Patent · US Expired

Heavy duty electrical connection system

US5449302A · kind A · utility

56Cited by
23References
15Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 24, 1993
Grant dateSep 12, 1995
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 24, 2013

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01R13/645
  • WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

The present invention serves to prevent severe injury, loss of life or damage to expensive equipment by creating a system in which the conductors of a plug and the conductors of a receptacle can only be arranged, one with respect to the other, in a unique rotational manner depending upon the intended electrical rating of the plug and receptacle. The resulting plug will mate only with a receptacle having that same configuration. A separate indexer is disposed between the plug body and the conductor assembly to the conductors in the plug to prevent entry of the plug into a differently indexed receptacle. A polarizer in the receptacle fixes the conductor assembly of the receptacle in the same manner as the plug, to allow the plug and receptacle to be mated together when the receptacle is wired for the same electrical rating as the equipment to be energized by the plug. Visual means of identifying the rotational attitude of conductors is provided whereby the electrical rating of the plug or receptacle can be easily identified. The visual means of identification may include color as well as printed coding information.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.