US2217978A

US2217978A - Straight line connector

Info

Publication number: US2217978A
Application number: US327430A
Authority: US
Inventors: Stephen P Becker
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1940-04-02
Filing date: 1940-04-02
Publication date: 1940-10-15
Anticipated expiration: 1957-10-15

Description

Oct. 15, 1940. s. P. BECKER STRAIGHT LINE CONNECTOR Filed April 2, 1940 FIG. I

A fro/2 5) Patented Oct. 15, 1940 UNITED: STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

My invention is an improvement in electric line connectors of the type comprising a sleeve with inwardly tapering ends enclosing a set of complementarily tapered jaws which may open when moved away from and will close when moved toward the end of the sleeve.

In erecting wire lines it is common practice to place a connector on the end of one wire before the other wire, on which the connector is to be placed, is ready. Under these circumstances there are often accidental movements of the wire which cause connectors to be shaken partly off, so that, when erected, the connector has less than its full intended grip on the wire. Also, if a wire breaks at any nearby point, the sudden endwise surge of the end of the wire toward the center of the connector may cause it to loosen so that the wire can escape.

One of the primary objects of my invention is to provide a straight line connector that will be easily attachable to a wire and easily, intentionally, detachable therefrom, but which will be, as far as is humanly possible, perfectly safe against accidental detachment.

In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates an embodiment of my invention:

Figure 1 is partly a side view and partly a longitudinal section of one of my improved connectors.

Figure 2 is a partial side view with a nut removed.

Referring to the drawing:

l is a tubular shell with inwardly tapering ends 2 which enclose a plurality of complementarily tapered jaws 3 with inner faces toothed, as shown at 4 to grip a wire 5. A spring 6 normally urges the jaws toward the end of the shell. The ends of the jaws extend beyond the end of the shell I- and have, cut around them, a screw thread I to mate with threads IS in a nut 8 which, by a female surface Ba: tapered complementarily thereto, fits around the outside of the tapered end 2 of the shell. Each nut is provided with two parallel flat spots 9 to which a wrench may be applied to screw the nut on or off.

The several jaws of each set are sometimes formed from one piece of metal with thin sections that will spring to allow the jaws to accommodate themselves to the taper of the shell. Sometimes each jaw is a separate piece. In either case, there is usually provided a cap [0 with fingers II that enter holes 12 in the jaws, and a raised boss l3 which centralizes the spring 6. If the jaws are separate pieces, the cap holds them together in one unit.

A hole I4 is providedin the shell I through which, when the jaws 3 are moved toward the center of the connector by forcing the wire 5 inward, a pointed tool can be inserted and caused to enter one of the holes [2 and hold the jaws to- 5 ward the center of the shell.

To attach a connector to a wire the nut 8 is loosened so that the jaws 3 can be moved toward the large end of the taper and the end of a wire is forced between the jaws. The spring 10 6 urges the jaws toward the small end of the taper and causes an initial grip of the jaws on the wire. Tightening the nut 8 by a wrench applied to the flats 9, will pull the jaws toward the small end of the taper and increase the grip 1 until the wire is safely held. When the wire is in place, the tension on it coacts, with the force caused by the nut and the spring, to force the jaws toward the small end of the taper andstill more increase the grip. 0

Because the pressure of the nut against the shell is by complementarily tapered conical surfaces of a small included angle, instead of the plane surfaces of an end perpendicular to the axis, it wedges up on the outside of the shell and causes a great friction that resists accidental turning and loosening of the nut.

If, at a later time, it becomes necessary to remove a wire from a connector, the nut 8 is unscrewed and the wire and jaws pushed in until one of the holes I2 is in line with a hole M. A pointed tool inserted through a hole I4 into a hole l2 will hold the jaws against the tension of the spring in the large part of the shell, so that the wire will be released and can be drawn out.

It will be noted that the tension on the wire and the force of the nut, both acting in the same direction to force the jaws toward the small end of the taper, coact to increase the grip of the jaws on the wire.

Having described my invention and the manner in which it is used, that which I claim to be new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a wire connector comprising a tubular shell having inner and outer surfaces tapering inwardly toward its ends, a plurality of jaws tapered co-mplementarily to the inner taper of the shell, a spring adapted to urge the jaws toward the small end of the taper, screw threaded extensions of said jaws beyond the end of the shell and a complementarily threaded nut adapt ed to be screwed on the extensions and abut against the shell, to thereby positively force the jaws toward the small portion of the tapered shell, the improvement which comprises making the contact of the nut with the shell by a female surface tapered complementarily to the outside of the shell.

2. In a wire connector of the type having a shell with tapered ends, a plurality of complementarilv tapered wire gripable jaws therewithin having screwthreaded portions extending be- 10 yond the ends of the shell and a complementarily