received by the International Bureau on 17 March 2017 (17.03.2017)

CLAIMS

What is claimed is:

22. An outlet cover for sensing temperature to prevent electrical fires, comprising:

at least on heat sensor attached to a contact plate, the heat sensor configured to contact a load of at least one terminal screw of an outlet receptacle to extract electrical power from the outlet receptacle to power the outlet cover,

wherein the at least one heat sensor in configured to monitor a temperature of the outlet receptacle;

a faceplate, the faceplate including at least one hole configured to enable access to at least one socket of the outlet receptacle;

at least one mounting screw inserted through the faceplate and affixed to an outlet receptacle;

at least one flexible contact plate, wherein the flexible contact plate includes a heat sensor configured to conduct electricity from the at least one terminal screw of the outlet receptacle to an enclosed shell of the outlet cover; and

the enclosed shell, the enclosed shell including:

one or more electrical wires;

a speaker;

a battery holder;

a battery;

a printed circuit board assembly; and

a light emitting diode.

23. The outlet cover as recited in claim 22, wherein the contact plate includes a flexible material and is configured to make contact with at least one terminal screw of the outlet receptacle. 24. The outlet cover as recited in claim 22, wherein the enclosed shell further includes one or more components selected from the group consisting of:

a smoke detector; a carbon monoxide detector; a wireless transceiver; a processor; a memory board; an indicator light; and a heat sensor. 25. The outlet cover as recited in claim 22, wherein the faceplate is configured to be powered by approximately 120- volt to 250-volt circuits at 15 amp, 20 amp, 30 amp, or 50 amps.

26. The outlet cover as recited in claim 22, wherein the at least one heat sensor is configured to monitor a temperature of the at least one terminal screw of the outlet receptacle.

27. The outlet cover as recited in claim 26, wherein the at least one heat sensor is configured to measure, independently or conjunctively, a temperature of a device plugged into the outlet receptacle and a temperature of the outlet receptacle. 28. The outlet cover as recited in claim 27, wherein the at least one heat sensor, when a predetermined temperature is reach, is configured to perform at least one function selected from the group consisting of:

producing a sound; tripping a circuit breaker; and

tripping a fuse.

29. The outlet cover as recited in claim 28, wherein the predetermined temperature is between approximately 45 and 65 degrees Celsius.

30. The outlet cover as recited in claim 22, further comprising a device for producing an audible noise.

31. The outlet cover as recited in claim 23, wherein the light emitting diode is configured to alter a color of light produced by the light emitting diode.

32. The outlet cover as recited in claim 22, further comprising at least one reset or test button located on the enclosed shell.

33. The outlet cover as recited in claim 22, wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to interface with one or more temperature-sensing devices.

34. The outlet cover as recited in claim 33, wherein the wireless transceiver includes software configured to render one or more images of one or more devices plugged into the outlet receptacle.

35. The outlet cover as recited in claim 22, wherein the faceplate includes at least one material selected from the group consisting of:

plastic;

metal; and

wood.

36. The outlet cover as recited in claim 22, wherein the flexible contact plate is configured to come into contact with one or more screw terminals of the outlet receptacle.

37. The outlet cover as recited in claim 36, further comprising at least one insulating arm configured to hold the flexible contact plate in place.

38. The outlet cover as recited in claim 36, wherein the flexible contact plate is coupled to a plastic insulator to avoid electrical contacts of any wires that are not in use.

39. The outlet cover as recited in claim 22, wherein, if power from the outlet receptacle is terminated or disturbed, the battery is configured to supply power to the outlet cover.

40. The outlet cover as recited in claim 22, wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to send a notification to an electronic device if the outlet cover is operating outside of a predetermined normal temperature range.

41. The outlet cover as recited in claim 22,

wherein the battery is a rechargeable battery, and

wherein, when power is supplied to the outlet cover from the outlet receptacle, the rechargeable battery charged by the outlet cover.

42. The outlet cover as recited in claim 22, wherein the contact plate is flexible and is configured to be coupled to a terminal screw of an outlet receptacle selected from the group consisting of:

a duplex outlet receptacle;

a decora-style outlet receptacle;

a ground-fault circuit interrupter outlet receptacle;

a tamper resistant outlet receptacle;

a back wire outlet receptacle;

a heavy duty outlet receptacle;

a commercial outlet receptacle

a combination outlet receptacle;

an arc fault circuit interrupter outlet receptacle;

a weather resistant outlet receptacle;

a rotating outlet receptacle;

a split circuit outlet receptacle; and

an ungrounded outlet receptacle.