Richard A Berry

US Patent:

54493021, Sep 12, 1995

Filed:

Aug 24, 1993

Appl. No.:

8/111260

Inventors:

Garrett S. Yarbrough - Chicago IL
Richard C. Berry - Camillus NY
David K. Bedford - Phoenix NY
David C. Holloway - Liverpool NY

Assignee:

Cooper Industries, Inc. - Houston TX

International Classification:

H01R 13502

US Classification:

439680

Abstract:

The present invention serves to prevent severe injury, loss of life or damage to expensive equipment by creating a system in which the conductors of a plug and the conductors of a receptacle can only be arranged, one with respect to the other, in a unique rotational manner depending upon the intended electrical rating of the plug and receptacle. The resulting plug will mate only with a receptacle having that same configuration. A separate indexer is disposed between the plug body and the conductor assembly to the conductors in the plug to prevent entry of the plug into a differently indexed receptacle. A polarizer in the receptacle fixes the conductor assembly of the receptacle in the same manner as the plug, to allow the plug and receptacle to be mated together when the receptacle is wired for the same electrical rating as the equipment to be energized by the plug. Visual means of identifying the rotational attitude of conductors is provided whereby the electrical rating of the plug or receptacle can be easily identified. The visual means of identification may include color as well as printed coding information.