Removable Barrier Electrical Outlet Prevents Misinstallation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical outlets with both power and communications connectors are costly to manufacture and require fixed barriers for safety, limiting their use and increasing inventory complexity, and often mistakenly connected to standard electrical boxes without barriers.
Innovation Solution
A single gang electrical outlet design with a removable barrier that is securely mounted to an electrical box using transversely offset fasteners and protrusions, preventing accidental connection to standard boxes without barriers, while allowing standard dual-connector outlets to be used.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a fixed barrier is used to electrically isolate power and communications connectors, then safety is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The barrier is divided into separate modular components that can be independently positioned and secured within the electrical box. This segmentation allows the barrier to be easily installed and removed without complicating the overall device structure, while still providing the required electrical isolation between power and communications connectors.
2Reliability
If a fixed barrier is coupled to the electrical outlet or box, then electrical isolation is ensured, but adaptability decreases and inventory complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The barrier is designed with dynamic, removable characteristics rather than being fixed permanently. This allows the barrier to be adapted to different electrical box configurations and outlet types, enabling the same outlet design to be used across multiple applications without requiring different barrier solutions for each case.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrical outlet and barrier design is created to be universally compatible with various electrical box types. The barrier and mounting system are designed so that a single outlet design can serve multiple functions across different installation environments, reducing the need for multiple specialized components and simplifying inventory management.
3Ease of manufacture
If outlets with power and communications connectors are designed without prevention mechanisms, then ease of manufacture is improved, but reliability decreases due to erroneous connections
Solution Approach 1:
The outlet incorporates preliminary anti-action features in the form of positioning protrusions and corresponding recesses that prevent erroneous installation. These features are built into the basic outlet design, ensuring that the outlet can only be correctly installed in an electrical box with the proper barrier configuration, thereby preventing safety violations without complicating the manufacturing process.
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical assembly comprising an electrical box and a single gang electrical outlet having both a power connector and at least one communications connector and being supported in the box. The electrical outlet is receivable in the box, which has a barrier to isolate the power and communications connectors, but is not receivable in a standard box, which would not have the required barrier, due to the spacing and locations of the mounting fasteners and protrusions extending downwardly near the ends of the outlet. In addition to the electrical outlet with the power and communications connectors, the electrical box can receive a standard single gang outlet therein upon removal of the barrier.