Electrical safety socket with monable contact elements

• US 3,909,566 A
• Filed: 01/10/1974
• Issued: 09/30/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Albert G. Keller, Donald F. Nix, Howard J. Morrison
• Original Assignee: Albert G. Keller, Donald F. Nix, Howard J. Morrison
• Inventors: Morrison, Howard J., Nix, Donald F., Keller, Albert G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tolin, Gerald P.
• Application Number:
  US05/432,420
• Time in Patent Office: 628 Days
• Field of Search: 200/42R,51R,51.09,51.1,51.07,297,153LA 174/53 339/34
• US Class Current: 200/51.07
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/453 Shutter or cover plate opened by engagement of counterpart

Abstract

An electrical safety socket construction which includes a housing having fixed electrical contacts mounted therein. An insulating carrier member is positioned within an outwardly opening cavity in the housing for rectilinear movement relative thereto. The insulating member has movable electrical contacts mounted thereon and receptacle apertures therein for receiving the prongs of an electrical plug. The insulating member and movable contacts normally are held in an inner inoperative locked position with the movable contacts spaced from the fixed contacts. On insertion of the plug prongs into the receptacle apertures of the insulating member so as to completely '"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"'bottom out'"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"', the locking arrangement is released and the movable contacts are brought into engagement with the fixed contacts by rectilinear movement with the carrier member as the carrier member and electrical plug are partially withdrawn outwardly relative to the housing. The prongs are friction fit into the receptacle apertures and a spring in the housing bears against the prongs to effect said withdrawal of the plug, carrier member and movable contacts. A second spring biases the insulating member and movable contacts back to their inner inoperative and locked position upon withdrawal of the plug and its prongs completely out of the receptacle apertures in the insulating member.

Claims

1. An electrical plug safety socket construction for use in combination with a standard electrical plug having a pair of prong members for conducting electricity, comprising:

a housing, fixed electrical contact means in said housing, movable receptacle means in said housing for receiving the prong members of the electrical plug and movable between an inner limit position and an outer limit position relative to the housing, movable electrical contact means carried by said receptacle means and disposed within said housing and normally disposed out of engagement with the fixed contact means when said receptacle means is in said inner limit position and disposed in engagement with the fixed contact means when said receptAcle means is in its outer limit position, and means on said receptacle means for holding at least one of said prong members when the prong member is inserted into the receptacle means whereby partial withdrawal of the plug member out of the housing causes the receptacle means to move therewith to said outer limit position moving the movable contact means therewith into engagement with the fixed contact means to complete an electrical circuit therethrough.

2. The socket construction of claim 1 including latch means to hold the receptacle means and movable contact means in said inner limit position and means to release the latch means only when said prong member is inserted completely into said receptacle means to prevent movement of said movable contact means into engagement with said fixed contact means unless said prong member is inserted completely into said receptacle means so as to bottom out before said partial withdrawal of the plug and prong member outwardly relative to said housing.

3. The socket construction of claim 1 wherein said movable contact means is mounted in said housing by means providing for rectilinear movement thereof in the same direction as the insertion and withdrawal movement of said prong member.

4. The socket construction of claim 3 including means for locking said movable contact means in said inner limit position out of engagement with said fixed contact means, said prong member being engageable with said locking means to release the same on insertion of the prong member into said receptacle means to permit movement of the movable contact means to said outer limit position into engagement with the fixed contact means on said partial withdrawal of the plug member.

5. The socket construction of claim 4 wherein said lock means has release means engageable with both prong members of the electrical plug and independently operable thereby to prevent release of the lock means unless all prong members are inserted in said receptacle means.

6. The socket construction of claim 4 wherein said movable contact means has a receiving portion of a size and shape so as to receive said prong member by a friction fit to effect said movement of the movable contact means and so as to prevent operative association of foreign sized objects with the movable contact means.

7. The socket construction of claim 1 wherein said receptacle means comprises a rectilinearly movable insulating member mounted in said housing with said prong member receiving means formed therein and said movable contact means mounted thereon for movement therewith.

8. The socket construction of claim 7 including means for locking said movable contact means and insulating member in said inner limit position, said prong member being effective to release the lock means on insertion of the prong member into said receptacle means and to move the movable contact means and insulating member to said outer limit position on said partial withdrawal of the plug member.

9. The socket construction of claim 8 including abutment means between said housing and said insulating member defining said inner and outer limit positions of the insulating member and movable contact means.

10. The socket construction of claim 8 wherein said prong member receiving means is of a size and shape so as to establish a friction fit with said prong member when the latter is inserted into the receptacle means so that the prong member moves the insulating member and movable contact means, through said fit, to said outer position on said partial withdrawal of the prong member.

11. The socket construction of claim 10 including biasing means in said housing operatively associated with the prong member when inserted into said receptacle means to move said prong member, receptacle means and movable contact means outwardly to said outer operative limit position automatically when said lock means is released.

12. The socket construction of claim 11 wherein said biasing means is generally relaxed when The prong member is removed from said receptacle means, and including second biasing means for returning the receptacle means and movable contact means back to said inner locked position on complete withdrawal of said prong member.

13. The socket construction of claim 8 including biasing means in said housing for moving said insulating member and movable contact means back to said inner locked position on complete withdrawal of said prong member.

14. An electrical plug safety socket construction for use in combination with a standard electrical plug having a pair of prong members for conducting electricity, comprising:

a housing having an interior cavity with an opening to the outside of the housing, fixed contact means mounted in said cavity, a carrier member mounted within said cavity for rectilinear movement relative thereto with a portion of the carrier member exposed through said opening, movable contact means mounted on said carrier member and movable therewith between an inner inoperative limit position where the movable contact means is out of engagement with said fixed contact means and an outer limit position wherein said movable contact means is in engagement with said fixed contact means for completing an electrical circuit therewith, receiving means at the exposed portion of said carrier member for receiving the prong members of the electrical plug, lock means for locking said movable contact means and carrier member in said inner inoperative position including release means engageable by at least one of said prong members when inserted in said receiving means for releasing said lock means in response to said engagement, and means on said carrier member for holding at least one of the prong members of the electrical plug when the prong member is inserted into the receiving means whereby partial withdrawal of the plug member out of the housing causes the carrier member to move therewith to said outer limit position moving the movable contact means therewith into engagement with the fixed contact means to complete an electrical circuit therethrough.

15. The socket construction of claim 14 wherein said receptacle means is of a size and shape complementary to the size and shape of said prong member to establish a friction fit therebetween providing said prong member holding means to effect said outward movement of the carrier member and movable contact means with movement of the prong member and plug.

16. The socket construction of claim 14 including biasing means in said housing for moving said carrier member and movable contact means back to said inner locked position in response to complete withdrawal of said prong member from said receptacle means.