US3275972A

US3275972A - Terminal assembly

Info

Publication number: US3275972A
Application number: US323453A
Authority: US
Inventors: Eisert Josef
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1962-11-17
Filing date: 1963-11-13
Publication date: 1966-09-27
Anticipated expiration: 1983-09-27
Also published as: NL300310A; BE638832A; GB1006915A

Description

Sept. 27, 1966 J. EISERT TERMINAL ASSEMBLY 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 13, 1963 INVENTOR JOSF E/SERT Sept. 27, 1966 J. EISERT TERMINAL ASSEMBLY 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 13, 1963 INVENTOR. JOSEF E/JffiT Sept. 27, 1966 J. EISERT TERMINAL ASSEMBLY 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Nov. 13, 1963 INVENTOR. JOSEF ISIPT AGENT United States Patent Ofitice 3,275,972 Patented Sept. 27, 1966 3,275,972 TERMINAL ASSEMBLY Josef Eisert, Heinrichstrasse 1-7, Essen, Germany Filed Nov. 13, 1963, Ser. No. 323,453 Claims priority, application Germany, Nov. 17, 1962, E 23,881 14 Claims. (Cl. 339198) My present invention relates to a terminal assembly of the type wherein a multiplicity of terminal carriers are received in respective dielectric casings which are positioned side by side in a common holder.

An object of this invention is to provide an assembly of this type whose principal components can be readily prefabricated and can be shipped or stored in a comparatively small space before the assembly is completed according to specific requirements.

Another object of this invention is to provide an assembly of this character which, once completed, is sturdy, compact and substantially tamper-proof.

The invention realizes these objects by the provision of an elongated mounting bar to which the several casings are individually attached at closely spaced locations; the bottom of each casing (ie the side thereof remote from the bar) is at least partly closed to form a support for the terminal carrier which, in turn, is overlain by the bar so as to be locked in place once the casing has been attached to the bar. If the bar is made of indefinite length, sections of a desired size can be cut from it to form the backbones of respective terminal arrays each including the desired number of casings. Though these casings could be attached to the bar after the latter has been cut to size, a more specific feature of the invention resides in making the bar flexible so that it can be coiled in a plane, with the terminal casings already attached thereto, about a center of curvature remote from the casing bottoms whereby these bottoms are spread apart in the coiling process. I prefer to make the mounting bar resiliently deformable but substantially inextensible in the longitudinal direction, e.g. by fashioning it from rubber or synthetic elastomers with glass-fiber or other filamentary reinforcements extending the length of the bar.

When stock of this description has been partly uncoiled and a suitable length of bar with its casings is cut therefrom, the assembly can be completed by sandwich ing the row of casings between two end plates and then securing the entire unit to a base. For this purpose the end plates are advantageously perforated to receive mounting bolts or other fasteners, yet adhesive bonding can also be used. In particular, the individual casings may have legs adapted to be cemented directly onto the base.

In the case of very long assemblies it will be desirable to provide also intermediate supports that can be mechanically secured to the base, preferably in the form of one or more modified end plates of symmetrical design adapted to link together two terminal arrays each with its own backbone.

The invention will be described in greater detail with reference to the enclosed drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a terminal assembly according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side-elevational view of the assembly, shown partly in section on the line IIII of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line III-III of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line IV- IV of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of a casing with its associated carrier terminal;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of a mounting bar forming part of the assembly shown in FIGS. 1-4;

FIG. 7 illustrates a coiled length of stock composed of the bar shown in FIG. 6 and a multiplicity of casings and terminal carriers as illustrated in FIG. 5; and

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 6, showing a modified mounting bar.

The assembly shown in the drawing consists, essentially, of a series of terminal carriers 1 individually received in respective casings 2 of nonconductive material (e.g. synthetic resin), these casings being strung together by means of an elongated flexible bar 3 of the aforedescribed character which may be initially coiled, prior to final assembly, in a spiral as shown in FIG. 7.

Each casing 2 has a fiat shape and is formed with a pair of parallel walls 6 (see FIG. 5) which extend transversely to the direction of bar 3. The bottom of the casing, as best seen in FIG. 4, is closed and stepped so as to form a pair of transversely spaced legs 7 separated by a reentrant seat 21. The terminal carriers 1 have bodies of inverted-U shape straddling the seat 21, the walls 6 being further formed along their sides with shoulders 6a, 6b confining the terminal carriers 1 between them. Apart from these shoulders, the casings 2 are laterally open in order to enable suitable connections to be made to the terminals 22 as indicated at 13.

The walls 6 of each casing 2 are generally formed, above their seats 21, with vertical slots 8 which are closed at the top by narrow bridge pieces 60, these bridge pieces fitting in transverse recesses 11 (FIG. 3) of bar 3. The recesses 11 are defined by depending bosses 9, integral with bar 3, which carry barb-shaped extensions 10 bearing from below upon the bridge pieces 60 in the assembled state of bar 3 and casings 2 (see FIG. 3). Bar 3, with its bosses 9, beers from above upon the casings 2 so as to clamp them firmly against their seats 21. The bosses 9, which constitute transverse projections on the bar 3 as clearly seen in FIG. 6, are in turn formed with lateral protuberances 12 acting as additional retaining means for the free ends of conductors 13.

In FIGS. 1 and 2 I have shown a pair of end plates 4, 4' by which the

unit

1, 2, 3 is secured to a base plate 5. End plate 4 is integrally formed with a foot 15 which fits into the space between the legs 7 of the adjacent casing 2 and is provided with a threaded bore receiving a mounting bolt 16. Plate 4, in addition, is provided at its top with a pair of overhanging lugs 14 by which it hooks onto the proximal wall 6 of the adjacent casing, the lugs 14 thus penetrating from above into the open top of the casing to lock it in place. End plate 4, which is of symmetrical structure, has two pairs of such hooks 14', 14" on opposite sides, the hooks 14' engaging the wall of an end member of the array of casings 2 whereas the hooks 14" may be similarly attached to an end member of a second such array not shown. Plate 4, which in that case becomes an intermediate support for the combined arrays, has a central bore 23 traversed by a mounting bolt 16' which is threaded into a bore 24 of base 5. It will be understood that plate 4, although not so shown, could also be provided with feet 15 engaging in the bottom recesses of the adjacent casings.

The casings 2 may be individually cemented to the base 5 by their legs 7 as shown at 25 in FIG. 4.

The flexible bar 3, having filamentary reinforcements designed to inhibit stretching in its principal dimension, advantageously consists of several layers which are longitudinally juxtaposed, as shown in FIG. 4 at 3a and 3b, and which in turn may be subdivided into overlapping

sections

3a, 3a and 3b, 3b" with relatively staggered joints as seen in FIG. 6. By the bonding together of a suitable number of sections, bars of any desired length can be produced.

The bar 3 can also be formed with a longitudinal channel 17, preferably disposed above the casings 2,, adapted to receive a stiffening element such as an elongated metal strip 18; if the channel is upwardly open, the element 18 can also serve as a carrier of numerical or other markings 19 identifying the associated casings or terminals.

The modified mounting bar 3A shown in FIG. 8 differs from that illustrated in the preceding figures by hav ing mushroom-shaped bosses 9A depending therefrom, the frusto-conical heads 10A of these bosses serving as locking formations equivalent to the barbs 10 of FIGS. 3 and 6. Naturally, bar 3A could also be channeled as described and illustrated with reference to bar 3.

It will be apparent that an assembly as illustrated in FIGS. 14, reinforced if necessary by intermediate mounting plates of the type shown at 4, resists wanton or accidental destruction in spite of the ease with which its components can be fitted together.

My invention is, of course, not limited to the specific embodiments herein disclosed but may be realized in various modifications and deviations without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A terminal assembly comprising an elongated flexible bar of resiliently deformable but substantially inextensible insulating material; a series of closely adjacent and substantially identical fiat dielectric casings with at least partly closed bottoms and open tops secured to said bar in the region of said tops, said casings extending transversely to said bar and being spreadable at their bottoms upon a coiling of said bar upon a center remote from said bottoms; a series of terminal carriers respectively received in said casings, said car-riers being overlain by said bar; and a base supporting said casings; and fastening means including a pair of end plates securing said casings to said base.

2. A terminal assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein each of said casings is formed at its bottom with a pair of legs transversely spaced apart, said end plates being provided with feet fitting between the legs of adjacent casings.

3. A terminal assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein said feet are provided with threaded bores, said fastening means further comprising mounting bolts rising from said base and screwed into said bores.

4. A terminal assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein said legs are adhesively bonded to said base.

5.. A terminal assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein said end plates are provided with overhanging lugs hooked onto adjacent casing walls. I

6. A terminal assembly as defined in claim 5 wherein one of said end plates is substantially symmetrical and provided with said lugs on opposite sides whereby an additional series of casings may be joined thereto.

: 7. A terminal assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein each of said casings is provided at its bottom with an elevated seat between said legs, each of said terminal carriers having a bottom recess engageable by said seat.

8. A terminal assembly comprising an elongated flexible bar of resiliently deformable but substantially inextensible insulating material; a series of closely adjacent and substantially identical flat dielectric casings with at least partly closed bottoms and open tops secured to said bar in the region of said tops, said casings extending transversely to said bar and being spreadable at their hottoms upon a coiling of said bar upon a center remote from said bottoms; and a series of terminal carriers rel spectively received in said casings, said carriers being overlain by said bar, said casings having transverse walls formed with slots that are closed at the top and aligned with said bar, the latter having depending bosses with locking formations received in said slots for locking said casings to said bar.

9. A terminal assembly as defined in claim 8 wherein said locking formations are in the shape of upstanding barbs.

10. A terminal assembly comprising an elongated flexible bar of resiliently deformable but substantially inextensible insulating material; a series of closely adjacent and substantially identical fiat dielectric casings with at least partly closed bottoms and open tops secured to said bar in the region of said tops, said casings extending transversely to said bar and being spreadable at their bottoms upon a coiling of said bar upon a center remote from said bottom; and a series of terminal carriers respectively received in said casings, said carriers being overlain by said bar, said bar being formed with a longitudinal channel above said casings, said bar further comprising a stiffening element received in said channel.

11. A terminal assembly as defined in claim 10 wherein said channel is upwardly open, said element bearing identifying markings for each casing.

12. A terminal assembly comprising an elongated flexible bar of resiliently deformable but substantially inextensible insulating material; a series of closely adjacent and substantially identical flat dielectric casings with at least partly closed bottoms and open tops secured to said bar in the region of said tops, said casings ex tending transversely to said bar and being spreadable at their bottoms upon a coiling of said bar upon a center remote from said bottoms; and a series of terminal carriers respectively received in said casings, said carriers being overlain by said bar, said bar being composed of a plurality of longitudinally juxtaposed layers each sub-- divided into sections, the joints between adjacent sections being relatively offset in said layers.

13. In a terminal assembly, in combination, an elongated flexible bar of resiliently deformable insulating material, a series of substantially identical fiat dielectric casings each provided with a pair of slotted walls extending transversely to said bar at closely juxtaposed locations, each casing having an open side adjacent said bar andan at least partly closed side remote therefrom, and a series of terminal carriers respectively received in said casings, said bar being provided with transverse projections extending into said casings through the open sides thereof, said projections having barbs received in the slots of said walls for maintaining said casings attached to said bar in a position in which the latter bears upon said terminal carriers and holds them in place within said casings.

14. A terminal assembly as defined in claim 13 wherein said bar is spirally coiled, said casings being spread apart in the region of their at least partly closed sides.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,396,725 3/1946 Thomas 339 s9 2,931,006 3/1960 Klumpp 339-198 3,123,425 3/1964 Blanchet 339198 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,177,012 12/1958 France.

EDWARD C. ALLEN, Primary Examiner. ALFRED S. TRASK, Examiner.

Claims

1. A TERMINAL ASSEMBLY COMPRISING AN ELONGATED FLEXIBLE BAR OF RESILIENTLY DEFORMABLE BUT SUBSTANTIALLY INEXTENSIBLE INSULATING MATERIAL; A SERIES OF CLOSELY ADJACENT AND SUBSTANTIALLY IDENTICAL FLAT DIELECTRIC CASINGS WITH AT LEAST PARTLY CLOSED BOTTOMS AND OPEN TOPS SECURED TO SAID BAR IN THE REGION OF SAID TOPS, SAID CASINGS EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY TO SAID BAR AND BEING SPREADABLE AT THEIR BOTTOMS UPON A COILING OF SAID BAR UPON A CENTER REMOTE FROM SAID BOTTOMS; A SERIES OF TERMINAL CARRIERS RESPECTIVELY RECEIVED IN SAID CASINGS, SAID CARRIERS BEING OVERLAIN BY SAID BAR, AND A BASE SUPPORTING SAID CASINGS; AND FASTENING MEANS INCLUDING A PAIR OF END PLATES SECURING SAID CASINGS TO SAID BASE.