Electrical connectors – With contact preventer or retractable cover part – Movably mounted
Reexamination Certificate
2003-10-06
2004-08-17
Gilman, Alex (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With contact preventer or retractable cover part
Movably mounted
C439S145000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06776630
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
(a) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a safety socket protective cover, and more particularly, to a safety socket protective cover offering dust-proof effects and capable of preventing accidental electric shocks caused by insertions of alien objects.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
A common wall socket or an extension wire socket is generally provided with at least one set of receptacles, wherein each set of receptacles has two or three receptacles. However, several drawbacks are found after studying the aforesaid prior socket. First of all, the “open” socket lacks protective measures, and accidental electric shocks are repeated occurrences among children caused by curiosity. Secondly, the prior socket is an open structure as described, with conductive straps at an interior thereof mostly being conductive materials such as copper. These conductive materials are often formed with aerugo resulted from humidity for being exposed in air over long periods of time, or accumulated with dust, and hence conductive efficiencies thereof become affected. Therefore, the prior socket has potential hazards to a certain degree, and can hardly be accounted as an ideal design when put to use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The primary object of the invention is to provide a safety socket protective cover for preventing alien objects from entering receptacles of a socket. The structure according to the invention comprises an outer housing, an inner housing, a sliding cover, an elastic support member and an elastic member. The outer housing has receptacles for inserting pins of a plug. The inner housing is provided with conducting straps at an interior thereof, and inner receptacles at an upper side thereof for corresponding with the receptacles at the outer housing. Between the outer housing and the inner housing is a certain gap. The invention is characterized that, the gap between the outer housing and the inner housing is disposed with the sliding cover, the elastic support member and the elastic member; the sliding cover is provided with wedge members each having a passive inclined plane for corresponding with the receptacles at the outer housing, and a cover of each wedge members is formed with an opening; the elastic support member has elastic restoring forces and is pressed against a lower portion of the sliding cover, so as to provide the sliding cover with vertical restoring forces; the elastic member is disposed between the sliding cover and the outer housing to provide the sliding cover with horizontal restoring forces. Under normal circumstances, the sliding cover receives vertical and horizontal support from the elastic support member and the elastic member, respectively, such that the sliding cover is adhered to a lower edge of the outer housing, with the wedge members of the sliding cover extended into the receptacles at the outer housing. When an alien object is inserted into one of the receptacles, the sliding cover is slanted due to unequal forces received, such that the sliding cover is incapable of horizontal sliding movements to prevent the alien object from further inserting downward. When the sliding cover received equal forces, the sliding cover compresses the elastic support member, the wedge members are simultaneous disengaged from the receptacles, and the sliding cover is horizontally displaced due to horizontal thrust produced from forces received by the passive inclined planes.
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patent: 4867694 (1989-09-01), Short
patent: 5069630 (1991-12-01), Tseng et al.
patent: 6123557 (2000-09-01), Wang et al.
patent: 6217353 (2001-04-01), Yu-Tse
patent: 6537089 (2003-03-01), Montague
Atom Technology Inc.
Gilman Alex
LandOfFree
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