GB2296825A

GB2296825A - Adaptor for wall socket outlet

Info

Publication number: GB2296825A
Application number: GB9500200A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Wilson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1995-01-06
Filing date: 1995-01-06
Publication date: 1996-07-10
Anticipated expiration: 2015-01-06
Also published as: GB2296825B; GB9500200D0

Abstract

A socket adaptor 10 for use with a wall socket 9 comprises a plurality of pins 17a, 17b, 17c for insertion into a wall electrical socket. All the 12a, 12b, 12c, are on a front face socket contacts 11a. In use the adaptor conceals all or most of the front face of the electrical wall socket 9. The rear portion 11b is shaped such as to fit round or on the face of a wall socket 9. Switches (not shown) enable the user to choose which appliances to have on or off. Indicating light and fuse may be provided. The rear portion 11b contains a switching mechanism 18 that activates with the switch of a wall socket. Holes 14 enable the adaptor to be fixed permanently or semi-permanently to the wall. <IMAGE>

Description

Title: ELECTRICAL SOCKET ADAPTOR Description of Invention This invention relates to an electrical socket adaptor, and in particular to such an adaptor which in use adapts a wall mounted electrical socket to provide one or more surface mounted electrical outlets.

By "wall mounted" we mean of the sort in which a recess in the wall accepts at least some of the depth of the socket and only a front plate is visible.

By contrast a surface mounted socket comprises a box-like portion mounted on the surface of the wall, which accepts some of the depth of the socket, and a front plate, both the box-like portion and the front plate being visible.

A number of forms of electrical socket adaptor are known. One known form of adaptor comprises a body having a plurality of faces, and a plurality of sockets, each socket being provided on a different face of the body.

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved form of electrical socket adaptor.

According to a first aspect the present invention provides an electrical socket adaptor for use with a wall mounted socket, the adaptor comprising a plurality of pins adapted for insertion into the wall mounted electrical socket and at least one electrical outlet wherein in use the adaptor conceals from the user at least all or substantially all of a front face of the wall mounted socket.

The electrical socket adaptor according to the invention provides the advantage that it may be adapted to look substantially the same as a surface mounted electrical outlet rather than a conventional adaptor in use with a wall mounted socket. The adaptor may be configured for use with a single or double wall mounted socket.

Preferably the adaptor is shaped such that in use it fits around the wall mounted socket and touches the wall adjacent to the wall mounted socket. Hence the adaptor may be configured so as to give the appearance of a single or multiple outlet surface mounted electrical outlet as appropriate. The adaptor may comprise a front panel providing the at least one electrical outlet, a mounting element providing the plurality of pins, there being means to provide electrical connection between the pins and the electrical outlet(s).

The adaptor may further comprise means for the insertion of fasteners by means of which the adaptor may be fixed to the wall to provide a semipermanent adaptor.

Preferably the electrical socket adaptor further comprises a switch activation element which engages with a switch of the wall mounted electrical socket to switch-on the switch as the pins are inserted into the wall mounted socket.

The at least one electrical outlet may comprise a socket or an outlet of alternative form to a socket, such as a fused outlet, or two or more electrical sockets or two or more outlets of the same or different forums.

The electrical socket adaptor may further comprise a fuse, an indicator light which in use indicates when the adaptor is connected to an electricity supply, and one or more switches, adapted for control of electricity supply to one of the at least two sockets one or more electrical outlets.

According to a second aspect the present invention provides a mounting element comprising a plurality of pins, the pins being adapted for insertion into a wall mounted electrical socket, means for attachment of a front panel to the mounting element, the front panel providing at least one electrical outlet and there being means for providing electrical connection between the pins of the mounting element and the at least one electrical outlet of the socket.

An embodiment of an electrical socket adaptor according to the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 illustrates an electrical socket adaptor in use; Figure 2 illustrates a plan view of the electrical socket adaptor of Figure 1; Figure 3 illustrates a rear view of the electrical socket adaptor of Figure 1; and Figure 4 illustrates electrical connections within the electrical socket adaptor of Figure 1.

Referring now to Figures 1 to 4, an electrical socket adaptor 10 is designed for use with a single wall mounted electrical socket 9 and is configured to provide two electrical sockets. The adaptor 10 comprises a two-part casing 11 in the form of a front panel 1 la and rear mounting element which in this example is a box-like portion 1 ib. The front panel 1 lea may comprise a standard twin electrical socket front panel, as appropriate for wall mounting, or for use with a surface mounting box. The front panel 1 lea provides two sockets 12, 13 each providing an earth connection 12 , a live connection 12b 13b and a neutral connection 12c 13c.The front panel ila also provides two screw holes 14, in which screws 15 may be inserted for attachment of the front panel 1 la to the rear box-like portion 11b Alternatively, if alternative means are provided for attachment of the front panel 11a to the rear box-like portion 11h, the screws 15 may be used, in combination with through holes through the box-like portion 11h, to attach the adaptor 10 to the wall.

The rear box-like portion 1 1b provides a recess 16, as best seen in Figures 2 and 3, shaped to accommodate a single wall mounted electrical socket 9, as shown in Figure 1. Within the recess 16, earth, live and neutral pins 17 , 17b 17c respectively are provided for insertion into the connections of the single wall mounted electrical socket 9. Also provided within the recess 16 is a switch activation element 18, which comprises a protrusion which engages with the switch of the wall mounted socket 9 when the adaptor 1() is inserted into the socket 9.

The protrusion forces the switch to the on position and thus ensures that the switch of the electrical socket 9 is maintained in the on position, whilst the adaptor 10 is inserted in the socket.

The adaptor 10 further comprises internal electrical connections 19, in the form of conducting metallic bars. Bar 19a connects the earth pin 17a to the two socket earth connections 12 13a and to the screw holes 14. Bar 19b connects the live pin 17b to the socket live connections 12h 13b and bar 19c connects the neutral pin 17coo the socket neutral connections 126 13c. The bars 19g, 19E, 19c are attached to the front panel 1 la with bars 19b and 19e protected by cover 20. The bars 19 provide electrical connections such that when the adaptor 10 is inserted in the socket 9 the socket connections 12, 13 are connected to the electricity supply.

It should be noted that the internal connections by means of bars 19A, 19b 19c may take a large number of other forms as appropriate for the particular design of the adaptor 10, and in particular front plate 1 la.

The recess 16 of the adaptor 1() has converging sides 16a since the majority of single wall mounted sockets are of this shape. However, the recess 16 may take any appropriate form, and in particular may have parallel sides in order that a large number of variations of single wall mounted socket may be located within the recess 16. Further the recess 16 of the adaptor 10 does not take the entire height of the rear box-like portion 1 1b such that in use the top of the wall mounted socket 9 can be seen protruding above the adaptor 10, as seen in Figure 1. The recess may take other forums, and in particular may take the entire height of the rear box-like portion 1 1h, and with the pins 17 appropriately located, the adaptor 10 may in use be aligned with the socket 9 such that the socket 9 does not protrude above the adaptor 1(). The recess may also be omitted.

The adaptor 10 may incorporate other features, in particular it may incorporate an electrical fuse, an indicator light to indicate when the adaptor is connected to an electrical supply, and each socket of the adaptor may have an associated switch for the switching on and off of electrical supply to that particular socket.

The embodiment of an electrical socket adaptor according to the invention described above incorporates two sockets in a substantially rectangular casing. However, other embodiments of the adaptor may incorporate three or more sockets or one or more other forms of electrical outlet or a combination of these and the casing may take other forums, e.g. substantially square. In addition, instead of the front panel being a single part this may comprise a plurality of individual parts. The adaptor may also be configured in a "slim-line" form with a minimum depth.

The rear box-like portion 11b, providing the pins 17 in the recess 16, and means for attachment of a front panel providing one or more electrical outlets and means for providing an electrical connection between the pins and the electrical outlets may be sold as a separate item for use with known front panels. In this case the customer may purchase the rear box-like portion lib and the appropriate front panel 1 la to provide he desired features of an adaptor and subsequently assemble them. Thus the invention enables a range of adaptors to be provided with only a single additional item to be made and a stocked.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

Claims

1. An electrical socket adaptor for use with a wall socket comprising a face and a rear portion that fits around or on the face of a wall socket.

Means for providing connections between the pins and the electrical outlets. A front panel which conceals all or most of a wall socket. Fuse, indicating light, switches. A rear portion with activating element which engages with the switch on a wall socket. Means for attachment of adaptor to the wall when in use for permanent and semi-permanent use.

2. An electrical socket adaptor as claimed in claim 1, wherein means provided on the rear body a recess which may take any shape or form to accommodate both raised and surface mounted electrical sockets. Both single or double wall socket.

3. An electrical socket adaptor as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein means are provided on the rear body an activating element which engages with the switch on a wall socket compelling the switch on a wall socket to the on position.

4. An electrical socket adaptor as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3 wherein means provided a mounting element comprising a plurality of pins for inserting into a wall socket.

5. An electrical socket adaptor as claimed in claim 4 wherein there being means to provide electrical connections between the pins and the electrical outlets.

6. An electrical socket adaptor as claimed in claim 5 wherein attachments means is provided for the attachment of the pins to the electrical connections.

7. An electrical socket adaptor as claimed in any previous claim wherein the front face is provided with at least one or more electrical outlets.

8. An electrical socket adaptor as claimed in claim 7 or in any previous claim wherein the adaptor is provided with at least one or more activating mechanism(s) such as switches or the like, that allows the user to choose which appliances to have on or off.

9. An electrical socket adaptor as claimed in any previous claim wherein means to provide the front face or panel with a fuse an indicating light which in use indicates when the adaptor is connected to the electrical supply.

10. An electrical socket adaptor as claimed in any previous claim wherein means provided for attachments on or through the adaptor for the attachment of the adaptor to the wall to provide a semi-permanent adaptor.

11. An electrical socket adaptor substantially as described herein with reference to figures 1 - 4 of the accompanying drawings.