US3088086A

US3088086A - Connector for conductors

Info

Publication number: US3088086A
Application number: US57647A
Authority: US
Inventors: David J Crimmins
Original assignee: Thomas and Betts Corp
Current assignee: ABB Installation Products Inc
Priority date: 1960-09-22
Filing date: 1960-09-22
Publication date: 1963-04-30
Anticipated expiration: 1980-04-30

Description

April 30, 1963 D. .1. CRIMMINS 3,088,086

CONNECTOR FOR CONDUCTORS Filed Sept. 22, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR. -72 CA In M nvr y m mmz ATTORNEY D. J. CRIMMINS CONNECTOR FOR CONDUCTORS April 30, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 22, 1960 INVENTOR. ,2 4 (/1 m1 M uvs' ATTORNEY April 3 3 D. J. CRIMMINS 3,088,036

CONNECTOR FOR CONDUCTORS Filed Sept. 22, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 I F I G. 8

11 u MN "MW M INVENTOR. 17 4 m Mnvs BY g ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,088,086 CONNECTOR FOR CONDUCTORS David J Crimmins, Nutley, NJ assignor to The Thomas & Betts Co., Elizabeth, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Sept. 22, 1960, Ser. No. 57,647 4 Claims. (Cl. 339-17) This invention relates to a device for connection of a first conductor such as a flat cable conductor .to a panel board or other socket for rapid and easy connection with and disconnection from second conductors.

The invention thus enables the selective connection of an individual or one of a pluralty of fiat conductors, for example, carried by a conductor tape, to selected conductors connected to sockets, for example, to thereby selectively connect and disconnect and vary circuits in a rapid, accurate and convenient manner.

The invention includes novel features of construction, below more particularly described, and exemplified in the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof and wherein similar reference characters indicate like parts:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a device embodying the invention showing a series of first conductors to which it may readily be secured,

FIG. 2 is a similar view, showing the connector engaging a first conductor,

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of the connector shown inserted in the socket of a base board, for connection of a second connector therewith,

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of a baseboard having connected thereto second conductors to which the connector of this invention may be selectively connected,

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of another form of connector embodying the invention, shown apart from first conductor,

FIG. 6 is a similar view showing said connector secured to one of the first conductors,

FIG. 7 is a side elevational, partly sectional view thereof,

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view of a baseboard socket showing a connector of the FIG. 5 form inserted therein,

FIG. 9 is a partly fragmentary perspective view of another form of connector embodying the invention,

FIG. 10 is a side elevational view thereof, shown connected,

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary sectional view of another form of connector embodying the invention, and

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary perspective view of a further form thereof.

The connector of this invention, generally designated by reference character 10 (FIG. 1), comprises a body portion 11 which may, for example, be of a length of metal or other conducting material formed (FIGS. 1, 5, 7) folded at one end 14 and thus tensioned, to define

longitudinal portions

12, 13 disposed in overlying parallel relation and tending to press together so that the free ends 15 (FIG. 1) of

said body portions

12 and 13 will close under tension. The folded or closed end 14 of the connector may be a unitary end as shown at 16 in FIG. 1 or as shown in FIG. 12, the

longitudinal portions

12 and 13 of the connector may be formed of separate strips joined at one end by rivet or other means 17. It will be noted that the

longitudinal portions

12, 13 of the connector in the various forms of the invention shown in the drawings and described herein, are disposed in overlying parallel relation, the fixed end 16 being adapted for insertion into a socket such as shown at 20 (FIG. 3), or 20' FIG. 8. The second conductor 21 is connected to the socket 20 friction- 3,088,086 Patented Apr. 30, 1963 ally or otherwise, so that upon insertion of the connector 10 into the socket (FIG. 3) instantaneous connection between the thus selected first and

second conductors

22, 21 may be effected.

Thus the invention may be used, for example, for selection of the particular one of a series of first conductors 22 (FIG. 1) in a conductor tape 23 to that particular one of a series of second conductors 21 (FIG. 4) in a baseboard or terminal block 24 desired for closing a circuit and for disconnection and alteration of the connections as desired. To that end, the baseboards may have indicia 25 (FIG. 4) to identify the particular Wires 21 so that selective connection of the desired first conductors 22 therewith may be thus effectively made.

The connector 10 may have

cam element

26, 27 on the

longitudinal portions

12, 13 thereof (FIG. 1). Said cam elements may be tapered toward the closed end 16. A slide member 28 is provided (FIG. 1) comprising a block having an aperture 29 therein to freely receive the

longitudinal portions

12, 13 of the connector; thus the slide member 28 may be readily moved by the user onto the

cam element

26, 27. Means are provided on the slide member 28, such as complementarily tapered portions 30, 31 to engage earns 26, 27 (FIG. 7) and thus tightly close and clamp the

longitudinal portions

12, 13 at their free ends 15. A first conductor may thus be inserted between the free ends of the connector device and securely held therein (FIGS. 2 and 10). Referring to FIG. 1,

cam elements

26, 27 may comprise ribs formed on the

longitudinal portions

12, 13 of the connector 10 at right angles to their planar faces and tapering away from the free end 15; said ribs may be U-shaped in cross section (FIG. 1) at right angles to their longitudinal axes. The

longitudinal portions

12, 13 of connector 10 may be bowed or otherwise displaced as indicated at 32 in FIG. 5 adjacent the closed end 16 so that (FIG. 8) said bowed portion 32 may be frictionally compressed on insertion into the socket 20' in baseboard 24.

The

longitudinal portions

12, 13 may be displaced at their free ends 15 as noted at 33, 34 in FIG. 1, to define lips for frictional engagement with the tapered end of the tape 23 (FIG. 2) from which the first conductors extend; the lips may be formed as noted at 43, 44 (FIG. 9) for gripping (FIG. 10) the top and bottom edges of the end of the tape 23. Slide member 28 may be molded or stamped or otherwise formed unitarily as in FIG. 7 or, as in FIG. 11, of two or more pieces-part 40 being the internally apertured tapered part, may be a metal or other ring fixed to part 28'.

This invention provides termination to flat conductor cable which is superior as the flat surfaces of said conductors are thus pressed together without damage to the very thin conductors. The tapered portions of the

cam elements

26, 27 and collar or slide member 28 are formed to wedge and be self holding when (FIG. 10) assembled. To that end the angles of the tapered portions of the cams and the tapered opening of the slide member may vary to the desired degree-5 or less, for example, if so desired (or of an order higher than 5 if desired).

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with a flexible tape conductor comprising a plurality of thin, fiat conductor elements imbedded in a thin insulating strip, the ends of said elements extending outwardly of said strip; the improvement comprising a plug prong extension for removably connecting any of said individual conductor elements to a terminal block, said plug prong extension comprising a body portion of sheet metal folded medially providing a pair of elongated longitudinal portions normally disposed in tensioned, contacting parallel relation, cam elements formed on at least one of said longitudinal portions adjacent the free end thereof, a slide member of a length substantially less than that of the longitudinal portions freely receiving said portions therethrough and manually movable thereon toward the cam elements, means on the slide member complementarily formed for engagement with the cam elements to press said longitudinal portions togther, so that a conductor element may be inserted between the free ends of the longitudinal portions and be held firmly therein on engagement of the cam elements of the connector on manual movement of the slide member against the cammembers, said folded end of said body portion defining a plug head adapted for insertion into a terminal block.

2. In a plug prong extension for flexible tape conductors as set forth in claim 1, said cam elements on said longitudinal portions comprising tapered elements extending at right angles marginally of the longitudinal portions and tapering toward their folded end.

3. In a plug prong extension for flexible tape conductorsas set forth in claim 1, said longitudinal portions being displaced from each other adjacent their folded end to provide oppositely bowed projections so that said plug head may be inserted into and compressed frictionally in a terminal block.

4. In a plug prong extension for flexible tape conductors as set forth in claim 1, the free ends of said longitudinal portions being displaced angularly outwardly with respect to each other to provide a shoulder for abutment against said insulating strip.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 411,153 Laiferty Sept. 17, 1889 1,008,018 Cunningham Nov. 7, 1911 1,689,889 Nunes Oct. 30, 1928 2,004,695 Hager June 11, 1935 2,291,458 Field July 28, 1942 2,781,212 Jugle Feb. 12, 1957 2,825,036 Sorensen Feb. 25, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 358,934 France Jan. 6, 1906 1,169,034 France Sept. 8, 1958 748,811 Great Britain May 9, 1956 25 ing Posts, page 3, June 1958.

Claims

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A FLEXIBLE TAPE CONDUCTOR COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF THIN, FLAT CONDUCTOR ELEMENTS IMBEDDED IN A THIN INSULATING STRIP, THE ENDS OF SAID ELEMENTS EXTENDING OUTWARDLY OF SAID STRIP; THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING A PLUG PRONG EXTENSION FOR REMOVABLY CONNECTING ANY OF SAID INDIVIDUAL CONDUCTOR ELEMENTS TO A TERMINAL BLOCK, SAID PLUG PRONG EXTENSION COMPRISING A BODY PORTION OF SHEET METAL FOLDED MEDIALLY PROVIDING A PAIR OF ELONGATED LONGITUDINAL PORTIONS NORMALLY DISPOSED IN TENSIONED, CONTACTING PARALLEL RELATION, CAM ELEMENTS FORMED ON AT LEAST ONE OF SAID LONGITUDINAL PORTIONS ADJACENT THE FREE END THEREOF, A SLIDE MEMBER OF A LENGTH SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN THAT OF THE LONGITUDINAL PORTIONS FREELY RECEIVING SAID PORTIONS THERETHROUGH AND MANUALLY MOVABLE THEREON TOWARD THE CAM ELEMENTS, MEANS ON THE SLIDE MEMBER COMPLEMENTARILY FORMED FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH THE CAM ELEMENTS TO PRESS SAID LONGITUDINAL PORTIONS TOGETHER, SO THAT A CONDUCTOR ELEMENT MAY BE INSERTED BETWEEN THE FREE ENDS OF THE LONGITUDINAL PORTIONS AND BE HELD FIRMLY THEREIN ON ENGAGEMENT OF THE CAM ELEMENTS OF THE CONNECTOR ON MANUAL MOVEMENT OF THE SLIDE MEMBER AGAINST THE CAM MEMBERS, SAID FOLDED END OF SAID BODY PORTION DEFINING A PLUG HEAD ADAPTED FOR INSERTION INTO A TERMINAL BLOCK.