Abstract: There is disclosed a porcelain lamp socket for use in a humid environment where the socket has a body, a screw shell, a center contact and two terminals; one for the line and the other for the neutral wire connection. The screw shell and the line and neutral terminals are attached to the porcelain body by means of fasteners such as eyelets, rivets, screws, etc. All electrical conductors in the bottom of the socket, including the fasteners are covered with a spacer which forms a watertight seal with the bottom surface of the body. The spacer, which can be made of high dielectric plastic material, can be mechanically held in place by projections which fit snuggly within the eyelets or rivets. RTV, either by itself or in combination with soft fillers such as washers can also be used to obtain a water tight seal. The device disclosed finds utility in applications where superior dielectric strength is desired between the live parts on or in the socket and the sheet metal (ground) to which the socket is mounted.

Abstract: An integral wall plate and power receptacle are provided for flush mounting on an electrical box or support. In that the wall plate and receptacle are made of insulating material the grounding of the wall plate is not required. The power receptacle includes a number of chambers into which contacts are selectively placed. Identification tabs on the contacts and keyways on the walls of the chambers limit insertion of the contacts to selected chambers and orient the contacts. The wall plate provides a smooth transition from the receptacle to thinned edges which receive mounting fasteners. An insert covers the base members and retains the contacts in their respective chambers while providing a smooth finished look to the wall plate.

Abstract: A cover for a surface mounted electrical box in which are placed one of a selected group of receptacles each having different electrical plug blade contact arrangements, sizes and shapes. The partial cover has a cut-out and receives therein a selectable modular insert which contains apertures which correspond to the plug prong contacts of the receptacle. The modular insert locks in the cut-out and fits flush with the remainder of the partial cover. Thus, the cover is assembled to match the receptacle within the box.

Abstract: A spring mounts a protective cover on an electrical outlet connector body for non-sliding, swinging movement along an arcuate path between a plug-blocking position, in which the cover blocks slots formed in the connector body, and a plug-passing position, in which openings in the cover are aligned with the connector slots. The spring includes an anchored portion securely mounted on the connector and a movable cantilever portion which is inclined relative to the anchored portion, and which is dimensioned so as to maintain the cover out of frictional engagement with the connector body between the aforementioned positions. Manual displacement of the cover is facilitated by the reduction of frictional drag.

Abstract: A multi-purpose grounding strip of one-piece metal construction is mounted on an electrical receptacle. The grounding strip includes a base portion, at least one female-type grounding socket portion having bent fingers for receiving a male-type ground prong of an electrical plug, a bent grounding lug portion having a hole for receiving a ground terminal screw, a bent automatic grounding portion having an aperture for receiving a mounting screw for mounting the receptacle in an electrical outlet box, a bent lip portion extending through a cutout formed in a mounting ear which overlies the aperture, and a bent tab portion which engages the receptacle. The bent lip and tab portions cooperate to prevent the automatic grounding portion from moving away from the ear in response to insertion of the mounting screw through the aperture.

Abstract: A molded plastic, substantially planar, plate member which, when assembled, forms an open-topped electrical outlet box. The flat plastic plate member has end walls and side walls which are all foldable along living hinges relative to a bottom wall until further movement is prevented by raised projections to thereby form a three-dimensional box. Mounting sleeves are integrally formed in the end walls for receiving mounting nails. Flanges are also integrally formed in the end walls for receiving stamped Tinnerman-type nuts. Channels are integrally formed in the end walls and receive lateral edges of the side walls; slots in the channels receive tabs integrally formed on the lateral edges of the side walls. Additional tabs also integrally formed on the lateral edges of the side walls have U-shaped recesses therein for receiving the stem of the mounting nail with a snap-type action.