Home electrical outlet/retractable extension cord

An electrical junction box has internal mechanics allowing at least one receptacle to be pulled out as an extension cord. The cord unwinds and rewinds on a spool inside the junction box. A return spring and a releasable ratchet allows the cord to be stopped by the user at various lengths either when pulling the receptacle from the junction box or returning it to the box. The junction box can be use in residential homes, commercial buildings, offices, school rooms, and other structures as a standard 110 volt electrical outlet and self-contained extension cord.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates to electrical junction boxes having at least one 
pull-out receptacle affixed with an extension cord. The present invention 
is particularly directed towards an extendible electrical receptacle 
having an attached cord arranged to be manually uncoiled from a reel and 
to automatically recoil to the same reel, the reel being inside the 
electrical junction box. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
Although many types of housed reel extension cords with plug-in ends are 
seen in past art patents and are available in the market place, devices 
directly similar to the present invention appear to be unpublished in 
patents and unavailable in the market place. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Therefore, in practicing my invention, I provide an electrical junction box 
with internal mechanics that allows at least one receptacle to be pulled 
out as an extension cord. The cord unwinds and rewinds on a spool inside 
the junction box. A coil return spring and a releasable ratchet allows the 
cord to be stopped by the user at various lengths either when pulling the 
receptacle from the junction box or returning it to the box. My device is 
designed for use in residential homes, commercial buildings, offices, 
school rooms, and other structures as a standard 110 volt electrical 
outlet and self-contained extension cord. The junction box housing the 
spool and coiled wire is similar to a standard electrical outlet box and 
can be used in any interior and exterior walls framed with standard 
2.times.4's (or larger), steel or wood stud construction. Punch-out tabs 
for electric input wire attachment are on the side and back of the 
junction box. Although the cover plate of the present invention is convex 
and has special receptacle apertures, it fastens to the box by the 
standard screw method currently used. 
As a principal object, the present invention provides a 110 volt electrical 
junction box having at least one receptacle that can be pulled out and 
used as an extension cord. 
Another object of the invention is to provide a 110 volt electrical 
junction box with a receptacle affixed as an extension cord, the cord 
unwinding and automatically rewinding on a spring-loaded spool inside the 
junction box. 
A further object of my invention is to provide an extension cord on a spool 
housed in a 110 volt junction box with the spool having a return spring 
and a releasable ratchet allowing the cord to be stopped by the user at 
various lengths either when pulling the receptacle from the junction box 
or returning it to the box. 
A still further object of the invention is to provide a removable 
receptacle as an extension cord in part with a 110 volt junction box, the 
receptacle being of a standard size or a block size fitting a crosswise 
cutout in a beveled or extended front cover plate there being a releasable 
snap lock holding the receptacle in the cover plate. 
Other objects and the many advantages of the present invention will become 
apparent from reading descriptions of numbered parts in the specification 
and comparing them with like numbered parts shown in the included drawings 
.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring now to the drawings at FIG. 1 where a first embodiment of the 
invention is referenced as invention 10. Although having a widened cover 
plate 28, invention 10 is similar to a standard 110 volt household 
electrical outlet. The numbered parts shown include: extension receptacle 
16, fixed receptacle 18, wall section 20 (internal or external), spring 
latch release 24, cover plate 28, and retainer screw 30. FIG. 2 shows 
junction box 12 of invention 10 in a cutaway panel side view. Junction box 
12 is attached to metal stud 14 by retainer screws 30 through box retainer 
tabs 44. Cover plate 28 is fastened to box 12 at the front by retainer 
screw 30. Extension receptacle 16 has been pulled out from extension 
receptacle socket 16A. Snap latch hook 22 protrudes from the back edge of 
the widened receptacle 16 head, latch release 24 is on the side, and latch 
catch 26 is in the bottom surface of extension receptacle socket 16A. 
Fixed receptacle 18 is in the lower section of cover plate 28. Cover plate 
28 is mounted on junction box 12 to protrude somewhat out from wall 20. 
Wall 20 can be an interior or an exterior wall covering. Wire spool 32 has 
a hollow spool tube 32A on which outlet wire 34 winds and unwinds. Hollow 
spool tube 32A has coil spring 38 in spring housing 54 at one end (not 
shown) and input electrical connections (see FIG. 7) at the other end. A 
spool axle 42 is centered in wire spool 32. Electrical input wire 36 is in 
the lower right corner of box 12 passed through punch-out tab 78. 
In FIG. 3, junction box 12 is shown in a frontal view with cover plate 28 
removed. Spool 32 is supported by axle 42 through the canter attached to 
the side walls of box 12 by wheel hubs 50. Hollow spool tube 32A has 
illustrative extension wire 34 coiled on it illustrated in dotted lines. 
Coil spring housing 54 with coil spring 38 inside is shown to the left in 
the drawing. Electrical contact and ratchet control housing 72 is to the 
right in the FIG. 3 drawing. Junction box attachment tabs 44 are on the 
top and bottom edges of junction box 12, and cover plate attachment tabs 
46 are centered top and bottom front of junction box 12. Electric input 
wire 36 passes through holder fittings affixed through a punch-out tab 76 
lower right in the illustration and continue upward inside box 12 to 
housing 72. 
A second embodiment, invention 10A, is illustrated at FIG. 4 in a cutaway 
side view. Block-type receptacle 16B is shown pulled out from junction box 
12 and is the extension receptacle of embodiment 10A. Beveled cover plate 
52 is attached to wall 20 and to junction box 12 top and bottom by 
retainer screws 30. All internal components are the same as FIG. 2. 
Junction box 12 is shown fastened to wood stud 48 and mounted on wall 20. 
Wall 20 can be interior or exterior. It is noted that both embodiments 10 
and 10A of the present invention can be manufactured of durable plastic 
and used externally free of any wall surface. In FIG. 5, invention 10A is 
shown in a frontal view of beveled cover plate 52. Block-type receptacle 
16B can be released by spring latch releases 24, on either side and is the 
block-type pull-out extension cord of embodiment 10A. 
FIG. 6 shows junction box 12 of invention 10A in a frontal view with cover 
plate 52 removed. Junction box 12 is shown with side mounting tabs 44 
attached to a wood stud 48 by retainer scows 30. Cover plate attachment 
tabs 46 are at the top and bottom of junction box 12. Wire 34, in dotted 
lines, is shown wound on hollow spool tube 32A of wire spool 32. Hollow 
spool tube 32A has coil spring 38 in spring housing 54 left in the 
illustration. Input electrical connections (see FIG. 7) are in housing 72 
at the right end of spool tube 32A. Spool axle 42 is centered in wire 
spool 32. Electrical input wire 36 is in the lower right corner of box 12 
passed through punch-out tab 76. Wire return ratchet 58, not shown, is 
also in housing 72. Axle 42 supports wire spool 32 by hubs 50 in the side 
walls of junction box 12. 
A perspective view of wire spool 32 is shown in FIG. 7. Return coil spring 
38 is in spring housing 54 in the far end of the spool tube 32A (indicated 
by arrow and number but not shown). Spool upper input electrical contact 
tab 62 and lower electric contact tab 64 are housed adjacent spool axle 42 
in a recessed area formed in the end of a raised cylindrical center 
section 80. Ratchet arm 58 pivotal at pin 60 is attached at the upper end 
to bias spring 58A and is in a circular recess formed between the raised 
center cylindrical section 80 and the collared outer edge of housing 72. 
The circular recessed area of housing 72 fits covered inside a tubular 
protrusion 82 formed on the inside surface of side wall 74. FIG. 8 shows 
the inside surface of side wall 74 of junction box 12. When assembled, the 
inside surface of wall 74 would be facing the end of wire spool 32 shown 
in FIG. 7. Upper electrical input ring 66 and lower electrical input ring 
68 are arranged to contact the receiver tabs 62 and 64 on the end of wire 
spool 32. Tubular protrusion 82 fits mobile around raised cylindrical 
section 80 inside the spool collar forming housing 72. Ratchet arm 58, 
clicking through ratchet effect opening 40 operates uncoil and recoil 
ratchet mechanic on wire spool 32 allowing wire 34 to be intermittently 
uncoiled and recoiled. 
The FIG. 9 drawing shows the outside surface of side wall 74 drawn 
see-through. Electrical input connections 36, spool axle 42, ground 
connectors 70, and tubular protrusion 82 can be seen. While FIG. 8 shows 
the inside surface of wall 74, FIG. 9 shows the outside surface. The parts 
seen are actually inside junction box 12 manufactured on the inside 
surface of side wall 74. 
FIG. 10 is a repeat of FIG. 5 to further illustrate the block-type 
removable extension cord receptacle 16B relative to cover plate 52 when 
the receptacle is snapped into cover plate 52. Latch releases 24 are 
arranged one on each end of block-type receptacle 61B. FIG. 11 shows a 
frontal view of block-type receptacle 16B unattached and removed from 
cover plate 52. FIG. 12 shows block type extension receptacle 16B pulled 
from junction box 12 for use. Receptacle 16B is shown in a top plan view. 
The surface covering is partly removed at the ends to show snap spring 
latches 22 and their relation to spring biased release buttons 24. 
For use, both embodiments 10 and 10A have a similar junction box 12. 
Junction box 12 can be attach as shown in FIG. 2 to a metal stud 14 or to 
a wood stud 48, shown in FIG. 4. The embodiments, 10 and 10A, provide a 
110 electrical wall outlet similar to a standard outlet. A releasable 
receptacle 16 can be pulled out from junction box 12 in embodiment 10 and 
used as an extension cord. Cord 34 attached to receptacle 16 unwinds and 
rewinds on spool 32 inside of junction box 12. Coil spring 38 and 
releasable ratchet arm 58 clicking through ratchet stop opening 40 allows 
cord 34 to be stopped by a user at various length either when pulling 
receptacle 16 from junction box 12 or returning cord 34 to box 12. 
Embodiment 10A operates in the same manner, the difference being that 
embodiment 10A is a block-type receptacle 16B, rectangular in shape and 
fitting crosswise in an opened upper socket 16C in beveled cover plate 52 
as shown in FIGS. 10-12. 
Although I have described two embodiments according to my invention with 
considerable details in the foregoing specification and illustrated them 
extensively in the drawings, it is to be understood that I may make 
changes in the structure of the devices so long as any changes made remain 
within the scope of the appended claims and any changed devices similar to 
mine made by others that fall within my claim scope, I shall consider such 
devices to be my invention.