Electrical receptacle for furniture

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10873167-B2
Application number	US-201816004865-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 11, 2018
Priority date	Jun 12, 2017
Publication date	Dec 22, 2020
Grant date	Dec 22, 2020

Abstract

A furniture electrical system includes an electrical power unit including a housing that is mountable to a furniture article and that defines an interior cavity, with a low voltage DC electrical outlet positioned in the interior cavity. An electrical power cord is in electrical communication with the electrical outlet and exits the housing, the power cord extending to a higher voltage DC power supply associated with an electric motor for raising and lowering a furniture article. An electrical power converter in the housing reduces the voltage from the higher voltage DC power supply to the low voltage DC electrical outlet. Optionally, an indicia lamp associated with each outlet illuminates at a first luminous intensity when the outlet is energized, and illuminates at a different second luminous intensity when the outlet is energized and supplying power to an electrical power consumer.

First claim

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. An electrical power unit for furniture, said electrical power unit comprising:
a housing that is mountable to a furniture article and that defines an interior cavity;
an electrical outlet positioned in said interior cavity and accessible through an opening formed in said housing;
an indicia lamp associated with said electrical outlet;
an electrical circuit disposed in said interior cavity and in electrical communication with a power source and with each of said electrical outlet and said indicia lamp;
said electrical outlet comprising a grounded conductor having a resistor disposed in line therealong;
wherein said electrical circuit is operable to develop a voltage along said grounded conductor in response to said electrical outlet supplying electrical power to an electrical power consumer;
wherein said electrical circuit is operable to illuminate said indicia lamp at a first luminous intensity when said electrical outlet is energized by the power source and said electrical outlet is not supplying electrical power to the electrical power consumer;
wherein said electrical circuit is operable to illuminate said indicia lamp at a second luminous intensity that is different from said first luminous intensity when said electrical outlet is energized by the power source and said electrical outlet is supplying electrical power to the electrical power consumer; and
wherein said electrical circuit comprises a voltage comparator and a first transistor, wherein said voltage comparator is operable to output a signal to said first transistor when said voltage comparator detects a voltage along said grounded conductor, wherein said first transistor is configured to cause a first voltage to develop along a first resistor in parallel with a second resistor when the signal is received, and wherein said first transistor is further configured to cause a second voltage to develop along only the second resistor when the signal is not received, and wherein the luminous intensity of said indicia lamp is variable according to whether the first voltage or the second voltage has developed along the second resistor.

2. The electrical power unit of claim 1 , further comprising an electrical converter disposed in said interior cavity and in electrical communication with the power source and with said electrical outlet, wherein said electrical converter is configured to convert a high voltage AC or DC input received from the power source to a low voltage DC output at said electrical outlet.

3. The electrical power unit of claim 2 , further in combination with a furniture electrical system including an electric motor adapted to adjust a height or configuration of a furniture article.

4. The electrical power unit of claim 3 , wherein said electrical converter is configured to receive a high voltage DC input from said furniture electrical system.

5. The electrical power unit of claim 4 , wherein the high voltage DC input from said furniture electrical system comprises about 12V to 48V, and wherein the low voltage DC output at said electrical outlet comprises about 5V.

6. The electrical power unit of claim 5 , wherein said electrical outlet comprises a low voltage USB charging outlet.

7. The electrical power unit of claim 1 , comprising at least two of said electrical outlets in spaced arrangement and at least two of said indicia lamps corresponding to respective ones of said electrical outlets, wherein said electrical circuit is configured to independently illuminate a first of said indicia lamps according to operation of a first of said electrical outlets, and said electrical circuit is configured to independently illuminate a second of said indicia lamps according to operation of a second of said electrical outlets.

8. The electrical power unit of claim 7 , wherein said electrical circuit comprises a voltage comparator and a field effect transistor (FET) associated with each of said indicia lamps, wherein said voltage comparator is in electrical communication with said grounded conductor of each of said low voltage DC electrical outlets, said voltage comparing a voltage along the grounded conductor to a fixed voltage to determine when the electrical power consumer is connected and drawing power from one or more of said at least two electrical outlets.

9. The electrical power unit of claim 1 , further comprising an edge-mount clamp or an under-mount bracket for securing said housing to a furniture article.

10. A furniture electrical system comprising:
a housing defining an interior cavity;
a mounting bracket for securing said housing to a furniture article;
a low voltage DC electrical outlet positioned in said interior cavity and accessible through an opening formed in said housing;
an electrical power cord passing through said housing and adapted to engage and receive high voltage DC electrical power from an AC-to-DC electrical supply that supplies the high voltage DC electrical power directly to an electric motor for adjusting a height or configuration of the furniture article;
an electrical converter disposed in said interior cavity and in electrical communication with said electrical power cord and with said low voltage DC electrical outlet, wherein said electrical converter is configured to convert the high voltage DC electrical power from the electrical supply to a low voltage DC output at said low voltage DC electrical outlet;
an indicia lamp associated with said low voltage DC electrical outlet; and
an electrical circuit board disposed in said interior cavity and in electrical communication with said electrical converter, wherein said electrical circuit board supports said low voltage DC electrical outlet and said indicia lamp;
wherein said electrical circuit is operable to illuminate said indicia lamp at a first luminous intensity when said low voltage DC electrical outlet is energized and said low voltage DC electrical outlet electrical outlet is not supplying electrical power to an electrical power consumer, and wherein said electrical circuit is operable to illuminate said indicia lamp at a second luminous intensity that is different from said first luminous intensity when said low voltage DC electrical outlet is energized and said low voltage DC electrical outlet is supplying electrical power to an electrical power consumer; and
wherein said electrical circuit board comprises a first voltage comparator and a first transistor, wherein said first voltage comparator is operable to output a first signal to said first transistor when said first voltage comparator detects said low voltage DC electrical outlet supplying electrical power to the electrical power consumer, and wherein said first transistor is configured to cause a voltage to develop along a first resistor in parallel with a second resistor when the signal is received, otherwise, the voltage only develops along the second resistor, and wherein a change in luminous intensity is defined by whether said low voltage DC electrical outlet is supplying electrical power to the electrical power consumer.

11. The furniture electrical system of claim 10 , comprising at least two of said low voltage DC electrical outlets in spaced arrangement and at least two of said indicia lamps corresponding to respective ones of said low voltage DC electrical outlets, wherein said electrical circuit board is configured to independently illuminate a first of said indicia lamps according to operation of a first of said low voltage DC electrical outlets, and said electrical circuit board is configured to independently illuminate a second of said indicia lamps according

Assignees

• Byrne Norman R
• Byrne Daniel P
• Ward Joseph D
• Lautenbach Aaron G
• Burdi Roger D

Inventors

• Byrne Norman R
• Byrne Daniel P
• Ward Joseph D
• Lautenbach Aaron G
• Burdi Roger D

Classifications

• H02J7/70

  characterised by the mechanical construction · CPC title

• H02J7/00

  Circuit arrangements for charging or discharging batteries or for supplying loads from batteries · CPC title

• H01R13/6608

  with built-in single component (H01R13/68, H01R13/70 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01R13/73 Primary

  Means for mounting coupling parts to apparatus or structures, e.g. to a wall · CPC title

• H01R13/7175

  Light emitting diodes (LEDs) · CPC title