US1864353A - Attachment plug cap - Google Patents

Description

June 21, 1932.

ATTACHMENT PLUG CAP Filed March 28, 1929 H. HUBBELL, JR 1,864,353

Patented June 21, 1932 UNITED stares HARVEY HUBBELL, J'B., F BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT ATTACHMENT PLUG CA1 Application filed March 28,1929. Serial No. 350,655.

This invention relates to an attachment plug cap such as are used for plugging into a receptacle for the distribution of electric current to various electric apparatus or attachments, and has for an object to provide a cap by means of which more than one such device may be connected to receive current from a single rece tacle.

It is also an o jectof the invention to provide such a device which may be wired so that if two attachments are plugged in at the same time they may be operated either in series or in parallel.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a construction which may be wired so that the cap may be used as an ordinary cap.

lVith the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, combinations and arrangements of parts as will be' more fully disclosed in connection with the accompanyingdrawing. In this dlEIWlIlQ',

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section through the device but showing the receptacle and blade contacts in elevation. This figure also includes a standard attachment plug cap shown in side elevation with a portion of the body broken away to indicate the manner of connecting the lead wires. This figure indicates a wiring for the device that when used with a standard cap the two attachments served are in series.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of my improved cap.

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view thereof.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the device showing in dottedlines a standard cap plugged into the same.

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatical view showing an optional way of wiring the device so that it may be used as an ordinary cap.

Fig. 6 is another diagrammatical view showing another optional way of wirmg the device for use with the standard cap so that the two attachments will be in parallel.

This improved cap and plug comprises a body member 10 of insulating material having chambers or recessesdl opening from one end thereof to receive receptacle contacts 12 and 13 of the usual flat spring metal contudinal passages passing through the b0 y.

At its inner end the body is somewhat recessed, as shown at 16, to enclose between its outer walls the binding post screws and the means for mounting the contacts in the body. Molded into the body is an eyelet 17 projecting from the bottom wall of shoulder 18 of the recessed end of the body, and thecontact 12 has a lateral foot 19 resting on this wall with an opening to receive the eyelet. A contact blade 20 projects from the end of the body and has a perforated lateral foot 21 receiving said eyelet and resting on top of the foot 19 of the contact 12. The two contacts 12 and 20 are secured to the body by rolling over the end 23 of the eyelet and at the same time the two contacts are in electrical engagement. The eyelet is threaded for the usual type of binding post screw 24 for attachment of a lead wire. Another contact blade 25 spaced at proper distance from the blade 20 is mounted on the end of the body by a similar eyelet 26 molded in the body and carrying a binding post screw 27. The two contacts 20 and 25 may be made of different widths to provide a polarized cap. The end wall 18 of the cap is also provided with a deeper recess 28 on the bottom wall of which is mounted contact 13, it being secured to the body by means of a base plate 29 mounted on this shoulder by an eyelet 3O molded into the body, the contact 13 being secured to this base plate 29 by any suitable means, such as a rivet 31. The eyelet 30 carries a binding post screw 32 for connection of a lead wire. In the construction so far described the contacts 12 and 20 are electrically connected while the contactsl3 and 25 are'insulate'd from each other and from the other contacts.

The body member 10 also has a longitudinal ing connected to the blade passage 33 for lead wires for attachment to the various contacts, and this passage opens through the side of the body, as shown at 34, so as not to interfere with the used a standard attachment plug cap 35 with this plug cap. The passage 33 also opens through the outer end 36 of the body member and it is preferred that the opening 34 communicate with this opening in the end of the body so that the leads 37 -38 may lead through either the end or the side wall of the body without disconnecting them from the binding post screws. This device is really a combination cap and receptacle and when in use the blades 20 and 25 are plugged into any standard receptacle to secure current therefrom and another similar cap or a standard cap 35 may be plugged into-the device by inserting its contact blades, such as blades 39 and 40, into the openings 14 and 15 to, engage the receptacle contacts 12 and 13. With the construction and arrangement shown the device may be wired so that the two attachments supplied respectively by my improved cap and the cap plugged into it are connected in series or parallel, or it may be wired so that my improved device may be used as an ordinary cap for supplying current to a single attachment. Referring to Fig. 1 it will be seen that the lead wires 37 and 38 from the electrical attachment to be operated, indicated by the circle 41, are connected to binding screws 27 and 32 and are, therefore, connected to the contacts 25 and 13. Now if this plug cap is plugged into a receptacle the blades 20 and 25 will en gage the contacts in the receptacle. Then if the blades 39 and 40 of a standard cap 35 are inserted in the openings 14 and 15 to engage the contacts 12 and 13 the attachment, indicated by the circle 42, fed by this cap will be in series with the attachment 41 fed by the first cap, the leads 43 and 44 from the attachment 42 becontacts 39 and40 by the binding post screws 45 and 46. This is because if we consider the current enters through the blade 25 it passes by lead 37 to attachment 41 and then by lead 38 to contact 13 from which it passes by contact 40 and lead 44 to attachment 42,- returning through the lead 43, contact 39, contact 12 and back to I the outlet receptacle through the contact 20.

If it is desired to use my improved device as an ordinary attachment plug cap, all that is necessary is to connect the lead wires 37 and 38 from the attachment in Fig. 5. That is, the lead 37 is connected to the binding screw 27 and thus the blade contact 25, while the lead 38 is connected to the binding screw 24 and thus the contact 20. If this plug is now plugged into a receptacle the attachment 41 would be supplied with current in the usual manner.

In Fig. 6 is shown a wiring in which both attachments 41 and 42 are operated in paral- 41, as indicated lel. In this arrangement lead 38 is connected to binding screw 24 and blade contact 20, and lead 37 is connected to binding screw 27 and blade contact 25. Then there is a tie-over 47,

From the foregoing escription it will seen that I have provided a simple and effective construction and arrangement which without changing the construction may be wired so that when used with a standard attachment plug cap two electrical attachments may be operated either in series or parallel as is found desirable, or the device may be used as a standard cap if such a cap is not available.

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

In an attachment plug cap, an'insulating body member having a pair of longitudinal passages opening through the opposite ends thereof and providing openings 1n one end of the body for entrance of contact blades, receptacle contacts projecting into said passages from the other end, a pair of blade contacts projecting from the latter end of the body, one of the blade contacts being permanently electrically connected to one of the receptacle contacts, means for connecting a lead wire to said combined blade and receptacle contacts, the other blade contact being separate from the other receptacle contact, means for connecting a lead wire to said other blade contact, and means for connecting a lead wire to said other receptacle contact, whereby circuits may be connected either in series or in parallel through said plug.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

- HARVEY HUBBELL, JR.

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