SMALL ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES PNEUMATICALLY ACTIVATED BY REMOTE-CONTROLS WORKING THROUGH CABLE

Abstract: Small appliances, electrically activated by means of pneumatic remote-control systems (Fig. 1) that pass and work throughout the wiring-cable (Fig. 2); that do not have their electric switches within themselves but located externally and combined within the plug assembly (Fig. 3). Where, even if such appliances are plugged-in the socket, the circuit can reach the inside of them only when required and where this it is done only by pressing their starting-buttons; where also, because of such characteristics, these appliances can not cause accidents to persons or things if accidentally fall down off the operator's hands during the use.

Description: DESCRIPTION Small electrical appliances pneumatically activated by remote-con - trols working through cable: that automatically turn-off, if not held by hands, by a pressure-switch located within the plug. This invention finds uses in all small domestic appliances and professional power-tools, by ' the user held while operating, beca¬ use gives to him more insulating guarantee during the use, and accidents , to persons and things, may also be avoided when such appliances and tools accidentally fall into or nearby dan¬ gerous places and substances even if still plugged-in. The in- vention is based on electrical activating systems . that uses non¬ electrical remote-controls, but pneumatic-ones, that work and pro ceed through the wiring cable. Such a system consists of three elements; an air pump, bellows-like, that is located into the ap¬ pliance or tool, an air tube that is within the cable and throu- ghout its lenght, and a pressure-switch that is located at the plug, actually within that. There are many ways of making such a system; in the following technical description one of them will be demonstrated as well as already described in the requests for grant of italian patents N° 12201 A-87 dated 23-1-87 called EL.S.S.HA. ppc that means: Electrically Super Safe Hairdrier with pneumatic power control; also claimed too, as one of the ways described, in N° 12205 A-87 dated 6-4-87 called S.A.E.D. ne-tc that means: Remote-Control Appliance's Activating System that are not-electrical and through cable, whose priority rights are vendicated. _ ? _ The technical status-quo , that is to be referred to the above men tioned priority documents , is such that: any small electrical ap¬ pliance, that we hold by hands while using it , has its main switch located right inside of it. This fact, in order to evaluate this invention , shall be examined under the two following aspe¬ cts : these switches , however made, still require the user to di¬ rectly touch them in order to start the appliance; the other aspect concerns the fact that, these switches make the electrical contact right there or, more properly, they open and close in lo- cus the circuit . This last aspect actually wants to emphasize that: regardless the fact of being these switches on or off, once the appliance ' s plug is placed in the socket, the electrical cir¬ cuit reaches them anyway. Unfortunately we often hear about ac¬ cidents occurring during the use of such appliances and happe- ning most, right inside the domestic ambient. Looking at the facts that may cause them , we recall here some of these circumstances : the appliance itself may start to be de¬ fective discharging so electricity ; the place where it is used may become not suitable for execessive humidity; the personal phy- siological conditions of the user may be precarious, like weet hands or feet; various unexpected matters may intervene, like an uneasiness or lack of balance or a stumble of the user again . The unique user' s chance, in such cases , consists in a fast di¬ sconnecting of the plug off the socket, wich really it is not easy and quick done at all the times , pratically never. Instead, the unique instinctive reaction , scientifically prooved and by stati¬ stics supported too , is the one where the user tries immediately to throuw it away , and that , in any possibile way as long as done fast . That it is . . why sometimes such appliances , operated in the above mentioned circumstances , may get nearby elements that are quite dange¬ rous by themselves , like water or inflammable matters , and all that often makes uneasy even the rescue of the person directly compromised by it. So far we may state that: from the point of view of the risk , the user may be partially respcnsable for that , but as far as the amount of risk or the degree of it , incidental¬ ly it may also , and above all, depend on the fact that such ap¬ pliances are not safe enough by themeselves initially . This invention intends to reduce the electrocution risk while using such appliances and right from the moment they are plug- ged-in. By that infact , it is possible to raise the insulating-factor concerning the operator ' s safety and during the entire and actual device's working time . Moreover and during the pauses , that is the discontinuance of such working periods , still they will be mo re safe ; as an example it may be figured out the normal use of a power-drill or flat-iron . But above all , this invention intends to cut-out the circuit if such appliances fall down , either during the said working period , or off the operator ' s hands , in ail ca¬ ses . It is needed then to introduce a new appliance ' s activating criterium that consists in the use of non-electrical remote controls , obtaining this way, a solution to most of the problems . The new appliances , object of this invention infact, will be different from the traditional ones for the following characteristics and advan¬ tages : the appliances will be started on electrically by means 85 of a pneumatic control, located in the usual place, which does not act over electrical components as done with common switches , but over pneumatic ones , thus ensuring more insulation for the operator since he must touch them to start it on . This pneumatic control activates the appliance ' s electrical main switch that is 90 now located outside the appliance itself; actually such electrical switch , while removed from its traditional place , it is entered to be part of the appliance' s plug , indeed they will be both placed into a small container that assumes , here on, a double ^ function . These pneumatic controls are push-botton type with return-spring, 95 so that only when pushed, the circuit reaches the electrical com¬ ponents right inside the appliance, otherwise the same remains cut- off at the plug . The main switch this way activated, and located now into the plug container, cut the current off all plug' s pins , that is off all conductors , ensuring this way that , 100 even changing the position of the plug into the socket, the cir¬ cuit is ever and enterily cut— off. Obviously such switch it is in¬ tended as the main-one as being the firts on the circuit in re¬ spect of all others that the appliance may have. For an example a power-drill has a speed-selector and a flat-iron a temperature- 105 selector. b - The activating system, as already mentioned, passes through and uses right the same appliance's cable, and the latter, because of its new functional characteristics, is an integral part of that. In fact, either any action and reaction as physics principle in- 110 tended, or any means as matter intended and used for the tran¬ smitting purpose, all pass through such cable or become feasible because of it. These new appliances, besides all said characteri¬ stics, have also a most particular ones that are: a cable which it is not used only as electrical conductor and a plug that in- 115 clused also the function of main-electricai-switch too. Technical description of a pneumatic remote-control system as ap¬ plied to an hairdrier. Fig. 1 shows the cross-section of such system from the hairdrier's handle, through the cable, up to the plug. It works this way: pressing the starting button A, this 120 acts over the rubber bellows B which is connectd with a small plastic pipe C that is located right into the wiring-cable D. By doing so the air, show in dotted line, that initially was in¬ to the main bellows B, is pushed through the pipe C into the other bellows E that is located into a small container F that in- 125 eludes the electric switch and also works as plug. The pneuma¬ tic circuit is sealed and its original air pressure remains con¬ stant, consequently the B and E bellows when rest will remain and maintain their original volumes and shapes. Fig. 2 shows the cross-section of the wiring-cable D, with the air-pipe C at 130 its centre and the electric conductors G at the sides. Fig. 3 is an indicating functional scheme of the inclusive switch-plug ar¬ rangement and wants to describe the function of the E bellows re late ' d to B bellows ; actually its reactions in terms of volume and shape changes . Pressing the A control, the B bellows is modified 135 by shape and volume, equally the E bellows is modified too, reacting to it, and in this case will vary its lenght. This move¬ ment is what it is utilized to lift the electric movable contacts H up and against the fixed contacts L . , that also represent the pins of the plug itself. The volume and shape changes of the E 140 bellows may be differently figured-out, according to the required switching characteristics . Fig 4 shows the cross-section of the switch-plug complex; Fig. 5 its top view. When the contacts H are lifted up against the L contacts , the electric circuits reaches the appliance right into, or more properly reaches the electric 145 parts that directly make it to work . When the pressure of the A control is released, the E bellows goes back to its original position relieving the H contacts off the L contacts , thus cuting- off the circuit. To guarantee the coming back of all parts to their rest position, there are return-springs like M for the mo- 150 veable contacts; N for the intermediate lifting-piston I ; and 0 for the control or starting button A. In the wiring cable, the electric conductors go along the air pipe, all the way up to their dividing point ; in Fig. 3, P shows the conductors alone . At such point they independently reach the connecting-screws of the mo- 155 veable contacts as shown in Fig. 5. The same criterium, for such dividing point , is applied at the appliance ' s handle . The shape and volume of the bellows are respectively designed and propor¬ tioned in a reciprocal relationship , so that they ensure a prompt electrical response of the switch . This switch as said is the 160 main-one and, as shown on Fig . 6 , all others secondary-switches or selectors , shown by R, are located in any place but far from the main-one . There are various methods of making such pneuma¬ tic systems to electrically work . In fact they may be based on suction or vacuum principles too . Also there are many ways of 165 making devices working so, besides the bellows-ones . Like many different switches may be designed or applied to the system for the purpose so far described and object of this invention . The method explained in this description is actually only one the ma¬ ny and feasible ways of doing it , as all presumed to be perti- 170 nent to this invention .

Claims: CLAIMS 1 ) Small appliances , electrically activated by means of pneumatic remote-control systems that pass and work throughout the wiring-cable; that do not have their electric switches within themselves butlocated externally and combined within the plug assembly. Where, even if such appliances are piugged-in the socket, the circuit can reach the inside of them only by pressing their starting-buttons ; where also , because of such characteristics , these appliances can not cause acci- dents to persons or things if accidentally fall down or off the operator ' s hands during the uses . 2) Small appliances according to claim 1 ) where: the pneumatic system includes a starting push-button that, when pressed, it changes the original shape and volume of a bellows-like device in any way made, that it is inside the appliance and characterized by the fact of being an integral part of the system. 3 ) Small appliances according to claims 1) and 2) where: in the pneumatic system, the obtained air movements and utili- zed as pressure variations are pushed through a small con¬ necting pipe, in any way arranged it or by any material made, but characterized by the fact of representing the pneu matic transmission element, intermediate and essential to the system and consequently an integral part of it. 4) Small appliances according to claims 1) , 2) and 3) where: the air movement caused by the main-bellows shape-chan¬ ges , is utilized as pressure increase , by another bellows- like device in any way arranged it and by any material made , that it is the extreme part of the pneumatic system and where it reacts according to the actions taken over the main-bellows and that it is characterized by the fact of re¬ presenting the final part of the pneumatic system , thus an integral part of it too. 5 ) Small appliances according to claims 1 ) , 2 ) and 3 ) where : the extreme pneumatic part of the system according to claim 4) , is characterized by the fact of opening and closing electric circuits , in any ways arranged it , by means of its movements and in any ways figured-out. 6) Opening and closing of electric circuits according to claim 5 ) where : such switching operation is done within a unique container that externally has the aspect of a plug in any way made it, but that actually inside has switches or parts of them in any way made, but characterized by the fact of being a whole assembly that includes both switching and plugging-in functions and for the purposes characterized by claim 1 ) . 7) Small appliances electrically activated by means of pneuma¬ tic controls associated to their wiring cables , where such controls may work on pressure or suction principles or in any pneumatic way but characterized by the facts and pur- poses object of claim 1 ) . 8) Small appliances ' s wiring-cable , where such cable either for its full lenght or partially to it, includes the combined fun£ tions of electric conductor and air conductor both for the purpose object of claims 1) and 7) . 9) Small appliances wiring cable according to claim 1 ) where: the air-pipe used as pneumatic transmission mean and also representing the intermediate part of the pneumatic system and according to claim 2) , it may be arranged in any way in. respect of the part of the cable that exclusively works as electric conductor: or it may be in any way made, or by any material built, or it may be initially moulded with it, or included to it afterwards , or it may be in any way associated to it, but characterized bv the fact of beinσ in reciprocal relationship with all the purposes that are object of the claims 1 ) , 2) , 3) , 7) , 8) .

Inventors: MEGLIO GIAMPIERO, MEGLIO, GIAMPIERO
Applicants: MEGLIO GIAMPIERO, MEGLIO, GIAMPIERO
Application year: 1988
Main classification: H01H3
IPC codes: H01H3