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US 7,588,447 B1Granted
Safety receptacle with tamper resistant shutter
AssigneeWenzhou MTLC Electrical Appliances Co., Ltd.
InventorLidong Ni
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The disclosed embodiments are directed to a apparatus that includes a frame and a shutter device located within the frame, the shutter device being configured to simultaneously block openings for at least a hot connector element and a neutral connector element of an electrical receptacle when forces are unequally applied to the shutter device through openings corresponding to the at least hot and neutral connector elements.
Claims21
An apparatus comprising:
- a cover assembly for a protective shutter assembly, the cover assembly including at least one alignment key and at least one pair of opposing retaining walls;
- at least one registration member including a back wall, opposing top and bottom wall members and opposing side wall members to form a frame, the at least one registration member configured to be removably retained in the cover assembly within the at least one pair of opposing retaining walls and aligned within the cover assembly by the at least one alignment key;
- a shutter device movably secured within the at least one registration member, the shutter device being configured to simultaneously block openings for at least a hot connector element and a neutral connector element of an electrical receptacle when forces are unequally applied to the shutter device through openings corresponding to the at least hot and neutral connector elements, the shutter device including a pair of opposing retaining orbits that are configured to be slidingly engaged in corresponding recesses in the opposing top and bottom wall members of the at least one registration member to retain the shutter device in the at least one registration member;
- and
- at least one retaining member in the cover assembly, each retaining member configured to engage an installation pocket in each opposing side wall member of the at least one registration member to retain the at least one registration member in the cover assembly.
2 more elements
An apparatus comprising:
- at least one registration member having opposing top and bottom walls and opposing side walls to form a frame, each registration member configured to be separately and removably inserted into a housing for an electrical receptacle;
- a first shutter member slidingly mounted in the frame, the first shutter member having a first ramp member and a first receptacle blocking member;
- a second shutter member slidingly mounted in the frame, the second shutter member having a second ramp member located in front of the first blocking member and a second receptacle blocking member located behind the first ramp member;
- wherein each shutter member includes a longitudinal retaining member configured to be received in a shutter orbit in the frame to retain each shutter member in the frame and allow longitudinal sliding movement of each shutter member within the frame;
- and
- a first resilient member disposed between the first shutter member and the frame and a second resilient member disposed between the second shutter member and the frame;
- and
- at least one angled wall member in each corner of the frame configured to limit movement of the first and second shutter member within the frame;
- wherein the first and second shutter members are configured to simultaneously block a neutral and hot opening of the electrical receptacle when a force is exerted on only one of the first or second ramp members.
6 more elements
An electrical receptacle comprising:
- a housing for providing at least a hot and neutral receptacle to a power source;
- a cover attached to the housing having at least a first and second openings for allowing connection to a corresponding one of the hot or neutral receptacle;
- and
- at least one registration member located within the housing, each registration member being configured to block both the first and second openings of a respective receptacle when forces are unequally applied to the shutter device through the first and second openings, wherein each registration member is individually affixed in the housing and comprises:
- a first shutter member slidingly mounted in a registration member, the first shutter member having a first ramp member and a first receptacle blocking member;
- a second shutter member slidingly mounted in the registration member, the second shutter member having a second ramp member located in front of the first blocking member and a second receptacle blocking member located behind the first ramp member;
- wherein each shutter member includes a longitudinal retaining member configured to be received in a shutter orbit corresponding top and bottom walls of the registration member to retain each shutter member in the registration member and allow longitudinal sliding movement of each shutter member within the registration member;
- a first resilient member disposed between the first shutter member and the frame and a second resilient member disposed between the second shutter member and the registration member;
- and
- at least one angled wall member in each corner of the registration member configured to limit movement of the first and second shutter member;
- wherein the first and second shutter members are configured to simultaneously block a neutral and hot opening of the respective electrical receptacle when a force is exerted on only one of the first or second ramp members.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.