US2912666A

US2912666A - Corrugated strip connector

Info

Publication number: US2912666A
Application number: US539894A
Authority: US
Inventors: Hurvitz Hyman
Original assignee: Radiation Inc
Current assignee: Radiation Inc
Priority date: 1955-10-11
Filing date: 1955-10-11
Publication date: 1959-11-10
Anticipated expiration: 1976-11-10

Description

Nov. 10, 1959 Y H. HURvlTz 2,912,666

CORRUGATED STRIP CONNECTOR Filed oct. 11, 1955 57 FI 34.. Em

. x PLASTl 1N VENTOR CORRUGATEDSTRIR CONNECTOR 1:' 1

Hyman Hurvitz, Washington, D.C., assignor to Radiation, Inc., Melbourne, Fla., a corporation of Florida Application October 1'1, 195'5, Serial No. '539,894

1 Claim. (Cl. 339-61) The present invention relates generally to electrical connectors, and more particularly to low cost electrical connectors in which a plurality of wire ends may be inter connected, at will, by insertion of the wire ends into the connector.

It has long been a problem, in breadboard wiring of electronic assemblies, to provide exibility of operation, and to dispense with soldered joints, to the end that wiring might be rapidly accomplished, and that changes in wiring might be expeditiously made. Desiderata fora connector which might answer the problem `are (1) low cost (2) -long life (3) ability iirmly to interconnect a large number of wires in response to mere insertion of the wire ends into the connector (4) ease of securing the connector at any point and in any desired orientation on a solid hacker member. Connector-s presently available do not generally comply with all the above desiderata.

In accordance with the present invention, an elongated strip of thin metal is secured at points disposed along its length to a similar strip of resilient plastic material. One of the strips may be corrugated or slotted, providing alternate ridges and furrows, While the other Vstrip may remain flat. The ridges may represent the points at which the strips adjoin and are secured together. The furrows may have a depth just adequate to permit force tit of wire ends or leads, which are then maintained in securerelation by the resilience of the plastic strip, and are electrically interconnected by the metal strip.

Modications of the simple connector above described may be resorted to, in which a strip of corrugated metal is sandwiched between two flat plastic strips, or in which a strip of corrugated plastic is sandwiched between two at metal strips, and further variants are contemplated and are hereinafter described.

The strip connectors so for-med may readily be tacked, or screwed down to a board as by wood screws, at any position thereon, and in any orientation, without special preparation of the board, suitable apertures being provided in the strips for `this purpose. Connectors in accordance with the invention may be manufactured in long strips, from which connector elements desired length may be cut by the user, by means of metal cutting shears.

It is, accordingly, a broad object of the present invention to provide a novel multiple wire solderless connector.

It is a lfurther object of the invention to provide a connector which may be readily secured, as by tacks, to a backer plate, of wood, fiber-board, or the like.

nited States PatentO,

lt is another object of the present invention to pro- I vide a strip connector which may be fabricated of any ZlZb Patented Nov. 10, 1959 ice ent plastic, at least one of the strips `being corrugated, and all the strips conjoined in parallel plane relation.

`The above and stillrfurther objects, features and advantagesgof-theupresent invention willbecorne apparent upon consideration of the -following detailed description of one specific embodiment thereof, especially when taken in conjunction with Ithe accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a View in cross section taken longitudinally of a multiple lead connector arranged in accordance with the present invention, taken on the l-ine 1 1 of Figure 2; Y

Figure 2 is la view in plan of the connector of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a view in section, taken longitudinally, of a modification of the connector of Figures 1 and 2.

Referring now more particularly to Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings, the reference numeral 1 denotes a at thin strip of metaLFand 2 a similar parallel'strip vof: metal, such as copper, brass, aluminum, or y Sandwiched lbetween the strips 1 and 2 is a the like, sheet of corrugated or slotted resilient plastic, having ridges 4 and furrows 5. The metal plates 1 and 2 are provided with apertures 6, located in coincidence with the ridges 4, or some of these. In fabricating the connectors the plastic, selected to soften when hot, is heated suciently to cause material of the ridges 4 to llow through the slots 6, thereby securing the elements of the assembly togther lirmfly when the plastic cools. Clearly, if desired, the strips 1 and 2 may be secured together otherwise than as shown, 4as by rivets, or the like, or may be unsecured except by a device, such as a tack or wood screw, which secures the unit to a wood panel. Wire ends, or leads, 7 may ybe inserted into the furrows 5. The height of the several furrows is selected to accept the leads or wire ends 7 on force fit, by forcing the sides of the corrugations apart, and/or forcing the strips 1 and 2 slightly.

In the system of Figure 3 the structure of Figure 1 is duplicated, in superposition, to provide a larger number of possible connection points, for a given length of connector strip;

l In this connection, it will be noted that the structure of Figures 1 and 2 provides two relatively insulated connector assemblies or sets of lead apertures, since leads in contact with strip 1 are insulated from those in contact with the strip 2. In the structure of Figure 3, on the other hand, four sets of apertures are provided. One set, 40, is in contact with metallic strip 41, and one set, 42, is in contact with metallic strip 43, and these are insulated from each other. Two sets of apertures 44, 45 are available to the metallic strip 46, one above i-t and one bel-ow it, and these latter apertures are electrically insulated from the other two sets of apertures, 40 and 42.

Further modification of the species of the invention above described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, may be devised, Without departing from the true spirit of the invention, as dened in the appended claim. In particular, the several strips may be corrugated .on one side only, or provided with lateral slots on one side only.

While I have described and illustrated several specific examples of the present invention it will be clear that variations of the specific details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the true spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

What I claim is:

A iiat strip multiple lead connector, comprising three f thin elongated strips of material 4lying in stacked relation, the outer of sa-id strips being metallic and substan- 3 d tially plane, and the intermediate one of said strips con- References Cited in the le of this patent sisting of resilient insulating material having transversely extending corrugations along its entire length, means UNITED STATES PATENTS securing all said strips in conjoint and relatively fixed 2,112,752. Abbott Mar. 29, 1938 parallel plane relation along the entire lengths of all 5 2,396,725 Thomas Mar. 19, 1946 said strips, said last means including integral formations 2,688,735 Hub-bell Sept. 7, 1954 on the resilient strip at each of its corrugations, entering apertures in the adjacent metal strip for securing them FOREIGN PATENTS together. 281,864. Great Britain Dec. l5, 1927