Importance

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Abstract

A ground fault protection electrical outlet with miswiring indication includes, besides a main outlet unit that includes a housing, a primary and a secondary pair of first and second electrical connectors accessibly arranged on the housing, two main switches respectively interposed between the first, and the second, connectors of the primary and secondary pairs and simultaneously switchable between their open and closed positions, and at least two electrical contacts located at the same side of the switches as the secondary connectors, an indicator circuit built into the main outlet unit and operative for indicating a miswiring situation in which the wires of a wire pair that supplies electrical current to the outlet unit are mistakenly connected to the connectors of the secondary pair. The indicator circuit includes a current-limiting resistor, an indicator device operative for emitting a discernible warning of the miswiring situation, and an auxiliary switch switchable between its open and closed states, all interposed in series in an electrical path permanently joined with the secondary connectors. The auxiliary switch is ganged with the main switches in such a manner that it is open when the they are closed so that no current can flow through the indicator device even if the miswiring exists, and closed when the main switches are open so that electric current can flow through the closed auxiliary switch and also through the indicating device to activate the latter but only in the event of the miswiring.

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First Claim