Plug-in type of safety wall switch and wall outlet

• US 4,485,282 A
• Filed: 01/28/1983
• Issued: 11/27/1984
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/1983
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Long-River Lee
• Original Assignee: Long-River Lee
• Inventors: Lee, Long-River
• Primary Examiner(s): Marcus, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cusick, Ernest G.
• Application Number:
  US06/462,095
• Time in Patent Office: 669 Days
• Field of Search: 200/51 R, 200/293-297, 339/147 R, 174/53, 174/55, 361/392-394, 361/356, 361/357
• US Class Current: 200/51.00R
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/18 providing line outlets

Abstract

A wall switch and a wall outlet each comprises a plug-in unit to be inserted in a niche installed on a base which also includes a panel and a base plate bing fixed together. Between the panel and the base plate, a control frame and a movable latch are sandwiched, and each of them has a projected end extending out of the apertures in the panel so as to facilitate manual operation for removing the plug-in unit. In addition, a thumbtack pin may be furnished at the back of the base plate, penetrating through the base plate and the movable latch so as to prevent the plug-in unit from being removed directly.

Claims

1. A wall switch device comprising:

a power outlet assembly including a panel and a base plate being fixedly attached together and a switch niche assembly installed behind said base plate to be fixedly attached to a wall box on the wall;

a plug-in switch unit insertably positioned in said switch niche assembly, said plug-in switch unit having a portion supportably interacting with said panel and base plate; and

control means slidably positioned between said panel and said base plate adapted for releasably controlling said plug-in switch unit to be removed from said switch niche assembly,

said plug-in switch unit includes a top cover for housing a switch button, a base having a bottom portion, said base adapted for installing a spring contact assembly, said base having a rectangular configuration and tapering off towards its bottom portion and having four salient lugs extending upward from edges of the bottom portion of said base toward a portion of said top cover at a given angle so as to acquire the inward and outward elasticity, said top cover having four channels on its two opposite outsides engaging with said four salient lugs in a dovetail manner so that said salient lugs can be completely tucked into said channels upon inserting said plug-in switch unit into said switch niche and spring out to be caught and fastened under said panel when said plug-in switch unit has been inserted therein.

2. A wall switch device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said control means comprises:

a control frame being sandwiched between said panel and said base plate and being placed between two embossed rails on said base plate;

said control frame including an aperture coincided with a first aperture of said panel, a push key extending out of a second aperture to be manually controlled for pressing said control frame to move along said embossed rails, a bow spring for restoring said control frame after said push key is released installed below said control frame, a groove, adjacent said push key, in said base plate and a slot, in said panel, beside said push key and opposite to said groove; and

a movable latch being placed in said groove of said base plate and having a salient head extending out of a third aperture of said panel and being able to be manually controlled to slide along said slot and said groove for latching said control frame from being moved when an end of said latch is slid into said slot, said movable latch adapted to facilitate the removal of said plug-in switch.

3. A wall switch device as claimed in claim 2 wherein said control frame has four slanting cuts corresponding to four salient lugs of said plug-in switch unit so as to provide spaces for upper portions of salient lugs on a base of said switch unit when said plug-in switch unit has been inserted into a switch niche of said plug-in switch unit, and to press said salient lugs into channels provided on a top cover of said plug-in switch unit upon pressing said push key for removing said plug-in switch unit by the aid of the elasticity of a conic spring installed at a bottom of said switch niche.

4. A wall switch device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said switch niche assembly includes a switch niche having a rectangular configuration and having a bottom, two discrete spring contacts and a spring contact pair being mounted on two bottom corners of said switch niche, said spring contact pair including two spring contacts, which are identical to said discrete spring contacts, connected to each other along an inner surface of said switch niche, said spring contacts each having a salient foot extending out of a seam at the bottom of said switch niche and bending to a notch on the outside of said bottom, a conic spring mounted in a shallow depression which is located in the central portion of said bottom, a guide rail being embossed on an inner surface of said switch niche, and a salient piece being embossed on said inner surface opposite to said guide rail and being adjacent to one of said discrete spring contacts.

5. A wall switch device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said spring contact assembly comprises a movable spring contact having a salient foot extending out of the bottom portion of said base and appearing at one end of a fuse slot in the bottom portion of said base, a fixed leaf spring having two salient feet extending outwardly from the bottom portion of said base and then bending to a first outer surface of said base on which one of said salient feet appears at the other end of said fuse slot so as to connect electrically with said salient foot of said movable spring contact by means of a fuse element stored therein, and two fixed spring contacts each having a salient foot extending outwardly from said base and then bending to a second outer surface which is opposite to said first outer surface.

6. A wall switch device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said base is provided with a guide channel on its exterior surface for engaging with a guide rail provided inside said switch niche and a guide groove for engaging a salient piece provided inside said switch niche so as to permit said plug-in switch unit being inserted into said switch niche and to have two salient feet provided on two fixed spring contacts come into contact with two discrete spring contacts mounted at a bottom of said switch niche, and simultaneously to have to salient feet of a fixed leaf spring come into contact with a spring contact pair mounted thereon.

7. A wall switch device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said panel includes a first aperture being coincided with an aperture on said base plate so as to permit said plug-in switch unit inserting therethrough, said first aperture having a width which is narrower than that of said aperture of said base plate on which two embossed rails are embossed on both sides of said aperture, said embossed rails being in parallel with two opposite edges of said aperture and one of said embossed rails being cut into two portions by a groove, a second aperture beside said first aperture, and a third aperture which is at a position on top of a position where said groove locates thereon.

8. A wall switch device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said base plate further includes a groove for movably supporting a latch on a front surface, a shallow hole on a back surface of said base plate and a small through hole in said shallow hole to permit insertion of a thumbtack pin to pass therethrough, and through a small hole at a bottom of said movable latch for preventing said movable latch from being moved along said groove.

9. A wall outlet device comprising:

a power outlet assembly including a panel and a base plate being fixedly attached together and an outlet niche assembly installed behind said base plate to be fixedly attached to a wall box on the wall;

a plug-in outlet unit insertably positioned in said outlet niche assembly, said plug-in outlet unit having a portion supportably interacting with said panel and base plate; and

control means slidably positioned between said panel and said base plate adapted for releasably controlling said plug-in outlet unit to be removed from said outlet niche assembly,

said plug-in outlet unit includes a top cover having plug holes for a plug to insert therein, a base for installing a first socket contact, a second socket contact and a fixed leaf spring, said base having a rectangular configuration and having a bottom portion, said base tapering off toward its bottom portion and having four salient lugs extending upward from edges of the bottom portion of said base toward a portion of said top cover at a given angle so as to acquire the inward and outward elasticity, said top cover having four channels on its two opposite outsides engaging with said four salient lugs in a dovetail manner so that said salient lugs can be completely tucked into said channels upon inserting said plug-in outlet unit into said outlet niche assembly and spring out to be caught and fastened under said panel when said plug-in outlet unit has been inserted therein.

10. A wall outlet device as claimed in claim 9 wherein said outlet niche assembly includes an outlet niche having a rectangular configuration, two discrete spring contacts and a spring contact pair being mounted on two bottom corners of said outlet niche, said spring contact pair including two spring contacts, which are identical to said discrete spring contacts, connected to each other along an inner surface of said outlet niche, said spring contacts each having a salient foot extending out of a seam at a bottom of said outlet niche and bending to a notch on outside of said bottom, a conic spring mounting on a shallow hole which locates in a central portion of said bottom, a guide rail being embossed on an inner surface vertical to said inner surface of said outlet niche, and a salient piece being embossed on said inner surface opposite to said guide rail.

11. A wall outlet device as claimed in claim 9 wherein said first socket contact has a salient foot extending out of the bottom portion of said base and appearing at one end of a fuse slot in the bottom portion;

and a fixed leaf spring having two salient feet extending outwardly from said bottom portion of said base and then bending to a second outer surface which is opposite to said first outer surface.

12. A wall outlet device as claimed in claim 9 wherein said base has a guide channel on its exterior surface for engaging with a guide rail provided inside said outlet niche and a guide groove for engaging a salient piece provided inside said outlet niche so as to permit said plug-in outlet unit being inserted into said outlet niche and to have two salient feet provided on said second socket contact come into contact with two discrete spring contacts mounted at a bottom portion of said outlet niche assembly, and simultaneously to have two salient feet of a fixed leaf spring come into contact with a spring contact pair mounted thereon.

13. A wall outlet device as claimed in claim 9 wherein said panel includes a first aperture being coincided with an aperture on said base plate so as to permit said plug-in outlet unit to be inserted therethrough, said first aperture having a width which is narrower than that of said aperture of said base plate on which two embossed rails are embossed on the both sides of said aperture, said embossed rails being in parallel with two opposite edges of said aperture and one of said embossed rails being cut into two portions by a groove, a second aperture adjacent said first aperture and a third aperture which is at a position on top of position where said groove locates thereon.

14. A wall outlet device as claimed in claim 9 wherein said base plate further includes a groove for movably supporting a latch on a front surface, a shallow hole on a back surface of said base plate and a small through hole in said shallow hole to permit a thumbtack pin mounting thereon and penetrating therethrough, and then inserting into a small hole at a bottom of said movable latch therefrom for preventing said movable latch from being moved along said groove.