Covered plug

Abstract

To provide a covered plug in which a plug to be inserted into an outlet and a cover that detachably covers the plug do not come loose.SOLUTION: A covered plug 100 includes a plug 110 having a plurality of metal blades 111 to be inserted into an outlet, and a cover 120 attached so as to cover the plug 110, and at least one of the plug 110 and the cover 120 is provided with a magnet, and the cover 120 is attached detachably to the plug 110 by the magnetic force of the magnet.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a plug for supplying electricity to an appliance, and more particularly to a plug with a cover that includes a plug to be inserted into an outlet and a cover that covers the plug. [Background technology]

[0002] Sockets are provided on the walls of homes and office buildings to supply electricity to various devices, etc. The socket surface exposed on the wall of this socket is generally rectangular when viewed from the front, and typically has multiple (e.g., two) socket holes formed thereon, and electrical continuity is achieved by inserting the metal blades of a plug into the socket holes.

[0003] Outlets are often placed in the corners of homes and office buildings, and when furniture or equipment that uses these outlets are placed, they may be hidden behind the furniture or equipment. In such cases, if a plug is left in the outlet for a long period of time, dust and lint will accumulate between the outlet and the plug, and in the worst case scenario, there is a risk of fire due to an electric leak or short circuit.

[0004] Furthermore, an exposed outlet on a wall surface mars the aesthetic appearance of the wall, especially when a plug is inserted into the outlet surface.

[0005] As a method for solving such problems with conventional plugs, for example, FIG. 9 of Patent Document 1 discloses a plug to be attached to a wall socket, which is made up of a flat plate body covering the entire outlet surface of the socket that protrudes from the wall, and a flat plug that fits into a recess formed on the inner surface of the flat plate body, and the flat plug is capable of being attached and detached freely. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2004-259694 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In plugs using conventional technology such as that described in Patent Document 1, the flat plug inserted into the outlet fits into a recess formed on the inner surface of the flat body that covers the surface of the outlet, allowing the flat body and the flat plug to be freely attached and detached.However, there is a problem in that repeated attachment and detachment can cause the flat body and the flat plug to become "loose."

[0008] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVETION The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and has as its object to provide a plug with a cover in which the plug to be inserted into an outlet and the cover that detachably covers the plug will not come loose. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] Means 1 is a plug with a cover including a plug with multiple metal blades to be inserted into an outlet, and a cover attached to cover the plug, wherein at least one of the plug and the cover has a magnet provided thereon, and the cover can be attached to the plug in a removably manner by the magnetic force of the magnet.

[0010] Means 2 is the plug with cover according to Means 1, in which the plug is provided with a magnetic body, and the cover is provided with a magnet.

[0011] Means 3 is the plug with cover according to Means 1, wherein the plug and the cover are provided with magnets of opposite polarities.

[0012] Means 4 is the plug with cover according to Means 1, in which the plug has a recess, the cover has a protrusion, the protrusion is received in the recess when the cover is attached to the plug, and the magnet is provided in at least one of the recess and the protrusion.

[0013] Means 5 is the plug with cover according to Means 1, in which the plug has a convex portion, the cover has a concave portion, the convex portion is received in the concave portion when the cover is attached to the plug, and the magnet is provided in at least one of the convex portion and the concave portion.

[0014] Means 6 is the plug with cover according to Means 4 or 5, in which the convex portion is received in the concave portion to generate a frictional force.

[0015] Means 7 is the plug with cover according to any one of Means 1 to 5, wherein the cover has a receiving portion for receiving the outer periphery of the plug on a side of a surface to which the cover is attached to the plug.

[0016] Means 8 is a plug with a cover according to means 7, wherein an outer periphery of the plug engages with the receiving portion.

[0017] Means 9 is a plug with a cover according to Means 8, in which the plug has a flange formed on at least a part of the outer periphery on the mounting surface side with the cover, and the flange engages with the accommodating portion. Effect of the Invention

[0018] According to the present invention having such a configuration, the plug and the cover are strongly attracted to each other by the magnetic force of the magnet, so that they can be fixed to each other without loosening. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the rear side of a plug with a cover which is a representative example of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 2 is a perspective view of the back side of the cover-equipped plug shown in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a front view of the cover-equipped plug shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a rear view of the cover of the covered plug shown in FIG. [Diagram 5] 2 is a perspective view of the rear side of the cover of the covered plug shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the plug with cover shown in FIG. 1 in use. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] Representative specific examples of the present invention will now be described with reference to Figures 1 to 6. It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the present embodiment.

[0021] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the rear side of a plug with cover which is a representative example of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the rear side of the plug, FIG. 3 is a front view of the plug, FIG. 4 is a rear view of the cover, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the rear side of the cover, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the rear side of the plug with cover, showing the state of use.

[0022] In the following description, the side of the covered plug that is inserted into the outlet hole of the outlet surface is referred to as the back side, and the side opposite the side of the covered plug that is inserted into the outlet hole is referred to as the front side. For example, if the outlet is installed on the wall surface of a room in a residence, the side facing the room (e.g. the side opposite to where the metal blade of the plug is provided) will be referred to as the front side, and the side facing the outside (wall surface) (e.g. the side where the metal blade of the plug is provided) will be referred to as the back side. The same applies to the outlet, and the outlet surface having the outlet hole facing the room side will be referred to as the front side.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 1, the covered plug 100 includes a plug 110 having multiple (two in this embodiment) metal blades 111 on the back side to be inserted into a socket hole on the surface of a socket (not shown), and a cover 120 that is attached to cover the plug 110.

[0024] The cover 120 is removably attached to the plug 110 . Specifically, the rear side of cover 120 and the front side of plug 110 face each other and are detachably attached.

[0025] Regarding attachment and detachment, cover 120 may be attached and detached to plug 110 that has been attached by inserting metal blade 111 into the outlet hole, or cover 120 may be attached and detached to plug 110 before metal blade 111 is inserted into the outlet hole.

[0026] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, plug 110 has power lines 112 on its side (lower side in this embodiment) for transmitting power taken in from a socket (not shown) via metal blades 111.

[0027] The main body of plug 110 is formed in a relatively thin plate shape so as to minimize protrusion from the surface of the outlet.

[0028] 3, plug 110 has magnetic body 113 provided on its front surface. Magnetic body 113 is provided inside recess 114 that is circular in front view and formed on the front surface of plug 110. Specifically, magnetic body 113 is a ring-shaped steel, and is attached by fitting its inner edge onto protrusion 114a provided at the center of the bottom of recess 114.

[0029] Even when the magnetic body 113 is provided, the recess 114 remains recessed and can accommodate a protrusion 126 of the cover 120, which will be described later.

[0030] Since the recess 114 is provided in the plug 110, even when the plug 110 is used alone without the cover 120 attached, there is no protrusion, improving the aesthetic appearance and safety.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 2, plug 110 has flange 115 formed on the outer periphery of the front side, which is the side on which cover 120 is attached, so as to protrude outward in rear view. The flange portion 115 is a portion that fits and engages with a housing portion 124 of the cover 120, as described below.

[0032] Flange portion 115 is a portion that can be hooked with fingers when holding plug 110, making it easier to handle, such as making it easier to remove plug 110 from an outlet.

[0033] It is not necessary that flange portion 115 is formed along the entire outer periphery of plug 110, but it may be formed along at least a portion of the outer periphery.

[0034] 4 and 5, cover 120 includes a substantially rectangular bottom surface portion 121 that covers the entire surface of plug 110, and side wall portions 122 that are provided on the four sides of bottom surface portion 121 and extend from bottom surface portion 121 to the rear surface side. A connecting portion between bottom surface portion 121 and side wall portions 122 is formed to be rounded.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 6, the outer shape of the cover 120 has dimensions sufficient to cover the entire outlet surface C of the outlet (not shown).

[0036] The bottom surface portion 121 of the cover 120 is formed in a rectangular flat plate shape (FIGS. 4 and 5). The rear surface of the bottom surface portion 121 is formed in a flat shape, and the front surface of the bottom surface portion 121 (not shown) is also formed in a flat shape.

[0037] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, one side of the side wall portion 122 (the lower side in this embodiment) has a notch 123 formed therein so that the power line 112 of the plug 110 can pass through to the outside when the cover 120 is attached to the plug 110 (Figure 1).

[0038] The bottom surface portion 121 is formed with a receiving portion 124 into which the outer shape of the plug 110 (in this embodiment, the outer shape including the flange portion 115) is fitted and engaged when the plug 110 is attached.

[0039] The storage section 124 is formed on the inside separated by a fitting wall section 124a standing approximately vertically on the rear side from the bottom surface section 121. Specifically, the outer periphery of the flange section 115 engages and fits into the inside of the fitting wall section 124a.

[0040] The fitting wall portions 124a are formed in a shape that fits the outer shape of the plug 110 (in this embodiment, four shapes bent at the four corners of the outer shape of the plug 110 which is generally rectangular when viewed from behind).

[0041] Incidentally, the accommodating portion 124 may have any structure as long as it can fit with the plug 110. For example, a recess may be provided in the bottom surface portion 121 so that the outer shape of the plug can fit therein.

[0042] A magnet 125 is provided in the housing portion 124 at a position facing the magnetic body 113 provided in the plug 110. The magnet 125 is, for example, a permanent magnet such as a neodymium magnet or a ferrite magnet, and a neodymium magnet with strong magnetic force is preferable.

[0043] 4 and 5, a convex portion 126 that is circular when viewed from the rear and protrudes from the bottom surface portion 121 to the rear side is provided, and a magnet 125 is provided on the convex portion 126. The magnet 125 is not shown in FIG.

[0044] Specifically, a recess 126a having a circular shape in rear view is formed in the center of the protrusion 126, and the magnet 125 is fitted and attached in the recess 126a. The rear surface of magnet 125 fitted in recess 126a is flush with the tip surface of protrusion 126, and is configured to come into contact with magnetic body 113 when cover 120 is attached to plug 110.

[0045] At least a portion of the attached magnet 125 and protrusion 126 are sized and configured to be received within the recess 114 of the plug 110 .

[0046] The height H of the side wall portion 122 (the overall thickness of the cover 120) is preferably formed to a height such that when the cover 120 is attached to the plug 110 inserted into an outlet (not shown), the height is in flush contact with the outlet surface, or the height is such that the cover 120 fits into the outer peripheral surface of the outlet exposed from the wall surface.

[0047] This allows cover 120 to cover plug 110 without leaving any gaps when cover 120 is attached to plug 110, which results in preventing the accumulation of dust on the outlet and also improves the aesthetic appearance.

[0048] The plug 110 and the cover 120 are attached as follows. The front side of the plug 110 and the rear side of the cover 120 are opposed to each other.

[0049] Next, the flange portion 115 of the plug 110 is engaged with the fitting wall portion 124 a of the housing portion 124 of the cover 120 to house the plug 110 . The protrusion 126 of the cover 120 is received in the recess 114 of the plug 110 .

[0050] The magnetic body 113 of the plug 110 and the magnet 125 of the cover 120 are attracted to each other by magnetic force, completing the attachment. It should be noted that the magnetic body 113 and the magnet 125 do not need to be in contact with each other.

[0051] The plug 110 and the cover 120 are removed by resisting the magnetic force between the magnetic body 113 of the plug 110 and the magnet 125 of the cover 120, and thereafter, the attachment operation is performed in reverse.

[0052] In the plug with cover 100, the plug 110 and the cover 120 are strongly attracted to each other by magnetic force, so that they can be fixed together without loosening.

[0053] By providing magnetic body 113 on plug 110 and magnet 125 on cover 120, magnet 125 that generates a magnetic force directly on plug 110 is not provided, so that the effect on the current flowing from plug 110 can be suppressed.

[0054] Since the flange portion 115 of the plug 110 is engaged with and accommodated in the fitting wall portion 124a of the accommodation portion 124 of the cover 120, alignment can be easily performed.

[0055] Furthermore, when an external force in the shearing direction is applied to the attachment by magnetic force alone, there is a risk of the attachment becoming dislocated and coming off. However, since flange portion 115 and fitting wall portion 124a come into contact with each other and resist this force, the attachment becomes less likely to come off.

[0056] Since the flange 115, which is thinner than the thickness of the plug 110, is engaged with the fitting wall 124a of the cover 120, removal is easier than when all of the outer side surfaces of the plug 110 are engaged.

[0057] Since the recess 114 of the plug 110 is housed in the protrusion 126 of the cover 120, alignment can be easily performed.

[0058] Furthermore, when an external force in the shearing direction is applied to the magnet, the magnet may slip out of place, but the recessed portion 114 and the protruding portion 126 come into contact with each other and resist the force, so the magnet is less likely to come out of place.

[0059] Since concave portion 114 of plug 110 is circular when viewed from the front and convex portion 126 of cover 120 is circular when viewed from the back, there is a risk that cover 120 may rotate relative to plug 110. However, since the outer shape of plug 110 and mating wall portion 124a of cover 120 are rectangular, rotation of cover 120 relative to plug 110 can be restricted, and the cover is not positioned at an angle, thereby not spoiling the aesthetic appearance.

[0060] [Other Modifications] The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and may also include the following, for example.

[0061] In this embodiment, the magnetic body 113 is provided on the plug 110 and the magnet 125 is provided on the cover 120, but the present invention is not limited to this. The magnet may be provided on the plug and the magnetic body may be provided on the cover. Furthermore, magnets may be provided on the plug 110 and the cover 120 so that the opposing sides have different polarities.

[0062] In this embodiment, the protrusion 126 formed on the cover 120 is accommodated in the recess 114 formed on the plug 110, but by making the external shape of the protrusion and the internal shape of the recess substantially the same, a frictional force may be generated between the two when the protrusion is accommodated in the recess, similar to the engagement structure between the flange 115 and the fitting wall 124a. This can improve the fastening force between the plug 110 and the cover 120.

[0063] In this embodiment, the plug 110 and the cover 120 are attached by magnetic force, and the outer periphery (flange 115) of the plug 110 is accommodated in the accommodation portion 124 of the cover 120 and the accommodation portion 126 of the cover 120 is accommodated in the recess 114 of the plug 110 and the protrusion 126 of the cover 120 are also accommodated in the magnetic force. However, the magnetic force may be used in combination with either of the two, or the magnetic force may be used alone. When the magnetic force is used alone, for example, no recess or protrusion is provided on the opposing surfaces of the plug and the cover, and no accommodation portion for accommodating the outer periphery of the plug is provided, and a magnet is provided on at least one of the plug and the cover to allow the plug and the cover to be detachably attached by magnetic force.

[0064] In this embodiment, the magnets are provided on the front surface of plug 110 and the rear surface of cover 120, but this is not limited thereto, and any surface on which plug 110 and cover 120 face each other may be used.

[0065] In this embodiment, a recess 114 is provided in plug 110 and a protrusion 126 is provided in cover 120, but this is not limited to the above. A protrusion may be formed on the front surface of plug 110, which is the attachment surface to cover 120, and a magnetic body may be provided on the protrusion, so that a magnet is provided on at least one of them.

[0066] In this embodiment, flange portion 115 is provided on the outer periphery of plug 110, and flange portion 115 is accommodated in and engaged with the accommodating portion. However, flange portion 115 may not be provided, and the outer periphery of plug 110 may be accommodated in and engaged with the accommodating portion. Also, the outer periphery or the flange of the outer periphery of plug 110 may be simply accommodated in the accommodation portion without engaging it.

[0067] In this embodiment, the surface on the rear side of magnet 125 fitted into recess 126a is flush with the tip surface of protrusion 126, but this is not limited thereto, and the surface on the rear side of magnet 125 may protrude beyond protrusion 126. In this case, the protruding portion of magnet 125 also forms protrusion 126. In addition, the surface on the rear side of magnet 125 may be recessed beyond protrusion 126.

[0068] In this embodiment, the recess 114 of the plug 110 is circular when viewed from the front, and the protrusion 126 of the cover 120 is circular when viewed from the back, but the present invention is not limited to this and may be rectangular, for example. In this way, it is possible to restrict the rotation of the cover 120 relative to the plug 110, even if the rectangular outer shape of the plug 110 and the fitting wall portion 124a of the cover 120 are not adopted.

[0069] Each technical aspect of any embodiment, including modified examples, may be combined with other embodiments and applied to form examples. [Explanation of symbols]

[0070] 100 Covered plug 110 Plug 111 Metal Blade 112 Power Lines 113 Magnetic material 114 Recess 114a Protrusion 115 Flange 120 Cover 121 Bottom part 122 Side wall 123 Notch 124 Storage unit 125 Magnet 126 Convex 126a Recess

Claims

1. A plug with a cover includes a plug having a plurality of metal blades to be inserted into an outlet, and a cover attached to cover the plug, At least one of the plug and the cover is provided with a magnet, and the cover is detachably attached to the plug by the magnetic force of the magnet. Covered plug.

2. The plug is provided with a magnetic material, and the cover is provided with a magnet.

2. The plug with cover according to claim 1.

3. The plug and the cover are provided with magnets of opposite polarities.

2. The plug with cover according to claim 1.

4. The plug has a recess. The cover has a protrusion, the protrusion is received in the recess when the cover is attached to the plug, The magnet is provided on at least one of the recess and the protrusion.

2. The plug with cover according to claim 1.

5. The plug has a protrusion, The cover has a recess. the protrusion is received in the recess when the cover is attached to the plug, The magnet is provided on at least one of the protrusion and the recess.

2. The plug with cover according to claim 1.

6. The projection is received in the recess to generate a frictional force.

6. A plug with cover according to claim 4 or 5.

7. The cover has a receiving portion for receiving an outer periphery of the plug on a side of a surface to which the plug is attached. The plug with cover according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

8. The outer periphery of the plug engages with the receiving portion.

8. The plug with cover according to claim 7.

9. The plug has a flange formed on at least a part of an outer periphery on a mounting surface side of the cover, The flange portion engages with the receiving portion.

9. The covered plug according to claim 8.

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