US1882791A - Portable outlet receptacle - Google Patents

Description

Octa 18, 1932. J, FERRIS 1,882,791

PORTABLE OUTLET REGEPTACLE Filed Aug. 21, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 18, 193 2. 7 w, FERR|$ 1,882,791

PORTABLE OUTLET RECEPTACLE Filed Aug. 22L, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Smoentor,

' Gttorneg Patented Get. 18, 1932 users STATES PATENT OFFECE WILLARD .B'QFEBRIS, OF JACKSON, HICHIGAH, ABS IGNOB, BY KESN'E ASSIGNMEW, TO CUTLER-HAMMER, INCH, A CORPORATION 01* DELAWARE IPOBTABLE OUTLET BECEFI'AGLE Application fled August 21, 1928. Eerie! Ho. 301,081.

The invention relates to a. portable outlet receptacle.

The object ofthe present invention is to improve the construction of portable outlet receptacles and to provide a simple, practical, and more useful portable outlet receptacle, which will be of rugged, strong, and durable construction and capable of being easily and cheaply manufactured.

A further object of the invention is to provide a portable outlet receptacle of this character having a. handle equipped at its outer end with an axial lamp socket andwith lateral current taps and capable of afiordin the necessary light and of enabling electrical appliances, such as an electric drill, to

. be readily connected, so as to render unnecessary the common practice of removing the lamp from they socket of an extension cord and using the socket for the connection oi an electric drill or other device with the feed lines which supply the current.

The portable outlet receptacle is particularly adapte for use in connection with elecric drills. Electric drills are generally furnished with an eight or ten foot cord. On most repair work where a drill is used, an extension light is necessary. Extension lights are generally made up of a forty or fifty foot cord which will reach to the outlet provided for them. The drill is another problem, and it is usually necessary to remove the nearest lamp and use the socket for an outlet.

lhis inconvenient method of connecting the electric drill with the outlet may safely be estimated as requiring the consumption of at least fifteen minutes of the workmans time, with the possibility of the plug being pulled out before the job is completed, rendering it necessary for the workman to climb back and replace the plug. In many cases the lamp removed never finds its way back to the socket. If a working light is unnecessary and a portable socket is used,it is neces sary to remove the guard and the bulb in order to attach the tool. It is often necessary to do work requiring light and a small tool in an unwired building or the like. This generally requires several extensions or temporary wirings. It is an object of the present invention to obviate the foregoin difli-- The device is also adapted to afiord the I utmost electrical protection and safety to the user, and it is constructed of wateracid-, and heat-resisting material, and being waterproof is more shock-proof than ordinary wooden handles. 1

Another object of the invention is to eliminate entirely the use of porcelain and to avoid any direct electrical connections with the handle by providin a lamp socket and current tap assembly which may be placed in the portable outlet receptacle as a unit.

A further object of the invention is to equip the portable outlet receptacle with snubbing means to relieve the terminals of the feed wires of strain and to provide means for compensating for difierent sized wires so that a tight connection will be afforded at the inner end of the handle to render the device entirely waterproof at that point.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and set forth in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, and minor details of construction, within the scope of the claims, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portable outlet receptacle constructed in accordance with this invention,

Fig. 2 is a similar view, one of the sections of the portable outlet receptacle being removed.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of one of the sections of the ortable outlet receptacle showing the interior construction thereof.

Fig. 4 is an end view of the portable outlet receptacle. i

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view through the lateral current outlets.

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view through the lamp socket and current tap contacts assembly.

Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of the headmember of the assembly.

Fi 8 is a detail sectional View illustrating t e construction of the lamp socket and current tap contacts assembly.

In the accompanying drawings, in which is illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention, the portable outlet receptacle comprises in its construction a hollow handle l'divided longitudinally into two similar sections 2 and designed to be molded of bakelite or other suitable insulating material and provided at the outer end with an axially arranged cylindrical lamp socket 3 and provided at opposite sides with lateral current Outlets consisting of substantially cylindrical enlargements 4 provided with spaced slots 5. The similar sections are adapted to be molded from a single mold and do not require a separate mold for'each of the sections, and the said sections are detachably secured together by means of transverse bolts 6 arranged in pairs in the inner and outer.-portions of the sections and having countersunk headsand nuts which are located below the exterior surfaces of the sections.

The portable outlet receptacle is provided in the exterior of the cylindrical lamp socket with an annular groove 7 of the proper size to receive the ordinary lamp guard (not shown) made for the standard weather-proof or porcelain socket. The cylindrical lamp socket receives a metal screw shell 8 of the ordinary construction, which is adapted to receive an ordinary lamp bulb and which is provided at its inner end with a flange or wall 9, and

the latter is secured to a head member 10 constructed of fiber or other insulating material. The head member consists of a disc and a squared shank 11, the disc being received within an'interior annular groove 12 of the cylindrical lamp socket, and the separable members of the portable outlet receptacle permit the head member which projects outwardly beyond the metallic shell 8.to be en'- gaged with the interior annular groove 12. The end Wall 9 of the metal screw shell 8 is provided with an opening .13 rounded at the inner end and extending inwardly from one side of the shell, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 40f the drawings, and the head member 10 is provided at its outer face with an enlargement 14 conforming to the configuration of the said opening 13 and fitting within the same and provided with a recess 15 for the reception of a center contact 16.

The squared shank of the head member spaces a pair of conductor bars 17 and 18, constructed of suitable metal and extending longitudinally of the outlet receptacle and aror other suitable fastening device. The other conductor bar 18 has its outer end bent at right angles to form an arm 23 which is secured by a screw 24 or other suitable fastening device to the head member and to the end wall of the metallic shell. The fastening device which connects the conductor bar 18 with the flange or end wall of the metallic shell 8 forms a conductor and constitutes an electrical connection as well as a mechanical connection between the two parts. a The conductor bars are provided attheir inner ends with binding screws 25 for the attachment of feed wires 26 of an extension cord 27 The conductor bars have mounted on them between their ends spring contacts 28 and 29 arranged in pairs and consisting of thin strips of resilient conducting material secured to the inner and outer faces of the conductor ars and arranged at right angles to the same and having diverging terminals forming a flaring mouth or entrance to permit knife contacts of an ordinary plug to be inserted between them. The resilient strip of the spring contact 29 is provided adjacent the side edges of the conductor bar on whichit is mounted with spring bends 30 for increasing the resiliency of the strip. The terminals of the spring contacts 28 and 29 are slightly spaced from each other and they extend outwardly in the slots 5 of the portable outlet receptacle and terminate short of the outer faces of the cylindrical enlargements 4. The cylindrical enlar ements 4 are preferably provided with marginal annular flanges 31 and have central depressions or recesses 32, and the laterally extending current taps are adapted to receive an. ordinary plug equipped with knife blade contacts, as will be readily understood.

The hollow handle of the portable outlet receptacle is provided intermediate of its ends with a transverse partition or wall 33, and it has a central longitudinal partition 34 forming opposite compartments 35 adapted to receive the wires 26 and maintain the same in spaced relation without liability of coming in contact with each other and shortcircuiting the device. The transverse partition'is providedwith side openings 36 and a central opening 37 formed by grooving and recessing the sections of the portable outlet receptacle and providing snubbing means for engaging the wires to prevent any strain on the extension cord being transmitted to the terminals of the wires, so that there will be no liability of such strain pulling the wires loose from the binding posts or screws.

The handle is provided at its inner end with a reduced 0 ening 38 to receive the ex tension cord, an it has an annular groove 39 within the said opening 38 for the reception of a rubber rin or gasket. 40 arranged on the extension cord and adapted to be compressed by the sections 4 of the portable outlet receptacle to compensate for wires of different sizes and to form a water-tight connection at the inner end of the handle. Gaskets having openings of different diameters may, of course, be employed, and a soft elastic gasket, when compressed around an extenslon cord, will form a water-tight joint between the handle and the cord. The rubber washer or gasket will'also prevent steel shav- 1 ings, dirt and other accumulation from entering the hollow handle.

What I claim is: 1. A portable outlet receptacle divided longitudinally into two sections and comprising a handle provided at its outer end with a lamp socket recess and havin lateral current taps, and a lamp socket an current tap' contacts assembly inserted in the receptacle as a unit and including a head member having a shank and interlocked with the sections, a metallic screw shell mounted on the head member, a center contact arranged within the shell, conductor bars located at opposite sides with, a metallic screw shell mounted on the head member, a' center contact mounted within the shell, conductor bars located at opposite sides of said shank and s aced by the latter, said bars being connecte respectively of the shank of the head member and con I nected with the shell and the center contact respectively, and spring contacts mounted on the conductor bars and associated with the lateral current taps.

2. A portable outlet receptacle divided longitudinally into two sections and comprising a handle provided at its outer end with a lamp socket recess and havin lateral current taps, and a lamp socket an current tap contacts assembly inserted in the receptacle as a unit and including a head member having a shank and interlocked with the sections a metallic screw shell mounted on the head member, said screw shell being provided with an opening and the head member having a recessed enlargement extending into the opening of the shell, a center contact arranged in the recess of the said enlargement, conductor bars located at opposite sides of the shank of the head member and connected respectively with the metallic shell and the center contact, and spring contacts mounted on the conductor bars and associated with the lateral current taps.

3. A portable outlet receptacle divided longitudinally into two sectlons and comprising an insulation handle provided at its outer end with a lamp socket recess having an interior annu ar groove, a lamp socket contact and wiring terminal assembly inserted in the receptacle as a unit and including a head member consisting of a disk seated in the said annular groove and thereby interlocking with the sections, said head memher having a shank formed integral-.y there-

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