Battery terminal gripping assembly

• US 6,238,253 B1
• Filed: 03/06/2000
• Issued: 05/29/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Phillip L. Qualls
• Original Assignee: Phillip L. Qualls
• Inventors: Qualls, Phillip L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Tulsidas
• Assistant Examiner(s): HYEON, HAE M
• Application Number:
  US09/519,754
• Time in Patent Office: 449 Days
• Field of Search: 439/726, 439/754, 439/755, 439/756, 439/504, 439/759, 439/822, 439/506, 320/105
• US Class Current: 439/759
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 11/24 with gripping jaws, e.g. crocodile clip

Abstract

A booster cable assembly for connecting to the terminal of a battery. The booster cable assembly includes a terminal gripping assembly for gripping a battery terminal. The gripping assembly includes a pair of arms. Both of the arms have a distal portion, a proximal portion and central portion. The arms each have a front face, a back face, a top face and a bottom face. A pivoting assembly pivotally couples the first and second arms such that each of the front faces face each other. A biasing means biases said arms in an open position. The biasing means is a torsion spring. The biasing means urges the front faces of the arms away from each other. A cable operationally connects the terminal gripping assembly to a second terminal gripping assembly. The cable has a first end fixedly coupled to the proximal portion of the second arm.

Claims

1. A battery terminal gripping assembly, said assembly being removably mountable to terminals of a vehicle battery, said assembly comprising:

a first terminal gripping assembly for gripping a battery terminal, comprising;

a pair of arms, both of said arms having a distal portion, a proximal portion and central portion, both of said arms having a front face for gripping a battery terminal, a back face, a top face and a bottom face, both of said arms having a first bend and a second bend therein, said first bend being generally located between said proximal portion and said central portions, said first bend forming an obtuse angle in said back face having a measurement generally greater than one hundred and thirty-five degrees, said second bend being generally located between said distal portion and said central portion, said second bend forming an obtuse angle in said front face having a measurement generally greater than one hundred and thirty-five degrees, each of said arms comprising a conductive material;

a pivoting assembly for pivotally coupling a first arm and a second arm of said pair of arms such that each of said front faces are facing each other, a biasing means biasing said arms in an open position, said biasing means being a torsion spring, wherein said biasing means urges said front faces of said arms away from each other;

a cable for operationally connecting said first terminal gripping assembly to a second terminal gripping assembly, said cable having a first end fixedly coupled to said proximal portion of said second arm;

said first arm of said pair of arms having a bore in said central portion and extending through said top and bottom faces, said front and back faces forming an annular peripheral wall about said bore; and

said second arm of said pair of arms having an annular groove in said top face of said central portion, an upstanding member extending upwardly from a medial portion of said annular groove, said upstanding member being rotatably receivable in said bore in said first of said arms.

2. A battery terminal gripping assembly as in claim 1, wherein pivoting assembly further comprises:

said annular peripheral wall having an inside surface having a notch therein, said notch being generally located in said top face of said first arm;

said upstanding member having a top wall, said top wall having a slot therein; and

said torsion spring being generally wrapped about upstanding member, said torsion spring having a first end extending away from a central portion of said spring and a second end extending toward a central portion of said torsion spring, said first end of said torsion spring being insertable into said notch, said second end being insertable in said slot in said upstanding member.

3. A battery terminal gripping assembly as in claim 2, said pivoting assembly further comprising:

a securing means for securing said first arm to said second arm, said securing means comprising;

said inside surface of said annular peripheral wall having an annular ridge therein;

said top wall of said upstanding member having two bores therein;

a covering member, said covering member being a disc having a shape rest upon said annular ridge in said bore in said first arm; and

a pair of fastening means for fastening said cover to said top wall of said upstanding member, each of said fastening means extending through said disc and through one of said bores in said top wall of said upstanding member, each of said fastening means being a screw.

4. A battery terminal gripping assembly as in claim 1, further comprising:

a locking assembly for selectively locking said first terminal gripping assembly in a closed position, said locking assembly comprising;

said upstanding member having an annular peripheral wall surface, said annular peripheral wall surface having an annular shoulder therein to define an upper section and a lower section of said upstanding member, said lower section having an external surface having teeth thereon;

an aperture in said first arm, said aperture being located in said front face of said first arm, said aperture being positioned generally adjacent to said central portion of said first arm, said aperture extending into said bore in said first arm; and

a pawl for selectively communicating with said teeth in said lower section of said upstanding member, said pawl being hingedly coupled in said aperture, a first end of said pawl being in selective communication with said teeth in said upstanding member;

an urging means in said aperture for urging a second end of said pawl outside of said aperture in a locked position.

5. A battery terminal gripping assembly as in claim 1, further comprising:

a pair of saddles, each of said saddles having a front portion and a back portion each of said front portions having a slot therein, each of said slots having a rounded surface, each of said back portions of said saddles being fixedly coupled to one of said front faces of said distal portions of said first and second arms, each of said slots having a longitudinal axis being oriented generally perpendicular to longitudinal axes of said first and second arms, said saddles comprising conductive material.

6. A battery terminal gripping assembly as in claim 1, further comprising:

a pair of saddles, each of said saddles having a front portion and a back portion each of said front portions having a slot therein, each of said slots having a rounded surface, each of said slots extending generally one-half of a length of said front portion of said saddles, each of said saddles having a plurality of grooves therein, each of said back portions of said saddles being fixedly coupled to one of said front faces of said distal portions of said first and second arms, each of said slots having a longitudinal axis being oriented generally perpendicular to longitudinal axes of said first and second arms, said saddles comprising conductive material.

7. A battery terminal gripping assembly as in claim 5, further comprising:

an insulating means for electrically insulating said first and second arms, said insulating means being a coating on said proximal portions of said first and second arms, said insulating means having a ribbed surface, said insulating means comprising a non-conductive material.

8. A battery terminal gripping assembly, said assembly being removably mountable to terminals of a vehicle battery, said assembly comprising:

a first terminal gripping assembly for gripping a battery terminal, comprising;

a pair of arms, both of said arms having a distal portion, a proximal portion and central portion, both of said arms having a front face for gripping a battery terminal, a back face, a top face and a bottom face, both of said arms having a first bend and a second bend therein, said first bend being generally located between said proximal portion and said central portions said first bend forming an obtuse angle in said back face having a measurement generally greater than one hundred and thirty-five degrees, said second bend being generally located between said distal portion and said central portion, said second bend forming an obtuse angle in said front face having a measurement generally greater than one hundred and thirty-five degrees, each of said arms comprising a conductive material, said arms each having a generally rectangular shaped cross-section transverse to a longitudinal axis of said arms;

a pivoting assembly for pivotally coupling a first and a second arm of said pair of arms, said pivoting assembly comprising;

said first arm of said pair of arms having a bore in said central portion and extending through said top and bottom faces, said front and back faces forming an annular peripheral wall about said bore, said annular peripheral wall having an inside surface having a notch therein, said notch being generally located in said top face of said first arm, said inside surface having an annular ridge therein;

said second arm of said pair of arms having an annular groove in said top face of said central portion, an upstanding member extending upwardly from a medial portion of said annular groove, said upstanding member having a top wall having two bores therein, said top wall having a slot therein, said upstanding member having annular peripheral wall surface, said annular peripheral wall having an annular shoulder therein to define an upper section and a lower section of said upstanding member, said lower section having an external surface having teeth thereon;

a biasing means for biasing said arms in an open position, said biasing means being a torsion spring, said torsion spring being generally wrapped about upstanding member, said torsion spring having a first end extending away from a central portion of said spring and a second end extending toward a central portion of said torsion spring, said first end of said torsion spring being insertable into said notch, said second end being insertable in said slot in said upstanding member;

a securing means for securing said first arm to said second arm, said securing means comprising;

a covering member, said covering member being a disc having a shape rest upon said annular ridge in said bore in said first arm;

a pair of fastening means for fastening said cover to said top wall of said upstanding member, each of said fastening means extending through said disc and through one of said bores in said top wall of said upstanding member, each of said fastening means being a screw;

wherein said biasing means urges said front faces of said first and second arms away from each other;

a locking assembly for selectively locking said first terminal gripping assembly in a closed position, said locking assembly comprising;

an aperture in said first arm, said aperture being located in said front face of said first arm, said aperture being positioned generally adjacent to said central portion of said first arm, said aperture extending into said bore in said first arm, said aperture being elongate having a longitudinal axis orientated generally parallel to said longitudinal axis of said first arm;

a pawl for selectively communicating with said teeth in said lower section of said upstanding member, said pawl having a first end, a second end and middle section, said pawl being positioned in said aperture, a pin hingedly coupling said middle section to an interior surface of said aperture, said first end having a plurality of teeth therein, wherein said pawl locks said first and second arms in a first pivoting position such that said front faces may not move away from each other;

an urging means in said aperture for urging said second end of said pawl outside of said aperture in a locked position, said urging means being insertable in said pawl generally between said second end and said middle section of said pawl, said urging means being a spring;

a pair of saddles, each of said saddles having a front portion and a back portion each of said front portions having a slot therein, each of said slots having a rounded surface, each of said back portions of said saddles being fixedly coupled to one of said front faces of said distal portions of said first and second arms, each of said slots having a longitudinal axis being oriented generally perpendicular to said longitudinal axes of said first and second arms, said saddles comprising conductive material, each of said back portions having a pair of protruding members thereon for insertion into a pair of grooves in each of said front faces of said first and second arms, said saddles being adapted to receive the battery terminal;

a cable for operationally connecting said terminal gripping assembly to a second terminal gripping assembly, said cable having a first end fixedly coupled to said proximal portion of said second arm; and

an insulating means for electrically insulating said first and second arms, said insulating means being a coating on said proximal portions of said first and second arms, said insulating means having a ribbed surface, said insulating means comprising a non-conductive material.

9. A battery terminal gripping system comprising:

a terminal gripping assembly for gripping a battery terminal, comprising;

a pair of arms, each of said arms having a distal portion, a proximal portion, and central portion, each of said arms having a front face, a back face, a top face, and a bottom face;

a pivoting assembly for pivotally coupling said first and second arms such that said arms are movable between an open condition and a closed condition, said closed condition of said arms being characterized by the front faces of said arms being pivoted relatively close to each other and said open condition being characterized by the front faces of said arms being pivoted relatively away from each other;

a biasing means for biasing said arms into said open condition;

wherein a first of said arms has a bore in said central portion extending through said top and bottom faces, an annular peripheral wall extending about said bore; and

wherein a second of said arms has an annular groove in said top face of said central portion defining an upstanding member, said upstanding member being rotatably received in said bore in said first of said arms.

10. A battery terminal gripping system as in claim 9, wherein said biasing member comprises a torsion spring generally wrapped about said upstanding member and operationally coupled to said first and second arms.

11. A battery terminal gripping system as in claim 9, wherein said pivoting assembly further comprises:

a securing means for securing said first arm to said second arm, said securing means comprising;

a covering member mounted on a top of the upstanding member and extending over the annular groove for holding the upstanding member of the second arm in the bore of the first arm.

12. A battery terminal gripping assembly as in claim 9, further comprising:

a locking assembly for selectively locking said first arm and said second arm in a selected position relative to each other, said locking assembly comprising;

an annular peripheral wall surface on said upstanding member, said annular peripheral wall surface having a plurality of teeth formed thereon;

an aperture formed in the central portion of said first arm and being in communication with said bore in said first arm; and

a pawl for selectively interlocking with said teeth on said upstanding member, said pawl being pivotally mounted on said first arm and extending in said aperture, a first end of said pawl being pivotable into and out of interlocking engagement with said teeth formed on said upstanding member;

an urging means for urging said first end of said pawl into interlocking engagement with said teeth, a second end of said pawl extending from said aperture for permitting selective actuation of said second end by a finger of a user to move said first end of said pawl out of interlocking engagement with said teeth and thereby permit pivotal movement of the arms with respect to each other.

13. A battery terminal gripping assembly as in claim 9, further comprising:

a pair of saddles, each of said saddles having a front portion and a back portion, each of said front portions having a slot therein, each of said slots having a rounded surface, each of said back portions of said saddles being fixedly coupled to one of said front faces of said distal portions of said first and second arms, each of said slots having a longitudinal axis being oriented generally perpendicular to longitudinal axes of said first and second arms.