US2702893A

US2702893A - Electrical plug receptacle

Info

Publication number: US2702893A
Application number: US400223A
Authority: US
Inventors: Raymond B Paulson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1953-12-24
Filing date: 1953-12-24
Publication date: 1955-02-22
Anticipated expiration: 1972-02-22

Description

Feb. 22, 1955 R. B. PAULSON 2,702,893

ELECTRICAL PLUG RECEPTACLE Filed Dec. 24, 1953 INVENTOR 4/7 N RAYMOND B. PAULSON I i I BY M g E ATTORNEY-S United States Patent 2,702,893 ELECTRICAL PLUG RECEPTACLE Raymond B. Paulson, Fremont, Mich. Application December 24, 1953, Serial No. 400,223 3 Claims. or. 339-119 This invention relates to electrical plug multiple receptacle units and has particular reference to an adaptor for electrical wall outlets wherein one or more electrical plugs may be semi-fixed for transmitting a source of electrical energy from a conduit to household electrical appliances such as heating units, lamps, hair driers, radios a or power tools.

Many preconceived plug receptacle devices are adapted to an existing wall outlet or to an electrical conduit itself. In each of such preconceived devices, however, the elements comprising the device are complex and not readily manufactured and packaged. Moreover, such known devices are not generally readily mounted upon existing outlets and in many instances the conventional plate is required to meet existing laboratory underwriter requirements. This invention is designed to be aflixed by the simplest possible means to an existing outlet and is further contrived with a view toward obviating the bulkiness, attendant possibility of dislodging, of entanglement or disturbance of one electrical plug with another in the same electrical outlet adaptor.

In general, the invention comprises four principle elements: a cover, two contactor plates secured within the cover and a floor member, spacing the contactor plates within the cover and securing the same thereagainst. Means are provided for anchoring the assembled unit to an existing eelctrical outlet, the device being adapted to secure into a pre-set conventional wall electrical outlet structure. The contactor plates are, of course, formed from a conductive material which is readily stamped to create a blank, said blank being yieldable to forming for insertion and securing within the cover. Whereas the preferred blanks are interchangeable, they are preferably individually formed to engage diametrically opposed apertures of an existing outlet at the bottom and to rest in adjacent relation to plug apertures passing through the cover at the top, outside of the device.

It is an object of this invention to provide a fixed multiple electrical plug receptacle which is readily adaptable by the unskilled to an existing wall outlet.

Another object of the invention is to provide a semifixed electrical plug receptacle unit which may be constructed from a minimum number of elements, the simplicity of detail of which renders the device readily fabricated and easily packaged.

A further object o fthe invention is to provide a novel electrical conductor for a multiple electrical plug receptacle in which said conductor may be formed from a blank of conductive material.

The objects of the invention will be more readily undelrstgod from reference to the following drawings, in w Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of a preferred form of the invention, showing a completely assembled electrical plug receptacle unit;

Fig. 2 is a view of the mvention in vertical cross section taken along the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view in vertical cross-section of the invention taken along the line 33 of Flg. 1,

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of an interchangeable blank such as may be used to form a conductor for the device;

Fig. 5 is a side elevationalview of the invention showing at least two plugs engaging the electrical plug receptacle.

Referring to Fig.

1, there is shown an electrical plug receptacle unit 10. The unit comprises a cover memto join a wall such as may house an electrical plug outagainst by a posed electrical contacts within tive and negative contacts for let. The depending

extensions

16 and 20 are shown in the sectional views of Figs. 2 and 3.

Groups of apertures 22 are defined within the roof 12 and ends 14 of the cover, each of the apertures being adapted to receive prongs of a common electrical plug. The apertures 22 are defined substantially adjacent one or more portions of conductors 30. It is apparent that two or three apertures may be provided in each group to accommodate both low and high voltage systems.

In the construction shown, a bore 24 is made centrally of the cover for receiving an anchor member 26. The anchor member may be in the form of a screw adapted to engage the corresponding centrally disposed threaded bore of an electrical plug outlet. Thus, the anchor member when turned into the electrical plug bore will urge the cover member against the wall and secure it in place without further adjustment. This bore 24 and the anchor 26 are best shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Various other anchor a means may be employed to secure the device to a wall,

however the preferred means is as shown.

In Figs. 2, 3 and 4 .there is shown one of the electrical conductors 30. Each of the electrical conductors is disposed vertically within the cover 12 and secured thereplurality of interior beads 50. See Fig. 2 of the drawings. At a lower extremity, the conductors are retained in position by a floor plate member 52. As the device may be anchored to an electrical plug outlet as at 60 the floor plate 52 will be forced against the .2 depending

Walls

16 and 20 of the ends and sides of the device and will be retained in position, the faces of the electrical outlets being in contiguous contact with the bottom of floor plate 52. Floor plate 52 has aperture holding conductors 30.

The blanks shown in Fig. 4 are formed from a single sheet of conductive material. They are preferably stamped. It will be appreciated, however, that the blanks must be disposed within the housing so that the depending and connecting portion 44 thereof may engage opthe electrical outlet 60. The positive and negative poles of the electrical plug outlet being diametrically opposed in any system, the plates 30 of the device must be adapted to engage said diametrically opposed contact members to provide posian electrical plug. Blank 30 consists of a main body 32 from which project a plurality of flanges 34. Each flange 34 is bent upon itself as at 36 to form an electrical plug contact member 38. In Fig. 3 of the drawings an electrical plug is shown in contact with the contact member 38 of the flange 34 of the plate 30. The resiliency of a common conductor material insures positive contact between the contact member 38 and the prongs of a common plug. Referring again to Fig. 4, the drawing shows the conductor 30 to have a depending member 40 which is offset centrally of the plate 32, the depending member being bent, as at 42, upon itself to form a contactor extension 44. Referring again to Fig. 3 it will be seen that the contactor extension 44 is adapted to engage one aperture of a common electrical plug outlet. The counterpart of the plate described above is substantially the same and may be made from a similar blank of material; however, in this counterpart the portions thereof forming the extensions of the flanges and of the depending member are bent in a direction opposite to that shown in Fig. 4. The reasons for reversing the bends in the flanges is apparent, each contactor plate being adapted to rest adjacent opposed apertures of the cover and each contactor extension 40 being designed for engagement with iiiametrically opposed apertures of an existing wall out- In assembling this device, the formed blanks 30 may be inserted into the cover and the floor plate 52 passed over the extension members 40 engaging the same and urging each plate against the interior wall whereupon plates 30 are frictionally held by the projections 50. Once the conductor plates have been secured within the cover, the anchor screw 24 may be passed centrally through the device to engage the corresponding threaded aperture of the electrical plug outlet. Upon tightening of this anchor member the cover is held against the wall, the fioor plate is held against the plug outlets and the conductor elements 40 pass into the electrical plug outlets. The bent contactor extensions 44 of conductor elements 40 are adapted to engage the positive and negative poles of the outlet.

From the foregoing it will be appreciated that a simple construction has been devised for providing a plurality of neatly disposed, electrical plug receptacles wherein a plurality of electrical plugs may be used concurrently Without interference one with the other. The device lends itself to facile packaging and too, to ease of manufaaclture, the plate parts, for instance, being interchangea e.

In Fig. 5 of the drawings, there is shown a modification of the invention in which at least six groups of plug apertures are provided. For convenience, the contour of the cover member is curvilinear, the ends, sides and top being rounded at point of juncture.

Whereas I have described the invention with reference to preferred forms of construction, it is to be understood that various modifications in the structure and contour of the cover, in the formation of the conductor blanks, the anchor and related parts, may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. For instance, the device may be adapted to both low and high "oltage circuits, the number of plug apertures and disposition and configuration of contactor plates being modified as from a flat, unfolded blank; varying means for securing the contactor plates within the cover may be employed, for instance the interior projections of the cover may be crimped upon the plate to secure it within the cover. I intend to restrict the invention only as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with an electrical wall outlet, a semi-fixed electrical plug multiple receptacle adaptor comprising: a cover member having plug receptacle portions apertured to receive prongs of a plurality of plugs; a pair of interchangeable electrically conductive contact members held by the cover and engaging the wall outlet to continue the circuit of the wall outlet to the plug receptacle portions of the cover; a pair of parallel protuberances adjacent the plug receptacle portions of the cover and extending inwardly from the cover, forming aligning pockets for the contact members; a contact member spacer plate contained by the cover member adjacent the electrical wall outlet, said spacer plate having apertures to retain the contact members in spaced alignment, anchor means securing the cover member and related elements against a wall outlet.

2. The combination of claim 1 in which the contact means comprises a pair of blanks; a vertical shank portion and a horizontal plug contact portion on each said blank, each shank portion passing through the spacer to engage the outlet and each horizontal plug contact portion resting in the pocket formed by the protuberances of the cover.

3. A semi-fixed plug receptacle adaptor for an existing electrical plug outlet comprising a rigid cover having a plurality of spaced receptacle portions for plugs defined therein; protuberances within said cover adjacent said receptacle portions, said protuberances defining inner channel portions; a pair of interchangeable electrically conductive contact blanks for communication between plug receptacles on the cover and existing electrical outlets; a vertical shank portion and a horizontal plug contact portion on each blank; a spacer plate contained by the cover contiguous to the electrical outlet, said spacer plate having apertures corresponding to the shank portions of the blanks; the channel portions of the cover and the apertures of the spacer plate retaining said blanks in fixed and spaced alignment to establish electrical connection between said cover receptacle portions and the electrical outlet; removable anchor means passing substantially centrally and vertically through the cover and spacer plate and securing within the electrical outlet to retain the cover, blanks and spacer plate in semi-fixed position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS