Splice head for insulated telecommunication wires

• US 5,832,593 A
• Filed: 04/22/1997
• Issued: 11/10/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: 3M Company
• Original Assignee: 3M Company
• Inventors: Seidel, Udo, Wurst, Wolfgang
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Peter
• Application Number:
  US08/840,532
• Time in Patent Office: 567 Days
• Field of Search: 29/33 M, 29/747, 29/748, 29/749, 29/750, 29/755, 29/758, 29/760, 269/903
• US Class Current: 29/750
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 43/28 for wire processing before connecting to contact members, not provided for in groups H01R43/02 - H01R43/26
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 9/2416 Means for guiding or retaining wires or cables connected to terminal blocks
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/5193 Electrical connector or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53217 Means to simultaneously assemble multiple, independent conductors to terminal
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53222 Means comprising hand-manipulatable implement
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53243 Multiple, independent conductors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53257 Means comprising hand-manipulatable implement
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53265 with work-holder for assembly

Abstract

A splice head for use with a modular wire connector, to work with and hold the wires while installing them in the connector, particularly for wires of differing diameters. The splice head includes a coil spring loosely arranged on a bar and movable axially thereon. By selecting an appropriate location for the starting point on the spring and selection of the spring position on the bar, different sized wires can be fixed by the coils of the spring. The bar may be circular in cross-section to allow the spring to slide easily forward and backward. This construction allows simpler placement of the wires since the coil spring does not need to to replaced for wires of different sizes, and there is no requirement that the splicing operation begin at one particular end of the coil since neither end is fixed.

Claims

1. A splice head for interconnecting a plurality of insulated wires (40, 40'"'"', 40") to a connector, said splice head comprising accommodation means (14) for supporting a connector to be interconnected to said insulated wires, a row of spaced separating fingers (20) on one side of said accommodation means (14), a length of coil spring (22) on the opposite side of said accommodation means, with the coils (30) of said coil spring (22) affording insertion and fixation of wires therebetween, and retaining means (26) for said coil spring (22), said retaining means being connected to said accommodation means, said retaining means comprising a bar (28) extending through said coil spring (22) which bar (28) is fastened at both ends to said retaining means, said coil spring (22) is loosely and axially movably arranged on said bar so that said coil spring may be positioned alone the bar from one of said ends to the other of said ends, as well as any position between said ends.

2. The splice head of claim 1, wherein said bar (28) is attached to the legs of a U-shaped retaining member (26).

3. The splice head of claim 1, wherein said retaining means includes an engaging surface (34) below said bar (28) and spaced a small distance from said bar, with the external surface of the coil spring (22) supported by said engaging surface (34), the coil spring (22) being held internally by said bar.

4. The splice head of claim 3, wherein said engaging surface (34) is concave and extends partially about the outer periphery of said coil spring (22).

5. The splice head of claim 3, wherein said coils (30) of said coil spring (22) have a predetermined space from each other for the insertion of the wires.

6. The splice head of claim 3, wherein said engaging surface (34) is concave and extends partially about the outer periphery of said coil spring (22).

7. The splice head of claim 6, wherein said engaging surface (34) extends into an upper planar surface (36), there being a first distance between said planar surface (36) and said bar (28) and a second distance between said engaging surface (34) and said bar (28), said first distance being larger than said second distance.

8. The splice head of claim 1, wherein said engaging surface (34) is integrally formed on the web (32) of said U-shaped retaining member (26).

9. A splice head for interconnecting a plurality of insulated wires (40, 40'"'"', 40") to a connector, said splice head comprising accommodation means (14) for supporting a connector to be interconnected to said insulated wires, a row of spaced separating fingers (20) on one side of said accommodation means (14), a length of coil spring (22) on the opposite side of said accommodation means, with the coils (30) of said coil spring (22) affording insertion and fixation of wires therebetween, and retaining means (26) for said coil spring (22), said retaining means being connected to said accommodation means, said retaining means comprising a bar (28) extending through said coil spring (22) which bar (28) is fastened at both ends to said retaining means, said coil spring (22) is loosely and axially movably arranged on said bar, wherein said bar (28) has a circular cross section.

10. A splice head for interconnecting a plurality of insulated wire (40, 40'"'"', 40") to a connector, said splice head comprising accommodation means (14) for supporting a connector to be interconnected to said insulated wires, a row of spaced separating fingers (20) on one side of said accommodation means (14), a length of coil spring (22) on the opposite side of said accommodation means, with the coils (30) of said coil spring (22) affording insertion and fixation of wires therebetween, and retaining means (26) for said coil spring (22), said retaining means being connected to said accommodation means, said retaining means comprising a bar (28) extending through said coil spring (22) which bar (28) is fastened at both ends to said retaining means, said coil spring (22) is smaller than said bar and is loosely and axially movably arranged on said bar, wherein the diameter of a coil spring (22) is larger than 12 mm.

11. A splice head for interconnecting a plurality of insulated wires (40, 40'"'"', 40") to a connector, said splice head comprising accommodation means (14) for supporting a connector adapted to be interconnected said to insulated wires, a row of spaced separating fingers (20) on one side of said accommodation means (14), at length of coil spring (22) on the opposite side of said accommodation means, with the coils (30) of said coil spring (22) affording insertion and fixation of wires therebetween, and retaining means (26) for said coil spring (22), said retaining means being connected to said accommodation means, said retaining means comprising a bar (28) extending through said coil spring (22) which bar (28) is fastened at both ends to said retaining means, said coil spring (22) is loosely and axially movably arranged on said bar, wherein the thickness of the spring wire forming the coil spring (22) is larger than 1.2 mm.