Electrician's free power cord

• US 5,315,475 A
• Filed: 07/26/1993
• Issued: 05/24/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Allen T. Scheidel, Fuller, Glenn C.
• Original Assignee: Allen T. Scheidel, Fuller, Glenn C.
• Inventors: Fuller, Glenn C., Scheidel, Allen T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tolin, Gerald P.
• Application Number:
  US08/053,676
• Time in Patent Office: 302 Days
• Field of Search: 200/51 R, 307/147, 307/149, 307/150, 174/58, 174/78, 174/70 R, 174/70 B, 439/535, 439/536, 361/42, 361/62, 361/114, 361/601, 361/622, 361/625, 361/641, 361/643, 361/657, 361/658
• US Class Current: 361/643
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 11/24 with gripping jaws, e.g. crocodile clip
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/713 the switch being a safety switch

Abstract

A power cord for use by electricians to supply power to the construction area while normal electrical power has been disconnected. The present invention allows the electrician to draw power from severed power lines without the necessity of removing the insulation from the severed power lines. The power cord provides un-metered power to ground fault current interrupter and circuit breaker protected outlets.

Claims

1. An electricians power cord, comprising:

(a) a molded insulating body having a bottom wall and a continuous side wall and defining an open top;

(b) means for supplying electrical power being attached to said body, said means including live, ground and/or neutral conductors attached to said body at one end of the respective conductors; and

(c) a circuit breaker mechanism and a ground fault current interrupter mechanism having multiple electrical outlets mounted side-by-side one another in said body and connected in series with one another and with said power supplying means for respectively protecting external circuits when plugged into said multiple electrical outlets;

(d) said body also including a cover separate from said base so as to cover said open top thereof, said cover having apertures formed therein to accept the reset button of said circuit breaker mechanism and the multiple electrical outlets of the said ground fault interrupter mechanism;

(e) connecting means attached to the other end of the live conductor of the said power supplying means and similar connecting means attached to the other end of the ground and neutral conductors of the said power supplying means;

(f) each of said connecting means including a battery clamp mechanism with jaws and having a non-conducting contact holding block attached to a clamp portion thereof, the said contact holding block having a through drilled hole in alignment with the centerline of the jaws of the said battery clamp to accept a conducting contact plunger, said contact plunger having a spherical contact surface and a cylindrical body portion extending through the said contact holding block and being biased forward by a helical spring, said contact holding block having a kerf perpendicular to and intersecting the said through drilled hole exposing a portion of the cylindrical body of the said contact plunger, the cylindrical end of the said contact plunger of one of the said connecting means being electrically connected to the live conductor of the said power supplying means and the cylindrical end of the said contact plunger of the other of said connecting means being electrically connected to the ground or neutral conductor of the said power supplying means.

2. The electricians power cord, as recited in claim 1, wherein each of said connecting means includes a swivel contact mechanism having a copper swivel contact blade rotatively mounted on the exterior surface of the jaws of the battery clamp mechanism and electrically insulated from said battery clamp mechanism and being held in electrical contact with a swivel bracket mounted on an interior surface of and extending to, the centerline of the jaws of the said battery clamp mechanism.