ELECTRICAL COMPONENT

• US 3,723,948 A
• Filed: 11/08/1971
• Issued: 03/27/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gail A. Anderson, Gerald A. Wyatt
• Original Assignee: Gail A. Anderson, Gerald A. Wyatt
• Inventors: Wyatt, Gerald A., Anderson, Gail A.
• Primary Examiner(s): McGlynn, Joseph H.
• Application Number:
  US05/196,290
• Time in Patent Office: 505 Days
• Field of Search: 339/14,95,97-99,164
• US Class Current: 439/107
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 4/2429 mounted in an insulating base

Abstract

An electrical connector or circuit component capable of being rapidly attached to insulated wires and having a base member channeled to receive mutually electrically insulated wire conductors, e.g., insulated copper wires carried in a nonmetallic sheath, such as used to carry current in machines or buildings, conductive contact elements capable of being forcefully applied to wire conductors to make electrical contact without preliminary stripping of the insulation or severing of the wire conductor, an insulating body member retaining the elements and including parts thereon characterizing the circuit component, and holding means to hold together the base and body.

Claims

1. An electrical component capable of making solderless electrical connection to insulated wire conductors of a three conductor cable covered with a nonmetallic sheath without requiring preliminary stripping of the insulation or severing of the wire conductors and having a wire-receiving base member, a body member engageable with the base and containing conductive contact elements having projecting therefrom resilient contact plate portions slotted to provide an open-mouth slot adapted for forceful entry of a wire conductor, and holding means for holding the base and the body together;

wherein the base member comprises;

an elongate insulating block longitudinally channeled along one face to provide an enlarged channel at one end capable of receiving the sheath covered wires, said channel branching into three smaller intermediate channels capable of receiving insulated wires exposed by cutting away a short portion of said sheath, and converging again as an enlarged channel at the other end, the central intermediate channel being substantially straight and the outer intermediate channels being oppositely arcuate, said intermediate channels each having a wire-supporting floor and parallel walls, said base being transversely grooved across each of said intermediate channels with grooves of adjacent channels being nonaligned to provide grooves in said floor and walls for slidably receiving an appropriate one of said contact plate portions with the mouths of the slots of said plate portions centered in relationship to the wire-supporting floors of the intermediate channels, whereby insulated wire conductors supported in said intermediate channels are brought into permanent positive electrical connection with appropriate contact plate portions upon engagement of the body with the base.

2. The electrical component of claim 1 wherein said body member comprises an elongate insulating block having a surface engageable with the channeled face of said base, said block being slotted through said surface to an opposite surface to provide at least one pattern of holes corresponding to the projections on a 3 conductor power plug and channeled in said surface to provide channels adapted to support said contact elements, and wherein each of said contact elements is further characterized by having a slotted plug-receiving portion positioned on said contact element in its supporting channel with said plug-receiving portion in alignment with one of said holes.

3. An electrical component as defined in claim 1 further comprising a second base member as therein defined engageable with said body, said electrical component being capable of making solderless electrical connection between corresponding insulated wire conductors of non-metallic sheath-covered three-conductor cables supported in each base without preliminary stripping of the insulation or severing of the wire conductors, said body having opposite surfaces each engageable with a base, and being slotted through said surfaces to provide openings for containing the contact elements, said contact elements having two oppositely directed slotted resilient plate-like portions and being disposed in said body to slidably insert said plate-like portions into corresponding grooves of each base.

4. An electrical component as defined in claim 1 wherein said body member comprises an insulating block having a first surface engageable with the channeled face of said base, sAid block being slotted through said first surface to an opposite surface to provide at least one hole for receiving the base of a light bulb and channeled in said first surface to provide channels adapted to support said contact elements, and wherein the contact elements adapted to contact wires in the outer channels of the base are further characterized by having portions thereon for making electrical connection with said light bulb.

5. An electrical component as defined in claim 1 wherein said body member comprises an insulating block having a surface engageable with the channeled face of said base, said block having thereon an electrical switching means for opening and closing a conductive path between two contact points, and channeled in said surface to provide channels adapted to support said contact elements, and wherein each of the contact elements adapted to contact wires in the outer channels of the base is electrically connected to one of said contact points.

6. An electrical component capable of making solderless electrical connection to insulated wire conductors of a three conductor cable covered with a nonmetallic sheath without requiring preliminary stripping of the insulation or severing of the wire conductors and having a wire-receiving base member, a body member engageable with the base and containing conductive contact elements having projecting therefrom resilient contact plate portions slotted to provide an open-mouth slot adapted for forceful entry of a wire conductor, and holding means for holding the base and the body together;

wherein one of said base member and body member is formed with wall means for defining an enlarged channel at one end of the component capable of receiving the sheath covered wires, said channel branching into three smaller intermediate channels capable of receiving insulated wires exposed by cutting away a short portion of said sheath, and converging again as an enlarged channel at the other end of said component, the central intermediate channel being substantially straight and the outer intermediate channels being oppositely arcuate, and wherein said base has wire-supporting means including wire-supporting surfaces extending along a portion of each of said intermediate channels relative to an appropriate one of said contact plate portions with the mouths of the slots of said plate portions centered in relationship to the wire-supporting means of said base while permitting entry of said contact plate portions into said base beyond said wire-supporting surfaces, whereby insulated wire conductors supported in said intermediate channels are brought into permanent positive electrical connection with appropriate contact plate portions upon engagement of the body with the base.

7. The electrical component of claim 6 wherein said body member comprises an elongate insulating block having a surface mating with the face of said base, said block being slotted through said surface to an opposite surface to provide at least one pattern of holes corresponding to the projections on a 3 conductor power plug and channeled in said surface to provide channels adapted to support said contact elements, and wherein each of said contact elements is further characterized by having a slotted plug-receiving portion positioned on said contact element in its supporting channel with said plug-receiving portion in alignment with one of said holes.