Patent ID: 8471718

Claim:
An electrical outlet unit comprising: a. a housing which includes (1) a first side, (2) a second side, (3) a transverse axis extending between the first side and the second side, (4) a first end, (5) a second end, (6) a longitudinal axis extending between the first end and the second end, (7) a front, and (8) a rear; b. a power plug connected to said housing that is shaped and sized to electrically connect to a power source whereby elements electrically connected to said power plug are connected to power via said power plug; c. a plurality of grounded electrical outlet receptacles located on the front of said housing and being arranged in columns and rows, with the columns being spaced apart from each other along the transverse axis of said housing and the rows being spaced apart from each other along the longitudinal axis of said housing, each outlet receptacle having a ground connection; d. a timer unit located within said housing which may be initiated from the exterior of said housing, said timer unit including a timing circuit electrically connected to each outlet receptacle of said plurality of grounded electrical outlet receptacles; e. an electrical surge protector circuit in said housing and electrically connected to each outlet receptacle of said plurality of grounded electrical outlet receptacles; and, f. a grounding circuit electrically connecting the grounding circuit of each of said grounded outlet receptacles to a grounded conductor of the power plug; g. an initiation switch on said housing, said initiation switch being electrically interposed between said power plug and said electrical surge protector circuit and including (1) a “charging” position which electrically connects said electrical surge protector circuit to said power source and to said timing circuit, and a “non-charging” position which electrically disconnects said electrical surge protector circuit from said power source when said initiation switch is in a “non-charging” condition to said timing circuit, and, h. the “non-charging” position and the “charging” position of said initiation switch being mutually exclusive of each other so that when said initiation switch is in one of said positions, it cannot be in any other of said positions.