PUSH-LOCK ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR
First Claim
1. For use in a push-lock electrical connector including generally cylindrical male and female connector members having respective plural conductive pins and conductive sockets adapted for mutual engagement in forming electrical connections and an insulator insert in said male connector member attached to said conductive pins for maintaining said conductive pins in fixed position within the connector, said insulator insert comprising:
- a generally cylindrical housing having a base portion attached to said conductive pins and a peripheral, resilient, cylindrical lateral wall extending from said base portion and disposed about said conductive pins and defining an opening adapted to receive a female connector member in a tight-fitting manner, wherein said lateral wall includes at least one elongated slot therein allowing said lateral wall to move outward in a resilient manner upon the application of an outwardly directed force to said lateral wall; and
an elastic electrically insulating thin layer of material disposed on an inner surface of the lateral wall of said cylindrical housing and spanning the at least one elongated slot therein to allow said lateral wall to expand radially outward to receive female connecting members having a range of outer diameters in a tight-fitting manner and provide a continuous layer of insulation about the interconnected pins and sockets.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An inline multi-pin connector includes cylindrical male and female connector members which are electrically connected together by pushing the two members together end-to-end. Either the male or the female connector member has a metal cylinder disposed about its conductive pins or sockets, which are adapted for mutual engagement, while the other connector member is provided with inner threads. The metal cylinder includes plural resilient, spaced arms, or tabs, disposed about its outer periphery and urged radially outward and into engagement with the other member'"'"'s threads to connect the two connector members. Coaxial seals are disposed between and in contact with the two members as is a compressible O-ring seal. The outer periphery of the inner member'"'"'s cylindrical insulator is provided with alternating peaks and valleys, while the other member'"'"'s metal cylinder is provided with inwardly extending resilient arms which are adapted for positioning within a respective facing valley to prevent vibration-induced disconnection.
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Citations
27 Claims
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1. For use in a push-lock electrical connector including generally cylindrical male and female connector members having respective plural conductive pins and conductive sockets adapted for mutual engagement in forming electrical connections and an insulator insert in said male connector member attached to said conductive pins for maintaining said conductive pins in fixed position within the connector, said insulator insert comprising:
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a generally cylindrical housing having a base portion attached to said conductive pins and a peripheral, resilient, cylindrical lateral wall extending from said base portion and disposed about said conductive pins and defining an opening adapted to receive a female connector member in a tight-fitting manner, wherein said lateral wall includes at least one elongated slot therein allowing said lateral wall to move outward in a resilient manner upon the application of an outwardly directed force to said lateral wall; and an elastic electrically insulating thin layer of material disposed on an inner surface of the lateral wall of said cylindrical housing and spanning the at least one elongated slot therein to allow said lateral wall to expand radially outward to receive female connecting members having a range of outer diameters in a tight-fitting manner and provide a continuous layer of insulation about the interconnected pins and sockets. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. For use in a push lock electrical connector including generally cylindrical male and female connector members having respective plural conductive pins and conductive sockets adapted for mutual engagement in forming electrical connections, and an insulator insert in said female connector member attached to said conductive sockets for maintaining said conductive sockets in fixed position within the connector, said insulator insert comprising:
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a generally cylindrical housing including a base portion attached to said conductive sockets and a peripheral cylindrical outer wall having an annular outer recessed slot extending about said cylindrical outer wall; a generally circular continuous seal member disposed on and about the peripheral outer wall of said cylindrical housing and extending outwardly from said outer wall, wherein said seal member is adapted to receive about its outer periphery the generally cylindrical male connector member in tight-fitting engagement to securely connect the male and female connector members together in a sealed manner; and a thin layer of an electrically insulating lastic material disposed on said circular seal member about its entire periphery and adapted to receive and engage about its generally circular outer periphery a male connecting member, wherein said male connecting member has an inner diameter which may vary over a range of values, and wherein the housing'"'"'s peripheral outer wall and said elastic material layer are adapted to reduce in diameter to accommodate the range of male connecting member inner diameters while maintaining a continuous layer of said electrically insulating material about the connector'"'"'s pins and sockets. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. For use in a push lock electrical connector having generally cylindrical male and female connector members respectfully having plural conductive pins and conductive sockets adapted for mutual engagement in forming electrical connections, a connection arrangement for allowing a male connector member to receive female connectors having a range of outer diameters or for allowing a female connector member to receive male connectors having a range of inner diameters, said connection arrangement comprising:
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a first generally cylindrical housing of said male connector member and a second generally cylindrical housing of said female connector member, wherein said first cylindrical housing of the male connector member includes a generally cylindrical wall extending from a first end of said first cylindrical housing and defining an open end within which are disposed the conductive pins and wherein said open end is adapted to receive in a tight-fitting manner a first end of said female connector member bearing said conductive sockets; first means disposed in said cylindrical wall for allowing said cylindrical wall to expand radially outward to accommodate a female connector member of larger diameter, or second means disposed in or on an outer surface of said female connector member to allow said female connector member to contract radially inward to accommodate a male connector member of reduced diameter; and a thin layer of elastic electrically insulating material disposed on either an inner surface of the male connecting member'"'"'s cylindrical wall or the female member'"'"'s outer surface to respectively allow said cylindrical wall to expand radially outward or the outer surface of said female connector member to contract radially inward to accommodate the insertion of a larger female connector member into a male connector member or a smaller male connector member onto a female connector member while providing a continuous layer of said elastic electrically insulating material disposed about said pins and sockets.
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Specification