Patent ID: 7232349

Claim:
A receptacle comprising: a receptacle housing defining a pair of prong-inserting slots for extension of a pair of prongs of a plug therethrough and into said receptacle housing; a pair of conductive terminals mounted in said receptacle housing and adapted to be connected to the prongs of the plug; and a lock unit including a latch mounted movably in said receptacle housing and operable to move between a locked position, in which said latch is adapted to engage one of the prongs of the plug, thereby preventing undesired removal of the plug from said receptacle housing, and an unlocked position, in which said latch is adapted to disengage said one of the prongs of the plug, thereby permitting removal of the plug from said receptacle housing, wherein said lock unit further includes a latch seat having top and bottom ends and a lateral side extending between said top and bottom ends, said latch extending from said lateral side of said latch seat so as to be co-movable with said latch seat between said locked and unlocked positions, said lock unit further including an urging member for restoring said latch and said latch seat from said unlocked position to said locked position, said top end of said latch seat being formed with a recess defined by a recess-defining wall, said recess-defining wall having a slanted wall portion, said receptacle further comprising an operating unit that includes an operating lever mounted movably on said receptacle housing, having a lower end extending into said recess in said latch seat, and movable between pressed and non-pressed positions, said lower end of said operating lever having a slanted end face that is in sliding contact with said slanted wall portion of said recess-defining wall of said latch seat so as to move said latch together with said latch seat against urging action of said urging member from said locked position to said unlocked position when said operating lever is moved from said non-pressed position to said pressed position.