US1632599A - Snap plug - Google Patents

Description

l 632 599 l June 14, 1927- G. A, HAYWARD SNAP PLUG Filed Oct. 6. 1925 INVENTOR 601,196 A Hayward Patented June 14, 1927.

UNITED sTATEs enonen n..na1rwm,vor wa'rEnTowN, CONNECTICUT.

SNAP ILUG.

l111111111311011 ma mm e, 1925. serial 1u. 00,751.

This invention relates to electric connecting devices, and more particularly to a detachable connecting plug adapted to be easily and rapidly pushed into or removed from a standard electric wall socket.

One object of the invention is to provide anA electric -socket plug which may be inserted in and removed from a wall socket by la direct motion of translation without any twisting motion whatever.

A further object is to provide a plug yof the` above nature having a pair of springpressed balls projecting beyond the surface of the plug for yieldingly engaging the l5 threads of a Wall socket.'

A further object is to provide a plug of the above nature which will be simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to assemble and manipulate, ornamental in appearance, and very eicient and durable -in use.

With these and other objects inview,there have been illustrated onthe accompanying drawings, two forms in which the invention may be conveniently embodied in practice.

Fig. l re resents a top plan view of an electric soc et plug embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the same.

I0 Fig. 3 is a sidesectional view showing the plug of Figs. 1 and 2 as it appears when in pos1tion within a'wall socket. l

` Fig. 4 is a side view of an incandescent lamp bulb also embodying the invention.

In the common `:forms of electric socket plugs now in general use, it has been customary to provide a threaded shell uponl the outer'surface of the plug for engaging corresponding threads on the surrounding wall socket. One disadvantage of this form of plug was that the continual twisting necessary to connect and disconnect the plug had a. tendency to produce snarls or kinks in the cord.

By means of the present'invention, the above and other disadvantages have been largely avoided. vThis has been accomplished by constructing the plug in such a manner that it will be unnecessary to twist it when 5 connecting and disconnectmg it.

Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numerals denote corresponding parts throughout the several views, the first form of the invention is shown inAFigs.

- respectively.

1, 2, and 3, in which the numeral 10 indicates a substantially.,cylindrical insulating body member, said body member having a pair of oppositely disposed vertical Side grooves 11 and l12 adapted to receive a pair of angular connecting strips 13and 14. The lower ends of the strips 13 and 14 have binding screws 15 and 16 adapted to be driven into the' threaded bushings 17 and 18 The binding screws 15 and 16 and bushings v17 and 18 form binding posts for a pair ofA insulated conductors 19 and 20, said conductors being` knotted together at 21 and forming part of a two-wire cord 22 leading to any desired power-consuming device, not shown. z

In order'to enclose the knotted end of the cord, provision is made of a closure cap 23 screwed upon the lower end of the body member 10, said closure cap 23 having a central aperture 24 surrounding the cord 22. In order to provide ample room for the knotted end of the cord, the bottom of the body member 10 is provided with a spherical recess 25. This recess 25 communicates with the side grooves 11 and 12, mentioned above,

by means of inclined passages 26 and 27 through which-the wires 19 and 20 are adapted to pass.A

' In order to form a yielding contact with the center terminal of the socket, the horizontal arm 28 of the angular connect-ing strip 14 is slit longitudinally at two places so as to provide three tongue members 29, 30, and 31, Vthe tongue member .30 being raised above the plane of the tongue members 29 and 31 and lying parallel thereto. By means of this construction, when the plug is in operating position, the central tongue member 30 will resiliently engage the center terminal of the screw shell, which is designated by the numeral 32, and is seated in a recess-in a wall 33, as shown in Fig. 3. The tongue members 29 and 31 are held rigidly in place by an eyelet member 34 having-its top portion 35 headed over upon said tongues 29 and 31. The eyelet member 34 passes down through an insulating washer 36 and has a lower enlarged anchoring flange 37 adapted to be embedded in the body member 10 during the molding process. The top arm 38 of the connecting strip 13 is provided with a pair of oppositely disposed arms 39 and 40, said arms 39, and 40 being located in suitable recesses so as to lie flush with the top surface of said body member.

In order to conduct the current from the threaded shell contact of the screw socket 32, the arms 39 and 40 are provided with a pair of depending side strips 41 and 42 adapted to be disposed within recesses 43 and 44 on opposite sides of the body member 10. The vertical strips 41 and 42 are provided with beveled apertures 45 and 4 6 near their lower ends through which a pair of metallic balls 47 and 48 are adapted to project. The balls 47 and 48are pressed outwardly by spiral coiled springs 49 andl 50, said springs being housed within a pair of cup-shaped bushings 5,1 and .52 respectively, the open ends of said bushings being in electrical contact with the strips 41 and 42.

By means of this construction when the plug is pushed straight into a Wall socket, the balls 47 and 48 will resiliently press against the threads of the screw shell 32 and the pluO' will generally come to rest at a point where one of the balls lies in a groove and the other ball engages a rib of the screw threads, whereby a good contact will always be insured, without requiring any rotation of the plug.

In operation, the current from the socket shell will pass through the balls 47 and 48, the spiral springs 49 and 50, the bushings 51 and 52, and the strips 41 and 42, whence it will pass out of the plug through the wire 19. The current from the center terminal of the socket will pass down through the resilient tongue member 30, through the angular connecting strip 14 and out of the plug through the wire 20.

Fig. 4 shows a modified forni of the invention which comprises an incandescent lamp having a bulb 53 and a base member 54, the latter being similar to the plug 10 shown in Figs. 1, 2, and In this embodiment, however, instead of connecting the terminal members 12 and 13 to a two-wire cord, thev are joined directly inside the base member 54 to the two terminals 55 and 56 leading to the lamp filament 57.

It will be understood that while the invention has been shown by way of example as applied to a one-part socket plug, it may be equally well employed on a two-part plug within the general scope of the invention.

While there have been disclosed in this specification two forms in which the invention may be embodied` it is to be understood that these forms are shown for the purpose of illustration only, and that the invention Ais not to be limited to thc specific disclosures but may be modified and embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit. In short, the invention includes all the modifications and embodiments coming within the scope of the following claims.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new and for which it is desired to secure Letters Patent, is:

1. In an electric socket plug for non-rotative insertion in an electric wall socket, an insulating body member, a pair of terminal members to be'connected to a pair of conductors leading to a power-consuming unit, a pair of conducting strips located on opposite sides of said body member and being electrically connected to one of said terminal members, a pair of balls projecting through said strips and adapted to engage the shell of said socket, a pair of springs pressing upon said balls, a pair of metallic bushings for receiving said balls and springs, said bushings being in electrical contact with said springs and said strips, and means for connecting the center contact ol the socket to the other terminal member.

2. In a socket plug for electrically connecting the center and threaded shell terminals of an electric wall socket to a pair of conductors leading to a power-consuming unit, an insulating body member, a pair of spring-pressed members adapted to yeildingly contact with the ribs and grooves of said threaded shell, means to connect said springpressed members to one of said conductors, means for connecting the center contact with the other conductor comprising an an ular metal strip passing up through said ody member and having its upper end bent laterally and formed with a resilient prong to yieldingly engage said center terminal and having a pair of side prongs connected to said body member.

8. In a socket plug for electrically connecting a pair of conductors to the center and threaded shell terminals of an electric wall socket, an insulating plug member, means on said plug member for electrically connecting said threaded shell to one of said conductors, and means for electrically connecting the other conductor to said center terminal comprising an angular strip member having a transverse portion` said transverse portion having a raised resilient tongue adapted to yieldingly engage said center terminal and having a pair of side prongs connected to said plug member.

4. In a socket plug for electrically connecting a pair of conductors to the center and threaded shell terminals of an electric wall socket, an insulating plug member, means on said plug member for electrically connecting said threaded shell to one of said conductors, and means for electrically connecting the other conductor to said center terminal comprising an angular strip member having a transverse portion, said transverse portion having a raised resilient tongue adapted to yieldingly engage said center terminal, said transverse portion being anchored in said plug member by means of an eyelet member. 4

54 Ina socket plug for electr1cally connect-- ing a pair of conductors to the center 'and screw shell terminals of an electric wall socket. an insulatingr plug member, means for electrically connecting one of said conductors to the threaded shell of said socket, means for electrically connecting the other conductor to said center terminal comprising an angular member connected at its lower end to said other conductor, the upper end of said angular member having a transverse section consisting of two side arms and a raised central prong adapted to yieldingly engage said center terminal, and an eyelet member embedded in the material of the plurr adapted to engage said side arms `for anchoring them to the bottom of the plug.

6. In a socket plug for electrically connecting a pair of conductors to the center and screw shell terminals of an electric wall socket, an insulating plug member, means .for electrically connecting one of said conductors to the threaded shellof said socketJ means for electrically connecting the other conductor to said center terminal comprising an angular member connected at its lower end to said other conductor, the upper end of said angular member having a transverse section consisting of two side arms and a raised central prong adapted to yieldingly engage said center terminal, an eyelet member embedded in the material of the plug adapted to engage said side arms for anchoring them to .the bottom of the plug, and a washer for insulating said angular member from said screw shell connecting means.

In testimony whereof,k I have axed my -signature to this specification.

GEORGE A. HAYWARD

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