GB2212008A

GB2212008A - Electrical plug

Info

Publication number: GB2212008A
Application number: GB8825621A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Colin Maclean Campbell
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1987-11-04
Filing date: 1988-11-02
Publication date: 1989-07-12
Anticipated expiration: 2008-11-02
Also published as: GB2212008B; GB8725822D0; GB8825621D0

Abstract

An electrical plug comprises an electrically insulating housing 1 having a pin mounting body member 2 mounting an electrically conducting pin 4, and a body closure member 3 detachably secured 18, 19 so as to provide access to wiring connection means 11 of the conducting pin 4. The pin 4 has a head 7 with a transverse recess or passage 11 for receiving an electrically conducting wire 14. The body member 2 has an aperture 5 for receiving the elongate body 6 of the pin 4 therethrough whilst captively retaining its head 7 of the pin, and has laterally adjacent this aperture 5 a wire support portion 8 with an upper face 9 longitudinally displaced, relative to the longitudinal axis of the pin 4, from the recess or passage 11 in the pin head 7. The closure member 3 has an abutment portion 16 formed and arranged for engagement with one of the pin head 7 and a wire portion 24 projecting therefrom, so as to displace one of the pin head 7 and wire portion 24 relative to the other thereby to deform the wire 14 into a staggered configuration with a generally longitudinally extending wire portion held between the opposed faces of the pin head 7 and a body member shoulder portion or said abutment 16, respectively, when the body closure member 3 is secured to the pin mounting body member 2. <IMAGE>

Description

PLUG The present invention relates to an electrical plug.

Conventional electric plugs are relatively awkward and time consuming to connect to electric cables due inter alia to the need to unscrew and screw various fixings between the pins and respective wires and between the main body member and closure member of the insulating housing.

It is an object of the present invention to avoid or minimize one or more of the above disadvantages.

The present invention provides an electrical plug comprising an electrically insulating housing having a pin mounting body member mounting at least one electrically conducting pin, and a body closure member detachably secured to said body member for providing access to wiring connection means of said at least one conducting pin, said pin having a head with a transverse recess or passage means for receiving an electrically conducting wire in use of the plug, said body member having an aperture formed and arranged for receiving the elongate body of the pin therethrough whilst captively retaining the head of the pin, said body member having laterally adjacent said aperture a wire support portion having an upper face longitudinally displaced1 relative to the longitudinal axis of the pin, from said recess or passage means in the pin head and said closure member having an abutment portion formed and arranged for engagement with one of the pin head and a wire portion projecting therefrom, in use of the plug, so as to displace one of said pin head and wire portion relative to the other thereby to deform the wire into a staggered configuration with a generally longitudinally extending wire portion held between opposed faces of the pin head and a boy member shoulder portion or said abutment, respectively, when said body closure member is secured to said pin mounting body member.

The present invention also provides an electrical plug comprising an electrically insulating housing having a pin mounting body member mounting at least one electrically conducting pin, and a body closure member detachably secured to said body member for providing access to wiring connection means of said at least one conducting pin, said pin having a head with a transverse recess or passage means for receiving an electrically conducting wire in use of the plug, said body member having an aperture formed and arranged for receiving the elongate body of the pin therethrough whilst captively retaining the head of the pin, said body member having laterally adjacent said aperture a wire support portion having an upper face longitudinally displaced, relative to the longitudinal axis of the pin, from said recess or passage means in the pin head and said closure member having an abutment portion formed and arranged for engagement with one of the pin head and a wire portion projecting therefrom, in use of the plug during wiring thereof, so as to define with said pin head recess or passage means and the body member, in the closed position of said closure member, a cranked or staggered wire receiving passage means and displace one of said pin head and projecting wire portion, during wiring of the plug, relative to the other thereby to deform the wire into a cranked or staggered configuration with at least part of the deformed wire portion gripped, in said wire receiving passage means, between closely spaced opposed portions of the pin head and a body member shoulder and/or said abutment when said body closure member is secured to said pin mounting body member.

Preferably the body member and closure member are provided with interlocking snap-fit connection means for securing of the closure member to the body member.

Thus with a plug of the present invention, it is possible to "wire" a plug in a particular simple and rapid manner simply by threading the stripped wire end portions into the recess or passage means provided in the pin heads, and then secure the two parts of the housing together, thereby deforming the wire ends into a configuration which is firmly and securly held between the opposed pin and housing portions.

Further preferred features and advantages of the invention will appear from the following detailed description given by way of example of some preferred embodiments illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a plan view of the pin mounting body member of a plug of the invention; Fig 2 is a sectional elevation of the plug of Fig.l along the line X-X with the enclosure member portion in the process of being removed for wiring of the plug; Fig. 3 is a detail view corresponding to Fig.2 illustrating operation of the securing means between the housing portions; Fig.4 A-D is a series of detail views illustrating the wiring of one pin of the plug; and Fig.5 is a detail view corresponding Fig.4 D of a modified embodiment.

Figs. 1 & 2 show a plug 1 comprising an electrically insulating housing made up of a main pin mounting body member 2 and a closure member 3 with a variety of electrically conducting pins -4 mounted in the body member 2 so as to project therefrom.

In more detail, the body member 2 has a plurality of apertures 5 formed and arranged for receiving the elongate body 6 of a respective pin 4 with a sliding fit therethrough, whilst captively retaining an enlarged head 7 of the pin inside the body member 2.

The body member 2 has extending around each aperture F an upstanding wall 8 which has opposed notches 9 terminating in shoulders 10 at a level above the aperture 5 greater than the level of a wire receiving bore 11 extending transversely through the head 7 of the pin 4. The walls 8 are spaced from opposed faces 13 of the pin head 7 from which the bore 11 extends, the spacing being generally equal to or slightly less than the thickness of the stripped wire end 14 of the cable 15 to be connected to the pin 4.

The closure member 3 is provided with a plurality of inwardly projecting abutment portions 16 which are sliding fit inside the walls 8 for abutment with the tops 17 of the respective pin heads 7.

The closure member is also provided with an inwardly projecting latching member 18 for latching engagement with a recessed keeper means 19 in the main body member 2 for securely holding the two portions of the housing together. In addition, small "hingeaction" inter engagement portions 20, 21 are provided at one side of the housing in opposed portions of the closure member 3, and body member 2, respectively.

Whilst the main body member will generally be made of a substantially rigid plastics material, the closure member is preferably made of a softer, at least partly flexible plastics material to facilitate opening and closing of the housing by displacement the latching member 18 to the right (as viewed in Fig.3) from its securing position, the closure member then being hinged upwardly about its hingeing portion 20.

As shown in Fig.4, once the closure member 3 has been removed, the pin is pushed back into the body member 2 to lift its head 7 above the wall 8. The stripped end 14 of a conductor cable 15 is then threaded through the bore 11 therein until it projects from the far side of the head 7. The pin head 7 is then pushed back down inside the surrounding wall 8 as far as possible with finger pressure (See Fig.4 C) whereupon rep-lacement and securing of the closure member 3 results in the pin head 7 being forced fully back home inside the wall 8 with the stripped wire end 14 deformed into a staggered configuration extending through one notch 9 around the shoulder 10 at the base of the notch 9 down between the opposed faces of the wall and pin head being tightly gripped therebetween, through the pin head bore 11 and then up and into the notch 9 in the wall at the far side of the pin head. It will be appreciated that with this configuration the wire will be securely held in good electrical contact with the pin head 7 and securely retained against being pulled out from the pin head.

As shown in Fig.1 the body member 2 additionally includes a screwless cord grip in the form of a deflectable inclined opposed jaws 22 to provide further security against pulling out of the cables.

Fig.5 shows the modified embodiment in which the enclosure member 3 is provided with downwardly projecting wall means 23 which engage and force down wire portions 24 projecting from the pin head bore 11 at either end thereof, so as to deform the stripped wire end 14 into a staggered configuration which is securely gripped between the wall 23 and the pin head 7 and against pulling out therefrom.

It will be appreciated that various modifications may be made to the above described embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. Thus, for example, various other forms of securing means could be used between the body member and closure member including on the one hand, for example, rotatable camming engagement means and on the other hand where the plug is not intended to be wired by a user, by solvent and/or thermal welding means. In addition, there will normally desirably be provided generally conventional form of fuse holder arrangement 25 for holding a fuse 26 (See Fig.l).

Finally Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation through another plug of the invention in a fully wired condition. In the drawing like parts corresponding to those of the earlier embodiments, are indicated by like reference numerals.

The plug of Fig. 6 is generally similar to the earlier embodiments but in this case the body member 2 has outer side walls 25 inclined outwardly in a rearward direction away from the projecting pin ends 26, and terminating in an outwardly projecting circumferential flange 27 so as to provide a good finger grip engagement with the body member. At the same time the closure member outer side wall 28 is inclined inwardly in the rearward direction and recessed inwardly of the flange so as to avoid providing any purchase for gripping thereof. In this way the closure member is protected against the application thereto of any forces tending to open the plug during normal handling thereof and in particular during withdrawal from a power socket. In addition the abutment portions are made generally tubular 29 instead of solid in order to facilitate manufacture of the closure member by moulding.

Claims

1. An electrical plug comprising an electrically insulating housing having a pin mounting body member mounting at least one electrically conducting pin, and a body closure member detachably secured to said body member for providing access to wiring connection means of said at least one conducting pin, said pin having a head with a transverse recess or passage means for receiving an electrically conducting wire in use of the plug, said body member having an aperture formed and arranged for receiving the elongate body of the pin therethrough whilst captively retaining the head of the pin, said body member having laterally adjacent said aperture a wire support portion having an upper face longitudinally displaced, relative to the longitudinal axis of the pin, from said recess or passage means in the pin head and said closure member having an abutment portion formed and arranged for engagement with one of the pin head and a wire portion projecting therefrom, in use of the plug, so as to displace one of said pin head and wire portion relative to the other thereby to deform the wire into a staggered configuration with a generally longitudinally extending wire portion held between opposed faces of the pin head and a body member should portion or said abutment, respectively, when said body closure member is secured to said pin mounting body member.

2. An electrical plug comprising an electrically insulating housing having a pin mounting body member mounting at least one electrically conducting pin, and a body closure member detachably secured to said member for providing access to wiring connection means of said at least one conducting pin, said pin having a head with a transverse recess or passage means for receiving an electrically conducting wire in use of the plug, said body member having an aperture formed and arranged for receiving the elongate body of the pin therethrough whilst captively retaining the head of the pin, said body member having laterally adjacent said aperture a wire support portion having an upper face longitudinally displaced, relative to the longitudinal axis of the pin, from said recess or passage means in the pin head and said closure member having an abutment portion formed and arranged for engagement with one of the pin head and a wire portion projecting therefrom, in use of the plug during wiring thereof, so as to define with said pin head recess or passage means, and the body member, in the closed position of said closure member, a cranked or staggered wire receiving passage means and displace one of said pin head and projecting wire portion, during wiring of the plug, relative to the other thereby to deform the wire into a cranked or staggered configuration with at least part of the deformed wire portion gripped, in said wire receiving passage means, between closely spaced opposed portions of the pin head and a body member shoulder and/or said abutment when said body closure member is secured to said pin mounting body member.

3. A plug according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the body member and closure member are provided with interlocking snap-fit connection means for securing of the closure member to the body member.

4. A plug according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein said body member has finger grip portions extending outwardly, in a rearward direction away from the direction in which said at least one pin projects from the body member.

5. A plug according to claim 4 wherein said body member has outer wall means inclined outwardly in said rearward direction.

6. A plug according to claim 4 or claim 5 wherein said body member has an outwardly extending flange at or towards its rearward side.

7. A plug according to any one of claims 4 to 6 wherein the body member extends outwardly of the closure member along a substantial part of its periphery.

8. A plug according to any one of claims 4 to 7 wherein the outer wall of the closure member is inclined inwardly in said rearward direction.

9. A plug according to any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein said body member includes screwless cord-grip means for gripping the proximal end of a cable extending from said plug in use of the plug.

10. A plug according to claim 9 wherein said cord-grip means comprises opposed rib or flange means inclined inwardly towards each other in a direction towards the interior of the plug.

11. A plug according to claim 10 wherein said rib or flange means are resiliently deformable.

12. A plug according to claim 3 and any one of claims 4 to 11 when dependent on claim 3 wherein said body member is provided with an access aperture or recess adjacent said snap-fit connection means and said connection means are formed and arranged so as to permit disengagement of said connection means by insertion of a tool in said access recess or aperture.

13. A plug according to any one of claims 1 to 12 wherein said body member has a pin head receiving recess with at least one side wall opposite an open end of said pin head transverse bore in closely spaced proximity thereto in a fully inserted position of the pin and said closure member abutment is formed and arranged for engagement with the free end of the pin head in a partly retracted position thereof with a wire portion projecting from said open end above said side wall during wiring of the plug, and driving said pin into its fully inserted position as said closure member is moved into its closed position thereby bending said wire portion to extend upwardly between the pin head and said side wall and be gripped therebetween.

14. A plug according to any one of claims 1 to 12 wherein said closure member has an abutment formed and arranged so that a side wall of said abutment extends opposite an open end of said pin head transverse bore in closely spaced proximity thereto in the closed position of the closure member and so that during wiring of the plug said abutment engages a wire portion projecting from said open end and cranks it downwardly to extend between the pin head and said side wall and be gripped therebetween.

15. An electrical plug substantially as described hereinbefore with particular reference to any one of Figs. 1 to 4; and Figs. 1 to 4 as modified in accordance with Fig. 5 or Fig. 6.

16. A method of wiring a plug according to claim 13 comprising the steps of: providing a plug according to claim 13 and an electrically insulated wire; stripping the insulation from an end portion of said wire to provide an uninsulated electrically conducting wire portion; opening the closure member and at least partly retracting the pin head so as to permit insertion of the wire portion in the transverse recess or passage means of the pin head; disposing said wire portion in said transverse recess or passage means; and closing the closure member so that the abutment thereof drives said pin into its fully inserted position and deforming part of the wire portion to extend and be gripped between the pin head and the abutment.

17. A method of wiring a plug according to claim 14 comprising the steps of : providing a plug according to claim 14 and an electrically insulated wire; stripping the insulation from an end portion of said wire to provide an uninsulated electrically conducting wire portion; opening the closure member; disposing the wire portion in the transverse recess or passage means; and closing the closure member so that the abutment thereof cranks downwardly part of the uninsulated wire portion projecting from said open end to extend and be gripped between the pin head and abutment.