Wall mounted receptacle with retractable extension cord

• US 5,738,548 A
• Filed: 09/16/1996
• Issued: 04/14/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Philip M. Rutulante
• Original Assignee: Philip M. Rutulante
• Inventors: Rutulante, Philip M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Abrams, Neil
• Assistant Examiner(s): Davis, Katrina
• Application Number:
  US08/716,811
• Time in Patent Office: 575 Days
• Field of Search: 439/4, 439/651, 439/652, 439/654, 439/501, 191/12.2 R, 191/12.4
• US Class Current: 439/652
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/68 with built-in fuse
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/72 Means for accommodating flexible lead within the holder
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 25/006 the coupling part being secured to apparatus or structure, e.g. duplex wall receptacle
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 31/02 Intermediate parts for distributing energy to two or more circuits in parallel, e.g. splitter with a holder adapted for supporting apparatus to which its counterpart is attached H01R33/92
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 11/02 using take-up reel or drum

Abstract

A wall mounted receptacle with retractable extension cord including a housing with a primary mounting plug unit having a pair of prongs fixed to and extending perpendicularly from the housing for inserting within a conventional electrical receptacle. Further provided is a manual spool reel assembly and an associated extension cord wrapped thereabout thus being capable of being distributed and retracted manually. Also included is a spring-biased automatic spool retraction assembly with an unbiased orientation with the extension cord fully wrapped about the spool cylinder and a biased orientation with the extension cord fully extended exterior of the housing.

Claims

1. A new and improved wall mounted receptacle with retractable extension cord comprising, in combination:

a housing having a front face with a square configuration and a first surface area, a rear face with a square configuration and a second surface area greater than the first surface area, and four side faces extending between side edges of the front face and side edges of the rear face wherein the side faces define a skewed periphery which, in turn, defines an interior space, the front face having a circular aperture centrally formed therein and an annular recess formed about the aperture, the rear face including a support post with a generally cylindrical configuration perpendicularly coupled to the rear face at the center thereof within the interior space and extending to a point coextensive with the circular aperture of the front face, the support post having a bore axially formed therein, the rear face further including an annular flange formed about the support post on the rear face of the housing within the interior space thereof, wherein the periphery has a cut out formed therein;

a primary mounting plug unit including a pair of prongs fixed to and extending perpendicularly from an outer surface of the rear face of the housing for inserting within a conventional electrical receptacle, the primary mounting plug unit also having a screw adapted to be inserted within the bore of the support post and further screwably coupled within a standard threaded aperture of the receptacle;

a plurality of sockets formed on each of the side faces of the housing for allowing the coupling with standard electrical plugs associated with an electric appliance, each socket having a pair of conductive slots each electrically connected to a respective prong of the primary mounting plug unit for receiving power therefrom;

a manual spool reel assembly including a hollow intermediate spool cylinder rotatably coupled about the support post wherein the spool cylinder resides coaxially with respect to the support post, a first spool retainer with a first diameter integrally formed on an inboard end of the spool cylinder with an outer periphery thereof nearly abutting an outboard end of the annular flange of the housing, and a second spool retainer with a second diameter twice that of the first spool retainer, the second spool retainer integrally formed on an outboard end of the spool cylinder wherein the second spool retainer resides in the annular recess of the front face of the housing, the second spool retainer further including a collapsible reel lever pivotally coupled thereto with a first upright orientation for allowing manual rotation of the spool and further a collapsed orientation;

an extension cord assembly including a pair of cylindrical contact rings coupled about the spool cylinder adjacent a respective spool retainer, a pair of contact strips including a first contact strip coupled to the outboard end of the annular flange of the housing and further in slidable abutment with the cylindrical contact ring situated adjacent the first spool retainer and a second contact strip coupled to the front face of the housing within the interior space thereof and further in slidable abutment with the cylindrical contact ring situated adjacent the second spool retainer, and an extension cord extending through the cut out of the housing with a first end having a standard receptacle fixed thereto for coupling with an electrical appliance and a second end with a pair of wires each coupled to separate cylindrical contacts, whereby the contact strips are further electrically connected to a respective prong of the primary mounting plug unit for receiving power therefrom;

an automatic spool retraction assembly including a coiled spring situated within a space formed between the support post of the housing and the spool cylinder of the spool reel assembly with a first end coupled to the support post and a second end coupled to the intermediate spool cylinder, wherein the spring has an unbiased orientation with the extension cord fully wrapped about the spool cylinder and a biased orientation with the extension cord fully extended exterior of the housing; and

whereby the extension cord may be selectively ravelled and unravelled both automatically and manually and the extension cord and sockets work in conjunction to provide electricity to a plurality of appliances.