MX2015004873A - Active cover plates. - Google Patents

Abstract

In one example, an active cover plate includes a faceplate, a load and a spring clip adjustable in at least one of a horizontal direction and a vertical direction with respect to the faceplate to electrically interface with a receptacle body and extract electrical power from the receptacle body to energize the load. A method for installing an active cover plate on an electrical receptacle is also provided.

Description

ACTIVE DECK PLATES RELATED REQUESTS The present application claims the benefit under Title 35 of U.S.C., § 119 (e), of the application of the US. UU no. 14 / 066,621, entitled "Active Deck Plates", filed on October 29, 2013, which claims priority pursuant to Title 35 of U.S.C., § 119 (e), of the provisional application of the US. UU no. 61 / 720,131, filed on October 30, 2012; the provisional application of the EE. UU no. 61 / 778,386, filed on March 12, 2013; and the provisional application of the EE. UU no. 61 / 836,972, filed on June 19, 2013, which are incorporated in their entirety as a reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Modern buildings include wiring to supply electric power to lights, electrical outlets and other devices. The electrical wiring ends in an electrical box on a wall, ceiling, floor or connected to another structural element. The connections are made to the wiring in the electrical box. For example, electrical wiring can be connected to receptacle bodies by means of insertion connectors or screw terminals on the sides of the receptacle body. After the installation, a plate of cover over the receptacle body to cover the opening to the box while allowing access to the receptacle receptacles on the front of the receptacle body. Similar connections are made when switches are installed, which are also covered with a cover plate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES The attached figures illustrate several examples of the principles described in the present description and form part of the description. The examples shown are illustrative only and do not limit the scope of the claims.

Figures 1A-1C are views of an outlet and an active cover plate that fits over the receptacle body in accordance with an example of the principles described in the present disclosure.

Figures 2A-2D are side views of different outlet bodies to illustrate the variability in the placement of the screw terminals on the sides of the receptacle bodies in accordance with an example of the principles described in the present description.

Figures 3A-3G show examples of an active cover plate with spring clips having an isolated ramp portion in accordance with an example of the principles described in the present description.

Figures 4A-4D are diagrams of an active cover plate with adjustable spring clips according to an example of the principles described in the present description.

Figures 5A-5D show various structures for adjusting the vertical position of the pins in an active cover plate in accordance with an example of the principles described in the present description.

Figures 6A-6C are diagrams of an active cover plate including a pivot pin in accordance with an example of the principles described in the present description.

Figures 7A-7D are pin diagrams with multiple contacts and a slidable insulator in accordance with an example of the principles described in the present description.

Figure 8 is a diagram of a spring clip with a sliding contact in accordance with an example of the principles described in the present description.

Figures 9A-9C describe the geometries and techniques for preventing the formation of electric arcs between adjacent screw terminals on the side of an outlet in accordance with an example of the principles described in the present description.

Figures 10A-10C are illustrative examples of intermediate devices that could form an interface between an outlet and an active cover plate in accordance with an example of the principles described in the present disclosure.

Figure 11 is a diagram showing the possible locations of multiple pins in a cover plate in accordance with an example of the principles described in the present description.

Figures 12A-12D are diagrams of an active cover plate with a hinged spring clip in accordance with an example of the principles described in the present disclosure.

Figure 13 is a flow diagram of a method for connecting an active cover plate on a receptacle body in accordance with an example of the principles described in the present description.

In all figures, the identical reference numbers designate similar elements, but not necessarily identical.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Reference will now be made to the figures in which similar structures will be provided with similar reference designations. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are described to provide a complete understanding of the systems and methods of the present invention. However, it will be evident that the systems and methods can be implemented without these specific details. It is understood that the figures are diagrammatic and schematic representations of some embodiments of the invention and are not limiting of the present invention, nor are they, necessarily, drawn to scale. In the description, the reference to "an example" or similar expression means that a particular function, structure or characteristic described in connection with the example is included in at least that example, but not, necessarily, in other examples.

Additionally, the features shown and / or described in connection with a figure may be combined with the features shown and / or described in connection with other figures. As used in the present description and the appended claims, the term "a number of" or similar expression is broadly understood as any positive number comprising from 1 to infinity, wherein zero is not a number, but the absence of a number.

Figures 1A, 1B and 1C illustrate a receptacle body (100) and the connection of an active cover plate (150) to the body of the receptacle. In this example, the receptacle body (100) is a duplex-style receptacle body of the National Association of Electrical Product Manufacturers (NEMA, for its acronym in English). The receptacle body (100) includes two receptacle receptacles (115). Each receptacle receptacle (115) includes two power receptacles (120) and a ground (125).

Screw terminals refer to conductive metals exposed in the receptacle body of an outlet.

On each side of the receptacle body (100) are the screw terminals (105, 110). The building's wiring can be connected to the screw terminals by wrapping an uncovered end of the domestic wiring around the screw and then tightening the screw to sandwich the wire between the bottom of the screw and a conductive plate. There may be a first screw terminal on a first side of the body of the receptacle that is connected to a neutral wire of the building and a second screw terminal on the same side or on an opposite side of the body of the receptacle that is connected to a wire of phase of the building. For example, the left terminal (105) can be connected to the building's neutral wire and the right terminal (110) can be connected to the building's phase wire. The screw terminals make the internal connections to the contacts in the receptacle body (100). When a power cord is plugged into the receptacle receptacle (115), the pins of the power cord enter the power receptacles (120) and make an electrical connection with the contacts. This allows the building wiring current to pass through the receptacle body (100) and into the interior of the cable. The receptacle body (100) further includes two brackets (135) for connection to an electrical box.

Figure 1 B shows a side view of the receptacle body (100) showing the screw terminal (110). The screw terminal (110) in this example includes conductive back plates (140, 142) and two screws (112, 114) that are screwed into the back plates (140, 142). The back plates (140, 142) are electrically and mechanically joined by means of a tear-off tab (145). The separation tab for breakage (145) can be removed to electrically isolate the first screw (112) and its back plate (142) from the second screw (114) and its back plate (140).

Figure 1C shows an active cover plate (150) which is mounted on the receptacle body (100). The active cover plate (150) includes a front plate (155) and two spring clips (160) that extend rearwardly of the front plate. In this view, only one spring clip is visible, the other spring clip is directly opposite (see Figure 3A for a perspective view showing both spring clips). Each spring clip includes an electrical contact (165). When the active cover plate (150) is placed over the receptacle (100), the two spring clips place the electrical contacts (165) in contact with the screw terminals (110) on either side of the receptacle body ( 100). Generally, the electrical contacts (165) make contact with the screw heads (112, 114) because the heads of the screws (112, 114) extend in the opposite direction to the receptacle body (100). The screw terminals (110) are connected to the building wiring (170, 175). This allows the active cover plate (150) to draw electrical energy from the receptacle body (100) through the spring clips (160).

Spring clips that draw electrical energy from an outlet body or other receptacle body to energize an active cover plate can have several advantages, including reliability and simplicity. However, the screw terminals can have a variety of positions on the sides of the receptacles. The location of the screw terminals varies in accordance with the body type of the receptacle and the manufacturer. While the dimensions on the front of the receptacle body are generally uniform, variation in the location of the screw terminals on the sides of the receptacle body can create a significant challenge in creating an active cover plate that fits to all or most of the outlets present in the market and / or installed in buildings.

An outlet body is just one example of an electrical device with which an active cover plate could establish an interface. Other examples include switch bodies and electrical boxes with connections for lights, fire alarms, Category 5 cable connections, telephone jacks or other installations on or inside electrical boxes. Generally, the body on which the cover plate of any type fits is called the "receptacle body".

Figures 2A-2D show four different examples of receptacle bodies (100, 200, 220, 230) illustrating differences in the placement of the screw terminals on the sides of the receptacle bodies. Figures 2A, 2B and 2C show side views of duplex style receptacle bodies (100, 200, 220). The screw terminals show a significant amount of variability between these three receptacle bodies (100, 200, 220). The receptacle body (100, Figure 2A) on the left has a screw terminal (110) with two screws (112, 114). The screws (112, 114) are located slightly below the half of the receptacle body (100). These screws (112, 114) are closer together than any of the other screws shown in Figures 2B, 2C and 2D. In Figure 2A an XYZ axis is shown in the lower right part of the receptacle body (100). The screws may have a variable location in any of the X, Y and Z directions. Variations in the Y direction are called vertical variations and are in the plane of the front part (102) of the receptacle body. The variations in the X direction are called horizontal or depth variations and are in the plane of the side (104) of the receptacle body. Figures 2A-2D show both variations, vertical and depth, in the locations of the screws. Variations in the Z direction (in and out of the page and through the front part of the receptacle body) are called variations in width. Variations in width can occur for several reasons. For example, the bodies of the receptacles may have different widths, or the screws may be screwed in or out on the sides of the receptacle bodies. The flexibility of the spring clips can typically accommodate a significant amount of variation in width. However, accommodating variations in horizontal and vertical directions can be challenging.

The receptacle body (200) in Figure 2B has a screw terminal (210) that is located above the middle of the side. The screw heads (212, 214) separate more than the screw terminals on the outlet body (100) on the left. Figure 2C shows a receptacle body (220) with a screw terminal (225) that is located higher up on the side of the receptacle body (220). The screws (222, 224) they have a separation equal to that of the receptacle body of Figure 2B. Figure 2D is a side view of an outlet body (230) of a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI). The screw terminals (235, 237) in this receptacle body (230) are placed further apart and, significantly, further back from the front of the receptacle. The examples shown in Figures 2A-2D are illustrative only. Screws and screw terminals can be located in a variety of positions in various receptacle bodies. For example, the screw terminals in the switch bodies may be in different locations than in the receptacle bodies.

Accordingly, there may be a significant amount of variability in the location of the screw terminals in receptacle bodies that are in use and / or for sale. Where the screw terminals are not symmetrical around the center line, the screws will be in a different place with respect to the electrical box and cover plate depending on the orientation of the receptacle body. For example, if the receptacle body is installed with the right side up, the screw terminals would be at a first vertical height, and if the receptacle body is installed in the inverted position, the screw terminals would be at a different vertical height . Additionally, if the receptacle body is a receptacle receptacle body, one of the receptacle receptacles may be connected to a switch. When the switch is off, the receptacle of the outlet has no power. Consequently, it will be desirable that a The cover plate is adjustable so that it draws electrical power from the screw terminals associated with the other receptacle of the receptacle.

Creating an active cover plate that has the ability to reliably connect to a wide variety of receptacle bodies can be a major challenge. A further complication is that the screws in the screw terminal can be screwed in or out. This can change, significantly, the width that the pins of the active cover plate have to open. As described above, there are at least three different types of adjustments that may be desirable in the active deck plate pins: vertical adjustment capacity (in the Y direction) to accommodate the bodies of receptacles that have different body heights of the outlet; horizontal adjustment capacity (in the X direction) to accommodate screw terminals that have different depths from the front of the receptacle body, and width adjustment capacity (in the D direction to accommodate receptacle bodies that have variable widths and for accommodate the variable insertion depths of screws in the screw terminals.

Figures 3A-3F show an example of an active cover plate (300) with spring clips (310, 312) that are adjustable vertically and in width. Figure 3A is a rear perspective view of the active cover plate (300) for a "Decora" style receptacle body. The active cover layer (300) includes a front plate (315) with a bore (332) through which the receptacles can be accessed. of the receptacle in the body of the receptacle. The active cover plate (300) further includes spring clips (310, 312) and an interleaved plate (330). The spring clips (310, 312) include a compliant conductive portion (335) with an end sandwiched between the front plate (315) and the sandwich plate (330). In this example, a rectangular rivet (340) and a non-conductive portion (305) are connected to an opposite terminal end of the compliant conductive portion (335). The spring clips (310, 312) and the interleaved plate (330) could be secured to the faceplate (315) by the use of various techniques including thermal encasing or the use of fasteners that are pressed onto the terminals (320). When placed on an outlet body, the rivets (340) on the spring clips (310, 312) make contact with the electrified screw terminals on the sides of the receptacle body to extract energy from the building's wiring / receptacle body . Although this active cover plate (300) is illustrated with only two opposed spring clips (310, 312), an active cover plate can have any number of spring clips.

Figures 3B and 3C are rear views of the active cover plate (300) with the spring clips (310, 312) in different vertical locations. For purposes of illustration, the interleaved plate (330, FIG. 3A) has been removed to show the internal components. The cables (344) connected to the spring clips (310, 312) are routed through the cable supports (346) to a load. The load can include any electrical device that requires power. For example, the load may include an electrical device embedded within the active cover plate (300). For example, charging may include lights, motion detectors, photocells, wireless nodes, blue tooth connectors, smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, cameras, heat detectors, speakers, microphones, or any other desired electrical device. In this example, the load is a circuit board (342) that includes three light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that shine down and away from the faceplate. An LED is a semiconductor light source. LEDs can produce high intensity light with less energy than conventional light sources. Particularly, LEDs convert a higher percentage of input energy into light and a lower percentage into heat or other waste.

The faceplate (315) includes several molded terminals (348-1, 348-2, 348-3, 348-4 and 348-5) that extend rearwardly. The vertical location of the spring clips (310, 312) can be adjusted by selecting on which of the clips the spring clips will be placed. In the configuration shown in Figure 3B, the spring clips are mounted on the second terminal (348-2) and the third terminal (348-3). This position allows the active cover plate (300) to make secure electrical connections with a receptacle body in a first configuration (eg, a receptacle body that is installed with the right side up).

In the second configuration shown in Figure 3C, the active cover plate (300) has both spring clips (310, 312) in a lower vertical position, with the spring clips (310, 312) mounted on the third terminal (348-3) and the fourth terminal (348-4). This position allows the active cover plate (300) to make secure electrical connections with a receptacle body in a second configuration (e.g., a receptacle body that is installed in an inverted manner). Alternatively, the vertical positions of the spring clips could be adjusted to accommodate different designs of receptacle bodies. The other terminals, the first (348-1) and the fifth (348-5), can be used to connect the interleaved plate (330, Figure 3A) to the front plate (315) and / or for greater adjustment capacity of the spring clips.

Figures 3D-3G are additional views of a spring clip (312) that could be used in conjunction with the cover plate shown in FIGS.

Figures 3A and 3B. Figures 3D, 3E and 3F are, respectively, front, side and rear perspective views of an illustrative spring clip. Figure 3D shows a front perspective view of a spring clip (312) including a conductive portion (335) and a non-conductive portion (305). The non-conductive portion (305) has a main ramp (352), side wings (354) and a terminal curve (350). The non-conductive portion (305) can have a variety of purposes including preventing the conductive portion (335) from making unwanted electrical contact with wires, the electrical box or other materials. The non-conductive portion (305) can also prevent the formation of electric arcs between flexible conductors and external conductors.

The non-conductive portion (305) of the spring clip (312) can be formed from a variety of insulating materials, including polymers, ceramics, composite materials or other materials. In In this example, the non-conductive portion is formed with an elastic and flexible polymeric material, such as nylon. The non-conductive portion (305) can be formed in various ways, including injection molding.

The non-conductive portion (305) is attached to the terminal end of the conductive portion (335) by means of the rivet (340). Additionally or alternatively, various other techniques can be used to join the non-conductive portion (305) to the conductive portion (335). For example, the non-conductive portion (305) can be bonded to the conductive portion (335) with adhesive, thermal welding, pressure adjustment, instantaneous adjustment, induction welding (for specific types of materials), ultrasonic latching / welding, and other proper techniques. These techniques can be used separately or combined. For example, the rivet joint can be complemented with molded features in the non-conductive portion. As described above, the riveted connection between the non-conductive portion and the conductive portion has several advantages, including the use of the rivet head (340) as the contact point and the stamping of the rivet (340) in / on a hole in the conductive portion (335) to ensure that there is a reliable electrical connection between the rivet (340) and the conductive portion (335).

The non-conductive portion (305) can serve several functions. As described above, the non-conductive portion (305) includes an angled end portion or a main ramp (352), a terminal curve (350) and two side wings (354) extending on either side of the central portion of the spring clip (312). The non-conductive portion (305) It acts as a guide that directs the active cover plate towards precise positioning on a switch / receptacle body. Where there are opposed spring clips, the angular ramp (352) guides and centers the active cover plate (300, Figure 3A) on the body of the switch / outlet. In cases where an active cover plate (300, Figure 3A) is misaligned or has less free space, the non-conductive portion (305) may come into contact with the wall of an electrical box. The terminal curve (350) ensures that the spring clip (312) slides smoothly along the wall. The spring force of the conductive portion (335) and the geometry of the ramp of the non-conductive portion (305) smoothly guide the active cover plate (300, Figure 3A) to its place with increasing precision when the plate of active cover (300, Figure 3A) is pressed closer to its final position.

The non-conductive portion (305) is contoured so that the electrical contact (the rivet head (340)) has no exposed edge which may be a drawback in the receptacle body, cables or screws. The side wings (354) allow the spring clip (312) to slide up and down over the screws and screw terminals. A vertical alignment defect can occur between the active cover plate and the receptacle body / screw terminals during the installation process. To achieve the desired alignment, and to allow the active cover plate to fit around the front of the receptacle body and align the fastener bore in the cover plate with the threaded hole in the receptacle body, the active cover plate can slide towards up and down with respect to the body of the receptacle. For example, a user may have coupled the active cover plate very low in the body of the receptacle and needs to move it upwards to align the cover plate with the body of the receptacle. The side wings (354) and the smooth contours of the spring clip (312) created by the molding of the central portion of the non-conductive portion (305) to match / engage with the installed rivet surface (340) allow the Spring clip slides smoothly over the screws. The side wings (354) progressively bend the spring clip (312) backwards to lift it above the obstacles (such as the screw heads and the contours of the receptacle body).

In this example, the rivet head (340) is rectangular, with the main axis of the rectangular head oriented to provide contact with the screw / screw terminals having a variety of depths (distances from the front of the body of the receptacle). The narrow width of the rivet head reduces the probability of forming electric arcs if the screw terminal has been divided into two separate electrical elements by removing the brake in the center of the screw terminal. This geometry is just an example. A variety of other electrical contact geometries could be used. Additionally, the flexible conductive portion forms an inward angle to present the rivet head at a desired angle and to allow a wide range of movement of the spring clip toward the outside. This accommodates the bodies of variable-width receptacles and screws that screw outward from the screw terminals.

Figure 3E is a side view of the spring clip (312) showing several components of the flexible conductive portion (335). In this example, the flexible conductive portion (335) includes a base portion (362), an "S" shaped curve connected to the base portion, and an angular portion (363). rivet (340) inward toward the body of the receptacle The rivet (340) is the most prominent portion of the spring clip and extends maximum inward toward the body of the receptacle / receptacle. 354) and the main ramp (352) form angles outside the receptacle body, with the base of the side wings and ramp that connect with the center of the non-conductive portion (305) containing the rivet (340) and the ends of the side wings (354) and ramp (352) extending in the opposite direction to the body of the socket.

The flexible conductive portion (335) may include a variety of composite curves that increase its flexibility and elasticity by allowing movement / displacement of the spring clip toward and away from the receptacle / switch body (width adjustment). An example of this is the "S" curve (364). The "S" curve serves several functions. The "S" shaped curve provides greater flexibility to the spring clip by providing two separate bendings that flex. The "S" shaped curve allows, in addition, greater bending / displacement of the spring clip before the permanent deformation of the conductive portion, because the flexion is distributed over two places and not in only one.

Figure 3F shows a rear view of the spring clip (312). The end of the conductive portion (335) has a reduced width and forms an interface with the non-conductive portion (305). The center of the conductive portion (335) with reduced width has a perforation through which the rear part of the rivet (340) passes. The back part of the rivet (340) is stamped (with a mushroom shape) on the perforation, as shown in Figure 3F, to make the connection between the flexible conductive portion (335) and the non-conductive portion (305). In this example, the non-conductive portion (305) further includes a socket (360) which covers the back of the conductive portion and avoids electrical contact and the formation of undesirable electric arcs.

The width of the conductive portion can create significant resistance to the bending or twisting forces that would undesirably move the spring clip from one side to the other towards the top / bottom of the active cover plate. This unwanted movement tends to occur when the active cover plate moves vertically with respect to the receptacle / switch body and the spring clip moves on the screw terminals / terminals. The relatively high stiffness of the spring clip in this direction prevents twisting / warping during this operation, while the much lower stiffness of the spring clip in the perpendicular direction (movement towards and away from the screw terminals) allows the spring clip moves smoothly over the screw / screw terminals.

Figure 3F further shows how the spring clip (312) is secured to the faceplate (315) and makes an electrical connection with the cable. The spring clip (312) includes a base portion (362) with several perforations. The perforations are configured to receive various alignment and anchoring features molded into the faceplate (315). As described above, there are several press nut terminals (348) equidistant in the front plate (315). The perforations in the base portion (362) are configured to accept either of two adjacent terminals (348). In this example, the spring clip (312) has been placed on the second and third terminals (348-2, 348-3). By selecting on which terminals (348) the perforations are placed, the vertical position of the spring clip (312) can be selected during manufacture without having to manufacture front plates (315), spring clips (312) or different sandwich plates. The connection between the cable (344) and the spring clip (312) is made by the use of a cable coupling feature (366) in the base portion (362). The cable coupling feature can include a slot in which an uncovered conductor can be placed. Thereafter, the conductor can be welded to the cable coupling feature. The cable (344) may be cut to the desired length or may be of sufficient length to accommodate all vertical positions of the spring clips (312).

Figure 3G is an end view of an active cover plate (150) fastened on a receptacle body (100) installed in an electrical box (370). A left spring clip (372) makes electrical contact with a left phase screw terminal (105) and a right spring clip (374) makes electrical contact with a right neutral screw terminal (110). In this example, the terminal curves (350) of the main insulating ramps (352, Figure 3D) come into contact with the internal walls of the electrical box (370). This occurs when the spring clips (372, 374) flex outwards. The terminal curves (350) allow the spring clips (372, 374) to slide along the wall and additionally provide additional support to the spring clips (372, 374) to prevent excessive bending and deformation of the flexible conductive portion (335, Fig 3D) of the spring clips.

The illustrations in Figures 3A-3G show several examples of spring clips that can be adjusted during the assembly of the active cover plate. This allows multiple types of active deck plates to be constructed with common parts.

Figures 4A-4D show an example of an active cover plate that can be adjusted either during or after the mounting of the active cover plate. In one example, the spring clips can be adjusted after the active cover plate has been fully assembled. The screw terminals in the receptacle and switch bodies can be formed in a variety of locations. To accommodate the largest number of receptacles, the active cover plate may include multi-position spring clips. The staples of The spring can be moved vertically to reattach the spring clips and make contact, more effectively, with the screw terminals.

Figure 4A is a rear view of a universal active cover plate (400) with multi-position spring clips (430) that slide vertically or have multiple vertical positions to better connect with receptacle bodies / receptacles of different orientations or with screw terminals in different locations. For example, receptacle bodies that are installed with the right side up (earthing pins on the bottom) or in the inverted position (earthing pins on the top) can have screws in different vertical positions . By allowing the multi-position spring clips (430) to be adjusted vertically with respect to the front plate (425), a single faceplate design can accommodate the installations of receptacle bodies with the right side up and inverted as well as receptacle bodies with different locations for the screw terminals.

In Figure 4A, multi-position spring clips (430) include a sliding base (410) with numbered notches (420) along one side. A detent (415) engages the notches (420) to fix the sliding base in the desired position. In this example, the sliding base has three positions. The multi-position spring clips (430) are connected to the sliding bases (410) and move with the bases (410). The sliding base (410) can move in a molded tread on the faceplate (425). The movement of the sliding base is in the plane of the faceplate (425) and illustrated with double-pointed arrows. The spring clips can be individually adjusted to different locations if desired.

A flexible conductor (405) connects the multi-position spring clip (430) to the circuit board (435). The flexible conductor (405) has clearance to accommodate the movement of the sliding base (410). For example, the flexible conductor (405) may be a braided cable or a flat laminated cable.

Figures 4B, 4C and 4D show the multi-position spring clips (430) in various positions on the front plate (400). The multi-position spring clips (430) can be moved by applying manual pressure to the sliding base (410, Figure 4A) so that the retainer (415, Figure 4A) slides out of a first groove and into a second groove. Figure 4B shows the multi-position spring clips (430) in a nominal position ("position 1") that allows the multi-position spring clip (430) to contact the screw terminals in most outlets . From position 1, the spring clips can be adjusted up or down as shown with double-headed arrows. Figure 4C shows the spring clips (430) propelled down toward the position 2. The multi-position spring clips (430) can move together or separately depending on the situation. Figure 4D shows the spring clips (430) moved up to position 3. The combination of positions 1, 2 and 3 is designed to allow the spring clips to make electrical contact with the largest part of screw terminals in a particular class of receptacle bodies. As shown below, the spring clips could also have adjustable depths to reach the screw terminals that are more or less deep in the housing of the receptacle.

Figures 5A and 5B show an example of an active cover plate (500) including a spring clip (505) that can be adjusted to have multiple vertical positions. In this example, the projections (515) in the interleaved plate (510) are coupled with the slots (525), Figure 5B) in the spring clip (505). In this example, the spring clip (505) is shown without the non-conductive portion and the rivet. The hole (507) is shown through the conductive portion. The non-conductive portion is placed over the narrow end of the conductive portion and the rivet is placed through a hole in the non-conductive portion and through the hole (507) in the conductive portion. The rivet is stamped in its place. This secures the non-conductive portion to the conductive portion and allows an electrical connection between the rivet and the conductive portion.

The coupling between the slots (525) in the spring clip (505) and the projections (515) in the sandwich plate (510) allow the spring clip (505) to have multiple positions. The spring clip (505) can be moved during the manufacture of the active cover plate (500) or, in some examples, as part of the installation process. In Figures 5A and 5B, the spring clip has three slots and the front plate has three projections, but there may generally be any number of slots and projections to provide the desired amount of adjustment.

Figures 5C and 5D show a partially assembled active cover plate (530) including a spring clip (540) with a tab (560) that engages one of the three slots (555) formed in the front plate (535) ). This allows the spring clip (540) to be placed in any of three different vertical locations. The tongue (560) can be raised, and the adjustable spring clip (540) can slide back and forth between the sandwich plate (545) and the faceplate (535). When the desired location is reached, the tongue (560) can be released to engage the desired groove (550) and secure the spring clip (540) in place.

Figures 6A-6C show an example of an active cover plate (600) with a spring clip (602) that rotates to reach the screw terminals at different places. In this implementation, the spring clip (602) includes a base (610) that connects to the front plate (605). A pivot (615) connects a head portion of the spring clip (602) to the base (610). The head portion of the spring clip (602) includes a contact (620) and a non-conductive portion (625).

The head portion of the spring clip (602), which includes the non-conductive portion and the contact / rivet, can rotate about the pivot (615) to reach the screw terminals that are below (Figure 6B) or above (Figure 6C) of the base (610) of the spring clip (602). Figure 6B shows the head portion of the spring clip (602) rotated clockwise about the pivot (615) so that the contact (620) establishes an electrical connection with an underlying screw head (635) below the base (610) of the spring clip (602). Figure 6C shows the head portion of the spring clip (602) rotated clockwise so that the contact (620) makes electrical contact with an underlying screw head (640) that is above the base (610) of the spring clip (602). The pivot (615) is constructed to maintain electrical continuity through and between the electrical contact (620) and the base (610) during and after the rotation of the head portion of the spring clip (602).

Figures 7A-7D show an example of an active cover plate (700) including a spring clip (705) which is specifically designed to be adjustable in the depth direction (horizontally, along the X axis, as shown in Figure 2A). This spring clip (705) includes two different contacts (710, 715). A first contact (710) is closer to the base of the spring clip (705) and a second contact, or more distal contact (715), is closer to the tip of the spring clip (705). The most distal contact (715) allows the spring clip (705) to contact the screw terminals that are significantly farther from the front plate (755). For example, the most distal contact (715) can be used to make contact with the screw terminals of a GFCI receptacle body.

The spring clip (705) may be used with both contacts (710, 715) uncovered or may include a sliding cover (730) which it can move along the body (720) of the spring clip (705) to selectively cover one of the contacts (710, 715). This sliding cover (730) can be used to prevent the contact (710, 715) that is not in direct contact with the screw terminal from short-circuiting or coming into electrical contact with other elements.

In Figure 7A, the active cover plate (700) is placed on a standard duplex receptacle body (735) with screw terminals (740) that are only a relatively short distance from the front of the body of the receptacle ( 735). Accordingly, the sliding cover (730) moves over the most distal contact (715) to isolate it. When placed on the standard duplex receptacle (735), the contact (710) that is closest to the base contacts the screw terminal (740).

Figure 7B shows the active cover plate (705) when placed on a GFCI receptacle body (737). The screw terminals (740) on the GFCI receptacle body (737) are significantly farther from the front of the receptacle body (distance D2). Adonally, the vertical location of the screw terminals (740) is not the same as in the duplex receptacle body (735, Figure 7A). To make an electrical connection with the screw terminal (740), the spring clip (705) slides vertically upward on the front plate (755) by using any of several mechanisms and the sliding cover (730) slides along the body (720) of the spring clip to cover the contact (710) closest to the front plate (755). Then, the active cover plate (700) can be connected on the GFCI receptacle body (737) and most distal contact (715) will make contact with screw terminal (740). In some examples, there may be two different terminals on the same side of the receptacle body. For example, switch bodies can have two screw terminals on the same side. In this case, the active cover plate may have spring clips on the same side to make the desired contact with the screw terminals.

Figures 7C and 7D are side views of the spring clip (705) with the non-conductive portion (305, Figure 3D) removed. As described above, the body (720) has several contacts (710, 715) along its length that are placed to contact the screw terminals in various styles of receptacle / receptacle bodies. The body (720) is connected to the front plate (755). When the desired screw terminal is relatively shallow, the first contact (710) near the face plate is exposed and the most distal contact (715) of the face plate (755) is covered by the slip (730) . This configuration is shown in Figure 7C. The configuration shown in Figure 7D is for making contact with screw terminals that are at a greater depth from the front part of the receptacle body. The sliding cover (730) moves on the first contact (710) near the faceplate (755, Figure 7A) and the most distal contact (715) of the faceplate (755, Figure 7A) is exposed.

Figure 8 is a diagram of an alternative implementation of an adjustable depth spring clip (800) mounted on a faceplate (805). In this example, the body (810) of the spring clip (800) has a slot (815) along its length and the contact (820) slides back and forth in the slot to achieve the desired depth. The body (810) of the spring clip (800) can be conductive, and the contact (820) can be electrically connected to the body (810). Adonally or alternatively, the contact (820) may have a flexible conductor connected thereto which transfers energy to the circuit system within the active cover plate.

Some receptacle / receptacle bodies have terminals that have two screws / screw pads that are in relatively close proximity. Figure 9A shows this type of receptacle body (900), which includes a first screw (910) and a first screw pad (905) and a second screw (920) and a second screw pad (915). The first screw pad (905) and the second screw pad (915) are connected by means of a break-off tab (925). When removing the separation tab for breakage (925), the terminal can be divided into two electrically separated parts. This is illustrated in Figure 9B, where a first part includes the first screw and screw pad (905, 910) and an electrical power cable (930) electrically connected to the screw / screw pad (905, 910). The second part includes the second screw-and-screw pad (915, 920) and a second power-supply cable (935) electrically connected to the second screw-and-screw pad (915, 920). The first part supplies electrical power to one of the receptacles, and the second part supplies electrical energy separately to the other outlet. This can be useful in several situations. For example, one of the outlets can be connected to a switch, and a lamp is plugged into the outlet. This allows the switch to control the lamp. However, the other receptacle can be used for general purpose connections and can be activated all the time. When dividing the terminal, one of the receptacles can be controlled separately by the switch while the other outlet has continuous power.

However, if the contact pad on the spring clip which contacts the first and / or second parts of the screw terminal is very wide, this can cause arcing or short circuits between the first part and the second part of the screws. terminals. To avoid this, the contacts can be relatively narrow. A scheme (943) of a contact is superimposed on the divided terminal. Because it is relatively narrow, the contact will have a reduced chance of producing arcs or short circuits as it moves or is placed on the split terminal. For example, a contact with a narrow or oblong rectangular shape may be used, wherein the width of the contact is significantly less than the distance between two adjacent screws / pads. The term "significantly smaller" refers to a dimension that avoids the formation of electric arcs when the spring clip slips between the two adjacent screws / pads during installation or adjustment.

Figure 9C shows an additional safety precaution that could be implemented in an active cover plate. In this implementation, the spring clip (945) is only electrically connected to the cover plate active (970) when it is in one of a predetermined number of locations. This is achieved by forming pads (955, 960) on the faceplate or interleaved plate and forming a corresponding spring clip pad (950). When the spring clip pad (950) is aligned with a pad or contact (955, 960) on the faceplate / interleaved plate, an electrical current is supplied to the circuit / load system in the active cover plate (970) . When the spring clip pad (950) does not align with the pads (955, 960) on the faceplate / sandwich plate, there is no electrical connection in the circuit system. For example, when the spring clip is moved or placed in the area between two separate parts of a screw terminal, there will be no connection to the circuit system, but if the spring clip is in the desired location and a connection is established With only one of the screw terminals, the pads will align to establish the desired electrical connection to the circuit system.

Figures 10A-10C show examples of active cover plates that include intermediate elements that could be interposed between the receptacle body and the faceplate. The intermediate elements could be adapted to specific receptacles and at the same time have a uniform interface for the front plates. This allows the faceplates to be identical for receptacle bodies / switches of the same type, but with different locations of the screw terminals. For example, the same faceplate could be used for all bodies of duplex receptacles, with different intermediate elements that compensate for the differences in screw terminal locations.

Figure 10A shows an outlet body (1000) and an active cover plate (1002) including an intermediate element (1005) and a front plate (1010) that connects on the receptacle body (1000) and the intermediate element (1005). The intermediate element (1005) in this example fits over the front part of the receptacle body (1000). The intermediate element (1005) can be electrically connected to the receptacle body (1000), include a system of power conditioning circuits, and can provide an interface for presenting power and / or signals to the faceplate (1010).

Figures 10B and 10C are a front view and a side view, respectively, of an outlet body (1000) with an intermediate element (1015). In this example, the intermediate element (1015) includes spring clips (1017) and surface contacts (1020). As shown in Figure 10C, the spring clips (1017) contact the screw terminals (1022) on the side of the receptacle body (1000). Then, the electrical energy is directed (and potentially, in direct current of lower voltage) through the intermediate element (1015) and presented to a faceplate (1010, Figure 10A) by the surface contacts (1020).

Alternatively or additionally, the presentation of the energy may be through another mechanical interface, such as a pin / pin interface, or through a wireless power transfer, such as between coils. Other options include intermediate devices that contact screw terminals in the receptacle body and then transfer the power to electrical pads at a different location on the sides of the receptacle / switch body. In this example, an active cover plate with spring clips that would not commonly have the ability to contact the screw terminals could be used to make contact with the electrical pads on the outside of the intermediate element. Generally, intermediate devices are devices that plug in and use and that do not require removing the outlet for installation. In addition, the intermediate devices are not simply a permanent connection between an outlet and a faceplate. The installation of the intermediate device is typically an operation that does not require the use of tools or the reconfiguration of the body of the receptacle.

There are a variety of additional ways in which active cover plates could be designed for more universal use with a variety of receptacle bodies. One method is to create multiple pins and / or contacts on the active cover plate and then use only the pins that are connected to active terminals. The other pins may not contact a terminal or may contact a terminal that is not electrified (ie, a ground terminal). Figure 11 is a diagram showing the potential locations of several pins in an active cover plate for switch (1100). In this example, there is a ground contact (1105) that can make contact with the body structure of the receptacle. Several Spring clips (1110-1, 1110-2, 1110-3, 1110-4 and 1110-5) are distributed over the active cover plate for switch (1100). Some of the spring clips can be activated in one configuration and not in other configurations. For example, in three- and four-way light switch bodies, some of the screw terminals can be activated in one configuration (ie, when the light is turned on) and other screw terminals can be activated in a different configuration (i.e. , when the light goes off). The use of multiple spring clips / contacts allows the active cover plate to be connected to a wider variety of receptacle bodies and to adapt to various operating configurations of the receptacle bodies.

Figures 12A-12D show various diagrams of an active cover plate including vertically adjustable spring clips with hinge joints. The hinge joints allow the spring clips to be packaged and transported in a flat manner. This can provide several advantages including reducing the cost of transport, decreasing the size and weight of the packaging and protecting the spring clips from damage. Figure 12A shows a cross-sectional view of an active cover plate (1200) having two hinge spring clips (1215, 1220) that fold down for transport or storage. In this simplified diagram, the active cover plate (1200) includes a front plate (1205) and hinges (1210, 1225). Before installing the active cover plate (1200), the spring clips (1215, 1220) are brought to the vertical position so that they extend backward from the front plate, as shown in Figure 12B.

In some examples, the hinges are designed to be conductive throughout their range of motion. In other examples, the hinges can only be conductive in their raised position. Alternatively, the hinges may not be conductive. In this case, the contact and the moving part of the spring clip can be connected to the circuit system in the active cover plate by a flexible cable or establish an electrical contact in its vertical position. In one implementation, the spring clips are locked in their vertical position. In this example, a holding mechanism (1212) engages the spring clip when the spring clips are lifted. The retention mechanism holds the spring clip in the vertical position and prevents the hinge joint from rotating after the closure engages with the spring clip. In other implementations, the spring clips may be held in the raised position by contact pressure on the receptacle / switch body.

Figures 12C and 12D show an implementation wherein the hinge spring clip (1220) is, in addition, vertically adjustable (its position can be adjusted in the plane of the front plate) to allow the active cover plate (1200) to be use in conjunction with a wider variety of receptacle bodies. In this example, the spring clip (1220) includes a slider (1235) that slides in a slot (1230) in the front plate (1205). The hinge (1210) is also shown with the retention mechanism (1212). In this example, the retention mechanism (1212) includes a ramp and a slot. When lifted, the spring clip engages with the ramp in the retention mechanism and then fit into the slot. This secures the spring clip (1220) in the desired vertical position. In Figure 12C, the spring clip (1220) is in a central position and can move up or down in the slot (1230). In Figure 12D, the spring clip (1220) has been moved up into the slot (1230) by manually moving the slide (1235). Although the above figures show hinges that allow the spring clips to be flat and raised, there are a variety of other mechanisms that could be used, including flexible supports, joints or other suitable rotation mechanisms.

Figure 13 is a flow diagram of an illustrative method (1300) for connecting an active cover plate on a receptacle body. The method includes adjusting a vertical or horizontal position of an electrical contact in an active cover plate to make contact with an electrified portion of a receptacle body (block 1305). For example, adjusting a vertical or horizontal position of the electrical contact with respect to the faceplate may include moving or sliding, vertically, a spring clip supporting the electrical contact with respect to the faceplate. There are several examples of this given above: select the terminals on which the spring clip is placed, move the spring clip so that a retainer engages a selected notch, lift a tab from a slot and slide the spring clip to a desired location and release the tongue to engage with a different groove, attach projections on the faceplate or plate interspersed with grooves in the spring clip, or other techniques. The examples of moving the electrical contact in a horizontal direction include sliding a contact along a slot in the spring clip or covering the unused contacts in the spring clip to expose only one contact having the desired horizontal position (depth) .

The active cover plate moves on the receptacle body so that the electrical contact makes contact with an electrified portion of the receptacle body (block 1310). As described above, the shape of the non-conductive portion of the spring clip can facilitate / guide the active cover plate on the body of the receptacle. The active cover plate is fixed on the body of the receptacle so that the human interface elements of the body of the receptacle are exposed (block 1315). For example, a screw can be inserted through a hole in the active cover plate and screwed into the receptacle body. The human interface elements include any portion of the body of the receptacle with which humans interact, such as switches and electrical receptacles.

In summary, an active cover plate may include a front plate, a load, an adjustable spring clip in at least one horizontal direction and a vertical direction relative to the front plate. The spring clip electrically establishes an interface with the receptacle body and extracts electrical energy from the body of the receptacle to energize the charge. The receptacle body may include a variety of devices that receive electrical power from the wiring of a building, which they include receptacle bodies and switches. In some embodiments, the spring clip may include a flexible conductive portion connected to the front plate by a first end and a non-conductive portion connected to an opposite end of the flexible conductor portion.

The non-conductive portion can have a large range of shapes and characteristics. In one example, the non-conductive portion includes a main ramp portion extending from the flexible conductive portion, wherein the main ramp portion serves to guide the active cover plate over the body of the receptacle as the cover plate active is pressed towards the body of the receptacle. The non-conductive portion may further include wings extending laterally in the opposite direction to the main ramp portion and the flexible conductive portion, wherein the wings form an angle to guide the spring clips over screw terminals in the body of the driver. receptacle when the active cover plate moves vertically with respect to the receptacle body.

A fastener joins the non-conductive portion and the flexible conductive portion, wherein the fastener is configured to make electrical contact with the screw terminals on the body of the receptacle. The flexible conductive portion may include at least one inverse curve between a midpoint of the flexible conductive portion and a base portion.

The spring clip can be configured to be mounted in at least two different vertical positions on the front plate. For example, the spring clip may include at least two perforations to receive the minus two projections on the front plate. The faceplate may include several projections so that by selecting at least two projections on the front plate and placing the projections in the perforations, the spring clip may be located in a desired vertical position on the faceplate. The projections can have a variety of configurations, including a linear array of terminals extending from the front plate. The spring clip includes at least two perforations configured to receive at least two of the terminals so that by selecting at least two terminals in the linear array of terminals, the spring clip may be located in one of at least two predetermined vertical positions in the front plate.

The spring clip can be adjustable before and / or after the complete assembly of the active cover plate. In one implementation, the spring clip is configured to slide, vertically, with respect to the front plate in a plurality of predetermined positions. For example, the spring clip can be fixed in a plurality of predetermined positions by means of a detent engaging a notch in each of the predetermined positions. Additionally or alternatively, the spring clip can be secured in the plurality of predetermined positions by means of a spring tab that engages a slot in each of the predetermined positions. Additionally or alternatively, the spring clip is secured in the plurality of predetermined positions by means of a projection engaging a slot in the spring clip in each of the predetermined positions. The spring clip may also include a base connected to the front plate, a head and a pivot interposed between the base and the head. The pivot is configured to rotate the head and make contact with a screw terminal above or below the base.

Additionally or alternatively, the spring clip may be adjustable in the horizontal direction to reach the screw terminals at varying depths. For example, the spring clip may include multiple contacts at different horizontal locations along the spring clip. The spring clip may further include a sliding insulator that moves to cover one of the multiple contacts that is not in use. In some implementations, the spring clip may conduct electrical power to the load only at the predetermined positions.

The active cover plate may further include an intermediate device that forms an interface with the receptacle body and the faceplate, wherein the intermediate device extracts energy from the body of the receptacle and conducts energy to the faceplate. In some examples, the active cover plate may include at least three spring clips with at least one of the spring clips that does not draw energy from the body of the receptacle. The spring clips can be connected to the front plate with a hinge so that the spring clip can rotate in a position parallel to the front plate. In some examples, the spring clip may be adjustable with respect to the front plate in both horizontal and vertical directions.

In one implementation, an active cover plate includes a front plate comprising a linear array of terminals, a load electrical, and an adjustable spring clip in at least one of a horizontal direction and vertical direction relative to the faceplate to establish an electrical interface with a receptacle body and draw electrical energy from the body of the receptacle to energize the charge. The spring clip includes a flexible conductive portion connected to the front plate by a base portion with two perforations. A non-conductive portion connected to an opposite end of the flexible conductive portion includes a main ramp portion extending from the flexible conductive portion, wherein the main ramp portion serves to guide the active cover plate over the body of the receptacle when the active cover plate is pressed towards the body of the receptacle. The non-conductive portion in this example further includes wings or ramps that extend laterally in the opposite direction to a main ramp portion and flexible conductive portion, wherein the wings or ramps form an angle to guide the spring clip onto the terminals. of screw in the receptacle when the active cover plate moves vertically with respect to a receptacle body. A fastener connects the non-conductive portion and the flexible conductive portion. In addition, the fastener makes electrical contact with the screw terminals in the body of the receptacle. Each spring clip can be configured to be mounted in at least two different vertical positions along the front plate by placing the base with two holes on two of the terminals in the linear terminal arrangement for selecting one of a plurality of predetermined vertical positions of the spring clip on the front plate.

The above description has been presented only to illustrate and describe examples of the principles described. This description is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit these principles to any precise form described. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above described.

Claims (25)

1. An active cover plate; the plate comprises: a front plate; a load; Y an adjustable spring clip in at least one of a horizontal direction and a vertical direction relative to the front plate to establish an electrical interface with a receptacle body and draw electrical energy from the receptacle body to energize the charge.

2. The active cover plate according to claim 1, further characterized in that the spring clip comprises a conductive portion connected to the front plate and a non-conductive portion attached to the conductive portion.

3. The active cover plate according to claim 1, further characterized in that the spring clip comprises a flexible conductive portion connected to the front plate by a first end and a non-conductive portion connected to an opposite end of the flexible conductive portion.

4. The active cover plate according to claim 3, further characterized in that the non-conductive portion comprises: a main ramp portion extending from the flexible conductive portion, further characterized in that the main ramp portion serves to guide the active cover plate on the receptacle body when the active cover plate is pressed towards the body of the receptacle; Y ramps extending laterally in the opposite direction to the main ramp portion and the flexible conductive portion, further characterized in that the ramps form an angle to guide the spring clips over the screw terminals in the receptacle body when the active cover plate it moves vertically with respect to the receptacle body.

5. The active cover plate according to claim 3, further comprising a fastener that connects the non-conductive portion and the flexible conductive portion, further characterized in that the fastener is configured to make electrical contact with the screw terminals on the body of the receptacle.

6. The active cover plate according to claim 3, further characterized in that the flexible conductive portion comprises at least one inverse curve between a midpoint of the flexible conductive portion and a base portion.

7. The active cover plate according to claim 1, further characterized in that the spring clip is configured to be mounted in at least two different vertical positions on the front plate.

8. The active cover plate according to claim 7, further characterized in that the spring clip comprises perforations configured to receive a projection and the front plate comprises several projections so that when selecting a projection on the front plate and placing the projection on the perforations, the spring clip can be placed in a desired vertical position on the front plate.

9. The active cover plate according to claim 8, wherein several projections comprise a linear array of terminals extending from the front plate, wherein the spring clip comprises at least two perforations configured to receive at least two of the terminals so that by selecting at least two terminals in the terminal array, the spring clip may be located in one of at least two predetermined vertical positions on the front plate.

10. The active cover plate according to claim 1, wherein the spring clip is adjustable after completing the assembly of the active cover plate.

11. The active cover plate according to claim 1, further characterized in that the spring clip is configured to fit vertically with respect to the faceplate in a plurality of predetermined positions.

12. The active cover plate according to claim 11, further characterized in that the spring clip is secured in one of the plurality of predetermined positions by means of a retainer engaging a notch in each of the predetermined positions.

13. The active cover plate according to claim 11, wherein the spring clip is secured in one of the plurality of predetermined positions by means of a spring tab engaging a groove in each of the predetermined positions.

14. The active cover plate according to claim 11, wherein the spring clip is secured in one of the plurality of predetermined positions by means of a projection that engages in a slot in the spring clip in each of the default positions.

15. The active cover plate according to claim 1, wherein the spring clip further comprises: a base connected to the front plate; a head; Y a pivot interspersed between the base and the head and configured to rotate the head to make contact with a screw terminal above or below the base.

16. The active cover plate according to claim 1, further characterized in that the spring clip is adjustable in the horizontal direction to reach the screw terminals at varying depths.

17. The active cover plate according to claim 16, further characterized in that the spring clip comprises multiple contacts in different horizontal locations along the spring clip.

18. The active cover plate according to claim 17, further characterized in that the spring clip comprises a sliding insulator that moves to cover one of the multiple contacts that is not in use.

19. The active cover plate according to claim 1, further characterized in that the spring clip drives electrical energy to the load only in predetermined positions of the spring clip with respect to the front plate.

20. The active cover plate according to claim 1, further characterized in that the active cover plate further comprises an intermediate device that creates an interface with the body of the receptacle and the front plate, further characterized in that the intermediate device extracts energy from the receptacle body and conducts the energy to the faceplate.

21. The active cover plate according to claim 1, further characterized in that the active cover plate comprises at least three spring clips with at least one spring clip that does not draw energy from the body of the receptacle.

22. The active cover plate according to claim 1, further characterized in that the spring clip further comprises a mechanism for rotating the spring clip in a position parallel to the front plate.

23. The active cover plate according to claim 1, further characterized in that the spring clip is adjustable horizontally and vertically with respect to the front plate.

24. An active cover plate; the plate comprises: a front plate comprising a linear array of terminals; an electric charge; Y an adjustable spring clip in at least one of a horizontal direction or a vertical direction with respect to the front plate to form an electrical interface with a receptacle body and extract electrical energy from the body of the receptacle to energize the charge, characterized in that the clip Spring comprises: a flexible conductive portion connected to the faceplate by a base portion with perforations; a non-conductive portion connected to an opposite end of the flexible conductive portion, characterized in that the non-conductive portion comprises: a main ramp portion extending from the flexible conductive portion, characterized in that the main ramp portion serves to guide the active cover plate on the receptacle body when the active cover plate is pressed towards the body of the receptacle; ramps extending laterally in the opposite direction to a main ramp portion and flexible conductive portion, characterized in that the wings form an angle to guide the spring clip onto screw terminals in the receptacle body when the active cover plate moves vertically with respect to a receptacle body; Y a fastener connecting the non-conductive portion and flexible conductive portion, characterized in that the fastener is configured to make electrical contact with screw terminals in the body of the receptacle; characterized in that each spring clip is configured to be mounted in at least two vertical positions different along the front plate when placing the base with holes on terminals in the linear terminal arrangement.

25. A method comprising: adjusting a vertical or horizontal position of an electrical contact on an active cover plate to make contact with an electrified portion of a receptacle body; moving the active cover plate over the body of the receptacle so that the electrical contact makes contact with an electrified portion of the body of the receptacle; Y securing the active cover plate on the body of the receptacle so that the human interface elements of the body of the receptacle are exposed. SUMMARY In one example, an active cover plate includes a front plate, a load and an adjustable spring clip in at least one of a horizontal direction and a vertical direction with respect to the front plate to create, electrically, an interface with a body of receptacle and extract electrical energy from the receptacle body to energize the charge. A method for installing an active cover plate on an electrical receptacle is further provided.