outwardly from the rear wall  24  of the housing  20  near a second sidewall  21  of the housing  20  (wherein the second sidewall  21  is opposite of the first sidewall  21  of the housing  20 ) as illustrated in  FIGS. 2, 5, 7 and 9  of the drawings. 
     Each of the spacers  40 ,  42  preferably has a vertical rear edge opposite of the rear wall  24  along with an upper angled portion and a lower angled portion as illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 6  of the drawings. The vertical rear edge is parallel to the surface of the building wall  11  and touches the building wall  11  when the power plug  50  is inserted into the power socket  14 ,  16 . The spacers  40 ,  42  are preferably integrally formed within the housing  20 . The spacers  40 ,  42  are further preferably parallel with respect to one another and mirror one another. 
     F. Wall Securing System. 
     An aperture  46  preferably extends through a rear wall  24  of the housing  20  from within the wiring area  27 . The aperture  46  receives a fastener member  18  (e.g. threaded fastener, screw) to secure the housing  20  to a building wall  11  to prevent movement or removal of the present invention from the wall outlet  12  as illustrated in  FIG. 8 . A fastener spacer  44  preferably surrounds the aperture  46  and extends outwardly from the rear wall  24  to distally space the rear wall  24  from the building wall  11  when the fastener member  18  attaches the housing  20  to the building wall  11  as best illustrated in  FIG. 2  of the drawings. 
     The fastener spacer  44  is comprised of a ring structure having a center opening that is aligned with the aperture  46 . The fastener spacer  44  ensures that the housing  20  is not pulled inwardly in a non-parallel manner with respect to the surface of the building wall  11  when the fastener member  18  is inserted and attached to the building wall  11 . The fastener spacer  44  extends outwardly from the rear wall  24  a distance equal to or substantially the same as the spacers  40 ,  42 . 
     G. Power Plug. 
     The power plug  50  is attached to the housing  20  and is adapted for electrically connecting to a power socket  14 ,  15  of a wall outlet  12 . The power plug  50  may be a two-prong or a three-prong design as illustrated in  FIG. 2  of the drawings. The power plug  50  is preferably located within an upper part of the rear wall  24  as illustrated in  FIG. 2  of the drawings. While a single power plug  50  is illustrated, a second power plug  50  may be utilized to be connected to one or more low voltage power supply  62  within the housing  20  wherein the first power plug  50  is connected to the upper power socket  14  and the second power plug  50  is connected to the lower power socket  15  to provide increased electrical power to the present invention for low voltage systems that have higher power requirements. 
     H. Low Voltage Power Supply. 
     The low voltage power supply  62  is positioned within the main interior of the housing  20  and is electrically connected to the power plug  50  directly or indirectly (e.g. a power switch  60  may be positioned between the low voltage power supply  62  and the power plug  50 ). The low voltage power supply  62  provides a low voltage direct current power source for the low voltage lighting  70 . The low voltage power supply  62  preferably is completely enclosed by the housing  20  as illustrated in  FIG. 8  of the drawings. The low voltage power supply  62  is preferably comprised of an alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) converter (a.k.a. AC/DC converter, AC/DC power supply) wherein high voltage AC electrical power (e.g. 120V AC) is converted to low voltage DC electrical power (e.g. 12V DC). The low voltage power supply  62  preferably converts the high voltage AC electrical power to a low voltage DC electrical power ranging from 5V DC to 48V DC (e.g. 12V DC, 24V DC). The low voltage power supply  62  preferably converts 120V AC electrical power to 12V DC electrical power. 
     I. Power Switch. 
     A power switch  60  is preferably within the main interior of the housing  20  that is electrically connected to the low voltage power supply  62  to control AC electrical power to the low voltage power supply  62  from the power plug  50 . The power switch  60  is remotely activated by a remote control sending a wireless signal to the power switch  60  which has a corresponding receiver. The power switch  60  may be comprised of a manual switch (e.g. toggle switch) connected to the housing  20  and accessible externally of the housing  20 . 
     J. Dimmer Switch. 
     A dimmer switch  64  is also preferably positioned within the main interior of the housing  20 . The dimmer switch  64  is electrically connected to the low voltage power supply  62  and/or the power switch  60 . However, it is preferable to have the dimmer switch  64  electrically connected on the low voltage side of the low voltage power supply  62  as illustrated in  FIG. 14 . The dimmer switch  64  controls a voltage level of the low voltage direct current from the low voltage power supply  62  thereby allowing for selective dimming of the low voltage lighting  70  by the user. The dimmer switch  64  is preferably activated and controlled by a remote control similar to the power switch  60  discussed previously, however, the dimmer switch  64  may be comprised of a manual switch that allows for adjustment of the voltage level (e.g. a sliding switch). 
     K. Low Voltage Lighting. 
     The present invention is preferably utilized in combination with one or more low voltage lighting  70 . The low voltage lighting  70  is preferably comprised of a light strip and is further preferably comprised of a flexible light emitting diode (LED) light strip as illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 8  of the drawings. The flexible LED light strip includes a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) that are spaced apart and are electrically powered by DC voltage that may range from 5V DC to 48V DC (e.g. 12V DC, 24V DC). The flexible LED light strip may have various lengths (e.g. 9 feet, 30 feet, 45 feet, 50 feet, 55 feet or longer) and widths. One or both of the ends of the flexible LED light strip may include electrical connectors for electrically connecting to the low voltage wires  52  or an electrical connector that is electrically connected to the low voltage wires  52 . 
     L. Operation of Preferred Embodiment. 
     In use, the user determines the location where they would like low voltage lighting  70  and installs the low voltage lighting  70  accordingly. The user then plugs in the power plug  50  into a power socket  14 ,  15  and then secures the housing  20  to the building wall  11  by attaching a fastener member  18  through the aperture  46  within the housing  20  as illustrated in  FIG. 8  of the drawings. The user then electrically connects the low voltage wires  52  to the low voltage lighting  70  by extending the low voltage wires  52  through one of the openings  30 ,  32  and then through (or outside of) the building wall  11 .  FIG. 8  illustrates the low voltage wires  52  extending through the wallboard of the building wall  11 , however, the low voltage wires  52  may be attached to the exterior surface of the building wall  11 . The user activates the low voltage power supply  62  by closing the power switch  60  thereby providing low voltage power to the low voltage lighting  70  which is then illuminated. The user also may adjust the voltage level of the low voltage power using the dimmer switch  64 . 
     Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Although methods and materials similar to or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the present invention, suitable methods and materials are described above. All publications, patent applications, patents, and other references mentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety to the extent allowed by applicable law and regulations. The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and it is therefore desired that the present embodiment be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. Any headings utilized within the description are for convenience only and have no legal or limiting effect.