Patent Publication Number: US-2006009081-A1

Title: Safety electrical connection assembly for appliances

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
      This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/586,962 filed on Jul. 9, 2004, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to electrical connection assemblies and, more particularly, to electrical connection assemblies that enable selective contact between terminal ends and appliance conductors while preventing inadvertent contact with terminal ends when not in use.  
      2. Description of Related Art  
      Various electrical appliances exist in which it is desirable to allow one or more parts to be removed from a base, in which the base conducts electrical energy from an external power source and transfers the energy to the removable part. For example, certain cooking appliances have an electrical base with a removable pot or griddle, wherein the pot or griddle has conductive pins that, when in conductive contact with the base, provide electrical energy to on-board heat elements.  
      Known devices achieve this result by providing a movable cover on the base, whereby the cover selectively slides over the terminal ends on the base to protect them while the removable part is disengaged. When the removable part is engaged, one or more mechanisms cause the cover to be slid away from the terminal ends to expose them and allow them to contact the appliance conductor pins.  
     OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      It is an object of the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art mentioned above. These and other objects are achieved by the present invention described herein.  
      It is desirable to provide an electrical connection assembly that enables selective contact between terminal ends and appliance conductors while preventing inadvertent contact with terminal ends when not in use, wherein the need for complex or moveable parts is eliminated. The elimination of such parts eliminates potential wear, costs, and complexity in assembly. Furthermore, safety is enhanced because potential of failure is eliminated.  
      The present invention achieves these and other objectives by provided terminal ends that are sunk into openings in a base such that they cannot be contacted by any person or object larger than the openings into which they are sunk. In order to provide positive contact and resistance to pull-out, a novel spring leaf design is employed. The appliance conductor pins are shaped and sized to enter the openings into which the terminal ends are sunk, and to simultaneously block access to the openings by any other objects. The pins enter into and are held by the leaf spring, which pushes the pin and a pin support against the interior wall of the opening. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The present invention is more fully understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment with the drawings identified below.  
       FIG. 1  is a side, sectional view of the connector assembly according to the present invention in a “disassembled” state.  
       FIG. 2  is a side, sectional view of the connector assembly according to the present invention in an “assembled” state. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the top surface  10  of an electrical appliance base  12  has a plurality of openings such as opening  14 . This opening  14  contains an electrical terminal in the form of a spring  16 . The spring has two flexible bends  18 ,  20  which flex between the positions shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , as described below. A removable appliance part  22  has a plurality of conductor pins like the conductor pin  24 , which has a tip  26 . A pin support  28  is also provided to brace the pin  24  when engaged with the terminal spring  16  as shown in  FIG. 2 . The conductor pins  24  can be of various types, such as calrod pins.  
       FIG. 1  shows the electrical connection assembly in its “disassembled” state.  FIG. 2  illustrates the assembly in its “assembled” state. When the removable appliance portion  22  is operatively joined to the electrical base  12 , as shown in  FIG. 2 , the conductor pin  24 ,  26  enters the opening  14  so that the pin tip  26  contacts the spring  16 . The spring  16  flexes at the joints  18 ,  20  but is biased against the pin tip  26  to maintain electrical contact. The pin support  28  keeps the pin tip  26  relatively positioned in the opening  14 . When the removable appliance portion  22  is removed from the electrical base  12 , the spring  16  reverts to its initial shape, as shown in  FIG. 1 . The present invention also contemplates the use of a various number of joints in the spring  16 , so that the spring  16  can flex in various ways.  
      The spring  16  is sunk within the opening  14 , preferably at a distance from the edge of the opening  14  to prevent inadvertent contact with the spring  16 . In a preferred embodiment, the diameter of the opening  14  is small enough to prevent an operator&#39;s fingers from entering the opening  14 . In another embodiment, the conductor pin  24  and the pin support  28  substantially block any foreign objects from entering the opening  14 .  
      The base  10  is connected to an external electric source to provide power to the base for supplying power to the removable appliance portion  22 . The removable portion  22  may have an element such as a heater that is driven by the power.  
      The present invention assembly is suitable for use with a variety of appliances including, but not limited to, fryers, fry pans, kettles and griddles for consumer use.  
      While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been herein disclosed and described, it is understood that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.