1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electrical wiring devices, and particularly to electrical wiring devices with a night light.
2. Technical Background
The typical layout of a room, whether it is in a public space, a living space or a commercial space, provides a wall light switch disposed adjacent to the point of entry. In a scenario that most people are familiar with, a person crossing the threshold of a darkened room will usually attempt to locate the wall switch and turn the wall switch to the ON position before entering. Sometimes the wall switch is not located in this position and the person seeking access to the room must search for the light switch. The person searching for the wall switch is required to navigate around objects such as tables and chairs. Usually, a person entering the room attempts to “feel” their way around the room. If an object is disposed relatively low to the floor surface the person may trip over it and suffer an injury.
Of course, there are situations where a light switch is not available, or is not readily available. There are other situations where the person entering the darkened room is disinclined to turn the lights ON as a matter of courtesy.
Consumers often insert a portable lighting device into an electrical receptacle located in the room and function as a temporary lighting device. While this arrangement may provide adequate illumination and temporarily mitigate a potentially unsafe condition, it has certain drawbacks associated with it. Temporary lighting devices are aesthetically unappealing and have a makeshift look and feel. Moreover, if the temporary lighting device is plugged into the receptacle for an extended period of time the lighting bill could be excessive over time. The user may attempt to address this problem by unplugging the temporary lighting device during daylight hours if the space admits natural light. However, once the temporary lighting device is unplugged from the receptacle there is the possibility that it will become lost, misplaced, or damaged from excessive handling.
A light element may be disposed in a wiring device in combination with another functional element such as a receptacle or a light switch. The wiring device is subsequently installed in a wall box or mounted to a panel. While this approach obviates some of the drawbacks described above, there are other drawbacks that come into play. Conventional permanent lighting elements such as incandescent and neon lights have a relatively short life expectancy of only a few years and, therefore, require periodic servicing and/or replacement. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that the light is typically hard-wired to power contacts disposed in the wiring device. As such, the light element is permanently ON, further limiting the light elements life expectancy.
In yet another approach that has been considered, the aforementioned drawbacks are addressed by providing “night light” that has a light sensor, and the associated circuitry, to control the light element. When the sensor detects the ambient light level falling past a certain point, the control circuit turns the light element ON. One design problem associated with using a light sensor to selectively actuate the light element relates to providing a proper degree of isolation between the light sensor and the light element. Conventional devices solve the problem by separating the light sensor and the light element by as great a distance as possible. One drawback to this problem is that the lighting assembly must be reduced in size to provide sufficient distance between the light sensor and the lighting elements. Thus approach, therefore, often provides an inadequate amount of illumination and does not address the safety issues described above.
In yet another approach, the light sensor is disposed in an enclosure that shields it from the lighting elements. The drawback to this approach is that the user can see the light sensor and it takes away from the visual appeal of the device.
What is needed is an electrical device configured to address the drawbacks and needs described above. In particular, a light emitting wiring device is needed that provides a sufficient amount of illumination when the ambient light in a given space falls below a safe level. A wiring device is needed that maximizes the effective area of illumination without sacrificing sensor isolation. What is also needed is an electrical wiring device that addresses the safety issues described above, while at the same time, providing user-accessible adjustment mechanisms with an eye toward energy efficiency. Finally, what is needed is a night light device that does not sacrifice aesthetics for sensor functionality.
Turning now to another consideration, there are several drawbacks associated with conventional installation methods and conventional protective electrical wiring devices. Conventional protective electrical wiring devices often do not make efficient use of space. In addition, mounting the wiring device's ground strap to the device box is tedious, time consuming, and therefore costly. The same can be said of mounting the cover plate to the electrical wiring device. Moreover, in multi-gang installations, the finished look is often ragged because the plurality of electrical devices and their respective cover plates are typically not in alignment. This misalignment can be, and very often is, in all three dimensions. Retrofitting an electrical installation can also be problematic from the standpoint of the finished look because the device box, or an old work box, may not be precisely aligned to the plane of the wall surface. This is especially true if the wall surface itself is uneven. After remodeling a space, homeowners often seek to replace an existing wall plate with one that better matches the new décor. Thus, a homeowner may inadvisably remove the faceplate cover from an energized wiring device and inadvertently become exposed to a shock hazard from the “hot” electrical wiring.
What is needed, therefore, is an electromechanical switch mechanism that obviates the drawbacks articulated above. In particular, what is needed is an electromechanical switch that is substantially quiet and easy to operate, having a small angle of rotation between switch positions. A switch of this type is also needed that can be employed in a number of different form factors including one suitable for use in a modular framing system such that it does not require fasteners to be securely installed within the device box.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds