US2825883A

US2825883A - Electric connector member with yielding side walls

Info

Publication number: US2825883A
Application number: US415358A
Authority: US
Inventors: Hugh W Batcheller
Original assignee: KENT Manufacturing CORP
Current assignee: KENT Manufacturing CORP
Priority date: 1954-03-10
Filing date: 1954-03-10
Publication date: 1958-03-04
Anticipated expiration: 1975-03-04

Description

H. w. BATCHELLER 2,825,883

ELECTRIC CONNECTOR MEMBER WITH YIELDING SIDE WALLS March 4, 1958 Filed March 10, 1954 villi!! ELECTRIC CONNECTOR MEMBER 'WITH YIELDING SIDE WALLS Hugh W. Batcheller, Newton, Mass, assignor to Kent Mfg. Corp Newton, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application March 1i), E54, Serial No. 415,358

1 Claim. v(Cl. 339-458) This invention relates to an electric connector of the male-and-female type and more particularly to the female member of an electric connector. A common variety of this type of connector consists of a female member made of a piece of sheet metal bent into the shape of a shallow channel with a bottom, side walls, and inturned flanges on the side walls, and a male member comprising essentially a plane tongue adapted to fit into the channel of the other member and to be pressed against the floor of the channel or the under sides of the flanges, or both, to promote a. good electrical contact between the members.

According to the present invention, the female connector member is a relatively deep channel with side walls which converge upward and yield outward to substantial parallelism when the male connector member is thrust into the channel. The female member is preferably made by bending a sheet metal blank to the form of a channel. The bending of the side walls of the channel up from the plane of the blank tends to harden the metal and to increase the resilience thereof along the lines of bend. When a male connector member is thrust into the channel, this male member having a width nearly equal to the width of the channel fioor between the side walls, the upper parts of the wall are forced apart until they are nearly parallel to admit the male member between them. The resilience of the metal of the female member, particularly at the junctions of the side walls with the floor, presses the side walls against the sides of the male member and thus promotes a good electrical contact between the members.

For a more complete understanding of the invention reference may be had to the following description thereof and to the drawing, of which- Figure l is a plan view of the members of a connector embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same;

Figure 3 is a section on the line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a section similar to Figure 3, but with the members assembled;

Figure 5 is a plan view of a modified form of the invention;

Figure 6 is a section on the line 66 of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a side elevation of another modified form of the invention, the members being assembled;

Figure 8 is a section on the line 8-8 of Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a side elevation of a multiple male member assembled with female members;

Figure 10 is a section similar to Figure 3 but showing narrower members;

Figure 11 is a section similar to Figure 8 but showing narrower members; and

Figure 12 is a fragmentary side elevation of a modified form of connector.

The connector shown in Figures 1 to 4 of the drawing comprises a male member and a female member 22. The male member consists chiefly of a rectangular tongue 24 with a widened portion at its rear end forming shoulders 26 which limit the distance of insertion in the 2,825,883 'iatented Mar. 4, 1958 other member. The female member consists chiefly of a deep channel having a floor 28 from the side edges of which rise two side walls 39, the height of these walls being preferably greater than the width of the floor 28. The walls 349 incline slightly upward toward each other, as indicated in Figure 3. The forward ends of the connector members are shaped so that when they are brought together there is a mutual camming or wedging action which forces the walls 39 outward to substantial parallelism as indicated in Figure 4. This wedging action may be had in a variety of ways. For example, the forward edges 32 of the side walls 30 may be inclined upwardly and rearwardly, as in Figure 2, so that the leading end of the tongue '24 can enter at the bottom where the channel is as wide as the tongue, and gradually wedge apart the upper parts of the side walls as it advances. Alternatively, the forward end of the tongue may be inclined as indicated at 33 in Figure 12 to enter between side walls 38' the forward ends of which may be vertical, as in Figure 12, or inclined, as in Figure 2. Instead of inclining the forward ends of the walls 30 or the tongue 24, or in addition thereto, the upright front edges of the tongue may be rounded or chamfered as indicated, for example, at 44.

From the upper margin of one or both side walls 30 elements 34 project inward, that is, toward the other wall to confine the male member as hereinafter described. Both members are provided with suitable means such as

flaps

36 and 38 by which the members can be firmly joined to stripped ends 49 of wires and to the adjacent insulation 42 on the wires. The height of the tongue 24 is slightly less than the vertical distance from the floor 28 to the elements 34 so that when the members are assembled the elements 34 confine the tongue 24 in the channel, preventing any separation of the members by upward movement of the tongue from the floor of the channel. Thus the members are held in line and jack-knifing is prevented.

When the walls 30 are sprung apart by the entrance of the tongue 24 the metal at the junctions of the side walls and floor is slightly strained, and the resultant restoring force causes the side walls 34 to press firmly against the opposing faces of the tongue 24. Since the actual distortion of the female member is slight and well within the elastic limit, connections and disconnections can be made an indefinite number of times without sensibly diminishing the pressure of the walls 30 on the sides of the tongue 24 when the connector members are assembled.

The frictional engagement between the walls 30 and tongue 24 holds the members together against a moderate separating force. A firmer union can be had by interengaging recess and boss on the members. For example, a side wall 30 may be externally indented to form an interior boss 46 near the top of the wall so that it can yield outward, a recess 48 may be provided in a side face of the tongue '24 to receive the boss 46 when the members are assembled. The tongue may have a recess 48 on each of its side faces so that either can be presented to the boss 46.

instead of the elements 34 on the side walls 3b to prevent separating movement of the tongue 24 upward from the floor of the channel, the male member may be provided with a portion adapted to engage under the floor when the members are assembled. Such a member is illustrated in Figures 7 and 8 and comprises a tongue 50, which may be of the same size and shape as the tongue 24, and an element 52 which is separated from the tongue 50 by a slot 54 just wide enough to receive the floor 28. The element 52 may conveniently but not necessarily have the same size and shape as the tongue 50 so that it can also be used as a tongue to be inserted in the channel. If a male member of this description is employed, the elements 34 on the side walls 3t) may be dispensed with.

The connector members need not be of any particular width. For example an interfitting tongue 60 and channel 62 combination is shown in Figure 10. These members may. be identical with those shown in Figure 4 except that they are narrower. In like manner, the tongue 64 and channel 66, shown in Figure 11, may be like those shown in Figure 8, except for Width.

The channel members hereinbefore described lend themselves conveniently to multiple connections as illusrated in Figure 9. Where a number of wires are to be connected to a common conductor, a multiple male connector member 70 may be provided, having a desired number of tongues 72 projecting therefrom, each tongue being adapted for assembly with a channel 74 as herein- .before described.

I claim: In an electric connector consisting of a male and female member, a female member comprising a metal channel having a plane floor slightly wider than the male member and two resilient side walls of greater height than the width of the floor extending upward from the side edges of the floor and slightly converging upward, the front edges of said side Walls sloping upward and rearward, and inturned elements along the tops of said side walls preventing separation of the members by upward movement of the male member from the floor of the female member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,288,918 Parker July 7, 1942 2,321,469 Draving June 8, 1943 2,353,628 Alden July 18, 1944 2,543,415 Macy Feb. 27, 1951 2,578,436 Lundy Dec. 11, 1951 2,579,739 Hayes Dec. 25, 1951 2,600,190 Batcheller June 10, 1952