US1956842A

US1956842A - Electrical connecter

Info

Publication number: US1956842A
Application number: US455521A
Authority: US
Inventors: Glen L Welch
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1930-05-26
Filing date: 1930-05-26
Publication date: 1934-05-01
Anticipated expiration: 1951-05-01

Description

May l, 1934.

G. L. WELCH ELECTRICAL CONNECTER Filed May 26, 1950 L Ang? L /NVENTQR GLEN L. WELCH.

ATTORNEYl Patented May l, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

This invention relates to electrical connecters and more particularly to that type of plug connecter which is commonly employed for connecting flexible conductors with electrical utensils of various kinds. Such a plug connecter usually comprises a two-part body portion, the two parts being connected together by bolts and provided with grooves tov form openings in the assembled device in which the contact members are mounted. In practice the nuts frequently come oi the bolts, thus permitting the two parts to separate and rendering the device inoperative. Further, the bolts must be removed and the device separated to connect the conductors with the contact members, and the conductors and contact members then accurately placed in the grooves, or openings, before the two parts can be reassembled.

One object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connecter of this type in which the body or plug portion thereof will be in one piece, the contact members being inserted through the inner ends of the openings in the body portion, and a cap being provided to close the outer end of the connecter.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a connecter with means for connecting the conductors with the contact members which will be accessible by merely removing the cap. Y

A further object of the invention is to provide such a connecter with conductor connecting devices which will be very simple in construction and will be of such a character that the conductor can be quickly and easily connected with the contact member.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the device is described in detail.

In the accompanying drawing Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a connecter embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same; Fig.`

3 is a top plan view of the connecter; Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the connecter; Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional View taken on the 'line 5 5 of Fig. 2; Fig. 6 is a plan view of the body portion.` .ily broken away; Fig. '.7 is a sec tional view or the body portion of the connecter taken on the line 7-7 of Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a bottom plan view of the cap, partly broken away; and Fig. 9 is a sectional view of a portion of the body portion of the connecter showing a modified form or" conductor connecting device.

the drawing I have illustrated one embodiment of my invention, with a minor modification thereof, but it will be understood that this embodiment has been chosen for the purposes of illustration only and that the device may take various forms without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In that embodiment here illustrated the connecter comprises a body portion 10, the outer or lower portion of which is flattened, as shown at 11, and the inner portion of which is cylindrical. This body portion is provided with longitudinal bores or openings 13 which extend entirely through the same and are adapted to receive contact members 14. Preferably the contact members are arranged in thevrespective bores near the outer ends thereof and are adapted to engage the contacting pins of the device to which the-connecter is applied, these contact pins entering the bores through the open outer ends thereof. In the present construction the contact members are inserted in the bores through the open inner ends thereof and the bores are provided near their outer ends with shoulders 15 to limit the movement of the contact members toward the outer end of the connecter. A cap 16 is removably attached to the outer end of the body portion and comprises a cylindrical part 17 to receive the cylindrical inner end of the body portion. The cylindrical parts of the cap and of the body por- 'tion are provided with cooperating parts, such as screw threads 18, to connect the cap to the body portion. The cap has a central opening 19 through which exible conductor cords 20 may extend and, as here shown, the outer portion of the cap is flared, as shown at 21, to form a hand grip by which the connecter may be manipulated.

The means for connecting the contact members with the conductors are of such a character that they are readily accessible when the cap is removed from the body portion ofthe connecter, thus permitting the connection to be established by merely removing the cap and manipulating the connecting means. In the present construction the connecting devices are inserted in the respective bores of the body portion of the connecter and are of such a'character that when pressed into the bores they will firmly grip the conductors. The connecting devices are prefera bly arranged in the inner portions of the respective bores and may be electrically connected in any suitable manner with the Contact members at the outer ends of the bores. Each connecting device comprises two members 22 arranged to receive between them the end of a conductor. At least one of these members is capable of transverse movement with relation to the other member and the two members are so shaped that when they will be pressed toward the other member and the conductor firmly gripped between the two members. In that form of the device shown in Fig. 7 the two members of the connecting, device are formed integral with the respective parts of the contact member 14. Preferably Aa single bar of resilient metal is shaped to form one member of y the connecting device and one part of the contact member and the two bars are rigidly connected one to the other, in the present instance by spot welding the intermediate portions of the bars one to the other. The outer end portions of the bars, which form the connecting members, are bent inwardly upon themselves, as shown at 23, so as to provide opposed gripping surfaces to receive the end of the conductor 20 between them. The outer portions or surfaces of the connecting members converge toward the outer end of the bore and are adapted to enter the bore and to engage the wall thereof so as to be pressed inwardly thereby. 'Ihus by withdrawing the connecting device partially from the bore the end of the conductor may be inserted between the parts 23 of the connecting device and this device then pressed into the bore to force the gripping surfaces one toward the other and cause the same to firmly engage the conductor. If desired, the inner end of the bore may be slightly flared to receive the flared connecting device. The cap 16 has an inner circumferential shoulder 24 arranged to overlap the edges of the two connecting devices and press the same firmly into the bores, when tne cap is screwed onto the body portion, and to retain the connecting devices in the bores.

The body portion is provided on its inner end with a transverse rib 25 arranged between the inner ends of the two bores and serving to separate the adjacent portions of the two conductors 20. Preferably this rib is provided on its opposite sides and near the center thereof with recesses 26, the walls of the two recesses converging upwardly, as shown in Fig. 5, thus enabling the conductors to converge toward the central opening in the cap without producing any sharp bends therein. As shown in Fig. 5, the two conductors are knotted and the knot engages the upper end 0f the rib but when a pull is exerted upon the conductors this knot will be drawn away from the rib and the conductors caused to converge one toward the other.

In Fig. 9 of the drawing I have shown a modied form of the connecting device. As there shown, a single bar of metal is bent upon itself, in loop form, and the free ends thereof are shaped to form the contact members 27 and the upper or connected portions thereof constitute the outer converging portions of the connecting device 28, the transverse portion of the bar having an opening 29 through which the conductor 20 may be inserted. Rigidly secured to one of the converging portions 28 of the bar is a gripping member 30 which consists of a bar of resilient metal having one end secured, as by welding, to one side of the part 28 of the connecting device and having its other end bent downward- Y ly substantially parallel with the opposite side of said part of the connecting device. When the connecting device is not under pressure the gripping device 30 will be spaced from the adjacent y side of the outer part 28 of the connecting device so that the end of the conductor maybe inserted therein through the opening 29 and between the opposed gripping surfaces of the two parts of the connecting device. When the connectinadeviceisforcedintotheopeninsorbore of the body portion of the conductor the gripping surfaces will be forced one toward the other and the conductor firmly gripped between them.

While I have shown and described one embodiment of my invention, together with a modication of the connecting device, I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the details thereof as various modifications may occur to a person skilled in the art.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In an electrical connecter comprising a body portion having a longitudinal bore to receive a contact member, a pair of bars of resilient material rigidly connected one to the other at points between their ends, said bars on one side of said point of connection being arranged to form the two parts of a contact member, those portions of said bars on the other side of said point of connection being bent upon themselves to provide opposed gripping surfaces to receive a conductor between them and being arranged to engage the Wall of said bore and press said gripping surfaces one toward the other when said contact member and the last mentioned parts of said bar are inserted in said bore.

2.' In an electrical connecter comprising a body portion having one end flattened and having its other end cylindrical, said body portion having longitudinal openings extending through the same, and contact devices mounted wholly within the respective openings and each comprising two spaced members; connecting members connected with each of the contact devices 110 and arranged to receive a conductor between them, said connecting members being movable into and out of said opening and having parts to engage said body portion when said connecting members are inserted in said opening and to 115 press said connecting members into rm engagement with said conductor, and a cap having means to detachably secure the same to the cylindrical part of said body portion, having an opening through which conductors may pass and 120 having parts to engage the connecting members and retain the same in said opening.

3. In an electrical connecter, a body portion having a socket opening through one end thereof, a closure for said socket having means for securing it to said vbody portion and provided with an opening in line with said socket through which a conductor may be led into said socket, and a connecting device supported in said socket and having at one end thereof two parts spaced one from the other to receive said conductor between them, said parts being movable into and out of the adjacent end of said socket and at least one of said parts being .movable transversely with relation to the other part, said transversely movable part having an inclined surface to engage the adjacent end portion of the wall of said socket and move said movable part toward the other part of said connecting device when said parts are pressed into said socket, said closure having a part in line with and adapted to engage said parts of said connecting deviceand press the same into said socketv when said closure is secured to said body portion, and said body portion having an opening at that end thereof opposite said closure to permit said connecting device to be connected with a second closure.

4. In an electrical connecter, a body portion having a socket opening through one end thereof, a closure for said socket'having an opening 150 through which the conductor may be led into said socket, said closure and said body portion having cooperating screw threads to connect the same one to the other, and a connecting device 'of said socket and at least one of said parts being resilient and having an inclined surface to engage the adjacent end portion of the Wall of said socket and move said resilient part toward the other part of said connecting device when said connecting device is pressed into said socket, said .closure having a part in line with and adapted to engage said connecting device and press said parts into said socket when said closure is screwed onto said body portion, said body portion having an opening at that end opposite said closure to permit said connecting device to be connected with a second conductor.

5. In an electrical connecter, a b ody portion having a longitudinal bore, a connecting device slidably mounted in said bore and having at one end thereof two gripping members which are movable into and out of the adjacent end of said bore and which are movable transversely with relation one to the other, saidgripping members having their inner lateral surfaces spaced apart to receive the end of a conductor between them vand having their outer lateral surfaces inclined to engage thev adjacent endof the wall of said bore and press said inner surfaces into gripping engagement with said conductor when said gripping members are moved into said bore, said connecting device having means for connecting the same with another conductor at the other end of said bore.

6. In an electrical connecter, a body portion having a longitudinal bore, a connecting device slidably mounted in said bore and comprising two resilient members, the end portions of which are movable with relation one to the other transversely toL said bore, said end portions of said members being bentnpon themselves to provide said f' members with substantially parallel innerparts and inclined outer parts, said inner parts being spaced one from the other to receive a conductor between them and said inclined parts being arranged to engage the adjacent end of the wall of said bore and press said inner parts into engagement with said conductor when said device is moved into said bore.

GLEN L. WELCH.