CA2037629C - Electrical plug and socket arrangement - Google Patents
Electrical plug and socket arrangementInfo
- Publication number
- CA2037629C CA2037629C CA 2037629 CA2037629A CA2037629C CA 2037629 C CA2037629 C CA 2037629C CA 2037629 CA2037629 CA 2037629 CA 2037629 A CA2037629 A CA 2037629A CA 2037629 C CA2037629 C CA 2037629C
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- socket
- plug
- abutting face
- cylindrical body
- recess
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Fee Related
Links
- 230000002093 peripheral effect Effects 0.000 claims description 7
- 238000006073 displacement reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000037431 insertion Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000003780 insertion Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000000926 separation method Methods 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
- H01R13/62—Means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts or for holding them in engagement
- H01R13/622—Screw-ring or screw-casing
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
- H01R13/62—Means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts or for holding them in engagement
- H01R13/639—Additional means for holding or locking coupling parts together, after engagement, e.g. separate keylock, retainer strap
Landscapes
- Connector Housings Or Holding Contact Members (AREA)
- Details Of Connecting Devices For Male And Female Coupling (AREA)
Abstract
An electric plug and socket arrangement includes a connecting sleeve threadedly engaging the plug to the socket.
The sleeve is slidingly mounted on the plug or on the socket and can slide to completely clear their abutting face so that the plug or the socket may be used with conventional plugs and sockets.
The sleeve is slidingly mounted on the plug or on the socket and can slide to completely clear their abutting face so that the plug or the socket may be used with conventional plugs and sockets.
Description
20~76~9 , TITLE OF THE INVENTION:
ELECTRICAL PLUG AND SOCKET ARRANGEMENT
FIELD OF THE INVENTION:
The present invention relates to an electrical plug and socket arrangement such as the ones used to join conventional extension cords or the like and more particularly to a plug and socket arrangement having a retractable connector for retaining both the plug and the socket together.
The retractable connector allows either elements of the novel combination to be used with a conventional corresponding plug or socket when needed.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION:
Conventional extension cords are provided at one of their end portions with a male plug having prongs and at the other end portion with a socket having bores adapted to receive prongs from another male plug.
In certain instances, a plurality of extension cords must be joined end to end to form a chain which will allow the user to obtain a desirable extension cord length. In these situations, any type of pulling action or other movement imparted on a section of the chain is suceptible of retracting the male prongs of a given extension cord from the corresponding bores into which they were initially inserted.
Once, one or more prongs are partially retracted - ~037629 from the corresponding bores into which they were initially inserted, not only is the flow of electrical current to the appropriate location interrupted but the situation also creates a potential serious hazard since the prongs become exposed to the environment and there is a possibility of short-circuiting, sparks, etc...
A number of structures have been proposed to minimize æuch risks. U.S. patent 2,753,534 and 2,945,203 both disclose connectors that employ a threaded sleeve to connect two elements together in order to prevent the plug and socket members from seperating. Such structures, however, present a major drawback. Even if the prongs and bores of these connectors were compatible with the corresponding prongs and bores of conventional plugs and sockets, the described socket elements could not be independently connected to any conventional plug and the described plug member could not be connected to any conventional socket. In both patents, the described structure comprise a rotatable, internally threaded sleeve on the plug side of the connector and a corresponding annular externally threaded ring on the socket side of the connector.
Both the sleeves and the rings form a physical obstacle which prevent insertion into conventional plugs and sockets. The threaded sleeve is laterally fixed to the plug side to physically and electrically protect the prongs.
- ~Q3762g Accordingly, the present invention provides a plug and socket arrangement which has an integral connector for retaining both the plug and the socket together.
The connector is slidingly mounted on one of the elements of the combination thus allowing either the novel plug or socket to be used independently with commercially available components. This advantage could prove to be particularly useful when one of the two parts of the novel combination fails to operate properly and one must rely on available conventional plug or sockets.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:
The present invention relates to electrical plug and socket adapted to be releasably secured together, in a longitudinal axial direction. The plug has a cylindrical body, a substantially flat abutting face and a plurality of prongs orthogonally projecting outside the abutting face. The cylindrical body has a peripheral threaded portion adjacent the abutting face. The socket has a cylindrical body, a substantially flat abutting face defining a plane and a plurality of bores adapted to receive the prongs to allow the abutting faces of the plug and the socket to substantially contact each other. The cylindrical body of the socket has successively a ring-like peripheral wall and recess adjacent the abutting face of the socket. The socket also has a ferrule with an internal 203~6~3 cylindrical surface comprising a threaded portion adapted to threadally engage the threaded portion of the plug and an inwardly beaded ring adapted to rotate and sideways slide into the recess. The wall as an outer diameter sufficiently large to maintain the beaded ring inside the recess. The recess has a width sufficient to allow the ferrule to slidingly recede over the cylindrical body of the socket to completely clear the plane of the abutting face of the latter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS:
Figure 1 is an elevation view of a plug and socket arrangement according to the invention, Figure 2 is a perspective view illustrating the plug of the novel arrangement and a conventional wall socket adapted to be suitably connected together, Figure 3 i~s a perspective view of the socket of the novel arrangement and a conventional electrical cord plug adapted to be suitably connected together, Figure 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of figure 1, and Figure 5 is an elevation view of the novel plug and socket arrangement with the plug about to be inserted in the socket and the ferrule in an intermediate slidden position.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT:
Referring to figure 2, there is shown a plug 10 20376~9 having a cylindrical body 12, a substantially flat abutting face 14 and a plurality of prongs 16 orthogonally projecting outside the abutting face 14.
The prongs 16 are electrically linked to a set of wires (not shown) protected by a cable sheating 18. The cylindrical body 12 has peripheral external threads 20 adjacent the abutting face 14.
Referring now more specifically to figure 4, there is shown a socket having a cylindrical socket body 24. The body 24 is divided into a first ring-like section 26 adjacent the abutting face 14 and seperated by a second ring-like section 28 by a cylindrical recess 30.
The body 24 has a substantially flat abutting face 32 provided with bores 34. The bores 34 are sheathed with a conductive sleeve 36 adapted to receive the prongs 16. The sleeves 36 are electrically connected to a series of electrical wires 38 by a connecting component 40.
A ferrule 42 is slidably and rotatably mounted on the socket body 24 and forms part of the socket in the present embodiment. The ferrule 42 has an inner cylindrical surface 44 provided with internal threads 46. The internal threads 46 are adapted to threadedly engage the external threads 20 of the plug thus preventing separation of the plug from the socket. The ferrule 42 is also provided with an inwardly beaded ring 48.
- 2037~2~
The ring 48 is adapted to slide parallel to a longitudinal axis 50 inside the recess 30 and to abut at both extremities of axial displacement against abutting walls 52 and 52', thus limiting the axial movement of the ferrule 42.
The length characterized by the distance 54 of recess 30 corresponds to the distance the ferrule 42 can slide.
The ferrule 42 is adapted to recede over the cylindrical body 24 of the socket to completely clear the abutting face 32.
As illustrated in figure 3, the socket with the ferrule 42 in a fully retracted position can be used with any corresponding conventional plug such as conventional plug 56 having prongs 16'. As can be seen in figure 2, the novel plug can also be used with conventional equipment such as wall socket 58 wherein the prongs 16 fit in the bores 34' until the face 14 abuts against the socket 58.
Referring to figure 5, the dotted line 42a illustrates the back of the ferrule 42a in a fully retracted position while line 42b illustrates the front of the ferrule 42 in a forwardly projected position.
The ferrule 42 is provided on its outer periphery with a set of prehension ribs 43 adapted to provide abutting means for the fingers of a user when the ferrule is rotated.
In the preferred embodiment, the socket body is ~376~9 manufactured in two seperate parts. Referring back to figure 4, the second ring-like section 28 and the cylindrical recess 30 are made from a single piece of material attached to the first ring-like section 26 with a set of screws 60.
The preferred embodiment also includes a double pair of jaw-like components 62 adapted to secure the electric cables 18 to the socket and to the plug. The socket and the plug 10 have a pair of fixing prongs 64' and 64 respectively which extend integrally from their back surfaces 66' and 66.
Each pair of jaw-like components 62 and 62' has a pair of screws 68 and 68' which extends through the respective fixing prongs 64 and 64' and which are adapted to squeeze the components 62 and 62' together. The components 62 and 62' are thus adapted to squeeze the cables sheating 18 and 18' respectfully and releasably attach them to either the plug or the socket.
An alternative embodiment of the invention also provides means for securing the novel plug and socket together while allowing compatibility with conventional components. In this alternative embodiment, the ferrule and the associated structural components are located on the plug while the external threads are located on the socket. This alternative embodiment also allows the prongs 16 to clear the abuting face 14 and to be used on a wall socket as in figure 2.
ELECTRICAL PLUG AND SOCKET ARRANGEMENT
FIELD OF THE INVENTION:
The present invention relates to an electrical plug and socket arrangement such as the ones used to join conventional extension cords or the like and more particularly to a plug and socket arrangement having a retractable connector for retaining both the plug and the socket together.
The retractable connector allows either elements of the novel combination to be used with a conventional corresponding plug or socket when needed.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION:
Conventional extension cords are provided at one of their end portions with a male plug having prongs and at the other end portion with a socket having bores adapted to receive prongs from another male plug.
In certain instances, a plurality of extension cords must be joined end to end to form a chain which will allow the user to obtain a desirable extension cord length. In these situations, any type of pulling action or other movement imparted on a section of the chain is suceptible of retracting the male prongs of a given extension cord from the corresponding bores into which they were initially inserted.
Once, one or more prongs are partially retracted - ~037629 from the corresponding bores into which they were initially inserted, not only is the flow of electrical current to the appropriate location interrupted but the situation also creates a potential serious hazard since the prongs become exposed to the environment and there is a possibility of short-circuiting, sparks, etc...
A number of structures have been proposed to minimize æuch risks. U.S. patent 2,753,534 and 2,945,203 both disclose connectors that employ a threaded sleeve to connect two elements together in order to prevent the plug and socket members from seperating. Such structures, however, present a major drawback. Even if the prongs and bores of these connectors were compatible with the corresponding prongs and bores of conventional plugs and sockets, the described socket elements could not be independently connected to any conventional plug and the described plug member could not be connected to any conventional socket. In both patents, the described structure comprise a rotatable, internally threaded sleeve on the plug side of the connector and a corresponding annular externally threaded ring on the socket side of the connector.
Both the sleeves and the rings form a physical obstacle which prevent insertion into conventional plugs and sockets. The threaded sleeve is laterally fixed to the plug side to physically and electrically protect the prongs.
- ~Q3762g Accordingly, the present invention provides a plug and socket arrangement which has an integral connector for retaining both the plug and the socket together.
The connector is slidingly mounted on one of the elements of the combination thus allowing either the novel plug or socket to be used independently with commercially available components. This advantage could prove to be particularly useful when one of the two parts of the novel combination fails to operate properly and one must rely on available conventional plug or sockets.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:
The present invention relates to electrical plug and socket adapted to be releasably secured together, in a longitudinal axial direction. The plug has a cylindrical body, a substantially flat abutting face and a plurality of prongs orthogonally projecting outside the abutting face. The cylindrical body has a peripheral threaded portion adjacent the abutting face. The socket has a cylindrical body, a substantially flat abutting face defining a plane and a plurality of bores adapted to receive the prongs to allow the abutting faces of the plug and the socket to substantially contact each other. The cylindrical body of the socket has successively a ring-like peripheral wall and recess adjacent the abutting face of the socket. The socket also has a ferrule with an internal 203~6~3 cylindrical surface comprising a threaded portion adapted to threadally engage the threaded portion of the plug and an inwardly beaded ring adapted to rotate and sideways slide into the recess. The wall as an outer diameter sufficiently large to maintain the beaded ring inside the recess. The recess has a width sufficient to allow the ferrule to slidingly recede over the cylindrical body of the socket to completely clear the plane of the abutting face of the latter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS:
Figure 1 is an elevation view of a plug and socket arrangement according to the invention, Figure 2 is a perspective view illustrating the plug of the novel arrangement and a conventional wall socket adapted to be suitably connected together, Figure 3 i~s a perspective view of the socket of the novel arrangement and a conventional electrical cord plug adapted to be suitably connected together, Figure 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of figure 1, and Figure 5 is an elevation view of the novel plug and socket arrangement with the plug about to be inserted in the socket and the ferrule in an intermediate slidden position.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT:
Referring to figure 2, there is shown a plug 10 20376~9 having a cylindrical body 12, a substantially flat abutting face 14 and a plurality of prongs 16 orthogonally projecting outside the abutting face 14.
The prongs 16 are electrically linked to a set of wires (not shown) protected by a cable sheating 18. The cylindrical body 12 has peripheral external threads 20 adjacent the abutting face 14.
Referring now more specifically to figure 4, there is shown a socket having a cylindrical socket body 24. The body 24 is divided into a first ring-like section 26 adjacent the abutting face 14 and seperated by a second ring-like section 28 by a cylindrical recess 30.
The body 24 has a substantially flat abutting face 32 provided with bores 34. The bores 34 are sheathed with a conductive sleeve 36 adapted to receive the prongs 16. The sleeves 36 are electrically connected to a series of electrical wires 38 by a connecting component 40.
A ferrule 42 is slidably and rotatably mounted on the socket body 24 and forms part of the socket in the present embodiment. The ferrule 42 has an inner cylindrical surface 44 provided with internal threads 46. The internal threads 46 are adapted to threadedly engage the external threads 20 of the plug thus preventing separation of the plug from the socket. The ferrule 42 is also provided with an inwardly beaded ring 48.
- 2037~2~
The ring 48 is adapted to slide parallel to a longitudinal axis 50 inside the recess 30 and to abut at both extremities of axial displacement against abutting walls 52 and 52', thus limiting the axial movement of the ferrule 42.
The length characterized by the distance 54 of recess 30 corresponds to the distance the ferrule 42 can slide.
The ferrule 42 is adapted to recede over the cylindrical body 24 of the socket to completely clear the abutting face 32.
As illustrated in figure 3, the socket with the ferrule 42 in a fully retracted position can be used with any corresponding conventional plug such as conventional plug 56 having prongs 16'. As can be seen in figure 2, the novel plug can also be used with conventional equipment such as wall socket 58 wherein the prongs 16 fit in the bores 34' until the face 14 abuts against the socket 58.
Referring to figure 5, the dotted line 42a illustrates the back of the ferrule 42a in a fully retracted position while line 42b illustrates the front of the ferrule 42 in a forwardly projected position.
The ferrule 42 is provided on its outer periphery with a set of prehension ribs 43 adapted to provide abutting means for the fingers of a user when the ferrule is rotated.
In the preferred embodiment, the socket body is ~376~9 manufactured in two seperate parts. Referring back to figure 4, the second ring-like section 28 and the cylindrical recess 30 are made from a single piece of material attached to the first ring-like section 26 with a set of screws 60.
The preferred embodiment also includes a double pair of jaw-like components 62 adapted to secure the electric cables 18 to the socket and to the plug. The socket and the plug 10 have a pair of fixing prongs 64' and 64 respectively which extend integrally from their back surfaces 66' and 66.
Each pair of jaw-like components 62 and 62' has a pair of screws 68 and 68' which extends through the respective fixing prongs 64 and 64' and which are adapted to squeeze the components 62 and 62' together. The components 62 and 62' are thus adapted to squeeze the cables sheating 18 and 18' respectfully and releasably attach them to either the plug or the socket.
An alternative embodiment of the invention also provides means for securing the novel plug and socket together while allowing compatibility with conventional components. In this alternative embodiment, the ferrule and the associated structural components are located on the plug while the external threads are located on the socket. This alternative embodiment also allows the prongs 16 to clear the abuting face 14 and to be used on a wall socket as in figure 2.
Claims (2)
1-. An electrical plug and socket adapted to be releasably secured together, in an axial longitudinal direction, said plug having a cylindrical body, a substantially flat abuting face and a plurality of prongs orthogonally projecting outside said abutting face, said cylindrical body having a peripheral threaded portion adjacent said abutting face, said socket having a cylindrical body, an abutting face defining a substantially flat plane and a plurality of bores adapted to receive said prongs to allow the abutting face of the plug and the socket to substantially contact each other, the cylindrical body of said socket having successively a ring like peripheral wall and recess adjacent the abutting face of said socket, a ferrule having an inner cylindrical surface comprising a threaded portion adapted to threadedly engage the threaded portion of said plug and a inwardly beaded ring adapted to rotate and sideways slide into said recess, said wall having an outer diameter sufficiently large to maintain said beaded ring inside said recess, said recess having a width sufficient to allow the ferrule to slidingly recede over the cylindrical body of the socket to completely clear the plane of the abutting face of the latter.
2-. An electrical plug and socket adapted to be releasably secured together, in an axial longitudinal direction, said socket having a cylindrical body, a substantially flat abutting face and a plurality of bores othogonally receding inside said abutting face, said cylindrical body having a peripheral threaded portion adjacent said abutting face, said plug having a cylindrical body, an abutting face defining a substantially flat plane and a plurality of prongs adapted to project into said bores to allow the abutting face of the plug and the socket to substantially contact each other, the cylindrical body of said plug having successively a ring-like peripheral wall and recess adjacent the abutting face of said plug, a ferrule having an inner cylindrical surface comprising a threaded portion adapted to threadedly engage the threaded portion of said socket and an inwardly beaded ring adapted to rotate and sideways slide into said recess, said wall having an outer diameter sufficiently large to maintain said beaded ring inside said recess, said recess having a width sufficient to allow the ferrule to slidingly recede over the cylindrical body of the plug to completely clear the plane of the abutting face of the latter.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2037629 CA2037629C (en) | 1991-03-06 | 1991-03-06 | Electrical plug and socket arrangement |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2037629 CA2037629C (en) | 1991-03-06 | 1991-03-06 | Electrical plug and socket arrangement |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2037629A1 CA2037629A1 (en) | 1992-09-07 |
| CA2037629C true CA2037629C (en) | 1995-12-12 |
Family
ID=4147138
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2037629 Expired - Fee Related CA2037629C (en) | 1991-03-06 | 1991-03-06 | Electrical plug and socket arrangement |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2037629C (en) |
-
1991
- 1991-03-06 CA CA 2037629 patent/CA2037629C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| CA2037629A1 (en) | 1992-09-07 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| EEER | Examination request | ||
| MKLA | Lapsed |