Electrical connectors – With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in... – Retaining means
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-26
2001-11-13
Abrams, Neil (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in...
Retaining means
Reexamination Certificate
active
06315593
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an electrical connector and more specifically to a multiple gang electrical connector assembly for detachable connection to a conventional wall outlet electrical receptacle.
Conventional wall outlet electrical receptacles do not have any structure for locking them to the male electrical plug that is found on the end of an electrical cord of an electrical appliance or electrical tool. When a vacuum cleaner is used either in the home or a workplace the male electrical plug will generally pull out of the wall outlet electrical receptacle several times during operation. Likewise when someone is using an electrical tool while they are moving it about its male electrical plug will pull out of the wall outlet electrical receptacle.
It is also frequently desirable to insert more than two electrical plugs into a standard wall electrical receptacle. The Alemaghides U.S. Pat. No. 2,454,024; the Cohen U.S. Pat. No. 2,792,561; the Horwinski U.S. Pat. No. 3,997,225; and the Lee U.S. Pat. No. 5,211,584 Disclose multiple electrical receptacle units adapted to be attached to a wall-mount receptacle. None of these disclose structure for locking the male electrical plug of a tool or appliance to the multiple electrical receptacle unit.
The Ballmer U.S. Pat. No. 4,061,409 discloses a releasable locking means for a two-part electrical connector member for preventing the accidental separation of the two body members when they are joined in electrical engagement. The use of the releasable locking means requires that one of the blade prongs on the male electrical plug have a cutaway portion thereby making it non-operational with a conventional male electrical plug.
The Sowers U.S. Pat. No. 5,316,493 discloses an electrical connection between the male connector on an electrical cord and a female electrical connector either on the end of an electrical cord or in an electrical outlet socket. Necessary structure for this device to operate requires that the ground prong have a notch therein and this structure therefore would not work with a conventional male electrical plug.
It is an object of the invention to provide a novel multiple gang electrical connector assembly that can be rigidly connected to a wall outlet electrical receptacle.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a novel multiple gang electrical connector assembly that has a locking mechanism for securing the male electrical plug of an electrical appliance or tool thereto.
It is another object of the invention to provide a novel multiple gang electrical connector assembly that is economical to manufacture and market.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel multiple gang electrical connector assembly that does not require any modification to the blade prongs of a conventional male electrical plug.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a novel multiple gang electrical connector assembly that allows a male electrical plug to be quickly and easily locked therein or released therefrom.
It is another object of the invention to provide a novel multiple gang electrical connector assembly that eliminates the danger of a partial pullout of a male electrical plug in areas frequented by small children.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The multiple gang electrical connector assembly has a housing having a pair of vertically spaced sets of blade prongs and their respective ground prongs extending from the rear wall of the housing. These members are inserted into a conventional wall outlet electrical receptacle. The screw of that wall outlet electrical receptacle would have been removed previously and a much longer screw would be passed through the front wall of the housing and screwed into wall outlet electrical receptacle to rigidly secure it thereto.
A plurality of pairs of laterally spaced electrical plug apertures are formed in the front wall of the housing and each pair of laterally spaced electrical plug apertures has its own ground prong aperture. The laterally spaced electrical plug apertures are also aligned in two vertically spaced horizontally oriented lines. For manufacturing purposes it may be more economical to have each horizontal line of electrical plug apertures formed in its own module housing.
Each of the module housings would have an upper conductor bar, a lower conductor bar and a ground conductor bar. These would electrically tie the respective electrical plug apertures together and also the respective ground prongs together.
Spaced above and extending outwardly from the housing is a horizontally oriented shaft for each of the module housings. A knob is mounted on the front end of these shafts and their rear ends would be supported by structure within the housing. Each shaft would have a plurality of rings or annular shoulders laterally spaced from each other by reduced diameter shaft areas or annular grooves. The rings or annular shoulders have a transversely extending groove or channel along their periphery that aligns with one of the blade prongs for each of the male electrical plugs. The other blade prong would align with the reduced diameter shaft area or annular grooves. The spacing of the axis of the shaft above the electrical apertures in the front wall of the housing is a predetermined height thereabove so that a small rotation of the knob on the end of the shaft will take the rings or annular shoulders into locking engagement or out of locking engagement with the top edge of the respective blade prong on its male electrical plug. The radially extending arm connected to the shaft has its rotation halted when it contacts the stop pins at the respective lock and unlocked positions.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2792561 (1957-05-01), Cohen
patent: 4061409 (1977-12-01), Bealmear
patent: 4627681 (1986-12-01), Hong
patent: 5316493 (1994-05-01), Sowers
patent: 5641298 (1997-06-01), Holloway
Bentley James K.
Davidson Richard G.
O'Keefe Michael S.
Abrams Neil
Logan II Charles C.
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