Safety grounded artificial tree stand
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Solution Overview
Problem
Artificial pre-lighted Christmas trees pose electrical safety risks due to standard power cords overheating and the risk of electrical shock from adapter failures, particularly when fuses in plugs become accessible during use.
Innovation Solution
A non-standard electrical power cord system with a fused plug and a non-standard female polarized socket that prevents inadvertent connection, featuring a unique mating mechanism with convex vertical half rounds and grooves, and a cover to secure the plug, ensuring the fuse is inaccessible when plugged in, along with a three-prong safety grounding system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a fuse is located in the plug of a standard three-wire plug that powers the tree directly, then it can provide the protection of a fuse to any seasonal lights that may be incorporated on or with the tree, but the fuses may become too easily accessible when the conducting prongs of the plug are inserted in a wall socket
Solution Approach 1:
The fuse is nested within the hollow body of the plug, concealed behind a faceplate that covers the opening. This nesting structure allows the fuse to be protected and inaccessible when the plug is inserted into a wall socket, eliminating the electrical shock hazard while maintaining fuse protection functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
A faceplate acts as an intermediary barrier between the user and the fuse. The faceplate covers the opening to the fuse recess, preventing direct access to the fuse and electrical conductors while allowing the plug to function normally for power delivery and fuse operation.
2Reliability
If an AC to DC adapter or converter is used to convert higher voltages AC power into lower voltage DC power, then low voltage DC accessories may provide some safety advantage to users under normal operating conditions, but the risk of an electrical shock may still exist in some scenarios due to adapter failure
Solution Approach 1:
A fuse is incorporated into the adapter housing to provide beforehand protection against adapter failure. The fuse acts as a sacrificial element that will blow before the adapter can fail in a way that would expose users to high voltage, cushioning the system against catastrophic failure modes.
Solution Approach 2:
The fuse is designed as a disposable safety component that can be replaced if it blows. This cheap, replaceable element provides robust protection against adapter failure, replacing the need for more complex expensive safety systems while ensuring reliable protection against electrical shock from adapter malfunction.
3Ease of manufacture
If a standard electrical power cord with 18 AWG wire is used, then the cord can be readily available and easy to connect, but the cord will overheat and incinerate since the maximum load of 5 amp and 600 watts greatly exceeds the appliance cord capability compared to 12 AWG house wiring with 20 amp circuit breaker
Solution Approach 1:
The circuit breaker function is extracted from the wall outlet and placed directly into the plug housing. This allows the use of appropriately gauge wiring (12 AWG) throughout the power cord assembly, eliminating the overheating hazard while maintaining compatibility with standard 20-amp household circuits. The extracted circuit breaker provides localized protection at the plug.
Solution Approach 2:
The circuit breaker is merged with the plug housing structure, creating an integrated safety device. The circuit breaker, fuse, and plug components are combined into a single unified assembly that provides both connection functionality and overcurrent protection, eliminating the need for separate protection devices.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus has a decorative assembly stand having a cavity, a decorative assembly member that is configured to be removably received in the cavity, a coating that coats a surface of the decorative assembly member, a power socket including an electrical ground line, and a fastener. The electrical ground line is configured to be electrically connected to a surface of the decorative assembly stand. The fastener is configured to be received in an aperture of the decorative assembly stand and cut through the coating of the decorative assembly member and contact the surface of the decorative assembly member when the decorative assembly member is received in the cavity of the decorative assembly stand.