Patent Application
20230006401
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The disclosure relates to outlet devices and more particularly pertains to a new outlet device for supplying electrical power in a remote location. The device includes a housing, a pair of female electrical outlets integrated into the housing and a solar panel coupled to the housing. The device includes a power converter that is positioned in the housing for converting direct current produced by the solar panel into alternating current for the female electrical outlets.
The prior art relates to outlet devices including a portable solar generator for supplying power for a stationary electronic device. The prior art discloses a charger device which includes a battery for charging an electronic device when no electrical power is available. The prior art discloses a variety of portable chargers that each includes a battery for supplying electrical power for an electronic device.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a housing that has a spike to penetrate a support surface thereby retaining the housing on the support surface. A pair of female electrical outlets is each integrated into the housing to have a male power cord plugged into the female electrical outlets. A solar panel is coupled to the housing such that the solar panel is exposed to sunlight. The solar panel is in electrical communication with each of the female electrical outlets. In this way the solar panel can supply electrical power to the male power cord that is plugged into the female electrical outlets.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
The spike 14 has a top end 34 and a bottom end 36, and the spike 14 tapers to a point between the top end 34 and the bottom end 36, and an outer surface 38 of the spike 14 has a threaded portion 40 located adjacent to the top end 34. The well 24 in the bottom wall 18 of the housing 12 insertably receives the top end 34. Additionally, the threaded portion 40 threadably engages the bounding surface 26 of the well 24 for attaching the spike 14 to the housing 12. The spike 14 may have a length ranging between approximately 3.0 inches and 5.0 inches.
A pair of female electrical outlets 42 is provided and each of the female electrical outlets 42 is integrated into the housing 12 to have a male power cord 44 plugged into the female electrical outlets 42. The male power cord 44 may be a power cord of an electronic device 46 that requires alternating current to function. Each of the female electrical outlets 42 extends through a respective one of the outlet openings 32 in the front side 28 of the outer wall 22 of the housing 12. Additionally, each of the female electrical outlets 42 has an exposed surface 48 with respect to the front side 28. The exposed surface 48 of each of the female electrical outlets 42 has a plurality of ports 50 each is recessed into the exposed surface 48 to insertably receive a respective contact 51 on the male power cord 44. Additionally, each of the female electrical outlets 42 may include electrical contacts that are positioned in each of the ports 50 and connection points that are located inside of the housing 12.
A solar panel 52 is coupled to the top wall 20 of the housing 12 such that the solar panel 52 is exposed on the housing 12 such that the solar panel 52 is exposed to sunlight. The solar panel 52 is in electrical communication with each of the female electrical outlets 42 to supply electrical power to the male power cord 44 that is plugged into the female electrical outlets 42. Thus, the solar panel 52 facilitates the female electrical outlets 42 to supply electrical power in a remote location. A power converter 54 is integrated into the housing 12 and the power converter 54 has an input 56 and an output 58. The solar panel 52 is electrically coupled to the input 56 and the output 58 is in communication with each of the female electrical outlets 42. The power converter 54 converts direct current produced by the solar panel 52 into alternating current supplied to the female electrical outlets 42. Moreover, the power converter 54 may comprise an electronic power converter that has sufficient capacity to produce approximately 120.0 volts of alternating current.
A mating member 60 is coupled to the back side 30 of the outer wall 22 of the housing 12 to engage a support surface 16 for retaining the housing 12 on the support surface 16. The mating member 60 may comprise an adhesive strip to adhesively engage the support surface 62. The support surface 16 may be a wall, for example, or other type of vertical support surface. The mating member 60 may include a protective sheet that is removable from the mating member 60 prior to adhering the mating member 60 to the support surface 62.
In use, the housing 12 is positioned in a desired location outdoors and either the mating member 60 is mated to the vertical support surface 16, or the spike 14 is attached to the housing 12 and the spike 14 is urged into the horizontal support surface 16. In this way the solar panel 52 is exposed to sunlight and each of the female electrical outlets 42 supplies electrical power for the male power cord 44. In this way an electronic device 46 that requires alternating current can be employed in a location that does not have electrical power.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
