Fused plug assembly with push-in fuse unit

Claim 1

A fused plug assembly comprising: a plug body formed with a central fuse socket; a pair of coplanar, spaced prong members projecting as prongs from one end of the plug body, said prong members each being exposed by a contact portion to the fuse socket; a pair of wire leads extending from the plug body and having a pair of spaced wire contacts exposed to said fuse socket in general alignment with and spaced from respective of said contact portions; a push-in fuse means having a fuse body slidably received in the fuse socket in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the prong members and having a central hole therethrough extending in said direction, said fuse means having an active pair of spaced fuse elements mounted directly on said fuse body and each arranged to engage a said contact portion and respective wire contact, said fuse body also having a spare pair of fuse elements mounted directly thereon and arranged to become active responsive to removal of the fuse means from the fuse socket, changing the orientation of the fuse means relative to the socket to a reoriented position in which said central hole also extends in said direction and said spare fuse elements occupy the position previously occupied by said active fuse elements, and then reinserting the reoriented fuse unit; and a removable threaded locking device passing through said central hole into said plug body for holding the fuse means in said socket.