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Rotatable electrical connector for coiled telephone cord

  • US 4,583,797 A
  • Filed: 06/11/1985
  • Issued: 04/22/1986
  • Est. Priority Date: 06/11/1985
  • Status: Expired
First Claim
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1. A low friction rotatable electrical connector for use with a coiled telephone cord, said connector comprising:

  • a. a hollow insulated housing of generally cylindrical form that is split longitudinally into a base portion and a cover portion, and assembly means for holding the base and cover portions together, and a circular opening in at least one end wall of the cylindrical housing;

    b. and a cylindrical rotor assembly of insulating material having a journal at one end that is rotatably mounted within the said circular opening so the rotor assembly may rotate freely relative to the hollow housing, the rotor assembly being a hollow cylindrical member having a single longitudinal split in the wall of the cylinder;

    c. a plurality of continuous conductive rings mounted along the length of the rotor assembly and separated by a plurality of insulating washers, where there is a washer positioned between each adjacent pair of conductive rings to serve as a spacer between the rings, each conductive ring including a separate insulated conductor on the underside thereof for extending through the longitudinal split of the rotor extending out from the rotor through the hollow journal to an external termination means;

    d. a plurality of spring wire contact elements mounted within the said base portion of the housing in a parallel array, each spring wire contact element having a portion biased into continuous wiping contact with one of the said continuous conductive rings for making a reliable electrical connection between the relatively movable hollow housing and its rotor assembly;

    e. each of said plurality of spring wire contact elements being of hairpin shape, the said cover portion of the connector housing having a plurality of partitions to provide means to stabilize and space the contact elements apart.

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