CONNECTOR ENCAPSULATING DEVICE AND METHOD

• US 3,897,129 A
• Filed: 09/26/1973
• Issued: 07/29/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: John A. Farrar Jr
• Original Assignee: John A. Farrar Jr
• Inventors: Farrar, John A. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore, Richard E.
• Application Number:
  US05/400,951
• Time in Patent Office: 671 Days
• Field of Search: 339/94,99,115,116,117,218 174/138F
• US Class Current: 439/204
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 15/10 protected by boxes, e.g. by distribution, connection or junction boxes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49176 with molding of electrically insulating material
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49194 Assembling elongated conductors, e.g., splicing, etc.
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49201 with overlapping orienting

Abstract

A method and device are described for encapsulating a multiple wire electrical connector in a viscous encapsulating material. A socket adapted to closely fit around the connector is filled with a predetermined quantity of the encapsulating material. The connector is pressed into the socket so that some of the encapsulating material is forced from the bottom of the socket to the surface of the connector adjacent the opening to the socket through passageways along the sides of the socket. This encapsulating material is then spread over the connector, which spreading may be facilitated by flexing flaps on the housing toward the opening.

Claims

1. A method for encapsulating a connector having side walls extending between first and second ends which connector electrically interconnects a plurality of wires projecting from its first end, said method including the steps of:

providing a housing having a socket with a bottom opposite an unrestricted open end, the socket being adapted to closely fit around and completely receive the side walls and second end of the connector with its first end facing the open end of the socket and the wires extending therethrough, said housing having a plurality of projections defining, when a connector is within the socket, passageways extending from the bottom of the socket to the open end, and having a quantity of viscous, water restricting electrically insulating encapsulating material in the socket, the quantity being at least sufficient to fill the socket for a predetermined distance over the connector after the second end of the connector is positioned at the bottom of the socket;

positioning the connector in the socket with its second end adjacent the bottom thereof and in contact with the encapsulating material;

pressing the positioned connector into the open end of the socket with sufficient pressure to force the encapsulating material into and through the passageways to deposit a portion of the encapsulating material at the first end of the connector; and

spreading the portion of the encapsulating material at the first end of the connector around the wires and over the first end of the connector.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the housing has a pair of flaps hingedly mounted along one edge in opposed relationship to the housing on opposite sides of the open end of the socket, and said spreading step includes the step of pressing the flaps toward the open end to help in spreading the potting compound across the first end of the connector.

3. In combination, a connector including an insulative body having side walls extending between first and second ends and a plurality of internal wire receiving channels, a plurality of wires in said channels and a plurality of conductive contact elements mounted in said body member, said contact elements having spaced fingers in resilient engagement with the wires to electrically interconnect wires in the channel in a predetermined pattern;

a housing having a socket with a bottom opposite an unrestricted open end, the socket closely fitting around and completely receiving the side walls and second end of the connector with its first end facing the open end and the wires extending therethrough; and

a quantity of viscous electrically insulating water restricting encapsulating material within the socket around said connector.

4. A device for encapsulating an electrical connector having side walls extending between first and second ends and electrically interconnecting a plurality of wires projecting from its first end, said device comprising a housing having a socket with a bottom opposite an unrestricted open end, the socket being adapted to closely fit around and completely receive the side walls and second end of a said connector with the first end of the connector facing the open end and the wires projecting therethrough, said housing having a plurality of projections defining, when a said connector is positioned within the socket, channels extending from the bottom of the socket to the open end, and a pair of flaps hingedly mounted along one end in opposed relationship at The open end of the housing.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein each of said flaps has a projection defining a generally cylindrically concave arcuate surface adjacent the open end of the socket with one edge of the surface being aligned with the outer extreme of the surface defining the socket and the surface extending through an arc of about 90* over the open end.