AU8703898A - Retaining cap for electrical connector - Google Patents

Description

,rrrrui~~rurrt:1-

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Address for Service: Invention Title: MARK IRVINE MARK IRVINE H.R. HODGKINSON

CO.

Patent Trade Mark Attorneys Level 3, 20 Alfred Street MILSONS POINT NSW 2061 RETAINING CAP FOR ELECTRICAL

CONNECTOR

Details of Associated Provisional Application: No: P09415 filed 24 September 1997 j The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: 4! c i

;I

RETAINING CAP FOR ELECTRICAL

CONNECTOR

_ACKGROUND

The present invention relates to protection of electrical devices and more particularly relates to a detachable protective device for protecting electrical conductors on the plug of an appliance cord.

PRIOR ART SMost domestic and industrial electrical appliances include an appliance cord which Serminates in an electrical plug. It is this plug which adapts to a terminating socket which is ii r j r r r ji: .i.

sv 9h~j 1.

i

I

in turn connected to a source of electricity. It is important that the connection between the plug of an appliance and the termination point of an electrical cable into which the plug is inserted be true and firm in order to avoid problems such as arcing at the connection leading to (at the very least) short circuits and at the worst electrical fires. The conventional plug and socket arrangement involves use of male profile parts on the plug generally formed by means of metal pins arranged so as to be compatible with corresponding females at a socket termination point of an electrical cable commonly known as a power point. It is essential that the attitude of the conducting pins on the plug be compatible with the attitude of the corresponding socket so that the internal fitting is both tight to prevent unwanted withdrawal of the plug and to ensure a true and total electrical connection, avoiding the problems described above.

In industry and also in the domestic environment, it is common for appliances to terminate in a three pin plug, the first of which comprising an active, the second a neutral and third an earth. Plugs are also available which do not include an earth pin. It is the first two pins, that is, the active and neutral, which are essential to enable proper electrical connection. The third pin is not present in all appliances and is primarily there for safety reasons to ensure that any current leakage is transferred to earth rather than, for instance, to the appliance, in which case the user may risk electrocution. Unfortunately, appliances are manufactured nowadays such that the free end of the appliance cord terminates in the plug with unprotected metal pins which are to form the electrical connection. This exposure makes ii

N

I

I:,

them vulnerable to various kinds of damage particularly impact damage in situations very often occasioned in the building environment where electrical appliances must be regularly transported. Severe impact damage weakens the pins and also compromises any so formed electrical connection. Furthermore. where the pins are put out of alignment it can sometimes be impossible to effect the electrical connection unless the pin is bent back into alignment necessitating significant force to be applied to the pin. This cold working of the metal pins particularly if this bending happens two or three times, eventually can lead to breakage, rendering the plug useless. Whilst the metal pins on the plug are made of a strong conducting material, they cannot sustain a certain degree of lateral loading as this leads to misalignment.

To the best of the applicant's knowledge there are no means available for protecting the free ends of electrical plugs from chemical and environmental or impact damage apart from the sockets which function as power points. The sockets will protect the pins but they are, when not in use for specific electrical supply purposes, cumbersome, awkward and use up space in storage areas. Furthermore, this is a costly way of protecting the plug. There are in existence safety plugs which are used for blocking the entrances to female sockets in power points but these are there not to prevent damage to the connection but rather to prevent objects being inadvertently or deliberately, in the case of children, being inserted into the recesses. There has not hitherto previously been provided a convenient, space efficient, cheap and effective means for protecting the conducting pins of an electrical plug when not in use.

Whilst the foregoing discussion has been primarily aimed at electrical appliance plugs, it will be appreciated that the removable cover of the present invention could serve to protect the electrical pins of other types of electrical plugs which are susceptible to damage when not in use. Such electrical plugs include but are not limited to plugs used to connect sound equipment, computer equipment, telecommunication equipment, motor vehicle electrical components and the like.

1 THE INVENTION The present invention seeks to provide a protective cap for the protection of the conductive pins of an electrical plug and more particularly provides a removable cover which ensures that the conductive pins are retained in their correct attitude to ensure that the electrical connection between plug and socket when in use is not compromised.

It is an object of the invention to provide a conveniently removable protective cover for an electrical plug to eliminate damage to the conductive pins of the plug when not in use.

In its broadest form the present invention includes; a removable cover for protection of the electrical pin/s of an electrical plug, the cover including; at least one recess adapted to receive therein at least one pin of an electrical plug so as to protect the pin/s from impact, chemical or environmental damage and the like, thereby ensuring the attitude and integrity of the pin is maintained to enable proper connection of the pin/s with a corresponding recess/es in a termination of power supply socket.

In another broad form the present invention includes; a removable cover having a cover body for protecting the pins of a double or triple pin plug of an appliance, said cover including at least r- o recesses each adapted to receive and retain one of said pins by engagerr-rt between a wall of each of said recess/es and the pin, wherein the recesses are inte. i, fixed by means of a stiffening web disposed between said recesses and integrally fixed to the cover body.

In another broad form the present invention includes; a removable cover for protecting the electrical conducting pins of a three pin electrical plug of an appliance cord, said cover S| including an outer body including a skirt having a free end and defining a recess therein in "I which there is disposed a structure extending from a base of said body into said recess S. wherein the structure includes three recesses disposed relative to each other such that they each receive a pin of the three pin appliance plug via an opening facing in the opposite 4

I

I

1.

-i.

direction to the free end of the skirt, said recesses of said structure integrally retained to each other by means of web members intermediate therebetween thereby ensuring that the pins are maintained in the correct alignment when the plug is not in use and when inserted into said cover.

In a further form the present invention includes a removable cover for protecting the conducting pins on the electrical plug of an appliance cord; the cover including a cover body including one or more recesses which collectively or individually protects and retain the pins of said electrical plug.

According to a preferred form of the invention, the removable cover includes a circular skirt having a free end and a fixed end including a base, said skirt defining a recess in which is disposed a structure including at least one additional recess adapted to receive at least one pin of a two or three pin plug of an appliance cord. Preferably there are three recesses configured so that they correspond to the configuration of the pins of a three pin appliance plug.

The present invention will now be described in more detail according to a preferred but nonlimiting embodiment and with reference to the accompanying illustrations wherein: Figure 1: shows an isometric view of a removable cover according to a preferred embodiment of the invention together with a three pin appliance plug; Figure 2: shows an end view of the removable cover of Figure 1; and Figure 3: shows an opposite end view of the removable cover of Figure 1.

Referring to Figure 1 there is shown an isometric view of a three pin removable plug cover 1 adapted to be fitted to plug 2 of an appliance cord 3. Plug 2 comprises a housing 4 in which the active, neutral and earth leads of power cable 3 terminate at fixed connections to pins 6 and 7, respectively. It is these pins which, when left in their unprotected state, regularly i undergo impact damage causing bending and hence difficulty in inserting the plug into the power point. Whilst the invention will be described with reference to the conventional three

I

i i i pin plug embodiment, it will be appreciated that the cover may be adapted to fit a variety of electrical plugs having one, two or more than three pins according to the requirements.

Cover 1 comprises an outer skirt 8 terminating at end 9 and an opposite end terminating in a base forming portion 10 (see Figure Skirt 8 defines a cavity 11 in which is located a cantilevered structure 12 comprising cover recesses 13, 14 and 15. Intermediate said cover recesses are webs 16 which provide strength to structure 12. Webs 16 also prevent said cover recesses from altering their alignment.

Figure 2 shows an end elevation of the cover of Figure I showing openings 17, 18 and 19 i' which receive pins 5, 6 and 7 respectively of plug 2. Skirt 8 is of sufficient diameter to meet the alignment of the outer reaches of housing 4 of plug 2. According to the preferred embodiment, cover 1 is adapted with flange 20 which includes eyelet 21 which enables connection of cover 1 to power lead 3 to ensure that cover 1 is at all times readily accessible S to plug 2. Figure 3 shows the cover I of Figure 1 from the opposite end to that shown in Figure 2. As can be seen from Figure 3, skirt 8 defines cavity 11 in which cover recesses 13, 14 and 15 are located and interconnected by means of webs 16.

It should be emphasised that the above described embodiment is but one possible arrangement for achieving the objects of the invention. It will be appreciated that these S" objects could be achieved with a variety of alternative cover configurations. For instance, the cover may simply comprise a cylindrical skirt defining one recess which receives all pins of an electrical plug. Alternatively, the cover may simply have a substantially solid cylindrical body with cover recess/es formed therein.

It will be recognised by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and modifications may be made to the invention broadly described herein without departing from the overall spirit and scope of the invention.

C*

Claims (14)

1. A removable cover for protecting at least one electrical pin of an electrical plug when said electrical plug is not in use, said removable cover including; at least one cover recess adapted to receive therein said at least one electrical pin so as to protect said at least one electrical pin from damage and thereby minimising compromise to the attitude and integrity of said at least one electrical pin to enable proper connection of said at least one electrical pin with a corresponding socket having at least one socket recess when said electrical plug is in use.

2. The removable cover according to Claim 1 wherein said removable cover includes an outer cover body for protecting said at least one electrical pin.

3. The removable cover according to either of Claims 1 or 2 wherein said at least one cover recess collectively or individually protect and retain said at least one electrical pin of said electrical plug.

4. The removable cover according to any of Claims 1 to 3 wherein each of said at least one cover recess is adapted to individually receive and retain one of said electrical pins by engagement between a wall of said at least one cover recess and the said electrical pin. The removable cover according to any of Claims 2 to 4 wherein said at least one cover recess is integrally fixed by means of a stiffening web to said outer cover body.

6. The removable cover according to any of Claims 1 to 5 wherein said at least one cover recess includes at least two cover recesses. I ft

7. The removable cover according to Claim 6 wherein said at least two cover recesses are integrally fixed by means of a stiffening web disposed between said cover recesses and integrally fixed to said outer cover body. S. The removable cover according to any of Claims 1 to 7 wherein said at least one electrical pin of an electrical plug includes the electrical conducting pins of a double or triple pin plug of an appliance cord.

9. The removable cover according to any of Claims 2 to 8 wherein said outer cover body includes a skirt having a free end defining a central cavity therein.

10. The removable cover according to Claim 9 wherein said central cavity has disposed therein a structure extending from a base of said outer cover body into said central cavity. S" 11. The removable cover according to Claim 10 wherein said structure includes two i cover recesses disposed relative to each other such that they each receive a pin of a S double pin plug of an appliance cord via an opening facing in the opposite direction to the free end of said skirt.

12. The removable cover according to Claim 10 wherein said structure includes three cover recesses disposed relative to each other such that they each receive a pin of a triple pin plug of an appliance cord via an opening facing in the opposite direction to the free end of said skirt.

13. The removable cover according to either of Claims 11 or 12 wherein said cover recesses of said structure are integrally retained to each other by means of web Smembers intermediate therebetween thereby ensuring that the pins are maintained in the correct alignment when the plug is not in use and when inserted into said removable cover. 8 I I

14. Ii

16. ii 17. SI::i:

18.

19. The removable cover according to any of Claims 1 to 13 wherein said removable cover includes a circular skirt having a free end and a fixed end including a base, said skirt defining a central cavity in which is disposed a structure including at least one cover recess adapted to receive at least one pin of a two or three pin plug of an appliance cord. The removable cover according to Claim 14 wherein said at least one cover recess includes three cover recesses configured so that they correspond to the configuration of the pins of a three pin appliance plug. The removable cover according to any of claims I to 4 wherein said removable cover includes a substantially solid body having at least one cover recess therein. The removable cover according to either of Claims 14 or 15 wherein said skirt includes a protruding flange adapted to enable ready removal of said removable cover from said electrical plug. The removable cover according to Claim 17 wherein said protruding flange includes an eyelet which enables connection of said removable cover to said electrical cord. The removable cover according to any of Claims I to 18 wherein said removable cover is capable of protecting said at least one electrical pin from at least one of impact, chemical and environmental damage. 2. A removable cover for protecting at least one electrical pin of an electrical plug when M said electrical plug is not in use, substantiallv as hereinbefore described with reference t0 the drawings. DATED this 24th day of September, 1998. IMARK IRVINE RBY: 1s H.R. HODGKIINSON &CO His Patent Attorneys