US1498091A

US1498091A - Switch clip

Info

Publication number: US1498091A
Application number: US667143A
Authority: US
Inventors: Benjamin E Getchell
Original assignee: Trumbull Electric Manufacturing Co
Current assignee: Trumbull Electric Manufacturing Co
Priority date: 1923-10-08
Filing date: 1923-10-08
Publication date: 1924-06-17
Anticipated expiration: 1941-06-17

Description

June "17; 1924. 1,498,091

B. E. GETCHELL SWITCH CLIP Filed Oct. 8, 1925 (Flip, of which the following is a specifi- Patented June 17, 1924.

rrso STATE 1,498,091 PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN E. GETCHELL, OF PLAINVILLE, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE TRUM- BULL ELECTRIC MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF .PLAINVILLE, CONNECTICUT, A

CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

SWITCH CLIP.

Application filed October 8, 1923. Serial No. 667,143.

T 0 d7] 'w-lzom it may COW/067%..

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN E. GeronnLL, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Plainville, Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Switch cation.

My invention relates toswitch clips and is particularly intended 'to be used with small switches where the circuits are frequently changed, as in radio and experimental use.

The main object of my invention is to provide a simple, cheap, rugged switch clip embodying means for quickly connecting a conductor thereto without the aid of a screw driver or other tools and for firmly holding the conductor in good. electrical contact with the switch clip. and which permits equally easy and rapid disconnection of the conductor.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a switch having a clip embodying my invention.

F ig. 2 is a perspective of the clip at tachedto an insulating base, certain parts being broken away.

Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal section through the switch clip shown in the preceding figures.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one form of spring member to hold a conductor against the clip.

Fig. 5 is a perspective of a modification,

and

Fig. 6 is a transverse section of the clip shown in Fig. 5.

In Figure 1 I have shown a conventional switch having an insulating base 1 to which is secured a movable contact support or hearing clip 2. A suitable movable contact such as a knife blade 3 is pivotally supported on the bearing clip 2 as by a tubular rivet l. A- fixed contact 5 is secured to the base in position to receive the knife blade 3 when in circuit closing position.

The fixed contacts or clips may be of any desired type which comprise a base portion 6 adapted to be secured to the base as by the usual screw 7 and one or more jaws 8 arranged to make good electrical contact with the movable contact 3, but preferably I employ the usual one piece clip as shown.

Preferably the clip will be shaped to provide an angular conductor receiving portion or notch 9 which is'formed in the present instance by the junction of the sloping sides 10 of the clip. The opposite sides of the clip below the jaws are secured together as by the screw 11 or by a rivet.

In order to firmly maintain a. conductor such as 12 in good electrical contact with the notch 9 I provide a spring member 13 which consists of a base portion 14 adapted to be secured in a close fitting recess in the base land between the base 6 of the clip and the switch base 1 and which has a movable spring portion 15 arranged to hold the conductor in the notch. In the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 3, this spring member is a piece of spring wire having an eye at each end, the eye on the base 14.

entirely closes the wire receiving notch when no wire. is connected to the clip (see left hand clip in Fig. 1). To connect a wire, the eye at the free end of the spring member is pressed down moving the portion 15 far enough out of the notch to permit the insertion of a wire. The spring member is then released and forces the inserted wire into intimate contact with the side portions of the clip forming the wire retaining notch. Obviously, the wire is firmly gripped and a good electrical contact made with the clip.

In some cases it may be "desirable to position the spring member at right angles to the position shown and described, in which case, the wire would be passed through the slots 16 in the sides of the clip to be held in place by an upward pressure from the spring member.

In the modification shown in Figs. 5 and 6 I use a wide spring member-13 made from strip stock and aving its movable portion slotted to. pass over the terminal clip. The screw 7 passes through the base portion 14' of the spring member and into engagement with the jaw member '8 and thus anchors both the clip and spring member in operative position as in -struction also the spring member normally extends above the notch, it being shown in Fig. 5 in the compressed position ready to receive a wire. In this modification also it may at times be desirable to position the spring member at right angles to the position shown in which case it will be necessary to slot the sides of the clip so as to provide a passage for a wire which would be forced against the upper ends of the slots between opposite sides 17 of the movable portion of the spring member.

Other inversions of parts and changes in details may be made without in any manner departing from the spilt of my invention as defined by the claims.

I claim:

1. In combination a switch clip comprising a base adapted to be secured toq a sup port and jaws adapted to receive a movable switch contact, said jaws being secured together to form a conductor receiving notch, and a spring member having a base adapted to be secured between the clip base and its support and having a movable portion to hold a conductor in said notch.

2. In combination a switch clip having contact receiving jaws and a wire receiving notch portion, and a spring member having a portion movable to hold a wire in said notch portion, one of said portions being slotted and the other portion extending throu h said slot.

3. switch terminal comprising jaws having a wire seating recess formed between them and a spring member for securing a conducting wire in said recess.

4. In a construction of the character described an insulating support, a switch member having a base and jaws, a screw for securing said base to said support, said jaws having a wire receiving recess formed between them and a spring member secured to said supportand passing through said jaws to detachably engage a wire located in said recess.

5. In a construction of the character described a support. switch jaws having a wire receiving recess formed between them. a spring member for detachably securing a conductor in said recess and a screw for securing said spring member and said jaws to said support.

6. A switch terminal comprising jaw members each having a conductor support ing shoulder and a spring member for holding a conductor against said shoulders.

7. A switch clip having a base portion and a contact portion, a wire-retaining shoulder intermediate said portions and spring means co-acting with said shoulder to detachably secure a conducting wire in engagement with said shoulder.

18. A switch clip having a base portion and a contact clip portion with a transverse slot intermediate said portions, a wire-retaining shoulder adjacent one end of said slot and spring means in said slot to detachably secure a conducting wire in engagement with said shoulder.

9. A switch clipliaving a base portion and a contact portion, a wire-retaining shoulder intermediate said portions. a spring for detachably securing a conducting wire in engagement with said shoulder. said spring being provided with a finger-engaging portion for releasing said conducting wire. 1

10. A switch clip having complementary side plate members, said members being formed to provide a wire-retaining shoulder between them and spring means co-acting with said shoulders to detachably secure aconducting wirein engagement therewith.

BENJKMIN E. GETCHELL.