Patent Publication Number: US-2007099474-A1

Title: Plug fastening device

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to plug fastening devices, and more particularly, to a plug fastening device for preventing disconnection of a wire plug from a socket.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      By the development of computer technology, computers have played an important role in the human life. Personal computers are in widespread use for families, and powerful servers are adopted in the factories for 24-hour nonstop works such as computing, monitoring and the like to provide high competitiveness. Such factories therefore require sufficient and continuous supply of power.  
      The government offers a low power rate and a priority in power supply to the industry in order to enhance the industrial competitiveness, and the factory usually has a backup power supply system to minimize the effect of any power break. Besides failure in the supply of the public power, undesirably artificial or accidental disconnection of a plug of a power wire or signal wire from a socket on an operating machine also causes power break and adversely affects the operation of the factory.  
      The disconnection of the wire plug from the socket may lead to data loss or system damage for a personal computer and even system failure or breakdown for a server or a large industrial computer. In order to avoid such situation, a fastening structure is additionally provided on the socket or the wire plug to ensure the wire plug being fixed to the socket, and the fastening structure also allows the wire plug to be unplugged from the socket if necessary. Taiwanese Utility Model Publication Nos. 209629 and 327481 have respectively disclosed a plug fastening device for preventing disconnection of the plug from the socket.  
      The plug fastening device disclosed in Taiwanese Utility Model Publication No. 209629 comprises a positioning member having a sliding groove and provided on a power socket, and a coupling member capable of sliding upwardly and downwardly coupled to the sliding groove of the positioning member. The coupling member may further be coupled to two side edges of a plug to fix the plug to the power socket, and the plug can be unplugged from the power socket by sliding the coupling member upwardly. Although the plug fastening device is advantageous for preventing disconnection of the plug from the power socket and allowing separation therebetween if necessary, it needs to greatly modify the structure design of the power socket and is not applicable to all kinds of plugs with different specifications, making its industrial practicability low.  
      Referring to  FIG. 1 , the plug fastening device disclosed in Taiwanese Utility Model Publication No. 327481 comprises an elastic frame  1 , and two openings  13  provided on a socket-forming side. The elastic frame  1  is formed by bending a steel thread to have two positioning hooks  11  at two ends thereof and a holding portion  12  located between the two positioning hooks  11 . The socket-forming side is for example a back side of a casing of a computer host or server host. The socket is for example a socket for a power supplier in the host, and the plug is for example a plug of a power wire. The elastic frame  1  is coupled to the two openings  13  on the socket-forming side by the positioning hooks  11  and is fixed to a back portion of the plug by the holding portion  12 . The holding portion  12  is capable of being turned with respect to the positioning hooks  11  as the pivot if necessary.  
      Although the above plug fastening device does not need to greatly modify the structure design of the socket, the elastic frame  1  is only applicable to the plug with a particular specification, such that the plug fastening device similarly cannot be universally used. That is, when the diameter of the power wire or the specification of the plug is changed, the holding portion  12  of the elastic frame  1  may no longer be able to properly hold the back portion of the plug, making the elastic frame  1  not applicable to all kinds of plugs with different specifications.  
      Moreover, the elastic frame  1  must have flexibility in deformation to form the two positioning hooks  11  that can be coupled to the two openings  13  on the socket-forming side, and the holding portion  12  between the two positioning hooks  11  also has the flexibility in deformation. When the power wire is pulled by a large force, it may possible cause elastic deformation of the holding portion  12  and disconnection of the plug from the socket.  
      Therefore, the problem to be solved here is to provide a plug fastening device to overcome the above drawbacks.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      In light of the foregoing drawbacks in the prior art, an objective of the present invention is to provide a plug fastening device, which is applicable to all kinds of plugs with different specifications.  
      Another objective of the present invention is to provide a plug fastening device to ensure a plug being fixed to a socket.  
      In accordance with the above and other objectives, the present invention proposes a plug fastening device applied to a socket-forming side having a first fixing portion. The plug fastening device comprises a fixing member and a binding member. The fixing member has at least one first coupling portion, and a second fixing portion capable of being fixed to the first fixing portion. The binding member is capable of binding an end of a plug, and has at least one second coupling portion capable of being coupled to the first coupling portion.  
      In a preferred embodiment, the fixing member is for example a plate structure and has a plurality of first coupling portions spaced from each other, wherein the first coupling portions can be coupling holes having for example a gourd-like shape. The second fixing portion comprises a blocking portion provided at an end of the fixing member, and an elastic member provided at a side of the fixing member and adjacent to the blocking portion or two elastic members respectively provided at two sides of the fixing member and adjacent to the blocking portion.  
      The binding member comprises a plurality of second coupling portions connected to each other, wherein the second coupling portions can be coupling bumps having for example a spherical structure. The binding member further comprises at least one through hole distant from the second coupling portions and for the second coupling portions to pass therethrough. Preferably, the binding member comprises a plurality of through holes spaced from each other. The binding member further comprises an inversed-hook structure located between the second coupling portions and the through holes, wherein the inversed-hook structure has a saw-toothed shape. The binding member is capable of binding the end of the plug or a transmission wire at the end of the plug, wherein the transmission wire is a power wire or a signal wire. The first fixing portion is an opening formed on the socket-forming side; preferably, the opening has a slender rectangular shape.  
      In another preferred embodiment, the fixing member has a plurality of first coupling portions connected to each other, wherein the first coupling portions can be coupling bumps having for example a spherical structure. The binding member has a plurality of second coupling portions spaced from each other, wherein the second coupling portions can be coupling holes having for example a gourd-like shape.  
      The plug fastening device of the present invention utilizes the combination of the fixing member and the binding member to ensure the plug being fixed to the socket such that the plug cannot be unplugged from the socket at such status, thereby preventing undesirably artificial or accidental disconnection of the plug from the socket. Moreover, as the binding member can be freely bent to bind the end of the plug or the transmission wire at the end of the plug, it is applicable to all kinds of plugs or transmission wires with different specifications, such that the drawback in the prior art that the conventional plug fastening device cannot be universally used is overcome. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The present invention can be more fully understood by reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, with reference made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
       FIG. 1  (PRIOR ART) is a schematic diagram showing a plug fastening device disclosed in Taiwanese Utility Model Publication No. 327481;  
       FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram showing a plug fastening device according to the present invention;  
       FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram showing a fixing member of the plug fastening device according to the present invention;  
       FIG. 4  is a schematic diagram showing a binding member of the plug fastening device according to the present invention;  
       FIG. 5  is a schematic diagram showing the binding member at a bending status according to the present invention; and  
       FIG. 6  is a schematic diagram showing the plug fastening device being in use according to the present invention.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      Preferred embodiments of a plug fastening device proposed in the present invention are described as follows with reference to FIGS.  2  to  6 . It should be noted that the drawings are simplified diagrams for only illustrating the basic components of the present invention and do not set a limitation to the number and shape of components that can be used in the present invention. The layout of components may be more complicated in practice.  
       FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram showing the plug fastening device according to the present invention. The plug fastening device as shown in  FIG. 2  comprises a fixing member  2  and a binding member  3 . The fixing member  2  can be fixed to a socket-forming side, and has at least one first coupling portion  21  capable of being coupled to the binding member  3 . The binding member  3  can bind and hold an end of a plug firmly, and has at least one second coupling portion  31  capable of being coupled to the first coupling portion  21 .  
       FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram showing the fixing member  2  of the plug fastening device according to the present invention. The fixing member  2  is for example a plate structure, which is preferably made of a plastic material and has appropriate strength, tenacity and elasticity. In this embodiment, the fixing member  2  comprises a plurality of first coupling portions  21  spaced from each other, and the first coupling portions  21  can be coupling holes having for example a gourd-like shape. The fixing member  2  further comprises a second fixing portion  23 , wherein the second fixing portion  23  comprises a blocking portion  231  provided at an end of the fixing member  2  and two elastic members  233  respectively provided at two sides of the fixing member  2  and adjacent to the blocking portion  231 . It should be noted that the present invention may also use only one elastic member to achieve the same fixing effect and is not particularly limited to the use of two elastic members  233  in this embodiment.  
       FIGS. 4 and 5  respectively show the binding member  3  of the plug fastening device and its bending status according to the present invention. The binding member  3  is for example a strip structure, which is preferably made of a plastic material and has appropriate strength, tenacity and elasticity. In this embodiment, the binding member  3  comprises a plurality of second coupling portions  31  connected to each other, wherein the second coupling portions  31  can be coupling bumps having for example a spherical structure, and connecting portions  311  such as cylinder structures are provided between the adjacent second coupling portions  31  to connect the second coupling portions  31  to each other. The size (diameter) of the connecting portions  311  is much smaller than that of the second coupling portions  31 .  
      The binding portion  3  further comprises at least one through hole  33  distant from the second coupling portions  31  and for the second coupling portions  31  to pass therethrough. In this embodiment, the binding member  3  comprises a plurality of through holes  33  spaced from each other. The binding member  3  further comprises an inversed-hook structure  35  located between the second coupling portions  31  and the through holes  33 , wherein the inversed-hook structure  35  has a saw-toothed shape. When the binding portion  3  is bent to allow the second coupling portions  31  to pass through one of the through holes  33 , the inversed-hook structure  35  can be fixed and hooked to two sides of the through hole  33 .  
       FIG. 6  is a schematic diagram showing the plug fastening device being in use according to the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 6 , the plug fastening device is applicable to a socket-forming side  4  with a first fixing portion  41 . The first fixing portion  41  is an opening having for example a slender rectangular shape. The socket-forming side  4  is for example a back side of a casing of a computer host or server host. A socket  43  formed on the socket-forming side  4  is for example a power socket for a power supplier in the host and can be coupled to a plug  51  of a transmission wire  5 , wherein the transmission wire  5  is for example a power wire or a signal wire. It should be noted that the plug fastening device according to the present invention may be applied to any socket-forming side with the first fixing portion  41  besides the socket-forming side  4  of the computer or server, and there is no particular limitation on the types of the socket  43  and the plug  51  of the transmission wire  5 . The present invention is not limited to the using status in this embodiment.  
      The fixing member  2  is fixed to the first fixing portion  41  of the socket-forming side  4  by the second fixing portion  23 . In particular, the fixing member  2  is allowed to pass through the first fixing portion  41  from inside to outside of the casing until the blocking portion  231  abuts against the socket-forming side  4 , wherein the two elastic members  233  of the second fixing portion  23  when passing through the first fixing portion  41  are elastically pressed by sides of the first fixing portion  41 , and then the elastic members  233  are restored by elasticity thereof after passing through the first fixing portion  41 , such that the socket-forming side  4  is fixed between the blocking portion  231  and the elastic members  233 . On the contrary, if it is necessary to separate the fixing member  2  from the socket-forming side  4 , it can be done by pressing the elastic members  233  and moving the fixing member  2  from outside to inside of the casing so as to detach the fixing member  2  from the first fixing portion  41 .  
      The binding member  3  is bent to firmly bind and hold an end (e.g. a rear end) of the plug  51  or the transmission wire  5  at the end of the plug  51  by allowing the second coupling portion  31  to pass through an appropriate one of the through holes  33  and allowing the inversed-hook structure  35  to be fixed and hooked to two sides of the through hole  33 . After the plug  51  is plugged into the socket  43 , the second coupling portion  31  can be coupled to an appropriate one of the first coupling portions  21  to ensure the plug  51  being fixed to the socket  43 , which is easily accomplished as the fixing member  2  and the binding member  3  both have appropriate strength, tenacity and elasticity. Therefore, the combination of the fixing member  2  and the binding member  3  ensures that the plug  51  is fixed to the socket  43 , and the plug  51  cannot be unplugged from the socket  43  at such status, thereby preventing undesirably artificial or accidental disconnection of the plug  51  from the socket  43 . On the other hand, if it is necessary to unplug the plug  51  from the socket  43 , it can be done by detaching the second coupling portion  31  from the first coupling portion  21 .  
      As the binding member  3  can be freely bent to bind the end of the plug  51  or the transmission wire  5  at the end of the plug  51 , it is applicable to all kinds of plugs or transmission wires with different specifications, such that the drawback in the prior art that the conventional plug fastening device cannot be universally used is overcome.  
      In the foregoing embodiment, the first coupling portion  21  of the fixing member  2  is a coupling hole and the second coupling portion  31  of the binding member  3  is a coupling bump. Alternatively, in another embodiment, the first coupling portion  21  of the fixing member  2  may be a coupling bump having for example a spherical structure, and the second coupling portion  31  of the binding member  3  may be a corresponding coupling hole having for example a gourd-like shape. Such modification in design achieves the same effect as the foregoing embodiment and should be understood by a person skilled in the art, thereby not being illustrated by drawings.  
      Therefore, the plug fastening device of the present invention utilizes the combination of the fixing member and the binding member to ensure the plug being fixed to the socket such that the plug cannot be unplugged from the socket at such status, thereby preventing undesirably artificial or accidental disconnection of the plug from the socket. Moreover, as the binding member can be freely bent to bind the end of the plug or the transmission wire at the end of the plug, it is applicable to all kinds of plugs or transmission wires with different specifications, such that the drawback in the prior art that the conventional plug fastening device cannot be universally used is overcome.  
      The invention has been described using exemplary preferred embodiments. However, it is to be understood that the scope of the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements. The scope of the claims, therefore, should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.