APPARATUS FOR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRICAL POWER

TECHNICAL FIELD

[001] This invention discloses an apparatus for distributing electrical power from a mains supply source to multiple appliances connected thereto via sockets or power outlets provided with the apparatus. It is particularly concerned with tapping off subsidiary electricity power from the domestic mains supply to multiple consumer appliances connected thereto in a safe manner in terms of load and leakage.

BACKGROUND ART

[002] Electricity supplied as alternating current (AC) power supply to premises are typically supplied in predetermined ratings such as 3OA, 4OA or 6OA for domestic premises depending on the consumption demand or size of the premises. While the high gauge wires from the distribution board of the premise may be rated to carry maximum load of between 2OA to 40A, beyond the power outlet points such as a wall socket the rating is typically reduced to 13A since it is not known what sort of electrical conduit or wires tapping off the socket would be used by the consumer and hence 13A would be safe for most appliances if a plug for a single appliance is plugged into the socket.

[003] In common practice, however, a single socket may serve multiple appliances with an extension gang of sockets via a single plug inserted into the socket. This may be worsened by the construction of some inferior extension gangs in which the sockets' electrical points inside the gang housing are connected in series by wires of even smaller gauges such as that disclosed by U.S. Patent Application No. 2007/17856 (Schriefer) in as late as August 2007. As the plug's electrical conduit to the extension gang may be a cord which gauge may typically be that of a single appliance, and that multiple appliances plugged into the extension gang may be used simultaneously, the load may therefore exceed the rated 13A thereby causing overloading of the cord which may overheat, melt or burn as a result.

[004] To mitigate the risk of overloading of serially connected wires of the gang sockets, some sockets extension gang provides for parallel bus bars or strips of electrical conductors running through the gang from which each of the extension sockets may tap off power therefrom such as that shown in British Patent No. GB

2,375657 (Atom Technologies). It should be noted however that the load would still be limited by the cord by which power is tapped off the mains socket via the plug (as shown inter alia in Fig. 3 of this prior art).

[005] It would be advantageous to solve this last "weak link" of cords by enabling the bus bar or electrical conductor strips to be connected directed to the power points. To this end the housing for such extension sockets or tap off

distribution must be enabled for such connection and mounting over the mains power supply point. One such extension apparatus available in the market is Eubiq's patented GSS system wherein a single track is used for enclosing live (L), earth (E) and neutral (N) lines. The L and N lines are exposed but separated by space at the opposing sides of a single wide track encompassing all the L, E and N lines. Tap off supply is achieved by providing novel plug with pins that would come into contact with the respective L and N lines by first plugging into the middle of the track to contact E first before the plug is turned to enable the L and N pins to contact the respective L and N lines.

[006] The disadvantages of this apparatus includes having the L and N lines exposed throughout the track and separated by space (each at top and bottom end of the track cross section) rather than insulatively encased. There is also no predetermined number or positions of tap offs so a user may insert as many appliances' plugs into the groove or track as the entire track housing may accommodate. Thus, there is still a lack of load control and the danger of overloading persist in this apparatus. Moreover, the lack of predetermined positions and the nature of the slidable track means the tap-off units or plugs may be slidably moved along the track. If the appliance is in use or current is flowing such movement between electrical contacting surfaces will result in arcing and risk of the sparks initing a fire.

SUMMARY OF DISCLOSURE

[007] Our invention endeavours to avoid the aforesaid disadvantages by eliminating any cables or cords in our electrical supply so that all electrical conducting elements are comprised of strips of conductor tracks so that the load that may be tapped off may be maximised without the attendant overloading problem of small gauge wires. To avoid the problem of electrical arc occuring when electrical contact surfaces move against each other, we have provided predetermined points in our apparatus whereby power may be tapped off. The predetermined points also result in a predetermined maximum number of tap off points that may be provided on our apparatus, thus avoiding overloading due to having unregulated number of tap off sockets.

[008] In very brief terms, our apparatus comprises of 3 main components namely, an elongate housing for the electrical conducting tracks, a face plate panel acting as an interfacing member between the elongate housing and a power tap off device. Optionally, blank face panel member and a joint assembly are provided for respective regulating the number of tap off points and for end-to-end joining of two or more of our apparatuses.

[009] In a basic embodiment, the elongate housing encloses electrical conducting elements or tracks running parallel through the housing, such that each track is insulated from each other by the polymeric materials and features of the housing.

[010] The face plate panel provides access to the electrical conducting tracks of the elongate housing via aperture on said face plate panel corresponding to each of said electrical conductor track. The aperture may preferably be regulated by a shutter biased to slidably close the apertures from the inside of the face plate panel, and which may be opened with the insertion of an object into the aperture where a translational surface of the shutter. Hatch cover may be provided. Additional non-conducting apertures may be provided for mounting and latching means of a power supply tap off device.

[011] The device for tapping off electrical power supply from an elongate housing comprises of conductor elements provided as pins which may be slidably inserted into the electrical conducting tracks, and whereby the pins are electrically connected to another side of said device as a power outlet or socket.

[012] Optional features such as latching means and joint assembly for interconnecting two apparatus are also disclosed.

LIST OF ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

[013] Our apparatus may be better understood in the following when a specific embodiment is described in detailed in a non-limiting manner with reference to the following drawing in which:

[014] FIGURE 1A and FIGURE 1 B show a principal component of our apparatus, which is an elongate housing enclosing electrical conducting tracks running parallel therethrough;

[015] FIGURE 2 depicts another component of our apparatus, which is the face plate panel alternatingly disposed with blank face panel - a plurality thereof is shown either modularly connected or integrally moulded;

[016] FIGURE 3A and FIGURE 3B illustrate an embodiment of the face plate panel with hatch opened at alternating hinge positions, i.e. respectively at lower and upper edges;

[017] FIGURE 4 discloses a cross-sectional view of the elongate housing mounted with face plate panel with hatch in close position;

[018] FIGURE 5 shows a shutter part of the face plate panel (without the latter) showing its mounting and shuttering movement over the elongate housing's tracks;

[019] FIGURE 6A depicts a third component of our apparatus, which is a device for tapping off power supply in side view, and FIGURE 6B shows a device poised to be interfaced to elongate housing at an opened face plate panel;

[020] FIGURES 7A, 7B, 7C and 7D illustrate in sequence the interfacing of a power tap-off device onto an elongate housing through a face plate panel;

[021] FIGURES 8A and 8B disclose in detail the latching and unlatching of the pins of the tap-off device with respect to the face plate panel's shutter; and

[022] FIGURES 9A, 9B, 9C and 9D show in series a joint assembly for joining the ends of two elongate housing; and

[023] FIGURE 10 shows a perspective view of a completely assembled and fully tapped configuration of our apparatus comprising a plurality of tap off devices mounted on all available face plate panel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[024] The apparatus of our invention comprises of 3 main components, i.e. (i) an elongate housing (10) where electrical conducting tracks are insulatively encased, (ii) a face plate panel (30) acting as an interfacing member between the elongate housing and (iii) a power tap off device (50). The elongate housing (10), as shown in FIGURE 1A, encloses therewithin a plurality of electrical conducting elements running parallel through the housing. The electrical conducting elements comprises at least an electrically conducting track for each of the live (L), earth (E)

and neutral (N) (5b, 6b, 7b) for the conduction of AC power from a main power supply source such as a wall outlet.

[025] The tracks are preferably made of good electrical conducting metal such as copper and having a profile of U-shape cross-section having a neck and wide- tapered opening for securing contact of pins inserted into the track. As shown in FIGURE 1 B, each of these L ₁ E and N tracks are preferable soldered and spot- welded to corresponding copper blocks (15, 16, 17) at each end of the elongate housing (10) to securely retain the tracks in the housing. One of the ends' copper block may be used as terminal ends to establish electrical connection with the corresponding power lines at a mains power outlet.

[026] The elongate housing itself is preferably an integrally moulded polymeric material with very good insulation properties and tracks (5b, 6b, 7b) may therefore be disposed in the housing insulated from each other. Although in the drawings may show that positive features such as walls (8) are provided as protruding integrally from the housing base (12) to insulatively separate the tracks, negative features may also be presented in an inverse sense that parallel grooves (5c, 6c, 7c) are provided for the tracks where the housing base (12) is sufficiently thick.

[027] FIGURE 2 shows the second main component of our apparatus, which is a face plate panel (30) which has features providing and regulating access to the electrical conducting tracks (5b, 6b, 7b) wherein the full complement of a plurality of face plate panels (30) and blank face panels (32) is shown either modularly

connected or integrally moulded is illustrated. The face plate panel provides access via its apertures (5d, 6d, 7d) corresponding to each of the tracks (5b, 6b, 7b). Preferably, the access is substantially incidental to the plane of mutually parallel electrical conducting tracks (5b, 6b, 7b).

[028] When not in use, the apertures of the face plate panel (30) should be covered up to avoid exposing the electrical conducting tracks (5b, 6b, 7b). This covering up may be provided by a hatch (34) which may be flexibly provided with snap-in tongue-in-groove type of hinge at both its lower and upper edges as shown in FIGURE 3A and FIGURE 3B which respectively illustrate of a hatch opened at alternating hinge positions, i.e. respectively at lower and upper edges. FIGURE 4 discloses a cross-sectional view of the elongate housing mounted with face plate panel with the hatch in close position.

[029] An important member of the face plate panel is shown in FIGURE 5 as a shutter (4) which is shown detached from the inside of the face plate panel (30). Our shutter (4) works in principle the same as convention shutters behind socket, i.e. upon insertion of a leading pin against a translational surface (shown as 4a in FIG. 4), the shutter would be pushed downward against biasing springs (38) so that the apertures (5d, 6d, 7d) are opened just before the rest of the pins are inserted through the apertures. FIG. 5's shutter also show holding pins (36) for retaining the shutter in a limited sliding movement.

[030] In a preferred embodiment, further apertures are preferably provided outflanking the original or existing apertures (5d, 6d, 7d) such as above and below the 3 existing apertures for which purpose will be further described in respect of the third component of our apparatus, i.e. a device for tapping power off the tracks (5b, 6b, 7b) below. Suffice to say here that these additional apertures (3d, 1Od) are for non-conducting pins to be inserted through the apertures and to secure the device onto the face plate panel.

[031] To space out the points of tapping off power and to predetermine the maximum number of tap off points, and thus predetermine the maximum load, a predetermined number of face plate panels (30) may be spread over the length of the elongate housing (10) and the space between the face plate panels (30) be covered by blank face panels (32). Besides such modular arrangement, a plurality of face plate panels and blank face panels alternating to each other may be integrally moulded as a single piece of face panel unit corresponding to the length of the elongate housing (10).

[032] A third main component of our apparatus is a device for tapping off electrical power supply from the elongate housing (10) wherein conductor elements are provided on said device's side interfacing said elongate housing such that these elements may be slidably inserted into said electrical conducting tracks and connected to another side of said device as a power outlet or socket as shown in FIGURE 6A. FIGURE 6B shows a device (50) poised to be interfaced to elongate housing at an opened face plate panel. The device (50) is provided with conductor elements

which may preferably be pins (5a, 6a, 7a) correspondingly to said L, E and N electrically conducting tracks (5b, 6b, 7b). Preferably, the pins are connected to the power outlet side of the device which socket layout conforms to an industry standard socket layout. A switch may be provided for each tap-off device for control purposes.

[033] Preferably, the tap-off device's (50) pins (5a, 6a, 7a) are insertable into and slidably along the corresponding electrical conducting tracks (5b, 6b, 7b) through corresponding apertures of a face plate panel. The insertion through a face plate panel is shown in sequence in FIGURES 7A, 7B, 7C and 7D. As suggested in providing additional apertures to the face plate panel (30) described briefly above, the tap-off device (50) may be advantageously provided with additional pins for opening the shutter (4) and securely mounting by latching means thereunto. FIGURES 8A and 8B disclose in detail the latching and unlatching of the pins of the tap-off device with respect to the face plate panel's shutter.

[034] As explained above, these non-conducting pins or protuberances (shown as 3a, 10a) are preferably provided outflanking the conducting pins thereby providing a balanced and secured latching of the device (50) onto the face plate panel (30) such that all the pins - conducting pins (5a, 6a, 7a) and latching pins (3a, 10a) are disposed in a linear arrangement with the conducting pin (5a, 6a, 7a) in between the pair of latching pins (3a, 10a). One of the latching pins, shown in the drawings as the top one (3a) may be provided a little longer so that it may function as a leading pin whereby upon inserting into the corresponding aperture (3d), this pin will reach the shutter first and upon contacting a translational

surface(4a), push the shutter down to open the other apertures. A release button (11) may be provided to release the latch of the other, i.e. lower latching pin (10a).

[035] An optional component of our apparatus is also described herein, i.e. a joint assembly whereby end-to-end joing of two elongate housing may be achieved safely and securely as shown in FIGURES 9A, 9B, 9C and 9D in series illustrating how the joint assembly may join the ends of two elongate housing. The joint assembly preferably comprises of an electrically insulative polymeric edge joint member (62) profiled to provided end-to-end joining between said two elongate housing such that the respective electrical conductor tracks are aligned. The polymeric edge joint member (62) preferably serves to provide 2 features, namely, as insulative underlay in place of the housing base (12) at the joint, and as insulative interlay between respective electrical conductor tracking space in place of walls (8) protruding integrally from the housing base (12) at the joint.

[036] Electrically conductive connectors of suitable lengths are then insertable into the tracks and retained therein to connect respective ends of said electrical conducting tracks of said two adjoining elongate housings. These connectors may preferably be copper blocks of suitable dimensions so that they may be inserted snugly to link the two adjoining ends of the tracks. Once these connections are completed, a cover and screw retaining means may be further provided to protectively cover the joined ends of two adjoining and abutting ends of two elongate housing.

[037] FIGURE 10 shows a perspective view of a completely assembled and fully tapped configuration of our apparatus comprising a plurality of tap off devices mounted on all available face plate panel.

[038] Apart from the aforesaid specific embodiments, a person having ordinary skill in the art would be able to modify many of the aforesaid features or configuration without departing from the principle of conducting and tapping electricity of our invention as described herein. For example, a main switch to the apparatus maybe provided so that all the tap off devices distribution may be controlled by this main switch. Another modification would be adapting the number and configuration of the electrical conducting tracks for a 3-phase domestic run. These and many other variations, modifications, equivalents and alternatives are to be considered as falling within the principle and concept of our invention as defined in the following claims.