Quick-connect electrical outlet
OwnerMichael Donnellinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present disclosure relates to quick-connecting electrical outlets. The quick-connect electrical outlet disclosed herein may have a ground wire, a neutral wire, and a hot wire, that all enter the quick-connect electrical outlet at a common receiver portion that has terminals spaced similarly to the spacing of wires within existing wiring bundles of nonmetallic sheathed bundles. A terminal screw may receive each of the wires. The ground wire, the neutral wire, and the hot wire may be held together by a sheath. A socket may be located on the quick-connect electrical outlet, which will receive an electrical plug into apertures connected to a hot, neutral, and ground wire. Each wire may have a separate indicator. The indicators may be used to inform an installer as to which wire should be installed where.
Claims20
A quick-connect electrical outlet for an electrical fixture, comprising:
- at least a first plurality of connection apertures disposed on one side of the electrical fixture at a first position, each aperture of the first plurality sized and configured to receive a single stripped wire from a sheathed cable,
- the number of apertures in the first plurality corresponding to the number of wires in the sheathed cable and positioned such that they are spaced apart from one another to correspond to the position of individual wires in the sheathed cable, such that the stripped individual wires may be inserted without splaying;
- at least one terminal screw for securing an inserted wire in an aperture of the first plurality, such that inserted wire is retained in the aperture in conductive contact with an electrical track in the electrical fixture;
- and
- a plurality of separate indicators disposed on the electrical fixture to identify the individual apertures of the first plurality of connection apertures and designate which individual wire from the sheathed cable should be inserted into the identified individual aperture.
An electrical fixture with quick-connect electrical outlets, comprising
- a body;
- at least a first plurality of connection apertures disposed on one side of the body at a first position, each aperture of the first plurality sized and configured to receive a single stripped wire from a sheathed cable,
- the number of apertures in the first plurality corresponding to the number of wires in the sheathed cable and positioned such that they are spaced apart from one another to correspond to the position of individual wires in the sheathed cable, such that the stripped individual wires may be inserted without splaying;
- at least one terminal screw for securing an inserted wire in an aperture of the first plurality, such that inserted wire is retained in the aperture in conductive contact with an electrical track in the body;
- and
- a plurality of separate indicators disposed on the body to identify the individual apertures of the first plurality of connection apertures and designate which individual wire from the sheathed cable should be inserted into the identified individual aperture.
A method of installing a fixture with a quick-connect electrical outlet;
- comprising:
- stripping the outer sheath of a multi-wire cable at least a first distance from an end to expose the individual wires;
- stripping the insulation on the individual wires back at least a second distance from an end to expose the conductive surface;
- inserting at least a portion of the exposed conductive surface of each of the individual wires into an individual aperture of at least a first plurality of connection apertures disposed on a body of an electrical fixture at a first position, wherein each aperture is sized and configured to receive a single stripped wire from the sheathed cable and the number of apertures in the first plurality corresponds to the number of individual wires in the sheathed cable, wherein the individual apertures are spaced apart from one another to correspond to the position of individual wires in the sheathed cable, such that the stripped individual wires are inserted without splaying;
- actuating at least one terminal screw to secure at least one inserted stripped wire in an aperture of the first plurality, such that inserted wire is retained in the aperture in conductive contact with an electrical track in the body.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.