Patent Publication Number: US-11381037-B2

Title: Electrical plug repair device

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) to US Application No. 62/991,544, filed Mar. 18, 2020, entitled ELECTRICAL REPAIR DEVICE, by Christopher Krueger, the contents of which being hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates generally to electrical devices and more specifically, to an improved electrical plug repair device. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Generally, the first part of an electrical tool or cord to wear out or become damaged is the cord end. Contacts get bent, break off, fray, and generally fail early in relation to the rest of the cord and/or the tool connected to it. 
     Currently cord end replacement involves multiple-step assembly, requiring both time and skills. Even still, these cord replacement products do not result in an end product that resembles a factory molded connection. Instead, they are bulky and are visibly obvious after-market fixes, many of which would not be allowed on construction sites. There is a general resistance to using the available repair methods because of the effort required for a sub-optimal repair solution. Non-working power supply lines and tools cost significant lost time, including labor and equipment. The cost of replacement tools and cords and delays associated with their procurement are not insignificant. 
     What is needed is a robust electrical repair device to replace an original electrical device to make cord repair fast, safe and easy for untrained users to complete. 
     SUMMARY 
     The shortcomings of the prior art are addressed by an electrical plug repair device to replace an original plug device and methods thereof. 
     In one embodiment a housing comprises a base enclosure and a top enclosure that snap together to secure the housing to the electrical power cord. A strainer comprises a strain relief on one end coupled to the electrical power cord and the housing. The strain relief provides support for conduction wires exposed from a skin of the electrical power cord by decoupling external force on the electrical power cord from the conduction wires. 
     In another embodiment, the housing includes individual channels for each of the exposed conduction wires, each individual channel insulated from each other and including a plurality of teeth (or tab fingers) to bite the exposed conduction wires. Male electrical prongs can be coupled to the housing configured for insertion to the electrical plug to draw electrical power for the electrical device, in one implementation. Female electrical prong receivers can be coupled to the housing configured for insertion of electrical prongs, in another implementation. Each of the individual channels supports one of the electrical prongs for electrical connection to an exposed wire. 
     Advantageously, an electrical plug can be repaired easily with a knife or cutter tools. Furthermore, expensive electronic devices have extended life after plug failure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In the following drawings, like reference numbers are used to refer to like elements. Although the following figures depict various examples of the invention, the invention is not limited to the examples depicted in the figures. 
         FIG. 1A  illustrates a perspective view of a male electrical plug repair device, with a closed housing, according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 1B  illustrates a perspective view of a base housing of the male electrical plug repair device, with the top housing removed, according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 1C  illustrates a bottom exploded view of the male electrical repair device, according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 1D  illustrates a top exploded view of the male electrical repair device, according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 1E  illustrates various sized strain relief options for connection of various types and sizes of electrical cords for the male electrical repair device, according to embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIGS. 2A-2E  are perspective views of a female electrical plug repair device implementation of the male electrical plug repair device of  FIGS. 1A-1E . 
         FIG. 3  is a flow chart illustrating a method for repairing an electrical power cord with an electrical plug repair device, according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     An electrical plug repair device and methods thereof, are described herein. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize many additional possible embodiments, based on the following disclosure, that have not been included for the sake of brevity. 
     I. Electrical Plug Repair Device 
       FIGS. 1A-1E  illustrate various perspective views of a male electrical plug repair device  100 , according to an embodiment of the present invention. The device  100  includes a housing  110 , a strainer  120  and male prongs  130 . Generally, the device  110  can be NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers Association) 5-15-compliant and have ratings such as 110 V, 125 V, 220 V, 15 Amp, or 1000 Watts for connecting electrical power from an electrical outlet to a corded electronic device, for instance an appliance, computing device, lamp, vacuum, or power tool. Electricity from the electrical outlet travels through the device  100  for power as needed. 
     Many other variations of the device  100  are possible. For example, the male prongs  130  can alternatively be implemented as female prongs, without any prongs (e.g., magnets), or as gender neutral. In another example, multiple male or female prongs can be provided. In still another embodiment, a USB male, an HDMI male, an Ethernet male, or any other appropriate connector is implemented for different cords or cables. Wires within the cord can be different sizes (e.g., 10, 12, 14, 16 or 18 gauge) and be composed of electrically conducting material such as copper, bronze, silver, or gold. Cords can carry power, electrical data, or power and electrical data. In one case, the cord is an extension cord with two outlets ends (e.g., female and male, male and male, or female and female). The device  100  can also be GFCI (ground-fault circuit interrupters)-compliant or protect from power surges. Components of the device  100  can be built for household or heavy-duty commercial uses. In some embodiments, the device  100  is configured for foreign markets such as Europe, Asia and the Americas. 
     The housing  110  is made from plastic, rubber, or other insulators. Functionally, the housing  110  is a common chassis coupling to both the strainer  120  and the male prongs  130  couple. In one embodiment, the strainer  120  is on an opposite end of the housing  110  from the male prongs  130 . But other embodiments are possible, such as a 90-degree orientation, or an adjustable orientation. The housing  110  encloses the electrical components as protection from exterior elements. At the same time, the housing  110  insulates the electrical components from conducting electricity outside of the cords. In operation, a lower housing  112  clamps into fittings of an upper housing  114 . As described in more detail below, the device  100  can be self-terminating during assembly, when the upper housing  112  and lower housing  114  are closed to secure components of the device  100  and determinatively closes the circuit for optimal electrical power (or electrical data) conduction. Teeth within channels bite through a protective coating of the interior wires to create an electrical contact. 
     The strainer  120  is preferably made of rubber for flexibility, plastic for durability, or other appropriate materials. The strainer  120  decouples exterior forces on the device  100  from electrical wires within the device  100 . In one embodiment, electrical wires are fish-eyed through the strainer  120  to capture electrical wiring. Different sized strainers can be provided for different sized cordage or different sized wires. A strain relief  122  on one end of the strainer  120  is enclosed within the housing  110  during assembly. In the illustrated embodiment, lips around the strain relief  122  meet compression ribs in the upper housing  112  and the lower housing  114  to dampen stress caused by plugging, unplugging, tripping over the cord, and gravity, as a few examples of what cause exterior forces. An additional layer of protection is provided by bonding to the cord as a skin to electrical wires rather than bonding to electrical wires. Various sizes of strain reliefs  170  can be provided. 
     The male prongs  130  include a common tab, a hot tab, and a ground tab (or blades) formed from electrically conducting metal materials to mate three electrical wires. Another embodiment does not include the ground tab. The tabs can be separately attached to the housing  110 , or all three tabs can be attached to a common backing that slides into the housing  110 . In the illustrated embodiment, the housing  110  includes three channels with tab fingers or teeth for electrical contact. During assembly, the tabs can slide into the channels vertically with perpendicular force, or the tabs can slide into place horizontally through holes with parallel force. 
       FIGS. 2A-2E  illustrate various perspective views of a female electrical plug repair device  200 , according to an embodiment of the present invention. The device  200  includes a housing  210 , a strainer  220  and female prong receivers  230 . Female electrical prong receivers can be coupled to the housing configured for insertion of electrical prongs. Various sizes of strain relieves  270  can be provided for different options. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2B , female electrical prong receivers  205 A,  205 B are connected to electrical conductors  215 A,  215 B. When male electrical prongs are inserted, the receivers  205 A,  205 B secure an electrical connection for conduction of electricity. 
     II. Method for Repairing an Electrical Power Cord with an Electrical Plug Repair Device 
       FIG. 3  is a flow chart illustrating a method  600  for repairing an electrical power cord with an electrical plug repair device, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The method  600  can be implemented in the device  100  or any other appropriate electrical plug replacement. One embodiment requires no screws or tools for installation. 
     At step  310 , an old, damaged electrical plug is removed from an electrical cord by cutting. A skin of the electrical cord is peeled back to a certain length (e.g., 1 or 2 inches) to expose enough of the interior cords for connection. 
     At step  320 , conduction wires are supported with a strainer having a strain felief for coupling to the housing. Removal of the old, defective plug can be done many ways. One example is to cut plug off, and then remove part of the skin to expose a minimum length of the interior conducting wires. The cord can then be fish-eyed through the strainer hole. In another embodiment, the strainer opens along its length and then snaps into place around the cord when closed. Next, the individual conducting wires are each forced into separate channels by tool or by hand. 
     At step  330 , male electrical prongs are inserted to the housing. In one case, male electrical prongs (or female electrical prong receivers) are preassembled to the housing. In another case, a gender is determined and appropriate terminators are inserted for the gender. 
     At step  340 , the electrical power cord is secured to the housing by snapping an upper enclosure to a lower enclosure. In one embodiment, the snapping force self-terminates by actuating bite on the wires to complete a conduction circuit. For instance, teeth within the channels can be actuated to bite an individual conducting wire within its channel. 
     III. Additional Embodiments 
     Generally, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the examples set forth herein are non-limiting and only illustrative of widely-applicable principles. Accordingly, this description of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form described, and many modifications and variations are possible in light of the teaching above. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications. This description will enable others skilled in the art to best utilize and practice the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to a particular use. The scope of the invention is defined by the following claims.