The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 28, 2026
Filed:
Sep. 25, 2025
Tower Manufacturing Corp., Providence, RI (US);
Victor V Aromin, West Warwick, RI (US);
Tower Manufacturing Corp., Providence, RI (US);
Abstract
A dual-mode ground-fault/leakage-current interrupter (GFCI/LCDI) is disclosed. The device uses a single differential sense transformer around line and neutral to detect ground-fault (differential) conditions, and a cord-shield path to detect conductor-to-shield leakage and shield-integrity (open/high-resistance) faults. Shield continuity is supervised by detector-domain circuitry that, upon a fault, drives an isolated trigger coupler (ITC) to a common trip stage (e.g., SCR-latched) that opens the interrupter contacts. An optional grounded-neutral detection load (GNDL) on the load side enables detection of downstream neutral-to-ground bonds without a second transformer eliminating high frequency cross talk. A self-test/end-of-life (STEOL) module injects simulated faults, coordinates with the relay state, and, upon persistent failure, places the device in an end-of-life condition that prevents power delivery. The architecture reduces parts count, improves noise immunity, and unifies trip behavior for both GFCI and LCDI events.