US2158002A - Electrical connecting means - Google Patents

Description

y 9- H. A. DOUGLAS 2,153,002

ELECTRICAL CONNECTING MEANS Original Filed July s, 1935 HM A. may l N VLN TO Y A-r TORNLT6 Patented May 9, 1939 'T ELECTRICAL CONNECTING MEANS I "Harry A; .=Dougla's; BronsonicMichu; assignor to of: :Indiana Kingstom'Products Corporation; a corporation 1 Appiieationfluly 8," 1935,"Serial No."-'30,281 RenewedMarch 2; 1938 prises a portion 24; substantially "double ogee Z -:3 Claims.

My invention relates to electrical connecting means or devices, and may be embodiedin con-* necting devices adaptedto be received by terminal post connections, and the connecting devices, in addition, being adapted for the recepshaped in transversesectionpand providing generally cylindrical'loops- 25 and 2E, oppositely disposed, the free ends of the =-loops 25 and '25 being -relatively'small in longitudinallength to form tion of conductor terminals; Moreparticulariyf my invention relates to connection means having a snap-type plug conductor. adapted to be re-"-" ceived by terminal posts, and also having re-'-' ceiving means adapted for the reception of con -margin, asviewed 1I1F1gli I6"4, to the crest 3t ductor terminals of the snap-type.

In the drawing accompanying the. specification, and forming-a .part of this application, I

tip portions 2l which are" turned radially inwardly,-as--shown at 28"in'Figure 2} The margins of the tip portions -2l-diverge-sharply to form a -beve1 part 29, and -from the'-'bevel parts 2% the margins of the loop diverge'gra'dually, the right of the double ogee curve, and the left margin to a point approximately horizontal with the highhave shown, for. purposes of illustration, oneform which my invention may assume, and in' this drawing:

Figure l is a central longitudinaksectional View taken through anembodiment of my in vention, and including, in addition, a terminal being shown partly in transverse. section,

est point of the loops 25, Bfiywhere it extends laterally and then a'ngularly upwardly to 'foiin I an ear-portion SI. An aperture 32 is-provided in the ear 3|, the aperture 32-being of a size to snuglypass the projection it of the plug terminal 12.

Figure 2 is a section taken on the li'hei22" of Figure l,looking in the-direction of. the"' -be1ng-lim1ted by-engagement of the shoulder arrows,

Figure Bis. a section taken on the line'3-I3 of" Figure 2, looking in the direction'of the arrows, v

I "termmalrecei-ving' means 23 *1s' inserted into the housing i'ig with the "loops 25,-26-disposed within and Figure 4 is a perspective disassembledLvie'w the plug means and plug terminalreceiving' means, thehousing. means having been omitted? In the illustrated embodiment of my inven tion, a connector device I9 is adapted for cooperation with a terminal post H, or the device Ill may be used with another device it or any other suitable terminal post receiving means.

The connector device here shown comprises a plug conductor terminal 12, including a generally cylindrical portion l3 provided with an annular furrow M, the plug having a frustroconical end l5, and extending from the cylindrical portion I3 is a generally cylindrical reduced projection [6.

A housing l1, here shown to be formed of insulating material, is provided with an end wall l8, formed with an aperture IQ of a size to snugly pass the projection I6 of the plug l2. The housing II, as illustrated, may be tubular and substantially clover-leaf shaped in cross-section, the wall l8 serving as a closure for one end thereof, the other end being open. The particular crosssection of the housing I! provides communicatlng longitudinal chambers 20, 2|, and 22.

Disposed within the housing I1, is a terminal receiving means 23, best illustrated in Figure 4. The receiving means 23, as here shown, com- In assembling theconnector device Hi,- the projectioh it or th'eplug terminal l2 is'ins-erted into the aperture l9 in theend'wall N3 of the housing i i, the insertion of i the projection 58 formed by the cylindrical portion-43 andreduced projection lB'with the end wall It. Next, the

- the-' 'chambe'rs 2!, 22; and the ear'portion dis- -p'osed withinthe chamber wand abutting the end 'wal'l 531- As *best shown inFigu're 2; the housing I! is provided with a partial central partition 33 formed by continuing upwardly the adjacent surfaces of the inner peripheries of the chambers 2!, 22, and the partition extends longitudinally from the end wall l8 to the opposite open end of the housing H.

With the terminal receiving means 23 in position within the housing 11, the end of the projection I6 extends through the aperture 32 in the ear 3|, and this end is then spread radially outwardly as by bending, pressing, spinning, or in any other suitable manner, and against the adjacent surface of the ear 3| to thereby secure the plug terminal 12, housing l1, and terminal receiving means 23 tightly together.

The terminal receiving means 23, it will be appreciated, may be formed from a single strip of suitable resilient, electric current conductive material, and the loops 25, 26, are of a slightly smaller cross-sectional extent than the space within the chambers 2!, 22, so that the loops 25, 2% may be flexed substantially radially within the respective chambers.

In Figure 3 is shown a plug conductor terminal 33 cooperable with the loop 26, although it will be understood that either one of the loops 25, 26 may cooperate with the plug conductor terminal 33, or both loops concurrently may receive such plug conductor terminals. The terminal 33 includes a generally cylindrical portion 34 provided with an annular furrow 35, the terminal 33 having a frustro-conical end 36. The terminal 33 may be fastened to a conductor 3'! disposed therein by swedging, as indicated by the swedge indentations 38. When the plug terminal is inserted, for example, into the loop 26, the frustro-conical end 33 serves to cam the tip portion 2'? of the loop 26 radially outwardly, further inserting movement causing the tip portion 2'! to snap into the annular furroyv 35. Conversely, when it is desired to remove the plug terminal 33, removal movement thereof will cause the tip 21 to be cammed radially outwardly by reason of the curved surface of the annular furrow 35 slidably engaging therewith, further removal movement causing the tipportion 2'! to ride over the cylindrical portion 34 and finally disengaging the plug terminal 33.

The terminal post II, as shown in Figure l, is adapted to receive the plug terminal l2, and comprises, generally, a body 38, mounted on a base lil, and provided with a terminal receiving aperture 4|. A detent means 42, suitably contained within the post II, is biased to operative position with respect to the aperture 4| by means of a spring 43.

When the plug terminal l2 is inserted into the aperture 4! the frustro-conical end I5 serves to cam the detent means 42 downwardly, further inserting movement causing the hemispherical portion of the detent means to snap into the annular furrow M. The post ll may be electrically connected to any suitable apparatus (not shown).

From the foregoing it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the illustrated embodiment of my invention provides a new and improved electrical connection means, readily and conveniently constructed, assembled, and mounted on a support, and accordingly, accomplishes at least the principal object of my invention. On the other hand, it also will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the illustrated embodiment of my invention may be variously changed and modified, or features thereof, singly or collectively, embodied in other combinations than those illustrated, without departing from the spirit of my invention, or sacrificing all of the advantages thereof, and that accordingly, the disclosure herein is illustrative only, and my invention is not limited thereto.

I claim:

1. Electrical connecting means, comprising: a member formed of a single piece of sheet-metal, opposite marginal portions of said member being .bent to form a pair of generally tubular loops permanently disposed in spaced apart side-byside relation and integrally joined by a'reentrant portion extending between said loops, the outer surface of said reentrant portion being troughlike and of curved cross-section, said member including a tab portion integral with said reentrant portion and extending laterally from said trough-like curved surface so that the line of junction between said trough-like surface and said laterally extending portion is curved.

2. A one piece connector including a pair of spaced apart substantially parallel tubular split receptacles adapted to receive terminals, a trough-like portion extending immediately inwardly between and forming portions of said receptacles, a tab projecting transversely from said trough-like portion, and integral portions joining said receptacles with said tab means whereby to reinforce said connector at the junction between said tab and said trough-like portion, the junction being non-rectilinear.

3. A one piece connector including a pair of spaced apart substantially parallel tubular split receptacles adapted to receive terminals, a trough-like portion extending immediately inwardly between said receptacles, tab means projecting transversally from one extremity of said trough-like portion, integral portions joining said receptacles with said tab means to provide and reenforce the junction between same and an aperture extending substantially parallel to the axes of said receptacles provided in said tab through which electrical connection means may be extended for connection with said tab, said aperture being located as near as is possible to the bottom wall of said trough-like portion to permit satisfactory connection of said means adapted to be extended through said aperture and connected to said tab means, said junction being non-rectilinear.

HARRY A. DOUGLAS.

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