Safety shutters for electrical receptacles

Claim 1

In an electrical receptacle including a faceplate having a front surface, a rear portion and at least first and second spaced slots that align with internal contacts for receiving contact blades of an electric plug, the improvement which allows a user to insert said plug into said receptacle with a single thrusting motion while preventing a foreign object from being inserted through either of said slots singly to reach said internal contact, which comprises: a safety shutter positioned in said rear portion of said faceplate and a spring that biases said shutter into a slot obstructing position, said shutter comprising: a front surface, a rear surface, a first end, a second end, a pair of parallel longitudinal sides and an elongated slot extending through said shutter and said surfaces with its longitudinal axis normal to said sides, said front surface being substantially flat except for first and second lugs projecting therefrom, said rear surface having a flat central rectangular portion that is parallel to said front surface of said shutter, a first flat portion that extends from said central portion to said first end and a second flat portion that extends from said central portion to said second end, said first and second portions being angled relative to said central portion, said first lug having a flat surface, one side of which is conterminal with and angled downwardly toward said first end, said second lug having a flat surface, one side of which is conterminal with and angled downwardly toward said elongated slot.