US 6,310,306 B1Granted

Safety wall socket assembly

OwnerJohn Norlinginventor

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Abstract

A safety wall socket assembly includes a housing, a pair of outer switches, a pair of inner contacts, a pair of conductor wires and a pair of interconnection wires. The outer switches are pivotally mounted to the housing and disposed in the respective cavities thereof. The outer switches are biased to a circuit break condition between the conductor wires and interconnection wires and pivotally displaced to a circuit make condition between the conductor wires and interconnection wires in response to partial insertion of the prongs of an electrical plug into the cavities. No electrical connection is established between the outer switches and the prongs of the plug. The inner contacts are mounted to the housing and disposed in the respective cavities thereof spaced inwardly from the outer switches. The inner contacts are biased to a circuit open condition with the interconnection wires and pivotally movable toward a circuit closed condition with the interconnection wires in response to substantially full insertion of the prongs of the electrical plug into the cavities of the housing wherein an electrical interconnection is established between the prongs and electrical current supply, via the inner contacts, the electrical conductor wires and the interconnection wires.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A safety wall socket assembly, comprising:

(a) a housing having a front end and a pair of cavities defined therein, each of said cavities being open at said front end of said housing and extending inwardly therefrom such that said cavities are adapted to have inserted therein a pair of prongs of an electrical plug;
(b) a pair of outer switches each disposed in a respective one of said cavities of said housing and adjacent to said front end thereof;
(c) a pair of inner electrical contacts each disposed in said respective one of said cavities of said housing at a location remote from said front end thereof and spaced inwardly from said each of said outer switches disposed in said respective one of said cavities;
(d) means for providing an electrical current into said housing;
(e) means for providing an electrical interconnection between said inner electrical contacts and said electrical current providing means;
(f) means for movably mounting said outer switches to said housing and biasing said outer switches to a circuit break condition between said electrical current providing means and said electrical interconnection providing means such that said outer switches are movably displaced by engagement with the prongs of the plug from said circuit break condition to a circuit make condition between said electrical current providing means and said electrical interconnection providing means in response to partial insertion of the prongs of the plug into said cavities of said housing but without the prongs making an electrical connection with the outer switches;
and
(g) means for mounting said inner electrical contacts to said housing such that said inner contacts are electrically connected to said electrical interconnection providing means when the prongs of the plug are substantially fully inserted into said cavities of said housing into contact with said inner contacts and thereby the prongs of the plug are completely interconnected, via said inner contacts, said electrical interconnection providing means and said electrical current providing means, with the source of electrical current upon substantially complete insertion of the prongs into contact with said inner contacts, said means for mounting said inner contacts to said housing biasing said inner contacts to a circuit open condition with said electrical interconnection providing means and to move against said biasing toward a circuit closed condition with said electrical interconnection providing means in response to substantially full insertion of the prongs of the plug into said cavities of said housing which also causes said inner contacts to move from said circuit open condition, wherein said inner contacts are spaced from the prongs, to said circuit closed condition, wherein said inner contacts are engaged with the prongs, so as to provide an electrical interconnection between said electrical interconnection providing means and the prongs via said inner contacts.

5 more elements

A safety wall socket assembly, comprising:

(a) a housing having a front end and a pair of cavities defined therein, each of said cavities being open at said front end of said housing and extending inwardly therefrom such that said cavities are adapted to have inserted therein a pair of prongs of an electrical plug;
(b) a pair of outer switches each disposed in a respective one of said cavities of said housing and adjacent to said front end of said housing;
(c) a pair of inner electrical contacts each disposed in said respective one of said cavities of said housing at a location remote from said front end thereof and spaced inwardly from said each of said outer switches disposed in said respective one of said cavities, each of said inner contacts having a first portion made of an electrically non-conductive material and a second portion made of an electrically conductive material and adapted to be contacted by the prongs with the plug substantially fully inserted into said cavities of said housing;
(d) means for providing an electrical current into said housing;
(e) means for providing an electrical interconnection between said electrical current providing means and said second portions of said inner contacts;
(f) means for movably mounting said outer switches to said housing and biasing said outer switches to a circuit break condition between said electrical current providing means and said electrical interconnection providing means such that said outer switches are movably displaced by engagement with the prongs of the plug from said circuit break condition to a circuit make condition between said electrical current providing means and said electrical interconnection providing means in response to partial insertion of the prongs of the plug into said cavities of said housing but without the prongs making an electrical connection with the outer switches;
and
(g) means for mounting said inner contacts to said housing and biasing said inner contacts to a circuit open condition with said electrical interconnection providing means and to move against said bias toward a circuit closed condition with said electrical interconnection providing means in response to substantially full insertion of the prongs of the plug into said cavities of said housing which also causes said inner contacts to move from said circuit open condition, wherein said second portions of said inner contacts are opened from the prongs, to said circuit closed condition, wherein said second portions of said inner contacts are engaged with the prongs, so as to provide an electrical interconnection between said electrical connection providing means and the prongs via said second portions of said inner contacts when the prongs of the plug are substantially fully inserted into said cavities of said housing and thereby the prongs of the plug are completely interconnected, via said inner contacts, said electrical interconnection providing means and said electrical current upon substantially complete insertion of the prongs into contact with said inner contacts, said means for mounting said inner contacts including
(i) a pair of pivot elements each pivotally mounting one of said inner contacts at said first portion thereof on said housing, and
(ii) a pair of springs each disposed between said housing and said first portion of one of said inner contacts so as to bias said inner contact to said circuit open condition.

7 more elements

A safety wall socket assembly, comprising:

(a) a housing having a front end and a pair of cavities defined therein, each of said cavities being open at said front end of said housing and extending inwardly therefrom such that said cavities are adapted to have inserted therein a pair of prongs of an electrical plug;
(b) a pair of outer switches each disposed in a respective one of said cavities of said housing and adjacent to said front end of said housing;
(c) a pair of inner electrical contacts each disposed in said respective one of said cavities of said housing at a location remote from said front end thereof and spaced inwardly from said each of said outer switches disposed in said respective one of said cavities, each of said inner contacts having a first portion made of an electrically non-conductive material and a second portion made of an electrically conductive material and adapted to be contacted by the prongs with the plug substantially fully inserted into said cavities of said housing;
(d) means for providing an electrical current into said housing;
(e) means for providing an electrical interconnection between said electrical current providing means and said second portions of said inner electrical contacts;
(f) means for movably mounting said outer switches to said housing and biasing said outer switches to a circuit break condition between said electrical current providing means and said electrical interconnection providing means such that said outer switches are movably displaced by engagement with the prongs of the plug from said circuit break condition to a circuit make condition between said electrical current providing means and said electrical interconnection providing means in response to partial insertion of the prongs of the plug into said cavities of said housing but without the prongs making an electrical connection with the outer switches;
and
(g) means for mounting said inner contacts to said housing and biasing said inner contacts to a circuit open condition with said electrical interconnection providing means and to move against said bias toward a circuit closed condition with said electrical interconnection providing means in response to substantially full insertion of the prongs of the plug into said cavities of said housing which also causes said inner contacts to move from said circuit open condition, wherein said second portions of said inner contacts are spaced from the prongs, to said circuit closed condition, wherein said second portions of said inner contacts are engaged with the prongs, so as to provide an electrical interconnection between said electrical interconnection providing means and the prongs via said second portions of said inner contacts when the prongs of the plug are substantially fully inserted into said cavities of said housing and thereby the prongs of the plug are completely interconnected, via said inner contacts, said electrical interconnection providing means and said electrical current providing means, with the source of electrical current upon substantially complete insertion of the prongs into contact with said inner contacts, said means for mounting said inner contacts including a flexible elongated spring member having a pair of opposite ends and being movably mounted at said opposite ends thereof on said housing, each of said inner contacts at said first portion thereof being fixed on said elongated spring member adjacent to and spaced inwardly from one of said opposite ends thereof and projecting forwardly therefrom such that said second portion of each of said inner contacts is respectively contactable with one of the prongs of the plug and with the electrical interconnection providing means in response to substantially full insertion of the prongs of the plug into said cavities of said housing.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/541,757Filed 3 Apr 2000
Granted: 30 Oct 2001
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

H01R 24/76
Two-part coupling devices, or either of their cooperating parts, characterised by their overall structure: with sockets, clips or analogous…
H01R 13/7033
Shorting, shunting or bussing of different terminals interrupted or effected on engagement of coupling part, e.g. for ESD protection, line…
H01R 13/7036
Operated by engagement or disengagement of coupling parts, e.g. dual-continuity coupling part: the switch being in series with coupling part, e.g.…
H01R 2103/00
Two poles