Electrical cord with wear ring

• US 8,771,005 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2012
• Issued: 07/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Great Stuff, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Great Stuff, Inc.
• Inventors: Tracey, James B. A., Kretzschmar, Edwin N., Ceraldi, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Abrams, Neil
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phuongchi T
• Application Number:
  US13/724,492
• Publication Number:
  US 20130171866A1
• Time in Patent Office: 564 Days
• Field of Search: 439/534, 439/536, 439/535, 439/131, 439/142, 439/165, 439/6, 439/651, 439/445, 439/501
• US Class Current: 439/445
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2701/34 electric cords or electric power cables
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 75/40 mobile or transportable
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 75/4471 Housing enclosing the reel
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/516 Means for holding or embracing insulating body, e.g. casing , hoods
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/56 Means for preventing chafing or fracture of flexible leads at outlet from coupling part
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/72 Means for accommodating flexible lead within the holder
• 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

An electrical cord can include a cord segment with a receptacle. The receptacle can have a surface and apertures that accept a plug to form an electrical connection between the plug and wires of the electrical cord. A wear ring can be on the receptacle. The wear ring can be at least as large as the receptacle in a transverse cross-section. The wear ring can inhibit or prevent at least a portion of the surface from contacting a ground surface when the receptacle is on the ground surface or is dragged along the ground surface.

Claims

1. An electrical cord assembly comprising:

a cord segment having one or more wires;

an electrical plug receptacle connected to an end of the cord segment, the receptacle including one or more apertures configured to receive an electrical plug to form an electrical connection between the plug and the one or more wires; and

a wear ring configured to engage and surround at least a portion of the receptacle;

wherein;

the wear ring is sized and configured to inhibit at least a portion of a surface of the receptacle adjacent to the one or more apertures from contacting a ground surface when the end of the cord segment is on the ground surface;

the wear ring comprises a plurality of wear ring portions configured to be assembled together to releasably engage and surround the portion of the receptacle; and

the wear ring is removable from the electrical cord by disassembling the wear ring portions.

2. The electrical cord assembly of claim 1, wherein a substantial entirety of the surface is prevented from contacting the ground surface when the wear ring is on the receptacle and when the end of the cord segment is dragged along the ground surface.

3. The electrical cord assembly of claim 1, wherein a transverse cross-section of the wear ring is at least as large as a transverse cross-section of the receptacle.

4. The electrical cord assembly of claim 1, wherein a transverse cross-section of the wear ring is larger than a transverse cross-section of the receptacle.

5. The electrical cord assembly of claim 1, wherein a transverse cross-section of the wear ring is substantially at least one of circular or triangular.

6. The electrical cord assembly of claim 1, wherein the surface of the receptacle adjacent to the one or more apertures is flat, the wear ring being sized and configured to substantially prevent the flat surface from contacting a ground surface when the wear ring is on the receptacle and when the end of the cord segment is on the ground surface.

7. The electrical cord assembly of claim 1, wherein the receptacle includes a plurality of surfaces, each surface containing one or more apertures, the wear ring being sized and configured to substantially prevent each of the surfaces from contacting the ground surface when the wear ring is on the receptacle and when the end of the cord segment is on the ground surface.

8. The electrical cord assembly of claim 1, wherein the one or more wires comprises a ground wire, a hot wire, and a neutral wire.

9. The electrical cord assembly of claim 1, wherein the wear ring comprises glass-filled nylon.

10. The electrical cord assembly of claim 1, wherein the wear ring comprises two wear ring portions, wherein at least one of the wear ring portions surrounds at least 180 degrees of a transverse cross-section of the receptacle when the wear ring is on the receptacle.

11. The electrical cord assembly of claim 1, wherein the wear ring portions are configured to be secured with one or more screws.

12. The electrical cord assembly of claim 1, wherein the wear ring is configured to engage with the receptacle in a manner in which the wear ring is not movable with respect to the receptacle.

13. The electrical cord assembly of claim 12, wherein the wear ring includes one or more anti-movement features configured to engage anti-movement features of the receptacle, to prevent movement of the wear ring with respect to the receptacle.

14. An electrical cord comprising:

a cord segment comprising a wire;

a receptacle on an end of the cord segment, the receptacle comprising a connection surface including an aperture, the connection surface configured to receive an adapter to form an electrical connection between the adapter and the wire via the aperture; and

a wear member on the receptacle, the wear member configured to inhibit at least a portion of the connection surface from contacting a ground surface when the receptacle is on the ground surface;

wherein the wire includes a plurality of wires and the aperture includes a plurality of apertures, and wherein the connection surface includes a plurality of connection surfaces configured to receive a plurality of adapters;

wherein the connection surface is a flat surface;

wherein a cross-section of the wear member is at least as large as a cross-section of the receptacle, the cross-sections parallel to each other and substantially perpendicular to a central axis along the cord segment when the cord segment is arranged to be straight;

wherein the connection surface comprises a flat surface and wherein the cross-sections of the wear member and the receptacle are substantially perpendicular to the flat surface of the connection surface;

wherein the wear member is substantially at least one of a circular shape or a triangular shape;

wherein the wear member comprises a cutout configured to provide a preferential orientation of the receptacle relative to the ground surface when the receptacle is on the ground surface, wherein the cutout is circumferentially misaligned with the connection surface of the receptacle;

wherein the wear member comprises a plurality of portions and wherein each of the plurality of portions is engaged with at least one other portion;

wherein the wear member is fixed relative to the receptacle.

15. An electrical cord reel comprising:

a spool member rotatable about a winding axis; and

an electrical cord comprising;

a cord segment having a plurality of wires;

a connector at a first end of the cord segment;

an electrical plug receptacle connected to a second end of the cord segment, the receptacle including one or more apertures configured to receive at least one electrical plug to form an electrical connection between the plug and one or more of the wires; and

a wear ring engaged with and surrounding the receptacle;

wherein;

the wear ring is sized and configured to substantially prevent surfaces of the receptacle adjacent to the one or more apertures from contacting a ground surface when the end of the cord segment is dragged along the ground surface;

the wear ring comprises a plurality of wear ring portions configured to be assembled together to engage and surround the receptacle;

the wear ring is removable from the electrical cord by disassembling the wear ring portions;

the connector is connected to the spool member;

the reel is configured to convey electrical power to the connector;

the electrical cord is configured to become spooled onto the spool member when the spool member rotates in a first direction about the winding axis; and

the electrical cord is configured to become unspooled from the spool member when the spool member rotates in a second direction about the winding axis, the second direction being opposite the first direction.

16. The electrical cord reel of claim 15, wherein a transverse cross-section of the wear ring is at least as large as a transverse cross-section of the receptacle.