US2615950A

US2615950A - Electric terminal connector

Info

Publication number: US2615950A
Application number: US141788A
Authority: US
Inventors: Fredrick S Lamb
Original assignee: General Electric Co
Current assignee: General Electric Co
Priority date: 1950-02-01
Filing date: 1950-02-01
Publication date: 1952-10-28
Anticipated expiration: 1969-10-28

Description

Oct. 28, 1952 F. s. LAMB ELECTRIC TERMINAL CONNECTOR Filed Feb. 1, l 950 lnven kovz Fredrick 5. Lamb, b [flame/444%.,

Hi5 A b bovheg.

Patented Oct. 28, 1952 Fredrick S. Lamb, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, as signer-to';General Electric Company, a co'rpo ration of New- York Application February 1, 1950, Serial No. 141,783

My invention relates to electrical connectors of the plug type havingprotrudingcontact prongs which are adapted to be inserted into'the cont act openings of an electrical seeker or 'recepf tacle. Such plug-type connectors may be used, for example, as a base for electric lamps "or similar devices particularly of the low current type, or as an attachment plug for electric 'cords';

"It isan object *ofymy invention to provide a prong-type electric terminal connector of simple and relatively inexpensive construction and which may be easily and quickly assembled and connected to thecurrent supply wiresof the electric lamp, cord, or other device to whichit is "attached.

Another object of my invention is to provide an electric terminal connector or plug of the above type'havin'g mechanical, i. e., solderless', electri cal connections of good electricalpropertiesfibetween the connector prongs and 'the-c'urrent'sup ply wires of the device to which the connector'is attached.

In accordance with the invention, an electric terminal'connector such as a lampbase" or electric cord plug is provided with"projcting con tact prongs or blades each formedof 'a strip of suitable material, such as brass,which is secured to'an insulative -wall portion'of the plug or base body within an opening thereina'nd which ex tends outwardly from the wall and'is bentbackupon itself to' form two separated side-by-side leg portions between which the "current cohduc tor extends, one of the prong legshav'ing a'guide ear pressed outward therefromto' provide a passageway through the prong leg serving to receive and guide the current conductor intothe space between the prong legs upon itsbeing threaded through the opening in the insulativewall, 1 the guide ear being pinched against'thecurrent conductor to electrically connect the latter to the Further objects and advantages of my invention will appear from the following detailed description of a species thereof andfrom the ac-' companying drawing in which: Fig. 1 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of. an electric incandescent lamp provided with a. terminal connector or base according to "the invention; Fig.2 is an exploded view of the base shown in Fig. 1 prior toassembly of the parts thereof, with the base shell shown partly broken" away; Fig.3 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of the base according to the invention; and- Fig. 4 is'a fragmentary 9 can; (01. 173-361l While the invention is shown in the drawings as employed in a base for an electric incandes cent lamp, it will be obvious that it maybe applied as well to bases for electric glow lamps or other discharge devices, or to a terminal connector or' attachment plug'cap for electric cords and the like.

' Referring to the drawing, the lamp there shown comprises a hermetically'sealed glass envelope'or bulb l having a reentrant stem 2 provided with a press 01' seal portione throughwhich are sealed a pair of lead-inor current supply conductorso'r wires 1!, 4. Disposed within the bulb I is a light source comprising a tungstenfilament 5 electrically connected at its ends-to the lead-in wires 4 and supported in position within the bulb by a plurality of support wires-6 anchored in -a glass arbor 1 extending inwardly of the bulb from the stem press 3'. The bulb-'1 is exhausted and, if desired, filled with a suitable gas through an exhaust tube 8 commum'cating with the interior of the bulb, which tube is afterwards-sealed or tipped-off, 'asindicated 7 at 9," to hermetically seal the bulb.

Suitably secured to the neck end of the bulb l, as by basingcement ID for instan'cdfis an electric terminal connector or base i l" according to the invention and comprising a 'cupshap'ed body member 12' having a cylindrical shell'po'r tion' l3 and an "insulative end' wall portion-14 which may be made of any suitable insulating material such asglass, porcelain, molded pla'stic; or the'like. Projecting endwise from'the end wall l4 and securelyfastenedtheretois-apair of contact prongs IS, 15- to whichthe 'le'ad in' wires 4 are connected;

In accordance; with the invention, the said contact prongs or blades Hi areformed of-relatively stiff or rigid metal strip of suitablefcharacter such as, for example, spring brass or bronze, and having a thickness of the orderof .025 inch and a width of around 4 inch or-so. "As shown in Fig. 2,"the 'metal strip forming each prong' I5 is bent back uponitself to form'two side side and slightly diverging leg portions?! l1 joined by a bent 'outer'end or bightportion l8. The-prongs l5 are securely fastened in place on the base end wall [4; with their' ben'tor' 'bi'ghtends l8 outward and with one leg portion'fiziedly secured against transverse movement and-*th e other leg portion ffee to 'be moved transversely For this purpose', one leg I6 is made longer-than the other'le'g I] and formed withan inner end portion I 9 which "is of reduced width to form abutment shoulder '20'- at each side of the strip.

The said inner end portion 19 is also longitudinally slotted inward from the end thereof, as indicated at 2|, to form three locking tongues or

tabs

22, 23, and 24, the center one 24 of which is preferably of slightly greater width than the

outer tongues

22, 23. The slotted ends 19 of the prong legs l6 fit snugly within respective slots or openings 25 in the insulative wall hi which slots, as shown, preferably extend parallel to one another so as to orient the prongs in the said wall with their flat sides parallel. Also, as shown, the two prongs l are preferably positioned in the slots 25 with their shorter or bent leg portions I I facing each other.

The narrowed end portion [9 of each prong leg i6 is of a length such that when it is inserted into the slot 25 with the shoulders 28 thereon butt-ed up against the outer side 26 of the wall l4, the

tongues

22, 23, and 24 will project inwardly beyond the inner side 21 of the said wall. The prong legs iii are secured or staked in place within the slots 25 by bending the inwardly projecting

tongues

22, 23, and 24 over the inner side 21 of the wall It with the shoulders abutted against the outer side 26 of the wall, the two

outer tongues

22 and 23 preferably being bent in one direction and the center tongue 24 being bent in the opposite direction, as shown. The prong legs l6 are thus fixedly anchored in the insulative wall :4 against transverse movement. The other prong legs H, however, terminate just short of the outer side 26 of the wall i4 so as to be: freely movable transversely toward the anchored legs 16.

For making the connection of the lead-in wires 4 to the contact prongs IS, the slots in the wall l4 are each provided with a recess or enlargement 28 in one of their side walls through which recesses the lead-in wires 4 extend to the exterior of the base. As shown, the recesses 23 are preferably formed in the distal side walls of the two slots 25. The said lead-in wire recesses or passageways 28 are flared out toward the inner side 21 of the wall I4, as indicated at 29, in order to facilitate insertion or threading of the lead-in wires 4 therethrough during the assembly of the base I l onto the bulb l The lead-in wires 4 extend through respective passageways or apertures 28 to the exterior of the base wall 4 Where they are fastened to the associated contact prongs iii to provide the electrical connection therebetween. For this purpose, the fixedly anchored leg l6 of each prong is formed, immediately outward of the base wall [4, with a pocket-like lug or ear 3B pressed outwardly from the metal strip to provide a passageway 3! therethrough which faces and is directly opposite the lead-in wire aperture or passageway 28 in the base wall l4 so as to receive and guide the lead-in wire 4 into the space between the prong legs [6, l1 upon being threaded through the said wall aperture 28 from the inside of the base. The portion of. the lead-in wire 4 which extends through the passageway 3| formed by the pressed-out ear 39 is pinched between the rim 32 of the ear and that portion 33 of the prong leg l6 immediately inward of the ear 8i? (i. e., that portion of the prong leg bordering the shear cut of the lug rim 32) to thereby securely fasten and electrically connect the wire to the prong. The pinching of the wires 4 to the prongs l5 may be efiected simply by positioning each contact prong between the jaws of a suitable pinching tool or pliers and closing the jaws to apply pressure to the prong legs [8, ll at the region of the ear 30, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1, so as to squeeze the car 30 against the lead-in wire 4 and pinch it in place.

To facilitate threading of the lead-in wire through the ear passageway 3|, and to aid in preventing the cutting or severing of the lead-in wire, during the pinching thereof, by the sheared edges of the prong passageway 3|, which edges are apt to have sharp burrs thereon as a consequence of the pressing out operation by which the ears or lugs 30 are formed, the portion 33- of the prong leg 16 immediately inward of the lug or ear 38 is pressed slightly inward, i. e., in a direction opposite to the direction in which the ear 30 is pressed from the prong leg, to form a bent tongue as shown in Fig. 1. Such bending of the metal inward at 33 tends to prevent the subsequent pinching of the lead-in wire 4 so tightly as to cause the cutting thereof and, in addition, results in the formation of a larger and better-shaped passageway 3| which permits easier insertion and threading therethrough of the lead-in wires 4. To assure a positive and secure pinching of the lead-in wire 4 between the ear 30 and the bent tongue 33, the free or spring leg I! of the prong should extend inwardly beyond the ear 3!! and the wire-pinching edge of the tongue 33 so as to engage the tongue and close it against the lead-in wire when the prong legs are squeezed between the jaws of the pinching tool.

From the above, it will be evident that the base according to the invention is of simple and relatively inexpensive construction and can be assembled and the electrical connections made to the contact prongs thereof in a simple, easy and quick manner, without the need of any soldering operations whatsoever. When plugged into a cooperating socket, the movable prong legs H, by virtue of their being in the nature of spring arms, are pressed by the socket contacts toward the fixed prong legs l6 thus squeezing the portion of the conductors 4 therebetween and further assuring a good electrical connection between the conductcrs and the prongs. As shown, the prong legs 16, ll may be provided with circular apertures or holes 34 adjacent their outer ends for the purpose of accommodating therein" normally present on the spring contacts of conventional type sockets or receptacles into which the base or terminal connector according to the invention is adapted to be plugged.

Although a preferred embodiment of my invention has been disclosed, it will be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific construction and arrangement of the parts shown but that they may be widely modified within the spirit and scope of my invention as defined by the appended claims.

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

1. An electrical connector comprising a body member provided with a one-piece insulative wall portion having an opening therethrough, and a contact prong comprising a strip of metal secured to the said wall and extending outwardly therefrom and bent back upon itself to form a two-legged prong, said prong having portions thereof outwardly adjacent said wall spaced apart laterally of the prong to provide a space therebetween positioned directly opposite and opening toward the said wall opening so as to receive a current conductor upon its being inserted straight through the said wall opening from the inneriside of said wall, said prong por tions being relatively deformable to pinch the said conductor therebetween, one .of the legs of said prong being anchored in said wall against transverse movement and the otherof said legs being transversely movable toward and coextensive with at least the major portion of the protruding length of the anchored leg.

2. An electrical connector comprising a body member provided with a one-piece insulative wall portion having an opening therethrough, and a contact prong comprising a strip of metal secured to said wall Within the said opening thereand extending outwardly therefrom and bent back upon itself to form a two-legged prong, said prong" having portions thereof outwardly-adjacent' said wall spaced apart laterally of the prong'to provide a space therebetween positioned directly opposite and opening toward the: said wallopeningso as to receive acurrent conductor upon its beinginserted straight through thesaid wall opening from the inner side of said wall, said prongportions being relatively deformable laterally of the prong to pinch the said conductor therebetween, said prong further having locking shoulders thereon engaging the inner and outer sides of said wall to longitudinally fix the prong in position on said wall, one of the legs of said prong being anchored insaid'. wall against transverse movement and the other of said legs being freely movable transversely toward and coextensive with at least the major portion of theprotruding length of the-anchoredleg.

3. An electrical connector comprising a body member provided with an insulative wall portion having an opening therethrough, and a contact prong comprising a strip of metal secured to the said wall within the said opening and extending outwardly from the wall and bent back upon itself to form two separated and approximately SidQ-by-side leg portions, one of said prong leg portions being anchored in said wall against transverse movement and being formed, outwardly adjacent said wall, with a pocket-shaped ear pressed outwardly from said leg portion to one side thereof and closely adjacent said wall to provide a passageway therethrough facing and directly opposite the said wall opening and propositioned to receive a current conductor upon its being inserted straight through said opening from the inner side of said wall, said ear being deformable relative to said leg portion to pinch the conductor therebetween, and the other of said prong leg portions being transversely movable towards the anchored leg portion and extending back along the other side of the anchored leg portion a distance to at least overlap and conceal the exposed outer end of the said current conductor when inserted and clamped in place in said passageway.

4. An electrical connector comprising a body member provided with an insulative wall portion having a slot therethrough formed with a recess in one side Wall thereof, and a contact prong comprising a strip of metal snugly fitting and securely locked within the said slot to firmly anchor it to said wall and extending outwardly from the wall and bent back upon itself to the side away from the recessed side of said slot to form two separated and approximately side-by-side leg portions, the anchored leg portion of said prong being formed, outwardly adjacent said wall, with a pocket-shaped ear pressed outwardly from said leg portion to the same side as the recessed side oiztheslot to provide. a passageway tlierethrough facing and directly oppositethe saidrecess the. slot and proportioned to receive a current conductor upon its being linserted straight through said recess from the inner side .ofsaid wall, said ear being deformable relative -.to said leg portion to pinch the conductortherebetween, and'thelother of said prong leg portions being freely movable transversely towards the anchored leg portion and extending back along the. antchored leg portion a distance to at leastloverlap and conceal the exposed outer. end ofthesaid current conductor when inserted and clamped in place in said passageway.

5. An electrical connector comprisingabody member provided with an insulative wall portion having an opening therethrough, and a contact prongcomprising a strip o'f-metal secured to the said wall within-thesaid opening and extending outwardly fromthe-wall and bent back upon itself toformtwo separated and approximately side-by-sideleg-portions, one of said prong'leg portionsbeing anchored in said wall against transverse movement and being formed with an ear pressed outwardly from said leg por tion to provide a passageway therethrough-facing and directly opposite the said wall opening for receiving a current conductoruponitsbeing threaded through said opening, said anchored leg portion also having the metal'thereof immediately inward of said ear. pressed out in a direction opposite to said ear, the other of said prong leg portions extending inwardly beyond said ear but terminating short of saidwall so as to be freely movable transversely towards the anchored leg portion.

6. An electrical device having a --terminal-connector comprising a body member provided with a one-piece insulative wall portion having an opening therethrough, a contactprong compris ing a strip of metalsecured to the said wall within the said opening therein and extending outwardly therefrom and bent back upon itself to form a two-legged prong, said prong having portions thereof outwardly adjacent said wall spaced apart laterally of the prong to provide a space therebetween positioned directly opposite and opening toward the said wall opening so as to receive a current conductor upon its being inserted straight through the said wall opening from the inner side of said wall, and a current conductor extending through said opening into the said space between the said prong portions and pinched therebetween, one of the legs of said prong being anchored in said wall against transverse movement and the other of said legs being transversely movable toward and coextensive with at least the main portion of the protruding length of the anchored leg.

"7. An electric lamp comprising an envelope, an electric energy translation element in said envelope, current conductors connected to said translation element and sealed through said envelope to the exterior thereof, and a base secured to said envelope and comprising an insulative wall portion having a plurality of openings through which the said conductors extend, and a plurality of contact prongs each comprising a strip of metal secured to the said wall within respective ones of said wall openings and extending outwardly from the wall and bent back upon itself to form a two-legged prong, each said prong having portions thereof outwardly adjacent said wall spaced apart laterally of the prong to provide a space therebetween positioned directly opposite the respective wall opening so as to receive a current conductor upon its being inserted straight through the said wall opening from the inner side of said wall, said current conductors extending into the said space between and being pinched between the said portions of the respective prongs to electrically interconnect the same, one of the legs of each prong being anchored in said wall against transverse movement and the other of said legs being transversely movable towards the anchored leg.

8. An electrical device having a terminal connector comprising a body member provided with an insulative wall portion having a plurality of openings therethrough, a plurality of contact prongs each comprising a strip of metal secured to the said wall within a respective one of said wall openings and extending outwardly from the wall and bent back upon itself to form two separated and approximately side-by-side leg portions, one of the leg portions of each prong being anchored in said Wall against transverse movement and being formed, outwardly adjacent said wall, with an ear pressed outwardly from said leg portion to provide a passageway therethrough facing and directly opposite the respective wall opening, the other leg portion of each prong extending inwardly beyond said ear and being freely movable transversely toward the anchored leg portion, and a plurality of current conductors extending through respective ones of said wall openings and through the ear passageway in the associated prong and pinched between the said ear and the body of the prong to electrically interconnect the conductors to the respective prongs.

9. An electrical device comprising an envelope, an electric energy translation element in said envelope, current conductors connected to said translation element and sealed through said envelope to the exterior thereof, and a base secured to said envelope and comprising an insulative wall portion having a plurality of openings through which the said conductors extend, and a plurality of contact prongs each comprising a strip of metal secured to the said wall within a respective one of said wall openings and extending outwardly from the wall and bent back upon itself to form two separated and approximately side-by-side leg portions, one of the leg portions of each prong being anchored in said wall against transverse movement and being formed, outwardly adjacent said wall, with an ear pressed outwardly from said leg portion to provide a passageway therethrough facing and directly opposite the respective wall opening, the other leg portion of each prong extending inwardly beyond said ear and being freely movable transversely toward the anchored leg portion, said current conductors extending through the ear passageway in respective prongs and being pinched between the said ear and the body of the prong to electrically. interconnect the conductors to the respective prongs.

FREDRICK S. LAMB.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 822,469 Opitz June 5, 1906 1,521,197 Lewis Dec. 30, 1924 1,921,823 Hosking Aug. 8, 1933 2,049,152 Biggs July 28, 1936 2,183,109 Sipe Dec. 12, 1939 2,383,263 Kruger Apr. 21, 1945 2,420,754 McFadden May 20, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 618,961 France Dec. 23, 1926 342,948 Great Britain Feb. 12, 1931