GB2430811A - Device for facilitating plug removal - Google Patents

Abstract

A device for facilitating removal of a multi-pin electrical plug from an electrical socket comprises a loop 100 having a plurality of apertures 111,112,113 corresponding to pins of the multi-pin plug, the loop being formed from a generally elongate member, whereby the two ends of the generally elongate member are fastened together to form the loop and the fastening position is selected to be distant from the apertures. To fasten the device, an end 125 of the device is twisted through a slit 120 in the other end. One aperture 113 may be extended by a slit and an aperture 130 to receive a plug cable in use. The ends of the device may additionally be fastened an adhesive label 140.

Description

IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO ELECTRICAL PLUGS

The present invention relates to electrical plugs for connecting appliances to a mains electrical supply. It finds particular but not exclusive use with 3-pin electrical plugs of the sort comprising pins for a live connection, a neutral connection and an earth connection.

Such plugs are used in at least the United Kingdom.

Due to various electrical safety laws and regulations, many new electrical appliances are provided with permanently attached moulded electrical plugs manufactured from a plastics material. Plugs of this type tend to be rather bulbous, lacking any pronounced projections, which can make them difficult to remove after insertion into an appropriate electrical outlet or socket. This problem is particularly pronounced for elderly people, those suffering from arthritis and other joint conditions or otherwise lacking manual dexterity.

Those suffering from mobility problems which would impede their use of electrical plugs may be tempted to lever said plugs from their sockets. This obviously poses a severe danger if a metallic object, such as an item of cutlery or similar, is used for this purpose. The risk of electrocution and even possible death is very real in these circumstances.

Certain prior art devices are available which aim to address these and other problems. Co-assigned United Kingdom patent application 2411779 discloses means for co- operation with 3-pin electrical plugs, such as those used in the UK. Figure 1 shows a plan view of one device disclosed in this application. It essentially comprises a planar member 1 having three generally elongate members.

At the end of each member is an aperture 6, 7, 8 through which is inserted one pin of the electrical plug. Although offering satisfactory performance, it has been found that over time, with repeated insertions and removal of the attached plug, the stress that this applies to the areas immediately surrounding the apertures can cause the material of the device to tear or otherwise fracture.

An aim of embodiments of the present invention is to alleviate problems associated with plug removal whether mentioned herein or otherwise. Various other benefits and advantages of embodiments of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the attached description of the invention.

According to the present invention there is provided an apparatus as set forth in the appended claims. Preferred features of the invention will be apparent from the dependent claims, and the description which follows.

For a better understanding of the invention, and to show how embodiments of the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a plan view of a prior art device for assisting removal of an electrical plug; Figure 2 shows a plan view of a first embodiment of the present invention; Figures 3a-d show an embodiment of the invention is use; Figure 4 shows an alternative embodiment of the invention; Figure 5 shows as alternative embodiment of the invention; Figures 6a and 6b show detailed views of the formation of various apertures; and Figure 7 shows a further alternative embodiment of the invention for use with a different style of plug.

Figure 2 shows a first embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment comprises a substantially elongate member 100, which comprises a plurality of apertures 111, 112, 113 disposed approximately half-way along its length. Each of the apertures is arranged to correspond with a respective pin of a 3-pin electrical plug as used in the United Kingdom. Other configurations of pins may of course be used in other countries and suitable changes may be made to the arrangement and/or shape of the apertures.

One end of the member 100 is provided with a slot 120. The other end 125 of the member 100 is provided with a pair of transverse cuts or slits 127 such that the end of the member can be folded in a way that the resulting folded portion can be inserted into slot 120. Once secured in this configuration, as described later, the elongate member 100 takes the form of a continuous ring.

Also shown in Figure 2 is aperture 130 that has the form of a slit which runs from the base of the aperture 113, corresponding to the Earth pin, down to a point approximately below the bases of the apertures 111,112, at which point the aperture widens to allow insertion of an electrical plug. In the embodiment shown in Figure 2, the widened portion of the aperture takes a generally hexagonal form, but other shapes are of course possible.

Figure 3a shows how end 125 of the member 100 is folded along slits 127 as shown such that a tongue is formed which may be inserted through slot 120. Once inserted, the folded portion forming the tongue is unfolded as shown in Figure 3b, such that the two ends of member 100 are secured together to form a ring.

To fully secure the connection, a fastening device 140 is provided to securely hold the two ends in the coupled position. The fastening device conveniently takes the form of a self-adhesive label, which may present a suitable description of the device to which the plug is connected.

The labels 140 may be provided in a variety of pre-printed descriptions or may be blank such that a user can add a

suitable description himself.

Figure 3c shows the device once fully assembled, including the label.

Figure 3d shows how a plug 20 is inserted into the device through aperture 130. Once the plug is inserted in this way, each pin of the plug is able to enter its corresponding aperture.

With this embodiment, the device can be easily removed if the fuse in the plug needs changing.

Figure 4 shows an alternative embodiment 200 of the invention in which aperture 230 is positioned lower down the elongate member such that once a plug 20 is inserted into the aperture 230 and then a label 140 is added, the label partially covers the aperture 230 such that the plug can not then be easily removed without removing or damaging the label 140. This can be used to reveal if a particular plug has been tampered with following attachment of the removal aid.

Even in this embodiment, where tamper-detection can be useful, it is generally possible to loosen the device sufficiently to expose and remove the fuse-holder, if needed.

Figure 5 shows a still further embodiment of the invention. This differs from the pervious embodiments in that the completed device circles around the plug in a horizontal, rather than vertical, direction. The method of construction is otherwise identical.

Unlike prior art devices, including that referred to earlier, embodiments of the invention are in the form of a continuous loop with apertures formed in the appropriate locations to receive respective pins of the plug. This configuration offers advantages over previous solutions.

In particular, the load-bearing properties of embodiments of the present invention have been found to be far superior. This is because the strain experienced by the device when a plug is pulled from a socket is spread across the portion of the device which runs between the pins. In the prior art devices, the strain is concentrated at the edges of the apertures through which the pins pass.

This can cause a failure of the device in those regions.

However, the greater distribution of strain results in a greater strength.

When embodiments of the present invention have been tested, it has been found that the breaking strain is approximately twice that experienced in prior art devices.

This increased strength helps improve the longevity of the device and inspires greater confidence in the user that it will not fail so readily in use.

The fastening means, e.g. label, is positioned to be distant to the pins, such that there is a large amount of unbroken material around the pins themselves. This ensures that less strain is focussed on these areas where The length of the pins of the plug 20 are strictly specified to be a certain length, which may differ only by

a maximum of 1mm. Certain prior art devices are

constructed from relatively thick rigid plastics material, which may cause the plugs to which they are attached to fail to meet the specified standard.

Any suitable insulating material may be used to manufacture the device 100. The most important characteristics of the material are that it is electrically insulating and that it has sufficient strength to withstand the removal force applied to it.

Suitable materials include plastics materials. A particularly suitable material is found to be Tyvek , manufactured by DuPont . This is bonded material having the look and feel part way between a regular plastics material and paper. This material has particular advantages in that it is very easy to work with and can be printed onto using standard printing techniques.

In prior art device described in UK patent application 2411779, the apertures, through which the pins of plug 20 are passed, are physically punched from the material. When blanks of the device are produced in large quantities, the build up of waste material can be problematic.

Figures 6a and 6b show two possible ways of addressing this particular problem. Figure 6a shows how an aperture may be constructed without physically removing any material. The dotted area corresponds with the area required to be occupied by a pin. The solid lines forming two diagonals connecting opposite corners of the dotter rectangle are slits through which the pin can be inserted.

In this way, an effective aperture is formed, without the problem of excessive waste material during production.

Figure 6b shows an alternative where the solid lines again represent slits and the dotted lines represent the resulting aperture when a pin is introduced.

An added advantage of each of these configurations is that the material that is displaced by insertion of the pin assists in gripping the pin and thus helps to keep the device 100 in position.

A further embodiment of the device is shown in Figure 7, which illustrates how an embodiment may be used in connection with 2-pin electrical plugs as commonly used in the US and certain European countries. This embodiment shares a common assembly technique and enjoys the same benefit of positioning the join away from the pins area, thus maximising the strength of the device, whilst minimising its thickness.

The label 140, which is used to firmly fasten the device into a loop configuration, may take the form of a pre- printed design, bearing one of many possible labels or graphical icons. In this way, the devices may be supplied in a pack, including a plurality of devices together with various labels bearing such legends as TV, DVD Player, Blender, Toaster, Kettle and so forth. Furthermore, blank labels can also be provided so that a user can provide

their own descriptions if required.

Embodiments of the design may suitably be prepared in sheet-form, with each sheet comprising a plurality of individual devices, which may be delimited by perforated sections, allowing simple removal from the sheet and generating minimal waste. Alternatively, the devices may be manufactured on a continuous roll.

The length of the elongate member used to form the device may be configured as required for use with more bulky electrical plugs, such as those including integrated chargers or transformers.

It is expected that the cost to manufacture a single device 100 will be very small indeed. As such, devices according to an embodiment of the present invention will be very suitable as free gifts and could be easily provided to anybody who would benefit from them, at very little cost indeed.

Attention is directed to all papers and documents which are filed concurrently with or previous to this specification in connection with this application and which are open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference.

All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive.

Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings) may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment(s) . The invention extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features

disclosed in this specification (including any

accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.

Claims (12)

1. A device for facilitating removal of a multi-pin electrical plug from an electrical socket, the device comprising a ioop having a plurality of apertures corresponding to pins of the multi-pin plug, the loop being formed from a generally elongate member, whereby the two ends of the generally elongate member are fastened together to form the loop and the fastening position is selected to be distant from the apertures.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the device is constructed from an insulating plastics material.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2 wherein the material is a bonded material.

4. A device as claimed in claim 3 wherein the material is Tyvek .

5. A device as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the device comprises an aperture for each pin of the associated plug, plus an additional aperture for allowing the plug to be inserted into the loop and for accommodating the electrical cable connected to the plug.

6. A device as claimed in any preceding claim wherein a first end of the elongate member is provided with a central slit partially across its width and the second end of the elongate member is provided with two slits, each running from an edge towards a central point, whereby the second end may be folded in the region of the slits to form a tongue for insertion onto the slit of the first end.

7. A device as claimed in claim 6 wherein the first and second ends are secured in position by means of an additional adhesive member.

8. A device as claimed in claim 7 wherein the adhesive member takes the form of a label for bearing a legend concerning the electrical appliance connected to the plug.

9. A device as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the apertures corresponding to the pins are partially formed by selective slits in the device.

10. A sheet of material comprising a plurality of devices according to any preceding claim.

11. A kit comprising a plurality of devices according to any preceding claim and a plurality of adhesive labels.

12. A device as herein described and having particular reference to the accompanying drawings.