US3187293A - Electrical plug connection protectors - Google Patents

Description

June 1, 1965 JACOBUS 3,187,293

ELECTRICAL PLUG CQNNECTION PROTECTORS Filed Nov: '20, 1963 llllllllllll m g INVENTOR, LOUIS JACOBUS,

A TTO RNE United States Patent 3,187,293 ELECTRICAL PLUG CONNECTION PROTECTORS Louis Jacobus, 282 E. 35th St., Brooklyn, N.Y. Filed Nov. 20, 1963, Ser. No. 325,088 1 Claim. (Cl. 339-403) The present invention relates to electrical connectors commonly known as male plugs comprised of metal prongs extending from an insulative body which is held in hand to push the prongs into and withdraw them from corresponding female outlets. The plug body is hollow with a hole to its exterior through which lead-in wires have their ends entered and connected on binding posts offered at the inner ends of the prongs; said wires being loose in said hole.

Although it is intended that such plug shall be separated from the outlet by grasping the plug body and then pulling it, it is a common tendency for people to get hold of and pull the lead wires instead. This of course causes the lead connections within the plug to loosen after a while of such repeated treatment, the leads become disconnected and many a time a short circuit occurs.

It is therefore the principal object of this invention to provide novel and improved attachments which hold the lead wire connections within the plug intact though the disassociation of the plug from the outlet is effected by a pull on the lead wires.

Heretofore, various attempts have been made to accomplish this, but they consisted of male plugs of special construction. 7

Hence, another important object of this invention is to provide novel and improved attachments of the character mentioned, which are easily applicable to plugs already in use and connected to lead wires and which are mountable on such in-use plugs without dismantling the plug or the lead wire connections therein.

A further object of this invention is to provide an electrical male plug with novel and improved means of the character described and having the mentioned attributes, which are cheap to manufacture, easy to mount on plugs which have their lead wires connected thereto without disturbance of such connections or the necessity of taking the plug apart or changing its structure in any way and which are eflicient in carrying out the purpose for which they are designed.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as this disclosure proceeds.

'For the practice of this invention, a strip is provided with hole structure through its central region so it shall set across the plugs face with the prongs through said hole structure and be located by said prongs. The said strip then follows the plug body on the opposite exterior sides thereof and along the emerging region of the lead wires where the ends of said strip are secured to said wires so the strip is taut.

For one specific embodiment of this invention I use a pliable strip which is coated on one face with a pressuresensitive adhesive, and for convenience before use, I have a tear-off protective strip on said coated surface.

A more detailed description will now be given of the preferred form of this invention, for which I shall have reference to the accompanying drawing in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pliable strip having slits or slots to receive the plugs prongs and one of its faces is coated with a pressure-sensitive adhesive and protected with a tear-off strip; the tear-off strip being shown partly disassociated from the adhesive-coated strip which is to be mounted on the plug.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a dielectric washer which is many a time included in the plugs concerned with herein.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an electrical male plug to which its lead-in wires are already connected.

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of said plug showing the strip having the adhesive coating, partly mounted on said plug and its lead wires.

FIG. 5 is like FIG. 4, showing said adhesive-coated strip fully mounted on said plug and its lead wires so that the connections of the latter to the binding posts of the plug, are not molested if the plug is taken from an outlet by pulling on the lead wires.

In the drawing, the numeral 15 designates generally a male electrical connection plug comprising a tubular dielectric body 16 from which extend two prongs 17, 18 having the binding posts 19 and 20 to which are connected the respective wires 21 and 22 of a duplex cable indicated generally by the numeral 23. The numeral 24 denotes a pliable plastic strip of suitable length for the purpose herein,,one face of which is coated with a pressure-sensitive adhesive 25, which coated face is protected by a paper tear-off strip 26. This composite strip structure has slits or slots 27, 28 through its mid section, to receive the prongs 17, 18 therethrough respectively. After the tear-off strip 26 is removed, the strip 24 is set onto said prongs 17, 18 with its coated face against the end rim .16 of the plug body. -If a washer 29 is provided, it would be in the recess 30 and have the prongs through its slots 31 respectively and so sa-id strip 24 would be attached to the exposed face of said washer. The extending portions 24', 25' of the strip 24 are then held taut and pasted onto and along opposite sides of the plug body 16 and finally, the distal end portions of said strip 24 are tightly wound, first one and then the other, about the cable 23 so that said mounted strip 24 is taut throughout. Any pull on said cable to remove the plug from an outlet (not shown) would be taken up by said mounted strip 24 and there would be no stress in said cable 23 from the windup 32 to the binding posts 19, 20.

For further assurance of stress avoidance in the portion 23 of the lead-in wire from the binding posts to where the strip is secured on the lead-in wire 23, there is some slack in such portion.

This invention is capable of numerous forms and various applications without departing from the essential features herein disclosed. It is there intended and desired that the embodiment shown herein shall be deemed merely illustrative and not restrictive and that the patent shall cover all patentable novelty herein set forth; reference being had to the following claim rather than to the specific description herein to indicate the scope of this invention.

I claim:

In combination with an electrical male plug of the type comprising a dielectric body member having conductive prongs securely mounted thereon and extending in one direction therefrom and insulated lead-in wire extending in the opposite direction from said body member and connected to binding posts within said member for the prongs, but other-wise loose in said body member, a connection protector consisting of a dielectric strip of pliable material coated on one surface thereof with a pressuresensitive adhesive, encompassing said body member whereby its end sections extend along said body member and are bent in towards sa-id lead-in wire; said surface being against said body member and adhered thereto; the distal ends of saidstrip being wound at a first region on and adhered to said lead-in wire exterior and close to said body member; said strip having slots; said prongs being through and fitted insaid slots respectively; there being slack in that portion of the lead-in wire which is between the binding posts and said first region; said mounted strip being tauttwhereby on holdingvthe bodyamernberstationary and thereupon pulling said lead-in wire in a direction away from said body member at a region further from said member than said first region, that portion of the lead-in wire which is between the binding posts and said first region will remain unstressed in tension.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,765,035 6/30, Stubbs 339103 2,136,850 '11/38 Honey 339-l03 2,406,030 8/46 OBrien 339103 JOSEPH D. SEERS, Primary Examiner.

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