GB2388961A

GB2388961A - Electrical accessory

Info

Publication number: GB2388961A
Application number: GB0311590A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Yip Ping Tong
Original assignee: Get PLC
Current assignee: Get PLC
Priority date: 2002-05-20
Filing date: 2003-05-20
Publication date: 2003-11-26
Also published as: WO2003098762A1; GB0311590D0; GB0211568D0; AU2003234010A1

Abstract

Electrical wiring accessories having improved physical appearances in combination with low manufacturing costs comprising a main body adapted to be housed within an electrical wiring box, and a front plate 30 adapted for mounting on the main body, the main body and front plate including cooperating mounting means for releaseably securing the front plate to the main body. The mounting means of the front plate comprises resilient fixing means 36 mounted on the rear face of the front plate to protrude therefrom, the fixing means adapted for engagement with cooperating mounting means of the main body. The fixing means 36 may be a metal ribbon.

Description

238896 1

Electrical Wiring Accessories This invention relates to electrical wiring accessories, and in particular wall mounted electrical sockets and switches. A known form of wall mounted electrical socket, shown in Fig. 1, includes a front plate having apertures in its front face for the pins of one or more electrical plugs and a contact housing mounted on the rear of the front plate. The contact housing provides a structure for holding an arrangement of electrical contacts for the pins of a plug received in the socket apertures, and corresponding terminals by which electrical wiring connections can be made to the contacts. The socket is mounted to a wall with the rear face of the front plate facing the wall and securing it adjacent thereto by introducing screws through corresponding apertures located at each end of the front plate. These screws engage a thread in a standard electrical wiring accessory box which is recessed into the wall and into which extends the contact housing. Similarly, a known form of wall mounted electrical switch includes a front plate carrying a rocker switch and a contact housing in which are mounted the switch contacts and wiring terminals. As with the socket, the switch is mounted in a wiring accessory box recessed into the wall by means of the screws being brought to threaded engagement with the threads located in the wiring accessory box, as can be seen in Fig. 2.

Whilst the above known electrical wiring accessories adequately perform the fundamental task required of them, it

has become desirable from a consumer perspective to have accessories which possess an improved physical appearance.

A solution to this problem has been achieved in one known example of the prior art by providing a front plate which has

a solid front face save for openings to permit access to the socket pin apertures or the rocker switch. Specifically the apertures in the front plate which permit screws to engage a thread in the electrical wiring accessory box, and thus secure the plate in position, are absent. This arrangement provides a solid-effect front plate which achieves the desirability required insofar as the consumer perspective is concerned.

In order for the front plate to be fixed to the electrical wiring box, the rear side of the plate is cast with a pair of rigid fixing lugs. These cast rigid lugs are adapted to be releaseably engagable with resilient receiving recesses located in a main body of the accessory. In the case of a socket arrangement the main body is adapted to hold the contact housing on its rear side and have pin apertures through the main body to permit access to the contact housing.

In the case of a rocker switch arrangement, the rocker switch is located on the front side of the main body. In both cases the contact housing attached to the main body is received in the wall mounted electrical accessory box and secured therein by screws or the like which pass through the apertures in the main body to releaseably engage a screw thread in the accessory box.

The cast fixing lugs are formed integrally with the front plate (e.g. diecast) and extend away from the rear side of the front plate. These lugs are shaped along its edge to possess a centrally recessed aspect, and possess two further recessed aspects disposed along the edge opposite each other

f and each adjacent the rear side of the front plate to form and undercut. This undercut is arranged to have a barb-effect, such that the fixing lugs, when forced into the resilient receiving recesses, act to hold the front plate securely against the main body and adjacent to the wall.

Typically the front plate is provided with a pair of fixing lugs located at opposite ends of the plate.

Accordingly the only opening or openings present in the front plate of this known prior art are those which permit

access to the pin apertures in the socket arrangement or access to the rocker switch of the switch arrangement, producing a pleasing appearance.

Although the above-mentioned prior art solves the problem

of producing more desirable wiring accessories from a consumer perspective, this known prior art suffers from the further

drawback that the accessories produced are difficult to manufacture and expensive as a consequence.

Accordingly it is a general aim of the present invention to provide electrical wiring accessories having an improved physical appearance whilst being inexpensive and simple to manufacture on an industrial scale.

i In a first aspect of the present invention there is provided an electrical wiring accessory comprising: a main body adapted to be housed within an electrical wiring box; and a front plate adapted for mounting on the main body;

( the main body and front plate including cooperating mounting means for releaseably securing the front plate to the main body; wherein the mounting means of the front plate comprise resilient fixing means mounted on the rear face of the front plate to protrude therefrom, the fixing means adapted for engagement with the cooperating mounting means of the main body. The mounting means on the main body may conveniently be one or more recesses to receive cooperating protruding portions of the fixing means on the front plate. Alternatively the mounting means on the main body may be provided in the form of protruding clasps or brackets.

The fixing means are manufactured from a resilient material and may be formed such that at least two S-shaped projections extending away from the rear face of the front plate are provided. The fixing means can be located on the plate such that the at least two projections are correspondingly aligned with the mounting means, such as receiving recesses, in the main body. Ideally the wiring accessory has a pair of fixing means which are preferably located towards opposite sides of the rear face of the front plate. The fixing means can be manufactured from any suitable resilient material which has the required properties to enable secure attachment of the front plate to the main body, and yet allow the fixing means to be deflected by exerting a sufficient force on the front plate in a direction away from the main body to cause the fixing means to disengage the mounting means (e.g. recesses) of the main body without damage or permanent deformation of either element. Preferably metal,

! such as metal ribbon, or a suitably hardened plastics material is employed.

The mounting means of the front plate can be mounted on to the rear face of the front plate by any suitable means, preferably by welding. However, suitable welding parameters are required in order to guard against marking or tarnishing of the front plate during attachment.

In a second aspect of the present invention there is provided an electrical wiring accessory comprising: a main body adapted to be housed within an electrical wiring box; and a front plate adapted for mounting on the main body; the main body and front plate including cooperating mounting means for releaseably securing the front plate to the main body; wherein the mounting means of the front plate comprise attachment means protruding from the rear face of the front plate and fixing means secured to the attachment means, the fixing means adapted for engagement with the cooperating mounting means of the main body.

Typically the front plate will include two or more attachment means on its rear face, these attachment means having associated fixing means to engage corresponding mounting means on the main body. In a preferred form of the wiring accessory a pair of attachment means are employed, located towards opposite sides of the rear face of the front plate. s

l ! Preferably the (or where there are more than one, each) attachment means of the front plate is formed integrally with that plate.

Preferably the or each attachment means is provided in the form of a rivet member. The rivet member can be provided in a tubular form having a circular cross-section.

The fixing means can be securely mounted on the attachment means by forcing the attachment means into fastening engagement with the fixing means. For example, the rivet member can be swaged to fasten the fixing means in place. The mounting means on the main body may conveniently be one or more recesses to receive cooperating protruding portions of the fixing means on the front plate. Alternatively the mounting means on the main body may be provided in the form of protruding clasps or brackets.

It is desirable that one or both of the mounting means on the main body or the fixing means on the front plate are sufficiently resilient to enable the front plate to be selectively attached to or released from the main body. Most preferably the fixing means are resilient.

For instance, the fixing means may be manufactured from a resilient material and formed to provide at least two S-shaped projections extending away from the rear face of the front plate. The fixing means can be located on said plate such that the at least two projections are correspondingly aligned with receiving recesses in the main body.

In the preferred case where the fixing means are resilient, the fixing means can be manufactured from any suitable resilient material which has the required properties

of to enable secure attachment of the front plate to the main body, and yet allow the fixing means to be deflected by exerting a sufficient force on the front plate in a direction away from the main body to cause the fixing means to disengage the mounting means (e.g. recesses) of the main body without damage or permanent deformation of either element. Preferably metal, such as metal ribbon, or a suitably hardened plastics material is employed.

Attaching the front plate to the main body in the manner set out for both aspects of the present invention ensures that the only openings that need be formed through the front plate are those to give access to the features of the main body which a consumer should wish to use; for example where the wiring accessory is a switch of the rocker variety, an opening for the rocker switch to protrude through the front plate; similarly, where the wiring accessory is a socket access would be provided through the front plate to the pin apertures and any associated switch.

In particular there is no need to provide the normal, unsightly apertures in the front plate for fixing screws.

Moreover, the two-part mounting means provided on the rear face of the front plate in accordance with the second aspect offer distinct advantages over the known ' screwless' mounting arrangement described above, not least because although the provision of separate fixing secured to the front plate after manufacture avoids the need for e.g. expensive and complex dies needed to form the undercut lugs of the known product.

The electrical wiring accessory of the present invention may, for example, be a switch, a socket, a fuse connection unit, a cable outlet, a data/comma outlet, a telecom outlet or a TV/FM/satellite outlet.

( The present invention may even be used as a safety device where the front plate is a solid blank plate with no opening therethrough in order to close a temporarily unused wiring accessory. The embodiments described in relation to the first aspect of the present invention may also include one or more features of the embodiments described in relation to the second aspect of the present invention, and vice versa.

Embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 shows a known form of wall mounted electrical socket; Fig. 2 shows a known form of wall mounted electrical switch; Fig. 3 shows a further example of a known form of wall mounted electrical switch; Fig. 4 shows a plan elevation of a front plate and fixing means of the present invention; and Fig. 5 shows the rear side of a front plate of the present invention together with the front side of the main body. Fig. 1, illustrates a known form of wall mounted socket which is disposed with twin electrical socket connections.

The socket has a flat, metal front plate 2 and, mounted to the rear of the front plate 2, a contact housing (not shown) mounted on the rear side thereof. The front face 6 of the front plate has three pin apertures 8, arranged to receive the live, neutral and earth pins of a standard UK 240v plug

l (British Standard BS1363) and two screws (not shown) towards tt side edges of the plate which pass through the front plate 2 via holes 10 and engage fixings in the wiring box in order to mount the socket on a standard 25mm wiring box.

The contact housing holds an arrangement of contacts (not visible) adapted to engage the pins of a plug received in the pin apertures 8 in the front face 6 of the plate 2 in a conventional manner. The housing also supports corresponding terminals, electrically connected to respective ones of the neutral and live contacts, for connection to e.g. the wiring of a ring main in a building.

A pair of rocker switches 4 project through the front face of the front plate 2 and can be used to isolate respective live contacts of the contact housing from the corresponding terminals.

Turning to Fig. 2, a known form of wall mounted electrical switch will be described. Similar to the socket described above, the switch has a flat front plate 14 and,; mounted to the rear of the front plate, a contact housing (not shown). The switch is mounted, in use, on a standard 16mm wiring box, using screws (not shown), which pass through the front plate 14 via holes 16 and engage fixings in the wiring box. A rocker switch 18 protrudes through the front face 20 of the front plate 14 and can be used to operate the two way switch mechanism (not visible) within the contact housing, to selectively connect terminals of the switch.

In both of the e mbodiments described with reference to Figs. 1 2 suffer from the drawback that the screws (not

( shown) are undesired from a consumer perspective as they detract from the appearance of the products.

Fig. 3 illustrates a known form of wall mounted electrical switch which, similar to the embodiment described with reference to Fig. 2, has a flat front plate 22 and, mounted to the rear of the front plate, a contact housing (not shown). The plate is mounted to the main body (not shown) of the switch by fixing lugs (not shown). The main body is housed in the cavity defined by the wiring box and is secured thereto by screws or the like. The front plate 22 his provided with the fixing lugs attached to the rear side of the plate 22, these are adapted to releaseably engage corresponding receiving recesses (not shown) located in the main body in order to secure the plate 22 to the main body.

A plan view of an accessory according to the present invention is illustrated in Fig. 4 which shows the front plate 30 having a front face 32 and a rear face 34. Attached to the rear face 34 is one embodiment of the fixing means 36. The fixing means 36 consists of a metal ribbon which is fixed at two suitable points therealong to the rear face 34 by tubular rivets 33. Opposite ends of each fixing means 36 are formed in an Sshaped configuration. The two ends are specifically arranged so that the form of each end mirrors the other.

Fig. 5 shows the rear side of the front plate 30 of an accessory of the present invention where there are two fixing means 36 located at opposite sides of a centrally located opening 42.

A main body 44 of the switch is shown adjacent to the plate in Fig. 5. In operation the main body 44 is housed in a cavity defined by the wiring box (not shown) and is secured thereto by screws or the like which pass through apertures 46

and engage a threaded portion of the box. At the centre of the main body 44 is a rocker switch 48, the rear of which is in communication with the contact housing (not shown). Adjacent to the apertures 46 are a series of receiving recesses 50.

The front plate 30 and the main body 44 are brought into releasable engagement by moving the front plate 30 toward the main body 44 such that the rocker switch 48 passes through the opening 42 until the S-shaped ends 40 of the fixing means 36 are adjacent the receiving recesses 50. The application of continual force will push the ends 40 against the main body 44 which, due to the resilience of the metal ribbon, will cause the ends 40 to deflect. This deflection will cause the tip of the extremity to enter a receiving recess 50. Once the force is removed the resilience of the ends will cause them to attempt to return to their original conformation. However, due to the S-shaped configuration of the ends this cause them to engage the sides of the receiving recesses to cause a frictional engagement therewith.

In order to subsequently remove the front plate 30 from the main body 44 a force needs to be applied to the front plate 30 in a direction away from the main body 44 sufficient to cause the force of the frictional engagement to be overcome and the plate 30 be removed. The resilience of the ends allows them to be continually deflected and re-deflected in this manner without damage or permanent deformation being inflicted thereto such that continual attachment and replacement of the front plate 30 can be effected.

As will be apparent to the skilled person, numerous modifications and variations can be made to the embodiments specifically described above without departing from the invention.

Claims

Claims:

1. An electrical wiring accessory comprising a main body adapted to be housed within an electrical wiring box, and a front plate adapted for mounting on the main body, the main body and front plate including cooperating mounting means for releaseably securing the front plate to the main body, wherein the mounting means of the front plate comprise resilient fixing means mounted on the rear face of the front plate to protrude therefrom, the fixing means adapted for engagement with the cooperating mounting means of the main body.

2. An electrical wiring accessory according to claim 1, wherein the mounting means on the main body comprise one or more recesses to receive cooperating protruding portions of the fixing means on the front plate.

3. An electrical wiring accessory according to claim 1, wherein the mounting means on the main body are provided in the form of protruding clasps or brackets.

4. An electrical wiring accessory according to any preceding claim, wherein the fixing means are manufactured from a resilient material

5. An electrical wiring accessory according to any preceding claim, wherein the fixing means are provided in the form of at least two S-shaped projections extending away from the rear face of the front plate.

6. An electrical wiring accessory according to claim 5, wherein the at least two projections of the fixing means are

7. An electrical wiring accessory according to any preceding claim, wherein the accessory has a pair of fixing means located towards opposite sides of the rear face of the front plate.

8. An electrical wiring accessory according to any preceding claim, wherein the fixing means are manufactured from a resilient metal and/or hardened plastics material.

3. An electrical wiring accessory according to any preceding claim, wherein the mounting means of the front plate comprise attachment means protruding from the rear face of the front plate to which the fixing means are secured.

10. An electrical wiring accessory comprising a main body adapted to be housed within an electrical wiring box, and a front plate adapted for mounting on the main body, the main body and front plate including cooperating mounting means for releaseably securing the front plate to the main body, wherein the mounting means of the front plate comprise attachment means protruding from the rear face of the front plate and fixing means secured to the attachment means, the fixing means adapted for engagement with the cooperating mounting means of the main body.

11. An electrical wiring accessory according to claim 10, wherein the front plate will include two or more attachment means on its rear face.

12. An electrical wiring accessory according to any one of claims 10 or 11, wherein the attachment means have associated fixing means to engage corresponding mounting means on the main body.

(

13. An electrical wiring accessory according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein a pair of attachment means are provided.

14. An electrical wiring accessory according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein the attachment means are located towards opposite sides of the rear face of the front plate.

15. An electrical wiring accessory according to any one of claims 10 to 14, wherein the attachment means of the front plate is formed integrally with the front plate.

16. An electrical wiring accessory according to any one of claims 10 to 15, wherein the attachment means is provided in the form of a rivet member.

17. An electrical wiring accessory according to claim 14, wherein the rivet member is provided in a tubular form having a circular crosssection.

18. An electrical wiring accessory according to any one of claims 10 to 17, wherein the fixing means are securely mounted on the attachment means by forcing the attachment means into fastening engagement with the fixing means.

19. An electrical wiring accessory according to any one of claims 10 to 18, wherein the mounting means on the main body are formed by one or more recesses adapted to receive cooperating protruding portions of the fixing means on the front plate.

20. An electrical wiring accessory according to any one of claims 10 to 19, wherein one or both of the mounting means on the main body or the fixing means on the front plate are resilient.

21. An electrical wiring accessory according to any one of claims 10 to l9, wherein the fixing means are resilient.

22. An electrical wiring accessory according to any one of claims 10 to 21, wherein the fixing means provided in the form of at least two Sshaped projections extending away from the rear face of the front plate.

23. An electrical wiring accessory according to claim 22, wherein the at least two projections correspondingly align with receiving recesses in the main body.

24. An electrical wiring accessory according to any one of claims 10 to 23, wherein the accessory has a pair of fixing means located towards opposite sides of the rear face of the front plate.

25. An electrical wiring accessory according to any one of claims 10 to 24, wherein the fixing means are manufactured from any resilient material.

26. An electrical wiring accessory according to any one of claims 10 to 25, wherein the fixing means are manufactured from any resilient metal and/or hardened plastics material.

27. An electrical wiring accessory substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to, and as illustrated in, figures 4 and 5 of the drawings.