GFCI without bridge contacts and having means for automatically blocking a face opening of a protected receptacle when tripped
US6949994B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 30, 2002 |
| Grant date | Sep 27, 2005 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 31, 2023 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01H83/144
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Located within a GFCI is a movable contact bearing arm which cooperates with at least one fixed contact. When the movable arm is moved up to allow the at least one contact on the arm to close with at least one fixed contact, the GFCI is in a conducting state and current flows from a source of electricity through the closed contacts to a load and to the contacts of a receptacle. When the movable arm is moved down to open the contacts, the GFCI is in a non-conducting state and current cannot flow from the source of electricity to either the load or the receptacle contacts. In this invention, the up and down movement of the movable contact bearing arm is harnessed to move a blocking member located within the housing of the GFCI to a first position to block at least one opening of the receptacle as the movable arm is moved down or to a second position to allow the prongs of a plug to enter the openings of the receptacle as the movable arm is moved up. The downward movement of the movable contact bearing arm occurs when the GFCI goes into a non-conducting state. Resetting the GFCI by pressing in and then releasing a reset button causes the movable contact bearing arm to move up to make …
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.