Receptacle with shaped surface

Abstract

The instant invention discloses a receptacle where the surface of the face along its width is flat in one plane and along its length has a constant radius. The shape of the face of the receptacle allows for the proper seating of an inserted plug. The receptacle is adapter to be located in a wall plate having a vertical axis of positive first differential and zero second differential, comprised of a combination of splines drawn between points of varying distance from a datum plane and zero second differential when the rate of height increase of individual splines is constant. The receptacle can be placed next to a switch, the front face of which follows the shape of the wall plate.

Description

[0001]This application is a continuation in part of application Ser. No. 10 / 236,406, filed Sep. 6, 2002, which is a continuation in part of application Ser. No. 10 / 163,488 filed Jun. 6, 2002 now abandoned.[0002]U.S. application Ser. No. 10 / 852,818 filed on May 25, 2004 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,285,723 on Oct. 23, 2007 is a continuation-in-part of International Application Number PCT / US2003 / 018115 having an international filing date of Jun. 6, 2003 which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10 / 236,198 filed on Sep. 6, 2002 which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10 / 163,934 filed on Jun. 6, 2002 now abandoned. U.S. application Ser. No. 10 / 852,818 is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10 / 236,406 filed on Sep. 6, 2002 now abandoned which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10 / 163,488 filed on Jun. 6, 2002 now abandoned.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]1. Field of the Invention[0004]The present invention...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0010]The paddle of the switch has a length-width ratio dimension that is proportioned to provide a finger contact surface of increased area to allow a user to more easily and quickly identify and operate a particular switch. The vertical axis of the switch has a surface of positive first differential, comprised of splines drawn between points of varying distance from a datum plane, and has along the horizontal axis a surface of a positive first differential and negative second differential, comprised of a combination of splines drawn between points of varying distance from the datum plane.

[0014]In one embodiment of the switch according to the present invention, an articulated cam driver coupled to the rocker paddle of the switch causes a cam to rotate first in a clockwise direction and then in a counter clockwise direction each time the rocker paddle is depressed. Alternate rotation of the cam drives a slider member back and forth along a linear axis to open and close a set of contacts. A leaf spring of predetermined shape cooperates with a cam follower on the slider member to assist in the movement of the slider and to determine its rest positions. A spring, acting through the rigid member, urges the rocker paddle to always be in its out position when the switch is in its on position and its off at-rest position. An indicator such as an LED located in the paddle indicates the state of conduction of the switch.

Problems solved by technology

In installations where there are multiple wiring devices in a common box, the installation of the wall plate can be time consuming.

Misalignment and positioning problems are often caused by wall boxes that are skewed relative to the wall or by walls which may not be flat.

The irregular in-out positioning of adjacent switches, particularly with 3-way and 4-way switches, can cause visual inconsistency in the mind of the user as to which switch is on and which switch is off when subsequent activation or deactivation of less than all of the rocker switches is desired by a user.

A receptacle with a flat face, when ganged with a switch which is not flat in one plane, typically presents a visual discontinuous array of wiring devices which homeowners seem to find visually objectionable.

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