Title: Power strip with self-contained ground fault circuit interrupter module
Abstract: A power strip includes a power cord and a plastic casing mounted onto one end of the power cord. A plurality of outlets are disposed in the casing in a side-by-side relationship. A ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) is disposed in the casing and electrically connects the power cord to each of the plurality of outlets. The GFCI is self-contained and modular in form and comprises an outlet-free housing and GFCI circuitry disposed within the outlet-free housing. The GFCI circuitry includes an indicator light, a test button and a reset button which fittingly protrude through corresponding openings formed in both the outlet-free housing and the insulated casing. In use, power cord delivers current to each of the plurality of outlets. However, GFCI serves to interrupt the flow of current from the power cord to each of the plurality of outlets upon detecting a ground fault condition in the power cord.
Patent Number: 6,991,495 Issued on 01/31/2006 to Aromin
| Inventors:
|
Aromin; Victor V. (West Warwick, RI)
|
| Assignee:
|
Tower Manufacturing Corporation (Providence, RI)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
281903 |
| Filed:
|
October 28, 2002 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
439/620; 361/42 |
| Current Intern'l Class: |
H01H 3/00 (20060101) |
| Field of Search: |
439/134-139,145,652,650,620,107
361/42,45
|
References Cited [Referenced By]
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| 5906517 | May., 1999 | Crane et al.
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| 5943199 | Aug., 1999 | Aromin.
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| 5971808 | Oct., 1999 | Chiang et al.
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| 6480082 | Nov., 2002 | Aihara et al.
| |
| 6678131 | Jan., 2004 | Chapman et al.
| |
Primary Examiner: Abrams; Neil
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Kriegsman & Kriegsman
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A power strip comprising:
(a) a power cord comprising a hot line and a neutral line,
(b) an insulated casing mounted onto said power cord, said casing being shaped
to define a first opening,
(c) a plurality of outlets at least partially disposed in said casing, and
(d) a self-contained and modular ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) at least
partially disposed in said casing, said GFCI electrically connecting said power
cord to each of said plurality of outlets, said GFCI regulating the flow of current
between said power cord and said plurality of outlets, said GFCI interrupting the
flow of current from said power cord to each of said plurality of outlets upon
detecting a ground fault condition in the hot and neutral lines, said GFCI comprising,
(i) an outlet-free housing, said outlet-free housing being shaped to define a
first opening,
(ii) ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) circuitry disposed in said outlet-free
housing, said GFCI circuitry including an externally-accessible reset button which
is sized and shaped to at least partially protrude through the first opening in
said outlet-free housing and through the first opening in said casing,
(iii) a first pair of contacts electrically coupled to said GFCI circuitry, said
first pair of contacts being accessible externally of said housing, and
(iv) a second pair of contacts electrically coupled to said GFCI circuitry, said
second pair of contacts being accessible externally of said housing.
2. The power strip of claim 1 wherein said insulated casing is shaped to define
an interior cavity.
3. The power strip of claim 2 wherein said plurality of outlets and said GFCI
are at least partially disposed within the interior cavity of said casing.
4. The power strip of claim 3 wherein each outlet comprises a first female contact
receptacle electrically connected to the hot line of said power cord, a second
female contact receptacle electrically connected to the neutral line of said power
cord and a third female contact receptacle electrically connected to the ground
line of said power cord.
5. The power strip of claim 4 wherein each of the first, second and third female
contact receptacles of each outlet is externally accessible through an associated
receptacle opening formed in said insulated casing.
6. The power strip of claim 5 wherein the outlet-free housing of said GFCI is
shaped to define an interior cavity.
7. The power strip of claim 6 wherein the outlet-free housing of said GFCI comprises
a bottom member and a top member which are secured together.
8. The power strip of claim 7 wherein the outlet-free housing of said GFCI comprises
at least one mounting bracket.
9. The power strip of claim 1 wherein the outlet-free housing of said GFCI is
shaped to define a a second opening and a third opening.
10. The power strip of claim 9 wherein said GFCI circuitry comprises a ground
fault condition indicator light which is sized and shaped to at least partially
protrude through the second opening in the outlet-free housing of said ground fault
circuit interrupter.
11. The power strip of claim 9 wherein said GFCI circuitry comprises a ground
fault condition test button which is sized and shaped to at least partially protrude
through the third opening in the outlet-free housing of said ground fault circuit interrupter.
12. The power strip of claim 11 wherein said casing is shaped to define a second
opening, the ground fault condition test button being sized and shaped to at least
partially protrude through the second opening in the insulated casing.
13. The power strip of claim 1 wherein each of said first and second pairs of
contacts is sized and shaped to at least partially protrude through a corresponding
slot formed in the outlet-free housing of said ground fault circuit interrupter.
14. The power strip of claim 1 wherein said insulated casing is mounted onto
one end of said power cord.
15. The power strip of claim 1 wherein said insulated casing comprises a bottom
portion and a top portion which are secured together.
16. The power strip of claim 1 wherein said power cord further comprises a ground line.
17. A ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI)-protected device, said device receiving
current from a power source, said device comprising:
(a) an insulated casing, said insulated casing being shaped to define a first opening
(b) a load, and
(c) a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) at least partially disposed within
said casing, said GFCI regulating the flow of current from said power source to
said load, said GFCI comprising,
(i) an outlet-free housing, said outlet-free housing being shaped to define a
first opening,
(ii) GFCI circuitry disposed within the outlet-free housing, said GFCI circuitry
including an externally-accessible reset button which is sized and shaped to at
least partially protrude through the first opening in said outlet-free housing
and through the first opening in said casing,
(iii) a first pair of contacts electrically coupled to said GFCI circuitry, said
first pair of contacts being accessible externally of said housing, said first
pair of contacts being adapted to be electrically coupled to said power source, and
(iv) a second pair of contacts electrically coupled to said GFCI circuitry, said
second pair of contacts being accessible externally of said housing, said second
pair of contacts being adapted to be electrically coupled to said load.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to a power strip and more particularly
to a power strip which provides ground fault protection.
Power strips are well-known and are commonly used in the art to provide a plurality
of ancillary outlets for a single conventional wall outlet.
Power strips are typically constructed to include an plastic or metal casing
which is at least partially hollowed out so as to form an interior cavity. The
casing is mounted onto a first end of a power cable, said power cable including
a hot line, a neutral line and a ground line which are all wrapped together by
an outer protective sheath. The second end of the power cable is typically in the
form of plug which is adapted to connect with a conventional wall outlet.
Each outlet in the power strip includes a first female contact receptacle which
is electrically connected to the hot line of the power cable and a second female
contact receptacle which is electrically connected to the neutral line of the power
cable. Each of the first and second female contact receptacles is disposed within
the interior cavity and is accessible through an associated slotted opening formed
in the top of the casing. Optionally, each outlet in the power strip may include
a third female contact receptacle which is electrically connected to the ground
line of the power cable, the third female contact receptacle being disposed within
the interior cavity and accessed through an associated opening formed in the top
of the casing.
As such, each outlet is adapted to receive the plug of a device, such as an electrical
appliance, which receives current from a power source. Specifically, each contact
receptacle of an outlet is adapted to receive an associated contact terminal of
the plug. As a result, a current path is established between the outlet and the
plug, thereby providing the device with the necessary power to operate.
A power switch is commonly mounted onto the casing and electrically connects
the
hot and neutral lines of the power cord with each of the individual outlets. As
such, the power switch allows for manual regulation of the flow of current between
the power cord and each of the individual outlets. The power switch may be provided
with an internal circuit breaker which monitors the amount of current passing into
and traveling out from the individual outlets. Whenever the amounts of incoming
and outgoing current passing into and traveling out from a load connected to the
power strip exceeds the current rating of the circuit breaker (thereby signifying
a dangerous overcurrent condition) or if there is an accidental short circuit in
the load, the circuit breaker opens, or trips, thereby instantaneously cutting
off the flow of electricity to the load, which is highly desirable.
Power strips are also commonly provided with surge protection capabilities.
Specifically, a surge protector is often disposed within the interior cavity of
the casing and electrically connects the hot and neutral lines of the power cord
with each of the individual outlets. Connected in this manner, the surge protector
protects any load connected to the power strip from a power surge occurring at
the wall outlet. A power surge (also commonly referred to as transient voltage)
is an increase in the voltage at the wall outlet which is above the standard level
(e.g., 120 volts). As can be appreciated, subjecting a load to a power surge can
potentially damage and/or destroy the load, which is highly undesirable.
Although widely used in commerce, conventional power strips of the type
described above suffer from a notable drawback. Specifically, although conventional
power strips provide protection from power surges and overcurrent conditions, conventional
power strips do not provide protection from ground fault conditions.
A ground fault condition occurs if the current in the hot line and the current
in the neutral line have unequal values (e.g., if the hot line connects directly
to ground). As will be described further below, a ground fault condition can be
extremely dangerous to a person who is in contact with the load. Specifically,
if someone accidentally touches (i.e., grounds) the hot line, the current level
in the hot line will immediately become less than the current level in the neutral
line. However, because the current path from the wall outlet to the load effectively
functions as a closed circuit, the current level in the hot line will always adjust
to the current level in the neutral line. As a result, once the hot line is grounded,
the current level in the hot line will quickly surge to the current level in the
neutral line. This surge in current in the hot line can potentially electrocute
the person contacting the load, which is highly undesirable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved power strip.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a power strip which
provides
ground fault protection.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a power strip as
described above which includes a readily detectable indicator for notifying the
user that the power strip has tripped in response to a ground fault condition.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a power strip
as
described above which can be manually reset after the power strip has tripped in
response to a ground fault condition.
It is yet still another object of the present invention to provide a power strip
as described above which can be manually tripped for testing purposes.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a power strip as
described above which may be mass produced, has a minimal number of parts, includes
modular components, and can be easily assembled.
Accordingly, as one feature of the present invention, there is provided
a power strip comprising a power cord comprising a hot line and a neutral line,
a casing mounted onto said power cord, a plurality of outlets disposed in said
casing, and a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) disposed in said casing,
said GFCI electrically connecting said power cord to each of said plurality of
outlets, said GFCI regulating the flow of current between said power cord and said
plurality of outlets.
As another feature of the present invention, there is provided a ground fault
circuit interrupter (GFCI) for regulating the flow of current between a power source
and a load, said GFCI comprising an outlet-free housing, and GFCI circuitry disposed
in said outlet-free housing.
Additional objects, as well as features and advantages, of the present
invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part
will be obvious from the description or may be learned by practice of the invention.
In the description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a
part thereof and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments
for practicing the invention. These embodiments will be described in sufficient
detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is
to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that structural changes
may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The following detailed
description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of
the present invention is best defined by the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings, which are hereby incorporated into and constitute
a part of this specification, illustrate various embodiments of the invention and,
together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
In the drawings wherein like reference numerals represent like parts:
FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a power strip constructed according to the
teachings of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a top perspective view, broken away in part, of the power strip shown
in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a side perspective view of the ground fault circuit interrupter shown
in FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a top perspective view of the ground fault circuit interrupter shown
in FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is an end perspective view of the ground fault circuit interrupter shown
in FIG. 2;
FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the ground fault circuit interrupter
shown in FIG. 2;
FIG. 7 is a top perspective view of the bottom member of the ground fault circuit
interrupter shown in FIG. 3;
FIG. 8 is a bottom perspective view of the bottom member of the ground fault
circuit interrupter shown in FIG. 3;
FIG. 9 is a top perspective view of the ground fault circuit interrupter shown
in FIG. 3, the ground fault circuit interrupter being shown with its top member
removed therefrom;
FIG. 10 is bottom perspective view of the top member of the ground fault circuit
interrupter shown in FIG. 3;
FIG. 11 is an end perspective view of the outlet-free housing for the ground
fault circuit interrupter shown in FIG. 3; and
FIG. 12 is a fragmentary plan view of a device for receiving electrical power,
said device being constructed according to the teachings of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a power strip constructed
according to the teachings of the present invention, the power strip being represented
generally by reference numeral
11. As will be described further in detail
below, power strip
11 is constructed to provide ground fault protection.
Power strip
11 comprises a power cord
13. Power cord
13
is conventional in construction and includes a hot line
15, a neutral line
17 and a ground line
19 which are all wrapped together by an outer
protective sheath
21 constructed of an insulated material.
A plastic casing
23 is mounted onto one end of power cord
13. The
other end of power cord
13 is preferably in the form of a male plug (not
shown) which can be inserted into a conventional electrical outlet. With the plug
inserted into a conventional electrical outlet, electricity delivered into the
electrical outlet travels through the plug, along the power cord
13 and
into the various outlets of the power strip, as will be described further below.
Casing
23 comprises a bottom portion
25 and a top portion
27
which can be fixedly secured together by any conventional means (e.g., using screws,
through snap-fit engagement between portions
25 and
27, etc.). Secured
together, bottom portion
25 and top portion
27 together define an
interior cavity
29 into which the primary electric components for power
strip
11 are disposed.
Power strip
11 comprises a plurality of outlets
31 disposed in
a side-by-side relationship, each outlet
31 being adapted to receive a conventional,
three-terminal electric plug. Specifically, each outlet
31 includes a hot
line female contact receptacle
33 which is electrically connected to hot
line
15. Receptacle
33 is sized and shaped to conductively receive
the hot line conductor blade of a standard electrical plug, receptacle
33
being accessed through a vertical, slot-shaped opening
35 formed in top
portion
27 of casing
23. In addition, each outlet
31 includes
a neutral line female contact receptacle
37 which is electrically connected
to neutral line
17. Receptacle
37 is sized and shaped to conductively
receive the neutral line conductor blade of a standard electrical plug, receptacle
37 being accessed through a vertical, slot-shaped opening
39 formed
in the top portion
27 of casing
23. Furthermore, each outlet
31
includes a ground line female contact receptacle
41 which is electrically
connected to ground line
19. Receptacle
41 is sized and shaped to
conductively receive the ground pin of a standard electrical plug, receptacle
41
being accessed through a rounded opening
43 formed in the top portion
27
of casing
23. As can be appreciated, due to its connection to hot line
15,
neutral line
17 and ground line
19, each outlet
31 is provided
with the necessary current to power a load connected thereto.
It should be noted that the particular construction of each outlet
31
does
not serve as a principal feature of the present invention. Rather, outlets
31
serve to represent any conventional outlet which is well known and widely used
in the art. As such, outlets
31 could be replaced with any other type of
conventional outlet without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, outlets
31 could be in the form of a conventional two-prong
outlet (which does not include a receptacle for receiving a ground pin).
As seen most clearly in FIG. 2, a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI)
45
is disposed within casing
23. As will be described further in detail below,
GFCI
45 connects hot and neutral lines
15 and
17 with each
of the individual outlets
31. In this manner, GFCI
45 serves to interrupt
the flow of current from power cord
13 and into each of the individual outlets
31 upon detecting a ground fault or grounded neutral condition in lines
15 and
17, which is highly desirable.
As will be described further in detail below, two novel features of power strip
11 relate to (1) the implementation of ground fault circuit interrupter
45 in power strip
11, and (2) the self-contained, modular construction
of ground fault circuit interrupter
45.
Referring now to FIGS. 3-11, GFCI
45 comprises a outlet-free housing
47 and GFCI circuitry
49 disposed within housing
47.
Housing
47 is constructed of a durable and insulated material, such
as plastic, and includes a bottom member
51 and a top member
53 which
are releasably secured together using screws
55 or other suitable means
(e.g., rivets or snap-in feature). Together, bottom member
51 and top member
53 define an interior cavity
56 which is sized and shaped to receive
GFCI circuitry
49.
As seen most clearly in FIGS. 7 and 8, bottom member
51 is an integral
piece which includes a substantially flat bottom panel
57 and a pair of
sidewalls
59-
1 and
59-
2 which extend orthogonally up
from opposite sides of bottom panel
57, thereby providing bottom member
51 with a generally U-shaped configuration in lateral cross-section. Bottom
member
51 is shaped to include a pair of openings
60, one opening
60-
1 being formed at one end
61-
1 of bottom panel
57
and the other opening
60-
2 being formed at the other end
61-
2
of bottom panel
57. It should be noted that the outer surface of bottom
panel
57 is countersunk around each opening
60 to receive the head
of a screw.
A first mounting bracket
62-
1 is formed onto bottom panel
57
at end
61-
1 and a second mounting bracket
62-
2 is formed
onto bottom panel
57 at end
61-
2, each bracket
62 being
positioned at the approximate midpoint between sidewalls
59. Each bracket
62 includes a flat support surface
63 which is spaced slightly up
from and lies parallel with bottom panel
57, surface
63-
1
extending out and away from end
61-
1 and surface
63-
2
extending out and away from end
61-
2. Each support surface
63
is shaped to define a pair of spaced apart mounting holes
65 which are sized
and shaped to receive a device (e.g., a screw, nail, bolt, etc.) for fixedly mounting
GFCI
45 onto casing
23.
Each bracket
62 is also shaped to include a pair of spaced apart support
arms
67, each support arm
67 projecting orthogonally up from bottom
panel
57 and extending at an angle parallel with sidewalls
59. As
will be described further below, support arms
67 help retain circuitry
49
in place on bottom member
51. A pair of shortened end walls
69 project
orthogonally up from bottom panel
57 on opposite sides of each bracket
62,
each end wall
69 extending at a right angle relative to sidewalls
59.
As seen most clearly in FIG. 10, top member
53 is an integral piece which
includes a substantially flat top panel
71. Top panel
71 is shaped
to include a first circular opening
73, a second circular opening
74
and a third circular opening
75. As will be described further below, each
of openings
73,
74 and
75 is sized and shaped to fittingly
receive an associated component of GFCI circuitry
49.
A pair of sidewalls
76 extend orthogonally down from opposite sides of
top
panel
71, thereby providing top member
53 with a generally U-shaped
configuration in lateral cross-section. A pair of spaced apart tabs
77 are
formed onto the inner surface of each sidewall
73 and project downward away
from top panel
71. Each tab
75 includes a longitudinally extending
rib
78 which is substantially circular in lateral cross-section.
A pair of end walls
79 extend orthogonally down from opposite ends of
top
panel
71, thereby providing top member
53 with a generally U-shaped
configuration in longitudinal cross-section. A threaded boss
81 is formed
onto the inner surface of each end wall
79, the free end of each boss
81
projecting downward away from top panel
71.
It should be noted that, with top member
53 mounted onto bottom member
51, top member
53 and bottom member
51 together define a pair
of lateral slots
83 on opposite sides of each bracket
61, as seen
most clearly in FIG. 11. As will be described further below, each slot
83
is sized and shaped to receive an associated contact terminal of GFCI circuitry
49.
GFCI circuitry
49 represents any conventional GFCI circuitry. As an example,
GFCI circuitry
49 may be of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,757,598,
which is incorporated herein by reference.
As seen most clearly in FIG. 6, GFCI circuitry
49 includes a main printed
circuit board
85 onto which various circuit components are mounted. Each
side of main printed circuit board
85 is shaped to include a pair of semi-circular
notches
87, each notch
87 being sized and shaped to fittingly receive
an associated rib
78 from top member
53. Furthermore, each end of
main printed circuit board
85 is shaped to include a pair of longitudinally-extending
slots
89, each slot
89 being sized and shaped to fittingly receive
an associated support arm
67.
As such, with GFCI
45 assembled together, arms
67 project into
slots
89 to secure GFCI circuitry
49 securely in place on bottom member
51, as seen most clearly in FIG. 9. Furthermore, with GFCI
45 assembled
together, tabs
77 abut against the inner surface of sidewalls
59
to secure top member
53 in place on bottom member
51 and ribs
78
project into notches
87 to secure main printed circuit board
85 fixed
in place in relation to top member
53.
GFCI circuitry
49 also includes an indicator light
91 which is
sized and shaped to fittingly protrude through opening
73 in top member
53 when GFCI
45 is in its assembled form. In use, GFCI circuitry
49 is designed in such a manner so that indicator light
91 will illuminate
when circuitry
49 detects a ground fault or grounded neutral condition.
Preferably, indicator light
91 is in the form of a light emitting diode.
However, it is to be understood that indicator light
91 could be in the
form of an alternative illuminating device which is well-known in the art without
departing from the spirit of the present invention.
GFCI circuitry
49 also includes a test button
93 which is sized
and shaped to fittingly protrude through opening
74 in top member
53
when GFCI
45 is in its assembled form. In use, the depression of test button
93 allows the user to trip circuitry
49 in ensure that GFCI
45
is providing proper ground fault protection.
GFCI circuitry
49 further includes a reset button
95 which is
sized and shaped to fittingly protrude through opening
75 in top member
53 when GFCI
45 is in its assembled form. In use, the depression
of reset button
95 serves to reset circuitry
49 after a trip condition
is experienced.
GFCI circuitry
49 additionally includes four, blade-shaped, terminal
contacts
97, each contact
97 being sized and shaped to fittingly
protrude through an associated lateral slot
83 formed between top member
53 and bottom member
51. Terminal contact
97-
1 is designated
for electrical connection with the hot line
15 of the power source (i.e.,
power cord
13). Terminal contact
97-
2 is designated for electrical
connection to the neutral line
17 of the power source (i.e., power cord
13). Terminal contact
97-
3 is designated for electrical connection
to the hot line of the load (i.e., each outlet
31). Terminal contact
97-
4
is designated for electrical connection to the neutral line of the load (i.e.,
each outlet
31).
As can be seen most clearly in FIG. 1, top portion
25 of casing
23
includes a first circular opening
99, a second circular opening
101
and a third circular opening
103. With power strip
11 constructed
into its assembled form, GFCI
45 is disposed between top portion
25
and bottom portion
27 of casing
23 in such a manner so that light
91 protrudes through opening
99, test button
93 protrudes
through opening
101, and reset button
95 protrudes through opening
103, thereby providing the consumer with suitable access to the necessary
components of GFCI
45.
A combination power switch and circuit breaker
105 is preferably disposed
within casing
23. Combination power switch/circuit breaker
105 is
preferably disposed in the current path between GFCI
45 and each of individual
outlets
31. In this manner, power switch/circuit breaker
105 can
be used to: (1) manually regulate the flow of current between power cord
13
and outlets
31 (by means of the power switch) and (2) automatically interrupt
current passing into outlets
31 when the current levels passing into and
traveling out from outlets
31 exceeds a predetermined current rating (by
means of the circuit breaker). As can be appreciated, the inclusion of combination
power switch/circuit breaker
105 does not serve as a novel feature of the
present invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that any conventional combination
power switch and circuit breaker could be used in power strip
11 without
departing from the spirit of the present invention.
As can be appreciated, the self-contained, modular construction of GFCI
45
provides a number of significant advantages.
As a first advantage, due to its self-contained, modular construction, GFCI
45
does not need to be manufactured in conjunction with the device into which it is
disposed (i.e., remainder of power strip
11). Rather, GFCI
45 could
be manufactured independently of the remainder of power strip
11. As a result,
it is to be understood that GFCI
45 could be inexpensively and efficiently
mass produced and subsequently sold to the manufacturer of any electric device
that requires ground fault protection, thereby increasing the range of its potential
applications, which is highly desirable.
As a second advantage, due to its self-contained, modular construction, GFCI
45
can provide open neutral protection (i.e., circuit protection when the neutral
line is cut or otherwise opened) whereas traditional GFCIs do not provide open
neutral protection.
As a third advantage, due to its self-contained modular construction, GFCI
45
can be constructed without a relay circuit whereas traditional GFCIs require a
relay circuit. The ability to eliminate the relay circuit from circuitry
49
of GFCI
45 simplifies the manufacturing process and reduces costs, which
is highly desirable.
As noted briefly above, the modular, self-contained construction of GFCI
45
allows it to be used in a wide variety of potential applications. In particular,
GFCI
45 can be individually manufactured and sold for use in conjunction
with any device that receives current from a power source.
Specifically, referring now to FIG. 12, there is shown a fragmentary
plan view of a device for receiving electrical power (such as a stake light), said
device being constructed according to the teachings of the present invention and
identified generally by reference numeral
111. Device
111 comprises
a protective housing
113 which is at least partially hollowed to allow GFCI
45 to be disposed therewithin. Preferably, housing
113 includes a
first circular opening
115 which is sized and shaped to enable light
91
of GFCI
45 to fittingly project therethrough, a second circular opening
117 which is sized and shaped to enable test button
93 of GFCI
45
to fittingly project therethrough and a third circular opening
119 which
is sized and shaped to enable reset button
95 of GFCI
45 to fittingly
project therethrough. As such, the consumer is provided with the necessary access
to the buttons and displays of GFCI, which is highly desirable. In use, GFCI
45
connects the load
121 of device
111 with a power source
123.
The versions of the present invention described above are intended to be merely
exemplary and those skilled in the art shall be able to make numerous variations
and modifications to it without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
All such variations and modifications are intended to be within the scope of the
present invention as defined in the appended claims. For example, it should be
noted that the particular components which make up the aforementioned embodiments
may be interchanged or combined to form additional embodiments.
*
