US3622953A

US3622953A - Electrical terminal assembly

Info

Publication number: US3622953A
Application number: US13924A
Authority: US
Inventors: George P Greenamyer
Original assignee: Deutsche ITT Industries GmbH
Current assignee: TDK Micronas GmbH; ITT Inc
Priority date: 1970-02-25
Filing date: 1970-02-25
Publication date: 1971-11-23
Anticipated expiration: 1988-11-23

Abstract

An electrical terminal for use in a gas water heater control or the like in which the insulator has integral leaf spring wings with projections to snap fit into a groove in the control body to retain the insulator therein.

Description

United States Patent Inventor George P. Greenamyer Monrovia, Calif.

Appl. No. 13,924

Filed Feb. 25, 1970 Patented Nov. 23, 19.71

Assignee International Telephone and Telegraph Corporation New York, N.Y.

ELECTRICAL TERMINAL ASSEMBLY 7 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 339/212, 339/220 R Int. Cl H0lr 13/40 Field of Search 339/89, 91,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,474,388 10/1969 Jackson et al. 339/92 2,828,393 3/1958 Wingard 339/220 3,467,893 9/1969 Jackson et al. 339/89 C Primary Examiner-Joseph H. McGlynn A!t0rneys-C. Cornell Remsen, Jr., Walter J. Baum, Paul W.

Hemminger, Charles L. Johnson, Jr. and Thomas E. Kristofi'erson ABSTRACT: An electrical terminal for use in a gas water heater control or the like in which the insulator has integral leaf spring wings with projections to snap fit into a groove in the control body to retain the insulator therein.

SHEET 1 OF 2 FIG. 2,

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ELECTRICAL TERMINAL ASSEMBLY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to electrical connectors and, more particularly, to an electrical terminal assembly for use in a gas water heater control or the like.

In the past, no means have been provided to hold a terminal inside a control for ease in assembly. One prior art device such as this is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,2862 16.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the device of the present invention, the above-described and other disadvantages of the prior art are overcome by providing a control body with an external groove and an internal insulator having external leaf springs with projections to snap fit into the grooves. The insulator is, thus, locked in position inside the control body for further assembly.

The above-described and other advantages of the invention will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings, which are to be regarded as merely illustratrve:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an insulator and one conductive contact;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the bottom of the insulator;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 shown in FIG. 1 of the insulator and the conductive contacts;

FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view of the assembly taken on the line 44 shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of a plug for the body of a gas water heater control; and

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view of the plug taken on the line 6-6 shown in FIG. 5.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the drawings, in FIG. I, an insulator is indicated at 10 from which a metal contact 11 is exploded. In the complete assembly of the invention, two identical contacts are employed as indicated at 11' and 11" in FIG. 3.

One contact 11 fits on top of an insulator web 12. The other contact fits on the bottom of insulator web 12. A plug 13 is fixed to one end of web 12. Also, except for contact II, all parts shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are made of a single integral piece of nylon, but the different parts will be described as though separate. However, all of the parts are fixed relative to, for example, web 12.

Leaf springs I4 and 15 are fixed to plug 13. Projections I6 and 17 are fixed to the ends of springs 14 and 15, respectively. Projections I8 and 19 are also fixed to springs 14 and 15, respectively, as shown in FIGS. I and 2.

Projections

20 and 21 are fixed to opposite sides of web 12. Web I2 has a circular portion 22 to which

projections

23 and 24 are fixed. Projections 25 and 26 project downwardly from circular portion 22 as shown in FIG. 2.

Projections

27 and 28 are fixed to opposite sides of web 12. The same is true of

projections

29 and 30.

Leaf springs

31 and 32 are fixed to

projections

29 and 30, respectively.

Leaf springs

31 and 32 have

projections

33 and 34 fixed thereto.

As shown in FIG. 1, leaf spring 11 has a shape substantially identical to that of web 12. For example, contact 11 has circular portion 35, and strips 36 and 37 connected therefrom. Contact I I also has a lug 38 which may be crimped around the wire of an electrical lead or soldered thereto. The shape of the lug portion 38 of contact I I may be changed to any configuration ifdesired.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, contacts 11' and II are maintained securely against the upper and lower surfaces of web 12 by

projections

21 and 28. Once insulator I0 is molded to the shape shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, both the top and bottom of

projections

20, 21, 27, and 28 are molded over the top of contact 11 and over the bottom of contact II" as indicated at 39 in FIG. 4. This mold may be done by the use of a heated tool or by any conventional means. A sonic welder may also be employed.

A plug 40 shown in FIG. 5 may be employed for connection to the body of a gas water heater control. Plug 40 includes a base portion 41 having a head 42 integral therewith. Head 42 is soldered through a hole which extends completely through the center of plug 40. A milling machine is used to solder head 42. The milling machine, thus, may create a recess 43 in base 41. Theslot is indicated at 44. Head 42, except for slot 44, has the appearance of a conventional hex-nut with a helical screw thread 45 therein. The bottom of the hole at 46 is smooth. The hole is a counter bore to a hole 47 which extends through base 41. The complete assembly is shown in FIG. 6. A contact 48 has a connector 49 fixed thereto and insulated from a threaded conductive sleeve 50 by insulation 53. Contact 52 is fixed to-a conductor 54 which, in turn, is fixed to conductor 55. Sleeve 50 presses contact 48 against the circular portion of contact 11'. At the same time, contact 11' is pressed against contact 52.

In assembly, projections l8, 19, 31, and 34 spring out around the hex-nut surface of head 42 and are then snapped into a groove of plug 40 as shown in FIG. 6. Insulator I0 is then inserted in slot 44 and contacts 11' and 11'' are fixed thereto as shown in FIG. 4. With contacts 11' and 11" fixed to insulator 10, this subassembly is lowered into slot 44 with projections l6 and 17 up as viewed in FIG. 6 on the outside of head 42, When insulator 10 reaches the portion of groove 56, the projections 18, I9, 33 and 34 snap into groove 56. In accordance with the foregoing, the snap fit of the insulator projections in groove 56 make assembly and subassembly easy and rapid.

What is claimed is:

I. An electrical terminal assembly comprising: a receptacle body having a hole therethrough, said body also having a slot intercepting said hole, said slot having a mid plane extending approximately through the hole axis, said slot extending all the way through said body over a portion of its length, said body having an approximately annular groove extending radially thereinto toward said axis at a position spaced from one end of said body, said slot extending completely through said one end; and an elongated insulator slidable vertically in said slot, said insulator projecting radially outside of said slot at each end thereof; a projection; and a cantilever leaf spring fixed between said insulator and said projection, said spring being shaped to be bent by said body in a radial outwardly extending direction when said insulator is moved in said slot toward said groove, said spring being adapted to snap said projection into said groove when said insulator reaches the position of said groove.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein three additional cantilever leaf springs and three additional projections are provided, two pairs of leaf springs extending in opposite directions from but being fixed to the ends of said insulator projecting outwardly of said slot, said springs extending around the outside of said body generally tangent to a circle concentric with said axis in a plane perpendicular thereto, each projection being fixed to a corresponding leaf spring at the free end thereof in a position extending therefrom generally in an inward radial direction toward said axis.

3. The invention as defined in claim 2, wherein said insulator and all of said springs and projections are made of the same insulating material and are integral with one another.

4. An electrical terminal assembly comprising: an insulator having an elongated web; and a conductive contact positioned on opposite sides of said web, said web having guide means fixed to each side thereof to retain both of said contacts against said web, said web having an uniform thickness throughout its extent, said web having substantially flat, parallel surfaces to engage said contacts, said web having a circular said circular portion projections form a cylinder with slots apart located at the positions that said strips are connected to said web circular portion, said slots having the same width. said slot width being equal to the width of said strips.

7. The invention as defined in claim 6, wherein said insulator. said web. said guide means, said projections, said web circular portion, and all of said pairs of said circular portion projections being made of the same material, and being integral with each other.

Claims

1. An electrical terminal assembly comprising: a receptacle body having a hole therethrough, said body also having a slot intercepting said hole, said slot having a mid plane extending approximately through the hole axis, said slot extending all the way through said body over a portion of its length, said body having an approximately annular groove extending radially thereinto toward said axis at a position spaced from one end of said body, said slot extending completely through said one end; and an elongated insulator slidable vertically in said slot, said insulator projecting radially outside of said slot at each end thereof; a projection; and a cantilever leaf spring fixed between said insulator and said projection, said spring being shaped to be bent by said body in a radial outwardly extending direction when said insulator is moved in said slot toward said groove, said spring being adapted to snap said projection into said groove when said insulator reaches the position of said groove.

4. An electrical terminal assembly comprising: an insulator having an elongated web; and a conductive contact positioned on opposite sides of said web, said web having guide means fixed to each side thereof to retain both of said contacts against said web, said web having an uniform thickness throughout its extent, said web having substantially flat, parallel surfaces to engage said contacts, said web having a circular portion from which rectangular strips are connected 180* apart, said contacts each having a shape substantially identical to that of said web, said guide means including a projection on each side of each strip molded over the top thereof to retain each contact.

5. The invention as defined in claim 4, wherein the circular portion of said web has one pair of projections on each side thereof located about 180* apart in a plane through the center of said circular portion perpendicular to the strip axis.

6. The invention as defined in claim 5, wherein one pair of said circular portion projections form a cylinder with slots 180* apart located at the positions that said strips are connected to said web circular portion, said slots having the same width, said slot width being equal to the width of said strips.

7. The invention as defined in claim 6, wherein said insulator, said web, said guide means, said projections, said web circular portion, and all of said pairs of said circular portion projections being made of the same material, and being integral with each other.