US1096138A - Electric connector. - Google Patents

Description

JC. STBARNS.

ELECTRIC CONNECTOR.

APPLIOATION FILED DBG. z2, 191s.

Patented May 1 2, 1914.

'I UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIcE.

.uson c. smms, or woncnsrnn., MASSACHUSETTS.

ELECTRIC' CONNECTOR.

` Speoiiication of Letters Patent.

Application inea December a2, l191s. sei-iai No..sos,i42.

Be -it known that I, JASON C. STEARNs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Worcester, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Electric Connector, of which the Afollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to a plug or connector for electrical purposes and the principal objects thereof are to provide anab` solutely certain device for connecting a circuit when the plug is pressed in, involving surfaces which are caused to rub along each other instead of simply coming into contact in a normal direction; also to .pro-i vide an improved construction of the members for producing this contact; 'tofprov'ide'i an arrangement whereby the plug vmember can be turned to two positionsg'on the rightl and left, in one of which the circuit is made in theabove mentioned manner, and in the otherjof which, although the plug is firmly Vheld in the socket yet the terminals areI out of contact; to provide an improved slot arrangement for securing this result; and to provide simplel means whereby the plug cani not be pushed in or pulled out accidentally.

The invention also involves further details of construction which will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had tothe accompanyin drawings in whichigure 1 is a side elevation of a preferred embodiment of the invention` showing it applied to a tail lamp socket and connector plug; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal central sectional view of the same withthe parts in the same position in which the contact is'made; Fig. 3 is a similar view with the parts in the 0E position; Fig. 4 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 2 showing a modification used for a wooden dash connector; Fig. 5l is a perspective view of the slit bushing; and Fig. 6 is a side view, partly in section, of certain details.

Referring first to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 it will be seen that the connecting device comprises a socket member 10 and a plug member 11. The socket is provided with a spring-pressed metallic plunger 1.2 therein, in this case havi an insulating end 13 formed of hard ru ber-or the like. Surrounding this plunger is a hollow metallic guide 1li which holds the plunger in proper position and prevents its disengagement from the socket and also has at its outer end a slanting,

socket.

rounded, or conical surface 15.k The guide is shown as of met'aLpreferably brass. The guide 1s electrically connected with aA metallic plunger 9 at the other end of the .throughthe perforated' bottom of this bushintola body of a metallic insert 19 lo- ,"cated' in abushing .19 in the hard rubber body of the lug and connected with the cir- '.cuit in any esired way. The sheet metal of the bushing 16 being resilient, its three sections press out from the walls of the central passage' through the plug and form a. yielding connection. AOn the plug, as usual, are a pair of pins 18 and the socket is provided with slots which can be of the general T- shape form but in this case each has its transverse end 20 inclined at an angle to the longitudinal part 21 of the slot. These parts 20 and 21- are for receiving the pins 18.

The length of the slitted bushing is such that When the .plug is in position with the pins in the extreme portions of the slots 21, the end of the bushing, which is of the same diameter as the end of the guide, comes into contact with the latter. By the turning of the plug to get the pins into their extreme positions, the guide 14 enters the spring bushing and forms a positive self cleaning contact. The fact that the bushing is slit permits a slight yielding in order that this contact may be more intimate.

When the plug is turned to such position that the pins are in the near end of the slot 21, as shown in Fig. 3, the insulating end of the plunger isstill engaged in the end of the opening in the plug but it contacts only with the screw head and there is no electrical contact. Thus, when the current is shut off, the parts are in such position that by giving them practically only a quarter turn the current can be turned on.

parts of the". plug member "which 'en'-I As ordinarily applied to automobiles inv I have s own two of these tongues oppof sitely placed. They are used in connection with any kind of pin 32 and slot 33. .'Ihus the lampis held in central position and cannot move materially in the socket. I The tongue 31'also forms a perfect rubbing contact with the lamp base which is important on a wire construction asfshown In the form shown in Fig. 4 the conditions are similar to those shown in Figs. 1,v 2 and 3 except that the plunger 26 is metallic clear to the end and consequently is capable of forming a contact with the screw 27 and completing the circuit immediately after the plug is inserted and before .it is turned into its locked osition. In this case there is no need o a T-shaped slot because it is impossible to hold the plug in such position in the socket that there will be no electrical connection. However, in case of lodgment of dust or other insulatin particles on the screw head or the end o the plunger the turning of the plug around into locked position will insure a perfect electrical contact between the end of the guide 28 andthe ,end of the slitted bushing 29. In this case one of the terminals 3,4 is connected with the casing 35 so as to ground it, the metallic casing being mounted on an insulating dash.

It will be seen therefore that the principle involved in the guide and slitted bushing permits of a certain electrical connection whenever that is desired even in case -of old, worn or even dirty contacts and .that the princi le can be carried out in connection with e new form of slot andthe locking Ymeans herein shown with certain advantages which have been set forth. f

Although I have illust-rated and described only a few forms of the invention, I am aware of the fact that it can be carried out Yin many other. forms and applied to many kinds of electrical connectors and attachments either in the one wire or two wire systems without departing from the scope of this invention as set forth in the claims. Therefore Ido not wish to be limited in these respects but What I do claim is 1. A connector or coupling of the class described comprising a socket member, a

' noname described comprising a socket member, a central longitudinal spring-pressed plunger therein, a metallic guide surrounding the plunger and having an inclined end surface, and a plug member having a central recess in alinement with said plunger and guide and provided with a yieldinginetallic bush- 1ng 1 n said recess and having its edge in position vto engage the inclined end surface of said guide when inserted in the socket member.

3. The combination in an electrical connecting device, of a socket member provided with a hollow guide, a spring-'pressed lplunwith a central axial hollow guide, a springpressedplunger projecting from the end of said guide, the end of said guide being conical and the plunger having a metallic part and a non-conducting end, of a plug meinber having a central longitudinal recess extending in from the end, said recess being provided with a metallic longitudinally slit lining, means for holding said lining in position, and means whereby the plug can be held in the socket member with the plunger pressed against the bottom of said lining and the edge of the lining in Contact with the conical edge of said guide.

5. The combination in an electrical connecting device, of a socket member provided with a hollow guide, a spring-pressed plunv ger projecting from the end of said guide, the end of said guide being conical and the plunger having a metallic part and a nonconducting end, of a plug member having a longitudinal recess extendin` in from the end, said'recess being provided with a resilient metallic slit lining, means for holding said lining in position, a pin extending out laterally from the plug, and a slot in the a longitudinal portion and a transverse portion arranged at an inclination whereby when the pin is the most extreme part of said transverse portion of the slot, the lining willbe in contact with said guide and whereby when the pin is in the lowest part of said slot the lining and guide will be out of contact.

inal recess ywall of said socket member, saidfslot having" 6. A connector Yor coupling of the class de- I tallic guide surrounding the plunger and member whereby when the nut is adjusted to having an inclined end surface, and a plug a certain position it will prevent the plug member having a recess in alinement with moving in the socket member.

said plunger and guide and provided with a l In testimony whereof I have hereunto set 15 metallic bushing in said recess adapted to my hand, in the presence of two subscribing be dconnected atdits bottoni with the eircutwitnesses.

an having its e e in osition to en age t e end surface of salinid gliide when insrted in JASON C STEARNS' the socket member, said plug having a screw Witnesses:

thread thereon and a nut on the screw thread Y ALBERT E. FAY,

adapted to engage the edge of said socket l C. FoRREsT WESSON.

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