US2204408A - Connector plug - Google Patents

Description

June ll, 1940.l E. E. FoLsoM` 2,204,408

CONNECTOR PLUG v mad sept. 1s. 1957 Inventor-z Elwood E.F"ols`om,

His Attorney.

Patented June 11, 1940` UNITED STATES 2,204,408 CONNECTOR PLUG Elwood E. Folsom, Trumbull, Conn., assigner to General Electric New York Company, a corporation of Application September 18, 1937, Serial No. 164,513

Claims.

The present invention relates to connector plugs such as are used on cord sets for connecty ing heating devices and the like to a current Further objects-and the advantages of the invention will be pointed out in the following specification,

For a consideration of what I beieve to be u novel andmy invention, attention is directed to extending pocket I3 in which are located thev the following specification and the claims appended thereto.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a top view of a plug embodying my invention, a portion of the plug body being broken away: Fig. 2 is a top view ol the connector plug with the upper half of the plug body removed; -Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the plug; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the plug contacts, and Fig. 5 is a top view of the two contacts with the strain relief member: molded thereon.

Referring to the drawing, the plug comprises a plug body or housing formed of two complementary halves 6 and l fastened together by a suitable means such as rivets 8. The plug body is formed from a suitable molding compound, such as phenolic condensation product and a suitableller, capable of withstanding the temperatures met with. It may be formed from any of` the molding compounds now in use for connector plugs of this type. At its forward end, the plug body is provided with two longitudinally extending pockets 9 and IIIv in which are located the clamping ends or sockets Il of the two contacts I2, and at its rear end with a transversely ends of the contacts to whichthe conductors I4 are connected. Pockets 9 and III are connected to pocket I3 by two longitudinally extending passages I5 and I6 which are of less depth than the pockets 9, I0 and..I3. Contacts I2 have relatively long shanks I'l which are located in passages I5 and I6. At their inner' ends contacts I2. are provided with heads 'Il to which the conductors'lt are connected. Communicating with pockets 9 and III are end Wall openings I9 through which contact posts or blades enter to engage the contacts II.-- Communicating with pocket I3 .is a passage 20 through which the cord 2| enters the plug body.

As best shownin Fig. 4, veach contact comprises two strips ol suitable metal having central portions in engagement to form the shanks I1. At one end,- they are groovcd4 transversely to provide head I8 and to form a transverse passage in which the end of the conductor I4 is located. At the other end, they are curved longitudinally, flared out at the ends, and cut away to form tongues 22 to provide the clamping ends or sockets I I. The two strips are fastened together by spot welding as indicated at 23 and 24. By varying the position of the spot weld 2-3 with respect to the socket II, the spring pressure of the socket walls can be adjusted, the

pressure increasing as the spot weld is moved toward the socket and decreasing as it moved ductor I4 to the contact as well as to hold the two strips together. The two strips are alike and l in the assembling operation, it is necessary merely to place the end of the conductor I4 between the two strips at the one end and then simultaneously spot weld the strips at thetwo points indicated. This serves togform a satisfactory contact which can be manufactured at low cost and wherein the-conductor is connected to it without the use of screws and without a separate operation. Also, it provides a contact wherein the tension of the jaws of the vsocket can be given the desired value by merely chang-y ing the location of the spot weld. y

After the two conductors have been connected to the two contacts, the two contacts are assembled in correct spaced relation to each other in a suitable fixture and a body 25 vof suitable insulating material, such as rubber orl the like,

is molded directly around the heads-|8, the ends has .material-molded .around itfor' quite soma length as indicated at 21, the outer end tapering as shown at 28, thus providing protection against sharp bending of cord where it entere the plug body.

In use, a connector -plug of this type is subjected often to fairly high temperature, the contact sockets Il sometimes reaching temperatures of the order of 500 to 600 degrees F. This is a temperature higher than the rubber or similar material in which the heads I8 are embedded could withstand, and the purpose of the relatively long shanks I1 between the sockets II and the heads I8 is to serve to dissipate heat and prevent the high temperature of the socket portion of the contact from being transmitted to the head portion thereof. By the use of a relatively long shank I1, I am enabled to dissipate a large amount of heat and thus maintain the temperature at heads I8 at a safe low value.

To further cut down the transfer of heat from sockets II to heads I8, I provide openings 30 in the shanks. This serves to decrease the crosssectional area of the shanks and thus minimize the travel of heat through the shanks from the contact sockets to the heads. `Wilth an arrangement .of this kind, I have been able to keep the temperature at the heads I8 where the molded body 25 is located at a value of the order of 170 degrees F., a temperature which rubber is able readily to withstand.

A pair of contacts I2 with the conductors of the cord 2i attached to the heads thereof and the body 25 molded thereon is shown in Fig. 5. This forms a. unitary structure wherein the body 25`carries the two contacts I2 and which can be handled as a unit. And in no way can the connections between contacts and the cord be disturbed or become detached.` To assemble a plug, it is necessary merely to place a molded unit between two body members 6 and 1 with the sockets Il in pockets 9 and I0 and the body 25 in pocket I3 and fasten the body members together. Since the connection between the conductors and the contacts is a permanent one and protected from breakage by molded body 25, the two body members 6 and 'I can be permanently fastened together by rivets. the fastening together can be done at low cost and, being permanently fastened together, the plug cannot be tampered with.- As will be seen from Figs..1 and 2, the pockets 9, III and I3 are slightly larger than the parts which nt in them so that the contacts can oat to a limited extent to permit of connection to posts or contact blades which may be out of alignment somewhat.

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

1. In a socket construction for use in a connector plug, two elongated fiat strips of metal having at shank portions in engagement with each other, said strips having walls forming grooves at one end of the shank portions to receive a conductor and being flared outwardly at the` other end to form spaced contacts providing a socket, a weld on said wall portions connecting the strips and conductor together, and a second weld on said fiat shank portions adjacent the flared contact portions, securing the strips together and placing said contact portions under tension upon insertion of a connector .into said socket. 1

This is of advantage in thatv 2. In a socket construction for use in a. connector plug, two elongated at strips of metal having fiat shank portions in engagement with each other, said strips .at one end of the shank portions being disposed around a conductor and being flared outwardly at the other end to form spaced contactsproviding a socket, a weld on said strips at the portions surrounding the conductor connecting the strips and conductor together, and a second weld on said fiat shank portions adjacent the ared contact portions securing the strips together and placing said contact portions under tension upon insertion of connector into said socket.

3. In a socket construction for use in a connector plug, two elongated flat strips of metal having fiat shank portions in engagement with each other, an opening formed in the shank portions ofeach strip reducing the cross-sectionr thereof, said strips having walls forming grooves at one end of the shank portions to receive a conductor and being ared outwardly at the other end to form spaced contacts providing a socket, a weld on said wall portions connecting the strips and conductor together, and a second weld on said fiat shank portions adjacent the flared contactportions securing the strips together and placing said contact portions under tension upon insertion of a heating appliance connector into said socket, said elongated shanks of reduced cross-section dissipating the heat from said connector and preventing it from reaching the connection to said conductor.

4. In a socket construction for use in a connector plug, two elongated flat strips of metal having fiat shank portions and being ared outwardly at one end to form spaced contacts providing a socket for receiving a connector prong of an electric heater, the other vends of said shank portions being fused together and connected to the bared end of an insulated conductor, a Aweld on said fiat shank portions adjacent the flared contact portions securing the strips together and placing said contact portions under tension upon insertion of the connector prong into said socket and an opening formed in each shank portion to reduce the cross-section thereof whereby the heat from the electric heater conducted along saidv shanks from the socket to the 'connection with said conductor is dissipated to prevent damage to said connection.

viding a socket for receiving a connector prong` of an electric heater, the other ends of said shank portions being fused together and connected to the bared end of an insulated conductor, said flat shank portions beingused together at a second point adjacent the flared contact portions whereby said contact Aportions are placed under tension upon insertion of the connector prong into said socket, each shank having a portion of reduced cross-section located between the fused portions whereby the heat from the electric heater conducted along said shank from the socket to the connection with said conductor is dissipated to prevent damage to the insulation on said conductor.,

ELWOOD E. FOI-SOM.

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