US3221287A

US3221287A - Outlet supporting device

Info

Publication number: US3221287A
Application number: US239502A
Authority: US
Inventors: William J Rooney
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1962-11-23
Filing date: 1962-11-23
Publication date: 1965-11-30
Anticipated expiration: 1982-11-30

Description

Nov. 30, 1965 w. J. ROONEY 3,221,287

OUTLET SUPPORTING DEVICE Filed Nov. 23. 1962 INVENTOR United States Patent Ofifice 3,221,287 Patented Nov. 30, 1965 3,221,287 OUTLET SUPPORTING DEVICE William J. Rooney, P.O. Box 264, Phillipsburg, NJ. Filed Nov. 23, 1962, Ser. No. 239,502 3 Claims. (Cl. 33928) This invention relates to an improved support for an electrical outlet, and the object of my present invention is to provide a support on which the electrical wire may be wound and unwound, and to provide a wall connecting arm which can be reversed on the supporting post for right or left wall mounting or connecting.

Another object of the invention is to provide a support for an electrical outlet, having a blade on its lower end to engage the base wall board and a blade on its upper end which is pivotally mounted thereon to engage elevated woodwork of the room or wall on which the device is to be used, which is provided with a stop to engage a brad or pin driven into the woodwork, so that the upper supporting or connecting blade will not pull out of its inserted position when a manual pull is imposed on the outlet carried by the supporting post, when a vacuum cleaner, electrical drill or other appliance is electrically connected with this outlet by a common push plug.

Another object of the invention is to provide an upper connecting blade with oppositely deflected spring fingers adapted to grip the engaged woodwork and the adjacent part of wall, so that the upper blade will resist displacement when a cord pull is imposed on the supporting post.

With the above and other objects in view the invention relates to certain new and useful combinations and arrangements of parts, fully shown in the accompanying drawings, and described and claimed in the following specification thereof, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation.

FIG. 2 is an edge view, showing the electrical cord wound on the supporting post.

FIG. 3 is a detail sectional view, taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 4 is a detail rear end elevation, showing the upper blade folded against the flat post.

FIG. 5 is a side elevation showing the outlet support connected in service relation to a wall, with the electrical wire wound thereon.

FIG. 6 is a detail side elevation, enlarged, of the upper blade, showing the use of spring fingers thereon.

FIG. 7 is an edge view thereof, showing the divergence of the spring fingers.

FIG. 8 is another similar edge view, showing how the spring fingers are forced into a common plane by manual pressure.

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of the upper blade, showing an edge pin engaging stop to prevent displacement of the upper blade from its holding position on the wall.

Referring to the accompanying drawings showing the practical embodiment of my invention, 10 designates a supporting post, which is formed with parallel side edges 10a, which are rounded, as shown in FIG. 3. On the lower end of this post a metal blade 11 is mounted by means of the rivet or fastener 12. This blade is formed with a tapered lower end 11a, and a lateral intermediate portion 11b, which abuts against the lower end of the post 10, and supports the post outwardly of a wall, when the tapered lower end of the blade is inserted between the base wall board 14 and the wall 15; the blade being secured against pivotal movement by the engagement of the lateral portion 11!) with the right angular end of the post 10.

The post 10 is provided on its upper end with a blade 16, which is pivotally secured thereto by the rivet or fastener 17. This blade has an intermediate offset portion 16a and a tapered end portion 16b. The intermediate or offset portion 16a serves to space the supporting post 10 outwardly of the wall 15.

On the post 10 a conventional electrical outlet 18 is mounted, which is shown to be provided with a plurality of paired prong receiving slots 18a, and is also provided with an electrical conductor cord 20, having a conventional plug 19, designed to be connected electrically with a remote electrical outlet of the house wiring system. The receiving plug of the service cord of any electrical appliance, radio, heater, television, drill or any other appliance, such as a vacuum cleaner, may then be connected with the outlet 18, which receives its current supply through the remote outlet and the cord 20.

When the electrical cord is not in service use, it may be wound on the supporting post, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5. Any number of additional electrical cords may be connected with outlet, within its capacity.

To secure the upper blade 16 against accidental displacement from the wall position, where the tapered end of the blade is inserted between the woodwork 15a and the wall 15, I provide a V-shaped hook stop on each longitudinal edge of the blade, which is adapted to engage a brad or steel pin 16d, driven into the woodwork 15a, as shown in FIG. 5. When a strong pull is imposed on the extended cord 20, as in the movement of a vacuum cleaner or other electrical appliance, the engagement by this edge stop with the steel pin or brad 16d will prevent accidental withdrawal of the inserted blade 16 from its wall position.

The V-shaped notch causes the blade to move closer to the pin and thus maintain the blade locked to it.

Another form of the invention is to provide on the insertible upper blade 16, three

spring fingers

21, 22 and 23. The intermediaate or central spring finger 22 is displaced toward one side of the blade 16 and the

outer fingers

21 and 23 are displaced toward the opposite side of the blade, as shown in FIG. 7. The inner end of each spring finger is formed with an ofiset spring loop 24. By pressing these spring fingers so that they are disposed in a common plane, as shown in FIG. 8, the end of the blade may be inserted between the wall and the woodwork. The outer end of each spring finger may be provided with a lateral tooth or stop 25, intended to resist accidental displacement. When the spring fingers are inserted between a wall and woodwork, they will be spring pressed in opposite directions, to clutch the wall and woodwork, and this will increase the resistance to accidental displacement.

The present invention is an improvement of the invention shown in my Patent 2,907,974, granted October 5, 1959.

Having described my invention, I claim as patentable:

1. In combination, a wall having a base and an upright member attached thereto and providing narrow spaces between themselves and the wall, a pin extending into the upright member across the space between itself and the wall, a post, a blade rigidly mounted on the lower end of the post and having an outer end portion which is otfset from the post and which is insertible in the space between the base member and the wall to space the lower end of the post outwardly from the wall, a blade pivotally mounted on the upper end of the post and having an outer end portion which is offset from the post and which is insertible in the space between the upright member and the wall and provided on one edge with a notch to lockingly engage the pin and prevent accidental displacement of the second-named blade and position on the wall, said second-named blade being formed with a plurality of longitudinal spring fingers, two outer spring fingers being deflected to one side of the blade and provided with terminal stops to engage the wall and the blade having an intermediate spring finger deflected in the opposite direction to engage the upright member, said last-named blade having a V-shaped notch on its lower edge to engage the pin, an electrical outlet mounted on said post, and an electrical cord havwall and adapted to be usable to the right or to the left of the post when so inserted, a blade mounted against pivotal movement on the lower end of the post and provided with an offset lower end portion insertible between the base board of a wall and the wall, an electrical outlet mounted on the post and provided with a flexible electrical cord and a push and pull electrical plug connectable to another electrical outlet located remotely from the post, the upper metal blade having an edge stop engageable with a pin driven into said woodwork and Wall, whereby said blade will resist displacement from the wall and woodwork when the cord is manually pulled.

3. A shiftable electrical outlet device, comprising a post, a metal blade pivotally mounted on the upper end of the post and provided wit-h an offset end portion insertable between a Wall and woodwork attached thereto and adapted to be reversed on the post to permit of right and left handed connection with the wall and woodwork, a blade mounted on the lower end of the post and provided with an offset lower end adapted to be driven between a wall and a baseboard attached thereto, a pin driven into the woodwork and wall, the upper blade having a plurality of longitudinal spring fingers disposed in opposite directions to each other, and one of said fingers having an outer edge with a stop of V-shaped construction adapted to engage said pin when said blade is inserted between the woodwork and the wall, an outlet device attached to the post and provided with an electrical cord having circuit connections with said outlet device and provided with a push and pull electrical plug adapted to establish electrical conductive connection with an electrical unit disposed remotely of the post, the upper metal blade having its edge stop engaged with the wall pin, whereby a manual pull on said cord will be resisted by said stop and pin.

References Cited by the Examiner JOSEPH D. SEERS, Primary Examiner THOMAS J. HICKEY, Examiner.

Claims

2. A SHIFTABLE ELECTRICAL OUTLET DEVICE, COMPRISING A POST, A METAL BLADE PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON THE UPPER END OF THE POST AND PROVIDED WITH AN OFFSET END PORTION INSERTIBLE BETWEEN A WALL AND WOODWORK ATTACHED TO THE WALL AND ADAPTED TO BE USABLE TO THE RIGHT OR TO THE LEFT OF THE POST WHEN SO INSERTED, A BLADE MOUNTED AGAINST PIVOTAL MOVEMENT ON THE LOWER END OF THE POST AND PROVIDED WITH AN OFFSET LOWER END PORTION INSERTIBLE BETWEEN THE BASE BOARD OF A WALL AND THE WALL, AN ELECTRICAL OUTLET MOUNTED ON THE POST AND PROVIDED WITH A FLEXIBLE ELECTRICAL CORD AND A PUSH AND PULL ELECTRICAL PLUG CONNECTABLE TO ANOTHER ELECTRICAL OUTLET LOCATED REMOTELY FROM THE POST, THE UPPER METAL BLADE HAVING AN EDGE STOP ENGAGEABLE WITH A PIN DRIVEN INTO SAID WOODWORK AND WALL, WHEREBY SAID BLADE WILL RESIST DISPLACEMENT FROM THE WALL AND WOODWORK WHEN THE CORD IS MANUALLY PULLED.