US3281754A

US3281754A - Terminal connector

Info

Publication number: US3281754A
Application number: US368227A
Authority: US
Inventors: Robert H Cadwallader
Original assignee: International Business Machines Corp
Current assignee: International Business Machines Corp
Priority date: 1964-05-18
Filing date: 1964-05-18
Publication date: 1966-10-25
Anticipated expiration: 1983-10-25

Description

Oct. 25, 1966 R. H. CADWALLADER TERMINAL CONNECTOR Filed May 18, 1964 INVENTOR ROBERT H.CADWALLADER BYW Z ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,281,754 TERMINAL CONNECTOR Robert H. Cadwallader, Wappingers Falls, N.Y., assignor to International Business Machines Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed May 18, 1964, Ser. No. 368,227 3 Claims. (Cl. 339-61) This application relates to connectors and more particularly to connectors employed in making an electrical connection with terminals in the form of screw heads or nuts.

In the production of machines using electrical motors or having a separate power supply, it is often necessary to make a temporary connection for the purpose of running the motor or operating the device for test or adjustment.

It is, therefore, the principal object of this invention to provide a connector that can be easily applied to and removed from motor or circuit terminals.

Another object is to provide a safe, efiicient and inexpensive connector for use with exposed terminals.

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of the preferred embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In thedrawings:

FIG. 1 is a view in terminal block.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the invention showing in dot and dash the position of parts prior to applying to a terminal.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the connector applied to a pair of terminals, and

FIG. 4 is a cross-section taken along line 44 of FIG. 3.

The connector comprises a block of resilient insulation such as semi-hard rubber or any other resilient material with good dielectric qualities. The block is split along a portion of a medial line at 11 to form two arms 12 in each of which is formed an aperture for a cup shaped metallic contact 14 of copper or other good conductor. A hole in the ends of each arm is provided for power wires 15 that are secured to each contact in any well-known manner such as brazing or welding. Two terminals 16 comprising nuts and bolts are on the machine or frame 17 to which power is to be applied.

In operation the serrated portions 18 on the arms 12 are grasped and the arms are squeezed together as shown in dot-dash lines in FIG. 2. The contacts 14 are then placed over the terminals 16. When the pressure on arms 12 is released, they will spread bringing the contacts into contact with the terminals as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

It is quite obvious that the contacts must be located in the block 10 in such manner as to be free of the terminals when the arms are pressed together and in resilient yet secure engagement with the terminals when released. This of necessity means that each connector will be designed for a specific set of terminals but the principle of the split block will always be the same.

It is also obvious that each arm could carry more than one contact enabling the connector to temporarily perspective of the connector and a a signal circuit, to the device being adjusted.

While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and other changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In an electrical connector for rality of wires to a combination of:

a member rigidly and fixedly carrying said terminals,

a block of resilient electric insulating material, said block comprising two resilient arms having portions movable relative to each other upon deformation of said arms,

contacts carried by said portions, said contacts being connected to said wires, said contacts having circum'ferentially continuous cylindrical wall portions adapted to abut said terminals and. form electrical connections therewith, said wall portions having internal diameters greater than the diameters of said terminals whereby said contacts fit freely over said terminals to enable said wall portions to be placed adjacent thereto,

said arms being deformable from a first position wherein said contacts are spaced from each other a distance different than the spacing between said terminals, to a second position wherein said contacts are spaced from each other a distance substantially the same as the spacing between said terminals, said connector being adapted to be connected to said terminals by deforming said arms into said second position, placing said contacts adjacent said terminals and then releasing said arms to allow said contacts to move towards said first position until they abut said terminals and are prevented by said terminals against further movement toward said first position, whereby the resiliency of said arms presses said contacts against said terminals and provides substantially the only forces for establishing the necessary contact pressure to effect electrical connections between said contacts and said terminals.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein'said block comprises a V-shaped notch forming said arms, said arms having cylindrical pockets receiving said contacts, the axes of said contacts being substantially parallel to each other and to said terminals when forming electrical connections therewith.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said contacts are spaced from each other a distance greater than the spacing between said terminals, and said connector is adapted to be connected to said terminals by pinching said arms towards each other whereby said arms tend to spread from each other to effect said electrical connections with said terminals.

connecting a pluplurality of spaced terminals, the

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,209,242 7/ 1940 Truesdell 339-74 FOREIGN PATENTS 167,659 8/ 1921 Great Britain. 926,936 5/ 1963 Great Britain.

EDWARD C. ALLEN, Primary Examiner. connect more than one circuit, i.e., a power circuit and PATRICK A. CLIFFORD, Examiner. J. H. MCGLYNN, Assistant Examiner.

Patented Oct. 25, 1966

Claims

1. IN AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR FOR CONNECTING A PLURALITY OF WIRES TO A PLURALITY OF SPACED TERMINALS, THE COMBINATION OF: A MEMBER RIGIDLY AND FIXEDLY CARRIED SAID TERMINALS, A BLOCK OF RESILIENT ELECTRIC INSULATING MATERIAL, SAID BLOCK COMPRISING TWO RESILIENT ARMS HAVING PORTIONS MOVABLE RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER UPON DEFORMATION OF SAID ARMS, CONTACTS CARRIED BY SAID PORTIONS, SAID CONSTACTS BEING CONNECTED TO SAID WIRES, SAID CONTACTS HAVING CIRCUMFERENTIALLY CONTINUOUS CYLINDRICAL WALL PORTIONS ADAPTED TO ABUT SAID TERMINALS AND FROM ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS THEREWITH, SAID WALL PORTIONS HAVING INTERNAL DIAMETERS GRATER THAN SAID DIAMETERS OF SAID TERMINALS WHEREBY SAID CONTACTS FIT FREELY OVER SAID TERMINALS TO ENABLE SAID WALL PORTIONS TO BE PLACED ADJACENT THERETO, SAID ARMD BEING DEFORMABLE FROM A FIRST POSITION WHEREIN SAID CONTACTS ARE SPACED FROM EACH OTHER A DISTANCE DIFFERENT THAN THE SPACING BETWEEN SAID TERMINALS, TO A SECOND POSITION WHEREIN SAID CONTACTS ARE SPACED FROM EACH OTHER A DISTANCE SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME AS THE SPACING BETWEEN SAID TERMINALS, SAID CONNECTOR BEING ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED TO SAID TERMINALS BY DEFORMING SAID ARMS INTO SAID SECOND POSITION, PLACING SAID CONTACTS ADJACENT SAID TERMINALS AND THEN RELEASING SAID ARMS TO ALLOW SAID CONTACTS TO MOIVE TOWARDS SAID FIRST POSITION UNIT THEY ABUT SAID TERMINALS AND ARE PREVENTED BY SAID TERMINALS AGAINST FURTHER MOVEMENT TOWARD SAID FIRST POSITION, WHEREBY THE RESILIENCY OF SAID ARMS PROVIDES SAID CONTACTS AGAINST TERMINALS AND PROVIDES SUBSTANTIALLY THE ONLY FORCES FOR ESTABLISHING THE NECESSARY CONTACT PRESSURE OF EFFECT ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS BETWEEN SAID CONTACTS AND SAID TERMINALS.