DESCRIPTION

This patent relates to electrical power strips and in particular it concerns a new power strip for exposed systems.

Electrical systems of buildings can be embedded in masonry or "exposed".

Built-in electrical systems require both junction boxes and conduits embedded in the walls to route the electrical wiring. Usually, after the construction of the wall structure and before it is finished with plaster, grooves are made in the wall to house both the conduit or raceways and the junction boxes.

In contrast exposed electrical systems are usually installed on previously constructed buildings where it is not possible to make such grooves in the walls or structures.

Exposed electrical systems include raceways and rigid and/or flexible conduit, junction boxes and electrical boxes for housing electrical components such as switches and power sockets externally with respect to the masonry structure. While the junction and electrical boxes are fastened directly on the masonry and on the structures, raceways and rigid and/or flexible conduit are fixed to the masonry and on the structures by means of U-shaped clamps or other elements able to be fastened to the masonry and hold said raceways or rigid and/or flexible conduit.

The junction between raceways and rigid and/or flexible conduit is made by means of specific junction elements or sleeves, while the junction between raceways or rigid and/or flexible conduit and junction boxes is made by means of gaskets, ring nuts, sealing rings and/or special fittings called PG.

To add or install two or more sockets to an exposed electrical system, it is currently necessary to install a sufficient number of junction and electrical boxes to house the desired number of sockets.

In addition to this, it is necessary to make the electrical connections both with the power supply cables of the electrical system and between the different individual sockets by means of short sections of electrical cable.

These operations are time consuming, mainly for the electrical connection operations in which the operator has to cut, strip the cables at both ends, and connect each individual cable between the different sockets.

Furthermore, it must be considered that each individual socket has a considerable cost, which is added to the above mentioned installation cost.

Power strips, also called extension blocks, made up of a body housing multiple sockets are well known in the prior art.

All these power strips include a cable with a plug to enable them to be connected to an electrical wall socket.

Often the body of said power strip comprises holes for the passage of fastening elements, commonly screws, so they can be fastened to a wall, or to a table, or in any case, in a fixed position.

These power strips are cheaper than an equal number of socket inserts for housing boxes, and they do not require the connection of each individual socket to the other sockets. On the other hand, these power strips require a fixed socket to be connected to.

The main object of this patent is a new power strip for electrical systems.

One object of the new power strip is to reduce the number of operations needed to install a series of sockets especially in exposed electrical systems.

Another object of the new power strip is that it does not require a previously installed socket to be powered or connected to the rest of the electrical system.

A further object of the new power strip is to enable its connection and direct coupling with raceways or rigid and/or flexible conduit of the system.

These and other direct and complementary objects are achieved by the new power strip for electrical systems comprising, in its main parts, a casing made of at least three parts, two or more socket contacts, a fastening clamp, and a ring nut or fitting. Said casing made of at least three parts comprises, in turn, a portion of a rear support shell, a portion of a front cover shell, and a removable cover.

This casing made of at least three parts preferably has an elongated rectangular shape, with seats and holes for the plugs arranged along the longest side, leaving an unoccupied area on the other end.

Said front cover shell and said removable cover, when coupled together, are suited to completely cover said rear support shell.

The rear support shell is made of an electrically insulating material, typically plastic material, specifically shaped.

In particular, said rear support shell has a substantially flat external surface, suitable to be placed on a wall or in any case on a surface for the installation of the new power strip, and two or more holes or seats for the fastening means.

Said rear support shell has elements or appendages suitable to be coupled and/or connected and/or fastened with the front cover shell, with the removable cover, with the fastening clamp and with the socket contacts.

In particular, the elements or appendages for the fastening clamp and for the removable cover are preferably arranged in proximity to a shorter side of said elongated shape of said three-part casing, while the elements or appendages for the socket contacts are arranged in the remaining part of said elongated shape of said three-part casing.

The front cover shell is made of an electrically insulating material, typically a specific plastic material, suitably shaped.

Said front cover shell is suited to be coupled with said rear support shell and enclose all of said socket contacts.

In particular, said front cover shell has smaller dimensions than said rear support shell by the size of said removable cover and has seats or openings for the plugs and for the passage of the pins.

Substantially, both said front cover shell and said removable cover completely close said rear support shell.

Said front cover shell, when applied and joined to said rear support shell, does not cover said fastening clamp.

The removable cover is made of an electrically insulating material, typically plastic material, specifically shaped.

In particular, said removable cover has dimensions such as to cover the part of said rear support shell not covered by said front cover shell.

Said removable cover covers the part of said rear support shell where the fastening clamp is located and has a lateral opening for the connection with the raceway or rigid and/or flexible conduit of the exposed electrical system.

Said removable cover has elements, parts or appendages such as to enable it to be fastened to said rear support shell and/or front cover shell preferably by means of screws. Essentially said elements, parts, and appendages enable said removable cover to be joined to and detached from said rear support shell and/or from said front cover shell.

The side opening on said removable cover has dimensions suitable to enable the coupling of the assembly with a raceway or rigid and/or flexible conduit.

Said side opening on said removable cover is in such a position that, when the removable cover is coupled to said rear support shell, it is located in proximity of said fastening clamp used to secure the cables coming from the electrical system. Said side opening of said removable cover for the coupling with a raceway or rigid and/or flexible conduit may also be provided with a ring nut or fitting for the stable fastening of the raceway or rigid and/or flexible conduit itself.

The new power strip may also comprise a switch able to switch the power to the socket contacts on and off.

Said opening for coupling the assembly to the raceway or rigid and/or flexible conduit may be located on the side edge of the rear support shell, while the removable cover is suited to close the portion of the front cover shell in correspondence with the power cable secured by the fastening clamp.

The characteristics of the new power strip for exposed electrical systems will be better clarified by the following description with reference to the drawings, attached by way of a non-limiting example.

Figure 1 illustrates the new power strip assembled, while Figure 2 shows an exploded view of different parts of the new power strip.

The illustrated embodiment of the new power strip for exposed electrical systems includes a three-part casing (A, B, C), two or more socket contacts (D), a fastening clamp (E), and a switch (F).

Said three-part casing (A, B, C) comprises, in turn, a rear support shell (A), a front cover shell (B), a removable cover (C).

The rear support shell (A), made of an electrically insulating material, has a flat rear surface (Al), suitable to be placed on a wall or in any case on a suitable application surface, and two or more holes (A2) or seats for fastening means.

The rear support shell (A) has elements or appendages (A3) suitable to be coupled and/or connected and/or fastened to the front cover shell (B), with the removable cover (C), the fastening clamp (E) and the socket contacts (D).

The fastening clamp (E) is suited for securing the power supply cable.

Said rear support shell (A) is equipped with socket contacts (D), in this embodiment consisting of suitably shaped metal sheet.

Said socket contacts (D) are connected, directly or through sections of electric cable, to said switch (F). A further embodiment provides that this switch (F) has, on the side opposite said socket contacts (D), terminals (FI) for connecting the electrical conductors of the power supply cable.

A single terminal (G), connected with the earthing terminal (Dg) and fixed to the rear support shell (A), enables the connection of the earthing conductor of the power supply cable to said earthing terminal (Dg) of each socket.

Said front cover shell (B) and said removable cover (C), when coupled together, are suited to completely cover said rear support shell (A).

The front cover shell (B) is suited to be coupled with said rear support shell (A) and enclose all of said socket contacts (D).

In particular, said front cover shell (B) has seats (Bl) for housing the plugs, and has openings (B2) or holes for the passage of the plug pins.

The removable cover (C) covers the part of said rear support shell (A) where the fastening clamp (E) and the switch (F) are located.

Said removable cover (C) has, in this case, an upper opening (Cl) for the passage of the operable part of said switch (F) and a side opening (C2) for the connection with a raceway or rigid and/or flexible conduit of the exposed electrical system.

Said removable cover (C) has elements, parts or appendages such as to enable its removable coupling with said rear support shell (A) and the front cover shell (B), and also has seats and holes (C3) for screws suited for fastening it to said rear support shell (A).

The side opening (C2) on said removable cover (C) has dimensions suitable to enable the coupling of the assembly with a raceway or rigid and/or flexible conduit. Said side opening (C2) is located on said removable cover (C) in such a position that, when the removable cover (C) is coupled with said rear support shell (A), it is located in proximity to said cable fastening clamp (E).

To install the new power strip, simply fasten the power strip in the desired position with the removable cover (C) removed, for example by means of screws using the relative holes (A2) of the rear support shell (A), install and position the cableways or rigid and/or flexible conduit, at least one of which must be housed in the side opening (C2) of the removable cover (C), detach the removable cover (C) from the rear support shell (A) and slide said removable cover (C) along the adjacent raceway or rigid and/or flexible conduit which in turn slides into the side opening (C2) of the removable cover (C), lay the conductors in the raceway or rigid and/or flexible conduit until reaching the new power strip, connect the phase-neutral-earth conductors to the switch (F) and to the earth terminal (G), reposition the removable cover (C) on the rear support shell (C) and reinsert the screws that secure said removable cover (C) to said rear support shell (A) and to the rest of the new power strip.

If the exposed electrical system is already installed, where the raceway or rigid and/or flexible conduit for the new power strip is already in position, simply position the new power strip with the end of the raceway or rigid and/or flexible conduit sufficiently inserted in the side opening (C2) of the removable cover (C), fasten the power strip using, for example, screws or plugs inserted in the relative holes (A2) of the rear support shell (A), slide said removable cover (C) along the raceway or rigid and/or flexible conduit so as to make the terminals of the switch (F) and of the earth terminal (Dg) accessible, connect the phase-neutral-earth conductors to said terminals of the switch (F) and of said earth terminal (Dg), reposition the removable cover (C) on the rear support shell (C) and fasten it to said rear support shell (C) by means of screws inserted in said seats and holes (C3) on the removable cover (C).

The new power strip configured as described above has significant advantages.

The new power strip can be fastened directly to an existing wall or structure of the building without any need for seats.

The new power strip can be connected to the electrical system with a few operations, making its sockets immediately ready to use.

In fact, the new power strip requires only the connection of three conductors, phase-neutral-earth, and all the sockets of the power strip become live immediately. The new power strip is configured to couple with the raceways or rigid and/or flexible conduit of an exposed electrical system or even to a system embedded in the wall with its terminal part surface mounted.

Therefore, with reference to the preceding description and the attached drawings the following claims are made.