Plug safe

• US 4,705,335 A
• Filed: 01/31/1986
• Issued: 11/10/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ronald G. Goebel
• Original Assignee: Ronald G. Goebel
• Inventors: Goebel, Ronald G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Weidenfeld, Gil
• Assistant Examiner(s): Austin, Paula A.
• Application Number:
  US06/824,447
• Time in Patent Office: 648 Days
• Field of Search: 174/67, 339/36, 339/37, 339/82, 339/44 R
• US Class Current: 439/133
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/60 Means for supporting coupling part when not engaged

Abstract

A plug safe provides a vessel that, in use, simultaneously contains a plurality of electrical plugs, wherein the vessel includes an open face for entrance and exit of the plugs. A closure selectively opens and closes the open face of the vessel. A plurality of apertures permit electrical cords attached to contained plugs to pass to the exterior of the vessel. A lock associated with the vessel and closure selectively secures the closure in position closing the open face of the vessel. The vessel includes a plug self-retaining means for, in use, resisting any spring forces tending to cause initially loaded plugs and cords to exit the apertures while subsequent plugs and cords are being loaded into further apertures.

Claims

1. An improved plug safe of the type having a box-like body defining a plug-receiving compartment having an open face surrounded by perimetric side walls, closed opposite the open face by a base wall, and having a lid that is selectively closeable over said open face and is hingedly connected to said plug-receiving compartment at a first edge of the lid;

a front side wall defining therein a plurality of cord-receiving slots, each slot having an entry/exit opening at an edge of the open face, the lid at least partially closing the entry/exit opening of the slots when covering the open face, and having a locking means operable between said compartment and lid for selectively securing the lid in position covering the open face;

the improvement comprising;

a mounting means associated with said base wall for fastening the plug safe to an underlying surface with the base wall against the underlying surface;

wherein said front side wall is angled acutely inwardly into said compartment from the base wall toward the open face and, in use, angularly urges cords received in said slots to move toward the slot base when the base wall is mounted horizontally or vertically such that the front side wall is carried in a side or bottom orientation;

said lid is hingedly attached to a back side wall opposite from said front side wall such that the lid is closeable forwardly over the front wall;

a substantially perpendicular depending lip at a second, opposite edge of the lid;

a blade lock carried on the lid and having a blade that is pivotable toward the lip for locking the lid to said front wall of the plug-receiving compartment; and

wherein the front wall defines a slot for receiving the blade, said slot being spaced by the angular disposition of the front wall inwardly from the lip by a substantial gap defining a blade receiving area.

2. An improved plug safe of the type having a plug receiving compartment by a rectangular base wall;

a pair of opposite, rectangular end walls connected to the respective opposite ends of the base wall and substantially perpendicular thereto;

a back wall connected to the base wall and opposite end walls and substantially perpendicular to both; and

a front wall connected to the base wall and end walls;

the end walls, back wall, and front wall together defining a perimeter edge of an open face of said compartment opposite from the base wall;

the front wall defining a plurality of cord-receiving slots extending toward the base wall from its edge at the open face; and

a lid selectively movable between open and closed positions, wherein in closed position the lid covers the open face, the lid including a top plate having a hinge connecting said top plate and the back wall along a first edge of the top plate;

the improvement comprising;

said front wall being carried at an acute upward and inward angle with respect to the base wall and angularly retaining plugs received in the compartment with their cords in the cord receiving slots;

a blade lock carried by said top plate and having a blade moveable between both locked and unlocked positions;

a blade receiving slot defined in said front side wall for receiving said blade when the lid is in closed position and the blade is in locked position; and

wherein said lid further comprises a lip depending substantially normally to both said top plate and said bottom wall and overlapping the blade receiving slot when said lid is in closed position, wherein the portion of the front wall defining the blade receiving slot is spaced inwardly from the lip by a substantial gap due to the angular relationship between the front wall and lip, the gap a blade reception area outside the front wall.