Lockable electrical outlet closure plug

Details Lockable electrical outlet closure plug Lockable electrical outlet closure plug

2003-02-07

2004-03-02

Gushi, Ross (Department: 2833)

Electrical connectors

With contact preventer or retractable cover part

Dummy connector

C174S067000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06699050

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY
The present disclosure relates to wall-mounted residential and office electrical outlets, and particularly to closure plugs for those outlets. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to lockable electrical outlet closure plugs.
Electrical outlets usually include upper and lower sockets adapted to admit plugs coupled to the ends of many kinds of electrical cords. Many juvenile caregivers desire to shield young children from access to these sockets and insert a closure plug into a targeted socket or place a socket cover over the targeted socket.
According to the present disclosure, a lockable electrical outlet socket closure plug includes a plug housing and a retainer mounted for movement in the plug housing between locked and unlocked positions. The plug housing includes a pair of socket blades that are adapted to extend into the usual side-by-side blade receiver openings formed in an electrical outlet socket. When moved to the locked position, the retainer engages a flange associated with a ground prong receiver opening in an electrical outlet socket to retain the plug housing in a mounted position shielding the socket. When moved to the unlocked position, the retainer disengages the flange in the socket to release the plug housing so that it can be removed by a caregiver from the electrical outlet socket.
In illustrative embodiments, the plug further includes a controller mounted for movement in the plug housing and arranged normally to “reinforce” the retainer so that the retainer cannot be moved from the locked position to the unlocked position. When the caregiver elects to remove the plug housing from the electrical outlet socket, the caregiver first moves the controller relative to the plug housing to “release” the retainer and the caregiver then moves the released retainer from the locked position to the unlocked position to allow the caregiver to remove the plug housing from the electrical outlet socket.
Additional features of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the disclosure as presently perceived.


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