US2874531A

US2874531A - Safety connecting devices

Info

Publication number: US2874531A
Application number: US587507A
Authority: US
Inventors: Clifford C Cattell
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1956-05-28
Filing date: 1956-05-28
Publication date: 1959-02-24
Anticipated expiration: 1976-02-24

Description

Feb. 24, 1959 c. c. CATTELL 2,874,531

SAFETY CONNECTING DEVICES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 28, 1956 INVENTOR:

ELIFFUHD E. EATTELL.

Feb. 24, 1959 c. c. CATTELL 2,874,531

SAFETY CONNECTING DEVICES Filed May 28, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. i M 42 4/ 45 H ELIPPURN LZLAT r2 ATT'Y United States Patent SAFETY CONNECTING nnvrcns Clifford c. Cattell, Adrian, Mich.

Application May 28, 1956, Serial No. 587,507

14 Claims. or. 58-23) This invention relates to electrical connecting and supporting devices. More particularly, it deals with a combined electrical plug and socket bracket for an electrical device to be supported on a wall and retained from falling even when the electrical plug is not engaged in the socket, such as for an'electric clock.

This application is a continuation-in-part of Clifford C. Cattell copending application Serial No. 370,727 filed July 28, 1953 (series of 1948) for Connecting Devices, now U. S. Patent No. 2,767,009 issued October 16, 1956.

Previously electrical wall instruments or devices, such as electric clocks, were either mounted with electrical conductors or wires extending along the wall to them from an electric outlet, or if they were attached to a special eelctrical outlet, they were fastened to the wall in such a manner that they could not easily be removed from the wall for repairs without tools such as at least a screw driver.

It is an object of this invention to produce a simple, safe, etficient, effective and economical single connecting bracket for an electrical device which device may be readily installed or removed without the aid of tools.

Another object is to produce a combined bracket and electrical connection which is maintained connected and in position by the weight of the device supported by the bracket.

Another object is to produce such a combined bracket and electrical connection for a device to be hung on a wall which retains the device whether or not the electrical connection is made or not, so that release of the electrical connection only will not at the same instant release the device from the bracket on the wall, thereby preventing the device from falling in the event that the electrical connection may become disconnected.

Another. object is to produce such a combined bracket and electrical connection which may support an electrical device flush with a wall or surface without any visible means of connection.

Another object is to provide such a bracket or support and electrical connection which may be fitted into a type of electrical outlet box mounted on a wall.

Another object is to provide such a combined bracket and electrical connection with a safety hanger which also acts as a grounding clip for the electrical connection between the device and the support therefor on the wall.

Generally speaking, the support and connecting device of this invention comprises an electrical socket connector mounted in the base of a U-shaped channel bracket, the sides of which bracket are placed at a slight angle to parallelism with the floor with their open ends slightly upwardly; and a cooperating electrical plug connector. mounted on a projecting base having a pair of parallel sides spaced equal to and substantially coextensive with the inner surface of the sides of the U-shaped channel bracket, whereby the insertion of the plug into the cooperating socket also supports the insulated base of the plug between the sides of the U-shaped channel brackets.

Since these sides of the bracket are slightly inclined downwardly from their open end into which the socket fits, the weight of the device in which the plug and its base are attached normally maintains the plug in the socket as well as the base in the bracket. Mounted on the plug or on the device adjacent the plug may be provided a pair of hook or hanger means also which may cooperate with seats or notches on or adjacent the bracket, which engage before the electrical connection between the plug and socket is made so as to act as a safety hanger or support for the device on the bracket and prevent its falling from the wall or bracket as soon as the electrical connection has been broken. This hanger means also may act as an electrical ground connection to the device. The supporting sides of the bracket are of suflicient width and the hanger means is of sufiicient length and shape so that an electrical connection cannot be made between the plug or hanger and the socket elements until at least the end of the hanger means is seated and the edge of the base of the plug is in contact with the outer edge of the side of the supporting bracket, thereby avoiding any possibility of obtaining an electrical short circuit during the placing or removal of the device on the bracket.

Such a bracket connection may be mounted within an electrical outlet box mounted on or in a wall and a two prong conventional plug with its insulated base and hanger means may be mounted on the back of an electrical device, such as an electric clock, so that said device may be mounted flush against the wall into a conventional two hole or slot electrical socket and with the mechanism of the device fitting into the outlet box. In such a neat and flush assembly an additional resilient connecting means may be provided for mounting the transparent lens on a disk or face of the clock whereby as little as possible of the clock projects beyond the plane outer surface of the wall.

The above mentioned and other features and objects of this invention and the manner of attaining them are given more specific disclosure in the following description of an embodiment of the invention which relates to the fastening of an electric clock flush with a wall in a type of electrical outlet box as shown in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section of an assembled electric clock connected to and mounted in an outlet box flush on a vertical wall incorporating the combined bracket, supporting hanger and electrical connection of one embodiment of this invention, with the clock being shown in dotted lines in the position where it is only supported by the hanger and disengaged from the bracket and electrical connection;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the back of the clock shown in Fig. 1 showing the electrical connecting plug, the safety hanger means, and a portion of the rim for fastening the lens of the clock;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged face view of the top portion of the outlet box shown in Fig. 1, showing the supporting bracket, electrical socket, and seats for the hanger means;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken along lines IV--IV of Fig. 3, and showing in dotted lines the cooperating plug and hanger means in position just before insertion and connection therewith;

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of only the bracket shown in Figs. 3 and 4;

Fig. 6 is a top plan view only of the protector housing mounted below the bracket and socket shown in section in Figs. 3 and 4;

Fig. 7 is a top plan view only of the electrical socket mounted in the base of the bracket shown in Figs. 3 and 4;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of only the safety hanger Fig. 9 is a perspective view of only the plug and its supporting base, which together with the hanger means shown in Fig. 8 isrnounted on the back of the clock as shownin'Fig. 2; and I V a Fig. IO-is a perspective view of the basket the clock shown in Fig. l witl'ith'e plug and hanger rneans'removed, showing the spring engaging clips for maintaining the rim for the lens flush with the lens on the face of the clock. a i 3 Referring first to Fig. l of the drawings, 'there is shown an electric outlet box 10 of the typewhich may be readily mounted on orwithin the surface of a vertical wall 11, which outlet box may be provided with an opening 12 in one of its sides for electrical supply conductors 13 and 14. The open or front side of the box it; may be provided with ears 15'and'l6 (see Figs. 2 and 3) extendinginwardly from its edges, into which screws 17 and'18, respectively, may engage in threaded openings for fastening a face plate or other member to the box 10.

Aconnecting device or bracket 26 according to this invention may be mounted across the top front side of the open end of the outlet box 10 as shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4, which bracket may have oppositely extending cars 21 and 22 in the same plane, through which the

screws

17 and 18 may fasten the bracket to the outlet box 10. An essential portion of the bracket 20 comprises a conventional type of two hole electrical socket 23, which may be of some nonvconducting plastic material having a pair of parallel slots '24 and 25 therein, inside of which slots may be located or molded a pair of electrical terminals 26 and 27 (see Fig. 7) respectively, connected to the conductors 13 and'14 by means such as

screws

28 and 29.

. This socket 23 may be mountedin an aperture 39 in the base portion 31 of the bracket 29 by means of rivets or

' screws

32 and 33 through

flanges

34 and 35 mounted on or molded with the socket 23. The plane of the base portion 31 is at a slight angle to the plane of the ears 21 and 22, say at less than about 20 and preferably about 10 of arc. This base portion forms the bottom of a pocket which may have end sides '36 and 37 which connect it with the cars 21 and 22, respectively. Perpendicular to the base portion 31 and extending at least part of-the distance between the

end sides

36 and 37, is a pair of

parallel sides

38 and 39 which may be flared outwardly at their outer ends, and taken together with the base portion 31 form a U-shaped channel portion of the supporting bracket. The device to be supported on the wall 11 is held between these

sides

38 and 39 with the lower side 39 supporting the weight of such a device when its electrical connection is made. Since the

sides

38 and 39 are perpendicular to the base portion 31, which is at an angle to the vertical wall 11, these

sides

33 and 39 are correspondingly at an angle to the horizontal so that the pocket or U-shaped channel formed between them opens outwardly and slightly upwardly, and thereby retains anydevice' placed into it by the weight of the device itself.

Between the base 31 of the bracket 2% and the plug 2 3 there may be mounted also by means of the

screws

32 and 33, an additional or shielding member 4t)- (see Figs. 1, 3, 4 and 6) having a mounting flange portion 41 with an aperture 42 therein in alignment with the aperture in the base 31 for the front of socket member 23. The upper outer corners of the flange portion 41, which extend above and on each side of the upper side 33 of the bracket 2% may be provided with a pair of slots 43 and .44- (see Figs. 3 and 6) which .act as seats for the hanger means as will be described later. The lower and shield portion of the member as may comprise a curved baflle 45 with outwardly bevelled edges 46 for separating the socket 23 from the other parts in the outlet box it and for guiding the conductors 13 and 14 (see Fig. 1) to the socket 23 out and away from the central space of the box It) so they will not interfere with any of the mechanism of the device which may extend into the outlet box 10, such as the motor and for the clock to be mounted flush with the wall.

Cooperating with the U-shaped pocket of bracket 20 and its electrical socket 23, thereflis provided an electrical supporting plugfitl .(see Figs. 2 and 9) having a pair of projecting metal prongs 51 and for making an electrical contact in the "

slots

24 and 25 with the

terminals

25 and 27, respectively. These

prongs

51 and 52 may comprise L-shaped members which nlay be imbedded in a base block member '53, preferably of non-conductive material, such as for example, a stack of comparatively stiff plates 54 of plastic reinforced fiber material. Be-

tween a pair of plates at about the center of said stack 7 of plates 5 the

feet

55 and 56 of the L-shaped prongs may be sandwiched and proiect outwardly beyond the opposite sides of the block 53 (see Fig. 9 Such a stack of plates 54 including the

feet

55 and 56 may be held together and anchored to a base support, by means of insulated rivets or

screws

57 and 53. The longer opposite parallel sides of said insulated block 5 3 (or edges of the stack of plates 54) are dimensioned so that they snugly fit into and between the

sides

38 and 39 of the U-shaped channel or pocket in the bracket 29, and thereby support the device to which the plug 543 is attached.

At the base, or opposite side of the block 53 from the projecting conductor prongs 51 and 52, there may be sandwiched the mounting flange of a safety hanger and metal ground clip member or means 6i) (see Figs. 1, 2 and 8) comprising a mounting flange 61 which may extend beyond on each side and also a little above the surface of the base. of the block 53 to provide support for a pair of

parallel hanger extensions

62 and 63 extending at right angles to the flange 61 for a distance beyond and parallel to that of the electrical conducting prongs ,51 and 52 of the plug as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, whereby the hanger extensions upon connecting the device to the wall 11 are. inserted on either side of the upper supporting side 38 of the bracket 2% (see Fig. 3). These

hanger extensions

62 and 63 herein have upwardly bent book ends 64 and 6 5 for engagement with the tops of the

slots

43 and 44, respectively, on the mounting flange 41 of the-shielding member 49 fastened with the bracket 20.

Since the hanger means 60 and its

extensions

62 and 63 are metal and they engage the metal shielding member 40 which is grounded through the bracket 20 to the box 16, the hanger means at may also act as a ground clip for electrically grounding the housing of the device when it is mounted on the wall Ell.

Thus, in mounting the device on the wall'in the sup-' porting bracket 20, the

extensions

62 and 63 of the safety hanger means 64) must first be inserted in the

slots

43 and 44 through which they normally freely slide as the plug 53 is fitted into the U-shaped channel of the bracket 20 and and the

electrical prongs

51 and 52 are fitted into the socket 23. However, when the plug 53 is pulled out of the socket 23 into the dotted line position for the device or clock shown in Fig. 1, the

hooks

64 and 65 engage the upper ends of the

slots

43 and 44 to prevent the device from being pulled further until the device is tilted in the other or clockwise direction from that shown in dotted lines in Fig. l, to unhook the

prongs

64 and 65 from the tops of the

slots

43 and 44, so that the whole device may then be removed from the wall 11.

The device shown herein to be mounted by the connections of'this invention comprises an electric clock 70 shown in Figs. 1, 2, 4 and 10 having an electric motor 71 connected to the

terminals

56 and 55 by

conductor wires

72 and 73, respectively, which motor '71 may be mounted on a gear mechanism housing'74 which in turn is mounted on a dial plate or disk 75. On the other side of the disk 75 may be located a clock dial or face 76 (see Fig.1) with numbers to which the hour and

minute hands

78 and 79, respectively, may point. Over the face 76 and

hands

78 and 79 there may be provided a transparent convexoconcave lens 80, such as of glass or plastic. Mounted on or pushed out from the back of the sheet metal disk or dial plate 75 may be provided an angular base support 81 (see Figs. 1, 4 and on which the plug base block 53 and mounting flange 61 may be simultaneously attached with the

screws

57 and 58 that also hold the plates 54 of the block 53 together. The angle of the surface of the supporting base 81 on the disk 75 is preferably equal to the angle that the base 31 of the bracket 20 is to the vertical, and may even be a few degrees more to insure a good hooking engagement in the U-shaped channel or pocket in the bracket 20, and to insure a close fitting of the lower edge of the clock 70 against the wall 11 (see Fig. 1). Since the whole weight of the clock 70 is normally supported by the block 53 in the bracket 20, and this block and bracket are located at an angle to the horizontal, the weight of the clock helps to maintain the electrical connection between the plug and socket and prevents the clock from being easily vibrated off the wall.

The above assembly for an electrical clock and its mounting on the wall 11 free from any exposed electrical connections or wires, is made even more flush with the wall by the use of its specific split retaining rim or ring 85, preferably of a resilient metal such as aluminum, which holds the lens 80 in place over the dial 76 and its backing plate 75. Some details of this ring are shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 10 in which the rim or ring itself comprises a U-shaped channel strip which is bent around in a circle with its side flanges 86 an 87 extending toward its center and engaging, respectively, along the outer sides of the peripheral edges of the lens 80 and the backing plate 75, thereby holding their edges together. To further insure tight engagement between the edge of the lens 80 and backing plate 75, there may be provided means at spaced intervals around the periphery of the backing plate 75, such as outwardly bent resilient cars 88 shown in Figs. 2 and 10, which urge the outer edge 86 of the channel 85 against the lens 80.

The ends of the central base portion 89 of the U-shaped channel strip or rim 85 may be provided with a dovetailed joint 90 to hold the ring in a given radius once it is assembled around the periphery of the clock. In order to cover this dove-tailed joint 90 and to prevent one end thereof from radiallly springing out of engagement with the other end, a covering strip 91 (see Figs. 1 and 2) may be provided therefor of a thin sheet material, preferably metal, which together with a double spring shaped wire member 92 may cooperate with lugs 93 upset from the backplate 75 to further hold the ends of the rim 85 in position and cover the dove-tailed joint 90, as has been described in more detail in the above mentioned copending application Serial No. 370,727, now U. S. Patent No. 2,767,009 issued October 16, 1956.

Although the particular structures of the connecting devices disclosed herein have been illustrated for an electric wall clock which is mounted with its dial face flush with the wall, the features of this structure may also be applied to other devices than clocks which require both a bracket support and electrical connection, as well as a safety means for preventing them from falling from the wall once the electrical connection is disconnected, without a further exertion of force at a different angle opposite to that of gravity alone. Such devices may include meters on a panel, wall lamps, and the like without departing from the scope of this invention.

The ready manner in which the clock or similar electrical devices can be interchanged without the presence or nuisance of loose conductor wires is a very material advantage of this invention and enables a repair man to snap, hang or put in place a spare device immediately while the faulty one may be removed to a shop for reairs.

p While there is described above the principles of this invention in connection with specific apparatus, it is to be clearly understood that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation to the scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical plug and socket combined with a safety support and bracket for a device mounted on a vertical wall, comprising: a bracket having a pair of outwardly and slightly upwardly extending plates, a socket countersunk between said plates, a support having a pair of sides extending outwardly and slightly downwardly and being spaced apart a distance equal to the distance between said plates, a hanger means extending from said support, a plug projecting beyond the end of said support and between said sides for cooperation with said socket when said sides are fitted between said plates, and means with said socket for cooperating with said hanger means to prevent said device from falling off said wall immediately after said plug is removed from said socket.

2. An electrical plug and socket with a safety support and bracket for a device according to claim 1 wherein said hanger means includes a grounding connection between said device and said bracket.

3. An electrical plug and socket with a safety support and bracket for a device according to claim 1 wherein said hanger means comprises a pair of prongs parallel to said projecting plug and extending outwardly from said device beyond said plug for retaining said device in said bracket until said hanger means is separately released after the disengagement of said plug from said socket.

4. A self-holding wall bracket and support combined with an electrical plug and socket connecting device for an electrically operated means comprising: a U-shaped channel wall bracket having a base and two side portions substantially perpendicular thereto, said bracket being mounted on a vertical wall with its open end outwardly and upwardly from said wall and said side portions at an angle of less than 20 with the horizontal, a pair of spaced electrical contacts located in apertures inwardly of said base, an insulating supporting block mounted on said electrically operated means, a cooperating pair of electrical pronged contacts mounted on said block, said block having parallel sides spaced apart substantially the same distance as the distance between the inner surfaces of said side portions of said bracket, whereby said electrically operated means is both electrically connected and supported by said block in said bracket and said cooperating electrical contacts associated therewith.

5. A bracket and support according to claim 4 wherein said bracket is countersunk in the wall.

6. A bracket and support according to claim 4 including a hanger means extending from said supporting block, and means adjacent said bracket for cooperating with said hanger means to prevent said device from falling off the wall immediately after said supporting means is removed from said bracket.

7. A bracket and support combined with an electric plug and socket for an electrically operated means according to claim 4 including ground conducting means between said bracket and said electrically operated means for engagement at the same time as said electrical contacts.

8. An electric wall clock mounting and connection comprising: a U-shaped bracket mounted on a vertical wall, said bracket having at the base portion of said U a first pair of electrical terminals, and being mounted on said wall with said base toward said wall and the side portions of said U at a slight angle to the horizontal, an electric clock assembly, a second pair of electrical terminals mounted on said assembly which terminals coopcrate with said first pair of terminals at the base portion ofsaid U of said bracket, an insulated supporting block for said terminals on said assembly, said block having parallel sides spaced substantially equal to the distance between said side portions of said .U-shaped bracket, said sides'being at'an angle tothe horizontal substantially equal toithe angle that said side portions of said U have to the horizontal, whereby the weight'of said clock assembly is supported by said insulated block in said bracket and said pairs of electrical terminals are simultaneously thereby maintained in contact with each other.

9. A mounting and connection according to claim 8 wherein said bracket is mounted in an electrical outlet box mounted in the wall.,

10. A mounting and connection according to claim 8 wherein said clock assembly comprises a dial face plate, and said insulated supporting block is mounted on the back of said face plate.

11. A mounting and connection according to claim l0 wherein said back ofrsaid face -.plate-is mounted on thei wall and said bracket and socketafe mountedto an outlet ooXin's'aidwall. V, p i

12. A mounting and connectionaccording to claim 8 including a ground connection between said block assembly and said bracket. 7

13. A mounting and connection according to claim 12 wherein said ground connection includes safety hook means for hanging said clock on said bracket immediately before said electrical connection is engaged and immediately after it has been disengaged.

14. A mounting andconnection according to claim 13 wherein said safety hook means comprises a pair of hooks parallel to said terminals mounted on said assembly and extending beyond said terminals, and engaging means on said bracket for cooperating with said hooks.

No references cited.