US2957156A

US2957156A - Reversible connector

Info

Publication number: US2957156A
Application number: US759295A
Authority: US
Inventors: James V Gatto; Robert M Florentino
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1958-09-05
Filing date: 1958-09-05
Publication date: 1960-10-18
Anticipated expiration: 1977-10-18

Description

Oct. 18, 19 J. v. GATTO ETAL REVERSIBLE CONNECTOR Filed Sept. 5, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 2.

Q8 /6 I31! 35 d Jl) INVENTOR. JAMES M 64 EOBEET A7, f2 CDQEYVT7/VO Patented Oct. 18, 1960 REVERSIBLE CONNECT OR James V. Gatto, 16 Dartmouth St., and Robert M. Florentine, 33 Brooks Ave., both of Arlington, Mass.

Filed Sept. 5, 1958, Ser. No. 759,295

6 Claims. (Cl. 339-31) This invention relates to an improved electrical connector having a reversible component carrying male prongs of different sizes which are selectively available for plugging into different receptacles to form electrical connections therewith.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a more practical, rugged, efficient, and serviceable connector of this kind which is easily reversed for the purposes indicated, and which is composed of a small number of simple and easily assembled parts, and which facilitate multiple circuit testing operations, as in television servicing.

Another object of the invention is to provide in a connector of the character indicated above, means for positively locking the reversible component in either of its two predetermined positions, in such a way that the prongs of said component are secured in electrically and mechanically efficient contacts with contact elements of the connector in either position, and in such a way that chances of shorts and of electrical shocks to users of the connector are eliminated.

Other important objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein, for purposes of illustration only, a specific form of the invention is set forth in detail.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a plan view of a reversible connector of the invention;

Figure 2 is a left-hand end elevation of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an edge elevation of Figure 1 and includes in phantom lines in withdrawn relation thereto different plug connectors usable therewith;

Figure 4 is a plan view similar to Figure 1 and includes in phantom lines a bladed connector plug in withdrawn position;

Figure 5 is a plan view of said reversible connector with its cover plate removed;

Figure 6 is a horizontal section taken through the reversible connector, showing the latches in closed position, in full lines and in open positions in phantom lines and a rotated position of the prong block in phantom lines;

Figure 7 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on the line 77 of Figure 1; and

Figure 8 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line 8-8 of Figure 3.

Referring in detail to the drawings, wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, the illustrated reversible connector, generally designated 10, comprises an elongated preferably rectangular panshaped dielectric case 12 which has a bottom wall 14, side walls 16, and a rear end wall 18, and is open and devoid of a front wall at its forward end.

Rising along the longitudinal center line of the case 12 from the bottom wall 14 is a longitudinal relatively thick web 20 having a top surface 22 on a level slightly above the upper edges of the side walls 16. The web 20 is secured at its rear end to the end wall 18 and 161? minates in a forward end 24 at a point about midway of the length of the. case 12. The web 20 has opposite sides 26 which are parallel spaced from the side walls 16 and therewith and with the bottom wall 14 define contact chambers 28, which are open at their forward ends and are closed at their rear ends by the end wall 13. The end wall 18 has therethrough slots 30 next to the opposite sides 26 of the web 20 for passing flat prongs 32 of a connector plug 33 forwardly and longitudinally into the chambers 28.

A generally flat removable cover plate 34 covers the open top of the case 12 and bears upon the upper surface 22 of the web 20 and the upper edges of the end and side walls of the case and is held in place by a screw 35 threaded through the cover plate and into a forward part of the upper surface of the web 20. On the underside of the cover plate 34 is a depending boss 36 having a rear edge 38 engaging the forward end 24 of the web 20, a forward edge 4% displaced rearwardly from the forward end 42 of the cover plate, and side edges 4-4 which are offset laterally inwardly from the side edges of the cover plate and are engaged with the inward sides of the case side walls 16, as shown in Figure 8, in a nesting arrangement which stabilizes the cover plate in place on the case 12 and lends rigidity to the case walls.

Fixed upon the case bottom wall 14 in front of and connected to the forward end 24 of the web 20 and transversely elongated crosswise of the case 12 is a relatively low and narrow block 46 which is spaced rearwardly from the forward end of the case 12 and has an upper surface 48 which is spaced below the upper surface of the web 20.

Fixed to and depending centrally from the cover plate 34 near its forward end 42 is a pivot pin 50 having a free lower end 52 which seats in a socket 54 formed in the upper surface of a rib 56 which rises from the case bottom wall 14 at the forward end thereof and is elongated crosswise of the case 12. A transversely elongated spacer block 58 engages the underside of the cover plate 34 forwardly of the boss '36 and has its rear edge supportably engaged with the forward edge 40 of the boss, and is slidably traversed by the pivot pin 50, as indicated at 60. The facing sides of the rib 56 and the spacer block 58 provide bearing surfaces for a rotatable and reversible male prong carrying block 62.

The prong carrying block 62 is of dielectric material, of rectangular cross section, and is elongated crosswise of the case 12, is of slightly less length than the width of the case, and has beveled ends 64. The block 62 has a central vertical bore 66 therethrough which slidably and rotatably receives the pivot pin 50. As shown in Figure 7, the block 62 is of a thickness to fit closely but freely between the facing surfaces of the rib 56 and the spacer block 58.

Fixedly secured to and projecting from opposite sides of the prong carrying block 62 are pairs of

male prongs

68 and 70, respectively, which are of desired different sizes and spacings relative to each other, so as to be acceptable by related electrical receptacles to which the connector 10 is to be selectively connected by rotating the block 62 relative to the case 12 to put the desired prongs in forwardly projecting relation to the case 12. As indicated at 72 in Figure 5, the individual

male prongs

68 and 70 are severally connected together.

For locking the prong carrying block 62 in either of its reversed positions, longitudinally elongated latch arms 74 are provided which work through horizontal longitudinal slots 76 which are provided in the case side walls 16 forwardly of the web 20 and opening through the forward ends of these side walls. The latch arms are secured at their rear ends on vertical pivots 78 secured across the rear ends of the slots 76 in enlargements 80 so as to be swingable fromfthe solid line latching positions shown in Figure 6, to the open phanton line positions-shown therein.

The laterally inward sides of the latch arms 74 have longitudinal detent recesses 82 therein near the'forwar'd ends of the latch arms, which-have bevelled ends 84, for conformably and retainably receiving and engaging the beveled ends 64 of the prong carrying block 62, in the latching positions of the arms 74, whereby the block 62 is secured in one of its two reversible positions, as shown in Figure 6. It is to be observed that in the closed positions of the latch arms 74 the case 1 2 is entirely.

closed, so that entry thereinto of any extraneous object,

with accompanying hazards of shock or of short-circuiting the connector, are positively eliminated.

The prong carrying block 62 is rotatable through three hundred sixty degrees, and selective electrical engagements of its

prongs

68 and 70 are, in the fully reversed and latched positions of the block 62, with a pair of upwardly tensioned spring contacts 88 which are mounted side by side over and upon the upper surface of the low block 46. The contacts 88 are individually connected, as indicated at 90, to the forward ends of longitudinal conductors 92 which terminate at their rear ends in conductive sockets 94, secured in recesses in the sides 26 of the web 20, in vertical alignment with holes 96 provided in the rear part of the cover plate .34. At option, a plug connector 98 having round male prongs 100 is adapted to be electrically andmechanically connected to the connector '10 by insertion of its prongs 100 downwardly through the holes 96 and into the sockets 94.

J-shaped spring contacts 102 are disposed longitudinally in the chambers 28 and have straight shank portions 104 bearing against the inward sides of the case side walls 16, as shown in Figure 6, and have forward end portions 1G6 which extend laterally inwardly and are secured in slots 108 in the sides of the web 20 at the forward end thereof. The shank portions 106 are in electrical engagement, as indicated at 110, with the portions 90 of the contacts 88, so that the contacts Hi2 are electrically connected to the contacts 88.

The J-shaped contacts 102 terminate at their rear ends in laterally inwardly projecting crooks 112 which are closely spaced from the sockets 94. The flat prongs 32 of the connector plug 33 inserted through the slots 30 in the case end wall 18 frictionally engage between and make electrical engagements with the sockets 94 and the crooks 112 to complete a circuit to the contacts 33.

A pocket clip 86, facilitating carrying of the connector 10, in a convenient position on the person ofthe user, is secured along the underside of the case bottom wall 14.

Spring means can be associated with the latch arms 74- to urge them inwardly toward latching engagement with the prong carrying block 62, if desired, but this is not essential to efiicient operation of the connector because the latch arms can be readily friction pivoted on the pins 78 so as to have the positiveftendencyrto remain in either latched or unlatched positions into which they may be manually moved.

It is to be noted that upon removal of the cover plate 34 upon loosening of the screw 35, that" the pin" Shis removed from the spacer block 58 and from the prong carrying block 62, so that the block 62 can then be readily replaced, if desiredwith another similar block carrying form of male prongs other than those above described.

It is also to be noted that the two

connector plugs

33 and 98 can be connected at one and the same time to the connector 10, for certain circuit operating or testing, as in servicing a television receiver orthe like, and that such operations are greatly facilitated by the use of the connector 10, :and by the consequent elimination of the 4 need for additional elements for carrying out such operations.

While there has been shown and described herein a preferred form of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarily confined thereto, and that any change or changes in the structure of and in the relative arrangements of components thereof are contemplated as being within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A reversible connector comprising a case having forward and rear ends and spaced top and bottom walls having free forward ends, a block pivotally mounted on and between said walls at the forward ends thereof, said block having ends and opposite sides, pairs of differing male prongs fixed and projecting from said opposite sides, related prongs of the pairs being electrically connected to each other, a pair of contacts mounted on said bottom wall rearwardly of said block for electrical engagement by a pair of male prongs, latch means on opposite sides of the case for retainably engaging related ends of said block while a pair of male prongs is en gaged with said contacts, and receptacle means on said case electrically connected to said pairrof contacts.

2. A reversible connector according to claim 1, wherein said receptacle means comprises a pair of side openings in said top wall and a pair of end openings in the rear end of the case, a second pair of contacts in the case engageable by prongs inserted either through the side openings or through the end openings, the contacts of the second pair being connected to related ones of the first mentioned contacts.

3. A reversible connector comprising a pan-shaped dielectric case having an open top and an open forward end, said case having a bottom Wall, side walls, and a rear end wall, a contact mounting web on and rising from said bottom wall at said rear end wall and having sides spaced laterally from said side walls to define contact chambers, said web having a forward end spaced rearwardly from the forward end of the case, longitudinal slots in the side walls forwardly of the web and opening through the forward end of the case, longitudinal latch arms having rear ends pivoted on the side walls at the rear ends of the slots and forward ends, a removable cover plate overlying the side walls, said end wall, and said web and secured to the web, a pivot pin fixed to the cover plate at the forward end of the cover plate and having a free lower end, a socket formation on the bottom plate in line with and receiving the lower end of the pivot pin, a male prong carrying block having therethrough a central bore through which the pivot pin extends slidably and rotatably, said prong carrying block able while the prong carrying block is in a crosswise position, a multiple contact mounted inv each of said chambers and electrically connected to related ones of said fixed contacts, and access means on the case and the cover plate providing selective access to the multiple contacts for connector plugs having prongs.

4. A reversible connector according to claim 3, wherein each of'said multiple. contacts comprising a socket contact and a longitudinal spring contact, and said access means comprises holes in the cover plate aligned with the socket contacts, and slots in the case end wall aligned with the socket contacts and the longitudinal contacts. '5. A reversible connector comprising a hollow case having first and second ends, a pair of fixed contacts within the case at a point intermediate the ends of the case, said case being formed with a pair of end openings in said first end and a pair of side openings in a side of the case adjacent to said first end, a pair of compound contacts Within the case adjacent to said first end, said compound contacts being reachable by prongs inserted through either the end openings or the side openings, said compound contacts being connected to related ones of the fixed contacts, a reversible block journaled in the case at said second end, said block having first and second sides, pairs of difiering male prongs on said first and second sides, prongs of one pair being electrically connected to related prongs of the other pair, said block being rotatable relative to the case to expose one pair of male contacts at the second end of the case while engaging the other pair of male contacts with the fixed contacts.

6. A reversible connector comprising a hollow case having first and second ends, a pair of fixed contacts 20 within the case at a point intermediate the ends of the case, said case being formed with a pair of end openings in said first end and a pair of side openings in a side of the case adjacent to said first end, a pair of compound contacts within the case adjacent to said first end,

said compound contacts being reachable by prongs inserted through either the end openings or the side openings, said compound contacts being connected to related ones of the fixed contacts, a reversible block journaled in the case at said second end, said block having first and second sides, pairs of differing male prongs on said first and second sides, prongs of one pair being electrically connected to related prongs of the other pair, said block being rotatable relative to the case to expose one pair of male contacts at the second end of the case While engaging the other pair of male contacts with the fixed contacts, and flexible latch arms mounted on sides of the case and releasably engageable With ends of the reversible blocks to hold the block in position to engage a pair of male contacts with the first contacts.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,075,632 Zuckerman Mar. 30, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS 565,155 France Nov. 5, 1923 946,318 France Dec. 13, 1948