Importance

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Abstract

An electrical receptacle which has a plastic housing defining a socket lined by a tubular sleeve contact for receiving a conventional electrical adapter plug. The adapter plug has a body supporting a contact tip which is either retractable or non-retractable. This contact tip projects from an end of the adapter-plug body to mate with a central contact located at one end of the receptacle socket. The adapter plug also has another contact which projects from the periphery of the adapter-plug body to mate with the sleeve contact of the receptacle. The central contact of the receptacle is carried on a support fixed to the housing which communicates with the receptacle socket to establish electrical circuit connection with the adapter-plug contact tip in response to the insertion of the adapter plug into the socket. The central contact is spring-loaded and movable relative to its support so as to provide a retracting movement in response to the force applied by an adapter-plug contact tip. The spring-loaded retracting action of the central contact establishes and maintains a reliable circuit connection particularly with respect to an adapter plug which has a fixed contact tip. The retracting movement of the central contact assumes a reliable electrical connection between an adapter plug inserted in the receptacle in response to vibration of either or both the adapter plug and the receptacle.

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First Claim