Safety electrical outlet and switch system
View Patent ↗An electrical box is mounted on a wall stud, and a wiring panel is installed within the electrical box so as to partition the interior of the electrical box into a user inaccessible wiring compartment and a user accessible module compartment. A protective cover is attached to the wiring panel so as to protect the wiring panel during a makeup phase of wall panel installation and painting. After the makeup phase, the protective cover is removed from the wiring panel and a module having a user operable electrical function is mounted to the wiring panel within the user accessible module compartment.
1. A wiring assembly comprising:
an electrical box comprising nonconductive material that is configured to attach to a construction framing stud;
a wiring panel located within the electrical box, the wiring panel comprising:
a nonconductive housing sized to fit within the electrical box:
at least a hot bus, neutral bus and ground bus therein;
a first side comprising a first nonconductive surface and one or more openings that expose a plurality of electrical panel contacts associated therewith;
a conductive panel key structure associated with one or more of the plurality of electrical contacts;
a nonconductive panel key structure comprising at least a portion of the nonconductive housing, wherein a portion of the nonconductive panel key structure partially shields the one or more electrical panel contacts of the conductive panel key structure from user contact; and
a second side comprising a plurality of power wire connection points that interface the hot bus, neutral bus and ground bus with the power cable; and
a protective cover configured to protect at least a portion of the wiring panel.
2. The wiring assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a removable module having an electrical function.
3. The wiring assembly of claim 1 , wherein the removable module and the wiring panel latch together.
4. The wiring assembly of claim 3 , wherein the nonconductive key structure comprises at least one latch.
5. The wiring assembly of claim 1 , wherein the electrical box comprises at least one of the group consisting of: a single wide configuration, a double wide configuration, a triple wide configuration, and quadruple wide configuration.
6. The wiring assembly of claim 1 , wherein the nonconductive module key structure is configured to engage the nonconductive panel key structure without the use of tools.
7. The wiring assembly of claim 1 , wherein the module electrical contacts are configured to couple with the panel electrical contacts without requiring a user to access exposed portions of wires.
8. A method of constructing a wiring assembly comprising:
locating a wiring panel within an electrical box, the electrical box comprising nonconductive material that is configured to attach to a construction framing stud, wherein the wiring panel comprises:
a nonconductive housing sized to fit within the electrical box:
at least a hot bus, neutral bus and ground bus therein;
a first side comprising a first nonconductive surface and one or more openings that expose a plurality of electrical panel contacts associated therewith;
a conductive panel key structure associated with one or more of the plurality of electrical contacts;
a nonconductive panel key structure comprising at least a portion of the nonconductive housing, wherein a portion of the nonconductive panel key structure partially shields the one or more electrical panel contacts of the conductive panel key structure from user contact; and
a second side comprising a plurality of power wire connection points that interface the hot bus, neutral bus and ground bus with the power cable; and
protecting at least a portion of the wiring panel located in the electrical box with a protective cover.
9. The method assembly of claim 8 , further comprising a removable module having an electrical function.
10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the removable module and the wiring panel latch together.
11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the nonconductive key structure comprises at least one latch.
12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the electrical box comprises at least one of the group consisting of: a single wide configuration, a double wide configuration, a triple wide configuration, and quadruple wide configuration.
13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the nonconductive module key structure is configured to engage the nonconductive panel key structure without the use of tools.
14. The method of claim 8 , wherein the module electrical contacts are configured to couple with the panel electrical contacts without requiring a user to access exposed portions of wires.