Patent ID: 7247793

Claim:
A wall plate adapter for an electrical outlet, comprising: a plate with at least one receptacle face; wherein the at least one receptacle face overlays at least one receptacle of the electrical outlet when the plate is secured over the electrical outlet; the at least one receptacle face having slots aligned with slots of the at least one receptacle so that prongs of a plug can be plugged into the slots of the at least one receptacle after passing through the slots of the at least one receptacle face; at least one electrical contact carried by the wall plate and located so that the at least one electrical contact touches at least one of the prongs of the plug when the plug is plugged into the slots of the at least one receptacle; and circuitry for communicating, via the at least one electrical contact, with AC power wiring of the at least one receptacle, when the plug is plugged into the slots of the at least one receptacle, the circuitry comprising at least one transmitter for transmitting a signal for use in a network via the AC power wiring and at least one receiver for receiving a command from a network via the AC power wiring.