1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the invention are directed to an electrical control device, an electrical control device faceplate, an electrical control device assembly and, more particularly, to these structures having curved faces.
2. Description of Related Art
An electrical control device as that term is used herein is a device intended to be mounted in a wall box and used to control, direct, or utilize the flow of electrical current. Non-limiting examples of electrical control devices that may fall under embodiments of the current invention include standard electrical receptacles capable of receiving an electrical plug connected to an electrical appliance, electrical switches for controlling lights or other receptacles in an electrical network, information devices such as clocks and thermostats, datacom ports and others that find use in commercial and residential buildings. These electrical control devices and others like them are typically part of an assembly that includes a faceplate. The faceplate functions to provide cosmetic integration of the electrical control device with the surroundings, such as a wall cut out that has been made to accommodate an electrical box, which houses the electrical control device and supply wires leading in and out.
Electrical control devices and assemblies as described herein are part of the visual architecture of the interior of a structure, thus there may be a desire to incorporate cosmetic design features in the visible portions of the electrical control devices and device assemblies. For example, U.S. patent Ser. No. 10/723,202 filed on Nov. 26, 2003 and commonly assigned, entitled Screwless Faceplate Components and Assembly, which application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety to the fullest extent allowed by applicable laws and rules, discloses an illustrative faceplate 1010 for an electrical control assembly as shown in FIG. 1. Significant features of the illustrative faceplate include invisible connection means between the faceplate and other assembly components (sub plate, wall box, control device) and an arcuate, illustratively, elliptical profile 1015 along a vertical cross section as shown in FIG. 1B.
For reasons of design continuity, the front face surface 205 of an electrical control device, such as the clock module 210 illustrated in FIG. 2A, for example, was designed to be flush with the faceplate in assembled condition as shown in FIG. 2B. To that end, the vertical profile 212 of the surface 205 of the clock module is arcuate and in this illustrative embodiment substantially identical to the elliptical profile 1015 of the faceplate. The top and bottom edges 215 of the clock module have a straight cross-sectional profile to match that of the faceplate straight horizontal profile 1017. Thus the surface shape of the illustrative clock component is generally cylindrical in the vertical direction and straight in the horizontal direction.
The inventor, however, recognized that the cylindrical shape described above for the illustrative control device was problematic when the control device was, for example, an electrical receptacle. Two illustrative disadvantages of a cylindrical shape for the face portion of the electrical receptacle are: 1) failure to meet the Underwriter Laboratories' (UL) requirement that a non-flat receptacle area may allow an inserted plug to rock up and down giving the end user the feel that the plug did not seat properly, and 2) a non-flat face portion might allow parts of the plug blades to be accessible, which could be a safety concern. However, it was also recognized that if the face portion of the receptacle was kept flat in the horizontal direction, significant discontinuities between the surfaces of the receptacle and the faceplate would be cosmetically distracting and potentially in violation of UL Code requirements.
Accordingly, the inventor recognized a need for an electrical control device that was both architecturally stylish and meets the safety requirements promulgated by UL.