Extension cordsets are used in homes and businesses in order to connect appliances and electronic equipment to a source of power. Typically, cordsets are designed for indoor use and configured to carry 10 amperes or less of current. Other common heavy-duty cordsets are designed to provide power to tools or machinery. While the heavy-duty cordsets may be rated for outdoor use, the rating typically applies to the water resistance of the plastic jacketing on the cord and molded pieces without addressing the ability of the cordset connections to resist moisture.
A large proportion of outdoor cordsets are used in agricultural or construction settings where they provide power for operating a hand-held power tool such as a drill or circular saw. The extension cordsets in these settings allow a user to operate a tool at a remote distance from a power outlet. Thus, the user may move about a work site with the tool.
The male plug of a tool, however, may be susceptible to disconnecting from the female receptacle of an outdoor cordset. In order to prevent the male plug from disconnecting from the female receptacle, some users tie an end of the power tool cord and an end of the extension cordset in a knot. However, the act of physically tying the cords together may be annoying to some users. Additionally, the knotted connection may not always be secure. Further, tying the cords together inherently decreases the length of the extension.
Also, the interface between the extension cordset and the power tool cord may be exposed to water, for example, in a puddle, where the cord may short to ground. Alternatively, the male plug and the female receptacle may partially disengage from one another, thereby exposing live electrical contacts. As such, typical extension cordsets may present a danger to users and others as well as presenting a fire hazard. This same hazard can be found in cordsets for supplying power to recreational vehicles and electric motors, for example.
Specialty cordsets exist to ensure a secure, water resistant connection between the male plug and the female receptacle. However, these specialty cordsets typically include a unique, specifically designed male and female attachment to mate the two cords together. For instance, the common two- or three-prong plug that would be found on a 120 volt device for plugging into a standard wall outlet typically cannot be used in conjunction with the specialty cordsets, thereby limiting their practicality.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds