Electrical connectors – With insulation other than conductor sheath – Plural-contact coupling part
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-10
2002-04-02
Sircus, Brian (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
With insulation other than conductor sheath
Plural-contact coupling part
C439S174000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06364716
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to adaptors insertable to outlets, and more particularly to an adaptor provided with a rotary plug that can be rotated in right and left directions.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, outlets each have a plurality of sockets for accommodating a plurality of plugs therein.
The outlets each having a plurality of sockets are made in the forms of wall outlets or outlet strips.
In the meantime, with an increase in the use of electric appliances, a plurality of plugs are inserted into an outlet. According to the structures of such outlets and outlet strips, when a plurality of plugs are inserted into the outlets and outlet strips, other types of plugs except for straight types of plugs interfere with one another.
As a result, a plurality of plugs are rarely inserted into the outlet except when the plugs are inserted into the outlet in well-controlled directions.
In particular, adaptors, which are used as adaptors for apparatuses such as down transformers and rectifiers and chargers for charging batteries, have relatively great widths and lengths, so the degree of interference is serious.
In order to overcome the above problems, a variety of proposals are presented.
One of the proposals is an outlet strip in which its sockets are designed to be inclined at 45° degrees so as to prevent interference with neighboring plugs.
However, even in such a case, for adaptors and chargers having relatively great sizes, interference with neighboring plugs is unavoidable.
Korean Unexamined Pat. Pub. No. 97-54949 discloses an outlet, in which a plurality of sockets are provided to accommodate a plurality of plugs, and its center socket portion is designed to be rotatable so as to prevent the interference of neighboring plugs.
However, in accordance with the above patent publication, the socket portion should be rotated while maintaining electric connection with the other portions, so the structure of its terminal is complicated and connection failure easily occurs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide an adaptor with a rotary plug, which is capable of allowing its plug to be rotated in right and left directions relative to its adaptor housing so as to prevent the adaptor from interfering with one or more neighboring plugs.
In addition, the present invention provides an adaptor with a rotary plug, in which its plug is electrically connected to electric adaptation parts in a sample structure, thereby reducing connection failures and allowing long lasting use.
The present invention provides an adaptor with a rotary plug, which is capable of stopping the rotary plug from rotating from a fixed position so as to prevent it from being removed from the position.
In order to accomplish the above object, the present invention provides a adaptor having a rotary plug having prongs, an adaptor housing holding the rotary plug, and electric adaptation parts being inserted into the adaptor housing, the adaptor comprising: a rotating means for rotating the rotary plug at 45° or 90° in each of right and left directions; and a restricting means for fixing the rotary plug at a position where the rotary plug is desirably rotated by means of the rotating means.
The rotating means may comprise a circumferential groove formed along the outer surface of the rotary plug, a plurality of slits axially and regularly formed in the sidewall of the rotary plug, and an opening that is formed on the adaptor housing and into which the rotary plug is rotatably fitted; and the restricting means may comprise a projection formed at a position of the outer surface of the rotary plug, a restricting projection formed at the position opposite to the position of the projection, a central groove formed on the circumferential edge of the opening of the adaptor housing, side grooves formed on the circumferential edge of the opening of the adaptor housing with each pair of side grooves formed on each side of the groove at an interval of 45°, and projections radially outwardly extended from the outer portion of the adaptor housing.
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patent: 4743999 (1988-05-01), Hames
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patent: 5738540 (1998-04-01), Hetherington
patent: 5957701 (1999-09-01), McMillin
patent: 6062884 (2000-05-01), Messimer et al.
patent: 6089921 (2000-07-01), Chou
patent: 6093028 (2000-07-01), Yang
patent: 6118643 (2000-09-01), Dyer et al.
Hyeon Hae Moon
Lowe Hauptman & Gilman & Berner LLP
Sircus Brian
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