Multiple battery terminal connector

• US 5,002,508 A
• Filed: 09/01/1989
• Issued: 03/26/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: L.M.S.
• Original Assignee: American Consolidated Enterprises, Inc.
• Inventors: Craveiro, Joseph C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Paumen, Gary F.
• Application Number:
  US07/401,943
• Time in Patent Office: 571 Days
• Field of Search: 439/504, 439/754, 439/755, 439/759, 439/909, 439/828, 439/829
• US Class Current: 439/755
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 11/24 with gripping jaws, e.g. crocodile clip
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 11/28 End pieces consisting of a ferrule or sleeve

Abstract

A battery cable connector is disclosed for connecting to batteries that have a side terminal, as well as for batteries that have a top terminal. The invention provides for connection to either types of batteries without any further modification of the battery cable connector. Two sets of openings within the conductive portion of the battery connector cable enable easy attachment to either a side mounted battery terminal or a top mounted battery terminal without further reconfiguration of the battery cable connector.

Claims

1. A battery cable connector capable of attachment to a side mounted terminal battery or a top mounted terminal battery, comprising:

a first leg and a second leg, each of said legs having a first end and a second end, and each of said legs being stamp molded from a rigid conductive material such that the legs are three-sided as well as U-shaped in cross section along their length;

a semicircular aperture at the first end of each of said legs surrounded by a semiannular ring extending from each leg and integrally stamp molded into each leg such that a circular aperture is formed when each of said first ends of said legs are placed together and the rings offset the remainder of the connector from the battery;

a plurality of teeth located at said first end of each of said legs opposite said semicircular aperture;

a pivoting means, said pivoting means consisting of a rivet;

a biasing means, said biasing means consisting of a spring through which said pivoting means will pass;

each of said legs having a pair of triangular protrusions near their center, said protrusions being directly opposite each other;

the molding of said protrusions being such that the protrusions of said first leg overlap the protrusions of said second leg;

a set of holes contained within said protrusions such that said pivoting means may pass through said holes and form a hinging mechanism with said biasing means forcing the first ends of said legs normally closed together, and

means for connecting each of said legs to a cable at the second end of each of said legs, said means for connecting to a cable being a crimping mechanism.

2. A battery cable connector for attaching to terminals for either side mounted terminal batteries or top mounted terminal batteries, comprising:

a first leg and a second leg, said first and second legs being constructed from conductive materials, each leg including a top surface, a bottom surface, a side surface, the top surface and the bottom surface each being connected to the side surface at basically right angles thereto such that the top surface is parallel to and on top of the bottom surface, and a fourth surface which is in a plane that is perpendicular to each of the top, bottom, and side surfaces of that respective leg and contains an angular aperture;

a first end and a second end on each of said first and said second legs;

a pivoting means for joining said first leg and said second leg at a common point;

means for biasing the first end of the first leg and the first end of the second leg together;

means, in said first leg and in said second leg, for cooperatively forming a circular aperture capable of releasable attachment to a terminal on a side mounted terminal battery, wherein said means for releasable attachment comprises the first leg having a half-circular aperture therein near the first end, and the second leg having a half-circular aperture therein near the first end, the half-circular aperture being contained within the top surface of each of the first and second legs such that a circular opening is formed when the first leg and the second leg are biased together by the biasing means; and

a plurality of teeth contained on the bottom surfaces of the first leg and the second leg near the first end of each of the first leg and the second leg, such that the plurality of teeth on the bottom surfaces of said first leg and said second leg are opposite the half-circular apertures contained within the top surface of that respective leg.

3. The connector of claim 2 wherein the second end of the first leg and the second end of the second leg each contain means for attaching to a cable.

4. The connector of claim 2, wherein the angular apertures on the fourth surfaces of the first leg and the second leg when biased together in the normal position form a geometric pattern.

5. The connector of claim 2 wherein the top surfaces and the bottom surfaces of each of the first leg and the second leg are a sufficient distance from each other to enable a nut, attached to the terminal of a side terminal battery, to fit between the top and bottom surfaces.

6. The connector of claim 2 wherein the first leg and the second leg have a cross-sectional U-shaped configuration.

7. The connector of claim 2 wherein the biasing means comprises a helical spring constructed with sufficient rigidity to keep the first and second legs normally biased together at the first end, said helical spring having sufficient resiliency to enable the opening and closing of the battery connector'"'"'s first and second legs pivoting around said pivoting means.

8. The connector of claim 2 where the pivoting means consists of a rivet passing through holes in each of the first and second legs.

9. The connector of claim 2 where the pivoting means consists of a bolt passing through holes in each of the first and second legs.

10. The connector of claim 2, wherein said biasing means includes a set of tangential extensions at either end of the helical spring, said tangential extensions exerting forces on the first and second legs, respectively, to exert forces around the pivoting means and keep the first and second legs in a normally closed position.

11. The connector of claim 10 wherein the pivoting means includes shaping of the first and second legs to include means for attaching the first leg to the second leg at approximately the midpoint of the first and second legs.

12. A battery cable connector for attaching to terminals for either side mounted terminal batteries or top mounted terminal batteries, comprising:

a first leg and a second leg, said first and second legs being constructed from conductive materials, each leg including a top surface, a bottom surface, and a side surface the top surface and the bottom surface each being connected to the side surface at basically right angles thereto such that the top surface is parallel to and on top of the bottom surface;

a first end and a second end on each of said first and said second legs;

pivoting means for joining said first leg and said second leg at a common point;

biasing means including a spring having sufficient force to keep the first and second legs normally biased together at the first end, said spring having sufficient resiliency to enable the opening and closing of the battery connector'"'"'s first and second legs pivoting around said pivoting means;

releasable attachment means, in said first leg and in said second leg, for cooperatively forming a circular aperture capable of releasable attachment to a terminal on a side mounted terminal battery, wherein said releasable attachment means comprises the first leg having a first half-circular aperture therein near its first end, and the second leg having a second half-circular aperture therein near its first end, the first and second half-circular apertures being contained within the top surfaces of the first and second legs respectively, such that a circular opening is formed when the first leg and the second leg are biased together by the biasing means, and

a plurality of teeth contained on the bottom surfaces of the first leg and the second leg near the first end of each of the first leg and the second leg, such that the plurality of teeth on the bottom surfaces of said first leg and said second leg are opposite the half-circular aperture contained within the top surface of that respective leg.

13. A battery cable connector for attaching to terminals for either side mounted terminal batteries or top mounted terminal batteries, comprising:

a first leg and a second leg, said first and second legs being constructed from conductive materials, each leg including a top surface, a bottom surface, and a side surface, the top surface and the bottom surface each being connected to the side surface at basically right angles thereto such that the top surface is substantially parallel to and on top of the bottom surface;

a first end and a second end on each of said first and said second legs;

a pivoting means for joining said first leg and said second leg at a common point including holes in each leg and a connector member passing through the holes;

means for biasing the first end of the first leg and the first end of the second leg together;

means, in said first leg and in said second leg, for cooperatively forming a circular aperture capable of releasable attachment to a terminal on a side mounted terminal battery, wherein said means for releasable attachment comprises the first leg having a half-circular aperture therein near the first end, and the second leg having a half-circular opening therein near the first end, the half-circular aperture being contained within the top surface of each of the first and second legs such that a circular opening is formed when the first leg and the second leg are biased together by the biasing means; and

a plurality of teeth contained on the bottom surfaces of the first leg and the second leg near the first end of each of the first leg and the second leg, such that the plurality of teeth on the bottom surfaces of said first leg and said second leg are opposite the half-circular aperture contained within the top surface of the respective leg.

14. A battery cable connector that is capable of attachment selectively to a top-mounted battery terminal or a side-mounted battery terminal, comprising:

first and second electrically conductive metal leg members having upper and lower conductive surfaces, said leg members being bent out of sheet metal;

means for pivotably connecting the leg members together to provide, on the side of a pivot point, respective handles configured to be held by an operator, and on the other side of the pivot point grasping sections configured on the leg member'"'"'s upper and lower surfaces to permit attachment to a battery terminal, and

means for biasing the grasping sections to a closed position adjacent each other, the upper surfaces of the first and second leg member grasping sections collectively forming a circular aperture of a dimension to grasp the side-mounted terminal in the closed position, the lower surfaces of the first and second leg member grasping sections having a plurality of teeth members of a complementary configuration for grasping the top-mounted terminal.

15. The connector of claim 14 wherein a half-annular ring is integrally provided on the upper surface of each leg member about the circular aperture to offset the circular aperture from the leg members.

16. The connector of claim 14 wherein an end face of each grasping section extends between the upper and lower surfaces, the respective end faces each having a complementary aperture of a dimension to grasp a bolt on a vehicle frame for grounding purposes.

17. The connector of claim 15 wherein an end face of each grasping section extends between the upper and lower surfaces, the respective end faces each having a complementary aperture of a dimension to grasp a bolt on a vehicle frame for grounding purposes.