Electrical connectors – Alternatively connected – Coupling part
Reexamination Certificate
2002-05-07
2004-06-15
Prasad, Chandrika (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
Alternatively connected
Coupling part
C439S052000, C439S053000, C439S171000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06749451
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an electrical plug-in adapter for optional connection of a three-pin plug system with lateral grounding contacts to different nationally specific plugging systems with and without grounding contact in accordance with the introductory clause of Patent Claim
1
.
BACKGROUND ART
Such an electrical plug-in adapter without a grounding contact is disclosed already in the German Patent DE 3601469. This known plug-in adapter is provided with a housing on whose outside periphery several plugging systems are disposed as well as with a socket receptacle supported for rotation in the housing and comprising electrical contacts that are adapted for connection to corresponding electrical of the respective plugging systems in rotational positions of the socket receptacle, which are each associated with the outside plugging systems. As this known plug-in adapter is designed only for two-pin plugs without grounding contact the application potential of the known plug-in adapter is limited in view of the great number of international systems.
The present invention is based on the problem of improving an electrical plug-in adapter of the general type outlined by way of introduction for the application with a comparatively larger number of plugging systems with and without grounding contact.
In accordance with the present invention this problem is solved with the features defined in Patent Claim
1
. Preferred features for expedient improvements of the invention are defined in the dependent Patent Claims.
With the invention hence an electrical plug-in adapter is made available in which different national plugs are arranged on a polygonal housing whilst a standardised socket receptacle is inserted and supported for rotation in a central opening inside the housing. The socket receptacle is provided for a three-pin plugging system and presents, on its underside, resilient contact sockets for the two plug pins as well as a grounding contact bow, with all three contact elements being equipped with a resilient contact lug. The plug pins and grounding contacts, which are distributed along the periphery, are each provided with a contact area on their inner head end supported in the housing, which contact areas are distributed, in their turn, on two superimposed orbits on the periphery of the inner housing opening, with the two pole pins on the lower orbit and the grounding contact on the upper orbit being each disposed preferably in a uniform triangular relationship. By rotation on the adjustable socket receptacle, the three resilient contact lugs can be contacted with the three rigid contact areas of the plug pin array in a marked position on the respective desired plug so as to establish a direct plug-in connection of the three-pin plugging systems in the socket receptacle with a respectively different nationally specific plug-and-socket system. For safety reasons, the plug pins out of engagement remain electrically neutral while the socket receptacle seals or is locked in the respective socket position so as to ensure a stable and safe contact connection.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, the functional principle of the two-pin plug in electrical appliances, which is known from the German Patent 3601469, is extended to sockets with grounding contact and two-pin plugs with the aim to accommodate a maximum number of different connection systems on the smallest adapter housing possible, with a combination of plugging systems expediently related to each other, such as the old British plugging system with round plug pins and the new system with rectangular pins.
Moreover, the Swiss and the Italian plugging system were expediently united to form a single-plug combination wherein a grounding contact pin, which is centrally disposed between the plug pins, is arranged for displacement so that the plug could be plugged in the respectively required position. Furthermore, it is expedient to combine the Home office plug with lateral grounding contacts with the central grounding contact in a manner known per se and standardised in compliance with CEE 7.
Another extension of the potential applications is provided insofar as an “America plug” and a combined Italian/Swiss plug are equipped with fold-down grounding contact pins so as to permit an adaptation to two-pin sockets without grounding contact. In this solution moreover expedient provisions are made to the effect that a respective locking lever, which is so connected to the fold-down grounding contact pin, is inevitably pivoted via the grounding contact bow into the catchment region of the socket receptacle, when it is pivoted, so as to prevent reliably an illicit operation of electrical appliances with grounding contact plug connection on two-pin sockets.
In correspondence with another embodiment of the invention, for improvement of safety, moreover provisions are made on the plugged-in plug adapter in order to close the two plug pin openings in the socket receptacle with a preferably automatically closing locking mechanism that releases the pin openings only in the positions associated with the respective plugging system in the case of plug pins of the same length and/or of an identical type. With this provision, a safe protection against accidental contact is expediently achieved and thus an unintentional or unauthorised insertion of metal objects is prevented.
According to the inventive concept, the number of the various potential applications of the electrical plug-in adapter is increased by the provision that at least one of the plugging systems comprises a grounding contact pin supported for movement in the housing. This grounding contact pin may preferably be supported for displacement and/or for pivoting in the housing and creates, by the various possible positions of the grounding contact pin, expedient new combinations of contact pins matching with individual nationally specific plugging systems.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, the grounding contact pin is shaped from a punched folded brass sheet material with a hollow inside space and has a peripheral surface with rounded and resilient sections, with the respective rounded and the respective resilient sections opposition each other. In correspondence with a preferred embodiment, the condition of a punched board made of brass sheet material is differently shaped in isolated areas and then folded into its final shape. Here resilient sections are preferably formed to have flexible tongues that can be moved from a laterally projecting position for the insertion of the contact pin into a round contact opening in the case of insertion into a rectangular contact opening into a position in the inside space. With this provision, it is possible to insert the grounding contact pin into both round and rectangular grounding contact openings or sockets, respectively, and establish a safe contact.
According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the folded contact pin made of brass sheet material presents at least one bent guiding section that is guided in the housing for displacement between two spaced stops. The plugging system with this aforementioned folded contact pin is particularly well suitable for the connection to both the old British plugging system with round plug pins as well as the new British plugging system with rectangular pins.
For connection of the plug-in adapter to the Swiss and Italian plugging systems a single plug system is provided on the plug-in adapter housing according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, which provides for one central displaceable grounding contact pin made of a solid profile.
In correspondence with a further embodiment of the invention, the grounding contact pin is provided on its rear end with a guiding profile while it is displaceable via lateral pins in the housing in a direction orthogonal on the remaining contact pins, whilst, by contrast, the guiding profile is prevented from pivoting and locked outside the uppermost displaced position o
Heinrich Kopp AG
Jenkins & Wilson & Taylor, P.A.
Prasad Chandrika
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