US2746023A

US2746023A - Connector jack

Info

Publication number: US2746023A
Application number: US452241A
Authority: US
Inventors: Tyzack Harold
Original assignee: CARTER PARTS CO
Current assignee: CARTER PARTS CO
Priority date: 1954-08-26
Filing date: 1954-08-26
Publication date: 1956-05-15
Anticipated expiration: 1973-05-15

Description

H. TYZACK CONNECTOR JACK May 15, 1956 Filed Aug. 26, 1954 fi'om the copper to the zinc through the electrolyte.

United States atet 2,746,023 CONNECTOR JACK Harold Tyzack, Schiller Park, 111., assignor to t'Iarter Parts Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application August 26, 1954, Serial No. 452,241

Claims. Cl. 339-176) This invention relates to an electrical jack, used to open or close the circuits throughelectrical contact elements upon insertion or removal of a plug from the jack. In 'order for such a jack to function efliciently and serve a useful purpose, resistance to current flow through the jack should be kept at a Additionally, the jack should be so constructed that it does not cause deterioration either of itself or any mechanism with which it may be associated.

In certain jack installations forces are developed which tend to increase resistance to current flow. I am referring now to installations Where a jack is exposed to electrolytic fluids. For example, a jack may be exposed to the brine used in salt spray tests. The brine in these tests will be retained in a metal chamber and this chamber will serve to mount the jack. if the jack and chamber are made of different metals (as they usually are) there is danger thatthe jack and chamber will be corroded by an electrolytic flow of current via the fluid within the chamber. Certain metallic compounds are formed by electrolytic corrosion of the metal jack and chamber wall. These compounds are poor current conductors and are, therefore, a source of high resistance, unduly impairing the electrical efliciency of the jack. Additionally,

electrolytic corrosion will cause the jack or chamber wall to deteriorate.

As one stepin improving the electrical efliciency of a jack it is an object of the present invention to provide a jackin which neither it nor any adjacent metal parts will corrode in the presence of electrolytic fluids.

Realization of this object is based on the knowledge that difierent metals react difierently in the presence of an electrolyte. Thus, when a plate of zinc and another plate of copper are connected together by a conductor and immersed in an electrolyte a certain current will flow it now the copper plate is replaced with one of cadmium there will be substantially no current flow through the electrolyte. V

This realization that different metals react differently in the presence of an electrolyte is the basis for the well known electromotive series in which the common metals are listed in order of their current producing powers. Iftwo metals adjacent each other in the series are connected together in the presence of an electrolyte no substantial crn'rent flow will be produced. If two metals far elements of the jack and the chamber wall on which it is mounted. The material for the metal element was so selected that its position in the electromotive series was 2,746,023 Patented May 15, 1956 ice between that of the metals used for the jack and those used in the chamber wall. The effect of providing the proper metal element between the jack and chamber wall is to prevent the build up of a large electrolytic current between the jack and the chamber wall. Instead, a small electrolytic current is set up between the jack and metal element and another small electrolytic current is set up between the metal element and chamber wall. These small electrolytic currents are not large enough to effect any electrolytic corrosion. Instead, it is found that substantially no electrolytic corrosion occurs and substantially no high resistance metallic compounds are formed on the jack or chamber Wall.

The problem of securing high efliciency through a jack depends for its solution not only on the ability to prevent formation of high resistance metallic compounds but also on the ability of the component parts of the jack to make such firm and fixed contact with adjacent parts as to prevent shorting or circuit breakage through the jack.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a jack wherein its component parts will be prevented from shifting or moving out of firm and fixed contact with adjacent parts, thereby preventing shorting or circuit breakage through the jack.

This object is achieved by employing a toothed ele ment in the jack and applying such pressure on the ele ment that its teeth will be caused to bite into adjacem parts and establish firm electrical contact therewith.

In order to more fully exploit the advantages accruing from a realization of the above-mentioned objects it is another object of the invention to so design the jack that it can be produced at a minimum expense.

This object is achieved by eliminating a certain shoulder forming element which has heretofore been considered essential in the construction of jacks.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a front view of a chamber wall in which are secured eight jacks constructed according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is a view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view taken in the direction of arrow A in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings in greater detail there is shown in Fig. l a chamber Wall 10 having eight circular openings 12, each of which receives a jack constructed according to the present invention.

Each jack includes a sleeve 14 having a circumferential flange or projection 16 at one of its ends. A metal 'washer member 18 is arranged on sleeve 14 against flange 16. Member 18 carries a terminal 20 which is adapted to receive a conductor (not shown) for incorporating the jack into a desired electrical circuit. An insulating washer 22 is arranged against member 18 and a second metal washer member 24 is in turn arranged against washer 22. Member 13 is designed to fit snugly against sleeve 14 in order to make electrical contact therewith. Member 24, on the other hand, is not intended to contact sleeve 14. Therefore, the central opening in member 24 is made larger than the external dimension of the sleeve. Member 24 is provided with a spring arm 26 having an end portion 28 in registry with the bore of sleeve 14. Portion 28 is positioned to make electrical contact with the tip of a plug member (not shown) which is inserted through sleeve 14 from the right hand side of panel 10 (as seen in Fig. 2). A terminal 30 is provided on member 24 for conducting current from said member to an electrical circuit (not shown).

Adjacent member 24 there is-positioned an insulating washer 32 having a rim portion 34 for spacing member 24 out of contact with sleeve 14. The right face of 32 and thereby prevent

washers

18 and 24 from shifting around the periphery of sleeve 14.

In assembly of the jack,

members

18, 22, 24, 32 and 38 are placed on sleeve 14 prior to the formation of huge 16. When

members

18, 22, 24, 32 and 38 are in place the left end of sleeve 14 is flanged out as at 16, and axial pressure is applied to squeeze

members

18, 22, 24, and 32 between flange 16 and member 38. Aforce is thereby exerted on teeth 36 tending to twist them back into the plane of washer 38. Teeth 36 react against this force to maintain a squeezing force on

members

18, 22, 24 and 32 after the axial pressure is withdrawn. In this

way washers

18 and 24 are prevented from shifting around sleeve 14 and there is no danger of circuit breakage through the jack.

To mount the jack on panel the right end of sleeve 14 is threaded as at 42 for reception of nut 44. An insulating washer 46 is provided between nut 44 and the right face of panel 10 in order to prevent flow of current between said nut and said face. By tightening down nut 44 on threads 42 teeth 36 will dig into panel 10 so as to prevent rotation of sleeve 14 within opening 12.

Flow of current through the jack will take more than one path. One path will be through terminal 30, washer 24, spring arm 26 and out through the tip of the previously mentioned plug to a first connector therewithin. The plug will have two conductors leading from its base portion, the first conductor extending through its base to the tip of the plug and a second conductor extending from the base of the plug to an external circuit. The base of the plug will abut the free face of nut 44 and allow current to flow from the second conductor through nut 44, sleeve 14, washer 18 and out through terminal 20. Current will also flow from the second conductor through nut 44, sleeve 14, member 38 and out through panel 10 to ground.

It is important to note that any current flowing from sleeve 14 to panel 10 must pass through member 38. Under some conditions the atmosphere to the left of panel 10 (as seen in Fig. 2) will be laden with vapor and 4 tion of high resistance metallic compounds. This danger is obviated by so choosing the material out of which member 38 is made that it stands intermediate the metals for the jack and panel in the electromotive series. Thus, if panel 10 were to be of stainless steel and the metal parts of the jack were to be of aluminum, member 38 might be made of tin. In this connection, it is not necessary that member 38 be constructed entirely of the desired metal. All that is necessary is that the desired metal be incorporated in the surface of the member. For this reason, it is possible to make member 38 of other materials and coat or plate the member with the desired metal. Since'the jack and panel may be constructed of various materials it is not possible to state exactly what materials should be used in the surfaces of member 38 except to state that the material used for member 38 should. be located intermediate the materials used for the jack and panel in the electromotive series. V

Member 38 is considered to differentiate the invention over what has heretofore been taught in the prior art. Member 38 is considered advantageous over prior art constructions, for example, in that it permits sleeve 14 to be 4 constructed from smaller diameter stock than has heretofore been considered possible. Instead of member 38 there has heretofore been employed an annular shoulder. (See for example the patent to Carter, No. 1,620,755, wherein an annular shoulder 15 is employed.) The use of an annular shoulder requires that the sleeve for the jack be made from stock as large in diameter as the diameter of the shoulder. Additionally considerable machining of the sleeve is necessary to form the shoulder. With the use of member 38 sleeve 14 may be constructed from stock no larger than the major diameter of threads 42. r

The use of toothed member 38in the illustrated position is considered advantageous over the use of an annular shoulder for the further reason that teeth 36 formed on member 38 exert a squeezingiforce on

washers

18 and 24 so as to prevent them from shifting around sleeve 14. Teeth 36 also dig into panel 10 and prevent rotation of sleeve 14 within opening 12. Teeth 40 are advantageous in that they dig into the surface of sleeve'14 and provide a firm" electrical connection between the sleeve and member 38. I

Member 38 is advantageous from the further standpoint that it provides a mechanism for preventing electrolytic corrosion of the jack and panel 10 as stated previously. 7 p 7 The structural relationships by which the foregoing and other advantages are achieved areset forth in the following claims.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim:

1. An electrical jack adapted for installation within an opening in a panel, said jack comprising a sleeve having a projection at one of its ends, a series of insulating members and terminal-carrying members arranged on said sleeve in alignment with said projection, a washer having a series of teeth in biting engagement with said sleeve, saidwasher having other teeth extending from its opposite faces for biting engagement with one of the members and aforementioned panel, and means on the opposite end of said sleeve for squeezing said washer between said one member and the aforementioned panel, thereby preventing rotation of said sleeve and terminalcarrying members.

2. The combination according to claim 1 wherein th surfaces of said washer, sleeve and panel are metallic and wherein the metal surface of the washer is selected from metals lying between the metals of the sleeve and panel in the electromotive series, whereby any tendency for a corrosive electrolytic current to be set up between the sleeve and panel is minimized.

3. An electrical jack adapted for installation Within an opening in a metal panel, said jack comprising a" sleeve having a radially extending projection at one ofits ends, a series of insulating members and terminal carrying members arranged on said'sleeve in registry with said projection, a washer having a series of teeth in gripping engagement with said sleeve and having other teeth extending from its opposite faces for gripping engagement with one of the insulating members and the aforementioned panel respectively, and means on the opposite end of said sleeve for squeezing said wash er between said one insulating member and the aforementioned panelfthereby preventing rotation of said sleeve and terminal-carrying members. n V

4. The combination according toclaim 3 wherein the second mentioned teeth extend angularly out of the plane of the washer and act compressively against the one insulating member, thereby preventing rotation of said members around said sleeve. p

5. An electrical jack adapted for installation within an opening in a metal panel, said j'ack comprising a metal sleeve, a series of insulating members and terminal-carrying members arranged on oneehd'of said sleeve, a metallic washer in engagementwith said-sleeve and one of said members, means on the' opposite end of said sleeve for forcing one face of said washer to frictionally engage the aforementioned panel, the metals for said washer, sleeve and panel being so selected that the metal for the washer is located between the metals for the sleeve and panel in the electromotive series, whereby any tendency for a corrosive electrolytic current to be set up between the sleeve and panel is minimized.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS