Abstract:
A securing device used for tightly securing a plug to a socket is provided. The securing device has a casing for tightly securing a plug to a socket and fitting various sizes of plugs. The securing device includes a plug having a clamping element, and a socket having a fitting element corresponding to the clamping element and capable of being clamped by the clamping element for securing the plug to the socket.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to a securing device, and more particularly to a device for tightly securing a plug to a socket.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Nowadays electronic appliances are widely used in every home or working office. Each electronic appliance needs to be plugged into a socket, and therefore electronic energy can be transferred from the power source to the electric appliance.  
           [0003]    The conventional connector assembly essentially includes a plug and a socket which are engaged with each other.  
           [0004]    [0004]FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating the connection of a plug and a socket according to the prior art. The designed connection of the conventional plug  10  and the conventional socket  11  is according to the precise sizes of them. For tightly connection, the materials of the plug  10  and the socket  11  are considered. The plug  10  is plugged in and drawn out of the socket  11  repeatedly, and then the connection is loose because the receptacles are expanded. It is common that the plug  10  is inadvertently removed from the socket  11 . Hence, the supplying electricity is interrupted. The interrupted supplying electricity can not only result in an inconvenience, but also cause damage to the electronic appliances.  
           [0005]    [0005]FIG. 2 is a schematic view illustrating the connection of an electronic appliance assembly and a plug according to the prior art. The socket  21  is mounted in the electronic appliance  2  for engaging with the plug  22 . Because there is no securing device for facilitating the connection of the electronic appliance  2  and the plug  22 , the foresaid drawback still exists.  
           [0006]    Referring to FIG. 3, it is a schematic view of a buckle device for securing a plug to a socket according to the prior art. The prong  311  disposed on the plug  31  is parallel with the conductive blades  312 , which are used for being plugged into the receptacles  321 . In addition, the hole  322  is used for receiving the prong  311 . When the plug  31  is engaged with the socket  32 , the prong  311  is plugged into the hole  322  and the protruding portion  313  of the prong  311  is buckled into the lock  323  to secure the engagement. However, additional springs or resilient blades (not shown) are needed to be installed in the interior of the socket in the prior art, which results in high manufacturing cost and complicated assembly.  
           [0007]    In order to overcome the drawbacks described above, the present invention provides a securing device for securing a plug to a socket.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0008]    It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a securing device used for tightly securing a plug to a socket.  
           [0009]    In accordance with the present invention, the securing device includes a plug having a clamping element, and a socket having a fitting element corresponding to the clamping element and capable of being clamped by the clamping element for securing the plug to the socket. The clamping element could be integrally formed with the plug or engaged separately with the plug.  
           [0010]    In addition, the clamping element is disposed on a surface of the plug. The clamping element is made of elastic materials. Furthermore, the clamping element comprises a slab, a hook portion disposed on a first end of the slab for engaging with the fitting element of the socket, a supporting rib connected with the slab and the plug for supporting the slab, and a pressing portion disposed on a second end of the slab for allowing a user to press thereon and thereby disengaging the hook portion from the fitting element.  
           [0011]    In accordance with the present invention, the fitting element comprises a slope portion disposed on a first side of the fitting element, and a retaining portion disposed on a second side opposite to the first side of the fitting element for engaging with the hook portion.  
           [0012]    Certainly, the plug and the socket are used for an electric appliance.  
           [0013]    In addition, the plug further comprises a first plug hole, and the socket further comprises a first conductive terminal capable of being received in the first plug hole when the plug is plugged into the socket.  
           [0014]    Moreover, the socket further comprises a second plug hole, and the plug further comprises a second conductive terminal capable of being received in the second plug hole when the plug is plugged into the socket.  
           [0015]    It is another object of the present invention to provide a securing device for tightly securing a plug to a socket.  
           [0016]    In accordance with the present invention, the securing device includes a plug having a fitting element, and a socket having a clamping element corresponding to the fitting element and capable of being clamped with the fitting element for securing the plug to the socket.  
           [0017]    It is still another object of the present invention to provide a plug for engaging with a socket having a fitting element thereon.  
           [0018]    In accordance with the present invention, the plug includes a plug body, and a clamping element disposed on a surface of the body for engaging with the fitting element of the socket, thereby securing the plug to the socket, wherein the clamping element includes a slab, a hook portion disposed on a first end of the slab for engaging with the fitting element of the socket, a supporting rib connected with the slab and the plug for supporting the slab, and a pressing portion disposed on a second end of the slab for allowing a user to press thereon and thereby disengaging the hook portion from the fitting element.  
           [0019]    It is still another object of the present invention to provide a socket for engaging with a plug having a clamping element thereon.  
           [0020]    In accordance with the present invention, the socket includes a socket body, a fitting element disposed on the socket body for engaging with the clamping element of the plug, thereby securing the plug to the socket, wherein the fitting element includes a slope portion disposed on a first side of the fitting element, and a retaining portion disposed on a second side opposite to the first side of the fitting element for engaging with the clamping element of the plug.  
           [0021]    It is still another object of the present invention to provide an electronic appliance assembly.  
           [0022]    In accordance with the present invention, the electronic appliance assembly includes an electronic appliance, a plug having a clamping element, and a socket mounted on the electronic appliance and having a fitting element corresponding to the clamping element of the plug for engaging with the clamping element of the plug, thereby securing the plug to the socket.  
           [0023]    The present invention may best be understood through the following descriptions with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
       [0024]    [0024]FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating the connection of a plug and a socket according to the prior art;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 2 is a schematic view illustrating the connection of an electronic appliance and a plug according to the prior art;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a buckle device for securing a plug to a socket according to the prior art;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 4 is a schematic view illustrating the securing device of a plug and a socket according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the engagement of the plug and the socket in FIG. 4;  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the electronic appliance assembly according to the second preferred embodiment of the present invention; and  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the combination of the electronic appliance assembly according to the second preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0031]    Two preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in detail with reference to FIGS.  4  to  7 .  
         [0032]    As shown in FIG. 4, a plug  41  includes a clamping element  410  disposed on the surface of the plug  41 . The clamping element  410  includes a slab  4101 , a hook portion  4102 , a supporting rib  4103  and a pressing portion  4104 . The supporting rib  4103  engaged with the plug  41  and the slab  4101  is used for supporting the slab  4101 . In addition, the hook portion  4102  is disposed on the first end of the slab  4101 , and the pressing  4104  portion is disposed on the second end of the slab  4101 . The pressing portion  4104  is pressed to make the hook portion  4102  move upward and downward.  
         [0033]    Certainly, the foresaid clamping element  410  could be integrated with the plug  41  or engaged separately with the plug  41 . In addition, the clamping element  410  is preferably made of elastic materials.  
         [0034]    The socket  42  includes a fitting element  420 , which is fitted to the clamping element  410  and clamped by the clamping element  410  for securing the plug  41  to the socket  42 . The fitting element  420  includes the slope  4201  disposed on a first side of the fitting element  420 , and the retaining portion  4202 , which is disposed on a second side relative to the first side of the fitting element  420 . The retaining portion  4202  is used for engaging with the hook portion  4102 , thereby securing the plug  41  into the socket  42 .  
         [0035]    The engagement of the plug  41  and the socket  42  is shown in FIG. 5 Please refer to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, when the plug  41  is plugged into the socket  42 , the hook portion  4102  climbs up along the slope  4201  until the hook portion  4102  is engaged with the retaining portion  4202 . Therefore, the engagement of the plug  41  and the socket  42  is tightly secured. In addition, when the plug  41  is drawn out of the socket  42 , the pressing portion  4104  is pressed. Then the hook portion  4102  is disengaged from the retaining portion  4202 , and the plug  41  could be easily drawn out of the socket  42 .  
         [0036]    Certainly, the foresaid assembly of the plug  41  and the socket  42  could be an assembly of an electrical plug and an electrical socket or a signal plug and a signal socket. If the assembly of an electrical plug and an electrical socket is used, the plug  41  preferably further includes a plug hole (not shown), and the socket  42  further includes a conductive terminal for plugging into the plug hole. Certainly, the plug  41  could further include a conductive terminal, and the socket  42  could further include a socket hole for receiving the conductive terminal of the plug  41 .  
         [0037]    Furthermore, the number of the clamping elements and the number of the fitting elements are not limited in the present invention. Certainly, the clamping element could be disposed on the socket and the fitting element could be disposed on the plug according to the present invention.  
         [0038]    Referring to FIG. 6, it is a schematic view of an electronic appliance assembly according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The electronic appliance assembly  6  includes an electronic appliance  61  and a plug  62 . The electronic appliance  61  includes a socket  63  for engaging with the plug  62  including a clamping element  620 . The socket  63  includes a fitting element  630  for engaging with the clamping element  620  and securing the plug  62  into the socket  62  installed in the electronic appliance  61 .  
         [0039]    The engagement of the plug  62  and the socket  63  is shown in FIG. 7 Please refer to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, when the plug  62  is plugged into the socket  63 , a hook portion  6201  climbs up along a slope  6301  until the hook portion  6201  is engaged with the retaining portion (not shown). Therefore, the engagement of the plug  62  and the socket  63  is tightly secured. In addition, when the plug  62  is drawn out of the socket  63 , the pressing portion  6202  is pressed. Then the hook portion  6201  is disengaged from the retaining portion, and the plug  62  could be easily drawn out of the socket  63  mounted on the electronic appliance  61 .  
         [0040]    Certainly, the socket  63  could be integrated with the electronic appliance  61  or engaged additively with the electronic appliance  61 . In addition, the foresaid electronic appliance could be an adapter, and a portable adapter of an information equipment is preferred.  
         [0041]    Certainly, the electronic appliance of the present invention is not limited to the adapter. The present invention could be adapted to any electronic appliance which needs the engagement of a plug and a socket.  
         [0042]    While the invention has been described in terms of what are presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention need not be limited to the disclosed embodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims which are to be accorded with the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structures. Therefore, the above description and illustration should not be taken as limiting the scope of the present invention which is defined by the appended claims.