EP0553168B1

EP0553168B1 - Branching-off box

Info

Publication number: EP0553168B1
Application number: EP91918057A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Olle SKÖLDMARK
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1990-10-18
Filing date: 1991-10-14
Publication date: 1995-07-12
Anticipated expiration: 2011-10-14
Also published as: WO1992007398A1; DE69111247D1; ATE125071T1; EP0553168A1; ES2089235T3; SE9003337D0; SE467282B; DE69111247T2; SE9003337L

Abstract

Branching-off box (1) having a multiplicity of power sockets (10) for connection with Euro-plugs (100) whereby the sockets (10) of the box (1) are positioned on a narrow top wall (6) having a width corresponding to the smaller cross section of the oblong Euro-plug and the connecting openings (12, 13) are positioned in one row along a central line at the narrow top of the box (1). Within the box (1) the conductor rails run parallel in a zigzag shape at the opposite wall (7) such that the conductor rails are passing corresponding connecting openings (12, 13) of the sockets (10) in the box (1). Between the connecting openings and the conductor rails there is additionally arranged a closing arrangement in form of a so-called childproof protection.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a branching-off box for Euro-plugs, more specifically a branching-off box which may be used at narrow spaces, e.g. at the skirting-board behind a cabinet or other furniture by using the fact that the Euro-plug in one dimension is narrow.
When there is a demand of an electrical connector at a position where no installed sockets, e.g., a line wall sockets, are not directly available a socket coupler is used which is a an extension cord having a plug in one end and a branching-off box in the other. A usual form of branching-off box is a horizontal rectangular box having a number of sockets one after another at the top, see e.g. DE-A-1 640 545. The sockets on the branching-off box may for one part have one design for plugs having two connecting terminals, thus the plugs are not provided with any connection for protective earth and the connectors are lacking protective earth as the cord is an ordinary two-wire cable, and for the other part another design with jacks having protective earth (the Schuko system) where the extension cord contains a further conductor for the protective grounding and where the extension cord in its other end is provided with a plug having a ground terminal. The design of a plug lacking protective earth is such that it cannot be inserted into a power line socket provided with protective earth, while a plug having protective earth well may be inserted into a socket lacking protective earth.
Since some ten years there are on the market onto electric cords fully molded plugs having only two connecting terminals but which however may be inserted into a socket provided with protective earth. This plug is referred to as the Euro-plug and sometimes also Φ-plug as it often is provided with a so called Φ marking indicating that it is approved to be used in this manner and meaning that it has, what is used to signify, double insulation.
These Euro-plugs are not round like the previous main circuit connectors but do have, seen from the terminal side, a symmetric rectangular profile having at each end a triangular shaped corner resulting in that these plugs also will fit into a socket provided with protective earth according to the Schuko system. Additionally about half of the connecting terminals, starting from the plug body, are also covered by an insulation so that only the outer half portion of each connecting terminal presents a metallic surface for the connection purpose.
By making jacks having a socket fitting the outer contour of the Euro-plug and with a depth corresponding to the length of the insulated portion, sockets are designed which offer a complete semi-protection of the connecting terminals. Another variant is to position the conductor rails so deep inside the socket that the connecting terminals do not make contact with the live conductor rails until the plug is so deep into the jack that only the insulated portions of the connecting terminals are accessible.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a further development of a branching-off box having 10 A current rating, which offers branching-off sockets adapted only to the new Euro-plug. This new branching-off box provides small dimensions by having the jacks arranged in a row on the narrow side of the branching-off box instead of as before on the wide upper side. This is possible due to a new design of the live conductor rails inside the branching-off box.
The present invention provides a simple manufacturing process due to that the forming of each one of the two belonging conductor rails may be obtained by a simple forming of the blanks for the conductor rails, e.g., by pressing, why the manufacturing costs become low.
The present invention provides thereby a branching-off box according to claim 1 which box is so narrow that it, e.g., may be placed on top of a skirtingboard behind a cabinet or other furniture, where normally no space is found for a branching-off box according to prior art.
Additionally the present invention according to, as was mentioned above, a compact branching-off box in which there is a so-called childproof electric protection, i.e. to enter the normally closed socket two pins of exactly equal length must be inserted simultaneously to open the jack.
Further the present invention provides a compact branching-off box, which by a simple clamp may temporary be snapped-on, e.g., on top of a skirting-board to offer access of line power within an otherwise normally very limited space behind a cabinet or another furniture.
The present invention further utilizes the technique of the Euro-plug that the connecting terminals should not make contact with the live conductor rails until the connecting terminals have come so deep into the jack that only the insulated portions of the connecting terminals may be accessible.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described below in form of a preferred embodiment in connection with the enclosed drawings, in which:

Fig. 1: is a radial projection of a branching-off box according to the present invention,
Fig. 2: is a radial projection of the lower portion of a branching-off box according to the present invention illustrating a first embodiment of the conductor rails,
Fig. 3: is a radial projection of the lower portion of a branching-off box illustrating a second embodiment of the conductor rails,
Fig. 4: is a view elevation of an arrangement for a childproof protection in a branching-off box according to the present invention having the slidable closing arrangement in a first position when inserting a plug,
Fig. 5: is a view elevation of an arrangement for a childproof protection in a branching-off box having the slidable closing arrangement in a second position,
Fig. 6: is a view elevation of an arrangement for a childproof protection in a branching-off box having the slidable closing arrangement in a third position,
Fig. 7: is a view elevation of a second embodiment of an arrangement for childproof protection in a branching-off box according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In Fig. 1 is illustrated a preferred embodiment of a branching-off box for power line plugs of the fully molded Euro-plug type according to the present invention. The branching-off box consists of a box 1 having two opposite side walls 2, two opposite end walls 4 and a top wall 6 and a bottom wall 7. The top wall 6 is provided with a row of connection openings 12, 13 and between every second connecting opening there are separations means 11. Each separation means is on a side surface facing a connecting opening 12 and 13, respectively, provided with a triangular recess 15. These recesses 15 together with the connecting openings form a line power socket 10 adapted to an Euro-plug 100.
On the bottom wall 7 there are, as seen in Fig. 2, arranged a number of shoulders 20 carrying two parallel conductor rails 21 and 22 arranged in a zigzag shape. The conductor rails are each formed from two strips 23 and 24 having opposite bulgings 26 and 27 which together form clamping openings 30 for reception of the connecting terminals of an Euro-plug. Further the two conductor strips 21 and 22 are at their one end provided with connections 27 and 28 to be connected to an electric cord having two wires.
The zigzagged conductor rails are placed onto the shoulder 20 on the bottom wall 7 such that the clamping openings 30 of each of the conductor rails 21 and 22, respectively, will be positioned indexed to a respective connecting opening 12 and 13, respectively, of the top wall. Between the conductor rails 21 and 22 there are additionally a separation wall 25 of a nonconducting material, e.g., plastics.
In Fig. 3 is demonstrated a second embodiment of the conductor rails 21 and 22 where these with the clamping openings 30 will alternatingly pass the connecting openings 12 and 13 such that each of the conductor rails will present clamping openings 30 for both the connecting openings 12 and 13, respectively, opposite to the previous embodiment where one conductor rail will pass all connecting openings 12, while the other conductor rail will pass all connecting openings 13. Additionally the clamping openings according to the second embodiment will always be positioned on a straight portion of the strips 23 and 24 such that no bending of the conductor rails occurs at or in the immediate vicinity of a clamping opening 30. Fig. 3 also demonstrates an embodiment lacking a separation wall between the conductor rails 21 and 22.
Between the top wall 6 having the connecting openings 12 and 13, respectively, and the conductor rails resting on the shoulders 20 on the bottom wall 7 there is arranged a closing arrangement for the connecting openings 12 and 13 in each of the power sockets 10. The closing arrangement consists of a plate 40 of, e.g., hardened plastics having a thickness in the preferred embodiment of 6 mm and a length and a width such that it may be inserted into the box 1 from below such that it rests against the inner side of the top wall 6. The plate 40 will be held in position,due to that it will be resting against the upper side of the conductor rails 21 and 22 or the separation wall 25, when the box 1 is assembled. Additionally the plate 40 is provided with openings corresponding to the connecting openings 12, 13 in the top wall 6. Further the plate 40 is provided with a from the side across running cavity 60 which at its midpoint 61 corresponds to the width of a laterally slidable disk 50 of, e.g. hardened plastics, provided with two openings corresponding to the connecting openings 12 and 13 in the top wall and the openings in the plate 40. The cavity is widened in one direction of the longitudinal direction of the plate 40 into a space 62 having a plane end face 64, and is widened in the other direction to an end face 66 in which there is a recess in which a ball 42 is positioned an into which the disk 50 may be inserted. The disk 50 seen from above has similar to the cavity 60 seen from above the shape of a parallelogram and is having the same width as the plate 40. Further there are on the upper side of the disk 50 at one side of the openings 51 inclined bevellings 52 towards the openings, which is evident from Fig. 4. At one end the disk 50, which in the preferred embodiment has a thickness of 2 mm, is provided with head means 53 formed across and having an upper and lower vertical barrier head surface 54. The widening of the cavity in this end is such that the head means 53 may laterally be inserted a bit into the cavity when the disk 50 is lying horizontally as illustrated in Fig. 4. At the other end of the disk 50 there is a ridge 55 resting against a ball 42. The ball 42 is pressed against the disk 50 by a spring 43 arranged within a bore in the plate 40 at one side of the cavity 60. This cavity 60 is at its ends wider than at the middle 61, which permits the disk 50 to tilt to either side whereby partly one end edge 56 of the disk 50 will abut a side surface 66 of the cavity 60 and thereby prevent lateral displacement of the disk if it is not absolutely plane positioned within the cavity 60. Additionally there are at the other side of the cavity corresponding barrier head surfaces 65 which latch against any of the barrier head surfaces 54 when the disk 50 is not horizontally positioned within the cavity 60.
Normally the disk will get either the position illustrated in Fig. 5 or the position illustrated in Fig. 6. In any of these positions the disk cannot be displaced laterally and the connecting openings will stay closed. If an Euro-plug 100 with its connecting terminals 32 is inserted into the connecting openings 12 and 13, the connecting terminals will position the disk 50 horizontally within the cavity 60. The ridge 55 will rest against the ball 42 according to Fig. 4. Both the connecting terminals 32 will at first rest against the inclined surfaces 52 and when the Euro-plug with a certain force is pressed further the inclined surfaces 52 will force the disk 50 laterally into the recess with the ball 56 simultaneously as the ball 56 is pressed further into the recess. Thus the disk 50 is displaced laterally such that the openings 51 are positioned indexed to the connecting openings 12 and 13 and consequently the connecting terminals 32 of the Euro-plug may freely pass down into the box 1 and connect with the conductor rails when the terminals have come so deep into the openings 12 and 13 that only the insulated portions 31 are outside the box 1.
Fig. 7 demonstrates another embodiment of the closing arrangement in which the disk 50 is represented by a sole plane disk and where one plane end 56 of the disk is prevented by any of the end surfaces 66 at one end of the cavity 60. The other end of the cavity 60 contains only an end surface 64 against which the other end of the disk 50 is pressed by the ball 42 and the spring 43 without any created barrier head surfaces. The closing arrangement is else working in the same manner as the arrangement illustrated in Fig. 4 - 6.

Claims

A branching-off box for Euro-plugs for distribution of electric line voltage comprising a box (1) of a nonconducting material having a multiplicity of power sockets (10) each for connection with a Euro-plug (100) and each having two connecting openings (12, 13), the box essentially having the shape of a parallelepiped comprising two opposite side walls (2), two opposite end walls (4) and a top wall (6) and a bottom wall (7) and containing two conductor rails (21, 22) each of which are intended for connection with a separate wire at one end of a cord,
the sockets (10) being arranged at the top wall (6) of the box (1),
characterized in
that the width of the top wall (6) essentially corresponds to the thickness of an Euro-plug (100),
that all the connecting openings (12, 13) are arranged in one row essentially along a central line at the top wall (6) and
that the conductor rails (21, 22) are arranged parallel to each other and are essentially zigzag shaped such that at each power socket (10) one of the conductor rails (21) passes one of the two connecting openings and the other conductor rail (22) passes the other of the two connecting openings of the specific socket (10).
The branching-off box according to claim 1, characterized in
that in the bottom wall (7) of the box (1) are arranged shoulder means (20) carrying the essentially zigzag shaped conductor rails (21, 22).
The branching-off box according to claim 2, characterized in
that at the upper side of the top wall (6) having the connection openings of the sockets there are between every second opening arranged separation means (11) to separate one pair of connecting openings defining the socket (10).
The branching-off box according to claim 3, characterized in
that each separation means (11) in a side surface facing an opening in the socket (10) exhibits a triangular recess (15) adapting that an Euro-plug may be inserted into the socket (10).
The branching-off box according to claim 4, whereby the Euro-plug has connecting terminals (32) having an insulated portion (31) characterized in
that the live conductor rails (21, 22) within the box below the connecting openings of the sockets (10) are positioned so deep below the top wall (6) of the box that an Euro-plug (100) with its connecting terminals does not reach the conductor rails (21, 22) until the connecting terminals are inserted through the connecting openings so far that only the insulated portions (31) of the connecting terminals (32) are outside the box (1).
The branching-off box according to claim 5, characterized in
that between the connecting openings in the top wall (6) and the live conductor rails (21, 22) onto the shoulder means (20) at the opposite bottom wall (7) is arranged a closing arrangement of the connecting openings (12, 13), the closing arrangement in a first position being closed and preventing passage of exclusively one connecting terminal and the closing arrangement is opened into a second position for passage when the two connecting terminals (32) of identical same length simultaneously are inserted into the connecting openings (12, 13).
The branching-off box according to claim 6, characterized in
that each separation means (11) extends a distance up over the top wall (6) corresponding to the length of the insulated portion (31) of the connecting terminals (32) of the Euro-plug.
The branching-off box according to claim 7, characterized in
that between the essentially zigzag shaped conductor rails (21, 22) is arranged a separation means (25) which is essentially zigzag shaped and adapted to the zigzag shape of the conductor rails (21, 22).
The branching-off box according to claim 8, characterized in
that each conductor rail (21, 22) is formed by two opposite lying strips (23, 24), each having bulgings (26, 27), two opposite bulgings forming a clamping opening (30) for the reception of a connecting terminal (32).
The branching-off box according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in
that the conductor rails (21, 22) are arranged such that they alternatingly pass connecting openings (12, 13 resp. 13, 12) of the sockets, and thereby the bulgings forming the clamping openings (30) are positioned on straight portions of the zigzag shaped strips (23, 24) forming the conductor rails (21, 22), the portions being positioned between the folds of the strips.
The branching-off box according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in
that the branching-off box onto the end walls (4) each having respective means for snap-on into clips means of plastics or metal to secure the box (1).