Electric plug and methods of providing the same
View Patent ↗In one embodiment, an electric plug can comprise a housing, a rotatable plug assembly, and a blade array. The housing can have a bottom piece and a top piece including a first opening. The bottom piece can be in mechanical communication with the top piece and forming a cavity defined by the interior surface of the top piece and the interior surface of the bottom piece. The rotatable plug assembly can have a top surface and a bottom surface opposite each other, where a first portion of the rotatable plug assembly can comprise the bottom surface and be located within the cavity, and where a second portion of the rotatable plug assembly can protrude from the cavity via the first opening. The blade array can include a plurality of plug blades, each plug blade of the plurality of plug blades having an outlet end and a connector end, the connector end of each plug blade located within the rotatable plug assembly. A power cord with a plurality of wires can be configured to pass through the second opening of the cavity, where the end of each wire can be located within the rotatable plug assembly and configured to mechanically couple to and be in electrical communication with the connector end of an associated one of the plurality of plug blades. Other embodiments and related examples are disclosed herein.
1. An electric plug, comprising:
a housing having:
a top piece having an interior surface and an exterior surface and including a first opening; and
a bottom piece having an interior surface and an exterior surface,
the bottom piece in mechanical communication with the top piece and forming a cavity defined by the interior surface of the top piece and the interior surface of the bottom piece, the cavity including a second opening;
a rotatable plug assembly having a top surface and
a bottom surface opposite each other,
a first portion of the rotatable plug assembly comprises the bottom surface and is located within the cavity,
a second portion of the rotatable plug assembly protruding from the cavity via the first opening;
a blade array including a plurality of plug blades,
each plug blade of the plurality of plug blades having an outlet end and a connector end,
the connector end of each plug blade located within the rotatable plug assembly,
a portion of a remainder portion of each plug blade exiting the top surface of the rotatable plug assembly; and
a power cord configured to pass through the second opening of the cavity,
the power cord having a plurality of wires,
each wire of the plurality of wires including an end,
the end of each wire located within the rotatable plug assembly and configured to mechanically couple to and be in electrical communication with the connector end of an associated one of the plurality of plug blades;
wherein the rotatable plug assembly is rotatable relative to the housing without disassembly of the electric plug.
2. The electric plug of claim 1 ,
wherein the second opening is oriented substantially perpendicular to the first opening and
wherein the second opening is defined by the interior surface of the top piece and the interior surface of the bottom piece.
3. The electric plug of claim 1 , further comprising
a strain relief device being substantially hollow,
the strain relief device having a cord attachment portion and a housing attachment portion,
the housing attachment portion configured to be located within the second opening of the cavity, the cord attachment portion configured to allow the power cord to pass therethrough.
4. The electric plug of claim 1 , wherein
the first opening of the top piece is substantially circular; and
the second portion of the rotatable plug assembly
comprises a dimension substantially similar to a dimension of the first opening of the top piece and
protrudes from the cavity via the first opening past the exterior surface of the top piece.
5. The electric plug of claim 4 ,
wherein the rotatable plug assembly is configured to include a first flange radiating radially outward from the first portion of the rotatable plug assembly, and
wherein the first opening of the top piece circumscribes a perimeter of a portion of the rotatable plug assembly located between the top surface of the rotatable plug assembly and the first flange.
6. The electric plug of claim 1 ,
wherein the interior surface of the bottom piece is configured to include a rotation limiting tab stop protruding from the interior surface of the bottom piece and located substantially opposite the second opening of the cavity, and
wherein the rotatable plug assembly further includes a rotation limiting tab protruding outwardly from the bottom surface of the rotatable plug assembly and configured to contact the rotation limiting tab stop when the rotatable plug assembly achieves at least one specific position within the cavity.
7. The electric plug of claim 6 , wherein
the rotation limiting tab stop includes a plurality of rotation limiting tab stop facings, each of the facings configured to contact the rotation limiting tab stop at a different specific position within the cavity.
8. The electric plug of claim 6 , wherein
the interior surface of the bottom piece is configured to include a service loop enclosure protruding from the interior surface of the bottom piece, the service loop enclosure configured to enclose the plurality of wires of the power cord.
9. The electric plug of claim 1 , wherein
the rotatable plug assembly further includes a contact carrier located within the rotatable plug assembly,
the contact carrier including a top surface and a bottom surface,
the contact carrier having a plurality of slots configured to extend from the top surface of the contact carrier to the bottom surface of the contact carrier,
each slot within the contact carrier configured to receive the connector end of an associated one of the plurality of plug blades.
10. The electric plug of claim 9 , wherein
the blade array includes two blades and the contact carrier includes two slots.
11. The electric plug of claim 9 , wherein
the blade array includes three blades and the contact carrier includes three slots.
12. An electric plug, comprising:
a housing comprising:
an electrically insulative top shell, the electrically insulative top shell including a circular opening; and
an electrically insulative bottom shell mechanically coupled to the electrically insulative top shell,
the coupling of the electrically insulative top shell and the electrically insulative bottom shell forming an interior cavity and a power cable hole;
a dynamic plug assembly means within the interior cavity,
the dynamic plug assembly means in rotatable communication with the circular opening of the electrically insulative top shell and configured to receive a power cable and facilitate the coupling of the power cable to a plurality of plug blades partially located within the dynamic plug assembly;
a blade array including the plurality of plug blades,
each plug blade of the plurality of plug blades having an outlet end and a connector end,
the connector end of each plug blade located within the dynamic plug assembly means,
a portion of a remainder portion of each plug blade exiting a top surface of the dynamic plug assembly means; and
the power cable configured to pass through the power cable hole into the interior cavity,
the power cable having a plurality of wires,
each wire of the plurality of wires including an end,
the end of each wire located within the dynamic plug assembly means and configured to mechanically couple to and be in electrical communication with the connector end of an associated one of the plurality of plug blades;
wherein the dynamic plug assembly means is rotatable relative to the electrically insulative top and bottom shells without disassembly of the electric plug.
13. The electric plug of claim 12 ,
wherein the power cable hole is oriented substantially perpendicular to the circular opening and
wherein the power cable hole is defined by an interior surface of the electrically insulative top shell and an interior surface of the electrically insulative bottom shell.
14. The electric plug of claim 12 , further comprising
a strain relief means, a portion of the strain relief means configured to be located within the power cable hole, the strain relief means further configured to allow the power cable to pass therethrough.
15. The electric plug of claim 12 , wherein
an interior surface of the electrically insulative bottom shell is configured to include a service loop enclosure protruding therefrom,
the service loop enclosure configured to enclose the plurality of wires of the power cable.
16. The electric plug of claim 12 , further comprising
a contact carrier means to support at least a portion of the plurality of the plug blades.
17. The electric plug of claim 16 , wherein
the blade array includes two blades and the contact carrier means includes two slots.
18. The electric plug of claim 16 , wherein
the blade array includes three blades and the contact carrier means includes three slots.
19. A method for providing an electric plug, comprising:
providing plug elements;
coupling wires of a power cable to blade contacts of plug blades;
providing a rotatable plug assembly;
passing a top surface of the rotatable plug assembly through a first opening of a top piece of a housing; and
coupling a bottom piece of the housing and the top piece of the housing together
so that a second opening is formed between the bottom piece of the housing to the top piece of the housing, and
so that a bottom surface of the rotatable plug assembly is adjacent to the bottom piece of the housing,
the top and bottom surfaces of the rotatable plug assembly being opposite each other;
wherein:
the rotatable plug assembly comprises a blade array having the blade contacts of the plug blades,
each of the plug blades being mechanically coupled to and in electrical communication with an associated one of the blade contacts;
the bottom piece of the housing comprises:
a tab stop configured to limit a rotation of the rotatable plug assembly;
the power cable passes through the second opening; and
the rotatable plug assembly is rotatable relative to the housing without disassembly of the housing.
20. The method of claim 19 , wherein:
coupling the bottom piece of the housing to the top piece of the housing further comprises positioning a strain relief in the second opening between the bottom piece of the housing and the top piece of the housing; and the power cable passes through the stain relief.