Abstract:
A retractable electrical plug for mounting in a hollow wall structure of a building and for charging the batteries of portable communication devices, including a face plate for mounting to hollow wall structures defining on its exterior surface a plug recess, a plug shaped to nest in the plug recess, a cord opening in the face plate extending from the plug recess to the interior surface of the face plate, and an electrical conductor cord that extends from the plug and through the cord opening into the hollow wall.

Description:
PRIORITY 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/251,330, filed Nov. 5, 2015. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Portable hand held communication devices are powered by batteries and the power or charge of the battery depletes over time from use by its users. The hand held devices have an access port or “jack” for receiving a USB (universal serial bus) plug. An insulated power cord has a USB plug at one end for connection to the port of the hand held device and a conventional wall plug at its other end for connection to the conventional wall socket of a dwelling. 
         [0003]    While this arrangement seems to be convenient and useful, there are problems usually associated with the conventional power cords since the user of such a cord would likely want to move it to other locations, such as in different rooms of a house or from one house to another, etc., or to a vehicle. A result is that the rechargeable power cord is likely to be misplaced and “lost” temporarily or permanently or unavailable to its owner. While this problem can be solved by maintaining the power cord plugged in at a single outlet and never moving it, there likely will be exceptions to the effort to maintain the power cord in a single location. 
         [0004]    The lost power cord is likely to cause substantial frustration by the owner and other users of the power cord, and in many situations the owner of the missing power cord is likely to purchase a substitute power cord. 
         [0005]    Another undesirable feature of the power cords described above is that the insulated power cord usually has a length of about two feet and when the cord is not connected to the communication device it extends from its wall plug out onto a counter top, desk top or other horizontal surfaces and it presents an undesirable cluttered appearance. 
         [0006]    For these and other reasons it would be desirable to have a “docking station” for a communication power cord that is neat in appearance, is in a stationary location, and is conveniently used for the purpose of charging hand held communication devices and other devices that have a plug receptacle used for recharging. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    Briefly described, this invention concerns a retractable wall-mounted electrical plug for charging a battery of a communication device, such as a hand held communication device. Generally, an open face support box is provided for mounting in the interior of a hollow wall of a building structure, with its opening facing the room of the building structure. A face plate is mounted to the support box about the support box opening and closes the support box opening. The face plate includes an exterior surface that faces away from the support box and its back side is exposed to the interior of the support box. 
         [0008]    The exterior surface of the face plate defines a plug recess, and an electrical plug is sized and shaped to telescopically fit into the plug recess. A cord opening extends from the plug recess of the face plate to the interior of the support box, providing a small passage between the outside and inside of the face plate and into the support box. 
         [0009]    An insulated electrical conductor cord includes an outer end connected to the plug and an intermediate portion that extends between the plug and through the cord opening of the plug recess, and into the support box. An inner end of the electrical cord in the support box is connected to an electrical current source. 
         [0010]    A spring, such as a coil tension spring, is mounted between the interior of the support box and the interior end of the electrical cord and is configured for biasing the electrical cord through the cord opening of the face plate and into the support box. This urges the plug toward the wall plate and into the plug recess of the wall plate, supporting the plug and the insulated electrical conductor cord at an accessible, convenient and visually clean configuration. 
         [0011]    The electrical plug includes a plug body, an electrical contact extending in a first direction away from the plug body, a finger grip that extends from the plug body in a direction normal to the first direction of the electrical contact, and an insulated electrical cord extending from the plug body in the direction opposite the finger grip. The plug recess that is formed in the exterior surface of the face plate is configured to be compatible with the shape of the retractable electrical plug so that when the plug is inserted in the recess, the plug body and the electrical contact may be received in and supported in the recess of the face plate, with its electrical contact shielded from inadvertent engagement by an outside object. 
         [0012]    When the plug is resting in the recess of the face plate, the finger grip of the plug may extend from the plug support box in a direction away from the face plate, preferably beyond the surface of the face plate and is shaped for grasping by the fingers of the user so that the user can grasp the plug and gently pull the plug away from the wall plate. This retrieves the plug from the face plate, and pulls the adjacent end of the insulated electrical conductor cord with the plug from the interior of the plug support box. This may also allow flexible use of the communication device when the plug is connected to the communication device, and also allows the communication device to be laid to rest on a table surface or other horizontal surface adjacent the face plate when being charged. 
         [0013]    When the communication device has been recharged and is ready for further use, the plug can be moved out of the receptacle of the communication device and the spring behind the face plate pulls the electrical cord and therefore urges the plug back toward its plug recess that is formed in the exterior surface of the face plate. 
         [0014]    This safely stores the electrical conductor of the plug out of the way and ready for repeated use. 
         [0015]    The face plate guards the plug against deterioration by impact from other objects and moisture, and the size of the opening from the recess through the material of the face plate is so small that it is unlikely that moisture or other contaminants would be likely to reach through the face plate openings to the interior of the wall box. 
         [0016]    Optionally, the electrical plug can also include other items, such as a typical three prong power port for conventional electrical products such as lamps and other devices that require a continuous charge of electricity. 
         [0017]    Thus, it is an object of this invention to provide a retractable electrical plug that is to be mounted in a hollow wall structure or the like for recharging a battery charged portable communication device. 
         [0018]    Another object is to maintain a retractable charge plug in a retracted location and one that includes an extendable and retractable plug for charging the communication device and is easy to use and then stored in a safe condition for later use. 
         [0019]    Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following specification, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0020]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the external components of the retractable wall mounted electrical plug, showing the plug partially extended from its face plate, and with its insulated electrical cord extending from the plug back through its shaped plug recess and through the opening in the face plate. 
           [0021]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view similar to  FIG. 1 , but shows how the plug may be withdrawn from the plug recess of the wall plate and plugged into the port of a communication device. 
           [0022]      FIGS. 3 and 4  are expanded views of the internal components of the retractable wall mounted electrical plug. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0023]    Referring now in more detail to the drawings, in which like numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views,  FIGS. 1 and 2  illustrate a conventional wall support box  12  that fits into a hollow wall structure, a plug support box  14  that may be telescopically supported by the wall support box, and a face plate  15  that is mounted to the plug support box. If desired, conventional plug receptacle openings  16  may be formed through the face plate exterior surface  18  for alignment with a conventional jack, not shown. 
         [0024]    As best shown in  FIG. 2 , plug recess  20  is formed in the face plate  15  and an electrical cord opening  27  extends from recess  20  on through the face plate to the interior of the plug support box  14 . Electrical plug  22  is sized and shaped to fit in the recess  20 . The electrical plug  22  includes a plug body  24 , and its electrical contact  28  that extends from the plug body. The plug body  24  and electrical contact  28  are sized and shaped to telescopically fit within the plug recess  20  of face plate  15 . 
         [0025]    An enlarged finger grip  30  extends from the plug body at an angle, preferably at a right angle, from the electrical contact  28 . This allows the enlarged finger grip  30  to protrude from the surface of the face plate  15  when the plug body  24  and electrical contact  28  are inserted in the recess  20 , for easy gripping by a person&#39;s fingers, such as the fingers  32  and  33  of  FIG. 2 . 
         [0026]    The enlarged finger grip  30  protrudes laterally about the stem  23  so that the stem is positioned between the enlarged finger grip  30  and the plug body  24 , and allows for easy pulling of the electrical plug  22  from the plug recess  20 . 
         [0027]    When the plug  22  has been used to charge an electrical communication device, such as the product illustrated at  35  of  FIG. 2 , the plug can be pulled out and removed from the port  51  of the device  35  and then returned to its plug recess  20  in the face plate, where it is protected inside the plug recess with the enlarged finger grip protruding out from the plane of the flat surface of the face plate. When the plug is returned to its plug recess, the electrical cord  26  and its opening  27  are substantially covered by the plug  24 , and the insulated electrical conductor cord  26  substantially fills the opening  27  so as to retard, or block communication of moisture through the face plate  15 . 
         [0028]    As shown in dash lines of  FIG. 2 , a magnet  37  is mounted to the internal surface of the face plate  15 . When the electrical plug  24  is inserted into its plug recess  20 , the magnet applies a magnetic force that tends to attract the metal of the plug body  24  into its “nested” position within the plug recess  20 , thereby assuring that inadvertent removal of the plug body  24  from its plug recess likely will be avoided. 
         [0029]    A spring (not shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ) is mounted in the plug support box  14  that applies a force to the insulated electrical conductor cord  26  to urge the electrical plug  24  toward its plug recess  20 . 
         [0030]    As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the plug support box  14  includes a support stem  46  that supports a reel  40  that is biased by the spring and which retrieves the insulated electrical conductor cord  26 . A circular electrical conductor strip  41  is mounted to the reel  40  and contact is made with the conductor strip to impart electrical current to it. The electrical conductor cord  26  is also connected to the conductor strip  41 , thereby transmitting electrical current through the cord  26  to the plug  22 . 
         [0031]    A gear  43 , ratcheting arm  44 , and disk  45  are mounted to the reel  40  on one side of the reel, with the conductor strip  41  on the opposite side thereof, in the conventional manner. These items are rotatably mounted on the stem  46 . Support web  48  of  FIG. 4  is configured for supporting the elements of  FIG. 3  from the conventional hanger loops  50  that connect to the wall structure of the dwelling on which the electrical plug assembly is mounted. 
         [0032]    Other prior art spring and reel configurations may be used as desired. 
         [0033]    When the retractable wall mounted electrical plug is attached to a conventional hollow wall structure, the insulated electrical conductor cord  26  will be charged with electricity and ready for recharging a battery of a communication device, such as device  35  of  FIG. 2 . Electrical plug  22  will be retained in its plug recess  20  of the face plate  15  until it is to be used to recharge the battery of the device  35 . 
         [0034]    As shown in  FIG. 2 . the operator will use his/her fingers  32  and  33  to grasp the enlarged finger grip  30  of the plug body  24  to pull the plug body away from and out of the plug recess  20  on the face plate  15 . This progressively pulls the insulated conductor cord  26  from its reel  40  and through the opening  27  and the plug recess  20  so that the plug  22  can reach the communication device  35 . The operator inserts the electrical contact  28  of the plug body  24  into the port  51  of the communication device to make contact with the battery of the communication device to recharge the battery. 
         [0035]    When the battery has been recharged, the electrical plug  22  can be removed by applying the fingers of the person to the protruding portion of the plug body  24 , to withdraw the electrical contact  28  of the plug from the communication device and then allow the spring of the reel to urge the conductor cord toward the plug recess, through the electrical cord opening  27  of the face plate and into the plug support box  14  until the plug  22  is nested in the plug recess or port  20  and the cord  26  is retracted into the plug support box. 
         [0036]    Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosed in detail herein, variations and modifications of the disclosed embodiment can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.