US3305626A

US3305626A - Plural socket terminal assembly

Info

Publication number: US3305626A
Application number: US507271A
Authority: US
Inventors: George E Mohr; Iantorno James
Original assignee: Sealectro Corp
Current assignee: Sealectro Corp
Priority date: 1965-11-12
Filing date: 1965-11-12
Publication date: 1967-02-21
Anticipated expiration: 1984-02-21
Also published as: FR1502188A; DE1665804A1; GB1149517A

Description

1967 G. E. MOHR ETAL PLURAL SOCKET TERMINAL ASSEMBLY Filed Nov. 12, 1965 BEDS HMWIIJI 1n E I u 2% E L L Q n m 1 i i n V] ILI.

Raw

I NVENTORS.

m w Rm R Wm m T MW in m E ma OM QM United States Patent M 3,305,626 PLURAL SOCKET TERMINAL ASSEMBLY George E. Mohr, Larchmont, and James Iantorno, Mamaroneclr, N .Y., assignors to Sealectro Corporation, Mamaroneck, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Nov. 12, 1965, Ser. No. 507,271 3 Claims. (Cl. 174-153) This invention relates in general to electrical terminal assemblies for mounting in a hole in a housing panel, baseboard panel and the like and into which there are placed connections to the ends of one or more lead wires that may be inserted into the assembly conductively secured therein. More particularly, the invention relates to a plural socket terminal assembly and a method of installing the same.

This invention represents an improvement to the electrical terminal assembly described in Patent No. 3,193,617, wherein there is shown a metal conductor element having a cross-sectional configuration that may be likened to a cloverleaf and which is held in an insulator or bushing. As such a terminal assembly is securely mounted in a hole in a baseboard, a housing and the like, it is important to fix quickly and economically, but nevertheless securely, the electric terminal assembly in the hole in the baseboard or housing.

Accordingly, the present invention provides an electric terminal plural socket assembly for mounting in a hole in a housing panel, baseboard panel and the like for making soldered connections to the ends of one or more lead wires that are inserted into the assembly. The assembly includes an outer insulating bushing for mounting in the hole and has a flange on one end from which there inwardly extends a cylindrical inner wall to a bottom section thereof. This wall defines an axial opening in the insulator and the bottom section of the insulator has a polygonal opening therein of a major dimension that is less than the diameter of the cylindrical opening. The insulator bushing has a length so that the bottom section is positioned on one side of the panel into which it may be inserted, opposite from that of the flange. Within the axial and polygonal openings of the bushing there is positioned longitudinally a tubular electrical conducting element that is formed to give the bore of the tubular element a cloverleaf configuration as viewed in an axial direction with as many lobes as there are sides of the polygonal opening in the bushing. The tubular electrical conducting element has one end flared to distend the end of the insulator bushing opposite that of the flange at the polygonal opening to provide an outside diameter of the insulator bushing which is greater than the hole in the panel so as to firmly retain the assembly in position.

The invention further contemplates a method of installing the insulator bushing in which the Cloverleaf electrically conducting element is flared after both the insulating bushing and the electrical element are placed in position in the housing panel, baseboard panel and the like.

The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification, but for a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects obtained by its use, refcrznce should be had to the detailed explanations of the preferred embodiment of the invention along with the illustrations in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the insulator bushing of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is another perspective of the insulator bush- 3,305,626 Patented Feb. 21, 1967 ing shown in FIGURE 1 with a portion cut away to reveal the construction of the bottom portion thereof;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective of an electrically conductive tubular element used in the invention;

FIGURE 4 is a side view of the insulator bushing of FIGURE 1 installed in a hole in a housing;

FIGURE 5 is a side view similar to that of FIGURE 4 with the conductor element of FIGURE 3 assembled in the insulator bushing; and

FIGURE 6 is a side view of the electrical terminal plural socket assembly of .the invention as finally secured in position.

The invention can best be described with reference to the drawings by a narration of the method steps that should be performed to finally produce the product.

An electrical terminal plural socket assembly 10 (FIG- URE 6) is mounted in a hole 12 in a housing panel 14, baseboard panel and the like, with the assembly comprising an outer insulating bushing 16 having a flange 18 on one end from which there inwardly extends a cylindrical wall 20 to a bottom section 22 wherein there is an opening 24. Within the wall and opening 24 there is a tubular electrically conducting element 26 disposed longitudinally of the insulator bushing.

Preferably, the insulator bushing 16 is of an elastic material such as polytetrafluoroethylene, hereinafter called PTFE, and may be generally described as a flanged closed bottom hat-shaped insulator bushing as shown in FIGURE 1, which has cut therefrom a polygonal opening 24 in the bottom portion. The polygonal opening has its corners, as at 24A, rounded and the major dimension of the opening 24 is less than the diameter of the inner cylindrical wall 20 of the bushing. The bottom section 22 with its opening 24 is longitudinally placed at the opposite end from the flange 18 of the bushing with the length of the cylindrical portion of the bushing being such that when the bushing is in position in the hole 12 of the housing 14, the increased cross-section of the bottom section 22 and the major portion of the opening 24 are disposed on the opposite side of the housing from that of the flanged portion 18 of the bushing.

In accordance with the aforementioned Patent No. 3,193,617, there is separately fabricated a generally tubular electrically conducting element 26 which is longitudinally elongated and formed to give a bore which has a cloverleaf configuration as viewed in an axial direction with as

many lobes

26A, 26B, 26C, as there are sides of the polygonal opening 24 in the insulating bushing 16. The element may have on one end a flanged portion 26D and on the opposite end may be tapered inwardly slightly, as shown in FIGURE 3, to facilitate entry of the element into the bushing. Further, if desired, the element may be formed so that there is an opening in the center portion of the element having a generally circular configuration in which there may be placed through terminal pins or the like. There is, of course, implicit in the arrangement, that the number of lobes in the electrically conducting element 26 may be as many as desired with it being also understood that the polygonal opening 24 in the bushing would be cut with as many sides as the selected number of lobes. The important feature of the assemblage is that the position of the bottom section 22 of the insulator bushing and the dimensions of the opening 24 yields a greater thickness of the bottom section 22 than the major portion of the wall of the bushing that is retained within the opening 12 in the housing 14. Further, the length of the electrically conducting element 26 should be such that it extends slightly beyond the bottom end of the bushing as shown in FIGURE 5.

The next step in the assembly process is to insert the insulator bushing 16 into the hole 12 of the panel 14.

This may be, if desired, an interference fit wherein the elastic material, such as PTFE, of the outside of the insulator is slightly constricted by the hole 12 so that it is held in position by its inherent elasticity while the bottom section 22 which is on the oposite side of the panel from the flange 18 tries to hold its natural shape and, therefore, appears as shown in FIGURE 4 as having a slight outward flare.

The next step in the assembly is to insert the electrically conductive element 26 through the insulator bushing 16 so that it is positioned longitudinally in the bushing with one end extending through and closely fitting in the polygonal opening 24, as shown in FIGURE 5. Further, the element has its lobes held securely by the round corners of the polygonal opening 24.

To firmly and finally secure the terminal plural socket assembly in position, the extending end 28 of the electrical @onductor 26 is flared outwardly by a flaring tool or staking device (not shown) so that the deformation of the element distends the bottom section 22 of the insulator outwardly against its inherent elasticity to create an even greater flare in the outside of the insulator as shown in FIGURE 6, and thereby to securely hold the assembly in position in the hole of the panel 14. It is believed that the large section or quantity of elastic insulator material that isin the bottom section 22 of the insulator creates an effect very similar to that of the flange 18 on the opposite end of the insulator to lock the assembly in position. If desired, after flaring of the extended end 28 of the element 26, it may be rolled over to form a flanged end 28A, as shown in FIGURE 6, to further lock the electrical conductor in position in the assembly.

It is, of -course,intended that the invention contemplates the use of any of the known elastic insulating materials as Well as any of the known metals that are normally used in the electric terminal field.

Further, although the invention is illustrated with the insulator in an interference fit, the invention would work equally well if the insulator were just placed by hand in a reasonably loose fit within the hole 12 of the panel 14. The important feature is that the flaring of the conductive element'26 at its end 28 against the elastic insulator material is the real locking force necessary to hold the assembly'in position wherein the elastic insulator has a larger or heavier cross-section than the adjacent wall portion that is within the bounds of the hole of the panel.

It should also be understood that within the concept of this invention the electrical conductor could be preassembled into the insulator in an interference fit after which, when the assembly is placed in the hole in the panel, the electrical conductor end 28 is then flared to distend the heavier bottom section 22 of the elastic insulator outwardly to thereby lock the assembly in position. Alternatively, the invention contemplates the preassembly of the electrical conductor snugly within the insulator wherein the outsidedimension of the bottom section 22 of the insulator'has a dimension which is slightly greater than that of the hole 12 in the panel 14 so that when the whole assembly 10 is force fitted into the hole, the assembly is held by the constriction that the small diameter hole 12 has on the center and weaker portion of the insulator so that the re u t nt insta d assemb y would have a configuration, in this alternative construction, which is similar to that shown in FIGURE 6 while being arrived at by a different method of installation.

While in accordance with the provisions of the statutes there has been illustrated and described herein a specific form of the invention nowknown, those skilled in the art will understand that changes may be made in the form of the product or the method of making it disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention covered by the claims and that certain features of the invention may some times be used to advantage without a corresponding use of other features.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a housing panel, a baseboard panel, or the like of a predetermined thickness and having a hole therethrough, an electrical terminal plural socket assembly mounted in said hole for making soldered connections to the ends of one or more lead wires that are inserted into said assembly, said assembly comprising an outer insulating bushing mounted in said hole and having a flange on one end from which there inwardly extends a cylindrical inner wall to a bottom section, said wall defining an axial opening, said bottom section having a polygonal opening therein of a major dimension that is less than the diameter of said cylindrical axial opening, said bushing being of a length greater than said predetermined thickness to position said bottom section on a side of said panel opposite from that of said flange, a tubular electrically conducting element flanged at one end and longitudinally formed to give the bore of said tubular element a cloverleaf configuration as viewed in an axial direction wit-h as many lobes as sides of said polygonal opening in said insulating bus-hing, said tubular element having an outer surface generally conforming to that of said polygonal opening and positioned longitudinally in said insulating bushing with the end opposite said flange flared to distend said tubular element and said bushing at said polygonal opening to provide a bushing outside diameter greater than the hole in said panel and retain the assembly in position.

2. An assembly according to claim 1 in which both ends of said tubular element extend to a greater'diameter than said cylindrical axial opening in said insulator bushing. i

3. Anassembly according to claim 1 in which said bushing has an outer diameter that is slightly greater than said hole in said panel to allowan interference fit therewith.

References Cited by the Examiner V UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,698,423 12/1954 MO-drey et'al. 339-214 2,816,950 12/1957 Kruss et al 174-153 2,948,773 8/1960 Hawes 74153 3,042,961 7 7/1962 Tieri -83 X 3,193,617 7/1965 Deakin 174-153 FOREIGN PATENTS 669,041 3/ 1952 Great Britain. 832,014 '4/1960 Great Britain.

LARAMIE E. ASKIN, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A HOUSING PANEL, A BASEBOARD PANEL, OR THE LIKE OF A PREDETERMINED THICKNESS AND HAVING A HOLE THERETHROUGH, AN ELECTRICAL TERMINAL PLURAL SOCKET ASSEMBLY MOUNTED IN SAID HOLE FOR MAKING SOLDERED CONNECTIONS TO THE ENDS OF ONE OR MORE LEAD WIRES THAT ARE INSERTED INTO SAID ASSEMBLY, SAID ASSEMBLY COMPRISING AN OUTER INSULATING BUSHING MOUNTED IN SAID HOLE AND HAVING A FLANGE ON ONE END FROM WHICH THERE INWARDLY EXTENDS A CYLINDRICAL INNER WALL TO A BOTTOM SECTION, SAID WALL DEFINING AN AXIAL OPENING, SAID BOTTOM SECTION HAVING A POLYGONAL OPENING THEREIN OF A MAJOR DIMENSION THAT IS LESS THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID CYLINDRICAL AXIAL OPENING, SAID BUSHING BEING OF A LENGTH GREATER THAN SAID PREDETERMINED THICKNESS TO POSITION SAID BOTTOM SECTION ON A SIDE OF SAID PANEL OPPOSITE FROM THAT OF SAID FLANGE, A TUBULAR ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTING ELEMENT FLANGED AT ONE END AND LONGITUDINALLY FORMED TO GIVE THE BORE OF SAID TUBULAR ELEMENT A CLOVERLEAF CONFIGURATION AS VIEWED IN AN AXIAL DIRECTION WITH AS MANY LOBES AS SIDES OF SAID POLYGONAL OPENING IN SAID INSULATING BUSHING, SAID TUBULAR ELEMENT HAVING AN OUTER SURFACE GENERALLY COMFORMING TO THAT OF SAID POLYGONAL OPENING AND POSITIONED LONGITUDINALLY IN SAID INSULATING BUSHING WITH THE END OPPOSITE SAID FLANGE FLARED TO DISTEND SAID TUBULAR ELEMENT AND SAID BUSHING AT SAID POLYGONAL OPENING TO PROVIDE A BUSHING OUTSIDE DIAMETER GREATER THAN THE HOLE IN SAID PANEL AND RETAIN THE ASSEMBLY IN POSITION.