Patent Application
20170285716
The present invention relates generally to using appliances more efficiently by developing a plug holder that will automatically shut off all unused appliances.
A major source of energy waste is when homeowners leave appliances on unused. After watching several commercials about appliances, the idea of an electrical outlet that could shut off its own power supply came to mind. The appliances when not in use are still running and use energy, thus wasting energy. The unused appliances can be inefficient, costly, energy wasting and even unsafe. A major problem with leaving lots of appliances unused is the possibility of the appliances reacting unsafely, perhaps even catching on fire and harming a user. Also, when numerous appliances are plugged in, it is possible to lose money for all the energy bills that must be covered for leaving the appliances plugged in. In addition, wasting energy is harmful to our environment, and with a looming future energy crisis, energy needs to be saved whenever possible.
While the method of unplugging every appliance in the kitchen is extremely effective, it is not time efficient as if someone has a lot of appliances they must spend a good portion of time plugging all the appliances back into their respective outlets. Additionally, while unplugging appliances is effective, it may not be safe. If the unplugged appliance is left in an area where this is a lot of liquid, users may be electrocuted by accident. A device like this would be sold in a store that typically sells kitchen appliances or electrical devices. Therefore, a need exists for a device which is truly unique in managing the use of appliances that saves money and energy.
A plug in power strip that prevents electricity from traveling to an appliance when not in use is disclosed. The power strip may use either sensor technology or a manually operated switch that when an appliance is unused will be alerted and will prevent electricity from traveling to the appliance, thus not wasting energy. The resulting shut off will save energy, save money and be safer for homeowners. When the user deems it useful to begin using the appliance once again, the plug in power strip will re-open the channel to let electricity back into that specific appliance. Therefore, the plug in power strip of the present invention keeps optimally keeps appliances running, but does not waste electricity.
All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
Having numerous kitchen appliances has become the norm in a standard household today. With numerous kitchen appliances, the efficiency of making meals or making snacks has allowed the average user to quickly make a meal and continue on with other tasks. Many kitchen appliances use an array of different energy supply amounts, and over time, the use of all the energy can become extremely expensive.
People often find themselves having to pay more for energy costs because of all the appliances that are left plugged into the wall outlets and also may face safety problems because having numerous appliances consistently plugged in could be a fire hazard if a fuse were to blow. The present invention overcomes this problem by providing a method of shutting off appliances that are not in use and then will turn on the appliances when it deems necessary. The invention may fit over a present wall outlet and can allow multiple appliances to plug into the device. The invention will be able to shut off individual outlets and still allow other outlets on the strip to remain on. While the invention will predominantly be used in the kitchen, this invention is not limited to being used for only kitchen appliances, but can be used anywhere there are multiple appliances that require power to be used.
Referring now to
Turning once again to
The plug-ins or inserts 26 on the back of the power strip will comprise of a typical three pronged tip plug in for a typical wall outlet. The plug-ins 26 will fit on a standard wall outlet, as shown in
The power strip 20 may be composed from any material that meets the durability requirements of use in a homeowner's typical kitchen. A rather useful material would be plastic, however the design's material is not only limited to plastic but could be made from other materials such as synthetic materials, heavy duty metal etc. The materials used for the plastic cover 22 can also be a combination of materials such as plastic with a metal core. The power strip plug-ins 26 will be made from a typical plug in metal although it could also be made from another similarly conductive material if decided upon. The power strip's 20 design weight will be relatively light, around 5 ounces; however the weight will be designated to change and is not a permanent aspect of the design. In still yet another preferred, the plug ins 26 may are designed to hold a power cord 25 for an appliance's plug 28 that has been pulled out from an outlet which will also completely turn off an appliances power.
Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Obvious changes, modifications and substitutions can be made by those who deem it necessary to achieve the same utility of the invention. The current embodiments are examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
