Abstract:
An in-wall mounted receptacle device includes a body and an electrical outlet box, wherein the body has an accommodating section. The electrical outlet box has a junction surface and is disposed inside the body. When the electrical outlet box rotates, a perpendicular direction of the junction surface varies and points outwardly or inwardly. Whereby, the in-wall mounted receptacle device of the present invention is capable of receiving both an electrical plug which is connected with the junction surface and an electric wire coupled to the electrical plug into the accommodating section, thereby preventing the electrical plug from exposure outside and further reducing the occupied space of the electrical plug. Moreover, the orientation of the junction surface is capable of changing directions so as to alter the direction of the electric wire adjacent to the electrical plug, thereby minimizing the possibility of bending or damaging the electric wire exposed outside.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a Divisional patent application of co-pending application Ser. No. 12/783,876, filed on 20 May 2010. The entire disclosure of the prior application, Ser. No. 12/783,876, from which an oath or declaration is supplied, is considered a part of the disclosure of the accompanying Divisional application and is hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to a receptacle device, in particular, to an in-wall mounted receptacle device which is utilized to accommodate an electrical plug. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     With the present continuous development of modern society, more and more electronic devices are utilized in public. 
     To pursue more convenience and comfortable living quality, the volumes of electronic devices are designed to be thinner and slimmer so as to minimize occupied spaces for the electronic devices and increase the space utilization efficiency. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the electronic device  10  usually connects to a wall electrical power outlet  14  through an electrical plug  121  and an electric wire  123 , so as to provide the electrical power to the electronic device  10 . The outer structure of the electronic device  10  is usually designed as a wall-mounted style or a wall embedded style. When users use the electronic device  10 , the electrical plug  121  of the electronic device  10  is concealed behind the electronic device  10 . This serves to ensure that the environment looks neat. 
     However, the electrical plug  121  which is concealed behind the electronic device  10  occupied a certain space may cause the electronic device  10  to keep a distance away from a wall, thereby affecting reduction of the space. Moreover, the electronic device  10  adjacent to the wall may easily be pushed and pressed toward the electrical plug  121  connected to the conventional wall electrical power outlet  14 . The electric wire  123  adjacent to the electrical plug  121  may be pushed or pressed easily and eventually damage the electric wire  123 , such that the electrical wire  123  is in an open loop and the application safety of the electronic device  10  may be affected. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The above deficiencies and problems associated with the conventional wall electrical power outlet are primarily the occupied spaces when the electrical plugs of the electronic devices are in use. As per the aforementioned issues, the objective of the present invention is to provide an in-wall mounted receptacle device which has a space for accommodating the electrical plug and receiving the electric wire connected to the electrical plug, so that the overall environment maintains in a tidy appearance, thereby reducing the damages caused by bending, pushing, or pulling the electric wire. 
     To achieve the aforementioned objectives, a technical proposal of the present invention is to provide an in-wall mounted receptacle device, which has a body and an electrical outlet box, wherein the body has an accommodating section. The electrical outlet box has a junction surface and is disposed inside the body. When the electrical outlet box rotates, a perpendicular direction of the junction surface varies and points outwardly or inwardly. Whereby, the in-wall mounted receptacle device of the present invention is capable of receiving both an electrical plug which is connected with the junction surface and an electric wire coupled to the electrical plug into the accommodating section, thereby preventing the electrical plug from exposure outside and further reducing the occupied space of the electrical plug. Moreover, the orientation of the junction surface is capable of changing directions so as to alter the direction of the electric wire adjacent to the electrical plug, thereby minimizing the possibility of bending or damaging the electric wire exposed outside. 
     Therefore, the in-wall mounted receptacle device in accordance with certain aspects of the present invention has a simplified structural design and is operated conveniently to control the electrical outlet box in different orientations with respect to positions of the electronic devices distributed by the user. When the user is utilizing the in-wall mounted receptacle device, the electrical outlet box is firstly rotated outward (an exposed state) to the user to plug the electrical plug into the electrical outlet box. Then, the electrical outlet box is rotated inward (a concealed state) to the body, such that the electrical plug is capable of locating inside the accommodating section, thereby maintaining the outer appearance of the in-wall mounted receptacle device in a tidy state. When the user wants to pull out the electrical plug, the electrical outlet box is rotated from the concealed state to the exposed state and the electrical plug is released. 
     To achieve the aforementioned objectives, another technical proposal of the present invention is to provide an operating method. The operating method includes installing an electrical outlet box in an accommodating section and an operating direction of a junction surface on the electrical outlet box varies as long as the electrical outlet box rotates; connecting an electrical plug to the junction surface; and rotating the junction surface so as to allow the electrical plug be received inside the accommodating section and eventually retaining an electric wire of the electrical plug in a notch. 
     In order to further understand the techniques, means and effects the present invention takes for achieving the prescribed objectives, the following detailed description and included drawings are hereby referred, such that, through which, the purposes, features and aspects of the present invention can be thoroughly and concretely appreciated; however, the included drawings are provided solely for reference and illustration, without any intention to be used for limiting the present invention, whose full scope and dimension is described only in the later following claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the wall electrical power outlet according to the prior art; 
         FIG. 2A  illustrates a schematic diagram of an embodiment of in-wall mounted receptacle device in accordance with certain aspects of the present technique; 
         FIG. 2B  illustrates a cross-section view of the embodiment of the in-wall mounted receptacle device in accordance with certain aspects of the present technique; and 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the in-wall mounted receptacle device according to the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The present invention is an in-wall mounted receptacle device, utilizes a simplified structural design to accommodate electrical plugs and protect electric wires connected to the electrical plugs, such that an overall appearance beautification of the in-wall mounted receptacle device is achieved. 
     Please refer to  FIG. 2A , in which a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the in-wall mounted receptacle device in accordance with certain aspects of the present technique is demonstrated. An in-wall mounted receptacle device  2  comprises a body  21 , an electrical outlet box  23 , a shaft unit  25 , an accommodating section  27 , a notch  28 , and a locking unit  29 . 
     The body  21  is formed by a plurality of side plates, wherein the plurality of side plates includes a first side plate  211 , a second side plate  213 , a third side plate  215 , and a fourth side plate  217 . The quantity of side plates  211 ,  213 ,  215 ,  217  is not restricted herein and the side plates are used to constructing the accommodating section  27 . The accommodating section  27  may be of a cone shape, a cylindrical shape, a spherical shape, or a polyhedral shape. The aforementioned shape of the accommodating section  27  is illustrated merely for demonstration, but is not limited thereto. At least one electrical outlet box  23  provides one or more than one electrical plug (not shown) for operation, an electrical power plug, Coax, HDMI, DVI, RGB, or VGA signal line connectors, or a USB interface connector. 
     The electrical outlet box  23  may be disposed between the plurality of side plates  211 ,  213 ,  215 ,  217  by means of the shaft unit  25 . It also means that the electrical outlet box  23  is rotatable within the accommodating section  27  formed by the plurality of side plates  211 ,  213 ,  215 ,  217  and the rotating angle of the electrical outlet box  23  is not limited herein, e.g., between 45 degrees to 90 degrees or any other degrees. Furthermore, the volume of the electrical outlet box  23  does not occupy the accommodating section  27  entirely, so that the electrical plugs (not shown) connected to the junction surface  231  are capable of receiving inside the accommodating section  27 . 
     In the embodiment, the first side plate  211 , the second side plate  231 , and the fourth side plate  217  assemble into a first accommodating space  271 , and the second side plate  213 , the third side plate  215 , and the fourth side plate  217  assemble into a second accommodating space  273 . The electrical outlet box  23  includes a first electrical outlet box  231  and a second electrical outlet box  233 . Herein, the first electrical outlet box  231  is an electrical power receptacle which is disposed inside the first accommodating space  271 ; the second electrical outlet box  233  is a HDMI jack which is configured inside the second accommodating space  273 . The shaft unit  25  includes a first shaft portion  251  and a second shaft portion  253 . Therein, the first shaft portion  251  is configured inside the first accommodating space  271  and disposed on the reverse side of a first junction surface  2311 . The first shaft portion  251  couples to the first electrical outlet box  231 , the first side plate  271 , and the second side plate  273 . The second shaft unit  253  is configured inside the second accommodating space  273  and disposed on the reverse side of a second junction surface  2331 . The second shaft unit  253  coupled to the second electrical outlet box  233 , the second side plate  273 , and the third side plate  275 . 
     Therefore through the abovementioned configuration of the shaft portions  251 ,  253  on the two ends of the electrical outlet boxes  231 ,  233  between the plurality of side plates  211 ,  213 ,  215 ,  217 , the electrical outlet boxes  231 ,  233  may couple to the accommodating spaces  271 ,  273 . Meanwhile, the shaft portions  251 ,  253  function by changing perpendicular directions of the junction surfaces  2311 ,  2331  of the electrical outlet boxes  231 ,  233 . It also means that the perpendiculars direction of the junction surfaces  2311 ,  2331  may rotate outwardly or inwardly with respect to the accommodating spaces  271 ,  273 , accordingly. The perpendicular directions may rotate into different orientations as shown in  FIG. 2A  to provide electronic devices (not shown) with different height levels for connection. The junction surfaces  2311 ,  2331  of the electrical outlet boxes  231 ,  233  are both in an exposed state as shown in  FIG. 2A . While the electrical plugs of the different electronic devices connect to the junction surfaces  2311 ,  2331 , the shaft portions  251 ,  253  may function to change the perpendicular directions of the junction surfaces  2311 ,  2331 , so that the electrical outlet boxes  231 ,  233  are both in an concealed state, thereby concealing the electrical plugs inside the accommodating spaces  271 ,  273 . 
     In the embodiment, the body  21  has an outer frame  26  which is disposed surrounding the accommodating spaces  271 ,  273 . The outer frame  26  also has a notch  28 . The number of the notch  28  is designed to correspond with the number of the electrical outlet boxes  231 ,  233  and align to the positions thereof. For example, it may have more than one notch  281 ,  283 ,  285 ,  287  and the size thereof is around the line width of the electric wire or a signal line. The locking unit  29  is disposed on the body  21  or coupled to the shaft unit  25  for locking or unlocking the rotating direction of the electrical outlet box  23  within the body  21 . In actual practice, the locking unit  29  may include a knob, a button, or a switch and lock or unlock the electrical outlet box  23  in accordance with the operations by the user. 
     In the embodiment, the body  21  may further include more than one through hole  221 ,  223  which is configured on the plurality of side plates  211 ,  213 ,  215 ,  217 , adjacent to the shaft portions  251 ,  253  for providing the electrical outlet boxes  231 ,  233  to electrically connect to the public electrical power distribution system (not shown). 
     Please refer to  FIG. 2B , in which a cross-section view of the embodiment of the in-wall mounted receptacle device in accordance with certain aspects of the present technique is demonstrated. An electronic device  31  includes a main body  31 , an electrical plug  315 , and an electric wire  313 . The main body  311  may be a slim type displayer. The in-wall mounted receptacle device  2  is not tightly attached to a wall  40 , but keeps a gap in between for allowing a power cable supplying the public electrical power passing thru a through hole  211 ,  223 . The in-wall mounted receptacle device  2  connects to the wall  40  through the outer frame  26 , so that the in-wall mounted receptacle device  2  may be embedded inside the wall  40  firmly. 
     When the user is trying to hang the electronic device  21  on the wall  40  or embed it inside the wall  40  to minimize the space occupied by the main body  311  of the electronic device  31  and maintains the overall environment is a tidy appearance, the in-wall mounted receptacle device  2  is usually disposed behind the electronic device  31 . The in-wall mounted receptacle device  2  may be configured on the wall  40  or be embedded inside the wall  40 . 
     When the user is intended to plug the electrical plug  315  into the electrical outlet box  231 , it may adjust an operating surface (junction surface) of the electrical outlet box  231  to face toward the user for convenience in use. In other words, the perpendicular direction of the junction surface  2311  may rotate outwardly to be in an exposed state; then, the electrical plug  314  connects to the junction surface  2311  of the electrical outlet box  231 . The perpendicular direction of the junction surface  2311  may be altered with respect to requirements of use. The perpendicular direction of the junction surface  2311  may rotate to be in a concealed state and the locking unit  29  may be utilized to attain the rotating direction of the electrical outlet box  23  inside the body  21 , e.g., locking or unlocking. Hence, either one of the electrical plug  315  or the electric wire  313  connected to the electrical plug  315  or both of them may be accommodate inside the accommodating section  27 . Consequently, the main body  311  of the electronic device  31  may be as close as possible to the wall  40  without pressing or pushing the electrical wire  313  adjacent to the electrical plug  315 . The utilization space of the in-wall mounted receptacle device and the electrical plug  315  is reduced effectively. 
     Because the electric wire  313  may be externally exposed out of the in-wall mounted receptacle device  2  due to gravity relationship, a certain portion of the electrical sire  313  and the electrical plug  315  may be received inside the accommodating section  27 , the others may be positioned thru the notch  28 . The notch  28  may not merely attain the electric wire  313  but also reduce the possibility of bending or damaging the electrical wire  313 . 
     Please refer to  FIG. 3 , in which a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the in-wall mounted receptacle device according to the present invention is demonstrated. An in-wall mounted receptacle device  2 ′ includes a body  21 ′, an electrical outlet box  23 ′, an outer frame  26 ′, a notch  28 ′, and through holes  221 ′,  223 ′. The configurations of the present invention as shown in  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 2A  are almost identical, however, the only difference is the electrical outlet box  23 ′ includes a junction section  231 ′, a hinge  2311 ′, and a connection section  2313 . Herein, the hinge  2311  couples to a fourth side plate  217 ′ and is disposed adjacent to the through hole  221 ′. A power cable (not shown) of the public electrical power system may pass through the through hole  221 ′ and then pass by the hinge  2311 ′ to extend to the junction section  231 ′, so that an input power is provided to tan electronic device  31 ′ through the junction section  231 ′. Meanwhile, a distance (a gap) between the body  21 ′ and a wall  40 ′ is reduced and a utilization space for accommodating the electrical plug  314 ′ of the electronic device  31 ′ is improved effectively. 
     In the aspects of the aforementioned embodiments, the technical characteristics of the present invention are utilizing the electrical outlet box to be rotated inside the body in a certain angle from an exposed state to a concealed state, so that an electrical plug is capable of receiving inside an accommodating section of the body, the outer looking of the in-wall mounted receptacle device is in a tidy appearance, and the possibility for damaging the electric wire adjacent to the electrical plug by the electronic device is reduced. Consequently, the in-wall mounted receptacle device of the present invention may solve deficiencies and problems, i.e., low space utilization efficiency, associated with the conventional wall electrical power outlets. 
     The aforementioned descriptions represent merely the preferred embodiment of the present invention, without any intention to limit the scope of the present invention thereto. Various equivalent changes, alterations, or modifications based on the claims of present invention are all consequently viewed as being embraced by the scope of the present invention.