US1953379A

US1953379A - Conductor securing device

Info

Publication number: US1953379A
Application number: US607689A
Authority: US
Inventors: Harry B White
Original assignee: Hoover Co
Current assignee: Hoover Co
Priority date: 1932-04-27
Filing date: 1932-04-27
Publication date: 1934-04-03
Anticipated expiration: 1951-04-03

Description

April 3, 1934. H. 8, WHITE CONDUCTOR SECURING DEVICE Filed April 27, 1932 INVENTOR. HARRY 5. W///7'E A TTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 3, 1934 UNITED srA-Tss 1,953,379 CONDUCTOR, SECURING DEVICE Harry B. White, Canton, Ohio, assignor' to The Hoover Company, North Canton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application April 27,1932, Serial No. 60'l,689

Claims; (Cl. 247-13) This invention relates toattachment devices for use with electrical conductors, and more particularly to structures for anchoring to a tool handle or other hollow member the cable or con- 5 ductor cord containing the wires by which an electrical connection is established thereto. It is a usual practice to embed conducting wires in a.

round, flexible cable of soft rubbenand it is also a usual practice to provide means secured to the sharp bends adjacent the point of attachment,

and to provide a strain relief member to hold the conductor cord from movement, and thus prevent 5 a pull on the conductor cord from being trans- I mitted to the free ends of the wires and by them to the devices to which they are electrically connected.

Heretofore, a cable'or cord reenforcing mem- 3 ber has been widely used which is' in the, form of a helical wire spring closely surrounding the cord, it being secured at one end to the base member and extending a substantial distance therefrom.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a unitary memb'er which will actboth to secure Af'urther objectof the invention isto provide such a device which may be readily and-quickly is detachably held in place by screws 20, the

assembled upon the cord, and which -may be readily clamped upon or loosened from the cord; without the use of a wrench or other-tool Still further objects are to provide such a device which can be economically manufactured, which will be efficient and durable in use, and which will present a-rninimum, ofparts which project from the wall to which ,the cord is atprojections.

Still further objects of the invention and various novel features will be apparent from the following specification when considered in view which Figure 1 is a view in side elevation ofa suction tached, so as to avoid unsightly or encumbering of the disclosure of the accompanying drawing, in

horizontal section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

' Figure '4 .is a fragmentary view in vertical transverse section of the handle, taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2; 1

Figure 5 is a detail view in perspective of one of the parts shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4; and

Figure 6 is a cross sectional view taken on line 66 of Figure 2.

' The invention is shown and disclosed herein as an embodiment which is used for attaching a conductor cord to a suction cleaner, but it will be apparent that theinvention is equally applicable for the attachment of a cord to any electrical device, to the cover plate ofan outlet box, or in any instance in which it isdesired to attach a conductor cord to a base member.

The suction cleaner, as shown in Figure 1, comprises a main body portion indicated generally at 11, having a hollow tubular handle 12 which is pivotally connected to the main body at 13, a dust filtering bag 14 being connected to the outlet of the cleaner body and supported at its upper end from the handle 12. An electric motor 15 is mounted on the main body 11 and is supplied with current by the conductor cord 16, its operation being controlled by an electric switch, the handle of which is indicated at 1'7.

As shown in detail in Figures 2 to 4, the tubular handle 15 is preferably provided with an opening 18, which is closed by a. plate 19, which switch 21 being preferably supported on the plate 19, andthe conductor 16 being anchored to such plate, as such arrangement facilitates assembly and connection of the wires to the switch and to the motor.

The switch 21 is preferably of the tumbler type, having'an outer metallic frame 22 provided with a neck'23 which extends through an opening 24 in the plate 19 to receive hexagonal nuts 25, which engage the inner and outer faces of the plate 19, the outer nut 25 being preferably countersunk in a depression 26, to present a flush structure from which only the switch handle protrudes.

- Adjacent to the switch 21, and preferably below it, the plate 19 is provided with an opening 27 surrounded by an inwardly bent flange 28, a short tubular member '29 being -suitably secured in such opening to extend inwardly into the tubular handle. As shown in Figures 2, 4 and 5, the member 29 may be conveniently formed with a circumferential bead 29a engaging the inner edge of the flange 28, with the adjacent end engaged in the opening 27 and expanded against the flange 28 to secure the tubular part 29 in place. It will be apparent that many other methods of attaching the member 29 may be utilized, such as welding, riveting or otherwise securing it to the plate 19, or that it may be integral with the plate 19, and it will also be evident that it is not necessary that the member 29 be tubular or be in one piece, since a plurality of inwardly projecting members could be used to serve the same function.

The combined cord clamping and cord-reenforcing member 30 is in the form of a helically wound wire of spring material, the terminal turns indicated at 31 being preferably wound close together or in contact with each other. At a point adjacent the inner end of the spring member 30. a projection 32 is formed, preferably by bending outwardly an integral part of one turn of the wire, as shown in detail in Figure 6, and at its inner end the spring 30 is provided with a projection 33, preferably formed by bending outwardly the end of the wire and forming it into a loop, as shown best in Figure 3. The spacing of successive turns, and the internal diameter, of the portion of the spring 30 between

projections

32 and 33, are preferably the same as those of the body of the spring, when the spring is in normal condition before assembling. The tubular member 29 is formed with a longitudinally extending slot 34 to receive the projection 32, and at its inner end is formed with one or more bayonet slots 35, one of which may be formed by providing a slot extending laterally from the slot 34 as shown at 36, such bayonet slots being adapted to receive a portion of theprojection 33, inside of the looped end.

To attach the conductor cord 16 to the plate 19, the spring 30 is pushed outwardly through the tube 29, and the conductor cord 16 is slid inwardly through the spring 30. After the projection 32 has been positioned in the slot 34, and is thereby held from rotation, the projection 33 is rotated relative to the projection 32, to further wind and thereby contract the intermediate coils of the wire against the conductor cord 16 after which the projection 33 is pushed axially outward and engaged in one of the

slots

35 or 36. It will be apparent that the conductor cord will thus be tightly clamped by the portion of the spring 30 between

projections

32 and 33, and that the conductor cord 16 will be reenforced against bending by the spring action of that por-' tion of the spring 30 between the projection 32 and the terminal turns 31, theclamping and reenforcing means being thus formed in a single wire member which can be economically manufactured. It will also be apparent that the conductor cord 16 will be effectively anchored against outward movement, so that it will be impossible for tension to be placed by the wires 22 upon the screws or other means by which the wires are connected electrically to the switch or motor. It will alsobe evident that the spring member 30 can be engaged and operated to clamping position, and can be disengaged to release the conductor cord 16, by using the fingers alone without the use of a. wrench or other mechanical device, and that the spring 30 will be secured in place without the use of any other parts which project from the outer surface of the plate 19.

I claim:

1. A resilient member for reinforcing a flexible conductor cord and securing it to a base member, comprising a helically wound wire spring having a rigid projection extending outwardly therefrom intermediate its ends and having a bent portion at one end thereof forming an abutment axially spaced from said projection.

2. A resilient member for reinforcing a flexible conductor cord and securing it to a base member, comprising a helically wound wire spring having an integral loop extended outwardly from one turn of said spring to form an abutment and having an end portion bent from the helical direction to act as an abutment, whereby the turns intermediate said abutments may be contracted by relative circumferential movement of said abutments.

3. In combination with a base member and a flexible conductor cord, of means for reinforcing the cord and anchoring the cord to the base member, said base member having an opening therein through which said cord extends, comprising a helical spring closely surrounding said cord and extending through said opening and to a substantial distance from said base member, said base member and said spring having abutments to prevent relative axial movement in one direction and relative rotative movement in one direction, a projection on said spring spaced from the abutment thereon and an abutment on said base member cooperating with said projection to prevent rotation of said projection in one direction.

4. In combination with a base member and a flexible conductor cord, of means for detachably securing said cord to the base member, comprising a tubular portion on said base member, and a helical spring surrounding the cord and having a portion thereof within said tubular portion, said tubular portion having a longitudinally extending slot therein, said helical spring having a rigid outwardly projecting lug thereon engaged in said slot and a projection spaced from said lug and engageable with said tubular portion, whereby that portion of said spring between said lug and said projection may be wound to contract it into clamping relationship with the cord and held in contracted condition by said tubular portion.

5. In combination with a hollow base member and a flexible conductor cord, of means for detachably securing said cord to said base member, comprising a plate secured to said base member, an inwardly extending tubular portion through which the cord extends carried by said plate, and a helical wire spring surrounding said cord within said tubular portion and having axially spaced outwardly extending rigid projections, said tubular portion having Openings therein to receive said projections and hold them from relative circumferential movement, whereby the turns of said spring between said projections can be con tracted into clamping engagement with the cord and held latched in contracted condition by engagement of said projections with said tubular portion.

HARRY B. WHITE.