SNAP-IN CONTACT ASSEMBLY FOR PLUG AND JACK TYPE CONNECTORS

• US 3,845,453 A
• Filed: 02/27/1973
• Issued: 10/29/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Amphenol Corporation
• Original Assignee: Valentine J. Hemmer
• Inventors: Hemmer, Valentine J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Frazier, Roy D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Staab, Lawrence J.
• Application Number:
  US05/336,307
• Time in Patent Office: 609 Days
• Field of Search: 339/59,177,182,183,205,213,217,18B,125,126
• US Class Current: 439/578
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 9/0518 Connection to outer conductor by crimping or by crimping ferrule

Abstract

A plug or jack type electrical connector that includes a snap-in contact and insulator assembly so that the insulator and/or contact may be removed from the plug or jack for maintenance and/or replacement. The insulator is a plastic sleeve that contains a separable electrical contact, the sleeve being separably mounted within the plug or jack housing.

Claims

1. In combination with a coaxial cable connector of the type having;

a cylindrical housing that includes a central passage, a forward mating portion, and a rear portion;

an electrical contact having a wire receiving end, an opposite mating end, and a recess in the outside of said contact; and

an insulator mounted in said housing central passage and disposed to retain said contact within but electrically insulated from said housing, the improvement wherein the insulator comprises;

a sleeve comprised of electrically nonconducting material surrounding the entire electrical contact, said sleeve having a forward end portion, a rear end portion, an axial slot in said rear end portion so that said rear end portion of said sleeve is radially compressible, a first rearwardly facing shoulder on said front portion of said sleeve that engages the front end of said housing, a second forwardly facing shoulder on said rear end that engages the rear end of said housing, so that the engagement of said shoulders with said ends of said housing prevents axial movement of said sleeve and an internal projection in said sleeve that extends into the recess in said contact to prevent axial movement of said contact mounted within said sleeve whereby said sleeve and said contact may be removed from the front of said housing by radially compressing said rear portion of said sleeve so that said forwardly facing shoulder on said rear portion of said sleeve disengages the rear end of said housing to permit removal of said sleeve from the forward mating portion of said housing.

2. The combination as recited in claim 1 wherein said insulator is comprised of plastic.

3. In combination with a coaxial cable connector of the type having;

a cylindrical housing that includes a central passage, a forward mating portion, and a rear portion;

an electrical contact having a wire receiving end, an opposite mating end, and a recess in the outside of said contact; and

an insulator mounted in said housing central passage and disposed to retain said contact within but electrically insulated from said housing, the improvement wherein the insulator comprises;

a Rigid sleeve comprised of electrically nonconducting material surrounding the entire electrical contact, said sleeve having a forward end portion, a rear end portion, an axial slot in one end portion so that said end portion having said slot is radially compressible, a first rearwardly facing shoulder on said front portion of said sleeve that engages the front end of said housing, a second forwardly facing shoulder on said rear end that engages the rear end of said housing, so that the engagement of said shoulders with said ends of said housing prevents axial movement of said sleeve and an internal projection in said sleeve that extends into the recess in said contact to prevent axial movement of said contact mounted within said sleeve whereby said sleeve and said contact may be removed from said housing by radially compressing said end portion of said sleeve having said slots so that said shoulder on said rear portion of said sleeve disengages the end of said housing to permit removal of said sleeve from said housing passage.

4. In combination with a coaxial cable connector of the type having;

a cylindrical housing that includes a central passage, a forward mating portion, and a rear portion;

an electrical contact having a wire receiving end, an opposite mating end, and a recess in the outside of said contact; and

an insulator mounted in said housing central passage and disposed to retain said contact within but electrically insulated from said housing, the improvement wherein the insulator comprises;

a sleeve comprised of electrically nonconducting material surrounding the entire electrical contact, said sleeve having a forward end portion;

a rear end portion;

releasable means for preventing axial movement of said sleeve, mounted in said housing, with respect to said housing;

means for preventing axial movement of said contact, mounted with said sleeve, with respect to said sleeve; and

means operable to release said means that prevents axial movement of said sleeve with respect to said housing whereby said sleeve and said contact may be removed from said housing by operation of said releasing means, said releasable means for preventing axial movement of said sleeve including at least one axial slot in one of the end portions of said sleeve so that said sleeve end portion is radially compressible and means for latching onto said housing when said sleeve is not compressed, said latching means operable to disengage said housing upon radial compression of said compressible end portion of said sleeve whereby said sleeve and contact may be removed from said housing.

5. An electrical connector member for attachment to an end of a coaxial cable having a center electrical conductor, an inner dielectric layer surrounding the center conductor, a flexible tubular outer conductor surrounding the dielectric layer, and an outer electrically insulating layer surrounding said outer conductor, said connector member comprising:

a tubular shell of electrically conducting material having a forward mating portion and a rear cable receiving portion;

an electrically conducting contact member having a forward mating portion and a rear conductor receiving portion adapted to be attached to a bared end of said coaxial cable center conductor, said contact member having at least one recess in the outside surface thereof; and

an electrically insulating sleeve having a forward portion, a rear contact receiving portion, a first external rearwardly facing shoulder on said forward portion, a second external forwardly facing shoulder on said rear portion, at least one internal projection that mates with said at least one external recess in said contact member, and at least one axial slot in said rear portion of said sleeve so that said rear portion is compressible, said second shoulder on said rear portion of said sleeve engaging said rear end of said housing and said first shoulder on said forward end of said sleeve engaging the forward end of said housing so that said sleeve is held captIve within said housing by operation of said shoulders engaging said housing ends, and said contact is completely surrounded by and is held within said sleeve by operation of said recess in said contact which receives said internal projection of said sleeve whereby said sleeve and said contact are retained in said housing and may be withdrawn from said housing by compressing the rear portion of said sleeve which disengages said second forwardly facing shoulder on the sleeve from the rear end of the housing to allow removal of the sleeve and contact from the housing.

6. In combination with a coaxial cable connector of the type having;

a cylindrical housing that includes a central passage, a forward mating portion having an internal forwardly facing shoulder, and a rear portion;

an electrical contact having a wire receiving end, an opposite mating end, and a recess in the outside of said contact; and

an insulator mounted in said housing central passage and disposed to retain said contact within but electrically insulated from said housing, the improvement wherein the insulator comprises;

a rigid sleeve comprised of electrically nonconducting material, said sleeve having a forward enlarged end portion from which said contact mating end extends;

a rear end portion surrounding and extending beyond said wire receiving end of said contact;

an axial slot in said rear end portion so that said rear end portion of said sleeve is radially compressible;

a first rearwardly facing shoulder on said front end portion that engages the internal shoulder of said housing;

a second forwardly facing shoulder on said rear end portion that engages the rear end of said housing, so that the engagement of said sleeve second shoulder with said rear end of said housing and engagement of said sleeve first shoulder with said housing internal shoulder prevents axial movement of said sleeve; and

an internal projection in said sleeve that extends into the recess in said contact to prevent axial movement of said contact mounted within said sleeve whereby said sleeve and said contact may be removed from the front of said housing by radially compressing said rear portion of said sleeve so that said forwardly facing shoulder on said rear portion of said sleeve disengages the rear end of said housing to permit removal of said sleeve from the forward mating portion of said housing.

7. An electrical connector member for attachment to an end of a coaxial cable having;

a center electrical conductor, an inner dielectric layer surrounding the center conductor, a flexible tubular outer conductor surrounding the dielectric layer, and an outer electrically insulating layer surrounding said outer conductor, said connector member comprising;

a tubular shell of electrically conducting material having a forward mating portion that includes an internal forwardly facing shoulder and a rear cable receiving portion;

an electrically conducting contact member having a forward mating portion and a rear conductor receiving portion adapted to be attached to a bared end of said coaxial cable center conductor, said contact member having at least one recess in the outside surface thereof; and

an electrically insulating sleeve having an enlarged forward portion from which said contact extends, a rear contact receiving portion surrounding and extending beyond said conductor receiving portion of said contact member, a first external rearwardly facing shoulder on said forward portion, a second external forwardly facing shoulder on said rear portion, at least one internal projection that mates with said at least one external recess in said contact member, and at least one axial slot in said rear portion of said sleeve so that said rear portion is compressible and said sleeve is removable from the front of said shell when the rear portion of said sleeve is compressed, said second shoulder on said rear portion of said sleeve engaging said rear end of said housing and said first shoulder on said forward end of said sleeve engagIng the internal shoulder in the forward portion of said housing so that said sleeve is held captive within said housing by operation of said shoulders and said contact is held within said sleeve by operation of said recess in said contact which receives said internal projection of said sleeve whereby said sleeve and said contact are retained in said housing and may be withdrawn from said housing by compressing the rear end of said sleeve which disengages said second forwardly facing shoulder of the sleeve from the rear end of the housing to allow removal of the sleeve and contact from the housing.