US2398996A - Electric plug - Google Patents

Description

Apr il 23, 1946. G. a. BENANDER ELECTRIC PLUG Filed Oct. '7, 1942 Inventor? George Benander', Jo s WW v His Abbo ngg.

the axis of. the terminal. when viewed in Fig. 1- extends across the center line of the terminal, more specifically it extends Patented Apr. 23', 1946 ELECTRIC PLUG George B. Benander, Oaklawn, R. I., assignor to Monowatt Electric. Corporation,

Providence,

R. 1., a corporation of Connecticut Application October 7, 1942, Serial No. 461,095

6 Claims.

The present invention relates to electric plugs for connection to electric conductors to form therewith cord sets such as are used for connecting electric appliances to outlet receptacles.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved construction of electric plugs and cord sets consisting of a minimum number of parts which may be produced at low cost and which are safe and reliable in operation.

For a consideration of what I believe to be novel and my invention, attention is directed to the following description and the claims appended thereto in connection with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing Fig. 1 is a front view of a cord set embodying my invention with a part of the plug broken away; Fig. 2 is a section along line 2--2 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is an exploded view of the cord set shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The cord set shown in the drawing comprises a housing In made of two identical parts H and I2 secured together by a rivet or bolt or like connecting means l3 and enclosing. portions of a cord It with bare ends or legs 15 and I6 connected respectively to two terminals, contacts or uprights l1 and I8. Each housing part II and I2 is molded of a suitable molding material such as' a phenolic condensation product or artificial resin. Each of the two identical housing parts has an upper or cord-receiving portion l9, an in have sliding fit in the slots 25, 26. To accommo' date the intermediate portions 28 of the terminals a slot 30 is formed in each branch channel 23 adjacent the inner wall thereof and forming therewith a shoulder 3|. To accommodate the end portions 29 of the terminals another slot or recess 32 is formed across each channel 23, 24, forming a continuation of the slot 30 and 'extending into the outer wall of the respective branch channels. The central portion 33 of the slot 32 is enlarged to accommodate the bare wire connected to the end portions 29 of the terminals. The end portions of the bare wire are merely wound around the terminal end portions 29,

Upon assembly of the terminals with the bare end portions of the wires, said bare end portions are in part accommodated in and wedged into the enlarged central portions 33 ofthe slots 32.

termediate portion 20, and a lower or base portion 2|. The upper portion l9 forms a channel 22, which at its lower end is bifurcated, forming two branches or branch channels 23 and 24 in the intermediate portion 20. The lower end of each branch 23, 24 connects to a slot 25 and 26 respectively in the base 2|. The slots 25 and 26 are parallel to the axis or center line of the plug.

The formation of various recesses and depressions for receiving the terminals l1, l8 will be more readily understood by first looking at the construction of the latter. leg 21 consisting of twoparts, one part being folded back upon the other. One part is extended, forming an intermediate portion 28 and amend portion 29. The intermediate portion 28 is arranged at an angle to the axis of the terminal, which angle in the present example is of the order of 30 angular degrees. The end portion '29 is arranged at an angle to the intermediate :portion- 28,, in the present instance at a right angle, that. is, at an angle of about 60 degrees to The end portion 29 equahdistances-from opposite sides of the terminal-center line.

Each terminal is securely held in the housing. The upper portions of the terminal legs or parts Each terminal has a During assembly the bare ends of the wires are wound around the end portions 29 of the terminals, as best shown in Fig. 3. The terminals with the bare end or leg portions thereon are inserted in one'part of the plug housing. The other part of the plug housing is then assembled with the first mentioned part and secured thereto by suitable connecting means such as a hollow rivet 13. The two housing parts thus are securely fastened together and in turn force the bare end portions of the wires into intimate contact with the respective terminals. No screws or solder are needed to form a satisfactory electrical connection between the wires of the cord and the terminals. The rivet or like connecting means for the housing together with the housing constitute the only meansfor forcing the bare ends of the cord wire into contact with the respective terminals.

In order to relieve the strain on the bare ends of the cord wire when the plug is pulled out of a receptacle by pulling on the cord, each housing part is provided with a ridge 34 in the channel 22 extending at an obtuse angle to the axis of the housing. The ridges of the two parts when assembled extend in opposite directions, crossing each other and thus are adapted firmly to f grip a cord of the proper cross section.

With my invention I have accomplished an improved construction of electric plugs and cord sets. A plug according to illustrated embodiment of my invention has a housing made of two identical molded halves or parts forming together an essentially Y-shaped channel with the leg of the Y channel located in the top portion and the branches of the Y channel extending through an intermediate portion to the base of the housing. Adjacent side portions of the branches are recessed. The lower ends of these recesses are extended to form two parallel slots in the base and the upper ends of the recesses form shoulders and are extended across the branches into the opposite sides of the branches. The recesses are adapted to receive and firmly to hold and posi-' tion terminals or uprights which have a main portion projecting through one of the parallel slots and intermediate portions located'in the recesses along the inner sides of the branch channels and finally end-portions extending across the respective branch of the Y-shaped channel. Portions of the recesses for receiving the end portions of the terminals are enlarged to accommodate bare ends of the wires wound around the terminals and to establish a firm electrical contact between such bare end wires and the respective terminals. Said enlargements are substantially spaced from the connecting portions between the branch channels and the leg or inlet channel and the enlargements of the two branch channels are separated by solid portions of the housing parts, thus substantially eliminating the danger of short-circuiting between the bare end portions of conductors connected to the respective terminals.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An electric cord set comprising a plug hav ing a housing made of two complementary parts, each part having a base, an intermediate and a top portion, an inlet channel formed centrally in the top portion, two branch channels formed in the intermediate portion and merging into the inlet channel, two'parallel slots formed an the base each extending into one of the branch channels, each branch channel having a central depression and a recess on one side of the depression and a shoulder on the opposite side thereof, two terminals each having a leg projecting through one of the slots in the base, an intermediate portion at an angle to the leg engaging one side of a branch channel and an end portion extending across a branch channel and engaging said shoulder and projecting into said recess, l and a cord including two insulated wires located in said channels and having bare end portions wound around the end portions of the terminals and wedged into said depressions.

2. A plug housing for electric cord sets having two complementary parts forming a Y-shaped channel with an inlet portion for receiving a cord. and branch portions for receiving bare end portions of the cord and terminals connected thereto, each branch portion having a first recess extending across the channel and having a central enlarged portion for receiving a terminal portion with a wire wound around it and a second recess extending along and forming a shoulder on the inner side of the channel for receiving and locating another terminal portion, and parallel slots each connecting to a second recess for-receiving another terminal portion.

3. An electric cord set comprising a housing having two complementary parts with an upper portion and a. base forming a Y-shaped channel with the branches of the Y extending to the base, parallel slots being formed in the base each connecting to the end of a branch channel, a rectangular recess being formedin each branch channel and having one centrally enlarged part extending across the branch channel and another part extending along one side of the branch channel and connecting to the inner end of one of the slots, a cord projecting through the inlet of each branch and having one part connecting to the end of a slot and a second part extending across a branch and having a central depression, two terminals each having a portion extending through a slot and another rectangular portion disposed Within a rectangular recess, an electric cord having two legs with bare portions located in the Y-shaped channel with the bare portions wound around the rectangular portions of the terminals and partly accommodated in'the respective depressions, and a single connecting means securing the two housing halves together and wedging the rectangular terminal portions with the bare leg portions into said depressions.

5. In combination, a housing comprising complementary parts having walls at one end which define an entrance channel for an electric cord and walls at the other end which define a pair of spaced terminal receiving slots, the outer portions of said slots extending in a generally axial direction of the housing and inner portions of said slots extending in a generally transverse direction of the housing, terminals positioned edgewise in said slots having portions fitting the axially extending portions of said slots and inner portions extending angularly with respect to said first-named portions and fitting the transversely extending portions of said slots, said angularly extending inner portions of said terminals being adapted to have wrapped edgewise around them bared cord conductor ends and said transverse inner portions of said slots being at least in part wider than the angularly extending irmer portions of said terminals whereby they are adapted to receive such wrapped around conductor ends and provide spaces in which such conductor ends are held anchored by the fastening together of the housing parts.

6. In combination, a housing comprising complementary parts having walls at one end which define an entrance channel for an electric cord and walls at the other end which define a pair of spaced terminal receiving slots, the outer portions of said slots extending in a generally axial direction of the housing and inner portions of said slots extending in a generally transverse di- -rection of the housing, terminals positioned edge-'- wise in said slots having portions fitting'the ax ially extending portions of said slots and inner portions extending angularly with respect to said first-named portions and fitting thetransversely extending portions of said slots, such transversely extending portions oi said slots being at le t in part wider than the angularly extending po ions of said terminals, a chord end positioned i said entrance channel, bared conductor ends of the chord being wrapped edgewise around said angui larly extending terminal portions and wedged 1' into said wider portions of said slots whereby such bared ends are anchored to the terminals, and means fastening together the, complementary housing parts.

GEORGE BQBENANDER.

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