AU2011101707A4 - Electrical Plug - Google Patents

Abstract

An electrical plug has a receptacle on its external surface which contains an information displaying object. A cover protects the receptacle. The cover moves between an open and closed arrangement. In the closed arrangement the cover acts as a physical barrier to protect any information-displaying object in the receptacle. The cover is connected to the plug body and is able to move between the opened and closed arrangements while remaining connected. Figure 4 1719547_1

Description

P/00/0 11 Regulation 3.2 AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION Invention Title: ELECTRICAL PLUG The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: 5 ELECTRICAL PLUG Field of Invention .0 The present invention relates to electrical plugs and a manner of representing information relevant to the plug. Background .5 Electrical devices are usually connected to a power supply via a cord that has an electrical plug at the end. The electrical plug is inserted typically into a wall-mounted power socket. There are occasions when it is desirable to attach information to the electrical plug, perhaps to warn the user against certain practices that can lead to danger. For example, the user !0 might need to be warned to use the electrical device only with certain voltages. The prior art contains devices that enable a display of relevant information to be connected to an electrical plug. GB2342910 (Martin) consists of a sheet that fits over the pins of the electrical plug, however, the sheet would be largely obscured when the plug is inserted into the wall socket. !5 Also, the sheet is unsuitable for displaying information when the plug is inserted into the socket, because the sheet would be in very close proximity to the electrically-live pins when the plug is in the socket. JP2005031547 (Norio) discloses a tag that is connected to the plug, however, such tags are typically intended to display information on a new plug, and are expected to be detached 30 prior to use. It would be generally inconvenient to keep using the plug on a daily basis with an external tag attached to and hanging from the plug. JP3053473 (Nobuyuki) discloses information that is physically formed on the surface of the plug, but this style of information display is not readily changed because the information is permanently and physically formed on the surface of the plug. Similarly, Japanese patent No. 35 JP3053472 (Nobuyuki) has similar limitations because the Braille information is physically formed on the surface of the plug. GB23 82731 (Bipinchandra) discloses a plug body that has a shallow rectangular recess which receives a small piece with information displayed thereon, and has a transparent cover that slots into the recess to protect the information-piece. However, the transparent cover can be 1 1719547.1 5 misplaced, and may even become dislodged from the plug body, leading to the possibility that the information-piece itself could also drop out of the recess. An object of the present invention is to overcome or at least ameliorate one or more of the problems in the prior art, or to provide an improved alternative. Any discussion of prior art above, either individually or in combination, is not to be taken .0 as an admission of the state of common general knowledge of the skilled addressee. Summary of Invention According to the present invention, there is provided an electrical plug including a plug 5 body adapted to carry protruding pins, wherein the plug body has an external surface provided with a receptacle which is adapted to contain an information-displaying object, wherein the receptacle is provided with a protective cover that is moveable between an open and closed arrangement such that the cover, in the closed arrangement, acts as a physical barrier to protect any information-displaying object in the receptacle, and .0 wherein the cover is connected to the plug body and is able to move between the opened and closed arrangements while remaining connected. Preferably, the receptacle is located on a part of the external surface of the plug body which is visible and accessible even when the pins of the electrical plug is inserted into a power socket. .5 The receptacle may include a depression that is adapted to removably receive therein the information-displaying object such that the object, when received therein, is below the external surface contour of the plug body. The cover may include at least a transparent portion so that any object in the receptacle is visible through the transparent portion when the cover is in the closed arrangement. 30 Preferably, the cover has an outer surface shape which, when in the closed arrangement, generally continuously follows the external surface contour of the plug body. Preferably, the cover has an outer surface shape which, when in the closed arrangement, does not protrude above the external surface contour of the plug body. The information-displaying object may be a tag with information represented on an 35 external surface of the tag. Preferably, the cover cannot be detached from the plug body. 2 17195471 5 Drawings In order that the present invention might be more fully understood, embodiments of the invention will be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 0 Figure 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an electrical plug; Figure 2 is a top or plan view of the embodiment of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a side view of the embodiment of Figure 1; Figure 4 shows the embodiment of Figure 1 with the cover in an open arrangement, with an arrow X indicating the movement of the cover towards a closed arrangement; 5 Figure 5 shows a modification of the embodiment of Figure 4, where the hinge of the cover is located in a different position; Figure 6 is a front view of the plug of Figure 1; Figure 7 shows a cross-sectional front view of the plug body of Figure 1, with the recess viewed along line A-A in Figure 3, and shown with the tag inside the recess with the hood in the 0 closed arrangement; and Figure 8 shows a slight modification of Figure 7, in that the tag in Figure 8 resides in the recess in a curved arrangement. Description -5 Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of an electrical plug 100. The plug 100 has a plug body 110. The plug body, when assembled, is able to carry a set of protruding pins 120 which are adapted to engage with an electrical power socket (not shown). 30 The plug body has an external surface which is effectively the externally visible part of the plug body. In Figure 1, the external surface of the plug has a generally conical shape which tapers towards the power cord 130, however, the actual shape of the external surfaces of the plug body 110 can be modified, and the invention is not limited to any one particular appearance. In the embodiment of Figure 1, the external surface of the plug body 110 is provided with 35 a receptacle in the form of a recess 140. The recess 140 is best seen in the cross-sectional view of Figure 7. The recess 140 is adapted, in use, to receive and contain an information-displaying object. In the embodiment, the information-displaying object is a tag 150 that has information represented on an external surface of the tag. The information may be written or printed. 3 1719547_.1 5 The recess 140 is located on a part of the external surface of the plug body 110 which is visible and accessible even when the electrical plug 100 is inserted into a socket. This is because the recess 140 is distanced from the front-face 125 of the plug which would be hidden when plugged into a socket. The recess 140 is in the form of a shallow depression, as seen in the cross-sectional view 0 of Figure 7. In use, the recess 140 is able to receive the tag 150 inside the recess. The tag 150 can be removed from the recess 140, so that the displayed information can be changed. In Figure 7, when the tag 150 is in the recess 140, the tag is below the external surface contour of the plug body. 5 In Figure 4, the recess is provided with a protective cover in the form of a hood 160A. The hood 160A is moveable between an open arrangement shown in Figure 4, and a closed arrangement shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3. Arrow X shows the movement of the hood towards the closed arrangement. In the closed arrangement, the hood 160A acts as a physical barrier to protect any tag !0 located in the recess 140. The hood 160A thus protects the removable tag 150 from degrading or inadvertently being detached through constant use. In Figure 4, the hood 160A is connected to the plug body by a hinge 170, and is able to move between the opened and closed arrangements while so connected. This ensures that the hood cannot readily be misplaced. In the embodiment, the cover cannot be detached from the !5 plug body. Figure 5 shows a variation where the hood 160B has a hinge 170 that is located in a different position on the external surface of the plug body, further away from the front face 125 of the plug. Figure 8 shows a slight modification of Figure 7, in that the tag in Figure 8 resides in the 30 recess in a curved arrangement, for example, when the tag is of greater width, when laid flat, than the width of the recess. In other embodiments, the manner of connection of the hood to the plug body can be modified with any suitable mechanical connection. In other modifications, the hood can slide along a track between the open and closed arrangement. 35 The hood 160A or 160B includes at least a transparent portion so that any tag in the recess is visible through the transparent portion when the cover is in the closed arrangement. In other embodiments, the hood can be entirely or partially transparent, so long as the relevant portion of the tag 150 is viewable through the transparent portion. 4 1719547_1 5 In the embodiment in Figure 7, the hood 160A (or 160B) has an outer surface shape which, in the closed arrangement, generally continuously follows the external surface contour of the plug body. This results in the hood 160A, 160B being unobtrusive, because it effectively has the same surface shape as that portion of the plug surface, as if the hood were not there, as it were. (An analogous example would be where a car bonnet appears as a continuous surface with 0 the rest of the car body). Since the hood, in the embodiment, does not protrude above or ahead of the surface of the surrounding surface of the plug body 110, it means there are no jutting or protruding edges that could catch on fingers or otherwise cause an inconvenience. In other embodiments, the edge margins of the hood can represent a change in direction 5 of the surface of the plug body, but this should preferably still not form a protrusion which can catch an external object. In a further embodiment, the hinge may be parallel to the longitudinal axis of the plug, rather than transverse as shown in Figures 4 & 5. The embodiments have been advanced by way of example only, and modifications are !0 possible within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. 5 1719547_1

Claims (9)

1. An electrical plug including a plug body adapted to carry protruding pins, wherein the plug body has an external surface provided with a receptacle which is adapted to contain an information-displaying object, and wherein the receptacle is provided with a protective cover that is moveable between an open and closed arrangement such that the cover, in the closed arrangement acts as a physical barrier to protect any information-displaying object in the receptacle, and wherein the cover is connected to the plug body and is able to move between the opened and closed arrangements while remaining connected.

2. A plug of claim 1 wherein the receptacle is located on a part of the external surface of the plug body which is visible and accessible even when the pins of the electrical plug is inserted into a power socket.

3. A plug of claim 1 or 2 wherein the receptacle includes a depression that is adapted to removably receive therein the infonnation-displaying object such that the object, when received therein, is below the external surface contour of the plug body.

4. A plug of any one of the preceding claims wherein the cover includes at least a transparent portion so that any object in the receptacle is visible through the transparent portion when the cover is in the closed arrangement.

5. A plug of any one of the preceding claims wherein the cover has an outer surface shape which, when in the closed arrangement, generally continuously follows the external surface contour of the plug body.

6. A plug of any one of the preceding claims wherein the cover has an outer surface shape which, when in the closed arrangement, does not protrude above the external surface contour of the plug body.

7. A plug of any one of the preceding claims wherein the information-displaying object is a tag with information represented on an external surface of the tag. 6 1719547 1

8. A plug of any one of the preceding claims wherein the cover cannot be detached from the plug body.

9. A electrical plug substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dated this 27th day of October 2006 JAMIE MOLLO By his Patent Attorney Ian Stanley Rose MIDDLETONS 7 1719547_1