US2561740A - Combined conductor plug and spool - Google Patents

Description

E. M- KENNEDY COMBINED CONDUCTOR PLUG AND SPOOL July 24, 1951 Filed June ll, 1948 INVENTOR.

Patented July 24, 1951 UNITED STATES, P I OFFICE 2,561,740 COMBINED CONDUCTOR PLUG AND SPOOL Earl M. Kennedy, (luyahoga, Ohio Application June 11, isiaseriarn 32,478

Outlet plugs for supplying electric current to lamps, lights, electric irons, electrically Operated machines, or the like, are usually equipped with electric conductor cords of considerable lengths for ,thepurpose intended. Such cords when-in use ordinarily have considerable slack often ly- I ing in an unsightly manner on the floor, disposed so as to be in the Way, and located where persons may be tripped, causing inadvertent pulling of the plug, and otherwise disadvantageous or a nuisance.

1 Claim. (01. 173-361) My invention contemplates the provision of a novel plug and spool unit, the plug element of which may be plugged into an ordinary outlet box or socket, and forming a part of the spool element which is designed to lie snugly against desired to be taken up, and embodies a novel resilient snubbing or clamping portion to engage the cord to prevent displacement of the wound portion thereof when the unit is in use.

The unit of my invention is designed especially to provide a neat and unobjectionably protuberant appearance when in use, as will appear more fully hereinafter.

A preferred embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a View in general side elevation showing a combined outlet plug and spool embodying the invention, the lower head of the spool being shown in section as comprising a resilient structure having the snubbing or clampin means for the conductor wire engaged with the latter as when the unit is in use.

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, bringing out more clearly the clamping action of the lower resilient head clamping parts in relation to the conductor cord.

Describing my invention specifically in conjunction with the illustration thereof in the accompanying drawings, I note that my combined unit comprises generally a spool having the upper plug head I and the lower resilient plug head 2. The upper plug head I is equipped with the usual prongs or contact plates 3 with which adjacent ends of the wires of the conductor cord 4 are connected by screws or any other suitable means in the customary manner. From their point of attachment to the terminal prongs 3, the wires of the conductor cord 4 pass through a curved opening in the plug head I and emerge from the base of said head at one side of the spool body 5 largement or flange 6.

v I 2 i which is of shaft-like or cylindrical shape, and extends downwardly from the middle of the lower side of the plug head I. The spool body 5 is integral with the plug head I, and in View of the electrical nature of the appliance of my invention, it is contemplated that the parts I and 5 shall be made of hard insulation material of rubher, plastic, or other suitable composition.

The spool body 5 is of considerable length, and is formed at its lower end with an annular en- For fitting about the flanged end of the body 5 the resilient head 2 of my unit is formed at its upper flat side with a recess extending from said upper flat side and enlarged so as to conform generally with sides of the flange part 6 received in the enlarged portionwhen the member 2 is assembled with the remaining structureof the unit. By reason of the resilient structure of the lower head 2 of the spool, it is obvious that merely by stretching the material of the said head, the same may be caused to interengage with the flange 6 of the body 5 to establish the interlocking connection between the parts 5 and 2, the portion of the member 2 above the flange 6 snugly fltting the body of the spool to prevent displacement of the member 2 from said body 5. In other Words, the recess formed in the upper surface of the resilient head 2 is constricted above the flange 6 of the body 5, thereby to engage over the flange and prevent unauthorized displacement of the part 2 from the part 5.

The plug head I is generally of rounded form on its upper and side surfaces, and tapers downwardly toward its outerend. The resilient head 2 is of a general conformation similar to that of the plug head 1 except that the curved surfaces extend in a reverse direction. At their innermost portions the heads I and 2 are flat so that they may lie against a wall or baseboard or floor surface, thus disposing the spool body 5 in parallelism with such surface and avoiding any unduly protuberant parts that might be unsightly or be conducive to the accidental displacement of the plug element I and its terminal prongs 3 from the outlet box or socket with which the parts 3 are engaged.

At its outermost reduced portion the resilient socket 2 is provided with an inwardly extending recess 1 providing resilient lips or clamping mem bers 8 and an entrance mouth 9 for the introduction into the recess of a portion of the cord 4 for snubbing or clamping action against the cord for purposes to be explained more fully hereinafter.

As seen in Figure 1, the cord 4 is entirely wrapped around the body of the spool 5 and the extent of unwrapping of the, cordfrom said spool would depend upon the distance at which the electric equipment to be operated by currentpassing through the cord 4 is disposed in spaced relation to the plug and spool unit of my invention, as will be obvious. The conductor cord-4 is equipped with the usual plug connector for engagement in the socket of a lamporother piece of electric equipment, along therlines previously described.

Under some conditions, my plug: and spool unit may be'employed by utilizing the plug head! and terminal prongs 3 to connect the unit to a machine or equivalent type of apparatus, and the cord 4 may be then unwound from the spool body 5 to whatever extent necessary to utilize the cord- 4 and bring the plug lfl to the proper'position for engaging the outlet socket or box located in a wall or like place, the unwinding of the cord, however, being only to such extent as to enable the use of the conductor without. having undue slack in the length of the latter.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and. desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

A combination electric plug and, spool unit 4 comprising a spool body having an integral plug head at one end, electrical terminal prongs extending from said plug head, said plug head and spool body being made of hard insulation material, the spool body being provided at its other end with an annular enlargement flange, a resilient head carried by the end of the spool body having said flange and formed with a flat side having airece's'spf a siaeto'receive,the zflange and formed with a constricted'portion to fit snugly about the spool body and stretchable over the said flange to interlock the resilient head to the spoolabody; saidresilient head being formed with spaced resilient conductor wire clamping members-'at'aside thereof, and conductor wires being 00111193176611130 the terminal prongs of the plug.

head, wrappable about the spool body, and engageablewith the clamping members of the resilient head of the unit.

KENNEDY.

I REFERENCESCITED Thefollowing references are of record in the file of this patent: 1

UNITED STATES PATENTS

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