Abstract:
A wall socket cover that is mounted on a wall socket unit by a threaded fastener coupled to the threaded opening of the wall socket unit. The cover has two arcuate portions that encase plugs associated with the wall socket and which include openings through which the electrical cords associated with the plugs extend.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to the general art of electrical accessories, and to the particular field of wall outlet protectors. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Electrical socket outlets are well known to provide access to the main power supply of a building. Such outlets are often mounted in a hole formed in a building wall. Once the electrical socket housing has been mounted in the wall, a cover plate is typically secured over the opening so that only the access apertures in the socket face are exposed on the outside of the wall. For example, the cover plate includes an aperture adapted to register with the socket face. Typically, a mounting hole registers with a threaded bore in the electrical housing so that a mounting bolt inserted therethrough mounts the plate over the housing, whereby the edges of the cover plate engage a peripheral wall portion surrounding the hole in the wall. As a result, the previously known cover plate provides a finished appearance to the electrical outlet housing, and prevents exposure of the electrical components within the housing, although a particularly configured plug adapted to be inserted within the access openings of the sockets can be engaged therein. 
   While the previously known electrical plug receptacles permit electrically operated devices to receive the electrical power by merely plugging in an appropriate plug into the receptacle, however, the plug can be easily removed from the receptacle as well. Thus, when the electrical cord extending between the plug and the electrically operated device is pulled upon, either from moving the device, a person tripping over the cord, the inadvertent activities of a child or a pet can cause the cord and hence the plug to be pulled upon. This pulling tension in the cord can easily displace the plug from its receptacle connection resulting in an the undesirable loss of electrical power to the device. 
   While there are known attachments for electrical outlet cover plates, none are well adapted to positively retain the plug within the socket as the electrical cord is pulled in the direction away from the electrical outlet. 
   Therefore, there is a need for a means for positively retaining an electrical plug in place in an outlet. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The above-discussed disadvantages of the prior art are overcome by a cover for a wall outlet which includes two identical halves each of which includes a planar base and a semicircular portion that is raised above the plane of the base and which covers the jack of the wall socket when the cover is fixed to the wall socket by a fastener extending through a fastener-accommodating hole defined in the base and which is threadably connected to the threaded hole on the wall socket. A slot is defined in one edge of the semicircular portion to accommodate an electrical cord. When the two halves are attached to the wall socket, a plug associated with that wall socket is encased by the semicircular openings and thus securely held to the wall socket. 
   Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the invention will be, or will become, apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features, and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the invention, and be protected by the following claims. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
     The invention can be better understood with reference to the following drawings and description. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. Moreover, in the figures, like referenced numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the different views. 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a wall socket cover embodying the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a front elevational view of the wall socket cover in the assembled condition. 
       FIG. 3  is a front elevational view of the wall socket cover in the dis-assembled condition. 
       FIG. 4  is a sketch of a wall socket unit. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   Referring to the figures, it can be understood that the present invention is embodied in a wall socket cover  10  which comprises a wall socket unit  12  which includes two female outlet jacks  14  and  16  and an internally threaded fastener-accommodating bore  18  located between the two outlet jacks. The wall socket unit includes a first end  30  which is a top end when the wall socket unit is in use, a second end  32  which is a bottom end when the wall socket unit is in use and a longitudinal axis  34  which extends between first end  30  and second end  32  of the wall socket unit. The outlet jacks are located on the longitudinal axis and are spaced apart from each other in the direction of longitudinal axis  34 . 
   An cover unit  40  includes first and second cover elements  44  and  46 . The cover elements are mirror images of each other and each cover element is one-piece construction. Each of the cover elements includes a planar base plate  50  which includes a first end edge  52  which is a top end edge when the cover unit is in use, a second end edge  54  which is a bottom end edge when the cover unit is in use and a longitudinal axis  56  which extends between first end edge  52  and second end edge  54  and which extends parallel to longitudinal axis  34  of the wall socket unit when the cover unit is in use. Each base plate further includes a first side edge  60  and a second side edge  62  which is located adjacent to longitudinal axis  34  of the wall socket unit when the cover unit is in use. 
   A mounting bracket  70  is located on second side edge  62  and includes a fastener-accommodating hole  72  which is located to be aligned with internally threaded fastener-accommodating bore  18  of the wall socket unit when the cover unit is in use. The fastener-accommodating hole of the first cover element overlaps the fastener-accommodating hole of the second cover element to be congruent therewith when the cover unit is in place on the wall socket unit so a threaded fastener F will extend through the congruent holes to fasten the cover unit to the wall socket unit. 
   Each cover element further includes first and second plug encasing elements  80  and  82 . Plug encasing elements  80  and  82  are identical to each other and each includes an oval shaped wall  84  which has a first end  86  that is one-piece with the base plate and a second end  88  that is spaced apart from the base plate. A planar wall  90  is one piece with second end  88  of the oval shaped wall and extends parallel to a plane containing the base plate. 
   A rectangular notch  100  is defined in planar wall  90 . The notch of each cover element is located to be aligned with one of the female outlet jacks of the wall socket unit when the cover unit is in place on the wall socket unit. The notches of the first cover element are each aligned with an associated notch of the second cover unit to define a rectangular opening  102  through the cover unit when the cover unit is in place on the wall socket unit. 
   The plug encasing element on the first cover element co-operates with the plug encasing element of the second cover element to define a plug case  110  in which a plug connected to the wall socket unit is contained with a lead associated with the plug extending out of the plug case through the rectangular opening defined by the two associated notches that are located adjacent to the plug when the plug is in the wall socket unit and the cover unit is in place covering the plug. 
   While various embodiments of the invention have been described, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible within the scope of this invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be restricted except in light of the attached claims and their equivalents.