Self-sealing electrical plug and socket assembly for trucks

• US 20030054688A1
• Filed: 09/13/2002
• Published: 03/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R. A. Phillips Industries Incorporated
• Original Assignee: R. A. Phillips Industries Incorporated
• Inventors: Howard, Stephen M
• Granted Patent: US 6,743,025 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 439/559
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/447 Shutter or cover plate
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/504 different pieces being moulded, cemented, welded, e.g. ultrasonic, or swaged together
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/52 Dustproof, splashproof, drip-proof, waterproof, or flameproof cases
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/5202 Sealing means between parts of housing or between housing part and a wall, e.g. sealing rings
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/5213 Covers
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/74 Means for mounting coupling parts in openings of a panel
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2201/26 for vehicles

Abstract

An electrical plug (60) comprising a body (16) having an end (40) carrying a plurality of first ones of corresponding pairs of male (14) and female (17) electrical connection moieties. The plug includes a sleeve (20) axially extending from the body end outwardly from the moieties. The sleeve is defined by an outer periphery and an end (36) spaced apart from the body end. Integrally molded with the sleeve is a circumferential flange (22) extending radially from the outer periphery of the sleeve at the sleeve end.

Claims

1. An electrical connector cooperable with a socket assembly mountable to an exterior surface of a wall of a first wheeled vehicle such as a truck tractor or a truck trailer, the socket assembly having a barrel extendible through an opening in the wall into the interior of the first vehicle and in which is carried at least one male electrical terminal which extends into a cavity to define a socket cooperable with a cable plug by which the first vehicle can be electrically coupled to a second wheeled vehicle, each male terminal having associated with it at an end of the barrel opposite the cavity a first one of a pair of male and female electrical connection moieties, the socket assembly also having a flange disposable around the opening on the exterior side of the wall, the connector comprising a body defining a sleeve having an open end and a closed end and matable around the socket assembly barrel, the body carrying at the closed end of the sleeve a second one of the pair of connection moieties for which there is a first one of the pair carried by the socket assembly barrel, the body at the sleeve open end defining a connector flange extending outwardly from the sleeve around the sleeve, the sleeve and the connector flange being deformable adequately to permit the connector flange to be passed through a wall opening sized to receive and cooperate substantially closely with the sleeve.

2. The connector of claim 1 in which the sleeve and the connector flange are molded integrally with the connector body.

3. The connector of claim 2 in which the connector body and its sleeve and connector flange are composed of an elastomeric material.

4. The connector according to claim 1 in which the face of the connector flange opposite the connector body has a perimeter configuration similar to the perimeter configuration of the socket assembly flange.

5. The connector according to claim 1 in which the socket assembly flange and the connector flange are matable in face-to-face relation, and the mating face of the connector flange is contoured substantially as a mirror image of the contour of the mating face of the socket assembly flange.

6. The connector according to any one of claims 1 through 5 inclusive in which the socket assembly terminals are disposed in an array conforming to SAE Standard J560.

7. An electrical connector cooperable with an electrical article mountable to an exterior surface of a wall, the article having a part thereof extendible through an opening in the wall to an end in which there are exposed first ones of a plurality of pairs of male and female electrical connection moieties, the article also has a surface disposable around the opening on the exterior side of the wall, the connector comprising a body defining a sleeve having an open end and a closed end and matable around said article part, the body carrying at the closed end of the sleeve the second ones of the plural pairs of connection moieties, the body at the sleeve open end defining a connector flange extending outwardly from the sleeve around the sleeve, the sleeve and the connector flange being deformable adequately to permit the connector flange to be passed through a wall opening sized to receive and cooperate substantially closely with the sleeve.

8. The connector according to claim 7 in which the article is an electrical socket assembly conforming to SAE Standard J560.