Electrical load balancing power module

A wiring device connectable to a power cable assembly for distributing electrical power at multiple receptacle outlets on the wiring device, the wiring device comprising:

• a tap socket assembly including a housing with bus conductors attachable to the power cable assembly at opposite ends of the housing and including a plurality of individual tap socket sites facing transverse to the bus conductors;
• an enclosure assembly having multiple openings, the tap socket assembly being mounted in the enclosure assembly with individual tap socket sites aligned with individual openings in the enclosure assembly, opposite ends of the enclosure assembly being open to permit connection of the bus conductors to the power cable assembly;
• and
• receptacle outlets connectable to the individual tap sites, the receptacle outlets extending through the individual openings by a distance sufficient to permit insertion and removal through the individual openings to permit connection to and disconnection from the corresponding tap socket sites.

An electrical wiring assembly for use in a retail display to balance loads on branch circuits providing electrical power to sample electrical components on display in an retail establishment, the electrical wiring assembly comprising:

• a tap socket assembly including bus bars for carrying electrical current, the bus bars being located in a tap socket housing, the tap socket assembly including multiple tap sockets, each tap socket including electrical contacts on the bus bars aligned with apertures in the tap socket housing, each tap socket assembly also including an end connector on at least one end thereof;
• a cable including multiple wires and a connector attachable to the end connector, the cable comprising means for connecting the bus bars and the wires to an electrical service panel to form multiple branch circuits accessible in the tap socket assembly;
• a hanger assembly attachable to the tap socket assembly, the hanger assembly including means for positioning the tap socket assembly in the retail display, the hanger assembly also including openings aligned with the tap sockets on the tap socket assembly to provide access to the tap sockets;
• receptacle outlets of at least a first type and a second type, the first type of receptacle outlets being attachable to a first bus bar at tap sockets, the second type of receptacle outlets being attachable to a second bus bar at second tap sockets, the first and second types of receptacle outlets being interchangeable and replaceable so that loads on the first and second bus bars can be balanced by substituting one type of receptacle outlet for another type of receptacle outlet;
• wherein the openings in the hanger assembly comprise openings through which the receptacle outlets can be inserted and removed so that loads on different branch circuits can be balanced by changing the type of receptacle outlet in the retail display without rewiring the branch circuits at the electrical service panel.

A method of balancing branch circuits to eliminate excessive loading on an individual branch circuit comprising the steps of:

• providing multiple branch line conductors and at least one ground conductor and at least one neutral conductor in a single power cable assembly extending from a circuit protection power source;
• providing multiple tap sockets along the power cable assembly, each tap socket including multiple branch line bus members, at least one ground bus member and at least one neutral bus member;
• plugging one type of electrical receptacle outlet of a set of receptacle outlets into the tap sockets in a direction transverse to the branch line conductors, each receptacle outlet of the set including a terminal connectable to only a one of the multiple branch line conductors, such that different receptacle outlets are pluggable to different branch line conductors;
• and
• unplugging the receptcle outlet in a direction transverse to the branch line conductors and replacing a first type of receptacle outlet pluggable to a first line conductor at a first tap socket with a second type of receptacle outlet pluggable to a second branch line conductor at the first tap socket in response to excessive loading on the first branch line conductor, to balance the loads on multiple branch circuits without relocating branch circuit conductors at the circuit protection power source.

An electrical wiring assembly for use in a facility in which numerous electrical devices are repeatedly rearranged to balance loads on branch circuits providing electrical power to electrical devices in the facility, the electrical wiring assembly comprising:

• a tap socket assembly including bus bars for carrying electrical current, the bus bars being located in a tap socket housing, the tap socket assembly including multiple tap sockets, each tap socket including electrical contacts on the bus bars aligned with apertures in the tap socket housing, the tap socket assembly also including an end connector on at least one end thereof;
• a cable including multiple wires and a connector attachable to the end connector, the cable comprising means for connecting the bus bars and the wires to an electrical service panel to form multiple branch circuits accessible in the tap socket assembly;
• a hanger assembly attachable to the tap socket assembly, the hanger assembly including means for positioning the tap socket assembly facility in which numerous electrical devices are repeatedly rearranged, the hanger assembly also including openings aligned with the tap sockets on the tap socket assembly to provide access to the tap sockets;
• receptacle outlets of at least a first type and a second type, the first type of receptacle outlets being attachable to a first bus bar at first tap sockets, the second type of receptacle outlets being attachable to a second bus bar at second tap sockets, the first and second types of receptacle outlets being interchangeable and replaceable so that loads on the first and second bus bars can be balanced by substituting one type of receptacle outlet for another type of receptacle outlet;
• wherein the openings in the hanger assembly comprise openings through which the receptacle outlets can be inserted and removed so that loads on different branch circuits can be balanced by changing the type of receptacle outlet in the facility in which numerous electrical devices are repeatedly rearranged without rewiring the branch circuits at the electrical service panel.