Each year fires cause the loss of large values and many lives. In 2002 insurance companies in Norway paid 1.6 billion NOK for fires in private homes, and 1.3 billion for fires in commercial buildings. According to statistics from the Directorate of Fire and Electric Safety, 65 persons died in fires in Norway in 2001.

9% of these fires were caused by excessive temperatures developed in wall outlets, switches and circuit interrupter equipment. A normal fuse located in a fuse box in an electric installation of today will not prevent this problem. A fuse will only trip when the maximum load on a power circuit exceeds a certain limit of current.

From US patent 4,581, 674 is known an arrangement for safeguarding against excessive temperatures in the fixed electric installation in a house. Fig. 2 shows how thermal fuses 20 and 25 are installed in an electrical wall outlet.

The thermal fuses are in the form of melting fuses.

However, the arrangement is somewhat unpractical; if the fuses are interrupted, an electrician must be called for, who in practice must replace the wall outlet.

Norwegian patent publication 307,727 shows a similar arrangement. Here a melting fuse is used which, when activated, is adapted to short one or both power cords to ground. Then, a ground fault current switch is tripped cutting the power of installation. Again, this arrangement has the drawback that components must be replaced in order to reactivate it, meaning that skilled help must be called in. Another drawback is that the whole installation will be powerless when the ground fault current switch is

activated, including refrigerators and freezers. In other words, with such an arrangement installed, the house can not be left unattended for any extended period of time.

The object of the present invention is to prevent fires caused by the development of excessive temperatures in electrical fixtures such as wall outlets, switches and circuit interrupter equipment.

Thus, according to the invention, it is provided an electrical fixture for permanent installation in electric installations including a safety device in the form of a thermal interrupter which is electrically and thermally connected to the electrical fixture, in which the thermal interrupter is adapted to interrupt the current when the temperature exceeds a certain limiting value, as stated in the introductory part of the appended claims 1-4. The electrical fixture is characterized in that the thermal interrupter may be reset, and includes a reset button for manually resetting the thermal interrupter.

From prior art is known to include thermal interrupters/fuses into electrical articles such as hair <BR> <BR> dryers, patch cable drums etc. , breaking the current when the temperature rises above a certain temperature limit.

The object is to protect the electrical articles against excessive temperatures.

The present invention relates to installation of a safety device in the form of a thermal interrupter in electrical fixtures such as switches, wall outlets, junction boxes, distribution boxes, contactors, fuses, etc. Such a safety device will cut the current when the temperature exceeds a predefined limit. Thus, excessive temperatures and possible fires are prevented from developing.

Thermal interrupters are inexpensive, which means that the production cost of a switch or wall outlet with an

integrated security device will not increase so much compared with current electrical fixtures. Insurance companies will probably reduce the premium of customers installing switches, safety wall outlets and other electrical fixtures with thermal interrupters.

The invention will now be described in detail in reference to the appended drawings. Observe that the drawings only show exemplary embodiments not to be construed to limit the scope of the invention. In the drawings, the relevant parts are shown with reference numerals, which also will be used in the following text.

Fig. 1 is a sketch of a wall outlet in which the cover has been removed and a safety device is installed.

Fig. 2 shows a wall outlet with cover and reset button.

Fig. 3 shows the inner components of a switch in which a safety device is installed.

Fig. 4 shows a reset button on a switch.

Fig. 5 shows a circuit breaker with safety device installed.

Fig. 6 shows a circuit breaker with reset button.

Reference is made to Fig. 1, which shows a typical example of a wall outlet 1 according to the invention, with the cover removed and where a safety device 2 is installed. The safety device 2 is typically a thermal interrupter/fuse.

The contact points of the wall outlet are designated as 3.

LI and L2 relates to electric conductors. If excessive temperatures develop in the wall outlet, e. g. caused by a poor connection or material defects, the thermal interrupter will trip preventing current through L2 and stopping further development of excessive temperatures.

Of course, the safety device can just as well be connected to LI or both LI and L2. In electric installations with phase voltage to ground, the safety device is installed in the conductor to ground.

Fig. 2 shows a typical wall outlet according to the invention, with the cover on. In this advantageous embodiment, the wall outlet 1 is provided with a reset button 4. If the wall outlet trips repetitively, excessive temperatures are developing in the outlet, with a possible danger of fire. Then, an electrician must be called in order to check the cause of the fault. It is not possible to conduct current through this outlet when the thermal interrupter has tripped.

In Fig. 3 is illustrated a typical example of a single-pole switch 10 with a safety device 2 installed. L refers to electrical conductors. If excessive temperatures develop in the switch, e. g. caused by a bad connection or material defects, the thermal interrupter will trip preventing current through L.

For a two-pole switch the safety device 2 may as well be connected in the one or the other conductor, or possibly in both.

An advantageous embodiment includes a reset button located inside the switch-cover, as shown in Fig. 4. The user can then easily flip up the cover and reset the thermal interrupter. If this switch is"reset"and trips several times, this means that the switch is developing excessive temperatures and there is a possible danger of fire. The user must then call an electrician to check the switch.

The safety device 2 may be installed in junction boxes and distribution boxes in the same way.

A safety device may be installed in a circuit breaker 15.

This is illustrated in Fig. 5. Fig. 6 shows a circuit breaker with reset button 4.

When installing these electrical fixtures, information may be put up in the fuse box, describing how these fixtures are working.

These electrical fixtures with integrated safety devices are in particular adapted for 230/400 V power installations. They may be applied in three-phase installations as well.