US2037562A - Electric plug - Google Patents

Description

April 14, 1936. N. cHlRr-:LsTElN ELECTRIC PLUG Filed sept. 14, 1955 Patented Apr. 14,` 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT ioFFlcE 1 Claim.

My invention relates to electric socket plugs. The object of my invention is to provide an improved attachment plug embodying means for holding the contact members of the male and female portions of the plug in rm contact over a lconsiderable surface'to effect perfect transmission of an electric current therethru.

A further object is to provide a male portion having blades or legs of less thickness than those of the standard type now in general use, to ren-- der them more resilient so that they will bend without breaking either the-legs or the plastic material base to which they are attached, and also to permit them to bend easily in opposite directions from the median line thru the recesses of the female member, to'effect contact Aover a considerable surface with the socket conductors, regardless of which side of the recesses they may be located in. l

A further object is to provide a plug in which the contact members will be held together under constant spring pressure over a considerable area to eiect a frictional engagement therebetween regardless of which sideof the recesses the contacts may be located in the female member.

Referring to the drawing which forms-a part of this specification;

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of the plug, in which the male and female portions are united in current conduction relation.

Fig. 2 is a view of the inner end of the male portion looking in the direction of the arrows 2,-2 of Fig. 1.

y Fig. 3 is an illustrative view showing the leg,

as it appears when in contact with the conducting strip located on the inner side of the recess of the femalemember.

Fig. 4 is a view, partly in section, of the male portion of the plug.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a leg formed as shown in Fig. 4.

My invention is embodied in the male portion of the plug.

III indicates the female or socket portion of the plug which is of the standard type, some of which have the conduction terminals located on the inner walls of the recess and some of which yhave them located adjacent the outer walls of the recesses.

In Fig. 1 the terminals are shown located adjacent the outer walls of the recesses Il, and i2 .inner sides of the indicates the face of the body portion of the male member.

Fig. 3l shows a socket portion of a plug in which the contact members I2 are located adjacent the u indicates'the body-portion of the male member, which may be made of hard plastic or soft rubber in the usual manner.

II indicates the male contact members, hereinafter referred to as the legs or as the blades. Thel legs are fastened to the body portion by screws I6 which extend thru theplate portions Il in thefusual way, or theymay be attached in any other satisfactory manner.I

The legs normally extend straight from the body portion parallel with each other, and enter the socket recesses midway between the walls thereof, and the branch portions I9 extend from the free ends of the stems to the face of the body portion.

When the legs are used in a socket having its terminals locatedv adjacent the inner walls, as shown in Figure 3, the stem portions bend or flex the greater distance, whereas when used as shown in Figure 1, the branch portion is bent more than the stem portion.

It will be noted that' the branch portion is provided by bending the stem at 2| into the position and shape shown, and some metal is punched out to provide the slots 22. These slots weaken the stem and branch portions at these points, thus making them more flexible, and causes a sharper bending of the branch at 23, providing a shoulder to be formed automatically when the leg is forced into the socket. c

The drawing illustrates 4the plug on a scale twice the size of the actual construction.

The metal stem and its branch are of equal thickness, about one-thirty-second of an inch, and this reduction in thickness relative to onesixteenth of an inch as now generally used in standard plugs of this type, provides a plugvhaving very flexible and resilient legs which accommodate themselves to socket constructions in which the walls of the recesses and the terminals are badly worn, making good contact with said terminals regardless of which side of the recesses they may be located adjacent to.

. It will be notedthat the branch portions are free ended and project from near the entering ends of the blades and extend toward the body portion a distance at least equal to the contacting length of the blades so that the free ends will not operate to lock or prevent uncoupling the plug by simple withdrawal. When coupled, each blade and its respective branch portion is wedged toward each other against the receptacle contacts, thereby obtaining spring pressed contacty and good mechanical connection.

A considerable number of these plugs have been made and used successfully with both types of socket members, and the body portions of they tact blades extending therefrom, said blades b'e-v ing formed of resilient conducting metal and spaced apart a distance corresponding to the separation between the socket openings of a standard receptacle, said blades each having a free ended branch portion integralE therewith and projecting from near the entering end thereof toward said body portion a distance at least equal to the contacting length of the blade and said branch portion comprising an extension of said blade folded back in contact therewith at the entering end and diverging away therefrom; the construction being such that each blade and its respective branch portion will be wedged toward each other against the receptacle contacts in the act of coupling the plug,4 thereby obtaining spring pressed contact and good mechanical connection.

NATHAN CHIRELSTEIN. v

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