Patent Application
20200067241
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The disclosure and prior art relates to power extensions and more particularly pertains to a new power extension for easily relocating a wall outlet.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising an outlet housing having a cavity between a front side separated from a rear side, a left side separated from a right side, and a bottom side separated from a top side. The outlet housing has an at least one outlet aperture extending through the front side to the cavity and a cord aperture extending through the bottom side to the cavity. An at least one outlet is coupled to the outlet housing within the at least one outlet aperture. A spool assembly is coupled within the cavity of the outlet housing. The spool assembly comprises an axel, a tensioner spring, and a spool. The axel extends from the front side to the rear side of the outlet housing, the spool is rotatably coupled to the axel, and the tensioner spring is coupled between the spool and the axel. An extension cord is coupled within the cavity of the outlet housing. The extension cord has a proximal end coupled to each of the at least one outlets. The extension cord is wound around the spool and through the cord aperture of the bottom side with the distal end having a plug. The extension cord has a wound position on the spool with the plug proximal the outlet housing and an alternate extended position with the extension cord extended through the cord aperture. The cord is manually extended from the wound position to the alternate extended position by a user pulling on the distal end and unwinding the spool. The spool loads the tensioner spring as it unwinds, allowing the extension cord to return from the extended position to the wound position under the power of the tensioner spring.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
An at least one outlet track 36 is coupled within the at least one outlet aperture 28. Each of the at least one outlet tracks has a channel 38. An at least one outlet 40 is coupled to the outlet housing, with each of the at least one outlet having a guide ridge 42 rotatably coupled within the outlet track. Each of the at least one outlet thus independently rotates relative the outlet housing. The rotation may be 90° to prevent physical interference between large device plugs. Each of the at least one outlet has a pair of facets 44 to provide a place for a user to grip and rotate the outlet.
A spool assembly 46 is coupled within the cavity 26 of the outlet housing. The spool assembly comprises an axel 48, a tensioner spring 50, and a spool 52. The axel extends from the front side 14 to the rear side 16 of the outlet housing, the spool 52 is rotatably coupled to the axel 48, and the tensioner spring 50 is coupled between the spool and the axel.
An extension cord 54 is coupled within the cavity 26 of the outlet housing. The extension cord has a proximal end 56 and a distal end 58, with the proximal end coupled to each of the at least one outlets 40, the extension cord wound around the spool and through the cord aperture 30 of the bottom side, and the distal end having a plug 60. The plug may have a plug housing 62 comprising a rectangular prismatic portion 64 and a trapezoidal prismatic portion 66. The trapezoidal prismatic portion is coupled to the rectangular prismatic portion to secure the extension cord 54 and prevent damage to the wiring of the plug 60. The extension cord has a wound position 68 on the spool with the plug proximal the outlet housing 12 and an alternate extended position 70 with the extension cord extended through the cord aperture 30.
In use, the extension cord 54 is manually extended from the wound position 68 to the alternate extended position 70 by the user pulling on the distal end 58 and unwinding the spool 52, with the spool loading the tensioner spring 50 as it unwinds. The plug 60 is inserted into a wall outlet 72, providing power to the at least one outlet 40. The outlet housing 12 is then mounted to the wall using the mounting mechanism 32 in a chosen location to provide more convenient access to power. To be stored, the outlet housing is removed from the wall 34 and the plug 60 is unplugged from the wall outlet 72. The user then tugs on the extension cord 54 to release the tensioner spring 50, returning the extension cord from the extended position 70 to the wound position 68 under the power of the tensioner spring.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
