ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS

Abstract: An electrical connector in the form of a plug (10) which comprises a body (12) having first and second parts (14, 16) and a hinge (18) connecting the first and second parts (14, 16) of the body (12). The first part (14) comprises a front face (20) on which there is mounted a pin (22) and two cavities (24, 26). The second part (16) comprises a front face (28) on which there is mounted two pins (30, 32) corresponding to cavities (24, 26) and a slot (34) corresponding to pin (22). The plug (10) is movable between a storage position in which the pins (22, 30, 32) are concealed in the respective slot or cavities (24, 26, 34) to a use position in which the pins (22, 30, 32) project from the first and second parts (14, 16).

Description: TITLE: ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS DESCRIPTION TECHNICAL FIELD The invention relates to electrical connectors and more particularly but not exclusively to electrical plugs. BACKGROUND ART Electrical connectors are often somewhat bulky in size and more importantly, generally have electrical connections protruding from a face of the electrical connector. The protruding connections causes problems in transport. The problem of providing a compact connector is addressed in US 4,629,279 which describes a connector housing having a first and a second part which are hinged together. The first and second parts are movable relative to each other from a first position in which the parts are side-by-side to a second position in which the parts are superposed. The electrical connector of US 4,629,279 does not have electrical connections which protrude therefrom. It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved electrical connector. DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION According to the invention there is provided an electrical connector comprising a body having first and second housing parts each having front faces, characterised in that at least one electrical connection is mounted on and projects from the front face of the first housing part and that the first and second housing parts are movable relative to each other between a storage position in which the or each electrical connection is concealed by concealing means in the second body part to a use position. The present invention thus addresses the problem of housing electrical connections which protrude from a surface of the electrical connector when folding the electrical connector. Thus in the storage position, the electrical connections are conveniently located within the body of the connector which enables easier transportation of the connector. Furthermore, in the storage position, the electrical connections are concealed and thus protected from wear and tear during transport of the electrical connector. The first and second housing part are preferably hollow so as to house the various electrical component of the electrical connector, including the or each electrical connection in the storage position. The electrical connector may further comprise at least one electrical connection mounted on and projecting from the front face of the second body part , the or each connection being concealed by concealing means in the first body part in the storage position. The first and second parts are preferably connected by a hinge so that the first and second parts are hinged together for movement between the storage or folded position and the use or open position . Since the hinge is located on the body of the connector rather than on the connections, there is no risk of the connections being incorrectly aligned in their use position. In addition the electrical integrity of the connector can be assured. Thus, the or each electrical connection is preferably rigidly mounted on the body. In the storage position the first and second parts are preferably superposed so that the front faces of the first and second parts are in the same plane and in the use position the first and second parts are preferably disposed side-by-side so that the front faces are face-to-face. The first and second housing parts may comprise engagement means for holding the first and second housing parts in the use position. The engagement means may be releasable to allow movement from the use position to the storage position. The engagement means may be in the form of a catch mechanism comprising first and second hooks which lock together and a spring which exerts a force biasing the hooks into contact . The first hook may be housed in the second housing part and the second hook may be housed in the first housing part. The catch mechanism may further comprise an elongate member on one end of which the second hook is mounted, the elongate member contacting the spring so that a force on an opposed end of the elongate member releases the force exerted by the spring. The concealing means may be in the form of a slot or a cavity. The cross-section and the depth of each slot or cavity is preferably slightly larger than the cross-section and the depth of corresponding electrical connection so as to ensure a snug-fit of the electrical connection in the corresponding slot or cavity. The electrical connector may further comprise a captive lead, one end of which is connected electrically to the electrical connections . The body may further comprise a lead housing which may be generally cylindrical. The lead may extend through a hole in the lead housing which may be in the second part . The electrical connector may be in the form of a mains electrical plug for connecting an electrical device to a power supply. The electrical connections may be in the form of pins. There may be one pin mounted on the first body part with a corresponding slot in the second body part and two pins mounted on the second part body part with corresponding cavities in the first body part so that as the plug is rotated from the storage position to the use position, the pins are released from the corresponding slot or cavity. The pins may be square pins. The plug may comprise a fuse. The electrical connector body may house an a/c adapter e.g. to supply low voltage d.c. current for charging a re- chargeable battery. Thus the connector may comprise means for electrically connecting to a mobile phone for recharging the battery thereof. Equally an a/c adapter in the body of the electrical connector may be arranged to supply low voltage d.c. power to other electrical equipment such as radios or the like. The electrical connector may house a printed circuit, board which may contain a built-in switching supply. The circuit board may be housed in the second housing par . BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS The invention is diagrammatically illustrated, by way of example, in the accompanying drawings in which: - Figure 1 is a front perspective view of an electrical plug according to the invention; Figure 2 is a rear perspective view of the plug of Figure 1 ; Figure 3 is a front view of the plug of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a cross-section on line AA of Figure 3; Figure 5 is a plan view of the plug of Figure 1; Figure 6 is a front perspective view of the plug of Figure 1 in a storage state; Figure 7 is a rear perspective of the plug of Figure 6; Figure 8 is a front perspective view of the plug of Figure 1 in a semi -folded state; Figure 9 is a rear perspective view of the plug of Figure 1 in a semi -folded state; Figure 10 is an exploded sectional view of the plug of Figure 1; Figure 11 is a side view of a second plug according to the invention; Figure 12 is a cross-section on line AA of Figure 11, and Figure 13 is a cross-section on line BB of Figure 12. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Figures 1 to 10 illustrate an electrical connector in the form of a mains plug (10) according to the present invention. The plug (10) comprises a body (12) having first and second hollow housing parts (14,16) which are connected together and rotatable relative to each other about a hinge (18). The first and second housing parts (14,16) are rotatable from a first position in which they are side-by- side as shown in Figures 6 and 7 to a second position in which they are vertically aligned as shown in Figures 1 to 5. The first position of the first and second housing parts corresponds to a storage position of the plug and the second position to a use position. A first electrical connection or pin (22) is rigidly mounted on the first housing part (14) so that the first pin (22) projects perpendicularly from a front face (20) of the first housing part (14) . Second and third electrical connections or pins (30,32) are rigidly mounted on the second housing part (16) so that the second and third pins (30,32) project perpendicularly from a front face (28) of the second housing part (16). The pins (22,30,32) are standard square pins with the second and third pins (30,32) being of equal size and the first pin (22) being larger than the second and third pins (30,32) . The second housing part (16) further comprises concealing means in the form of a slot (34) which is designed to house the first pin (22) in the storage position. Similarly, the first housing part (14) further comprises concealing means in the form of two cavities (24,26) which are designed to house the second and third pins (30,32), respectively, in the storage position. Each slot or cavity is at least as deep and has a larger cross- section than the corresponding pin. In view of the size constraints for the plug, the slot and cavities are designed so that the pins are a snug fit. The plug (10) further comprises a lead (36) which extends through a generally cylindrical lead housing (38) in the rear face (40) of the second housing part (16) . One end (42) of the lead (36) is connected electrically to the pins (22,30,32) in the normal arrangement of a mains plug. As shown in Figure 2, the lead housing (38) has a curved surface which is raised from the rear surface of the plug. In Figures 1 to 5 , the plug (10) is shown in a use position in which the first and second housing parts (14, 16) are vertically aligned. The first and second housing parts (14, 16) are held with their front faces (20,28) in the same plane, namely in vertical alignment, by a catch mechanism (58) which is shown in Figure 4. The catch mechanism (58) comprises first and second hooks (60,62) which lock together and are biased into contact by a spring (64) . The second hook (62) is mounted on an end of an elongate member ( 63 ) housed in the first housing part and contacting the spring (64) . The first hook (60) is mounted in the second housing part. The opposed end (76) of the elongate member (68) is visible in the front face (20) of the first housing part (14) . By exerting a force on the opposed end (76) , the biasing force of the spring (64) on the second hook (62) is released. The second hook (62) is then released from its engagement with the first hook (60) . In Figures 6 and 7, the plug is in a storage position in which the first and second housing parts (14,16) are horizontally aligned. The front faces of both the first and second housing parts (14,16) are adjacent and face-to-face. The first pin (22) is housed within the first slot (34) and the second and third pins (30,32) within the corresponding first and second cavities (24,26). As a result, with the exception of a hinge (18), the lead (36) , the lead housing (38) and the first and second hooks (60,62) of the catch mechanism, there are no projections from the surfaces of the plug in the storage position. Thus, the bottom (44) of the first housing part (14) and the top (46) of the second housing part (16) form a generally flat first surface (48) of the plug. Similarly, the top (50) of the first housing part (14) and the bottom (52) of the second housing part (16) form a generally smooth, curved second surface (54) . Before the plug (10) is used, the plug must be moved from its storage position shown in Figures 6 and 7 to the use position shown- in Figures 1 to 5. Figures 8 and 9 show the plug (10) in a transitional or semi-folded state. The first and second housing parts (14,16) are rotated about the hinge (18) so as to release pins (22,30,32) from the corresponding slot and cavities (34, 24,26). As the first and second housing parts are brought into vertical alignment, the first hook (60) of the catch mechanism is forced past the second hook (62) . The hooks are generally rigid but with sufficient flexibility to allow a small deflection. As described above, the catch mechanism (58) is releasable so that the plug may be returned to the storage position from the use position, if desired. Figure 10 shows the location of the hinge (18) which fits in holes (66) adjacent the front faces (20,28) of the housing parts (14,16) to link the two housing parts together. A fuse housing (56) is located on a top face of the second housing part (16) so that the plug (10) may comprise a fuse (not shown) if necessary. Figures 11 to 13 show a second plug (70) according to the present invention. The features in common with the first embodiment of the invention depicted in Figures 1 to 10 are labelled using the same reference numbers. The plug (70) comprises a body (12) having first and second hollow housing parts (14,16) which are rotatable relatively to each other about a hinge (18) in a similar manner to the first embodiment depicted in Figures 1 to 10. Thus, the first and second housing parts are rotated between a storage position (not shown) to a use position shown in Figures 11 to 13 in which the first and second housing parts (14,16) are aligned vertically or superposed. A first square pin (22) is rigidly mounted on the first housing part (14) and two smaller square pins (30,32) are rigidly mounted on the second housing part (16) . In the storage position, pins (30,32) are housed in corresponding slots (24,26) which are spaced from the surface on the first housing part (14) . The second housing part is provided with a cutaway section or slot (72) which extends to the surface of the second housing part and which houses the pin (22) on the first housing part (14) in the storage position. The second housing part (16) also houses a circuit board (74) which contains a built-in switching supply. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The invention thus provides a simple foldable electrical connector, e.g. a mains plug.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. An electrical connector (10) comprising a body (12) having first and second housing parts (14,16) each having front faces (20, 28), characterised in at least one electrical connection (22) is mounted on and projects from the front face (20) of the first housing part (14) and that the first and second housing parts (14,16) are movable relative to each other between a storage position in which the or each electrical connection (22) is concealed by concealing means (34) in the second body part (16) , to a use position. 2. An electrical connector according to claim 1, further comprising at least one electrical connection (30,32) mounted on and projecting from the front face (28) of the second housing part (16), the or each connection (30,32) being concealed by concealing means (24,26) in the first housing part (14) in the storage position. 3. An electrical connector (10) according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the first and second housing parts (14,16) are hinged together for rotational movement between the storage position and the use position. 4. An electrical connector (10) according to claim 3, wherein in the use position the first and second housing parts (14,16) are superposed so that the front faces (20,28) are in the same plane and in the storage position the first and second housing parts (14,16) are disposed side-by-side so that the front faces (20,28) are face-to- face . 5. An electrical connector (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first and second housing parts (14,16) comprise engagement means for holding the first and second housing parts (14,16) in the use position. 5 6. An electrical connector (10) according to claim 5, wherein the engagement means is releasable to allow movement from the use position to the storage position. 7. An electrical connector (10) according to claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the engagement means is in the form of a 10 catch mechanism (58) comprising first and second hooks (60, 62) which lock together and a spring (64) exerts a force biasing the hooks (60, 62) into contact. 8. An electrical connector (10) according to claim 7, wherein the catch mechanism (58) further comprises an 15 elongate member (68) on one end of which the second hook (62) is mounted, the elongate member contacting the spring so that a force on an opposed end (76) of the elongate member (68) releases the force exerted by the spring (64) . 9. An electrical connector (10) according to any one of 20 the preceding claims, wherein the concealing means are in the form of slots. 10. An electrical connector (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the concealing means are in the form of cavities. 25 11. An electrical connector according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the electrical connector is in the form of a mains electrical plug for connecting an electrical device to a power supply. 12. An electrical connector according to claim 11, wherein the electrical connectors are in the form of pins and there is one pin (22) mounted on the first housing part (14) with a corresponding slot (34) in the second housing part (16) and two pins (30,32) mounted on the second housing part (16) with corresponding cavities (24,26) in the first housing part (14) . 13. An electrical connector according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the body houses an a/c adapter for supplying low voltage d.c. current for charging a rechargeable battery. 14. An electrical connector according to claim 11, wherein the electrical connector comprises means for electrically connecting to a mobile phone for re-charging the battery thereof. 15. An electrical connector according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second housing part (16) houses a printed circuit board (74) .

Inventors: DREWNICKI RICHARD, DREWNICKI, RICHARD
Applicants: DREWNICKI RICHARD, DREWNICKI, RICHARD
Application year: 2000
Main classification: H01R24
IPC codes: H01R13, H01R24