US2997688A

US2997688A - Connector

Info

Publication number: US2997688A
Application number: US723704A
Authority: US
Inventors: Erik J Nielsen; Howard W Troyk
Original assignee: Square D Co
Current assignee: Schneider Electric USA Inc
Priority date: 1958-03-25
Filing date: 1958-03-25
Publication date: 1961-08-22
Anticipated expiration: 1978-08-22

Description

1961 E. J. NIELSEN ET AL 2,997,688

CONNECTOR Filed March 25, 1958 INVENTOR.

ERIK J: lV/ELSEN HOWARD W TROYK 2,997,688 CONNECTOR Erik J. Nielsen, Thiensville, and Howard W. Troyk, Whitefish Bay, Wis., assignors to Square D Company, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Filed Mar. 25, 1958, Ser. No. 723,704 7 Claims. (Cl. 339-272) This invention relates to connectors and is more particularly concerned with improved connectors of the type whereby electrical connections may be made with terminal ends of wires without soldering.

This invention relates mainly to an improved connector wherein pressure is used to secure a bared end of a conductor.

In the connector according to the present invention, the pressure of the securing screws on the bared end of the wire is applied by means of a member which is interposed between the wire end and the pressure applying end of the fastening screw. The present invention is mainly directed to an improved member for applying pressure to the end of the wire to be secured in the connector and the novel manner for maintaining the member in position in the connector.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved pressure wire connector which includes a novel pressure applying member and arrangement for maintaining the member in position in the connector.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a pressure applying member in a pressure wire connector which member is maintained in position in the connector in a new and novel manner.

A still further object of the present invention is to include a pressure applying member in a connector which member is formed of a strip of resilient material which is curved so the ends thereof are in constant engagement with the tightening screw and is held in position in the connector by a bent portion which is held by the struck-in portions of the walls of the element which forms the main body of the connector and which bent portion will limit the depth of insertion of the wire into the connector.

Further objects and features of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the specification and appended drawing illustrating certain preferred embodiments in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the connector according to the present invention as mounted in a segment of a terminal strip shown in phantom.

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view taken along line 2-2 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along line 33 in FIG. 1 in the direction of the indicating arrows.

In the drawings, the numeral designates a connector according to the present invention which is shown as positioned in a segment 12 of a terminal strip which is more fully disclosed in application Serial No. 685,681, filed September 23, 1957, which has been assigned to the assignee of the present invention. The segment 12 is preferably formed out of a suitably molded material, such as a phenol formaldehyde condensation product more commonly known as Bakelite, to have a barrier wall 14 and a base 16 having a flat top wall. Extending from the barrier wall 14 and spaced from the base 16 is a positioning lug 18 having a projection 20 extending toward the base 16.

The terminal connector 10 is formed of a channel 21 of conducting material which provides a bottom wall 22, a top wall 24, parallel to and spaced from the bottom wall and a pair of

side walls

26 and 28 which are also parallel and spaced from one another. The top wall 24 and the

side walls

26 and 28 have a portion thereof removed to form the notch 30 which is sized to receive the ice projection 20 to position the connector 10 in the terminal segment 12 when the bottom wall 22 is in contact with the flat surface of base 16. The top wall 24 has two threaded apertures or

openings

32 and 34 located at the opposite ends thereof. Received in these threaded openings are the threaded

screws

36 and 38 respectively. As is clearly apparent, the

screws

36 and 38 may be threaded toward the bottom wall 22 and may also engage threads in the

side walls

26 and 28. Positioned within the channel member 21 is a st-riplike member 49 which is formed of a strip of resilient material to have its end portions 41 and 42 upwardly curved so as to engage the top wall 24 when the respective screws 36 or '38 are in the fully retracted position. Located intermediate the bent portions 41 and 42 is the bent portion 44 which is preferably U or V-shaped as shown. In this connection. it is to be noted that the member 40 is formed of resilient material and the armed portions 46 located between the bent portion 44 and the end portions 41 and 42, are bowed upwardly and normally stressed so that the portions 41 and 42 engage the top wall 24. The member 41-) is held in position within the channel by means of a pair of projections which are preferably circular and formed by slightly punching the

side walls

26 and 28 so that projections 48 will hold the bent portion 44 in position in close proximity to the bottom wall 22. In this connection it is to be noted that the projection 48 is located in the side walls between the bent portion 44 and the top wall 24 of the channel. Likewise, the portions 46 are located between the ends of the threaded

members

36 and 38 and the bottom wall 22 of the channel. Another feature of the device is that the presence of the bent portion 44 will limit the insertion of the bared end of the wire 5!} which may be of either the solid or braided core types when the wire is inserted in the connector and held in position when one of the screws, i.e., screw 38, is tightened to force the bared end of the wire 50 tightly between the portion 46 and the bottom surface 22. From the above it is apparent that the connector according to the present invention possesses several advantages, among which are that the single strip of material positioned between the tightening screw and the wire end will be constantly maintained in position in the channel member by a pair of puncheddn projections formed in the side walls of the channel. Another advantage of the connector is that the ends 46 of the member 40 Will constantly follow the end of the tightening

screws

36 and 38 in their travel to provide an opening for the bared end of the wire whenever the

screws

36 and 38 are in a retracted position.

While certain preferred embodiments of the invention have been specifically disclosed, it is understood that the invention is not limited thereto, as many variations will be readily apparent to those shilled in the art and the invention is to be given its broadest possible interpretation within the terms of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a connector of the character described, the combination comprising; an elongate channel of conducting material having a substantially rectangular cross sec tion defined by parallel spaced top, bottom and side walls, a pair of spaced threaded openings in the top wall, a threaded member in each of the pair of threaded openings, a striplike member of resilient maten'al formed and arranged to have substantially straight oppositely extending arms in constant engagement with the threaded members and an upwardly opening curved portion disposed between the arms and positioned contiguous to the bottom wall of the channel and an inwardly extending substantially circular projection in each side Wall intermediate the ends of the channel and adjacent the bottom wall positioned to engage with the curved portion for maintaining the bent portion of the strip-like member in its contiguous position in the channel.

2. In a connector of the character described, the combination comprising; an elongate channel of conducting material having a substantially rectangular cross section defined by parallel spaced top, bottom and side walls, a pair of spaced threaded openings in the top wall, a threaded member in each of the pair of threaded openings, a normally curved strip-like member of resilient material formed and arranged to have oppositely extending substantially straight arm portions in constant engagement with the threaded members and an upwardly opening U- shaped bent middle portion located between the arm portions positioned contiguous to the bottom wall of the channel, said channel having an inwardly extending substantially circular projection in each side wall intermediate the ends of the channel and adjacent the bottom wall located to engage the U-shaped portion for maintaining the U-shaped portion of the strip-like member in position in the channel.

3. A terminal connector having a channel of conducting material with threaded openings in a top surface adjacent the ends of the channel, threaded members threadedly received in each of the openings, a normally curved resilient strip-like member having substantially straight oppositely extending arm portions engageable with and extending external to the top surface of the channel when the members are in a retracted position and positioned between the threaded members and the bottom wall of the channel, an upwardly opening U- shaped portion intermediate the arm portions of the strip arranged to constantly engage the bottom Wall of the channel and a pair of pointed projections formed by inwardly punching the side walls of the channel, said projections being located to engage the U-shaped portion for holding the strip-like member in the channel so the U-shaped portion is contiguous to the bottom Wall of the channel.

4. The combination as recited in claim 3 wherein the material of the resilient member causes the ends thereof to be constantly stressed to engage the top wall of the channel.

5. In a terminal connector, the combination comprising; a channel of rectangular cross section having spaced top and bottom and side walls with threaded openings adjacent opposite ends in the top wall thereof, threaded members in said openings extending toward the bottom Wall, a resilient member positioned in said channel having an upwardly opening bent middle portion contiguous to the bottom wall and substantially straight ends extending from the middle portion engaged by the threaded members, and means consisting of an indentation in each of the side walls of the channel located to engage portions of an upper surface of the bent portion for holding the resilient member in the channel.

6. In a terminal connector, the combination comprising; a channel of conductive material having a rectangular cross section with a continuous bottom surface and a threaded opening in a top surface adjacent each of the opposed ends of the channel, a threaded member in each of the threaded openings, a strip-like resilient member having substantially straight arm portions extending in opposed directions from an upwardly opening curved portion intermediate the ends of said arms, said resilient member being positioned in the channel with the arms thereof in engagement with the threaded members and the curved portion in engagement with the bottom wall, and a projection in each of the side walls of the rectangular channel located to engage a top surface edge of the curved portion of said strip-like member in engagement with the bottom wall and the strip-like member in position in the channel.

7. In a connector of the character described, the combination comprising; an elongate channel of conducting material having a substantially rectangular cross section defined by parallel spaced top, bottom and a pair of spaced parallel side walls, means for positioning the channel in a support, a threaded opening in the opposed ends of the top Wall, threaded members in the threaded openings, a strip-like member of resilient material po- SlitlOIlEd in the channel, said strip-like member having substantially straight arms extending in opposite directions from an upwardly opening curved midportion with the arms in engagement with the threaded members and means for maintaining the strip-like member in position in the channel including the curved midportion in said stnip-like member and inwardly extending the projections in the side walls which are located to engage a top surface edge of the curved midportion when the midportion is positioned contiguous to the bottom wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,266,441 Finkelstein May 14, 1918 FOREIGN PATENTS 720,450 Great Britain Jan. 22, 1954