CA1075884A - Device for use in a conductor terminating apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

This invention relates to apparatus for terminating a plurality of insulated conductors in respective insulation-piercing contact portions of electrical connectors. Prior art termination apparatus are not completely satisfactory for ter-minating electrical connectors having different transverse widths. Further, such apparatus do not equalize the forces applied across a connector by the members used to insert the conductors. The present invention provides a field termination tool for electrical connectors and includes laterally floating combs having edges which engage respective longitudinal slots on each side of the electrical connector to define a reference plane. The connector is urged toward the reference plane by a blade spring carried on the connector support. The insertion tool forces insulated conductors into respective insulation-piercing portions of connector contacts equally well for dif-ferent connector widths by apparatus for positioning one of a pair of oppositely directed rotatable insertion arms with res-pect to the other and to the connector support, and by a floating support structure to equalize forces across a con-nector. The comb slots each have a cutting edge which is co-operable in a scissor action with the cutting edge of the in-sertion blades carried on the insertion arms to cut the con-ductors immediately prior to insertion. The insertion arms are forced perpendicular to their planes of rotation to prevent parting of the cutting edges during the cutting operation.

Description

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This invention relates to apparatus ~or terminating a plurality o~ insulated conductors in respective insulation-piercing contact portions of electrical connector~, and more particularly to such apparatus which comprises structure for establishing a reference plane through an electrical connector to be terminated and structure for inserting conductors into insulation-piercing contact equally well for different widths of connectors.
Generally speaking, termination tools for inserting insulated conductors into insulation-piercing portions of elec-trical contacts mounted in electrical connectors provide a connector support structure with apparatus for releasably en-gaging the connector in a semi-permanent ~ixed relationship.
Although this technique provides satisfactory termination in most instances, it has been determined that the actual dimensions of connectors vary from one connector to the next, e.g., con-nector transverse sectional height, due to manufacturing tole~r-ances, and these tolerances cannot be tightened for economic reasons, particularly when one is concerned with miniature con-nectors.
For any given line of connectors, the female connector may be narrower at the rear or termination end than the cor-responding male connector. For example, in a particular line of connectors, the male connector is 0.80 inches wider than the corresponding female connector in the transverse direction at the termination end. It is therefore readily apparent that the depth of penetration of the female connector will be less than that of the male connector, which may cause improper or incom-plete termination.
The primary object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved termination apparatus, particularly field termination apparatus, for terminating a plurality of " ' ` ' ' ' `` ~ ' ' ', iO~5884 free-ended insulated conductors in respective insulation-piercing porti~ns of contacts of an electrical connector.
A more specific object of the invention is to provide termination apparatus which establishes a reference plane through an electrical connector immediately adjacent the insulation-piercing portions of the contacts of the connector.
Another object of the invention is to provide termi-nation apparatus for terminating electrical connectors having different transverse widths.
Another object of the invention is to provide termi-nation apparatus which includes a floating connector support for equalizing forces applied across a connector by oppositely di-rected insertion members.
According to the invention, an electrical connector is mounted against an end stop to define a cooperable relation-ship between the insulation-piercing contact portions thereof and insertion members which are rotatable toward the connector to engage and press insulated conductors into respective ones of ,¦
;~ the insulation-piercing contact portions, The general structure of an electrical connector which may be terminated by apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention includes a longitu-dinally extending slot on opposite sides thereof. The connector support includes a wave or blade spring for urging the connector upwardly and a pair of members, here in the form of conductor separation and cutting combs, include respective downwardly ex-tending edges for extending into the respective longitudinal : .
`~ slots to engage the connector and define a reference plane there through immediately adjacent the insulation piercing contact por-tions of the connector.
The conductor separation and cutting combs are movable transversely of the connector under the control of a lever ar-rangement so that a connector may be received upon and removed 1~75~8~L

from the connector support. As will become apparent from the following description, the conductor separ~tion and cutting combs are resiliently mounted to provide a floating feature for the connector support for ef~ecting equalization of forces across the connector during conductor insertion.
Insertion of the insulated conductors into the insu-lation~piercing portions of the connector contacts is provided by a pair of multi-blade insertion members which are carried on rotatably mounted arms for pivoting toward opposite sides of the electrical connector~ The lower edges of the individual in-sertion blades constitute cutting edges which cooperate with the rear edges of the comb slots to seYer the individual conductors immediately prior to insertion thereof into the insulation--~ piercing portions of the contacts. This sequential cutting and insertion operation provides a simple technique for cutting all of the conductors and a reduction of forces necessary in termi-nating the conductors. As the insertion members engage the con-nector, the insertion forces across the connector are equalized ¦
by the floating arrangement of the resiliently mounted combs.
In order to provide for equally satisfactory insertion in connectors of different widths, one of the rotatable insertion arms remains "fixed" with respect to its relation to the con-nector support structure, while means are provided for moving the other insertion arm toward and away from the connector sup-port structure depending on the width of connector to be termi nated, i.e., male or female connector. In two embodiments of the invention the connector support and one of the insertion arms are moved with respect to the other insertion arm. In a first of these embodiments, this is accomplished by rotating a threaded rod to draw or push, as the case may be, the aforementioned ap-paratus toward and away from each other along a set of guide rails, In a second embodiment this movement is accomplished, '~

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again along the guide rails, by rotating a rod which carries a cam that i9 cooperable with a cam follower carried by the fixed portion of the structure, In a third embodiment of the invention, the axis of rotation of one lnsertion arm is moved transversely with respect to the remainder of the termination apparatus. In this embodiment of the invention, means are provided for changing the resulting slight angle of incidence of the insertion blades carried by the arm so that insertion remains in a direction per-pendicular to the connector and penetration is equal for all of the blades.
It has been determined that when a plurality of con-ductors are severed by a cooperable insertion blade-comb combi-nation as the insertion blades are pivoted into engagement with the conductors, the insertion blades have a tendency to ride-up and over the combs, resulting in incomplete and/or ragged CUttiDg of the conductors. Therefore, means are provided for urging the ; insertion arms downwardly during the cutting operation. This means includes a spring loaded ball which rides against the ` upper face of a cutting arm near its axis of rotation, and an angularly mounted stud for engaging a similarly inclined surface of a -toggle arm carried at the distal end of the insertion arm for urging the distal end of the insertion arm downwardly as the toggle arm engages and cams about the angularly mounted stud.
The invention is particularly directed toward a device for use in a conductor terminating apparatus of the type wherein insulated conductors are electrically and mechanically connected ; to respective contact portions of an electrical connectorO The device includes a first cutting means which cooperates with the cutting edges of a second cutting means carried on a rotatably mounted arm means for cutting the conductors with a scissor action.
Means urge the arm means in a direction perpendicular to its di-rection of rotation and in the direction of the first cutting . ~

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means d-~rtng a cutting operation to prevent parting the cutting means. Connector support m0ans are mounted on the apparatus ~or supporting an electrical connector. The first cutting means com-prises a pair of c-ltting members on opposite sides o~ the connec-tor support means, each o~ the cutt:ing members having a cutting edge. The arm means comprises a pa:ir of arms mounted for movement toward respective sides o~ the supported connector. The second ~utting means includes a plurality oi' insertion blades on each of the arms for engaging and pressing individual conductors into respective contact portions, each of the insertion blades includ-ing the cutting edge of the second cutting means which is co-operable with the cutting edge of a respective cutting member to cut a corresponding conductor immediatelv prior to insertion into the respective contact portions.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention ta~en in conjunction with the ac-companying drawings, on which:

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FIG. 1 is a pictorial representation of an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a portion of the apparatus of FI~. 1 taken generally along the parting line II-II 3 FIG. 3 is a view of the connector support spring - 4a -.
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structure for the apparatus illustrated in FIG, 1;
FIG. ~ ls a sectional view taken generally ~long the line IV-IV of FIG. l;
FIG, 5 is an illustration o-f the relationship between the angularly mounted stud and the -toggle arm o~ the apparatus illustrated in FIG, l;
FIG, 6 is a pictorial representation o~ apparatus similar to that shown in FIG. 1~ but having a different mechanism for moving the connector support with respect to one of the in-sertion arms;
FIG, 7 is a plan view of a portion of a terminating ' apparatus similar to that illustrated in FIG, 1, but showing a further mechanism for displacing an insertion arm relative the ~ connector support s-tructure;
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FIG, 8 is an end view of structure for forcing the distal end of an insertion arm downwardly to promote even severing of the conductors;
FIG, 9 is a sectional view taken along line IX-IX of FIG. 1 showing preferred apparatus for adapting the termination apparatus for different sizes of connectors; and FIG, 10 is a plan view taken along the line X-X of ~IG, 9o Referring to FIG, 1, a terminating apparatus is gene-rally illustrated at 10 as comprising a frame 12 which includes downwardly extending rear legs 14 (only one shown), a pair o~
downwardly extending front legs 16 and 18, and a horizontal table member 20 carried by the legs 1~, 16 and 18.
:: ~ pair of base members 22 and 24 on the left hand side of the apparatus are fixed to the table me~ber 20, and may be either a two-piece or one-piece construction. On the right hand : side of the apparatus is a base 26 and a base 28 which may ad-vantageously be a one-piece structure, in that they are con-....

il075884 - structed to move toge-ther laterally of the apparatus 10, as will be described below.
In a recessed area 30, the bases 22, 2~ and 26, 28 include respective portions 32 and 34 which are carried on the table member 20 (FIG. 2). An electrical connector 36 is carried on the base portion 34 and includes a forward end 38, a plurality of contact carrying slots 40 in parallel rows on each side of the connector, a longitudinal slot 42 along the rear end of the con nector and a plurality of slots 44 which commu~icate the slots 40 with the slots 42. The connector 36 also includes a pair of longitudinally extending slots 46 and 48 on respective sides thereof immediately adjacent the insulation-piercing portions (not shown) of the contacts of the connector 36. A wave or blade spring 5V is mounted on the base portion 34 by means of a screw 52 to engage the forward end 38 of the connector 36 and urge the connector in the upward direction.
An end stop 54 (FIG, 1) is provided to receive an end - of the connector 36 in abutting contact, A pair of conductor combs 56 and 58 are resiliently mounted on each side of the con-; 20 nector support structure and include respective downwardly ex-- tending edges 64 and 66 for extending into the respective slots 46 and 48 and contacting the connector against the bias provided by the blade spring 50~ As the connector 36 is urged upwardly against the edges 64 and 66, a reference plane is established : immediately adjacent the insulation-piercing portions of the contacts of the connector.
The comb 56 is provided with a plurality of slots 60 and the comb 5~ is provided with a plurality of slots 62 for receiving individual conductors 126 of a cable 120 after the same have been dressed through the connector slots 44 and draped through the slots 60 and 62.
Referring to the right hand side of the apparatus il-.
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lustra-ted in FIG. 1, each ot' the combs includes an aperture 68 for receiving and sliding about a pin 70, a pin 72 being the only other such pin shown, and is biased toward the connector by a spring 74 disposed in a counterbore 76 and pressing against a cylindrical bushing 78.
In order to open the combs so that a connector may be placed upon the blade spring 50, a pair of levers 80 and 82 are provided and pivotally mounted, as indicated at 84, so as to push the combs outwardly by movement of the end 86 of $he lever against a portion 88 of the comb as the outer ends of the levers 80 and 82 are moved toward each otherO With the connector po-sitioned against the end stop 54 and urged upwardly by the spring 50, the levers 80 and 82 are operated so as to permit the springs 74 to return the combs toward each other so that the downwardly extending edges 64 and 66 snap into the slots 46 and 48, respectively.
The cable 120 is supported at the rear by a pair of ; upstanding portions 90 and 92 having respective downwardly and inwardly directed surfaces 94 and 96 which form a V-shaped cable support, and by a rounded slot 122 in an upstanding block 124.
A pair of insertion arms 98 and 100 are rotatably mounted to the upstanding portions 92 and 90 at respective pivots 102 and 104. The insertivn arm 98 in FIGo 4 is rotated forward, as in an insertion operation, with respect to the posi-tion illustrated in FIG. 1. A toggle arm 106 is rotatably mounted to the insertion arm 98 by a pin 108 and a toggle arm 110 is rotatably mounted at a pin 112 to the inser-tion arm 100.
The insertion arm 98 carries a multi-blade insertion member 114, which is connected from below by screws or the like, and the 30 insertion arm 100 carries a multi-blade insertion member 116 of similar construction. The individual blades have been references 118 and, as mentioned above, have sharp lower edges (284, FIG. 9) .. .
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to cooperate with the sharp e~ges 130 o~` the comb slots for severing the individual conductols 126 immediately prior to insertion. A conductor dressing schedule 128, in the ~orm o~
a color code chart or the like, may be mounted adjacent the combs 56 and 58 to great advantage.
After the connector has been mounted ancl provided a reference plane as described above, the individual conductors 126 may be dressed through tbe connector slots 4~ and the comb slots 60, 62 in accordance with the coding provided by the schedule 128. The connector is then ready for termination.
To sever the conductors at the proper length and to insert the same-into-the insulation-piercing contact port-ions-of the connector 36, the insertion arms 98 and 100 are rotated toward each other about their respective pivots 102 and 10~ to place the insertion members 114 and 116 adjacent the conductors 126. As the insertion arms 98 and 100 are rotated, a pair of spring loaded mechanisms 148 and 150, respectively, press down on the upper faces of the arms, as can be seen in greater detail in FI&, 4. The spring loaded mechanism 148 in FIG. 4 includes a threaded cap 152 having a bore 154 therein for receiving a spring 156 which urges a ball 158 against the upper surface 160 of the arm 9~. In FIG, 4, the pivot pin 102 is shown directly behind the spr~ng loaded mechanism 1480 ~ At the other ends of the insertion arms 98 and 100, the toggle arms 106 and 110 are provided with respective angled surfaces 132 and 134 which engage and cam about respective angu-larly extending studs 136 and 138 carried by the base members 26 and 22, respectively. In one construction, the angle of a stud with respect to its base member was from 10 to 15. With this 3G toggle and camming structure, the distal ends o~ the arms 98 and 100 are pressed downwardly as the toggle arms 106 and 110 are rotated toward each other and cam about the studs 136 and 138.

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~L075~384 The spring loaded mechanisms 1~8 and 150 and the toggle-cam constru~tions, prevent the insertion members from riding up duri~g the cutting operation so that clean, complete and even cu-tting of the conductors is accomplishedO
As the arms 98 and 100 are rotated toward the insertion position and are forced downwardly by the cam-toggle mechanism, they ride along respective upstanding edges 144 and 146 of the bases 26 and 22, The bases 22 and 26 also include upstanding portions 142 and 140, respectively, which serve as stops for the arms 100 and 98, respectively, to indicate completion of the insertion operation.
As the blades 118 of the insertion members 114 and 116 engage the connector 36 via the individual conductors, forces are created transversely of the connectorO With the combs 56 and 58 floating, i.e., movable along the pins 70 and 72, forces ; are equalized across the connector and equal insertion is pro-vided for all of the conductorsO
Referring in particular to FIG, 1, the table member 20 is provided with an upstanding guide rail 162 which is received in a complementary slot 164 in the base 26, and an upstanding T-shaped rail 166 which is received in a complementary T-shaped slot 168 in the base 26. Likewise, at the rear of the apparatus, - an upstanding rail 170 is received in a complementary slot 172 of the base 28 and an upstanding T-shaped rail 174 is received in a complementary T-shaped slot 176 in the base 28~ This rail and slot structure provides a controlled even movement of the base 26, the base 28, the base portion 34, and all of the ap-paratus carried thereon on the right hand side of the apparatus, with respect to similar structure which is fixed to the table member ~0 on thle opposite side of the apparatus. In FIG. 2, for example, the base portion 34 is movable along the table member 20, as indicated by the double headed arrow next to that base portion, 1~758~

while the corresponding base portion 32 is fixed with respect to the -table member 20. Positioning of the apparatu~ on the right hand side of the machine, including the supported connector, with respec-t to the apparatus.on the left hand side of the machine provides for proper and complete insertion o~ conductors into connectors having different transverse widths in the area of their rear or termination portions, For example, as previously mentioned, a male connector and a corresponding female connector generally have different widths in this area, amounting to several tens of thousandths of inches. Several mechanisms are available in the art for moving one of the structures with respect to the other, The mechanism illustrated herein employs a rod 1~8 which extends through a bore 180 and is rotatably secured in the base 28 by a bearing 182 fixed to the base 28, and a threaded end 184 of the rod 1~8 which engages a threaded bore 186 in the base 24, Conversely, the bore 180 may be a threaded structure and the left hand end of the rod may be fixed for rotation in the base 24, in either case, rotation of a lever 188 against the stop 190 posi-tions the structures closer together for a female connector, indicated by the F, and rotation of the shaft 178 by 180 where the lever 188 is positioned against stop 192, spreads the struc-tures apart for the wider male connector, indicated by the M reference, - Referring to FIG, 6, the same general structure for accommodating different widths of connectors, is illustrated . with a different mechanism for positioning the bases 26 and 28 : with respect to the bases 22 and 24~ A rod 194 extends longitu-dinally through the apparatus through bores (not shown) and carries a lever or handle 196 at the forward end of the apparatus to point toward respective references M and F to indicate male and female settings. Toward the rear end of the apparatus, in the area of the rail 170, the rod 194 is provided with a cam 198 ~S8 !34 which rotates in ~ hollow cam follower 200. With the cam 198 fixedly associated with the bases 26 and 28 and the cam follower fixedly associated with the table member 20, the upper structure is moved transversely of the term~uation apparatus with respect to the lower structure. Therefore, the insertion arm 98 and the cam stud 136 are both moved the same amount with respect to the opposite side of the termination apparatus, as was the case with the structure illustrated in FIG. 1.
Referring to FIG. 7, a different mechanism for repo-sitioning one of the insertion arms with respect to the other insertion arm is illustrated for apparatus generally the same as -that shown in FIGS. 1 and 6. In FIG, 7, the front of the apparatus is at the left hand side of the drawing and the rear of the apparatus is at the right hand side of the drawing. An upstanding and overhanging hood type structure, without a V-shaped cable support is illustrated at 202 for rotatably mounting a pair o~ insertion arms 204 and 206. Only the insertion !
arm 204 has been completely illustrated and is shown as comprising an insertion member 208 having a plurality of insertion blades 210, A toggle arm 212 is pivotally mounted at the distal end of the insertion arm 204 by means of a mechanism which will be ex-plained hereinafter in detailO
Referring now, however, to the axis of rotation of the insertion arm 204, a circular eccentric structure 214 includes axially misaligned cylindrical portions 216 (mounted in the arm 204) and 218 (mounted in the base below the arm 204), The cylindrical portion 218 includes a pair of diametrically opposed notches 222 for receiving a ball 220 which is spring loaded by a -spring and cap assembly 224 loaded in a bore 226. Rotation of .1 the eccentric with a tool, such as a screwdriver, in a slot on the top end of the eccentric (not shown) moves the axis of rota- l -tion of the arm 204 toward and away from the arm 206.

~'758~34 In this embodiment of the inven~ion~ the connector suppor~ is fixed and does no-t move transversely ~ith the arm 204 as was the case in -the previous embodiments o~ the invention.
Therefore, as the axis of ro-tation of the arm moves toward and away from the center of the termination apparatus, the angle of incidence of the individual insertion blades 210 changes with respect to the connec-tor. To compensate for this angular dispo-sition with respect to the connector, correct and complete in-sertion of all conductors along the sides of the connector is provided through an eccentric mounting of the toggle arm 212.
This eccentric 230 includes a pair of cylindrieal axially mis-aligned portions 232 and 234, the portion 232 being disposed in the arm 204 and the portion 234 being disposed in the arm 212, A similar screwdriver adjustment is provided for operating this mechanism. The cylindrical portion 232 is provided with a pair of notches 236 located in the periphery thereof at diametrically ~ opposed positions to receive a ball 240 which is spring loaded by a spring loaded cap screw 242 disposed in a threaded bore 244, In addition, the connector support structure, including the resiliently mounted combs, provides for equalization of insertion forces.
Proper positioning of the eccentric 214, 230 results in audible "clicks" as the balls 220 and 240 are urged into the respective notches 222 and 236 thereby providing a positive in-dication of correct positioningO
The toggle arm 212 is provided with an angled surface 248 to engage an angularly disposed pin 246, cf, 1-32, 136 FIG, 1, to provide a downward foree o~ the distal end of the insertion arm 204 during the cutting and insertion operations and, in eonneetion with the eecentrie mechanism 230, effects equal pene-tration of all insertion blades.
Referring now to FIG, 8, a simplified structure for ':''` . :
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forcing the distal end ot' the inser-tion arm downwardly as il-lustrated at 250 wherein -the upstanding portion 140 OI the base 26, which functions as an arm stop, is provided with an over-hanging portion 252 having a downwarclly angled lower sureace 254, As the insertion arm traverses the upstancling edge 14~, and engages the surface 254, it is urged downwardly to prevent a lifting of the arm and uneven cutting of the conductorsO A
rounded surface 256 which develops into the surface 254 may be provided to guide the insertion arm.
Referring now to FIGS. 9 and 10, the structure Oe the insertion blades is illustrated in greater detail along with a simplified structure for positioning the insertion blades - relative a connector to adapt the termination apparatus to connectors of different widths. In this embodiment of the in-vention, as with the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7, and with the exceptions of the floating connector support structure and the rotatable insertion arm structure, the entire insertion ap-paratus is a fixed structure.
The adjustment mechanism is generally illustrated in FIG. 9 at 260 as comprising a pair of parallel bores 262 and 264 which extend vertically through the insertion arm 98 and commu-nicate with each other by way of a common milled out portion 266 to form a slot having a general cross section of a figure eight~
; The bores have respective countersunk portions 268 and 270 for receiving a complementary shaped head portion of a screw, for - example an Allen head screw (not shown). The screw extends through one o-~ the bores 262, 264 and into a threaded bore 272 of the insertion member 114.
In the position illustrated in FIG. 9, the insertion member 114 is adjusted for deeper penetration, iOe., a narrower connector. In the examples given above, this adjustment would be for use with a female connector. To adjust the termination ~ . .

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apparatus for use wi-th a wider connector, i.e , a male con-nector, the screw is loosened so that the conical portion thereof clears the countersullk portion 268, the screw and in-sertion member are moved toward the right, and the screw is then tightened against the countersunk portion 270 of the bore 264 and is thus provided with a self-centering ~eatureO
The insertion member 114 is illustrated as comprising at least one insertion blade 118 which, in turn, comprises a first insertion portion 274, a second insertion portion 276, and a third insertion por-tion 278, and a pair of intermediate notches 280 and 282 The insertion portions and notches are shown posi-tioned directly across from a conductor 126 and a connector channel 286 having an insulation-piercing portion 288 of a con-tact mounted therein. The contact portion 288 illustra-ted in FIG. 9 is representative of the types of insulation-piercing contacts used in a variety of connectors and comprises a pair of inwardly lanced sections 290 and 292 which have opposing corresponding lanced sections (not shown) which receive the con-ductor therebetween and cut the insulation thereof to provide electrical and mechanical termination. The notches 280 and 282 are aligned with the lanced sections 290 and 292, respectively, while the insertion portions 274, 276 and 278 extend to completely insert the conductor against the bottom 294 of the contact portion 288 The insertion portion 274 may also be utilized for forcing the cable end of the conductor into the channel 2~6 for additional strain relief of the conductor~
A cutting edge 130 of a comb is also illustrated in FIG. 9 as being aligned with the lower edge 284 of the insertion blade 118. As set forth above, the lower edge 284 cooperates with the sharp edge 130 to sever the conductor immediately prior to insertion.
It is readily apparent from the foregoing that the : ". ' ', . i:

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objects of this invention have been fulfilled by a variety of embodiments. The embocliment illus-tratecl in FIG, 7 is generally preferIed over that illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 6 in that it requires less machining and milling operations than are necèssary in providing -the guide rails and complementary slots in an accu-rate and spaced rela-tionship. ~y the same token, the adjustment mechanism of FIG. 10 also enjoys a fixed base structure and is preferred over the embodiment illustrated in FIG, 7 for several reasons including the necessity of a single adjustment mechanism, the necessity for fewer parts in the adjustment mechanism, and greater simplicity in the mechanism in general.
The embodiments of the invention detailed with respect to FIGS. 1, 6, 7, 9 and 10 have been illustrated as being adjustable between two positions for use in particular with respect to male and female connectors, however, several relative positions of the insertion arms or insertion blades and the con-nector support may be provided to accommodate a variety of con-nector widths through the utilization of a plurality of stops, for example detent stops, a series of communicating insertion arm holes, etc.
Although we have described our invention by reference to particular embodiments thereof, many changes and modifications of the invention may become apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. We therefore intend to include within the patent warranted hereon all such changes and modifications as may reasonably and properly be included within the scope of our contribution to the art.

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Claims (13)

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A device for use in a conductor terminating appara-tus of the type wherein insulated conductors are electrically and mechanically connected to respective contact portions of an elec-trical connector, the device comprising: a first cutting means which cooperates with the cutting edges of a second cutting means carried on a rotatably mounted arm means for cutting the conductors with a scissor action; and means urging said arm means in a direc-tion perpendicular to its direction of rotation and in the direc-tion of said first cutting means during a cutting operation to pre-vent parting said cutting means, and including connector support means mounted on the apparatus for supporting an electrical connector, and wherein said first cutting means comprises a pair of cutting members on opposite sides of said connector support means, each of said cutting members having a cutting edge, and wherein said arm means comprises a pair of arms mounted for movement toward respective sides of the supported connector, and wherein said se-cond cutting means includes a plurality of insertion blades on each of said arms for engaging and pressing individual conductors into respective contact portions, each of said insertion blades includ-ing said cutting edge of said second cutting means which is co-operable with said cutting edge of a respective cutting member to cut a corresponding conductor immediately prior to insertion into the respective contact portions.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, including position-ing means for adjusting the relative positions of the connector sup-port means and said insertion blades in accordance with the trans-verse width of a connector.

3. The device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said posi-tioning means comprises an eccentric mechanism rotatably mounting one of said arms, said eccentric mechanism being adjustable to pro-vide more than one position for the axis of rotation of said one arm.

4. The device as claimed in claim 3, wherein said eccen-tric mechanism comprises a cylindrical structure having a position indicating notch in the periphery thereof for each position and a spring loaded ball operable to snap into a notch to provide a de-tent action and an audible indication of correct positioning.

5. The device as claimed in claim 2, including a first member connecting said connector support means and the axis of ro-tation of one of said arms in a fixed relation, and a second mem-ber rotatably mounting the other of said arms, said positioning means including coupling means coupling said first and second mem-bers and operable to move one of said first and second members re-lative the other.

6. The device as claimed in claim 5, wherein said coup-ling means includes a shaft mounted for rotation in one of said first and second members and having a threaded portion for engaging the other member for effecting relative movement between the mem-bers upon rotation of said shaft.

7. The device as claimed in claim 6, including indi-cator means on said shaft to indicate the relative positions of said members.

8. The device as claimed in claim 6 , including stop means to limit rotational movement of said shaft and define the relative positions of said members.

9. The device as claimed in claim 6 , including a cam on said shaft, and a cooperable cam follower on the other of said members.

10. The device as claimed in claim 9 , wherein said cam follower includes cam stop means for engagement by said cam to li-mit rotational movement of said shaft and define relative positions of said members.

11. The device as claimed in claim 2, including a frame having at least one pair of spaced, transversely extending guide rails, a first sub-frame carried on said frame in a fixed relation, a second sub-frame including guide rail receiving means receiving said guide rails in sliding engagement, and wherein said position-ing means is coupled to said second sub-frame and selectively oper-able to move said first sub-frame to predetermined positions along said guide rails in accordance with the transverse dimension of the rear portion of an electrical connector, said connector support means comprises a pair of holding members carried on said second sub-frame and including spring means for receiving the forward end of a connector and urging the connector away from said connector support means, said holding members are resiliently mounted on res-pective ones of said sub-frames and urged toward each other, each of said holding members comprising a plurality of conductor re-ceiving slots each having said cutting edge of said connector sup-port means, and an edge for engaging the conductor in an interfer-ence relationship adjacent contacts having insulation-piercing con-tact portions to releasably retain a connector against the force of said spring means and define a reference plane for connectors terminated with the apparatus, said pair of arms are rotatably mounted on respective ones of said sub-frames, said insertion blades press conductors into respective insulation-piercing con-tact portions, said means urging said arm comprises a pair of spring loaded balls mounted on respective ones of said sub-frames adjacent the respective axes of rotation of said arms, and wherein said device further includes a pair of studs projecting from res-pective ones of said frames at an angle inclined toward each other, and a pair of toggle arms rotatably mounted at the distal ends of respective ones of said arms, each of said toggle arms including a surface disposed at an angle to engage and complement that of res-pective ones of said studs and to be cammed perpendicularly to the planes of rotation of said arms and toward said holding members as said toggle arms are rotated toward each other.

12. The device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said posi-tioning means includes an elongate slot having at least two tapered countersunk portions and a screw having a corresponding conical head portion for self-centering in said countersunk portions of said elongated slot, said insertion blades including a threaded bore for receiving said screw,

13. The device as claimed in claim 12, wherein said elongated slot comprises a pair of parallel coextensively communi-cating bores each having a countersunk portion and said screw is selectively received in said countersunk portions.