Electrical plug and outlet unit

Abstract

An electrical plug and outlet unit adapted for insertion into a conventional three-socket, high voltage receptacle for providing a reduced voltage at at least one outlet forming a part of the unit. The unit includes a single conductor prong and a single ground prong projecting rearwardly from within a non-conductive body member. These prongs are arranged in a pattern for permitting the conductor prong to be received within one of the hot sockets of the high voltage receptacle, and for permitting the ground prong to be received within an equipment ground socket of the high voltage receptacle. Each of the unit outlets includes a pair of electrical contacts aligned with respective openings in a front face of the non-conductive body member for receiving prongs of a conventional low voltage plug. Electrically conductive means connects the conductor prong to one of the pair of electrical contacts of each outlet, and connects the ground prong to the other electrical contact of each outlet. In this manner one of the hot lines of the high voltage receptacle is omitted from the circuitry of the unit of this invention. Therefore, each of the outlets is of a reduced voltage, equal to one-half of the voltage of the receptacle into which the unit of this invention is plugged. Preferably, a fuse is in the conductive path that connects the conductor prong to its respective electrical contacts so that the current flowing through the electrical plug and outlet unit must traverse the fuse.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.