Electrical connectors – With provision to restrict environment effects
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-20
2002-11-12
Bradley, P. Austin (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With provision to restrict environment effects
C439S521000, C439S139000, C439S040000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06478614
ABSTRACT:
DESCRIPTION
The present finding relates to a facilitated-detachment electrical connection device for kitchen appliances.
As known, current household appliances exhibit active and passive safety systems for the purposes of protecting as much as possible the users from accidents.
For this reason, current household appliances, and above all appliances that are used in the kitchen, exhibit several protection devices of the electrical parts, and safety devices adapted to prevent their opening of access to their interior during operation or soon after the same.
One of the problems currently present for household appliances, particularly those used in the kitchen, is that due to the fact that, for their operation, they almost always need the electrical connection with the electric network of the house or of the room they are arranged in.
For this reason sometimes, above all in the case of children, the electrical cable can be grasped thus allowing the electrical appliance to be dragged onto the work surface, for example a table, a shelf or the like, thus making the same fall on the child, with all the consequences arising from such action.
If, for example, the appliance is a deep-fryer, it is easy to understand how a child, pulling the electrical cable, can drag the same on its rest surface and, even during operation, tip it, with the possibility of oil leak, thus with unforeseeable and very dangerous consequences.
For this reason, electrical connectors have been devised, which use a magnetic force between a plug and an outlet as connection force.
In this case, if the electrical cable is pulled, there must occur the detachment between outlet and plug present on the electrical appliance to prevent the child from tipping it on himself.
However, above all for some electrical appliances such as deep-fryers, rice cookers, steam cookers, electrical grills, electrical plates and in general all household appliances for hot foodstuff, such application exhibits the disadvantage that a possible formation of condensate may penetrate between the electrical contacts of the appliance, thus causing a short circuit or other possible anomalies.
Moreover, above all for household appliances mainly realised with plastic material, exhibiting a low self-extinguishing power, the closeness with the electrical contacts can cause considerable disadvantages, such as the melting or self-combustion of the plastic, with the consequences that also in this case may arise from such situation.
Last but not least, it must be considered that the magnetic force of connection between plug and outlet must always be less than the friction force that generates between the electrical appliance and the rest surface, so as to allow the detachment of the plug from the outlet, thus preventing the possibility of dragging the appliance on the rest surface.
Object of the present finding is that of eliminating the above disadvantages of the prior art.
Within the scope of this object, an important purpose of the finding is that of realising a facilitated-detachment electrical connection device for kitchen- appliances which should be protected from possible infiltrations of condensate or the like, so as to prevent short circuits or other operation anomalies.
Another purpose of the finding is that of realising a facilitated-detachment electrical connection device wherein the magnetic force of electrical connection should be less than the friction force for dragging the appliance on the rest surface of the same irrespective of the direction in which the cable is pulled.
Another purpose of the finding is that of realising a facilitated-detachment electrical connection device for kitchen appliances which, should the latter exhibit parts made of a plastic material with a low self-extinguishing power, should prevent the melting of the same or the combustion of the same due to the closeness of the electrical contacts.
Last but not least, another purpose of the finding is that of realising a facilitated-detachment electrical connection device for kitchen appliances which should be very stout and with a regular operation in time without exhibiting any mechanical or electrical disadvantage.
This object, as well as these and other purposes, are achieved by a facilitated-detachment electrical connection device for kitchen appliances comprising an electrical cable exhibiting a connection plug to the electric network at one end, and a magnetised member electrically associable—through a magnetic force—to an outlet connected to the kitchen appliance at the opposed end, characterised in that it comprises insulation means present on said kitchen appliance and/or on said magnetised member for preventing the contact of condensate or the like with the electrical contacts of such magnetised member and of said outlet.
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Bradley P. Austin
De'Longhi S.p.A.
Dubno Herbert
León Edwin A.
Wilford Andrew
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