Electrical receptacle

Application filed December 28, 1929. Serial No. 416,714.

My invention relates to improvements in a i type of devices set forth in my Patents I 1,628,614 and 1,645,950 and my former apI plication 259,827 filed March 7,1928. In these ® constructions provision is made for the convenient. connection of several conductors to , each side of the circuit thus making it possible to make branch circuits without splic., soldering or taping. My present in¹⁰ vention has for one object improvement and simplification in such devices.

Another object is to simplify and reduce the cost of construction.

Another object is to provide cheap but se⁶ cure means for securing the parts together.

According to my present invention in its preferred form, the body of the receptacle consists of a base and a top held together by one or more screws or rivets. The base is pro*- vided with recesses for plug contacts and the top is provided with passages for the blades of an attachment plug. The bus bars have their ends supported in recesses in the' base and their upper edges positioned in grooves

Fig. 9 is a rear view of the front or cover part

Fig. 10 is a transverse sectional view but omitting one of the bus bars.

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of one of the bus bars.

The base 10 and cover 11 are formed of any suitable insulating material such as a phenolic condensation product, porcelain or cold molding composition and may be secured a ®ιθι κ^{Γ one} θ^{Γ more} screws or rivets 12. -A U-shaped hanger 13 or other supporting plate may be provided secured to the base, f°r instance, by one or more screws 14.

> ¹⁵ W ^{have the} contact jaws j^ail4T formed integrally at the opposite ends tor convenience in manufacture and assembly. Preferably these bus bars are made of quite thin material not only for cheapness in manufacture but in order to make it possible to form the contact jaws integral without rupturing the metal. I also prefer ία draw inwardly the seats 18 for the screws w .· ^xjl —o—x-—.... giuuics 19 and to punch up lugs 20 along the rear edffe ™ ^fop or cover member. Each bus bar is to aid in holding the ends of the wires m provided with a plurality of binding screws' place.

accessible from one side of the receptacle.' lhe body may be supported in the usual outlet box by any usual form of face plate, ears ^au or yoke. .

In the drawings I have shown the invention as applied to single and double units but it should be understood that any number-of sets oi. contacts may be employed.

Fig. 1 is a front view of a duplex form of device embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a front view of the rear part or base showing one bus bar and its contacts in place.

Fig. 3 is a rear view of the front or cover part.

^Kgu ,^{s a} te^sverse sectional view of the assembled device but omitting one of the bus bars.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the bus bars for the duplex form.

Fig. 6 is a front view of a single plug unit.

Fig. ( is a side view of the same.

Fig. 8 is a front view of the rear or base part with one bus bar in place.

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The ends of the base are provided with recesses 21 to receive the contact jaws and the ends 22 of the bus bars which are offset somer what so that the lower edge 23 of each bus bar overlaps the edge 24 of the base.

A cover or top member is provided with passages 25 for the plug blades in line with the contact jaws. It should be understood, of course, that the jaws and the entrance pas- 85 sages may be of any shape, size or arrangement to accommodate the various standard °.P1^U£ blades. The cover is also provided with enlarged recesses 26 to accommodate the upper einds of the contact jaws. I 00 also provide grooves 27 for positioning the upper edges of the bus bars. It is thus possible to make the bus bars of quite thin material and yet securely hold them in position when the parts are assembled so that the de- ⁸⁵vice will stand very substantial strains. The edge 24 of the body or base forms an abutment which resists the pressure of the screw driver when clamping the binding screws on the conductors. The grooves 27 hold the up- ¹⁰⁰

1,852,459 body formed of a base part and a top part, the top part having flanges overlapping the sides of the base part, bus bars mounted on edge between the two parts of the body on opposite sides of the center and interlocked with the base and top parts and each having at least one contact within the body inserted with the bus bar, the top part of the body having grooves for ah edge of each bus bar and recesses for the contacts, said body having passages through the top of the body and each bar having a plurality of binding screws accessible from one side of the body, the opposite ends of the bars being secured in the body by the securing of the top to the base, and means for securing the top to the base after the bus bars and the contacts have been inserted in the base.

2. In an electrical receptacle, an insulating body having front and back members, the front memter having recesses at opposite ends open toward the other member and grooves leading to said recesses, the front member having passages for plug blades to extend ir^o said recesses, and bus bars arranged on edge and having their ends positioned in said recesses and edges in said grooves and contacts carried by opposite ends of said bus bar and positioned in said recesses, said back member having cut-out ^9£portions at the sides and recesses open toward the front and communicating with said cut-out portions to receive the rear edges of the bus bars and contacts respectively.

3. An electrical receptacle comprising an insulating base having recesses opening at the front with side recesses communicating therewith, flat bus bars insertible edgewise into said recesses from the front and having contacts secured to the bus bars and insertible ¹and removable therewith, each bus bar hav- are accessible from the sides, the rear edges or me ous oars overlapping eages ux tne uase, and a cover plate secured to the base and haying passages for attachment plug blades in line with the contacts in the base, said cover plate having grooves interlocking with the

4. An electrical receptacle comprising an per or outer edges of the bus bars adjacent the screws so as to resist outward pull from the conductors held by the screws. With such a construction it is possible to use thinner 5 metal without danger of bending the bus bars or in case it is not desired to use thinner metal for the bus bars such construction and arrangement materially reinforces the bus bars.

The strap member or hanger 13 serves not Ιθ only to support the receptacle in an outlet box in the usual manner but it reinforces the insulating body since it extends continuously from one end to the other of the body. By securing this hanger directly to the rear part 15 of the body 10 independently of the front part of the body, it is possible to assemble the rear part with the hanger and insert the bus bars and contacts and inspect the .same before applying the cover plate 11, which is 20 then secured in place by a central member 12 independently of the strap or hanger 13.

Preferably the cover is provided with flanges 28 which extend considerably beyond the bus bars so as to prevent the wires from 25 contacting with the face plate of the outlet box. These flanges are preferably bevelled at 29 to provide a maximum clearance for attaching the wires and at the same time pro. vide substantial strength.

Although the construction above described is the preferred form it should be understood that the central portion 30 of the base might be omitted in some cases, although I prefer to provide the portion 30 which connects the 35 two ends of the base because it serves to make the parts more rigid and also serves to completely support and insulate the two bus bars and the circuit wires.

In the form shown on Sheet 2, the base 31 io is secured to the cover 32 by means of screws or rivets 33 at opposite ends and these same _a,m remuvauie uicivniui, cavu vuo uai devices also secure the supporting member 34 i_ng _a series of binding screws whose heads in place. The bus bar 35 has an integral are accessible xrum the sides, the icai edges' flange 36 to which is secured the contact jaws _of th_e bus bars overlapping edges of the base, 15 37 by brazing or any other suitable manner. ' ' ..... ¹ ’

In this case the base is provided with a central recess 38 for the contact member and the ends 39 of the bus bar are bent inwardly to _{o o} engage shoulders in the recesses 40 at oppo- front edges ofthe bus bars.

.<0 site ends of the base. ΰ. ________’ .. . _

The cover is provided with passages 41 insulating body formed of a base portion and for the attachment plug blades and recesses _a cover portion, the base portion having re42 for the upper ends of the contacts, cesses in the opposite sides with extensions Grooves 43 are provided to receive the edges for the blade contacts, a bus bar located in •⁵ of the. bus bars to steady them. The ends of each side recess with its ends interlocked in the cover may he provided with grooves 44 to fbe base and each having a number of bindreceive portions of the supporting yoke 34 j_ng screws, contacts secured to the bus bars to assist in holding the parts in proper align- i_n said contact recesses, and a cover plate ment. secured to said base and provided with pasIt will be noted that the parts of the body sages in line with said contacts, and having are so designed that they may be readily grooves holding the edges of the bus bars latmade in very simple dies as they require no erally.

side plungers in their formation. 5. An electrical receptacle comprising a