Electrical connectors – Interrelated connectors relatively movable during use – Movement about axis
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-09
2001-03-06
Paumen, Gary (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
Interrelated connectors relatively movable during use
Movement about axis
C439S020000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06196851
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to the field of electrical outlets, and in particular, to a reorientable electrical outlet.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
As the number of electrical appliances acquired by a household grows, the need for convenient access to numerous electrical outlets grows. Electrical outlets are, of course, well known in the art and typically comprise a face plate, multiple female sockets, and an outlet body.
In a typical residential electrical outlet, the female electrical sockets are fixed in orientation. The fixed orientation of the socket can reduce the flexibility of the electrical outlet. In some applications, the fixed socket orientation effectively reduces a two-socket outlet to a single-socket outlet.
A variety of techniques have been devised to increase the flexibility of power delivery sockets and plugs. For example, a species of low profile male plugs has been developed that orient the power cord off the axis of the male plug prongs. Rather than extending perpendicularly away from the wall in which the socket is mounted, such power cords extend off to a side or angle and consequently reduce power cord intention into living space or interference with furniture. Such low profile male plugs can reduce the flexibility of the outlet, however. For example, in polarized socket and plug arrangements, the required directional orientation dictates that the plug be inserted in only one direction. In some cases, particularly in four socket outlets, this can result in power cord interfere with access to other sockets in the same outlet.
There are prior techniques to ensure that the power cord does not overlay other outlet receptacles. Examples of such designs are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,927,376 to Dickie and U.S. Pat. No. 3,975,075 to Mason. Some of these problems may be resolved by a male plug design in which the cord rotates with respect to the prongs. An example of a rotatable male plug is purportedly shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,026,618 to Straka. Many of these designs allow free movement between the male plug and power cord around a 360 degree path. The plugs are not, however, designed to be set or held at any particular angular position.
Socket interference can become particularly acute when a transformer for low voltage devices is integrated with a male power socket for direct insertion in a wall outlet. Such box-like transformers may directly block access to other sockets in the outlet face plate.
A conventional electrical outlet ordinarily allows only symmetrical positioning of the multiple female electrical receptacles. Thus, when an integrated male plug-transformer is plugged into one female electrical receptacle of an electrical outlet, an adjacent socket is typically blocked. To mitigate this interference, a multiplug adapter may be inserted into a female electrical receptacle to accommodate multiple male plugs in a given female electrical receptacle of the electrical outlet. This can present, however, an electrical hazard, in addition to an unsightly mess.
Electrical wiring codes may vary in different parts of a country or from country to country. Some electrical codes require female receptacles in the same electrical outlet box to be positioned horizontally with respect to one another, while other codes require female electrical receptacles in the same electrical outlet box to be positioned vertically with respect to one another. In some instances, electrical appliances can be readily accommodated by an electrical outlet of a certain orientation but may not be suitable for use with electrical outlets oriented at 90 degrees from the given orientation.
Consequently, there is a need for an angularly reorientable electrical socket to accommodate male plugs of a variety of configurations and combinations while remaining substantially fixed at a selected angular orientation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A reorientable electrical outlet having a housing cavity in a stationary housing and a rotatable electrical female receptacle seated therein is disclosed. In one embodiment of the present invention, a pivot pin about which the female electrical receptacle can rotate in the housing cavity while maintaining electrical communication secures the rotatable electrical female receptacle in the housing cavity. The rotatable female electrical receptacle includes a set of electrically conductive sleeves situated in radial and electrical isolation from one another. The housing cavity has a set of annular nonconductive structures formed in concentric relation to one another to support a set of electrically conductive pathways on which the electrically conductive sleeves track. The rotatable female electrical receptacle further includes a set of apertures on a exterior top surface aligned with the electrically conductive sleeves for allowing a set of prongs of a male plug to extend through to acquire electrical contact with the electrically conductive pathways via the electrically conductive sleeves. The electrically conductive pathways, in turn, are connected to a set of wire conductors, thereby providing electrical communication between the male plug inserted in the rotatable electrical female receptacle and the wire conductors. In one embodiment, a locking mechanism is employed to releasably fix the position of the rotatable female electrical receptacle at a selected angular orientation. The male plug can be rotated to and fixed at a selected angular orientation with respect to the stationary housing of the electrical outlet body.
REFERENCES:
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patent: 3771106 (1973-11-01), Matsumoto et al.
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Gerard Kimberly R.
Roys Curtis
Denko J. Scott
George & Donaldson, L.L.P.
Gushi Ross
Intelliglobe, Inc.
Paumen Gary
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