Electrical contact with recessed wire connecting portion

• US 5,314,361 A
• Filed: 04/15/1992
• Issued: 05/24/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: The Whitaker Corporation (Meggitt PLC)
• Original Assignee: The Whitaker Corporation (Meggitt PLC)
• Inventors: Zelko, William E., Markle, Kenneth E., Ney, Reuben E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Paumen, Gary F.
• Application Number:
  US07/870,725
• Time in Patent Office: 769 Days
• Field of Search: 439/877, 439/880, 439/874, 439/875
• US Class Current: 439/874
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 4/027 comprising means for positioning or holding the parts to be soldered or welded

Abstract

An electrical contact, comprises, a wire connecting portion 16, 17 of the contact constructed for being overlaid by a corresponding electrical wire and for being welded to the corresponding wire by welding electrodes of a welding apparatus, a top surface 20 of the contact having an elongated recess 22 recessed toward the bottom surface 21 for cradling the corresponding wire, and the bottom surface 21 lacking deformation outwardly by formation of the recess 22 in the top surface 20.

Claims

1. An electrical connector adapted for connection to wires having multiple wire strands comprising:

an insulative housing block, electrical contacts spaced apart along the housing block, wire connecting portions of the contacts constructed for being overlaid by corresponding electrical wires each having multiple wire strands and for being welded to the corresponding wires by welding electrodes of a welding apparatus, top surfaces of the wire connecting portions having elongated recesses recessed toward bottom surfaces of the wire connecting portions for cradling the multiple wire strands of corresponding wires, and the bottom surfaces of the wire connecting portions being constructed with shapes different from the shapes of the top surfaces for conforming abutment with surfaces of corresponding welding electrodes.

2. An electrical connector as recited in claim 1, comprising:

the recesses forming reduced thicknesses of the wire connecting portions.

3. An electrical connector as recited in claim 1, comprising:

the recesses being formed by indenting and thereby forming reduced thicknesses of the wire connecting portions.

4. An electrical connector as recited in claim 1, comprising:

the recesses being indented by coining the top surfaces.

6. An electrical connector as recited in claim 1, wherein a depth of each of the recesses is fifty per cent of the diameter of a corresponding wire, and a width of each of the recesses is two per cent greater than the diameter of a corresponding wire.

5. An electrical connector adapted for connection to wires having multiple wire strands comprising:

an insulative housing block, electrical contacts spaced apart along the housing block, wire connecting portions of the contacts constructed for being overlaid by corresponding electrical wires each having multiple wire strands and being welded to the corresponding wires by welding electrodes of a welding apparatus, top surfaces of the wire connecting portions having recesses providing cradles for the multiple wire strands of the corresponding wires, and surfaces on opposite sides of the wire connecting portions constructed with exterior shapes to conform not with the shapes of the indentations but with surfaces of corresponding welding electrodes.