US2053136A

US2053136A - Connecter

Info

Publication number: US2053136A
Application number: US548A
Authority: US
Inventors: Reamer Frank C De
Original assignee: General Electric Co
Current assignee: General Electric Co
Priority date: 1935-01-05
Filing date: 1935-01-05
Publication date: 1936-09-01
Anticipated expiration: 1953-09-01

Description

Sept. 1, 1936. F. c. DE REAMER CONNECTER Filed Jan. 5, 1935 Inventor Frank C. De Re amer,

9 His Attorney.

Patented Sept. 1, 1936 PATENT OFFICE 2,053,136 comc'rsa Frank C. de Reamer, Bridgeport, Conn., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application January 5, 1935, Serialblo. 548

3 Claims.

What I consider to be novel and my invention may be better understood by reference to the following specification and accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a vacuum cleaner in which my invention is adapted to be used; Fig. 2 is a detail view of a portion of the vacuum cleaner showing my improved connecter mounted in the handle; Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the connecter with an attachment cap shown in a position to be connected to said connecter; Fig. 4 is a detail view showing a section along lines 4-4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is an end view with a part of the 20 device cut away; and Fig. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of a contact member; and Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a modified form of connecter.

Referring to the drawing Ill indicates a vacu- 5 um cleaner provided with a handle II in which is secured my connecter I2 as better indicated in Fig. 2. Connecter l2 consists of a cylindrical body member 13 of insulating material which is adapted to be secured in the handle II by 0 means of a screw I4 threaded into an aperture IS in the side of body l3. Connecter l2 provides a separable connection between the switch (not shown) located in the handle II and the motor mounted in the vacuum cleaner l l adjacent 35 to the nozzle. An attachment cap I6 is connected to the motor leads and has detachable connection with the connecter l2. Body member i3 is provided with three chambers ll, [8, and I3 which extend longitudinally from end to end of the 40 body member l3. Chambers l1, l8, and H! are provided with openings at both ends. Contact members 20 and 2| are provided located in chambers l1 and I8, respectively. A similar contact member is adapted to be located in chamber l9,

45 but has been removed in order to show the construction of the chamber. Each chamber l1, l8, and I9 is provided with a shoulder 22 in the inner wall of the chambers intermediate their ends. A second shoulder 23 is provided in each 50 chamber adjacent one end and extending around the outside and adjacent side walls of said chambers. The contact members l1 and I8 are identical and an enlarged view of member I1 is shown in Fig. 6. A terminal 24 is provided in- 55 tegral with the contact member I! and extending (Cl. INF-332) at an obtuse angle from an adjacent fiat portion 25. A spring contact finger 26 is integrally connected with the fiat portion 25 with its free end 21 offset from the portion 25 as better indicated in Fig. 3. Connected to terminal 24 is a binding a screw 28 and a cooperating nut 29. Contact member I1 is adapted to be inserted in the body member I3 from one end with the part adjacent to portion 25 which is offset from the free end 21 of spring member 26 resting on shoulder 22 i0 and the free end 21 resting against the inner wall of chamber 20. Conductors 30, 3|, and 32 are adapted to be connected to the contact members by means of the binding screws. A disc 33 is provided and adapted to cover the openings of chambers l1, l8, and I9 at one end of the body member l3. Disc 33 is secured to the body member l3 by means of the screw 34. Disc 33 is provided with the plurality of openings 35 corresponding to the number of conductors connected to the connecter l2. Disc 33 when secured in position after the conductors are connected to the contact members is adapted to closely engage the heads of the binding screw 28, forcing the nut 29 into engagement with shoulder 23 as better indicated in Fig. 4. This causes the contact member IT to pivot about shoulder 22 compressing the spring finger 26 and holding its free end 21 tightly in engagement with the wall of chamber 20. This prevents the 30 contact prongs of an attachment cap from passing between the inner wall of the chamber 20 and the spring contact finger 26. In addition it increases the spring tension and resultant contact pressure between the spring contact 26 and the prongs of an attachment cap. Disc 33 in addition to holding the contact members in position in the body member [3 also serves as a strain relief, as better indicated in Fig. 7. The conductors passing through the openings 35 engage the edge of the openings so that any strain placed on the conductors is passed directly to the disc 33 and is not transmitted to the contact members. The modification of the invention shown in Fig. "I is identical with the construction of the connecter shown in Figs. 3 and 4 except that the open end of the body member l3a is provided with a cap 36. The cap 36 is in threaded engagement with the body member l3a. In the embodiments of the invention shown three contact members are provided, but obviously the invention is not limited to any specific number of contact members and only two may be provided for the reception of the standard two-prong attachment cap. From the foregoing description it may be seen that the contact members are loosely assembled in the chambers in the body member. and are secured in position by engagement with the disc 33 which is held in position by a single screw 34. Thus, the parts or the connecter I! are all secured and held in position by a single screw. This greatly reduces the cost of assembly of the device. In addition the contact member I! is formed oi a single piece of sheet material which may be stamped out and formed in a single operation. Thus, an improved connecter is provided which may be made of very small size and is simple in construction, of low cost of manufacture, and easy to assemble.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 01' the United States, is:

1. An electric connecter comprising a body member of insulating material, chambers extending longitudinally of said body member and having openings at both ends, a plurality of shoulders in said chambers intermediate the ends, contact members located in said chambers having terminals extending at an obtuse angle from one end and intermediate offset portions resting on one of said shoulders, binding screws and nuts connected to said terminals, a disc of insulating material covering the openings of the chambers at one end of said body member and a screw securing the disc to said body member in engagement with the binding screws, forcing the nuts against the other of said shoulders, pivoting the contact members on the offset portions and holding the opposite free ends of said contact members against the side walls of said chambers.

2. An electrical connecter comprising a body member of insulating material, a chamber extending longitudinally of said body member and having openings at both ends, a shoulder intermediate the ends of said chamber, a second shoulder adjacent the opening at one end of said chamber, a contact member located in said chamber having a terminal extending at an obtuse angle from one end and an intermediate 01!- set portion resting on said first named shoulder, a binding screw and nut connected to said terminal, a disc of insulating material secured to said body member and covering the openings of the chambers at one end and adapted to engage the head of said binding screw to force the nut against said second named shoulder and pivoting the contact member about the offset portion, forcing the opposite free end of said contact member in engagement with the side wall of said chamber.

3. An electric connecter comprising a body member of insulating material, a chamber located in said body member and having openings at both ends, a contact member having a terminal at one end and an adjacent fiat portion, and a spring contact finger integrally connected with and ofiset from said fiat portion, a part adjacent to said flat portion of said contact member resting on a shoulder in said chamber, a binding screw connected to the terminal of said contact member, means to secure said contact member in said body member and pivot the contact member on said shoulder with its free end in close engagement with a wall of said chamber.

FRANK C. DE REAMER.