Panel-grounding contact

• US 6,106,310 A
• Filed: 10/21/1998
• Issued: 08/22/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tyco Electronics Services GmbH (TE Connectivity Ltd. (United Kingdom))
• Original Assignee: The Whitaker Corporation (Meggitt PLC)
• Inventors: Davis, Wayne Samuel, Whiteman, Robert Neil Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bradley, Paula
• Assistant Examiner(s): Leon, Edwin A.
• Application Number:
  US09/176,610
• Time in Patent Office: 671 Days
• Field of Search: 439/92, 439/855, 439/853, 439/858, 439/865, 439/881
• US Class Current: 439/95
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 11/11 End pieces or tapping pieces for wires, supported by the wire and for facilitating electrical connection to some other wire, terminal or conductive member H01R11/01 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 11/22 End pieces terminating in a spring clip
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/11 Resilient sockets carrying separate resilient parts H01R13/15
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 4/26 Connections in which at least one of the connecting parts has projections which bite into or engage the other connecting part in order to improve the contact H01R4/188, H01R4/203, H01R4/5075 take precedence; using shape memory materials H01R4/01
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 4/48 utilising a spring, clip, or other resilient member H01R4/52 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 4/64 Connections between or with conductive parts having primarily a non-electric function, e.g. frame, casing, rail

Abstract

A panel-grounding contact (10) includes a wire-connecting section (14) and a panel-connecting section (12) having a deep U-shaped channel (46) between walls (30,42,44) that include opposed pairs of teeth (50,58) extending toward the channel bottom (54) and staggered inwardly from the channel entrance (48), with the points of the teeth (50,58) adapted to scrape away corrosion layers of a conductive panel (70) during mounting of the grounding clip onto an edge thereof as well as to secure the contact (10) on the panel. The wire-connecting section (14) extends orthogonally with respect to the panel edge after mounting of the clip onto the panel.

Claims

1. A clip for grounding to a panel at an edge, comprising:

a body section defining a panel-connecting section having a deep U-shaped panel-receiving channel for receiving a panel in a panel mounting direction between walls that include opposed pairs of teeth extending toward a channel bottom, said opposed pairs of teeth being staggered inwardly from an entrance to said channel, said teeth being sharply pointed to establish an assured grounding connection with a panel by scraping away corrosion layers thereon; and

a wire-connecting section extending from said panel-connecting section in a direction parallel to the panel mounting direction for minimizing torque on said clip from strain on a wire connected to the clip at said wire-connecting section.

2. The grounding clip as set forth in claim 1 wherein ones of said teeth of each said pair of teeth on a common side of said channel, are disposed on separate wall portions spaced apart from each other to act as cantilever beams deflectable outwardly during panel mounting.

3. The grounding clip as set forth in claim 2 wherein said wire-connecting section extends from an edge of one side wall of said channel at said channel bottom in a direction away from said channel entrance, whereby said wire-connecting section is formed from material separated from between said cantilever beams.

4. The grounding clip as set forth in claim 2 wherein said cantilever beams are joined to a first side wall of said channel-defining walls by straps oriented on edge with respect to said channel and traversing portions of ends of said channel, and said wire-connecting section extends from one said strap.

5. The grounding clip as set forth in claim 4 wherein a flap extends orthogonally from a lower edge of said first side wall along said channel bottom to define a push surface facilitating placement of said clip onto a panel edge.

6. The grounding clip as set forth in claim 2 wherein ends of said cantilever beams are joined by a strut adjacent said channel entrance.

7. The grounding clip as set forth in claim 2 wherein said wire-connecting section extends from an edge of a first side wall of said channel defining walls adjacent said entrance.

8. The grounding clip as set forth in claim 7 wherein said wire-connecting section is bent back along an outer surface of said first wall section.

9. The grounding clip as set forth in claim 7 wherein an arm extends integrally from a bottom of said first side wall and extends upwardly from a bight section across said channel bottom between said cantilever beams to a free end, whereby said bight section defines a push surface facilitating placement of said clip onto a panel edge.

10. The grounding clip as set forth in claim 2 wherein said wire-connecting section extends from lower edges of both said cantilever beams, and a spring arm forming an opposing wall of said channel defining walls is formed from material separated from between said cantilever beams and defining a channel bottom.

11. The grounding clip as set forth in claim 10 wherein side edge portions of said cantilever beams are bent orthogonally thereto to extend partially inwardly into said panel-receiving channel and include staggered along edges thereof a pair of upper teeth and a pair of lower teeth.