US2880264A - Fixture assembly - Google Patents

Description

B. J. RUSKIN FIXTURE ASSEMBLY March 31, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 25. 1956 171 7292 7012 Benwdfimm M Q45? B." J. RUSKlN FIXTURE ASSEMBLY March 31, 1959 Filed April 23. 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent FIXTURE ASSEMBLY Bernard J. Ruskin, Lynn, Mass.

Application April 23, 1956, Serial No. 580,128

Claims. (Cl. 174-67) The present invention relates to electrical fixtures and, more particularly, to electrical fixture assemblies of the type comprising a wall plate presenting electrical outlets for lamp plugs or the like and a detachable cover, ornamental in appearance, associated with the plate for preventing shock as a result of tampering by children and preventing removal of the plugs inadvertently.

The object of the present invention is to provide an electrical fixture of the foregoing type comprising a generally rigid plate and an at least partially flexible cover, each integrally constructed for maximum durability and minimum cost, which may be secured together positively by novel interlocking elements relying on the flexibility of the cover but requiring more than mere pressure on the cover for their detachability.

. Other objects will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the product possessing the features, properties and relation of components which are exemplified in the following detailed disclosure, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a fixture embodying the present invention, with its cover and plate detached;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a fixture embodying the present invention, with its cover and plate assembled for use;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the assembled fixture of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the assembled fixture of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of the plate of the fixture of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a partially sectional view of the plate, taken substantially along the line 66 of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the assembled plate and the cover, illustrating the operation of a pair of their interlocking elements.

Generally, the illustrated fixture comprises a wall plate 10 having a pair of openings 12, 14 through which electrical outlets (not shown) are designed to project, and a detachable cover 16 which, when secured to the plate, provides an ornamental appearance and prevents removal of lamp plugs, appliance plugs, etc. from the outlets. The plate, which is generally rigid, and the cover, at least portions of which are resilient, may be composed, for example, of similar or dissimilar polymeric or metallic materials. As shown, the plate is composed of a rigid polymer, such as polystyrene, and the cover is composed of a resilient polymer, for example, an acetate such as vinyl acetate or cellulose acetate.

Wall plate 10 is shown as an integrally fiat face 18 having the outlet openings referred to above. In order to assure rigidity of the plate, the rearward surface of 2,880,264 Patented Mar. 31, 1959 face 18 is provided with a pair of longitudinal ribs 20, 22 on opposite sides of outlet openings 12, 14 and a transverse rib 24 between the outlet openings. The edges of face 18 are rearwardly turned, as at 26, in order to snugly abut against a wall or molding to which it is attached. An opening 28 in transverse rib 24 is provided for the reception of a screw which ordinarily secures the plate to an outlet housing which is embedded in the wall or molding. A pair of curved bosses 30, 32 project forwardly from face 18, their inner edges being convex with respect to each other for a purpose to be described below. The opposite ends of plate 10 are provided with elements that interlock with associated elements on cover 16. Projecting forwardly from face 18 at one end of plate 10 is a rib 34 having oppositely directed stub shafts 36, 38. At the other end of face 18 is an elongated slot 40, the edges of which serve as abutments for a purpose to be described below. The operation of shafts 36, 38 and slot 40 will be discussed in detail below.

Cover 16 is generally in the form of an open bottom box, having free edges of special design. The longitudinal edges 42 and 44 and one transverse edge 46 are generally coplanar. The other transverse edge 48 is indented in order to provide a recess 50 for the reception of rib 34. The extremities of longitudinal edges 42 and 44 at recess 50 are rounded at 52, 54 and apertured at 56, 58 so that apertures 56, 58 may be securely snapped onto shafts 36, 38 for hinging the cover to the plate. Longitudinal edges 42 and 44 are provided with notches 60, 62 that furnish egresses for cords extending from the plugs. Bosses 30 and 32 shield the prongs of the plugs from metal objects inserted through the notches and cooperate with the notches to bend the cord into a crimped form which relieves strain on the plug and socket connection.

Cooperating with slot 40 of plate 10 is a hook-like element depending from transverse edge 46. This hook includes a shank portion 64, an extension portion 66 generally at right angles to shank portion 64 and a continuation portion 68 generally at right angles to both shank portion 64 and extension portion 66. When slot 40 and the hook-like element are mated, an edge of shank portion 64 abuts against an end of slot 40 the outer face of shank portion 64 abuts against the outer longitudinal edge of slot 40 and extension and continuation portions 66 and 68 bear against the rearward side of face 18. It will be observed that the distance between the remote free extremities of extension 66 and continuation 68 is approximately equal to the length of slot 40 and that the distance between the remote edges of shank 64 and extension 66 together with continuation 68 is approximately equal to the width of slot 40. As shown in Fig. 7, it is necessary to manually press against the face of cover 16 carrying the hook-like element in first direction opposite to the direction in which extension 66 projects and a second direction opposite to the direction in which continuation 68 projects, in order to disengage the hook element from the slot. Although this procedure is readily carried out, it is just intricate enough to prevent its occurrence as a result of inadvertence or tampering by children.

Since certain changes may be made in the above apparatus without departing from the scope of the invention herein involved, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted in an illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

l. A fixture comprising a generally rigid plate providing at least an opening for at least an electrical outlet, and an at least partially flexible cover, one end of said cover being pivoted to one end of said plate, the other end of said cover being provided with a hook-like element comprising a shank portion, an extension portion projecting from said shank portion, and a continuation portion extending from said extension portion, said shank portion and said extension portion projecting generally at right angles to each other in cross-section, said continuation portion projecting generally at right angles to the plane of said cross-section, the other end of said plate providing abutments, said hook like element being engaged with said abutments when said other end of said cover is undeformed and in juxtaposition with the associated portion of said plate, said hook being disengaged from said abutments when said other end of said cover is deformed although in juxtaposition with said associated portion of said plate, the deformation being in a direction toward said one end of said cover and opposite to the direction in which said continuation portion projects.

2. A fixture comprising a generally rigid plate providing at least an opening for at least an electrical outlet, and an at least partially flexible cover, one end of said cover being pivoted to one end of said plate, the other end of said cover being provided with a hook-like element comprising a shank portion, an extension portion projecting from said shank portion, and a continuation portion extending from said extension portion, said shank portion and said extension portion projecting generally at right angles to each other in cross section, said continuation portion projecting generally at right angles to the plane of said cross section, the other end of said plate being provided with a slot, said hook being insertable in and removable from said slot, when said other end of said cover is deformed in a direction toward said one end of said cover and opposite to the direction in which said continuation portion projects.

3. The fixture of claim 2 wherein the distance between the remote free extremities of said extension portion and said continuation portion is approximately equal to the length of said slot and the distance between the remote edges of said shank portion and said continuation portion is approximately equal to the width of said slot.

4. A fixture comprising a first component including a generally rigid plate providing an opening for at least an electrical outlet, and a second component including an at least partially flexible cover, one end of one component being pivoted to one end of the other component, the other end of said other component being provided with a hook-like element comprising a shank portion, an extension portion projecting from said shank portion, and a continuation portion projecting from said extension portion, said shank portion and said extension portion projecting generally at right angles to each other in cross section, said continuation portion projecting generally at right angles to the plane of said cross-section, the other end of said one component being provided with a slot, said hook being insertable in and removable from said slot, by virtue of the at least partial flexibility of said cover.

5. A fixture assembly comprising a plate composed of a relatively rigid material, said plate providing a pair of openings for a pair of electrical outlets, and a cover composed of a relatively resilient material, said plate and said cover being provided with cooperating pivot components at one end of said fixture, one of said pivot components being integrally provided with a pair of opposed stub shafts, the other of said pivot components including portions provided with a pair of openings, said portions being resiliently separable for the reception of said stub shafts, said plate and said cover being provided with cooperating locking components at the other end of said fixture, one of said locking components presenting a slot, the other of said locking components including a hook like element having a shank portion, an extension portion projecting from said shank portion, and a continuation portion extending from said extension portion, said shank portion and said extension portion projecting generally at right angles to each other in cross-section, said continuation portion projecting generally at right angles to the plane of said cross section, said hook-like element being insertable into and removable from said slot when said other end of said cover is deformed in a direction toward said one end of said cover and opposite to the direction in which said continuation portion projects, the distance between the remote free longitudinal extremities of said extension portion and said continuation portion being approximately equal to the length of said slot, the distance between the remote longitudinal edges of said shank portion and said continuation portion being approximately equal to the width of said slot.

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