Patent ID: 8207627

Claim:
A receptacle module for mounting on a power rail of a power strip, comprising a housing removably mountable on the power rail, the housing including a plurality of receptacle module AC power terminals that removably mate with AC power bus conductors of the power rail and a plurality of receptacle module communications bus terminals, the receptacle module communications bus terminals having data and DC power terminals that removably mate with data and DC power conductors of a communications bus of the power rail; a plurality of plug receptacles for insertion of plugs of cords, the receptacle module distributing AC power from the power rail to the receptacle module's plug receptacles; and a receptacle module DC power supply coupled to the receptacle module AC power terminals that provides DC power from AC power provided by the AC power bus conductors of the power rail, the DC power supply having an output coupled to the receptacle module communications bus DC power terminal to provide DC power to the DC power conductor of the communications bus of the power rail.