Voltage adapter

Claim 1

An adapter for delivering a current of relatively low voltage from a vehicle to a male plug associated with standardized wiring that is adapted for conveying a current of substantially higher voltage, said adapter comprising in combination: a male type electrical connecting plug for slidable engagement within the socket of a vehicular cigarette lighter, said male plug having: an electrically insulative housing having a cord aperture at one end thereof and a post aperture at the other end thereof, a forwardly projecting, electrically conductive post means held in said post aperture for making electrical connection with a contact means that is functionally associated with the central interior end region of said socket, a laterally outwardly extending electrically conductive leg means held by said housing for making electrical connection with an electrically conductive inside surface portion of said socket; a female type electrical connecting socket having: an electrically insulative housing that has a first outside wall portion wherein three contiguous socket channels are adjacently defined, two of said socket channels having opposed flattened sides and the third said socket channel having a rounded side portion, said socket channels being adapted in combination to be connectable with any predetermined standard two or three prong male type electrical connector for a predetermined said higher voltage, and that also has a second outside wall portion wherein a second cord aperture is defined, and electrical contact means associated with a wall portion of each of said two sockets; a relative short length of insulated two-wire electrical cord that extends between said first and said second cord apertures, one of said two wires being interconnected between one of said contact means for one of said two sockets and said post means, the other of said two wires being interconnected between said contact means for the second of said two sockets and said leg means; and fuse means for limiting the maximum amperage of current which can pass between said male plug and said female socket, said fuse means being connected in parallel with one of said two wires; whereby said low voltage current can pass from said cigarette lighter plug through said female socket, but said higher voltage cannot pass from said female socket through said cigarette lighter plug.