WIRE CONNECTOR WITH FRUSTOCONICAL GRIPPING SPRING

• US 3,614,296 A
• Filed: 12/24/1969
• Issued: 10/19/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Frederick W. Nyquist, John H. Blomstrand
• Original Assignee: Frederick W. Nyquist, John H. Blomstrand
• Inventors: Blomstrand, John H., Nyquist, Frederick W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Clay, Darrell L.
• Application Number:
  US04/887,901
• Time in Patent Office: 664 Days
• Field of Search: 174/87,84.3,94.1 339/217,247,254,255,256S,252,273,273S
• US Class Current: 174/87
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 4/22 End caps, i.e. of insulating or conductive material for covering or maintaining connections between wires entering the cap from the same end
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 4/52 which is spring loaded

Abstract

A plurality of wires are gripped by a frustoconical coil spring which forces the wires tightly against surface portions formed on a rigid member having substantially the same degree of taper as the coil spring. In one embodiment the coil spring is placed within a recess provided in the rigid member and in a second embodiment the spring encircles the rigid member.

Claims

1. A wire connector comprising a resilient coil spring member composed of a number of convolutions, at least some of said convolutions forming a frustoconical section increasing from a smaller diameter at one end to a larger diameter at the other end, and a rigid member formed with a frustoconical surface having a groove therein providing a sloping surface having a taper corresponding generally to that of said spring section, said frustoconical spring section being within the frustoconical surface of said rigid member so that said sloping surface is juxtaposed in a coacting relationship with said spring section, whereby said spring member may be longitudinally compressed to increase the clearance between said sloping surface and said spring section to receive therebetween a wire to be gripped.

2. A wire connector comprising a resilient coil spring member composed of a number of convolutions, at least some of said convolutions forming a frustoconical section increasing from a smaller diaMeter at one end to a larger diameter at the other end thereof, and a rigid shell member closed at one end and open at the other end increasing from a smaller diameter at its open end to a larger diameter at its closed end, said coil spring member being received within said shell member so that the smaller diameter end thereof is near the open end of said shell member and the larger diameter thereof is adjacent the closed end of said shell member, said frustoconical surface secton of said shell member having several longitudinally extending grooves of a depth less than the diameter of the wire to be held, said several grooves being angularly spaced with respect to each other, whereby insertion of the wire into one of said grooves via said open end of said shell member will longitudinally compress the coil spring member to an extent that the clearance between the bottom of said groove and the convolution near the end of the groove via which the wire is inserted is equal to the diameter of the inserted wire.

3. A wire connector in accordance with claim 2 in which said grooves become deeper in a direction away from the ends thereof via which the wires are inserted.

4. A wire connector in accordance with claim 1 in which said shell is of dielectric material.

5. A wire connector in accordance with claim 2 in which the end opposite the smaller end of said coil spring is anchored with respect to the closed end of said shell.

6. A wire connector comprising a shell open at one end and closed at the other end, a resilient coil spring member composed of a number of convolutions, at least some of said convolutions forming a frustoconical section increasing from a smaller diameter at one end to a larger diameter at the other end thereof, and a rigid member formed with a frustoconical surface section also increasing from a smaller diameter at one end to a larger diameter at the other end thereof, said frustoconical surface section having several longitudinally extending grooves of a depth less than the diameter of wire to be held, said rigid member constituting a plug having an annular flange extending outwardly and anchored in the shell near the open end thereof, said flange having a plurality of holes therein for the insertion of a plurality of wire ends into said several grooves, said plug having formed exteriorly thereon said frustoconical surface which contains said grooves and said grooves being aligned with said holes in said flange, the frustoconical section of said spring tapering from a larger diameter near said flange to a smaller diameter adjacent said closing end and said smaller diameter end abutting against the closed end of said shell, whereby insertion of the wires into said grooves via said one end will longitudinally compress said coil spring member to an extent that the clearance between the bottom of said grooves and the convolution near the end of the grooves via which the wires are inserted is equal to the diameter of each inserted wire.

7. A wire connector in accordance with claim 6 in which said shell is of dielectric material.

8. A wire connector comprising a dielectric shell member open at one end and closed at its other end, a rigid plug element within said shell having outwardly projecting means thereon at one end anchored to said shell member near its said open end and tapering to a smaller end near the closed end of said shell, said plug element having at least one groove extending from the larger or anchored end thereof toward its said smaller end to provide a tapered surface, a resilient coil spring member composed of a number of convolutions, at least some of said convolutions forming a frustoconical section encircling said plug element and tapering from a larger diameter adjacent said projecting means to a smaller diameter toward the smaller end of said plug element, the taper of said spring section corresponding generally to that of said groove surface, whereby a wire may be inserted into said groove via the open end of said shell memBer and said spring longitudinally compressed to increase the clearance between said sloping surface and said spring section to receive and grip said wire therebetween.

9. A wire connector in accordance with claim 8 in which said anchoring means includes an annular flange embedded in the shell member, said flange having a hole aligned with said one groove, and in which the smaller end of said coil spring abuts the closed end of said shell member.