UNIVERSAL ELECTRIC CONNECTOR

• US 3,699,499 A
• Filed: 03/08/1971
• Issued: 10/17/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Conan H. Spaderna
• Original Assignee: Conan H. Spaderna
• Inventors: Spaderna, Conan H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Champion, Marvin A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hafer, Robert A.
• Application Number:
  US05/121,723
• Time in Patent Office: 589 Days
• Field of Search: 339/74,75,38,40,42,91,71,184,185,192,193 285/317
• US Class Current: 439/337
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/502 composed of different pieces H01R13/514 takes precedence

Abstract

This invention relates to an electric connector comprising two electrically mating bases, called body and cap. The improvement comprises that each base is being made with more than two like, peripherally unevenly spaced cavities for holding contacts, wherein these contacts are all interchangeable brushes within the connector body and all interchangeable prongs within the cap. This allows a three or four cavity connector to be used with a two pole set as well as with a three pole set of contacts, without permitting any mismating of poles as would occur with even spacing. This mating guard may be still improved by a new locking bolt that aligns the bases before mating. After mating the bolt secures the bases against accidental separation. The proposed use of a single type base mold, brush and prong represents the utmost in standardization of parts.

Claims

1. A universal electric connector, comprising a cap base and a body base, each of which is formed with at least two cavities, one set of prong contacts with their terminals housed in the corresponding caviTies of the cap base and one set of brush contacts with their terminals housed in the corresponding cavities of the body base, the bases having on their cooperating end faces entrance slots which extend to the cavities, said slots arranged on a peripheral circle of each of said faces at such unequal spacings That said bases are polarized with respect to each other, to allow mating of said contacts in one position only, a mating pin attached to one base and a cooperating bushing recessed in the other base to reinforce the polarized connector structure, and a locking bolt having at each end a means for pivoting said bolt and a latch means, said bolt being attached to one of said bases by being housed in a through hole parallel to the connector axis, the other said base being formed with an open key groove for insertion of a part length of the bolt, and latch means on the outer end faces of the bases to cooperate with the latch means on said bolt.

2. Connector as set forth in claim 1, in which the latch means is a spring loaded rod guided in said handle of the locking bolt and bearing a knob that sticks out at the end of this handle to cooperate with a catch formed in the non- mating end face of the connector.

3. Connector as set forth in claim 1, in which the bases are shaped with a shouldered recess penetrating them;

the mate means pin and bushing formed with a thin prolongation are received by the shouldered recess from the mating base end and protrude beyond the recess where they are fastened to a terminal; and

bushing and pin are stepped at different depth for a different voltage rating.