US2447324A

US2447324A - Spring binding post

Info

Publication number: US2447324A
Application number: US525551A
Authority: US
Inventors: Fox Benjamin
Original assignee: HUGH H EBY
Current assignee: HUGH H EBY
Priority date: 1944-03-08
Filing date: 1944-03-08
Publication date: 1948-08-17
Anticipated expiration: 1965-08-17

Description

Aug. '17, 1948. 5. FOX 2,447,324

SPRING BINDING POST Fil 'd March a, 1944 J ,Zipflenior 71 W. Mi??? Patented Aug. 17, 1948 Benjamin Fox, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor, 'by mesne assignments, to Hugh- H. Eby, Fort Wayne, Ind.

Application March 8, 1944,,SerialiNo. 525,551

3 Claims.

This invention relates to spring bindingposts,

ance to screw-threaded .actuation; to provide a, binding post of the follower type with minimized.

dragon the screw cap in both directions of travel between wire-receiving and wire-gripping; to

provide a binding post of the follower type in.

which rotation of the cap to actuate or permit retraction of. the. follower is accomplished without necessary rotation of. the follower without providing eccentric or asymetrical lateral. protrusion on the follower; to provide a binding post which. inconstruction is formed of..parts all sus: ceptible to automatic screw machinery productlon; to provide a practical, cheap binding post formedthroughout of cylindrical parts and bores except for the. slot for the wire; and many other.

objects and advantages will become more apparent as the description proceeds.

In carrying out the invention in a simplifiedv form, a screw cap is provided. which pushes a cylindrical'follower downwardly into a relatively fixed base by means. of. a substantially point en gagem-ent between cap and'follower, while a compression spring is arranged torurge'the follower upwardly for .Withdrawal with the cap as thelatter is unscrewed, while engaging the follower frictionally againstrotation.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1v represents an exploded side elevation partially in fragmentary section, of thecap, the

follower with its, actuating spring shown in posi-f tion surrounding the follower, and the fixed base.

relative to which the cap, the follower, and one end of the spring have relative movement.

Fig- 2 represents a longitudinal section of the assembled elements with the cap screwed down and with the follower in tight engagement against the anvil portion of the base, and

Rig. 3 represents a similar section. with the: parts retracted sufliciently far as to receive a wire to be gripped and with which, electrical contact is to be established.

Before discussing the invention indetail, menqn mi ht be' i e O he facto ich rns: the; zes. n rops i g f tsuse h rei and this is primarily the voltage or current'to be carried and secondarily the diameter of wires to be engaged. These factors will have to be considered in the construction of the binding post of this invention. Generally speaking, the size of the follower and the area of contacting surfaces gripping the wires will be larger with increased voltages or currents to be carried.

Considering first'the base Ill, it preferably comprises-a lower anchoring stud H which may be threaded as shown, or be otherwise arranged for anchoring in a supporting base or panel. The stud II depends'frorn a block or plug I2 which is round in outline, or so that'it can be dropped into a similarly shaped or cooperatively shaped aperl3; theperipheryof which is preferably polygonal as indicated so. that it can be held against rota with atransverse-substantially horizontal slot [1 merging at approximately the center of the barrelinto a'longitudinal. slot I8 which preferablyter minates approximately at or just above the plane of the upper surface of flange I3, and the bottom thereof-maybeof any desired shape, such as fiat,

V,-ercurved.- The combined slots I? and I8 may be as shown, or maybe constructed inaccordance with theadisclosures of any of the figures of PatentNo. 2,-26'7,449=to Hugh H; Eby in any of the details thereof.

Internally,.the'barrel it has an axial bore 26' extending inwardly: from the upper planar end 9' atadistance longenough to receive and house the compression-spring and follower to be described. The upperend-x-or mouth'ofbore 29 is flared outwardly as at?! into the plane of end .lfin order to ailord clearance for; and possibly, if necessary, to

guidethe flange of the follower to be described andto prevent the spring from catching on to the edge.

Thebore zliterminates part way between end 9 follower guide channel 23, which is preferably of appreciably greater diameter than the width of slot I8, although being preferably, although not necessarily, symmetrical relative thereto, and terminates in a lower surface l9 at least as far down in the base as the lower edge of slot I8 at or just above the plane of the flange l3, although being preferably slightly below the lower edge of slot I8 so as to establish shoulders by which the wires can be engaged in shear by the follower in its gripping action. The bottom it of guide channel.

and possibly also the lower surface of slot [8 and the shoulders, if any, between them comprise an anvil portion relative to which the follower to be described functions.

A cylindrical follower member or shank 24 having the plower preferably planar end 25, is provided for guiding sliding disposition in the restricted follower channel 23. At its upper end the follower is provided with a flange 26 extending laterally beyond the shank or cylindrical portion of the follower 24, and the upper flanged surf-ace is preferably shaped conically or otherwise so as to furnish a concentric point .21 to be engaged by the cap to be described. A compression spring 28 is provided preferably of such inner diameter as to have slight clearance from the follower 24, and preferably also, of such outer diameter as to have slight clearance from the bore 20, so that the normal flexing of the spring between states of compression is usually accompanied by a minimum of axial frictional resistance between the moving and stationary parts. The spring 28 engages between the flange 2B of the follower and shoulder 22 in the bore 20 of the base, and constantly urges the follower upwardly in the combined bore and channel after the follower has been disposed in the latter two openings as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3, while exerting frictional resistance against relative rotation of the follower and base. The follower 24 obviously may be made either by a screw machine or by an upsetting machine. Indeed, in certain cases it is contemplated that the follower 24 may comprise a rivet.

The binding post assembly is completed by a cap 30. This is provided with an internally planar transverse surface 3| for engagement by the point 21 of the follower concentrically of the cap. The cap is internally threaded as at 32, is preferably externally knurled as at 33, and at the lower end is provided with an annular thin web 34 susceptible to being inturned as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, in position to abut the flange I B of the base to prevent complete separation of the parts after the initial assembly.

With the parts assembled as indicated, the screwing down of the cap forces the transverse web 3| against the central point 2'! of the follower, and with a minimum of rotational frictional efl'ects forces the follower axially against the lower anvil surface of the guide channel at [9. The follower, as noted, is also frictionally engaged by the spring 28 under the flange 26 and as this frictional area is greater than that developed between the conical point 21 and the cap 30, the follower is held against rotation with the cap, and this is accomplished without providing eccentricities or protuberances on the follower and also without modifying the follower-guide channel with eccentric or asymmetrical slots to prevent such rotation. To facilitate gripping and contact-making, the end of the follower 24 at may be roughened or serrated, or it may be provided with a pin or the like as shown in the aforesaid patent to Hugh H. Eby.

Obviously, the axial length of the followerguide channel will be such as to insure proper guiding and the short over-all length of the whole binding post will be clear, as will the fact that variations of relative proportions will be made as desired.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A binding post comprising a threaded base having a wire-receiving slot extending to an opening in the side of the base, a relatively narrow axial guide channel and a relatively wider recess in concentric aligned relation in the base, the intersection of the channel and recess defining a shoulder in the base between the channel and recess, a follower slidably mounted in the guide channel and having a flanged end, a compression spring disposed in the recess and surrounding the follower, said spring being compressed between the fiange of the follower and the shoulder in the base, a threaded cap sur rounding the flanged end of the follower and movable on and relative to the threaded base in constant contact with said follower and arranged to force the follower inwardly against the lower end of the guide channel in the base, the con-- tacting portions of the follower and cap comprising respectively a substantial point and a relatively flat surface to minimize rotative friction in the contact between them as the cap turns on the threaded base.

2. A binding post comprising a threaded base having a wire-receiving slot extending to an open ing in the side of the base, a relatively narrow axial guide channel and a relatively wider recess in concentric aligned relation in the base, the intersection of the channel and recess defining a shoulder in the base between the channel and recess, a follower slidably mounted in the guide channel and having a flanged end, a compression spring disposed in the recessand surrounding the the flange of the follower and the shoulder in the base, and a threaded cap surrounding and movable on and relative to the threaded base in constant contact with said follower and arranged to force the follower inwardly against the lower end of the guide channel in the base, said cap being rotatable for axial movement and having internally a downwardly presenting relatively flat surface, and said follower terminating toward the cap in an external point substantially concentric to the follower so that contact of the follower and cap is through the point whereby rotative frictional resistance between the cap and follower is minimized asflthecap turns on the threaded base.

3. A binding post comprising a base having an anchoring portion, a transversely opening wirereceiving slot having a portion extending longitudinally of the base above the anchoring por tion, a compound axial aperture being formeclin.

the base extending from one end toward the anchoring portion and comprising a wide recess and a narrower follower-guide channel respectively separated by an annular shoulder internally of the base, said base being externally threaded to receive a threaded cap, a cylindrical follower having a shank to slide axially in the guide channel to intersect the wire-receiving slot, a compression coil spring disposed in the wider recess surround.- ing the cylindrical follower, means connecting the coil spring to the follower for outward urging relationship relative to the shoulder, a cap threaded on the base in position to engage and force the follower inwardly against the resistance of the spring, said connecting means comprising a flange on the follower substantially conical in cross section and of greater diameter than the Number cylindrical portion of the follower, the contact 1,061,195 between the cap and the follower being through 5 1,264,833 the point of the said conical end only. 1,535,693 BENJAMIN FOX. 1,605,033

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in th 0 gg z file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date McWilliams May 6, 1913 Mansbendel Apr. 30, 1918 Smith Apr. 28, 1925 Jensen Nov. 2, 1926 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Germany Nov. 15, 1940