US3839615A

US3839615A - Adaptor for electric-light wall switch for operation by small children

Info

Publication number: US3839615A
Application number: US00411579A
Authority: US
Inventors: J Bradford
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1973-02-03
Filing date: 1973-10-31
Publication date: 1974-10-01
Anticipated expiration: 1991-10-01

Abstract

Adaptor has guide member attachable to wall switch, and an operating member vertically reciprocable in guide member to operate switch button between on and off positions by a child grasping downward extension of operating member.

Description

nited States Patent 1191 radford 1111 3,839,615 1 51 Oct. 1, 1974 ADAPTOR FOR ELECTRIC-LIGHT WALL SWITCH FOR OPERATION BY SMALL CHILDREN [76] Inventor: James M. Bradford, PO. Box 1223,

Akron, Ohio 44309 22 Filed: Oct. 31, 1973 211 Appl. No.2 411,579

Related U.S. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 223,239, Feb. 3,

1973, abandoned.

[52] U.S. Cl. 200/331 [51 l Int. Cl. H0lh 3/02 [58] Field of Search 200/331, 330; 74/544 /////////////A- Vila? [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,493,581 1/1950 Hood 200/331 3,004,128 10/1961 Mikolajcski 200/331 Primary ExaminerRobert K. Schaefer Assistant ExaminerWilliam J. Smith 5 7 ABSTRACT Adaptor has guide member attachable to wall switch, and an operating member vertically reciprocable in guide member to operate switch button between on and off positions by a child grasping downward extension of operating member.

3 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PAIENTEB 3,839,615 sum 10; 3

5 4 Z A w PAIENIEB snmsor 3 all will Z 5 9 3 1 m M B 5 s Mg /5' i ADAPTOR FOR ELECTRIC-LIGHT WALL SWITCH FOR OPERATION BY SMALL CHILDREN This application is a continuation-impart of US. application Ser. No. 223,239, Filed Feb. 3, 1972.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION In the past it has been the known practice to locate wall switches a height of about 4% feet from the floor, which is out of reach of small children for operating the same. Because of this condition such children either had to call for the help of others, or drag a chair or stool to stand on for turning a room light on or off, sometimes with damaging results, especially in the dark of night.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple, easy to install, adaptor unit of the character described on a standard wall switch, to have an operating part within easy reach of a small child standing on the floor.

Another object of the invention is to produce a device of the character described, having a safe auxiliary light simultaneously operable to indicate on and off conditions of the adaptor.

Other objects of the invention will be manifest from the following brief description and the accompanying drawings:

Of the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front view illustrating an adaptor unit operatively mounted in association with a flip-trigger wall switch in off position, in accordancewith the inventron.

FIG. 2 is a cross-section taken on the line 2--2 of FIG. I but with said switch in on" position, and with parts of the adaptor unit partly broken away and in sectron.

FIG. 3 is a front view, on an enlarged scale, of a modified form of guide member or base for the adaptor unit generally as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-section taken on the line 4l4 of FIG. 3, on the same scale as FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a front view generally corresponding to FIG. 1, and on the same scale but illustrating use of the modified form of guide member shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 mounted for use in the manner generally as shown in FIG. 1 with operating structure slidably mounted in the guide member.

FIG. 6 is a cross-section taken on the line 6-6 of FIG. 5, on the same scale.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings the numeral 10 designates generally an adaptor unit, includ' ing a channel-shaped guide member 11 of rigid material such as hard plastic, wood, or the like, and an elongated strip or operating element 12 of similar rigid material, at least the upper portion of which is vertically slidably received in the guide member. The guide member 11 may be secured against a standard switch cover plate 13, to have the channel 14 of member 11 opening outwardly, as by means of

screws

15,15 of known type which secure the plate 13 to an electric light switch box 16 mounted in the wall W of a room, and with a switch button B projected through a rectangular opening 17 in the base wall 18 of the guide member. The switch button B, in moving between off and on positions thereof, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, respectively, is

adapted to carry the elongated strip 12 with it. Conversely, vertical reciprocation of the strip 11 will, through engagement of spaced top and bottom ends of the opening 17, operate switch 16 between the off position shown in FIG. 1, and an on position shown in FIG. 2, in the known manner of such switches.

Opening

19,19 are provided in the base wall 18, to facilitate affixing the guide member 11 and the plate 13 to the switch box 16 by means of the screws 15, as best shown in FIG. 2. Spaced inturned lips or

guide walls

21,21 on the guide member 11 otherwise slidably retain the strip 12 therein for limited vertical movement of strip 12, to operate switch button B with a slight degree of lost motion movement of said strip 12.

A decorative knob 22 in the form of a hollow clown s head, for example, may be removably affixed to the lower end of the strip 12, to contain a battery operated flashlight bulb 23 and suitable battery means for the same.

The battery means 24 may include one or more flashlight batteries 24a electrically connected in a suitable wiring circuit including a movable contact 24b. For operating contact 24b, an elongated element 25 of relatively stiff wire is reciprocably received through a pas sage 25a extending lengthwise through the strip 12 to have a lower end portion positioned'for engagement with the movable contact 24b. The upper end portion of the element 25 may be formed into a rectangular loop 25b through which the switch button B is received, so that with on and off operation of the latter, the wire-element 25 will be reciprocated with respect to the strip 12, with requisite lost-motion, to disengage and engage the movable switch 24a with the positioned end or ends of the battery means 24. As an example, the switch 24b normally may be closed, to maintain the bulb 23 in lit condition, when the strip 12 is in the switch of condition shown in FIG. 1. Conversely, the switch on condition will be indicated when the strip 12 is moved upward to move the button B upward correspondingly, as shown in FIG. 2, wherein the element 25 has been drawn up by button B to open switch contact 24b.

In use of the adaptor unit 10 mounted in operative relationship to light switch, in the off position as shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings, the operating button B will be in the down condition indicated, and the bulb 23 will be lit to make the transluscent or transparent clown s head 22 glow, thereby tgindicate to a child that the electric switch is off, as well as to indicate the location of the switch in a dark room. The child can easily grasp the clowns head 22 to urge the strip 12 up, and thereby flip switch button B to turn on the room light, and at the same time, through opening of the switch 24b, turning off the battery operated bulb 23. Conversely, the child may grasp the clown s head 22 to urge the strip 12 downwardly, thereby to turn off the room light, while at the same time turning on the signal light 23 of the clowns head 22.

Referring to the modified form of the invention shown in FIGS. 3 to 6 in general, and to FIGS. 3 and 4 in particular, there is shown a modified form of guide member 30 corresponding to the member 18 of FIGS. 1 and 2. The guide member 30, however, is designed to be of stronger, one-piece, tubular construction to withstand hard use possible during operation of the switch operating strip 12a by children as previously described. The guide member is also better adapted for economically molding the same of hard plastic material, such as vinyl plastic, or hard rubber.

With particular reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the onepiece base member 30 is adapted to be economically molded in known manner in a two-part mold to have laterally spaced

sidewalls

31,31, and outwardly presented, longitudinally spaced

end cross-members

32 and 33 extended between the side walls at opposite ends of the base member. Outwardly presented

cross-members

34 and 35 can be provided intermediate the longitudinally spaced

rear cross-pieces

32 and 33, to increase the strength of the base member. Cross-members 36 and 37, extending between the side-walls 31 further to strengthen the base member, and are centrally apertured at 15a,l5a for screw attachment of the base member to a wall switch box 16, as shown in FIGS. & 6, and for purpose generally as described above in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2.

In other words, the inner and outer wall means of the adaptor is shown, in FIGS. 3 to 6, as each being a series of spaced cross-members defining rectangular openings between the same, whereby the spaced

outer crossmembers

32,33,34 and 35 define series of rectangular openings which may be somewhat larger than the opposing

inner cross-members

35,36 and 41 aligned therewith. This arrangement not only facilitates mounting of the base member 30 on the wall switch box 16, as shown in FIGS. 5 & 6, but also makes it possible to mold base member 30 of synthetic plastic resin material in known manner, and with economical use of a simple two part mold. As before, the hollow guide member 30, with the elongated operating element 12 slidably received therethrough, may be firmly affixed to the switch plate 13, by first maintaining the element 12 so that the two holes 19 therein are aligned with holes l5a,I5a in the

end cross-members

36 and 37, for threaded reception of the two screws into screw holes in the switch box 16. During this guide-member attaching procedure the switch button B is adapted to be maintained projecting through the hole or slot 40 in a central cross-piece 41 of the guide member, between the side-walls 31 thereof. With the base member 30 thus firmly affixed, vertical reciprocation of the operating element 12 therein will be effective to pivot or move the usual wall switch button B between on and off" positions (See FIGS. 5 and 6).

Modifications of the invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An adaptor for an electric light wall switch, having a fixed part provided with screw aperture means and a movable switching button, and being adapted to be located at about standard height on the wall above a floor of a room, said adaptor comprising; a one-piece guide member adapted to overlie the wall switch and including laterally'spaced side walls inner and outer wall means integrally connecting between said side walls to define a channel of rectangular cross-section through the guide member; and an elongated operating element including an extent thereof which is of cross-section adapted to be complementally slidably received in said channel; said inner wall means including opposite end cross-members of given shape and size, appropriately apertured for reception of screw means therethrough, for said screw attachment of said guide member to the switch part; and a central cross-member, of given shape and size, having opposite exposed ends defining openings between the same and the end cross-members; said central cross-member being apertured for movable reception of the switching button therethrough to be operable by sliding movement of said operating element and move the switching button between on and off positions; said operating element having an extension therefrom adapted to extend downwardly of the fixed switch part to be within ready reach of a small child for manually operating the switching button from the floor; said outer wall means including a series of longitudinally spaced cross-members, defining outer openings of given shape and size between next adjacent said outer cross-members, and the defined outer openings being approximately the size and shape of the respective said central and opposite end cross-members.

2. An adaptor as in claim 1, said defined outer openings in said outer wall means, and the respective said opposite end and central cross-members, being of rectangular shapes.

3. An adaptor as in claim 2, said outer openings in said outer wall means being superposed with reference to the corresponding opposite end and central crossmembers.

Claims

1. An adaptor for an electric light wall switch, having a fixed part provided with screw aperture means and a movable switching button, and being adapted to be located at about standard height on the wall above a floor of a room, said adaptor comprising; a one-piece guide member adapted to overlie the wall switch and including laterally spaced side walls inner and outer wall means integrally connecting between said side walls to define a channel of rectangular cross-section through the guide member; and an elongated operating element including an extent thereof which is of cross-section adapted to be complementally slidably received in said channel; said inner wall means including opposite end cross-members of given shape and size, appropriately apertured for reception of screw means therethrough, for said screw attachment of said guide member to the switch part; and a central cross-member, of given shape and size, having opposite exposed ends defining openings between the same and the end crossmembers; said central cross-member being apertured for movable reception of the switching button therethrough to be operable by sliding movement of said operating element and move the switching button between on and off positions; said operating element having an extension therefrom adapted to extend downwardly of the fixed switch part to be within ready reach of a small child for manually operating the switching button from the floor; said outer wall means including a series of longitudinally spaced cross-members, defining outer openings of given shape and size between next adjacent said outer cross-members, and the defined outer openings being approximately the size and shape of the respective said central and opposite end cross-members.

3. An adaptor as in claim 2, said outer openings in said outer wall means being superposed with reference to the corresponding opposite end aNd central cross-members.