Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/US20150075836A1/en
Timestamp: 2020-01-21 15:29:56
Document Index: 800425562

Matched Legal Cases: ['§120', '§119', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', '§119', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 62', 'Application No. 62']

US20150075836A1 - Active Cover Plates - Google Patents
US20150075836A1
US20150075836A1 US14/549,143 US201414549143A US2015075836A1 US 20150075836 A1 US20150075836 A1 US 20150075836A1 US 201414549143 A US201414549143 A US 201414549143A US 2015075836 A1 US2015075836 A1 US 2015075836A1
US14/549,143
US9362728B2 (en
Yulian Bagirov
Charles Lyman Bates
2014-11-20 Application filed by SnapPower filed Critical SnapPower
2015-03-19 Publication of US20150075836A1 publication Critical patent/US20150075836A1/en
2015-03-30 Priority claimed from US29/522,404 external-priority patent/USD781241S1/en
2015-03-30 Priority claimed from US29/522,406 external-priority patent/USD810697S1/en
2015-05-13 Assigned to SNAPRAYS, LLC DBA SNAPPOWER reassignment SNAPRAYS, LLC DBA SNAPPOWER ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: DIETZ, Phil, JOHNSON, MARTIN, WILLDEN, JEREMY, BAGIROV, YULIAN, BATES, CHARLES, OYLER, BEAU, TUNG, JEFFREY, SMITH, JEREMY, WATKINS, SEAN
2016-05-03 Priority claimed from US15/145,749 external-priority patent/US9787025B2/en
2016-06-07 Publication of US9362728B2 publication Critical patent/US9362728B2/en
In one example, an active cover plate includes a faceplate, a load and a spring clip adjustable in at least one of a horizontal direction and a vertical direction with respect to the faceplate to electrically interface with a receptacle body and extract electrical power from the receptacle body to energize the load. A method for installing an active cover plate on an electrical receptacle is also provided.
The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/066,621, filed Oct. 29, 2013, titled “Active Cover Plates,” which is a continuation-in-part, and claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §120, of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/461,915, filed May 2, 2012, which claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/574,344, filed Aug. 1, 2011. These applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/066,621 further claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/720,131, filed Oct. 30, 2012; U.S. Provisional Application 61/778,386, filed Mar. 12, 2013; and U.S. Provisional Application 61/836,972, filed Jun. 19, 2013, which applications are incorporated by reference in their entireties.
The present application also claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/906,651, filed Nov. 20, 2013, titled “Powered Wall Plates with Multi-functions”; U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/027,784, filed Jul. 23, 2014, titled “Active Cover Plates”; and U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/081,539, filed Nov. 18, 2014, titled “Active Cover Plates.” These applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.
FIGS. 6A-6C are diagrams of an active cover plate that includes a pivoting prong, according to one example of principles described herein.
FIGS. 7A-7D are diagrams of prongs with multiple contacts and a sliding insulator, according to one example of principles described herein.
FIG. 9A-9C describe geometries and techniques to avoid arcing between adjacent screw terminals on the side of an outlet, according to one example of principles described herein.
FIGS. 10A-10C are illustrative examples of intermediate devices that could form an interface between an outlet and an active cover plate, according to one example of principles described herein.
FIGS. 14A-14G show various views of an active cover plate shell that accommodates an externally accessible power supply, according to one example of principles described herein.
FIGS. 15A-15G show a number of different active cover plate shells, according to one example of principles described herein.
FIGS. 16A-16E show various views of an active cover plate shell that accommodates guidelights, according to one example of principles described herein.
FIGS. 17A-17I show a number of different examples of active cover plate shells for accommodating guidelights, according to one example of principles described herein.
FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C illustrate an outlet body (100) and connection of an active cover plate (150) to the outlet body. In this example, the outlet body (100) is a duplex style National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) outlet body. The outlet body (100) includes two outlet receptacles (115). Each outlet receptacle (115) includes two power receptacles (120) and a ground (125).
On either side of the outlet body (100) are screw terminals (105, 110). The building wiring may be connected to the screw terminals by wrapping a stripped end of the house wiring around the screw and then tightening the screw to sandwich the wire between the bottom of the screw and a conductive plate. There may be a first screw terminal on a first side of the outlet body that is connected to a neutral building wire and a second screw terminal on the same or an opposite side of the outlet body that is connected to a hot building wire. For example, the left terminal (105) may be connected to the neutral building wire and the right terminal (110) may be connected to the hot building wire. The screw terminals make internal connections to contacts in the outlet body (100). When an electrical cord is plugged into the outlet receptacle (115), the blades of the electrical cord enter the power receptacles (120) and make an electrical connection with the contacts. This allows current from the building wiring to pass through the outlet body (100) and into the cord. The outlet body (100) also includes two brackets (135) to connect it to an electrical box.
FIG. 1B shows a side view of the outlet body (100) showing the screw terminal (110). The screw terminal (110) in this example includes conductive backing plates (140, 142) and two screws (112, 114) that thread into the backing plates (140, 142). The backing plates (140, 142) are electrically and mechanically joined by a break off tab (145). The break off tab (145) can be removed to electrically isolate the first screw (112) and its backing plate (142) from the second screw (114) and its backing plate (140).
FIG. 1C shows an active cover plate (150) that is mounted over the outlet body (100). The active cover plate (150) includes a face plate (155) and two spring clips (160) extending rearward from the face plate. In this view only one spring clip is visible, the other spring clip is directly opposite (see FIG. 3A for a perspective view showing both spring clips). Each spring clip includes an electrical contact (165). When the active cover plate (150) is placed over the outlet (100), the two spring clips bring the electrical contacts (165) into contact with the screw terminals (110) on either side of the outlet body (100). Ordinarily, the electrical contacts (165) make contact with the heads of the screws (112, 114) because the heads of the screws (112, 114) extend away from the outlet body (100) the farthest. The screw terminals (110) are connected to the building wiring (170, 175). This allows the active cover plate (150) to extract electrical power from the outlet body (100) through the spring clips (160).
FIGS. 2A-2D show four different examples of outlet bodies (100, 200, 220, 230) that illustrate the differences in placement of the screw terminals on the sides of the outlet bodies. FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C show side views of duplex style outlet bodies (100, 200, 220). The screw terminals show a significant amount of variability between these three outlet bodies (100, 200, 220). The outlet body (100, FIG. 2A) on the left has a screw terminal (110) with two screws (112, 114). The screws (112, 114) are located slightly more than halfway down the outlet body (100). These screws (112, 114) are closer together than any of the other screws shown in FIGS. 2B, 2C, and 2D. An XYZ axis is shown on the lower right of the outlet body (100) in FIG. 2A. The screws may have varying location in any of the X, Y, and Z directions. Variations in the Y direction are called vertical variations and are in the plane of the face (102) of the outlet body. Variations in the X direction are called horizontal or depth variations and are in the plane of the side (104) of the outlet body. FIGS. 2A-2D show both vertical and depth variations in the locations of the screws. Variations in the Z direction (into and out of the page and across the face of the outlet body) are called width variations. Width variations can occur for a variety of reasons. For example, the outlet bodies may have different widths or screws may be screwed out or in on the sides of the outlet bodies. The flexibility of the spring clips can typically accommodate a significant amount of variation in width. However, variations in the horizontal and vertical directions can be challenging to accommodate.
Thus, there can be a significant amount of variability in the location of the screw terminals in outlet bodies that are in use and/or on sale. Where the screw terminals are not symmetrical about the centerline, the screws will be at a different location with respect to the electrical box and cover plate depending on the orientation of the outlet body. For example, if the outlet body were installed right side up, the screw terminals would be at a first vertical height and if the outlet body were installed upside down the screw terminals would be at a different vertical height. Additionally, if the receptacle body is a switch outlet body, one of the outlet receptacles may be connected to a switch. When the switch is off there is no power to the outlet receptacle. Consequently, it will be desirable for an active cover plate to be adjustable so that it extracts electrical power from screw terminals associated with the other outlet receptacle.
Creating an active cover plate that has the capability to reliably connect to a wide range of outlet bodies can be a significant challenge. An additional complication is that the screws in the screw terminal may be screwed out or in. This can significantly change the width that the prongs of the active cover plate have to open. As discussed above, there are at least three different types of adjustability that could be desirable in active cover plate prongs: vertical adjustability (in the Y direction) to accommodate outlet bodies that are at different heights on the outlet body, horizontal adjustability (in the X direction) to accommodate screw terminals that are at different depths from the face of the outlet body, and width adjustability (in the Z direction) to accommodate outlet bodies that have varying widths and to accommodate variable insertion depths of screws in the screw terminals.
FIGS. 3A-3F show one example of active cover plate (300) with spring clips (310, 312) that are adjustable vertically and in width. FIG. 3A is a rear perspective view of the active cover plate (300) for a “decora” style outlet body. The active cover plate (300) includes a face plate (315) with an aperture (332) through which the outlet receptacles in the outlet body are accessible. The active cover plate (300) also includes spring clips (310, 312) and a sandwich plate (330). The spring clips (310, 312) include a compliant conductive portion (335) with one end that is sandwiched between the face plate (315) and the sandwich plate (330). In this example, a rectangular rivet (340) and a non-conductive portion (305) are connected to an opposite terminal end of the compliant conductive portion (335). The spring clips (310, 312) and sandwich plate (330) could be fastened to the faceplate (315) using a number of techniques, including heat staking or using fasteners that are pressed over the posts (320). When placed over an outlet body, the rivets (340) on the spring clips (310, 312) contact the electrified screw terminals on the sides of the outlet body to extract power from the building wiring/outlet body. Although this active cover plate (300) is only illustrated with two opposing spring clips (310, 312), an active cover plate may have any number of spring clips.
FIGS. 3B and 3C are rear views of the active cover plate (300) with the spring clips (310, 312) in different vertical locations. For purposes of illustration the sandwich plate (330, FIG. 3A) has been removed to show the interior components. Wires (344) connected to the spring clips (310, 312) are routed through the wire brackets (346) to a load. The load can include any electrical device that requires power. For example, the load can include an electrical device embedded within the active cover plate (300). For example, the load can include lights, motion detectors, photocells, wireless nodes, blue tooth connectors, smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, cameras, heat detectors, speakers, microphones or any other desired electrical device. In this example, the load is a circuit board (342) that includes three light emitting diodes (LED) that shine downward and out of the face plate. An LED is a semiconductor light source. LEDs can produce high intensity light with less power than conventional light sources. In particular, LEDs convert a higher percentage of input power to light and a lower percentage to heat or other waste.
FIGS. 3D-3G are additional views of a spring clip (312) that could be used in conjunction with the cover plate shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B. FIGS. 3D, 3E, and 3F are front, side and rear perspective views of an illustrative spring clip, respectively. FIG. 3D shows a front perspective view of a spring clip (312) that includes a conductive portion (335) and a non-conductive portion (305). The non-conductive portion (305) has a main ramp (352), side wings (354), and terminal curve (350). The non-conductive portion (305) may have a variety of purposes including preventing the conductive portion (335) from undesirably contacting wires, the electrical box, or other materials. The non-conductive portion (305) may also prevent arcing between resilient conductors and external conductors.
The non-conductive portion (305) is attached to the terminal end of the conductive portion (335) by the rivet (340). Additionally or alternatively, a number of other techniques can be used to attach the non-conductive portion (305) to the conductive portion (335). For example, the non-conductive portion (305) may be joined to the conductive portion (335) by adhesive, heat welding, press fit, snap fit, induction welding (for specific types of materials), ultrasonic welding/staking, and other suitable techniques. These techniques can be used separately or in combination. For example, the rivet joint may be supplemented with molded features on the non-conductive portion. As discussed above, the riveted connection between the non-conductive portion and conductive portion has a number of advantages, including using the head of the rivet (340) as a contact point and the swaging of the rivet (340) into/over a hole in the conductive portion (335) to ensure that there is a reliable electrical connection between the rivet (340) and the conductive portion (335).
The non-conductive portion (305) can serve a variety of functions. As discussed above, the non-conductive portion (305) includes an angled end portion or a main ramp (352), a terminal curve (350) and two side wings (354) that extend to either side of the central portion of the spring clip (312). The non-conductive portion (305) serves as a guide that directs the active cover plate into accurate positioning over an outlet/switch body. Where there are opposing spring clips, the angled ramp (352) guides and centers the active cover plate (300, FIG. 3A) over the outlet/switch body. In situations where an active cover plate (300, FIG. 3A) is misaligned or has less clearance, the non-conductive portion (305) may contact the wall of an electrical box. The terminal curve (350) ensures that the spring clip (312) glides smoothly along the wall. The spring force of the conductive portion (335) and ramp geometry of the non-conductive portion (305) gently guides the active cover plate (300, FIG. 3A) into place with increasing accuracy as the active cover plate (300, FIG. 3A) is pushed closer to its final position.
The non-conductive portion (305) is contoured so that the electrical contact (the head of the rivet (340)) does not have any exposed edges that may snag on the outlet body, wires, or screws. The side wings (354) allow for the spring clip (312) to glide up and down over the screws and screw terminals. There may be vertical misalignment between the active cover plate and the receptacle body/screw terminals during the installation process. To achieve the desired alignment, and to allow the active cover plate to fit around the face of the receptacle body and to align the fastener aperture in the cover plate with the threaded hole in the outlet body, the active cover plate may be slid up and down with respect to the receptacle body. For example, a user may have engaged the active cover plate too low on the receptacle body and needs to move it up to align the cover plate with the outlet body. The side wings (354) and smooth contours of the spring clip (312) created by molding the central portion of the non-conductive portion (305) to match/mate with the surface of the installed rivet (340) allow the spring clip to glide smoothly over the screws. The side wings (354) progressively bend the spring clip (312) backwards to lift it over obstacles (such as screw heads and contours of the receptacle body).
In this example, the head of the rivet (340) is rectangular, with the major axis of the rectangular head oriented to provide contact with screw terminals/screws that have a variety of depths (distances from the front face of the outlet body). The narrow width of the rivet head reduces the likelihood of arcing if the screw terminal has been divided into two separate electrical elements by removing the break-out in the middle of the screw terminal. This geometry is only one example. A variety of other electrical contact geometries could be used. Additionally, the flexible conductive portion is angled inward to present the rivet head at a desired angle and to provide for a large range of motion of the spring clip outward. This accommodates receptacle bodies of varying width and screws that are screwed outward from the screw terminals.
FIG. 3E is a side view of the spring clip (312) that shows various components of the flexible conductive portion (335). In this example, the flexible conductive portion (335) includes a base portion (362, an “S” shaped curve connected to the base portion, and an angled portion (363). The angled portion (336) directs the rivet (340) inward toward the outlet body. The rivet (340) is the most prominent portion of the spring clip and extends farthest inward toward the outlet/receptacle body. Both the side wings (354) and the main ramp (352) are angled away from the outlet body, with the base of the side wings and ramp joining with the center of the non-conductive portion (305) containing the rivet (340) and the ends of the side wings (354) and ramp (352) extending away from the outlet body.
The flexible conductive portion (335) may include a variety of compound curves that increase its flexibility and resilience in allowing the motion/travel of the spring clip toward and way from the outlet/switch body (width adjustment). One example of this is the “S” shaped curve (364). The “S” shaped curve serves several functions. The “S” shaped curve provides increased flexibility to the spring clip by providing two separate curvatures that bend. The “S” shaped curve also allows for more bending/travel of the spring clip before the permanent deformation of the conductive portion because the bending is distributed over two locations rather than one.
FIG. 3F shows a rear view of the spring clip (312). The end of the conductive portion (335) has a reduced width and interfaces with the non-conductive portion (305). The center of the conductive portion (335) with reduced width has an aperture through which the rear of the rivet (340) passes. The rear of the rivet (340) is then swaged (mushroomed) over the aperture as shown in FIG. 3F to make the connection between the flexible conductive portion (335) and the non-conductive portion (305). In this example, the nonconductive portion (305) also includes a skirt (360) that covers the rear of the conductive portion and prevents undesirable electrical contact and arcing.
FIG. 3F also shows how the spring clip (312) is secured to the face plate (315) and makes an electrical connection with the wire. The spring clip (312) includes a base portion (362) with a number of apertures. The apertures are configured to receive various alignment and anchor features that are molded into the face plate (315). As discussed above, there are number of equally spaced press nut posts (348) in the face plate (315). The apertures in the base portion (362) are configured to accept any two adjacent posts (348). In this example, the spring clip (312) has been placed over the second and third posts (348-2, 348-3). By selecting which posts (348) the apertures are placed over, the vertical position of the spring clip (312) can be selected during manufacturing without having to manufacture different face plates (315), spring clips (312) or sandwich plates. The connection between the wire (344) and the spring clip (312) is made using a wire attach feature (366) on the base portion (362). The wire attach feature may include a slot into which a stripped conductor can be placed. The conductor can then be soldered to the wire attach feature. The wire (344) can be cut to the desired length or can be long enough to accommodate all vertical positions of the spring clips (312).
FIG. 3G is an end view of an active cover plate (150) that is fastened over an outlet body (100) installed in an electrical box (370). A left spring clip (372) makes electrical contact with a left hot screw terminal (105) and a right spring clip (374) makes electrical contact with a right neutral screw terminal (110). In this example, the terminal curves (350) of the insulating main ramps (352, FIG. 3D) contact the inside walls of the electrical box (370). This occurs when the spring clips (372, 374) are bent outward. The terminal curves (350) allow the spring clips (372, 374) to slide along the wall and also provide additional support to the spring clips (372, 374) to prevent over bending and plastic deformation of the flexible conductive portion (335, FIG. 3D) of the spring clips.
The illustrations in FIG. 3A-3G show various examples of spring clips that can be adjusted during assembly of the active cover plate. This allows for multiple types of active cover plates to be constructed with common parts.
FIGS. 4A-4D show an example of an active cover plate that can be adjusted either during or after assembly of the active cover plate. In one example, the spring clips can be adjusted after the active cover plate is completely assembled. The screw terminals on outlet and switch bodies may be formed in a variety of locations. To accommodate the widest number of outlets, the active cover plate may include multiple position spring clips. The spring clips may be moved vertically to reposition the spring clips to more effectively contact the screw terminals.
In FIG. 4A, the multiple position spring clips (430) include a sliding base (410) with numbered notches (420) along one side. A detent (415) engages with the notches (420) to secure the sliding base in the desired position. In this example, there are three positions for the sliding base. The multiple position spring clips (430) are connected to the sliding bases (410) and move with the bases (410). The sliding base (410) may move in a track that is molded into the face plate (425). The motion of the sliding base is in the plane of the face plate (425) and is illustrated by the double headed arrows. The spring clips can be individually adjusted to different locations if desired.
FIGS. 4B, 4C and 4D show the multiple position spring clips (430) in various positions on the face plate (400). The multiple position spring clips (430) may be moved by applying manual pressure to the sliding base (410, FIG. 4A) so that the detent (415, FIG. 4A) slides out of a first notch and into a second notch. FIG. 4B shows the multiple position spring clips (430) in a nominal position (“position 1”) that allows the multiple position spring clips (430) to contact the screw terminals on the majority of outlets. From position 1, the spring clips can be adjusted either up or down as shown by the double headed arrows. FIG. 4C shows the spring clips (430) pushed down into position 2. The multiple position spring clips (430) may be moved together or separately, depending on the situation. FIG. 4D shows the spring clips (430) moved up to position 3. The combination of positions 1, 2, and 3 are designed to allow the spring clips to make electrical contact with a majority screw terminals in a particular class of receptacle bodies. As shown below, the spring clips could also have adjustable depths to reach screw terminals that are deeper or shallower in the receptacle box.
FIGS. 5A and 5B show one example of an active cover plate (500) that includes a spring clip (505) that can be adjusted to have multiple vertical positions. In this example, the protrusions (515) on the sandwich plate (510) engage with slots (525, FIG. 5B) in the spring clip (505). In this example, the spring clip (505) is shown without the nonconductive portion and rivet. The hole (507) through the conductive portion is shown. The nonconductive portion is placed over the narrow end of the conductive portion and the rivet is placed through a hole in the nonconductive portion and through the hole (507) in the conductive portion. The rivet is then swaged in place. This fastens the nonconductive portion to the conductive portion and makes an electrical connection between the rivet and the conductive portion.
FIGS. 5C and 5D show a partially assembled active cover plate (530) that includes a spring clip (540) with a tab (560) that engages with one of three grooves (555) formed in the faceplate (535). This allows the spring clip (540) to be positioned in any of three different vertical locations. The tab (560) can be lifted and the adjustable spring clip (540) can slide back and forth between the sandwich plate (545) and the face plate (535). When the desired location is reached the tab (560) can be released to engage with the desired groove (550) and secure the spring clip (540) in place.
FIGS. 6A-6C shows one example of an active cover plate (600) with a spring clip (602) that rotates to reach screw terminals in different locations. In this implementation the spring clip (602) includes a base (610) that is connected to the faceplate (605). A pivot (615) connects a head portion of the spring clip (602) to the base (610). The head portion of the spring clip (602) includes a contact (620) and a nonconductive portion (625).
The head portion of the spring clip (602), including the nonconductive portion and contact/rivet can be rotated about the pivot (615) to reach screw terminals that are below (FIG. 6B) or above (FIG. 6C) the base (610) of the spring clip (602). FIG. 6B shows the head portion of the spring clip (602) has been rotated clockwise about the pivot (615) so that the contact (620) makes an electrical connection with an underlying screw head (635) below the base (610) of the spring clip (602). FIG. 6C shows the head portion of the spring clip (602) has been rotated counter clockwise so that the contact (620) makes electrical contact with an underlying screw head (640) that is above the base (610) of the spring clip (602). The pivot (615) is constructed to maintain electrical continuity between the electrical contact (620) and the base (610) during and after rotation of the head portion of the spring clip (602).
FIGS. 7A-7D show one example of an active cover plate (700) that includes a spring clip (705) that is specifically designed to be adjustable in the depth direction (horizontally, along the X axis as show in FIG. 2A). This spring clip (705) includes two different contacts (710, 715). A first contact (710) is closer to the base of the spring clip (705) and a second contact, or more distal contact (715) is closer to the tip of the spring clip (705). The more distal contact (715) allows the spring clip (705) to contact screw terminals that are significantly farther away from the face plate (755). For example, the more distal contact (715) may be used to contact screw terminals of a GFCI outlet body.
FIG. 7B shows the active cover plate (705) being placed over a GFCI outlet body (737). The screw terminals (740) on the GFCI outlet body (737) are significantly farther way from the face of the outlet body (distance D2). Additionally, the vertical location of the screw terminals (740) is not the same as the duplex outlet body (735, FIG. 7A). To make an electrical connection with the screw terminal (740), the spring clip (705) is slid vertically up the face plate (755) using any of a number of mechanisms and the sliding cover (730) is slid along the body (720) of the spring clip to cover the contact (710) closest to the face plate (755). The active cover plate (700) can then be connected over the GFCI outlet body (737) and the more distal contact (715) will contact the screw terminal (740). In some examples there may be two different terminals on the same side of a receptacle body. For example, switch bodies may have two screw terminals on the same side. In this case, the active cover plate may have to spring clips on the same side to make the desired contact with the screw terminals.
FIGS. 7C and 7D are side views of the spring clip (705) with the nonconductive portion (305, FIG. 3D) removed. As discussed above, body (720) has several contacts (710, 715) along its length that are positioned to make contact with screw terminals on various styles of outlet/receptacle bodies. The body (720) is connected to the face plate (755). When the target screw terminal is at a relative shallow depth, the first contact (710) near the face plate is exposed and the more distal contact (715) from the face plate (755) is covered by the sliding cover (730). This configuration is shown in FIG. 7C. The configuration shown in FIG. 7D is for making contact with screw terminals that are at a greater depth from the face of the receptacle body. The sliding cover (730) is moved over the first contact (710) near the face plate (755, FIG. 7A) and the more distal contact (715) from the face plate (755, FIG. 7A) is exposed.
In some outlet/receptacle bodies there are terminals that have two screws/screw pads that are in relatively close proximity FIG. 9A shows this type of outlet body (900), which includes a first screw (910) and first screw pad (905) and a second screw (920) and a second screw pad (915). The first screw pad (905) and the second screw pad (915) are connected by a breakout tab (925). By removing the breakout tab (925) the terminal can be divided into two electrically separate parts. This is illustrated in FIG. 9B, where a first part includes the first screw pad and screw (905, 910) and an electrical supply wire (930) electrically connected to the screw pad/screw (905, 910). The second part includes the second screw pad and screw (915, 920) and a second electrical supply wire (935) electrically connected to the second screw pad and screw (915, 920). The first part supplies electrical power to one of the outlets and the second part separately supplies electrical power to the other outlet. This may be useful in a variety of situations. For example, one of the outlets may be connected to switch and a lamp plugged into the outlet. This allows the switch to control the lamp. However, the other outlet may be used for general purpose connections and may be on all the time. By dividing the terminal, one of the outlets may be separately controlled by the switch while the other outlet has continuous power.
However, if the contact pad on the spring clip that contacts the first and/or second parts of the screw terminal is very wide, it may cause arcing or shorting between the first part and second part of the terminals. To avoid this, the contacts may be relatively narrow. An outline (943) of a contact is superimposed on the divided terminal. Because the contact is relatively narrow, it will have a reduced likelihood of causing arcing or shorting as it moves or is placed over the divided terminal. For example a contact with an oblong or narrow rectangle shape may be used, where the width of the contact is significantly smaller than the distance between two adjacent screws/pads. The term “significantly smaller” refers to a dimension that prevents arcing when the spring clip slides between the two adjacent screw/pads during installation or adjustment.
FIG. 9C shows an additional safety precaution that could be implemented in an active cover plate. In this implementation, the spring clip (945) is only electrically connected to the active cover plate (970) when it is in one of a predetermined number of locations. This is accomplished by forming pads (995, 960) on the face plate or sandwich plate and forming a corresponding spring clip pad (950). When the spring clip pad (950) aligns with a pad or contact (955, 960) on the face plate/sandwich plate, an electrical current is delivered to the circuitry/load in the active cover plate (970). When the spring clip pad (950) is not aligned with the pads (955, 960) on the faceplate/sandwich plate, there is no electrical connection to the circuitry. For example, when the spring clip is moving or positioned in the area between two separated parts of a screw terminal, there would be no connection to the circuitry but when the spring clip was in the desired location and makes an electrical connection with only one of the screw terminals, the pads align to make the desired electrical connection to the circuit.
There are a variety of additional ways that active cover plates could be designed for more universal use with a range of receptacle bodies. One approach is to build multiple prongs and/or contacts onto the active cover plate and then use only the prongs that are connected to active terminals. The remaining prongs may not contact a terminal or may contact a terminal that is not electrified (i.e. a ground terminal). FIG. 11 is a diagram that shows potential locations for various prongs on an active switch cover plate (1100). In this example, there is a ground contact (1105) that may contact the chassis of the receptacle body. A number of spring clips (1110-1, 1110-2, 1110-3, 1110-4, and 1110-5) are distributed on the active switch cover plate (1100). Some of the spring clips may be active in one configuration and not in other configurations. For example, in three way and four way light switch bodies, some of the screw terminals may be active in one configuration (i.e. when the light is ON) and other screw terminals may be active in a different configuration (i.e. when the light is OFF). The use of multiple spring clips/contacts allows for the active cover plate to connect to a wider variety of receptacle bodies and to adapt to various operational configurations of the receptacle bodies.
FIGS. 12A-12D show various diagrams of an active cover plate that includes vertically adjustable spring clips with hinge joints. The hinge joints allow the spring clips to be packaged and shipped flat. This can provide a number of advantages including lowering the cost of shipping, decreasing the size and weight of packaging, and protecting the spring clips from damage. FIG. 12A shows a cross sectional view of an active cover plate (1200) that has two hinged spring clips (1215, 1220) that are folded down for shipping or storage. In this simplified diagram the active cover plate (1200) includes a face plate (1205) and hinges (1210, 1225). Before the active cover plate (1200) is installed, the spring clips (1215, 1220) are brought into the upright position so that they extend rearward from the faceplate as shown in FIG. 12B.
FIG. 13 is a flowchart of an illustrative method (1300) for connecting an active cover plate over a receptacle body. The method includes adjusting a vertical or horizontal position of an electrical contact on an active cover plate to contact an electrified portion of a receptacle body (block 1305). For example, adjusting a vertical or horizontal position of the electrical contact with respect to faceplate may include vertically moving or sliding a spring clip supporting the electrical contact with respect to the faceplate. There are several examples of this given above: selecting which posts the spring clip is placed over, moving the spring clip so that a detent engages with a selected indention, lifting a tab out of a groove and sliding the spring clip to a desired location and releasing the tab to engage with a different groove, engaging protrusions on the faceplate or sandwich plate with slots in the spring clip, or other techniques. Examples of moving the electrical contact in a horizontal direction includes sliding a contact along a slot in the spring clip or covering unused contacts on the spring clip to expose only a contact that has the desired horizontal position (depth).
In summary, an active cover plate may include a faceplate, a load, and a spring clip adjustable in at least one of a horizontal direction and a vertical direction with respect to the faceplate. The spring clip electrically interfaces with a receptacle body and extracts electrical power from the receptacle body to energize the load. The receptacle body may include a variety of devices that receive electrical power from building wiring, including outlet and switch bodies. In some embodiments, the spring clip may include a flexible conductive portion connected to the faceplate by a first end and a non-conductive portion connected to an opposite end of the flexible conductive portion.
The non-conductive portion may have a wide range of shapes and features. In one example, the non-conductive portion includes a main ramp portion extending from the flexible conductive portion, wherein the main ramp portion is to guide the active cover plate over the receptacle body as the active cover plate is pushed toward the receptacle body. The non-conductive portion may also include wings extending laterally away from the main ramp portion and the flexible conductive portion, wherein the wings are angled to guide the spring clips over screw terminals on the receptacle body when the active cover plate is moved vertically relative to the receptacle body.
A fastener joins the non-conductive portion and the flexible conductive portion, wherein the fastener is configured to make electrical contact with screw terminals on the receptacle body. The flexible conductive portion may include at least one reverse curve between a midpoint of the flexible conductive portion and a base portion.
The spring clip may be configured to be mounted in at least two different vertical positions on the faceplate. For example, the spring clip may include at least two apertures to receive at least two protrusions on the faceplate. The faceplate may include a number of the protrusions such that by selecting at least two protrusions on the faceplate and placing the protrusions into the apertures, the spring clip can be located in a desired vertical position on the faceplate. The protrusions may have a variety of configurations, including a linear array of posts extending from the faceplate. The spring clip then includes at least two apertures configured to receive at least two of the posts such that by selecting at least two post in the linear array of posts the spring clip can be located in one of a least two predetermined vertical positions on the faceplate.
The spring clip may be adjustable before and/or after complete assembly of the active cover plate. In one implementation, the spring clip is configured to slide vertically with respect to the faceplate into plurality of predetermined positions. For example, the spring clip may be secure in a plurality of predetermined positions by a detent engaging with a notch at each of the predetermined positions. Additionally or alternatively, the spring clip may be secured in the plurality of predetermined positions by a spring tab engaging with a groove in each of the predetermined positions. Additionally or alternatively, the spring clip is secure in the plurality of predetermined positions by a protrusion engaging in a slot in the spring clip at each of the predetermined positions. The spring clip may also include a base connected to the faceplate, a head, and a pivot interposed between the base and the head. The pivot is configured to swing the head to contact a screw terminal above or below a base.
Additionally or alternatively, the spring clip may be adjustable in the horizontal direction to reach screw terminals at varying depths. For example, the spring clip may include multiple contacts at different horizontal locations along the spring clip. The spring clip may also include a sliding insulator moving to cover one of the multiple contacts that is not in use. In some implementations, the spring clip may conduct electrical energy to the load only at the predetermined positions.
The active cover plate may further include an intermediate device interfacing with both the receptacle body and the faceplate, wherein the intermediate device extracts power out of the receptacle body and conducts the power to the faceplate. In some examples, the active cover plate may include at least three spring clips with at least one of the spring clips not extracting power from the receptacle body. The spring clips may be connected to the faceplate with a hinge so that the spring clip can rotate into a position that is parallel to the faceplate. In some examples, the spring clip may be adjustable with respect to the face plate in both horizontal and vertical directions.
In one implementation, an active cover plate includes a faceplate comprising a linear array of posts, an electrical load, and a spring clip adjustable in at least one of a horizontal direction and a vertical direction with respect to the face plate to electrically interface with a receptacle body and extract electrical power from the receptacle body to energize the load. The spring clip includes a flexible conductive portion connected to the faceplate by a base portion with two apertures. A non-conductive portion connected to an opposite end of the flexible conductive portion includes a main ramp portion extending from the flexible conductive portion, wherein the main ramp portion is to guide the active cover plate over the receptacle body as the active cover plate is pushed toward the receptacle body. The non-conductive portion in this example also includes wings or ramps extending laterally away from a main ramp portion and flexible conductive portion, wherein the wings or ramps are angled to guide the spring clip over screw terminals on the receptacle when the active cover plate is moved vertically relative to a receptacle body. A fastener connects the non-conductive portion and flexible conductive portion. The fastener also makes electrical contact with screw terminals on the receptacle body. Each spring clip may be configured to be mounted in at least two different vertical positions along the face plate by placing the base with two apertures over two of the posts in the linear array of posts to select one of a plurality of predetermined vertical positions of the spring clip on the faceplate. By extracting power from electrified screw terminals, active cover plates can incorporate a variety of circuitry, sensors, and functions.
FIGS. 14A-14G show various views of an active cover plate shell that accommodates an externally accessible power supply, such as a universal serial bus (USB) charger. USB chargers have an output voltage of approximately 5 volts and can be constructed with a range of capabilities including: 1 amp chargers, 2 amp chargers, 2.4 amp chargers, 3 amp chargers, etc.
FIG. 14C shows a front view of an active cover plate shell (1400) configured to be placed over a standard duplex outlet. A protrusion on the lower segment of the shell can accommodate the USB charger and/or other circuitry. An aperture (1401) on the left side of the protrusion allows for a USB cable to be connected to the USB charging circuitry. FIG. 14A is a top view of the shell. FIGS. 14B and 14D are left and right views, respectively, of the shell. FIG. 14E is a bottom view of the shell. FIGS. 14F and 14G are perspective views of the shell, with FIG. 14F showing the left side and front of the shell and FIG. 14G showing a right and front side of the shell. The rear of the shell is not visible to the user when installed (it is installed against a wall/electrical box) and is at least partially covered by other components (for example, a back plate, prongs as shown in FIGS. 3A-3G, 5A, 5C), and is consequently not illustrated.
FIG. 15A-15G show a number of active cover plate shells that include the protrusion to contain circuitry. These shells have substantially the same features as the shell shown in FIG. 14A-14G with the exceptions noted below. FIG. 15A is a front view of a shell (1400) with the same design as that shown in FIGS. 14A-14G. Of note, the shell has corners that are rounded with a tight radius. FIG. 15B shows a front view of a USB shell (1501) for a standard duplex outlet with more gently rounded corners and FIG. 15C shows a front view of a USB shell (1502) with even more generously rounded corners. FIGS. 15D, 15E, and 15F are front views of USB shells (1503, 1504, 1505) that show the same progression of corner rounding as described above but are designed to fit over a standard décor outlet or décor switch. FIG. 15G shows a front view of a USB shell (1506) for a décor outlet that includes openings for two USB ports, one of the left face of the protrusion and one on the right face of the protrusion. This allows a user to plug in two different devices/cords at the same time.
FIGS. 16A-16E show various views of an active cover plate shell (1600) that accommodates lighting. FIG. 16C shows a front view of the guidelight shell. This shell is designed to fit over a standard duplex outlet. The shell includes a light sensor aperture (1601) on its front face. FIG. 16A shows a top view of the shell and FIG. 16B shows a side view of the shell. FIG. 16D shows a bottom view of the guidelight shell and shows the light emission aperture (1602). For example, a light pipe may be fitted into the light emission aperture to direct light that is produced inside the guidelight to the exterior. The light emission aperture may have a variety of shapes and sizes to achieve the desired product look. For example, the light emission aperture may have three separate openings rather than one unified opening.
FIG. 16B shows a left side view of the guidelight shell. The right side of the guidelight shell has the same geometry/design as the left side and consequently is not illustrated. FIG. 16E shows a perspective view of the guidelight shell showing the left, bottom, and front faces. The light sensor aperture (1601) is shown on the front face and the light emission aperture (1602) on the bottom surface. As discussed above, the back surface of the guidelight is covered (mounted against/to the wall) and is consequently not illustrated.
FIGS. 17A-17I show a number of different examples of active cover plate shells (1600, 1700-1707) for accommodating guidelights. These shells have substantially the same features as the shell shown in FIGS. 16A-16E with variations noted below. FIG. 17D is a front view of a shell (1600) with the same design as that shown FIGS. 16A-16E. Of note, the shell has corners are rounded with a tight radius. FIG. 17E shows a front view of a guidelight shell (1703) for a duplex outlet with more gently rounded corners and FIG. 17F shows a front view of a guidelight shell (1704) for a duplex outlet with more generously rounded corners. FIGS. 17A, 17B, and 17C are front views of guidelight shells (1700, 1701, 1702) that show the same progression of corner rounding but are designed to fit over a décor outlet or a décor light switch (both the décor outlet and the décor rocker light switch have the same face geometry, which allows the same shell to be used with both).
FIGS. 17G-17I show front views of guidelight shells (1705, 1706, 1707) that are designed to fit over a standard toggle light switch. The guidelight (1705) shown in FIG. 17G has corners are rounded with a tight radius, while FIG. 17H shows a guidelight shell (1706) for a toggle switch with more gently rounded corners. FIG. 17I shows a front view of a guidelight shell (1707) with even more generously rounded corners.
1. An active cover plate comprising:
a spring clip adjustable in at least one of a horizontal direction and a vertical direction with respect to the faceplate to electrically interface with a receptacle body and extract electrical power from the receptacle body to energize the load.
2. The active cover plate of claim 1, wherein the spring clip comprises a conductive portion connected to the faceplate and non-conductive portion joined to the conductive portion.
3. The active cover plate of claim 1, wherein the spring clip comprises a flexible conductive portion connected to the faceplate by a first end and a non-conductive portion connected to an opposite end of the flexible conductive portion.
4. The active cover plate of claim 3, wherein the non-conductive portion comprises:
a main ramp portion extending from the flexible conductive portion, wherein the main ramp portion is to guide the active cover plate over the receptacle body as the active cover plate is pushed toward the receptacle body; and
ramps extending laterally away from the main ramp portion and the flexible conductive portion, wherein the ramps are angled to guide the spring clips over screw terminals on the receptacle body when the active cover plate is moved vertically relative to the receptacle body.
5. The active cover plate of claim 3, further comprising a fastener joining the non-conductive portion and the flexible conductive portion, wherein the fastener is configured to make electrical contact with screw terminals on the receptacle body.
6. The active cover plate of claim 3, wherein the flexible conductive portion comprises at least one reverse curve between a midpoint of the flexible conductive portion and a base portion.
7. The active cover plate of claim 1, wherein the spring clip is configured to be mounted in at least two different vertical positions on the faceplate.
8. The active cover plate of claim 7, wherein the spring clip comprises apertures configured to receive a protrusion and the faceplate comprises a number of protrusions such that by selecting a protrusion on the faceplate and placing the protrusion into the apertures, the spring clip can be located in a desired vertical position on the faceplate.
9. The active cover plate of claim 8, in which the number of protrusions comprise a linear array of posts extending from the faceplate, in which the spring clip comprises at least two apertures configured to receive at least two of the posts such that by selecting at least two post in the linear array of posts the spring clip can be located in one of at least two predetermined vertical positions on the faceplate.
10. The active cover plate of claim 1, in which the spring clip is adjustable after complete assembly of the active cover plate.
11. The active cover plate of claim 1, wherein the spring clip is configured to adjust vertically with respect to the faceplate into a plurality of predetermined positions.
12. The active cover plate of claim 11, wherein the spring clip is secured in one of the plurality of predetermined positions by a detent engaging with a notch at each of the predetermined positions.
13. The active cover plate of claim 11, in which the spring clip is secured in one of the plurality of predetermined positions by a spring tab engaging with a groove in each of the predetermined positions.
14. The active cover plate of claim 11, in which the spring clip is secured in one of the plurality of predetermined positions by a protrusion engaging in a slot in the spring clip at each of the predetermined positions.
15. The active cover plate of claim 1, in which the spring clip further comprises:
a base connected to the faceplate;
a pivot interposed between the base and the head and configured to swing the head to contact a screw terminal above or below the base.
16. The active cover plate of claim 1, wherein the spring clip is adjustable in the horizontal direction to reach screw terminals at varying depths.
17. The active cover plate of claim 16, wherein the spring clip comprises multiple contacts at different horizontal locations along the spring clip.
18. The active cover plate of claim 17, wherein the spring clip comprises a sliding insulator moving to cover one of the multiple contacts that is not in use.
19. The active cover plate of claim 1, wherein the spring clip conducts electrical energy to the load only at predetermined positions of the spring clip with respect to the face plate.
20. The active cover plate of claim 1, wherein the active cover plate further comprises an intermediate device interfacing with both the receptacle body and the faceplate, wherein the intermediate device extracts power out of the receptacle body and conducts the power to the faceplate.
21. The active cover plate of claim 1, wherein the active cover plate comprises at least three spring clips with at least one spring clip not extracting power from the receptacle body.
22. The active cover plate of claim 1, wherein the spring clip further comprises a mechanism to rotate the spring clip into a position that is parallel to the faceplate.
23. The active cover plate of claim 1, wherein the spring clip is adjustable both horizontally and vertically with respect to the face plate.
24. An active cover plate comprising:
a faceplate comprising a linear array of posts;
a spring clip adjustable in at least one of a horizontal direction or a vertical direction with respect to the faceplate to electrically interface with a receptacle body and extract electrical power from the receptacle body to energize the load, wherein the spring clip comprises:
a flexible conductive portion connected to the faceplate by a base portion with apertures;
a non-conductive portion connected to an opposite end of the flexible conductive portion, wherein the non-conductive portion comprises:
a main ramp portion extending from the flexible conductive portion, wherein the main ramp portion is to guide the active cover plate over the receptacle body as the active cover plate is pushed toward the receptacle body;
ramps extending laterally away from a main ramp portion and flexible conductive portion, wherein the wings are angled to guide the spring clip over screw terminals on the receptacle body when the active cover plate is moved vertically relative to a receptacle body; and
a fastener connecting the non-conductive portion and flexible conductive portion, wherein the fastener is configured to make electrical contact with screw terminals on the receptacle body;
wherein each spring clip is configured to be mounted in at least two different vertical positions along the face plate by placing the base with apertures over posts in the linear array of posts.
adjusting a vertical or horizontal position of an electrical contact on an active cover plate to contact an electrified portion of a receptacle body;
moving the active cover plate over the receptacle body such that the electrical contact contacts an electrified portion of the receptacle body; and
securing the active cover plate over the receptacle body such that human interface elements of the receptacle body are exposed.
US14/549,143 2011-08-01 2014-11-20 Active cover plates Active US9362728B2 (en)
US29/522,404 USD781241S1 (en) 2014-11-20 2015-03-30 USB cover plate
US29/522,406 USD810697S1 (en) 2014-11-20 2015-03-30 USB cover plate
US29/522,404 Continuation-In-Part USD781241S1 (en) 2011-08-01 2015-03-30 USB cover plate
US29/522,406 Continuation-In-Part USD810697S1 (en) 2011-08-01 2015-03-30 USB cover plate
US15/145,749 Continuation-In-Part US9787025B2 (en) 2011-08-01 2016-05-03 Active cover plates
US15/428,099 Continuation-In-Part US9832841B2 (en) 2016-01-18 2017-02-08 Wall-plate-switch system and method
US20150075836A1 true US20150075836A1 (en) 2015-03-19
US9362728B2 US9362728B2 (en) 2016-06-07
ID=52666930
US14/549,143 Active US9362728B2 (en) 2011-08-01 2014-11-20 Active cover plates
US (1) US9362728B2 (en)
WO2015128865A1 (en) * 2014-02-27 2015-09-03 Azoulay Ran Socket apparatus
WO2019143993A1 (en) * 2018-01-19 2019-07-25 Lutron Electronics Co., Inc. Wall boxes providing adjustable support for a control device, apparatuses, and electricl device
JP2780060B2 (en) 1990-10-09 1998-07-23 株式会社ゼクセル Vehicle air-conditioning control device
US8142199B1 (en) 2011-07-12 2012-03-27 Alon Almouli Electric connector with a linearly and circularly displaceable plug
2014-11-20 US US14/549,143 patent/US9362728B2/en active Active
US9362728B2 (en) 2016-06-07
AU2003266987B2 (en) 2007-11-22 Apparatus for distributing electrical power and/or communication signals
KR20120024725A (en) 2012-03-14 Lighting unit
CN1790816A (en) 2006-06-21 Cap assembly and connector
CA2139370C (en) 1998-04-07 Electrical receptacle and terminals
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:SMITH, JEREMY;WATKINS, SEAN;DIETZ, PHIL;AND OTHERS;SIGNING DATES FROM 20141203 TO 20150109;REEL/FRAME:035633/0777