Wall socket

• US 3,930,704 A
• Filed: 06/18/1974
• Issued: 01/06/1976
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dinko Dekanic
• Original Assignee: Dinko Dekanic
• Inventors: Dekanic, Dinko
• Primary Examiner(s): McGlynn, Joseph H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Feinberg, Craig R.
• Application Number:
  US05/480,528
• Time in Patent Office: 567 Days
• Field of Search: 339/40, 339/42, 339/66 R, 339/66 M, 339/195, 339/196
• US Class Current: 439/140
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/453 Shutter or cover plate opened by engagement of counterpart

Abstract

A wall socket of the "pick-safe" type to prevent or at least make it difficult for children to come into contact with the electrical conducting contacting members of the wall socket wherein the contacting members are arranged to be movable between an inoperative position, where they are inaccessible from the openings of the socket, to an operative contact position which includes a guiding arrangement to guide the contacting members to the operative position when connecting the plug to the socket, and to an inoperative position, when removing the plug from the socket.

Claims

1. A wall socket having at least one opening into which an electrical contact pin of a plug may be introduced to make electrical contact therein comprising:

a socket body;

at least one guiding device;

means movably supporting the guiding device within the socket body for limited movement in the general direction of plug introduction;

at least one cam surface on the guiding device;

at least one contacting member movable between an inoperative position where it is inaccessible from the socket opening and an operative contact position;

means for supporting and springingly urging the contacting member lateral to the direction of plug introduction;

a lug integral with the guiding device and forming in conjunction therewith a recess;

the contacting member being housed within the recess of the guiding device when in the inoperative position; and

means responsive to the introduction of a plug into the wall socket to force, by way of the cam surface, the contacting member into contact with the plug pin.

2. A wall socket in accordance with claim 1 further comprising spring biasing means for urging the guiding device toward the at least one opening and therefore also the contacting member into the guiding device recess.

3. A wall socket in accordance with claim 1 wherein there is one guiding device and two contacting members, the socket further including an additional lug integral with the guiding device and forming in conjunction therewith an additional recess for receiving the other of the contacting members in the inoperative position.

4. A wall socket in accordance with claim 3 wherein the plug is provided with two pins for making electrical contact with respective contacting members and a guiding device actuating pin, the socket having two electrical contact pin openings and a guiding device actuating pin opening whereby, when the plug is introduced into the socket, the guiding device actuating pin engages the guiding device to move the guiding device in the direction of plug insertion thereby freeing the contacting members from their respective recesses.

5. A wall socket in accordance with claim 1 wherein there are two guiding devices and two associated contacting members supported within the socket body to provide a socket for accepting a dual pin plug.

6. A wall socket in accordance with claim 5 wherein the socket has two pin accepting openings and further comprising spring biasing means for independently urging the two guiding devices toward the pin accepting openings and therefore also the contacting members into their respective guiding device recesses.

7. A wall socket in accordance with claim 6 wherein a portion of each guiding device is exposed for engagement with a plug whereby introduction of the plug into the socket forces each guiding device against its respective bias urging to force the contacting members from their respective guiding device recesses and into contact with the plug pins.