US2774054A

US2774054A - Battery terminal connector

Info

Publication number: US2774054A
Application number: US506146A
Authority: US
Inventors: William G Tenney
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1955-05-05
Filing date: 1955-05-05
Publication date: 1956-12-11
Anticipated expiration: 1973-12-11

Description

1956 w. e. TENNEY BATTERY TERMINAL CONNECTOR Filed May 5, 1955 United States Patent BATTERY TERMINAL CONNECTOR William G. Tenney, Chicago, Ill. Application May '5, 1955, Serial No. 506,146

2 Claims. (Cl. 339-433) This invention relates to a battery terminal connector, and in particular it relates to a battery terminal connector which is extremely compact and inexpensive to manufacture, and which may be used as a replacement connector on automobile battery cables.

The terminal of the present invention utilizes a lead sheathed U-bolt of the type which has only the threaded end portions of its arm exposed, the entire base of the U and most of both arms being protected by the lead casing.

The cable end is clamped onto a one piece clamping member which has a bar provided adjacent its ends with apertures to receive the arms of the U-bolt, and a neck portion which is perpendicular to one margin of the straight bar and is narrower than the space between the apertures so that it may extend away from the U-bolt parallel to the U-bolt arms. The clamp bar is deep enough that the hex nuts by means of which the clamping member is secured to the U-bolt just clear the margins of the neck portion as they are screwed onto the threaded arms of the U-bolt.

At the outer end of the neck is a pair of laterally flaring ears to receive upright bolts for cable attaching means which firmly secures the uninsulated end of the cable in a longitudinal position on the neck of the clamp member. The attaching means includes a pressure plate which has laterally extending portions opposite the ends of the U- bolt arms; and the length of the neck is such that when the bar of the clamp member is clamped against a battery terminal post, there is insufficient clearance between the ends of the U-bolt and the pressure plate to remove the nuts from the U-bolt arms without sliding the clamp member outwardly with the nuts as they are unscrewed. Since the cable extends longitudinally outwardly from the neck of the clamp member, the stiffness of the cable tends to urge the clamp bar against the terminal post, so that if the nuts on the U-bolt loosen, they will ordinarily butt against the pressure plate adjacent the cable end before they can fall off the U-bolt. Furthermore, the thrust of the cable against the clamping member takes off of the nuts some of the thrust which tends to loosen them,

The mounting of the clamp member so that it has a cable receiving neck portion extending longitudinally away from the U-bolt and the provision of attaching means on the neck to clamp a cable end in a position extending longitudinally from the neck provides a very compact simple terminal member in which the various elements cooperate with the cable in a novel way.

The invention is illustrated in a preferred embodiment in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a top plan view of the device of the invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof;

Figure 3 is a section taken as indicated along line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a section taken as indicated along line 4-4 of Figure 2;

2,774,054 Patented Dec. 11, 1956 Figure 5 is a section taken as indicated along line 5--5 of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a bottom plan view of the clamp member; and

Figure 7 is an end elevation of the clamp member.

Referring to the drawings in greater detail, the battery terminal of the present invention includes a U-bolt 10 having arms 11 provided with threaded end portions 12; and a lead sheath 13 covers all of the U-bolt except its threaded end portions.

A clamp member, indicated generally at 14, has a straight clamp bar 15 which has apertures 16 near its ends (Fig. 7) to receive the end portions 12 of the U-bolt arms, and perpendicular to a margin of the clamp bar 15 is a neck portion 17 which is narrower than the space between the apertures 16 and extends away from the U-bolt parallel to its arms. The outer end of the neck 17 flares laterally to provide cars 18 in which are holes 19 which are generally opposite the ends of U-bolt arms 11. The clamp member 14 is secured on the arms of the U-bolt by nuts 20 so that a battery terminal post T may be firmly clamped between the base of the U-bolt and the clamp bar 15.

The uninsulated end portion 21 of a cable 22 is firmly secured in a position extending longitudinally of the outer end of the neck 17 by attaching means consisting of a laterally extending pressure plate 23 which is clamped onto the cable end 21 by bolts 24 which extend through the holes 20 and through matching holes in the pressure bar, and nuts 25 screwed onto said bolts.

As Figure 4 shows, the depth of the straight clamp bar 15 and the width of the neck 17 are such that there is a small clearance for the hex nuts 20 to turn when they are screwed onto the U-bolt to clamp the clamp member against the battery terminal post T.

As best seen in Figure 1, the pressure plate 23 of the cable attaching means has a shape substantially identical with that of the outer portion of the neck 17 and associated ears 18, and as seen in Figure 5, the end portions of the pressure plate are aligned with the ends of the U-bolt arms 11. Thus, the hex nuts 20 may be removed from the U-bolt arms only by moving the clamp bar 15 out wardly along the arms behind the nuts 20 as they are unscrewed. The normal stiilness of the battery cable thrusting inwardly on the clamp member 14 tends to prevent the clamp member from moving outwardly with the hex nuts unless direct linear force is applied to the cable or to the clamp member. The length of the U-bolt arms 11 from a perpendicular plane tangent to the battery terminal post plus the thickness of the nuts 20 is greater than the thickness of the clamp bar 15 plus the length of the neck 17 to the ears 18, so that the thrust of the cable ordinarily prevents vibration of a vehicle from loosening the hex nuts 20 to the point where they can fall oil.

The foregoing detailed description is given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, for some modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. A battery terminal connector comprising: a U-bolt having parallel arms adapted to embrace a battery terminal post; a clamping member including a clamp bar having apertures adjacent its ends to receive the end portions of the U-bolt arms and an integral neck with extends outwardly from a transversely extending margin of said bar parallel to said arms, said neck being narrower than the space between the arms; and having laterally flared ears at its outer end provided with holes, said ears being wider than the space between said arms; fastening means for a battery cable including a laterally extending pressure plate which has ears substantially coextensive with those on the neck, and means for clamping the uninsulated end portion of a battery cable in alongitudinallyeigtending 7 U-bolt, the" length of said arms from a perpendiculap ptane-l tangent tolthe batteryterminal post plustthetthickness 'ot said nuts being greater than the thickness of said claim bar plus the lengthof said neck-to saidears. p

2. A battery terminalnconnector comprising: a u bolt having parallel armsadapted to embrace a battery termi-' nal postg a clamping member: including a clamp bar having apertures adjacent :its ends to receive therend portions of the U-bolt arms and an integral neck -whichextends outwardly from between the ends of said bar parallel. to saidharms s aid neckbeing narrower than the space between the arms; cable'attaching means on the vneek'to receive the uninsulatedwend portionvof a battery cable which a tend longi ndinallyot the neck; said attaching. means including laterally extending ears opposite the ends of the U-bolt arms; and nutsifastening said clamping membet to the U-bolt, the length of said arms from a perpendicular plane tangent to the battery terminal post plus the thickness of said nuts being greater than the thickness of said clamp bar plus the: length of said neck to said laterally extending ears.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED. STATESIATENTS Carlson Oct. 17, 1939 Gdodnight- Apr. 10, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 824,361 Germany Dec. 10, 1951