Other

Norman R. Byrne

Roger J Barr

Daniel P Byrne

Aaron G Lautenbach

Gerald N Vander Till

Derrick C Yager

William S Otte, Iii

An electrical power unit includes housing portions that are assembled together and then surrounded by a cover extending around their top, bottom, and sides. At least one of the housing portions includes elongate element, such as a ridge or channel, which aligns with an elongate guide element, such as a channel or ridge, which is defined by the outer cover. Front and rear face panels enclose or cover front and rear openings defined by the housing portions, with one or both face panels providing support and/or access to electrical outlets or contacts inside the housing portions.

Electrical power unit with replaceable outer cover

A tamper resistant electrical outlet maintains its electrical contacts in a non-energized state until an object is inserted into an outlet opening for a different electrical contact. In this way, an object contacting the electrical contact behind one contact opening will not be subjected to electrical current unless another object is simultaneously inserted sufficiently far into another outlet opening. Insertion of an object, such as the prong of an electrical plug, into either outlet opening will move an actuator, thereby moving a respective live contact toward the electrical contact that is associated with the other outlet opening. Although the electrical outlet does not preclude objects from being inserted into its outlet openings and engaging the associated electrical contacts, only by simultaneous insertion of two different objects (such as two prongs of an electrical plug) into the different outlet openings will the electrical contacts become energized.

Tamper resistant electrical outlet

An electrical outlet has a housing including a perimeter housing portion sandwiched between front and rear housing portions. The perimeter housing portion define an interior and has a front edge and a rear edge. The front housing portion has a rear surface that engages the front edge of the perimeter housing portion, and the front housing portion includes one or more electrical receptacle openings to the interior, with a plurality of rearwardly-extending latch tabs for securing the electrical outlet to a mounting surface. The rear housing portion has a front surface that engages the rear edge of the perimeter housing portion. The rear and perimeter housing portions cooperate to define a strain relief for an electrical cord that supplies power to electrical contacts inside the housing.

Growing community of inventors

Lowell, MI, United States of America

Roger J Barr