Continuous electrical outlet with ground

Claim 2

An elongated electrical outlet provided with continuous prong-receiving slots and having a ground contact for the ground prong of a plug which has its contact prongs disposed in said slots, said outlet comprising a dielectric housing having central and outer longitudinally extending chambers, said case including a central inverted channel having flanges constituting partitions between said chambers and downwardly converging from a central web with which said channel is provided to provide clearance of said channel flanges with said prongs beneath said slots, the flanges of said channel being connected with bottom walls of the outer chambers of said case, side walls of said outer chambers extending upwardly from the bottom wall, top walls extending back from said side walls toward said channel and free of connection therewith to provide said slots, the side walls and top walls being formed to provide bights, the side walls further being provided with fulcrum means, substantially flat and elongated contact strips having upper side margins engaged in the respective bights and disposed to extend longitudinally in the outer chambers, said contact strips being engaged with said fulcrum means and supported thereby in positions in which their lower side margins are proximate the flanges of said channel adjacent the bottom walls of said outer chambers and below and offset inwardly of said slots to be deflected away from the flanges of said channel by plug prongs inserted in the respective slots.

Claim 3

An elongated electrical outlet according to claim 1 in which the said fulcrum means is formed by convex portions of the said outer walls of the outer chamber, said contact strips being supported on the convex portions of the outer walls to dispose their lower margins beneath said slots in the path of plug prongs insErted through said slots.

Claim 4

An elongated electrical outlet according to claim 1 in which the material of said housing is resiliently flexible and the top walls have margins proximate the side flanges of the central channel to nearly close said slots, said top walls being flexibly yieldable upon insertion of plug prongs.

Claim 5

An elongated electrical outlet provided with continuous prong-receiving slots and having a ground contact for the ground prong of a plug which has its contact prongs disposed in said slots, said outlet comprising a dielectric housing having central and outer longitudinally extending chambers, said case including a central inverted channel having flanges constituting partitions between said chambers and downwardly converging from a central web with which said channel is provided, the flanges of said channel being connected with bottom walls of the outer chambers of said case, side walls of said outer chambers extending upwardly from the bottom wall, top walls extending back from said side wall toward said channel and free of connection therewith to provide said slots, the side walls and top walls being formed to provide bights, the side walls further being provided with fulcrum means, substantially flat and elongated contact strips having upper side margins engaged in the respective bights and disposed to extend longitudinally in the outer chambers, said contact strips being engaged with said fulcrum means and supported thereby in positions in which their lower side margins are proximate the flanges of said channel adjacent the bottom walls of said outer chambers and positioned beneath said slots to be deflected away from the flanges of said channel by plug prongs inserted in the respective slots and including a metallic ground in the form of a channel with a central web and downwardly converging side flanges extends longitudinally of the channel of said housing and has its flanges engaged with and supported by the downwardly convergent flanges of the channel of said housing, the ground strip central web being provided in registry with spaced apertures with which the web of the channel of the housing is provided, said metallic web having at said apertures ground contacts yieldably engageable by the ground prongs of such plugs.

Claim 6

An elongated electrical outlet provided with continuous prong-receiving slots and having a ground contact for the ground prong of a plug which has its contact prongs disposed in said slots, said outlet comprising a dielectric housing having central and outer longitudinally extending chambers, said case including a central inverted channel having flanges constituting partitions between said chambers and downwardly converging from a central web with which said channel is provided, the flanges of said channel being connected with bottom walls of the outer chambers of said case, side walls of said outer chambers extending upwardly from the bottom wall, top walls extending back from said side wall toward said channel and free of connection therewith to provide said slots, the side walls and top walls being formed to provide bights, the side walls further being provided with fulcrum means, substantially flat and elongated contact strips having upper side margins engaged in the respective bights and disposed to extend longitudinally in the outer chambers, said contact strips being engaged with said fulcrum means and supported thereby in positions in which their lower side margins are proximate the flanges of said channel adjacent the bottom walls of said outer chambers and positioned beneath said slots to be deflected away from the flanges of said channel by plug prongs inserted in the respective slots and including a metallic ground in the form of a channel with a central web and downwardly converging side flanges extends longitudinally of the channel of said housing and has its flanges engaged with and supported by the downwardly convergent flanges of the channel of said housing, the ground strip central web being provided in registry with spaced apertures with which the web of the channel of the housing is provided, said metallic web having at said apertures ground contacts yieldably engageable by the ground prongs of such plugs.

Claim 7

An elongated electrical outlet according to claim 4 in which the ground contacts comprise tongues extending inwardly from the central web of the ground strip into the path of a ground prong inserted through an aperture in the web of the channel of the housing and through the registering aperture in the metallic web of the ground strip.

Claim 8

An elongated electrical outlet according to claim 5 in which the ground strip is provided with a plurality of tongues at different points about the aperture of the ground strip and extending downwardly at a spacing less than the width of the ground prong of the plug whereby the deflection of said tongues by insertion of the ground prong assures positive contact of the plug ground prong with the ground strip.

Claim 9

An elongated electrical outlet according to claim 4 in which the central inverted channel of the housing extends through the housing for substantially the length thereof and is open at its end to receive the metallic ground channel, the said housing having terminal closures for the retention of the metallic ground channel and substantially engaged by the ends of the metallic ground channel.