Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~LO~ '7
The present invention relates to an electrical plug
which is resistent to impact, chemical and environmental corrosion,
simple in construction and easy to assemble.
There are two types of conventional plugs. The first
type of plugs has at least two tines which are molded in the
plug body. The wires of a cord are connected to those tines
and held in place by the molded plug body. The plug body may
be made of a flexible plastic material, which is durable against
impact shocks. However this type of plug cannot be repaired
when the wires are disconnected inside the body of the plug.
The other type of plugs generally consists of two members. The
first member retains tines thereon, which member is, in turn,
housed wi~hin a cavity of a second member. The first member is
held in place by screws and this type of plugs is superior to
~he first type of plugs in that the former can be repaired
when the installation of the wire becomes insufficient. The
first and second members are usually made of a non-flexible,
rigid plastic material which is not durable against impact
shocks. Accordingly this type of plugs is susceptible of break-
age.
In one aspect of the invention there is provided
an electrical plug comprising:
an electrically insulative, flexible, hollow body
member having an opening therein and an aperture which is
provided through a wall of the body member in communication with
the interior of the body member and which is adapted to allow
an electrical cord to extend therethrough, retaining means
provided in a wall of the body member at a location adjacent
the said opening of the body member and a hole which is provided
an inner surface of a wall of the body member at a location
remote from the said retaining means;
an electrically insulative, tine-retaining member for
reception in the said opening o the body member, said tine-
retaining member having a projection extending outwardly there-
~- from, which projection engages the said xetaining means, a hole~
~89()~7
in said tine-retaining member through which a screw extends into
the said hole in the body member thereby fixedly holding the said
tine-retaining member within the opening of the said body
member, a xecessed portion around said hole in said tine-
retaining membex so as to locate the head of said screw inside
the surface o said tine-retaining member, at least two slots
provided through the tine-retaining member;
a tine provided through each of said slots, each ~1
said tines having an inner terminal end and an outer end for
reception in a receptable and having at least one detent which
engages an inner surface of said slot and which holds the tine
fixedly in place through the respective slot~ said terminal end .
being bent and being provided with wire-fastening means which :
is adapted ~o hold a wire of said cord in electrical contact : ~ :
therewith;
`'.~ ' ' '
at least one upstanding tab,said tab being integral
with said tine-reta1ning member in a region between two of said .
slots and adjacent the inner terminal ends of the tines in said
two slots, said tab being adapted to prevent contact between ; :
the wires held by the wire-fastening means of said tines; and
said tine-retaining member being further provided with
a xecess adjacent the inner terminal end of each slot to provide
room for the wire-iastening means associated therewith.
~ .'
'-
.
` ::
'
~ J - la - `
The invention is defined by way of example in the :
accompanying drawings wherein;
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the plug according
to one embodiment of this invention; :
-: . .
Fig. 2 is an inverted plan view of the plug; and
. . .-, . .
Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the plug. :-
Referring to Figures 1 through 3 a hollow body member
.. . . . .
1 of a rectangular pyramid prism is equipped with an aper~ure ..
. :
3 through the top wall which is opposite to the opening of the :
body mem er 1 as well as a slot 2 through a sidewall of the .:
body member 1 adjacent to the opening of the body member 1. The : :
hollow body is made of a flexible plastic3 material. `
A tine-retaining member 4 which has :
dimensions corresponding to the opening of the recessed body
member 1 is provided witX a tab 5 extending outwardly and
longitudinally from one end of the tine-retaining member 4. A
:,
; 3~ ~: hole:6 is provided~at:a~location:adjacent the opposite end of
:
: the end wall remote tine~retaining member 4 to the tab 5.
:: The tine-retaining:member 4 is provided with a pair
- .
~ 2 -
of spaced and parallel slots 7 and a tab 8 which extends upwardly
from therebetween. This is integral with the body of the tine-
retaining member and serves to prevent contact between the wires
fastened to the terminal ends of the tines. It is to be under
stood that if there are more than two tines in the plug there
may be similar upstanding tabs between the adjacent tines. Each
slot 7 receives therethrough a tine 11 which has a spike 12. It
is possible to employ more than one spike. The tine 11 can be
forced in the slot 7 and held in place by the spike 12. In
place of the spikes 12, any type of detents known in the art may
be used. The tine is bent adjacent the upper end thereof, thereby
forming a terminal 13. A threaded hole 14 is formed through the
terminal 13, which is engaged with a screw 15. The tine-retaining
member is further provided with a recess 16 at a location ad~acent
each slot 7 to provide enough room for its respective screw 15
when the screw 15 is tightened to fasten a wire of a cord
between the screw head and the terminal 13.
The tine-retaining member 4 With the tines 11 and
screws 15 is installed within the spacing of the hollow body
member 1 with the tab 5 inserted into the slot 2 and a self-
tapping screw 17 engaging a hole provided in an inner surface
of aside wall ofthe body member 1, which side wall is opposite
to the side wall through which the slot 2 is disposed,
the screw 17 having been inserted through the hole 6 of the tine-
retaining member 4. The aperture 3 may be formed through
an end or side wall of the hollow body member 1, for example
at a location above the slot 2. The hollow body member may be ;
formed in any convenient shape. The slot 2 of tke hollow
body member 1 may be in the form of a recess formed in the inner
surface of the bDdy at the loaction corresponding ~o the slot 2.
,.~-~ . .
Needless to say, in lieu of threaded holes 14 the screws ~-
15 and any conventional wire-fastening means may be employed,
for example, including clamping, soldering etc.
The plug can be used for either a single socket or
duplex receptable. The plug according to the present invention is
047 - 3 -
90~'7
convenient for attachment of a cord thereto. In a conventional
plug, tines are mounted on a tine-retaining member by screws
which are also used to retain wires on the tines. For in-
stallation, the screws must be loosened first, which results
in the separation of the tines from the tine~retaining member.
However with the plug of the present invention, the tines are
held in place by spikes even when the screws are loosened.
Another advantage of the plug according to the present invention
stems from the construction of the tine-retaining member. Opposed
to conventional plugs which employ two screws for attaching a
tine-retaining member to a hollow body, the tine retaining member
of the present invention has a tab and a screw. The tab is
simply inserted into the slot of the recessed body and then
the whole assembly is tightened by the screw. Therefore, it ;~
is much simpler and faster to connect wires with a plug of
the present invention than with a conventional plug. Because of
the flexible nature of the recessed body, the plug of this
invention is resistant against impact shocks. -~
Other embodiments falling with the terms of the
appended claims, will occur to those skilled in the art.
-, ",.
,': ~'
'' ..: ' '
- 4 -
