US3333235A - Plug contactor - Google Patents

Description

T. BAYGAN PLUG CONTACTOR July 25, 1967 Filed Sept. 16, 1964 TNVENTOR 22m B M United States Patent 3,333,235 PLUG CONTACTOR Teoman Baygan, Istanbul, Turkey, assignor to Virginia Panel Corporation, Waynesboro, Va., a corporation of Virginia Filed Sept. 16, 1964, Ser. No. 396,846 3 Claims. (Cl. 339-217) This invention relates to plug contactors of the type used, for example, in plugboards for automatic computers, tabulators, accounting machines and the like, for completing selected electric circuits to control the operation of the machine as desired.

It is among the objects of the present invention to provide an improved plug contactor which is basically of the manual type, or one which cannot be accidentally withdrawn from the plugboard by push pressure on the nose of the plug, but can be easily withdrawn by manually, or with a suitable tool, depressing the spring element, or spring elements, a the case may be, which engage the plug contactor within the plugboard, while independently pushing on the plug.

It is another, and principal, object of this invention to provide a plug contactor of the type generally described hereinabove, which is formed from a single piece of metal, so that the plug contactor may he more quickly, and more economically, assembled and, further can, by virtue of its unitary construction, be depended upon to avoid the malfunctions which so frequently occur a a result of the improper fitting of the respective elements of plug contactors which are made up from a plurality of discrete elements.

Thus, it may be said that it is an object of this invention to provide a plug contactor which is simple and economical in construction, and which may be easily assembled, but which ha a ruggedness and dependability which would serve to insure a long and useful life.

These and other objects of this invention will become apparent when the description is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a plug embodying the features of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the plug of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a section taken through line 33 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a section taken through lines 44 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 5 is a section taken along lines 5-5 of FIGURE 2.

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that a plug contactor is formed of a unitary piece of metal. Among its important features is a sleeve, generally indicated at 2, which includes a support portion 4 and a contact portion 6, the former being of substantially greater diameter than the latter, with the two portions being joined to one another by a tapered transition portion 8.

As best shown in FIGURE 2, the portion 6, which is cylindrical, is adapted to be slidably received in one of the openings ltl in a plugboard 12.

The sleeve also has a base portion 14, which is of a slightly greater diameter than the central upport portion 4 and is also of a slightly greater diameter than that of the opening 10. The base and support portions are in axial alignment. Accordingly, it will be seen that the shoulder 15 of the base portion 14 acts as a stop which limits the extent to which the plug contactor may be inserted within the plugboard. The rearmost portions of the base portion are crimped about strands of wire lead 16.

As will be understood, the wire 16 is insulated, as at 18, up to the point of its entry into the lumen of the 3,333,235 Patented July 25, 1967 ice base portion 14, and the entire base portion, together with the portions of the insulated wire immediately adjacent to the end of the base portion, may be further insulated by an insulating shroud or jacket 20 of plastic or the like.

As best shown in FIGURES 25, the plug contactor i provided with locking tips 22 which extend through an aperture 24 in the central support portion 4 at a location which is aligned with the rearwardly facing face of the plugboard 12 when the contactor as a whole has been driven home to a position wherein the shoulder 15 of the base portion 14 is abutting fast against the forwardly facing face of the plugboard.

In view of the location of the aperture 10 and the tips 22 protruding therethrough, it will be seen that the tips, acting in conjunction with the shoulder 15 of the base member 14, will serve to hold the plug contactor fast in its correct position within the opening 10 in plugboard 12. As is also well illustrated in FIGURES 2-5, the locking tips 22 are at the extreme end of the locking arms 26 which are disposed within the support portion 4 and extend to a point within the base portion 14, at which point they join with the latter.

In view of the relatively great ratio between the length of the locking arms 26 and both their width and depth, it will be seen that the locking arms are not only cantilevered from the base portion but, further are so cantilevered as to define resiliently disposed members which serve to urge the tips 22 into position wherein they extend through aperture 24 to achieve the locking relationship with the rearwardly facing face of the plugboard 12.

In the preferred embodiment shown in FIGURES 2-5, the locking arms 26 are both actually formed of a single piece of metal, each being the extreme end of the blank which is rolled to form the unitary plug contactor.

As will now be readily understood by those skilled in the art, since the plug contactor described hereinabove is formed from a unitary piece of metal, there is no possibility of malfunction due to misalignment of discrete parts, or from a failure of discrete parts to properly fit one with the other. Moreover, it will be similarly understood that since there are no moving parts in the ordinary sense of the word, that is to say parts which move as a a whole relative to one another, as oppo ed to resilient movement of one portion of one part to another portion of the same part, there is no opportunity for wear or malfunctions that result therefrom.

It should be understood that while I have heretofore described a configuration of the plug contactor wherein there are two locking arms, and hence two locking tips which act together, in the manner of a single locking arm and tip, it is within the contemplation of this invention to actually employ but a single locking arm 26, cantilevered as discussed hereinabove, and hence to have but a single locking tip extending through the aperture 24.

It should be further understood by those skilled in the art that while I have illustrated and described the locking arms as being cantilevered from the base portion, in instances wherein the contact portion had a sufiicient length, i.e., in instances where the plug contactor is adapted for use with boards having a thicknes which is substantially greater than that portrayed in the present drawing, the locking arm, or arms, could be cantilevered from a portion of the contact portion itself.

In view of the above discussions it will be quickly appreciated by those skilled in the art that the aforementioned and other desirable objects have been achieved; however it should be emphasized that the particular emhodiments of the invention, which are shown and described herein, are intended as being merely illustrative, and not as restrictive of the invention.

1 claim:

1. A unitary plug contactor constructed from a single piece of metal comprising a sleeve formed by rolling said metal piece into tubular form, said sleeve having a support portion, a contact portion of smaller diameter than the support portion, a tapered transition portion joining the contact portion to said support portion, and a base portion connected in axial alignment with said support portion; an aperture in said plug contactor; a locking tip extending through said aperture; and a cantilevered locking arm disposed within said support portion, said locking tip being integrally formed on said arm at the free end thereof; said locking arm and tip being formed from an extreme end of said metal piece and having a rectangular cross sectional configuration,

cantilevered from said plug contactor to define a resiliently disposed member urging said tip through the aperture. 7

2. A unitary plug contactor as set forth in claim 1, wherein said aperture is located in the base portion of the sleeve.

3. A unitary plug contactor as set forth" in claim 1, wherein said contactor includes a plurality of locking arms and integral locking tips.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Shlesinger 339217 MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner.

PATRICK A. CLIFFORD, Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. A UNITARY PLUG CONTACTOR CONSTRUCTED FROM A SINGLE PIECE OF METAL COMPRISING A SLEEVE FORMED BY ROLLING SAID METAL PIECE INTO TUBULAR FORM, SAID SLEEVE HAVING A SUPPORT PORTION, A CONTACT PORTION OF SMALLER DIAMETER THAN THE SUPPORT PORTION, A TAPERED TRANSITION PORTION JOINING THE CONTACT PORTION TO SAID SUPPORT PORTION, AND A BASE PORTION CONNECTED IN AXIAL ALIGNMENT WITH SAID SUPPORT PORTION; AN APERTURE IN SAID PLUG CONTACTOR; A LOCKING TIP EXTENDING THROUGH SAID APERTURE; AND A CANTILEVERED LOCKING ARM DISPOSED WITHIN SAID SUPPORT PORTION, SAID LOCKING TIP BEING INTEGRALLY FORMED ON SAID ARM AT THE FREE END THREREOF; SAID LOCKING ARM AND TIP BEING FORMED FROM AN EXTREME END OF SAID METAL PIECE AND HAVING A RECTANGULAR CROSS SECTIONAL CONFIGURATION, THE LONGER DIMENSION OF WHICH EXTENDS RADIALLY INWARDLY OF SAID SLEEVE, THE LOCKING ARM BEING INTEGRAL WITH AND CONTILEVERED FROM SAID PLUG CONTACTOR TO DEFINE A RESILIENTLY DISPOSED MEMBER URGING SAID TIP THROUGH THE APERTURE.

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