US1720463A - Combined receptacle and pilot light - Google Patents

Description

- July 9, 1929.

T. A. BOTH COMBINED HECEPTACLE AND PILOT LIGHT Fil ed Feb. 10, 1926 awunl'oz attorneys,

Patented July 9, 1929.

UNITED STATE-S 1,720,463 PATENT -OFFICE.=

TON'JES A. BOTH, or s'rnamronn, .oonnncrrcum, assren'on TO rm: commomm ELECTRIC mnurncmunme COMPANY, or nnrnenron'r, oonnncrrco'r, A con- I'OBATION OF CONNECTICUT oomsmnn manners nn error LIGHT.

Application filed February 10, 192 Serial no. amass.

This invention relates to electric fittings such as a wall fitting which is mounted in a wall outlet box, and especially to a receptacle having a pilot light connected therewith.

I In the use of wall receptacles, especially where they are used to supply current for electrical. attachments, such as flat irons,

toasters and the like, it is desirable to have associated with the receptacle a pilot light to 1 indicate when the attachment is connected to the supply circuit. In previous arrangements of this type of device one of the objections has been that it was possible to connect the attachment in the circuit and thus get current for the attachment without lighting the pilot light and obviously such a device 1s unsatisfactory as being unreliable.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a receptacle and a pilot light associated therewith, in which the elements are so arranged that when the contact blades of the attachment plugl cap are insert- 7 ed in the receptacle they wi insure closure of the circuit to the pilot light if the circuit is closed to the attachment to thusinsure that the pilot light is always lighted when the attachment is connected in the circuit.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a fitting involving a receptacle and a pilot light which will be in one unitary structure, and will not require any more space in a wall outlet box than a single fitting.

lVith the foregoing and other objects in view, I have devised the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, similar reference characters being employed throughout the various figures to indicate corresponding elements. In this drawing,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the device. Fig. 2 is a vertical section substantially on line 22 of Fig. 1 and showing the wall outlet box in dotted lines, and

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the device.

The drawing shows in Fig. 2 in dotted lines a wall 10 and the outlet box 11 mounted in a recess therein, and the usual lead wires, not shown, from the house wiring system lead into this box in the usual manner, and are 50 connected to the proper fitting or electrical device mounted therein. a

My improved device comprises a receptacle to receive the contacts of an attachment plug cap to connect the attachment to the house circuit andassociated therewith a pilot light and mounting therefor, and they are so arranged that these two devices require no more space 1n the outlet box than a sin le fitting. The electrical contacts are mounted in a support comprising a cover plate 12 made of suitable molded insulating material and rearwardly extending walls 13 molded in one piece with this cover plate and forming chambers or recesses in which the various electrical contacts are mounted. At the lower art of the fitting are a pair of spaced cham ers or recesses 14 and 15 in which are mounted receptacle or main plug engaging contacts 16 and 1 7 respectively, and in the cover plate are openings 18 and 19 in the form of slots leadng to these chambers respectively and formmg guides for the passage of the contact blades 20 of any suitable type of attachment plug cap 21 from which the usual lead wires extend to the electrical attachment being used. Mounted at the rear of the cover plate is a binding post screw 22 mounted on a plate 23 a and secured to the rearwardlyextending walls by means of a rivet 24 molded in these walls, and the lower spring receptacle contact 16 is secured to this plate. A second binding post screw 25 is mounted on a plate 26 similarly mounted on the rearwardly extending walls by rivet 27 molded in these walls, and the other receptacle contact 17 is connected to this plate. As the lead wires from the house circuit, or a switch connected in this circuit, are connected to the binding post screws-22 and 25 the attachment will, of course, be connected in the supply circuit when the cap blades 20 are in engagement with these receptacle contacts.

Associated with this receptacle is a pilot light for indicating when the attachment is connected in the circuit. This light comprises a small lamp 28 mounted in back of the cover plate. Mounted on one of the rearwardly extending walls is a plate 29 secured to this wall by rivet 30 molded in the wall, and this plate extends toward the cover plate and includes a pair of supports 31 and 32 integral with this plate. The member 31 is in the form of substantially a ring with an opening therethrough to receive the threaded side l'ai'np contact 33 which is connected to one end of thefilamentin the lamp, and the other support 32 also has an opening therethrough for this threaded contact but one portion thereof is ofiset as indicated at 34 a distance corresponding to the distance between adjacent threads of the threaded contact, so that the opposite sides of the opening w1ll seat within the grooves on opposlte sides of a thread as indicated in Fig. 3, the offset be ng provided with a notch 35 throu h which this thread may extend. There ore, this threaded contact may be threaded into the member 32, and the members 31 and 32 hold the lam in position and form electrical connection hetween the contact 33 and the plate 29. Also electrically connected with the late 29 is an auxiliary spring contact 36 orming a breaking contact, and this contact is located in the receptacle chamber 15 oppo site to the receptacle contact 17 but in position to be engaged by the upper blade 20 of the cap when it is inserted in the receptacle. As indicated in Fig. 2 this contact 36 extends forwardly beyond the free end of the contact 17 so that when the blade 20 is inserted into the receptacle it will engage the contact'36 before it engages the contact 17. This insures that when the blades of the cap are 1nserted in the receptacle the contact 36 connected with the lamp will always be in engagement with one of these blades so long as the blades are in engagement with the receptacle contacts. The circuit through the lamp is completed by means of a spring contact 37 connected to the plate 23, and this spring contact is mounted in position to engage the central lam contact 38 when the lamp is mounted in t e support 31-32. It will thus be apparent that when the cap is inserted in the rece tacle the circuit through the lamp is closed rom the binding post 25, late 26 to receptacle contact 17, upper cap lade 20, spring or break contact 36, support 3132, threaded lamp contact 33, lamp filament, central lamp contact 38, spring contact 37 and plate 23 to the binding post 22.

Above the openin s 18 and 19 for the receptacle the cover p ate is-provided with an opening 39 behind which the lamp is located and through which it is visible from the front of the plate. It is preferred to mount in this opening a jewel 40, which is usually a piece 0 colored glass. It will be noted from Fig. 3 that the various electrical elements are all easily accessible from the rear of the plate for assembling, inspection or repair, and when they are mounted in position they are preferably enclosed by means of a back plate 41 of suitable fibre or other material mounted on the walls 13.

It will be apparent from the foregoing descri tion that the break contact 36 connected to t e lamp engages one of the contact blades 20 of the cap before these blades engage the receptacle contacts when the cap is plugged into the receptacle, and it will also be true that when the cap is removed from the receptacle the blades 20 will separate from the receptacle contacts before the up er blade separates from the contact 36. erefore, the lamp is always in circuit if the cap blades 20 are in engagement with the receptacle contacts. It is also to be noted that the receptacle, the pilot light and the mountings therefor are assembled in one unitary fitting which occupies no more space in the wall box'than a single fittin ordinarily does, thus conserving space within the wall box. The device is also easily mounted in position and is se cured to the wall box by means of screws passing through the openings 42 in the cover plate. As these openings may be elongated somewhat transversely of the plate they allow for certain adjustment of the device for properly aligning the plate and mounting it in the vertical position. The heads 43 may be of insulating material to give an entirely dead front device and they are sufliciently large in diameter to cover t e slots or openings 42.

Having thus set forth the nature of my invention, what I claimis:

1. In a device of the character described, a receptacle having contacts to engage the blade contacts of an attachment plug cap, means for connecting said receptacle contactsto the leads from a source of current, a pilot lamp mounting having contacts to engage those of a pilot lamp, a connection from one of the pilot lamp contacts to one of the receptacle contacts, and an auxiliary contact connected to the other lamp contact and positioned adjacent the other receptacle contact but spaced-therefrom in,

position to engage a cap contact and extending outwardly beyond said receptacle contact so that it will be engaged by the cap contact before said cap contact engages the receptacle conltact as the cap is pluggedinto the receptac e.

2. In a device of the character described, a receptacle having main plug engaging contacts to engage the blade contacts of an attachment plug cap, terminals for connection of lead wires to said plug engaging contacts, a pair of spaced pilot lamp contacts, one of said latter contacts being connected to one of the plug engaging contacts, an auxiliary contact connected to the other lamp contact and arranged to be engaged by a cap blade contact before said blade engages a plug engaging contact as the cap is plugged into the recepiacle and remain in engagement therewit 3. In a device of the character described, a receptacle having main plug engaging contacts to engage the blade contacts of an attachment plug cap, terminals for connection of lead wires to said plug engaging contacts, a pair of spaced pilot lamp contacts, one of said latter contacts being connected to one of the plug engaging contacts, and an auxiliary contact connected to the other lamp contact arranged adjacent but spaced from the other plug engaging contact and extending forwardly beyond the same to be engaged by a cap contact before said cap contact engages the adjacent plug engaging contact as the cap is plugged into the receptacle and to remain in engagement therewith.

4. In a device of the character described, a receptacle having spaced spring contacts to engage the blade contacts of an attachment plug cap, terminals for connection of lead wires to said spring contacts, means for mounting a pilot lamp including spaced contacts, one of said latter contacts being C0111 nected to one of the spring contacts, an auxiliary contact connected to the otherlamp contact and arranged on the opposite side of a cap contact from the corresponding spring contact so that there is a contact arm on each of the opposing sides of the blade contacts, said auxiliary contact being extended forwardly beyond the corresponding spring contact so as to be engaged by the blade contact before it enga es the spring contact as the cap is plugged lnto the receptacle.

5. In a device of the character described, a one piece insulating body member including a face plate and rearwardly extending walls projecting from the back face thereof provi ing recesses, said face plate having knife blade openings therein leading to said recesses, receptacle contacts mounted in said recesses to engage the blade contacts of an attachment plug cap, terminals for connection of lead wires to said receptacle contacts, said plate being also provided with a pilot lamp opening, means for mounting a pilot lamp behind said latter opening including spaced contacts mounted on said rearwardly extending Walls, conducting means connecting one of the lamp contacts to one of the receptacle contacts, a break contact mounted adjacent the other receptacle contact and extending nearer to the knife blade opening in the face plate leading to this receptacle contact so as to be the first to engage the cap contact as the cap is plugged into the receptacle and remain 1n engagement therewith, and conducting means connecting the break contact with the other lamp contact.

6. In a device of the character described, a one piece'insulat-ing body member including a face plate of a size to cover a single gang of a standard wall outlet box and integral walls extending rearwardly from the inner face thereof providing recesses, said face plate being provided with knife blade openings leading to said recesses, receptacle contacts in said recesses to engage the contacts of an attachment plug cap, terminals for connection of lead wires to said receptacle contacts, said plate being also provided with a pilot lamp opening spaced laterally from the knife blade openings and so located that it and the knife blade openin s are within the confines of a single gango a standard wall outlet box, means for mounting a pilot lamp behind said lamp opening including spaced contacts mounted on said rearwardly extending walls, conducting means connecting one of the lamp contacts with one of the receptacle contacts, a break contactmounted in the recess for the other receptacle contact in position to be engaged by the cap contact before it engages the receptacle contact as the cap is plugged into the receptacle and to remain in engagement therewith, and a conductor connecting the brake contact with the other receptacle contact.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature TONJES A. BOTH.

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