US2640126A - Fuse adapter plug - Google Patents

Description

May 26, 1953 v c. E. EGGERS I 2,640,126

FUSE ADAPTER PLUG Filed Jan. 50, 1952 [221/827/0). Kim/9s Zlgyezzs.

/ I I ){t/azwey Patented May 26, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FUSE ADAPTER PLUG Charles E. Eggers, Great Neck, N. Y. Application January 30, 1952,; SerialN-o. 269,048

7 Claims.

1 This invention relates to improvements in fuse adapter plugs.

The invention is more particularly concernfid with an expendable fuse carrying adapter device to be plugged into the usual baseboard receptacles and/or other house wall outlets, and into which a standard attachment plug is adapted to be plu The invention is particularly concerned with such a device which is provided with a fusefor each of the wires or lines to provide individual protection thereof for lamps and other electrical equipment, independently of and in addition to the usual house circuit protecting fuses.

An object of the invention is to provide a fuse adapter plug of this character having in'o'ne face thereof a pair of socket engageable prongs andin the opposite face a pair of spring contact plates, the latter being "disposed "in the plug body ats-ub stantially right angles to the prongs of the opposite face and'engageable by the prongs'of a standard plug, and wherein theprongs and contact plates are spaced by the dielectricmaterial of the plug body but are connected :in electrical circuit,

through tfnse elements which are permanently. connected to the prongs and contact plates through passages the plug body.

A furtherobject of the-invention is to provide a, fuse adapter plug which is of such construction that it is capable of manufacture at relatively low cost whereby it may he economically discarded upon blowing of a fuse therein.

These and otherohjects and advantages-of the invention will become apparent to those versedin the 'art in the following desoniption-ofthe invention "as illustrated in the accompanying-drawing; wherein:

Fig. 1, is an isometric view of the main body portion of the iniproved fuse adaptenplug in ao-v oordance with a preferred structural embodiment thereof;

Fig. 72 i a top plan 'view'of the ibody portiongof the plug and showing the chambered portions thereof;

3 is an isometric view :ofthetransp -rent cover'for theplug body which is ope'rativel-y associated with the body portions, *shown'in Figs. 1 and 2, 'to close the chambers therein Fig. 4 is "a transverse sectional View, "in ithe plane of line 4-4 -"on 2, and show-ingfthe assembled plug, and

Fig. e is a longitudinal sectional -vi'ew :Qrtl-re cover in the plane-of -line '55 on'Figl ii.

Referring now -to the drawings for a more 1 'detailed description or the -invention, the improvedv (Cl. ZOO-115.5)

2 plug will be seen to include a main body portion 10 vand a cooperating cover member ll This; body [.0 is formed :of a suitable plastic insulating material and includes a base portion [-2 which is solidcxcept for a pair of laterally disposed prong receivable openings 13. A cover seouring'rivet receiving bore [4 is disposed centrally of this body portion and intermediate the openhuge 13. One side of the base i2 is provided with an inset marginal seat 15 for a purpose later referred 'to. Thisside of the base ortion 12 also includes integral centrally disposed generally H-shaped block or wall 16 surmounting the base and inwardly of the marginal seat l5. The shape of this projectin wail block portion 15 provides two oppositely disposed recesses 1,! which register miaththe prong receivableopenings 13. At each of the four corners .of the wall block 46 the sides thereof. extend to the marginal seat IS in the provision of right angularly disposed fine or partiti'ons 18, forming eight chambers around the wall block I 5. More specifically it will he seen by reienence to Fig. 2 in particular, that the generally hi-shaped wall block provide the recesses 11 atzeach side thereof and in transverse [alignment with the bore M. Also that each airof fins or partitions yttextend furomeachof lthevfour corners of the wall block in right angular relation to each otherto theiree lateralledges .lfi of the fins which are flush witha shoulder-defining one wall 15* of theseat-JB.

'A pair of WHAI SQCISSt engageahle prongs 19ers dill-V5111'DI'JIlQlfldEidilltO the Wall block portion 1.5 to desired extent and same are disposed in the -.1 situ.d na1cen e o t eplue b dy 0- ,A reyersely bent spring contact plate 239 of usual form is disposed within each openin 13, nqre clearlyseen in Fig. 4. In-addition to the elements of the adapter plug just described. the plug-is provided withnapair of fuse elements 21. Each of the fuse elements are .in the form of a, fusible stnand and one thereof has an ,end rii 'dlysecuredtto one prong .l 9 and the other-end rigidly secured to one contact plate 20, while the otherelemen-t haseone end rigidly secured .to the other prong-and iitssother end. rigidly secured to theothercontact plate.

I rigid connection of the .fuse elements is preferahlyiefiectedhy soldering s= out other means may beadopted.

top wall. of portion 45 is provided with-a of ohannels 22, leading from a prong l flito amend wall of the wall-bloc}: portion-t6 intermed'atexa :paireof the fins lsB, pair of nns Latxdiagonall-y supposed corners of :the Wall block are provided with notches 23. Each fus element thus extends from a prong l9 through the channel 22 and the pair of notches 23 thence to the inner ends of the contact plates 20. Here the inner ends of the contact plates are bent at right angles to provide retaining ledges 24 overhanging the inner ends of the passages 13 and to which corresponding ends of the fuse elements are secured. It is to be particularly noted that the ledges 24 are disposed within the recesses IT and the contact plates 20 are restrained against movement outwardly of passageways l3 solely by said ledges.

The cover [I shown in Figs. 3 and 5 is also formed of plastic insulating material but is preferably of a transparent material for providing visual inspection of the fuse elements 2i, and their connections with the spaced prong and plate members l9 and 20.

The cover H includes a top wall 25 of the same shape and size as the base portion l2 from which depends a marginal wall. whose free edge 21 is adapted to engage the seat 15 and the adjacent marginal wall I5 on the base portion 12. The cover is provided with a pair of spaced blocks 28 which are integral with the walls 25 and '26. The blocks 28 extend inwardly from opposite inner faces of the marginal wall 26 and as shown in Figs. 4 and 5 stop short of the marginal free edge of the cover for a distance equal to the depth of the body shoulder I5 plus the thickness of the plate portion 24 and connected fuse wire 2 l.

The spaced opposed. ends of these blocks are further shaped to snugly fit into the recesses 51 in the H-shaped wall block it and provide additional partitions for the surrounding chambers. A primary purpose of these blocks 28 is to rest upon and exert pressure on the ends of the fuse elements 2|, which overlie and are secured to the ledges 24 of the contact plates 20. By this means the fuse ends and attached contact plates are restrained against movement inwardly of the prong receiving passages IS. The cover It is further provided with a central aperture 29 alignable with the bore H for receiving a rivet 3| to permanently secure the cover on the body portion.

The cover is further provided with a pair of slots 30 for closely receiving the prongs 29. Irrespective of the particular contour of the body portion ll), it will be apparent that same is capable of expeditious and economical manufacture by a moulding process and which also applies to the cover H which is of simple box-like form.

With the body portion l and cover ll provided, the fuse plug adapter is readily completed by the simple operations of driving the pair of prongs !3 into central portions of the wall block :5, dropping the contact plates 20 into the openings l3, disposing the fuse elements within the channels 2?. and notches 23 and soldering the ends thereof to the prongs l9 and ledges 24 of the contact plates. The cover II is then placed on the body in the position of Fig. 4 and a rivet 3| is passed through the alined openings I and 29 and upset at opposite ends thereof as is also indicated in Figs. 4 and 5.

The completed plug is in effect a unitary element in the same sense as are the usual well known house fuses but possessing in addition thereto the advantage of being quickly and easily connected into circuit with the usual flexible cord connections of lamps and the like at the usual wall sockets. The fuse elements 2| may '4 of course be of different capacities and fused plugs may accordingly be constructed for various current amperages as are the well known house fuses.

It is to be particularly noted that the inner face of the side wall 26 of the cover ll engages the edges l8 of the fin-like partition walls l8, and the inner face of the top wall 25 of the cover engages the upper face of Wall block I6 as well as the top edges of the fins [8. This combination and arrangement of parts provides a series of closed compartments surrounding the wall block [6 and effectively eliminates arcing and explosion, since the connections of each fuse element 2| with a prong l9 and a contact plate 20 are separated by a pair of spaced fins H3. The transparency of the cover ll offers visual inspection of the fuses 2| whose opposite soldered ends are clearly visible through the recesses I1 and channels 22.

From the above detailed description of the invention, it will be appreciated that an adapter fuse plug is provided as a unitary device, capable of economical manufacture and which may be dispensed with, as an ordinary fuse upon the occurrence of an overload or short, causing a fusible element to be blown.

While I have disclosed. my invention in accordance with a single specific structural embodiment thereof, various changes may be made in the details of construction without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention as efined in the appended claims.

What I claim. and desire to secure by U. S. Letters Patent is:

l. A fuse adapter plug comprising a body memher having a pair of wall socket engageable prongs extending thereinto and from one face thereof, a pair of openings for receiving the prongs of a connector plug extending into said body member from another face thereof, a contact plate disposed in each of said openings and having a ledge overhanging the inner end thereof, fuse elements interconnecting the ledges of said contact plates and said prongs, and a cover supported on said body member over said fuse elements and including pressure block portions reacting upon said ledges for retaining the contact plates against relative movement in said openings.

2. The structure according to claim 1, wherein said fuse elements extend through spaced body portions and are permanently secured at their ends to said prongs and said contact plates, and wherein said cover encloses said spaced body portions and is permanently secured to said body member.

3. A fuse adapter plug comprising a body member including a base portion and a block portion surmounting same, a rivet receiving bore extending through both said portions centrally thereof, a pair of openings extending through said base portion on opposite sides of said bore for receiving the prongs of a connector plug, a contact plate disposed in each of said openings and having a ledge member on its inner end overhang ing the wall of the opening and resting in part on the upper face of said base portion, a pair of wall socket engageable prongs extending into said block portion and projecting from aface thereof, strand-like fuse elements having corresponding ends thereof secured to said prongs, the other ends of said fuse elements resting upon and secured to said ledge members, and a cover supported on said base portion and said block por- 5 tion and includin pressure means engaged with said other ends of the fuse elements for retaining the contact plates in said openings.

4. The structure according to claim 3, wherein said fuse elements are soldered to said prongs and said ledges, and wherein said cover is provided with an aperture alined with said more, and a rivet extending through said bore and aperture and being upset at its opposite ends for permanently retaining said cover and said base portion together.

5. The structure according to claim 3 wherein said block portion is generally rectangular in plan and wherein same is provided with a pair of finlike partition walls extending laterally outwardly from each corner thereof in right angular relation, the outer edges of said fins engaging the inner face of said cover, and the pairs of fins at diagonally opposite corners of said block portion being provided with notches for receiving said fuse elements.

6. The structure according to claim 3, wherein said block portion is provided with laterally opposed recesses in which said ledges are disposed,

and wherein said pressure means comprises blocks integral with said cover and disposed within said recesses.

7. A fuse adapter plug comprising a body member including a generally rectangular base and a generally rectangular block projecting from one wall of the base, the block having a pair of prongs extending thereinto and projecting from a wall thereof opposed to said first wall, a pair of laterally aligned recesses in opposed walls of said block and extending from one of said first walls to the other, a pair of openings in said base for receiving the prongs of a connector: plug openin through said one wall and opposed wall of the base, a contact plate disposed in each of openings and having a ledge overhanging the inner end thereof and resting on said one wall and within a respective one of said recesses, fuse elements interconnecting the ledges and said prongs, and a cover supported on said base and enclosing said block, said cover having a pair of pressure members engaged within said recesses and bearing on said ledges for retaining said contact plates in said openings.

CHARLES E. EGGERS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,539,385 Ellis May 26, 1925 1,886,706 Macdonald Nov. 8, 1932 1,917,745 Weiss July 11, 1933

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