Holder for maintaining electrical connections

• US 4,998,891 A
• Filed: 11/04/1988
• Issued: 03/12/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Joseph R. Bresko
• Original Assignee: Joseph R. Bresko
• Inventors: Bresko, Joseph R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Paumen, Gary F.
• Application Number:
  US07/267,355
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• Field of Search: 439/367-369, 439/371, 439/350, 439/351, 439/353
• US Class Current: 439/369
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/639 Additional means for holding or locking coupling parts together, after engagement, e.g. separate keylock, retainer strap

Abstract

A two-piece, shell-like holder composed of two telescopically mating shell portions sized to be connected together and to maintain a male and a female plug in electrical engagement with one another so that the interconnected shell structure assumes axial forces applied to and tending to separate the electrical connection and wherein the shell portions include interlocking portions when in telescopic engagement which an be unlocked by rotating the shell portions relative to one another and separating them axially.

Claims

1. For use with the combination of (a) a male electrical plug (12) with a first lead conductor (50) and (b) a female electrical plug (14) with a second lead conductor (52), wherein the plugs (12), (14) each have an axial, proximal face (19), (21) and a distal face (15), (17) and when the plugs are in electrical engagement the distance between the proximal faces is of a predetermined distance,

a shell-like structure (22) to maintain the plugs in electrical engagement with one another comprising,

(a) a first and a second cup-shaped mating shell portion (24, 26),

said first shell portion (24) having a rim (28) defining an open first mouth of a first diameter, said first shell portion being of a depth to receive one of the plugs (12),

said first shell portion (24) including a base (36) with a through hole (40) and a tubular portion (32) extending from the base to the rim (28),

said first shell portion further including an elongate slit (44) extending from the, hole (40) axially to the open mouth for insertion of the lead conductor (50) on said one of the plugs (22),

said tubular portion (32), adjacent the rim (28), having a plurality of equiangularly spaced, generally elliptically shaped openings at a common distance from the rim,

said second shell portion (26) having a second rim edge (30) defining a second mouth of a second diameter smaller than the first diameter of the first shell portion,

said second shell portion being sized for receipt of the rim edge (30) through the first mouth and into the first shell portion in telescoping relation and being of a depth to receive the other of said plugs,

said second shell portion including a base (38) having a through hole (42) and a tubular portion (34) extending from the base (38) to the rim edge (30),

said second shell portion including a slit (46) extending from the hole (42) in the base (38) to the mouth for insertion of the lead conductor (52) on the other of said plugs,

said second shell portion further including a plurality of raised portions (64) exteriorly on the tubular portion (34) at the rim edge (30), each of said raised portions being equiangulary spaced from one another for registry with one of the openings in the first shell portion so that upon telescopic movement of the shell portions towards one another said raised portions are received and captivated in the openings,

each of said raised portions including,

an outer surface sized to nest in one of the elliptical openings,

a distal surface (68) inclined from the rim edge (30) to the outer surface,

a proximal surface extending generally radially from the tubular portion (34),

and circumferentially facing surfaces (70) converging toward one another from the tubular portion (34) to the outer surface,

whereby each of said raised portions, upon assembly of the shell portions, are sized to dwell in one of the elliptical openings with the proximal surfaces of the raised portions bearing against the elliptical openings in response to axial forces on the lead conductors so that the shell portions assume the axial load on the electrical plugs,

said second shell portion having a plurality of axially extending slots (90) extending from the rim edge (30) toward the base (38), so that, when the tubular portion of the second shell portion is grasped tightly adjacent the rim edge (30), the diameter of the mouth of the second shell portion is reduced somewhat for ease of insertion into the open mouth of the first shell portion,

said first and second shell portions being rotatable when in telescoped relation so that on relative movement of rotation, the inclined surfaces (70) of the raised portions ride out of the elliptical openings and the shell portions may be separated from one another by moving the same axially apart, and

said shell-like structure being of relatively rigid plastic material which is bendable and yieldable within the range of its plastic memory so that, upon said axial forces being relaxed thereon, its original shape is maintained.

2. The shell-like structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein the overall axial length of the first shell portion is about 3 inches.

3. The shell-like structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein the overall axial length of the second shell portion is about 3.35 inches.

4. The shell-like structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein the elliptical openings are about 0.25 inches from the rim (28).

5. The shell-like structure as set forth in claim 4 wherein a second ring of elliptical openings is provided axially spaced a distance from said rim (28) about 1/2 inch from said rim.