Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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This invantion relates to an electrical
connector which has a front end part with at least one
frontwardly extending array of electrically conductive
pins to mate with a corresponding array of sockets in
an electric power point.
More specifically, the invention is concerned
with an electrical connector wherein a plurality of
pin arrays are selectively available at the front end.
~ach array has the pins retractable into the body of the
adaptor and means are provided for securing the pins in
their projecting functional positions.
The connector in accordance wi-th the present
invention is characterized in that the rear end is
; formed to receive an electrical cable to an appliance
and in that terminals to receive the bared ends of the
cable wires and electrically connect them to the pins
are provided within the connector.
Effectively, therefore, the connector is a
multi-pin plug for a flexed appliance such as a smoothing
iron.
In one embodiment of the present invention,
electrically conductive pins extend from electrically
conductive plates, with a live plate and a neutral plate
being positioned behind a masking member which is mov-
able so as to selectively expose the live and neutral
pins of a desired array. The plates are then electri-
cally connected to respective sockets at the rear end
of the adaptor.
A particular embodiment of the inventio~ will
now be described by way of example and with reference
to the drawings, wherein:
Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a
connector in accordance with the
invention,
Figure 2 is a front view of the connector
with the masking plate removed,
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Figure 3 is a rear end view, and
Figure 4 is a sectional view showing the
electrical connection between the
front and rear ends of the connector.
Referring initially to Figure 1 of the draw-
ings, the electrical connector illustrated therein
comprises a body 1 with a disc-shaped front end portion
2 from which conductive pins 3 extend through a masking
member 4 in a manner to be descri~ed subsequently. The
body has a rearwardly extending polygonal portion 5 from
which extends rearwardly a platform 6 and a strengthening
rib 7. The wall 8 between platform 6 and portion 5 has
fixed to it one on either side of rib 7 electrical ter-
minals 9. A clamping element 10 is adjustably fixed to
the platform 6 so as to be raiseable and lowerable to
grip a cable under it. An internally threaded spigot
extends under the platform 6.
A casing 12 has a front end part whose interior
is dimensioned to fit over the disc-shaped front part 2
of body 1. A rim 13 (see also Figure 1~ has indentations
14 and projections 15 to enter into recessed electrical
sockets with corresponding locating devices, such as are
used on the continent of Europe. A rearwardly tapered
part 16 of body 12 tenminates in a flat end face 17
which is elliptical when viewed end-on (see Figure 3),
and has a first hole 18 for admitting cable 19 and a
second countersunk hole 20 for receiving a screw to enter
into threaded spigot 11 and to hold the casing onto the
body in the manner illustrated in Figure 1. The rear end
part of the cable 19 extends and is connected to an
electrical appliance such as a travelling iron (not
shown). The cable 19 includes a live wire 21 and a
neutral wire 22. The wires 21 and 22 when in use are
respectively held by terminals 9, the cable being
gripped under clamping member 10.
Referring now to Figure 2 of the drawings,
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the front end part of the body defines a supporting
structure having shallow recesses within which are
positioned two electrically conductive metal plates 23,
each plate being conductively connected by an elongate
conductive member 24 to the respective one of terminals
9 (see Figure 4). Thus, one plate 23 will be a live
plate and the other plate a neutral plate. Each plate
23 has three apertures and behind each aperture is a
socket housing a contact pin slidable between a retrac-
ted position behind the plate and an extended positionextending frontwardly from the plate to enter into a
main socket. Thus, in the embodiment illustrated, each
plate 23 has a first round hole 25, a second and
smaller round hole 26, and a rectangular hole 27O As
illustrated, contact pins 3 extend from each of the
larger round bores 25 and have threaded bases which are
engaged with corresponding threads in the holes thereby
maintaining the pins in the extended position. Thus,
a pair of pins 3, a live pin and a neutral pin, extend
from the front of the body 1 to be inserted into an
electrical socket.
Two other pairs of pins are selectable, the
smaller round pins 3' and the rectangular pins 3''
which can be seen in the retracted posit~on. The rect-
angular pins are held against springs in the socket
bases, and when withdrawn, are turned through 90 and
held by the spring bias.
The masking plate 4 has a socket 28 engaged
on pin 29 and rotatable on the pin for opposed windows
30 selectivel~ to expose pairs of pins 3 to be extended
and fixed.
A socket, either electrically insulated and
blind, or electrically connected to a cabLe wire, may
be provided in the body to receive a projecting earth
pin on a power socket.
In the construction described above, the
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body and casing main parts are moulded from plastics.
In an alternative construction, the rim 13
wi-th indentations 14 and projections 15 is formed on
the masking plate.
