Patent Publication Number: US-9426910-B1

Title: Transmission cable for electrical devices

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present invention relates generally to power transmission to an electrical device, and more particularly to a transmission cable for electrical devices. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Typically, USB cables are widely used in electrical devices for power and/or signals transmission. A conventional USB cable includes two USB connectors at opposite ends to be connected to two different electrical devices. When the USB cable is disconnected and stored, the USB connectors are exposed anyway, so that the USB connectors would be damaged, deformed by impact, or stained with dirt. 
     Take a charger for electronic devices, such as cellular phones and tablets, it has a line with a USB connector at an end, and a transformer with a plug at the other end for power transmission. the same problem as above, the USB connector is exposed all the time to get the damage and dirt problems. Furthermore, the line usually has a constant length that is different for storage. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the above, the primary objective of the present invention is to provide a transmission cable for electrical devices, which can be stored to protect the connector(s) thereon. 
     The present invention provides a transmission cable for an electrical device, including a first case, a second case, a line, a first connector and a second connector. The second case is detachably connected to the first case, and a space is formed between the first case and the second case when the first case is connected to the second case. The line having opposite ends connected to the first case and the second case respectively, and the first connector is connected to the end of the line connected to the first case while the second connector is connected to the end of the line connected to the second case. Both the first connector and the second connector are received in the space between the first case and the second case when the first case is connected to the second case. 
     Whereby, in operation, the first and the second connectors could be pulled out to be connected to the predetermined electrical devices, and the first and the second connectors are hidden in the space between the first and the second cases in storage. The left line could be hung on a specific place. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention will be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of some illustrative embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is another perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, in which the first case and the second case are disconnected; 
         FIG. 4  is a sectional view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, in which the first case and the second case are connected; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the first connector of the preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the second connected between the pins of the first connector; 
         FIG. 7  is a sectional view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the first case and the second case connected by magnetic power; and 
         FIG. 8  is a sectional view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the first case and the second case connected by Velcro. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     As shown in  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 3 , a transmission cable  100  of the preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a first case  10 , a second case  20 , a first connector  30 , a line  40 , and a second connector  50 . The transmission cable  100  could be applied in electric-power transmission and/or signal transmission between two electrical devices. In the present embodiment, the transmission cable  100  is a charge for mobile electronic devices, wherein the first connector  30  has a two-pined plug, and the second connector  50  has a USB plug. 
     The first case  10  is made of plastic, having an outer member  12  and an inner member  14 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , the outer member  12  is connected to the inner member  14  to form a chamber S therebetween. A way of connecting the outer and the inner members  12 ,  14  includes interference fitting, gluing, and high frequency heating, and so on. The outer member  12  has a line bore  12   a  communicated with the chamber S. The inner member  14  has a recess  14   a  at an outer side, two bores  14   b  on a sidewall of the recess  14   a , and a plurality of mortise  14   c . The bores  14   b  communicate the chamber S with the recess  14   a.    
     The second case  20  is made of plastic as well, having a line bore  20   a  and a plurality of tenons  20   b . As shown in  FIG. 4 , the tenons  20   b  are projected from an outer side of the second case  20 , and respectively engage the mortise  14   c  of the first case  10  to firmly connect the first and the second case  10 ,  20  together. On the contrary, the first and the second case  10 ,  20  are disconnected while a user exerts to disengage the tenons  20   b  with the mortise  14   c . It is noted that the first and the second case  10 ,  20  could be made of any material other than plastic. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the first connector  30  has a circuit board  31 , a transformer  32 , an insulating board  33 , a pivoting base  34 , a conductive plate  35 , and a plug. The insulating board  33  and the transformer  32  are mounted on opposite sides the circuit board  31  while the pivoting base  34  is pivoted on the insulating board  33  for swinging, and the conductive member  35  is mounted on the insulating board  33 . The plug has a first conductive pin  36  and two power pins  37 . The power pins  37  are parallel to each other, and inserted into slots on the pivoting base  34 . The first conductive pin  36  is inserted into the insulating board  33  and the pivoting base  34  to pivot the pivoting base  34  on the insulating board  33 . The first conductive pin  36  is electrically connected to the power pins  37  in the, pivoting base  34  and the conductive plate  35  respectively contacts an end of the conductive pin  36  and a second conductive pin  38 , which is connected to the circuit board  31 , so that the power pins  37  are electrically connected to the circuit board  31 . It is noted that the conductive plate  35  is bent to form a U-shaped portion, and the second conductive pin  38  is clipped by the U-shaped portion. 
     The circuit board  31  and the transformer  32  are received in the chamber S of the first case  10 , and the power pins  37  extend out of the inner member  14  through the bores  14   b  to be moved between an operation position P 1  and a storage position P 2 . In the operation position P 1  the power pins  37  are substantially perpendicular to the inner member  14  to be inserted into a socket (not shown) of a power supply. In the storage position P 2 , the power pins  37  are swung toward the inner member  14  to be received in the recess  14   a.    
     The line  40  has an end inserted into the line bore  12   a  of the first case  10  to be electrically connected to the circuit board  31 , and the other end of the line  40  is inserted into the line bore  20   a  of the second case  20  to be electrically connected to the second connector  50 . The USB plug of the second connector  50  has pins  52 , and the second connector  50  is received in the recess  14   b  and in a space between the power pins  37  when the plug is moved to the storage position P 2 , and the first case  10  is connected to the second case  20  ( FIG. 6 ). 
     When the first case  10  engages the second case  20 , it hides the first connector  30  and the second connector  50  in a space between the first and the second cases  10 ,  20 , and only the line  40  is left out of the first and the second cases  10 ,  20 . It could hang the transmission cable  100  of the present invention on a specific place, on the user may wear the transmission cable  100  on his/her neck. 
     The above embodiment provides the first and the second cases  10 ,  20  connected together by the engagement of the mortises  14   c  and the tenons  20   b . In another embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 7 , a first case  10 A is provided with a first magnetic member  60  on an inner member  14 A, and a second case  20 A is provided with a second magnetic member  70 . As a result, the first and the second cases  10 A,  20 A could be connected together by a magnetic force of the first and the second magnetic members  60 ,  70 . Yet in another embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 8 , a first case  10 B and a second case  20 B are provided with a first Velcro device  80  and a second Velcro device  90  respectively. The Velcro devices  80 ,  90  are a pair of loops and hooks to be connected and disconnected by manipulation. It achieves the same function of connecting and disconnecting the first case  10 B and the second case  20 B. 
     It must be pointed out that the embodiments described above are only some preferred embodiments of the present invention. All equivalent structures which employ the concepts disclosed in this specification and the appended claims should fall within the scope of the present invention.