ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS

• US 3,601,776 A
• Filed: 05/20/1969
• Issued: 08/24/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gerald A. Curl
• Original Assignee: Gerald A. Curl
• Inventors: Curl, Gerald A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Leppink, James A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Staab, Lawrence J.
• Application Number:
  US04/826,139
• Time in Patent Office: 826 Days
• Field of Search: 339/59,61,177,205,213,256,259 24/213,216,217,23SL,230 287/126,58CT 308/26 16/2
• US Class Current: 439/675
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2103/00 Two poles
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/42 comprising impedance matching means or electrical components, e.g. filters or switches
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/4555 and encircling hollow central area

Abstract

This invention relates to improvements in electrical connectors. A two circuit jack and plug are described in which the jack is formed of a series of sleeves inserted one within the other to expose, at one end of the jack, a pair of contacting rings. The contacting rings are noncircular in that their sidewalls are flat at spaced points around their periphery. They are held in encompassing ring retainers having inner dimensions to squeeze the contacting rings such that they are more nearly circular. The jack is associated with a phonograph type plug whose outer contact is arranged to have its outer surface, rather then its inner surface, mate with a respectively associated one of the contacting rings of the jack.

Claims

1. An electrical connector comprising a combination;

a contacting ring of electrically conductive, resilient, material formed, in the relaxed condition of the ring, about a central axis such that alternating sections of its inner peripheral surface lie beyond, and alternating intervening sections thereof lie within, the circle defined by the average distance from said axis to inner peripheral surface; and

a circular ring retainer encompassing the outer peripheral surface of the ring and having dimensions to force said ring against its renitence to more nearly circular shape in which such alternate sections lie less far beyond, and said alternate intervening sections lie less far within, said circle than in the relaxed condition of said contacting ring.

2. The invention defined in claim 1 in which all portions of the inner peripheral surface of said ring, when assembled with said ring retainer, are bowed on an arc having a center on the side thereof toward said central axis.

3. The invention defined in claim 2 in which said contracting ring comprises at least three sections whose inner peripheral surface lie beyond, and a like number of sections whose inner peripheral surface lie within, said circle.

4. The invention defined in claim 3 in which at least one annular portion of said ring is continuous in a plane normal to said central axis.

5. An electrical connector comprising a combination:

a contacting ring of electrically conductive, resilient material formed, in the relaxed condition of the ring, about a central axis such that alternating sections of its inner peripheral surface lie beyond, and alternating intervening sections thereof lie within, the circle defined by the average distance from said axis to inner peripheral surface;

a ring retainer encompassing the outer peripheral surface of the ring and having dimensions to force said ring against its renitence to more nearly circular shape in which such alternate sections lie less far beyond, and said alternate intervening sections lie less far within, said circle than in the relaxed condition of said contacting ring;

all portions of the inner peripheral surface of said ring, when assembled with said ring retainer, being bowed on an arc having a center on the side thereof towards said central axis;

said contacting ring comprising at least three sections whose inner peripheral surface lie beyond, and a like number of sections whose inner peripheral surface lie within, said circle;

at least one annular portion of said ring being continuous in a plane normal to said central axis; and

a second contacting ring having a structure like that described for the first mentioned contacting ring and which further comprises a second ring retainer having a structure like that described for the ring retainer first mentioned;

said second ring retainer having a central axis coincident with said central axis of said first mentioned ring and ring retainer.

6. The invention defined in claim 5 in which said second ring and said second ring retainer are smaller in diameter than the first mentioned ring and ring retainer, respectively, and have an annular portion in said plane normal to said axis.

7. The invention defined in claim 6 in which said second ring retainer is formed of electrically nonconductive materials and has outer diameter in said plane sufficiently small to clear said contacting ring first mentioned.

8. The invention defined in claim 7 in which said second ring is formed at one end of a rod, in which said second ring retainer comprises a sleeve surrounding said rod;

in which said ring first mentioned comprises a sleeve surrounding said second ring retainer; and

in which said riNg retainer first mentioned comprises a sleeve formed of electrically nonconductive material surrounding said ring first mentioned.

9. The invention defined in claim 8 which further comprises a male connector including a cylindrical sleeve of electrically conductive resilient material having an outer radius greater than the distance from said central axis of the ring and ring retainer first mentioned to the inner peripheral surface of said alternate intervening sections of said ring when encompassed by said ring retainer but less than that of said circle.

10. The invention defined in claim 1 which further comprises a male connector including a cylindrical sleeve of electrically conductive resilient material having outer radius greater than the distance from said central axis to the inner peripheral surface of said alternate intervening sections of said ring when encompassed by said ring retainer but less than that of said circle.

11. The invention defined in claim 10 in which said cylindrical sleeve of electrically conductive material terminates at a marginal edge having outer radius less than the distance from said central axis to the inner peripheral surface of said alternate intervening sections of said ring when encompassed by said ring retainer.