US3199068A

US3199068A - Multiple terminal mounting device

Info

Publication number: US3199068A
Application number: US158821A
Authority: US
Inventors: Charles J Neenan
Original assignee: Thomas and Betts Corp
Current assignee: ABB Installation Products Inc
Priority date: 1961-12-12
Filing date: 1961-12-12
Publication date: 1965-08-03
Anticipated expiration: 1982-08-03

Description

Aug. 3, 1965 c. J. NEENAN MULTIPLE TERMINAL MOUNTING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 12. 1961 INVENTOR. CHARLES J. N EENAN ATTORNEY Aug. 3, 1965 c. J. NEENAN MULTIPLE TERMINAL MOUNTING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 12. 1961 FIG. 3

b b i a M 3 H 2 7 4 4 W ////C A %///E 2 w/ .i a 2 i k r4 INVENTOR. CHARLES J. NEENAN ATTORNEY Aug. 3, 1965 c. J. NEENAN MULTIPLE TERMINAL MOUNTING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec. 12. 1961 FIG. 5

INVENTOR. CHARLES J. N EE NAN ATTORN EY 1965 c. J. NEENAN 3,199,068

MULTIPLE TERMINAL MOUNTING DEVICE Filed Dec. 12. 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

INVENTOR. CHARLES J. NEENAN BY (I ATTORNEY United States Patent Filed This invention relates to a modular, plug-in device for multiple assemblies such as are used for data processing, signal controls, tele netry, guidance systems, communications and television systems. in such installations it is often necessary to make thousands of connections in limited amounts of space. Devices heretofore proposed for the purpose, are cumbersome, require a large amount of space, are expensive, costly to wire, and the electrical con i ections thereby made are often found to be not reliableparticularly if left plugged in for protracted periods of time. Circuit trouble-shooting and wire changing with such installations were diflicult to make and expensive.

The devices of the present invention fulfill the above noted special requirements of this art, enabling much greater terimnal concentration and making it practical to space the terminals closer together therein. The terminals are then readily accessible for quality control inspection, trouble shooting and wiring changes. Each wire may be plugged in or unplugged individually; thus maintenance costs are minimized and it is practicable to pretest groups of consoles and rack assemblies in the shop before they are installed on the job. esting may more conveniently, readily, and accurately be supervised by design personnel; cost of field engineering is greatly reduced.

The device incorporates novel structural features enabling connector block units thereof to be pivoted for facility of connection on either side of the terminal board for installation and maintenance purposes. The housing design of terminal assembly permits a heavy concentration of accessible connections which is particularly im portant in this art in miniaturization of equipment, greatly increasing the number of connections required per rack.

The device of the present invention enables the heavy concentration of plug-in connections to be made in limited spaces; wired harnesses may be fabricated independently and readily secured to or removed from the device as complete assemblies.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent during the course of the following detailed description.

in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and wherein similar reference characters gnate corresponding parts throughout the several views,

1 is a perspective view, partly exploded, of a multiple terminal mounting device embodying the invention,

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view of said device taken at line 22 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a partly fragmentary elevational view of a mounting device embodying the invention, on supporting rails,

PEG. 4 is a fragmentary, top plan, view of a plurality of said devices, shown in various mounting positions on a supporting rail,

PEG. 5 is a fragmentary, sectional view of the connector board of device, showing slots provided therein and a connector element positioned in one of said slots and extending from opposite faces of said board for connection of terminals therewith,

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a mounting device embodying the invention, provided with a pair of cable positioning plates, shown apart therefrom,

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of a connector secured to a terminal of a specific type, and FIG. 8 is a bee similar view showing a cable of another type secured thereto,

F IG. 9 is a further form of connector, and

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a mounting device of the invention shown with a plurality of terminals secured thereto.

As shown in the drawings, the mounting device 11 of this invention (FIG. 10) comprises a connector board 12 having a plurality of slots 13 (FIG. 5) formed therein preferably in alinged vertical and transverse row relation. Connector elements 14 (FIGS. 5 and 10) are positioned in said slots and extend from opposite faces 15, 16 (FIG. 6) thereof for connection of terminals or cables 17 with said connectors at said opposite faces of board. The cables may be television coaxial cables or other conductors or cables, provided at their ends with terminals 18 (FIGS. 7-10) complementary to the connector elements 14. Thus the latter may be formed flat and the terminals 13 may be of channeled, complementary configuration as shown at 19 in FIG. 7 for complementary axial sliding interengagement; other configurations may be used.

The opposite ends of the terminal 18 may be provided with connector portions 20 for engagement of other terminals therewith so that a particular cable 17 secured may be secured to a particular connector element 14 desired and another cable may be secured to the same terminal 13. The cables are preferably connected to the terminals 18 medially so as to depend directly downwardly therefrom (FIG. 10) to further conserve space and reduce exposure of the cables. To that end the medial portions 29 (FIG. 7) of the terminals may be formed (PEG. 9) open for reception of the conductors therein and (FIG. 7) closed thereover to secure the same thereto directly. The terminals 18, 14 may have their outer ends of tubular form (FIG. 7) or of channeled configuration (Zfia, FIG. 9) or of flat or other outline for engagement with complamentarily formed conductors or terminals.

The connector board may be provided along the top thereof with horizontal and vertical indicia markings 21, 22 (FIGS. 6 and 10), identifying particular rows of connector elements 1 3 and is adapted to be secured to a mounting rail 23 (FIG. 3) or to a pair of such rails through the brackets 24 secured to the ends of the connector board directly or through end plates 25. The later, in turn, are secured to or mounted in close relation to the ends of the connector board 12 as by a mounting rod 26 (FIG. 3) passing through said end plates 25 and riveted thereover (FIG. 3). An elongated bar 27 which may be flat (PEG. 3), round (FIG. 10) or of any other desired cross section, likewise preferably passes through the end plates 25 at the top of the connector board and is riveted thereto for further rigidity of assembly. The brackets 24 may be secured to the end plates 25 as by riveting the same thereto 23 (FIG. 4) or by other means. Each bracket has a first plate or face 31 disposed (FIGS. 4, 10 and 6) at substantially right angles to the plane 32 (PEG. 6) of the board 12 and adapted to be secured to the rail (as shown for the center device in FIG. 4-) thus disposing the board 12 at right angles to the rail. Suitable bolt or other securing means 33 (FIG. 3) may be used for the purpose. The bracket is provided with a second planar face 34 (FIG. 4) disposed angularly relative to the first planar face toward the board 12, so that when said second planar face 34 is so secured to the rail 23 (as is the right hand device in FIG. 4) the board 12 will thus be disposed at an obtuse angle 35 to rail 23 for facility of access to the board face 15 for connection or disconnection of cables or other components therewith. The assembly of a plurality of conductors or cables passes through a cable positioning plate 36 (FIG. 10) and may be initially prepared and then readily thus brought into juxtaposition relative to connector board 12 (3 for ready connection with the desired connector elements 14. The brackets 24 may be provided with third planar faces 37 (FIG. 4) which may be utilized to dispose the board angularly relative to the first planar face 31 of the bracket (left hand unit of PEG. 4) so that the face 16 of the connector board 12 may be thus disposed for more convenient access. Similar brackets may be secured to opposite ends of the board or plates thereof. As shown in FIG. 3, the device 1?. may be mounted on a pair of such rails 23 and the latter, in turn, may be secured to the building structure, or to vertical rails (FIG. 3). Cable positioning plate 36 may be removably secured to the device, as, for example, by providing (FIG. 10) extension tabs 3? (FIG. 6) on the endplatcs 25 to which said cable positioning plate may be secured by bolt or other means If desired, (FIG. 6) plate 36 may be formed of two sections 36a, 365.

Various changes in the shape, size, and arrangement of parts may be made to the form of invention herein shown and described, without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims.

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

1. A multiple terminal mounting device comprising a connector board having a plurality of slots formed thereconnector elements positioned in said slots and extending from the board for connection of Wire terminals therewith,

a supporting rail for said board,

a bracket fixed to an end of said board, said bracket having a first planar face disposed at substantially right angle to the plane of said board, and at least one additional planar face disposed at a different angle relative to said first planar face,

means to secure said planar face portions of the bracket to the rail in parallel abutment therewith to thus dispose the board angularly of the rail one of several positions.

2. In a multiple terminal mounting device as set forth in claim 1,

a second bracket fixed to the opposite end of said board, and

having corresponding planar faces for abutment with a rail.

3. In a mounting device as set forth in claim 1,

end plates engaging the ends of said connector board,

said bracket being secured to the end plate and thereby so secured to the board.

4. In a mounting device as set forth in claim 1,

a cable-positioning plate secured to said device at the bottom of the connector board and extending on each side thereof, and

provided with apertures for passage through.

5. in a mounting device as set forth in claim 4,

terminals formed complementarily to said connector elements, and removably secured thereto, and means on said terminals mediate the ends thereof for attachment to said cables.

6. In a mounting device as set forth in claim 5,

said terminals being formed at their opposite ends with means for connection thereto of additional cables.

7. in a mounting device as set forth in claim 5',

said connector elements and terminals eing of complementary flat and channeled configuration.

S. A multiple terminal mounting device comprising a connector board having opposite faces, and

a plurality of connector elements secured to said board and extending from the opposite faces thereof for connection of cable terminals therewith,

a supporting rail for said board,

brackets secured to the ends of the board,

each bracket having a first planar face disposed at substantially right angles to the plane of the board and a second planar face at an angle to said first planar face and each face adapted to be selectively secured to the rail in parallel abutment therewith to thus dispose the board at one of two angles to the rail.

9. In a mounting device as set forth in claim 3,

a cable positioning plate secured to said device at the bottom of the connector board, and

provided with apertures for passage of cables having terminals, to be connected to the connector board, therethrough.

10. In a mounting device as set forth in claim 3,

indicia markings on said connector board in registration with connector elements thereon to identify the of cables therelatter.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,278,307 3/42 Eisler 339-32 2,452,494 10/48 Rithen 339 X 2,534,864 12/50 Fritts 339l98 2,857,583 10/58 Markley et al. 339113 X 3,050,706 8/62 Kitscha 339-256 X 3,061,761 10/62 Blain 339l7 X 3,066,643 12/62 Flanagan 339183 X FOREIGN PATENTS 970,343 9/58 Germany.

ALBERT H. KAMPE, Primary Examiner.

ALFRED S. TRASK, JGSEPH D. SEERS, Examiners.

Claims

8. A MULTIPLE TERMINAL MOUNTING DEVICE COMPRISING A CONNECTOR BOARD HAVING OPPOSITE FACES, AND A PLURALITY OF CONNECTOR ELEMENTS SECURED TO SAID BOARD AND EXTENDING FROM THE OPPOSITE FACES THEREOF FOR CONNECTION OF CABLE TERMINALS THEREWITH, A SUPPORTING RAIL FOR SAID BOARD, BRACKETS SECURED TO THE ENDS OF THE BOARD, EACH BRACKET HAVING A FIRST PLANR FACE DISPOSED AT SUBSTANTIALLY RIGHT ANGLES TO THE PLANE OF THE BOARD AND A SECOND PLANAR FACE AT AN ANGLE TO SAID FIRST PLANAR FACE AND EACH FACE ADAPTED TO BE SELECTIVELY SECURED TO THE RAIL IN PARALLEL ABUTMENT THEREWITH TO THUS DISPOSE THE BOARD AT ONE OF TWO ANGLES TO THE RAIL.