US1949596A - Electrical connection - Google Patents

Description

March 6, 1934. A, E, ANDERSON 1,949,596

ELECTRICAL CONNECTION Filed Mafy 5, 1930 fn Vm for:

Vns

Patented Mar. 6, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELECTRICAL CONNECTION Alf E. Anderson, Milton, Mass.

Application May 5, 1930, Serial No. 449,897

8 Claims. (Cl. 173-361) This invention relates to an electrical connection member of that character in which'the contact members are protected at their front ends by a carrier of insulating material and are exl posed at their rear ends. Y

`The invention is herein shown as embodied in the plug member of a plug and socket electrical connection, and the electrical connection member will be hereinafter described as the plug member.

rlhe invention has for its object to provide the plug member with a hollow handle within which the rear portions of the contact members are located and electrically separated by an insulating Wall or partition. Y p

- The invention also has for its object to enable the hollow handle to be made of relatively thin insulating material and at a minimum expense.

The invention further has for its object to safeguard the said hollow handle and preferably also the contact carrier from being crushed or broken by blows imparted to the plug member by the operator dropping the same or by striking it againts a hard object.

For this latter purpose the thin hollow handle is provided with a sleeve of rubber or like material, which when applied to the thin hollow handle reinforces the latter, forms a cushion therefor, and makes a weather-tight fit therewith.

' The rubber or like cushioning sleeve may be relatively thin, flexible and normally collapsible and is also relatively inexpensive.

These and other features of this invention will be pointed out in the claims at the end of this $8 specification.

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section and plan of a plug member embodying this invention, the section being taken on the line 1--1, Fig. 3;

' Fig. 2, a longitudinal section and elevation of the plug member, the section being taken on the line 2--2, Fig. 1;

Fig. 3, a cross section on the line 3 3, Fig. 2, and

' Fig. 4, an end View of the plug member looking toward the left, Fig. 1.

In the drawing is represented a known construction of plug member comprising the contact members 10, 12 and a carrier therefor of insulating material, which carrier is usually of moldable material, and preferably comprises a body portion 13 having at its rear end a head 14 of larger diameter which forms with the body portion an annular shoulder 15, and said body portion is provided at its front end with a eylindrical extension 16 of smaller diameter which forms with the body portion an annular shoulder 17, preferably beveled as herein shown.

The contact members 10, l2 have their rear portions extended through and beyond the head 14 of the insulating carrier and are provided with 60 terminal members 20, 2l to which the circuit wires or conductors, not shown, are soldered or otherwise secured.

The insulating carrier for the contact members 1G, 12 has co-operating with it a relatively 05 thin tube 22, preferably a fiber tube, which has its front end extended over the head 14 of the said carrier and preferably fits snugly on said head, and said ber tube is made of substantial length to form a hollow handle for the plug member, which may be conveniently grasped by the hand of the operator.

The fiber tube 22 is preferably made of suicient length'to extend a substantial distance beyond the terminal members 20, 21, and is made thin to reduce the cost of the same. The fiber tube 22 is preferably circular in cross section and is made thin enough to be collapsed by hand and its shape changed from a circle into substantially the form of an ellipse for the ready insertion therein of a partition or wall 24 of fiber or other insulating material.

The partition wall 24 extends lengthwise of the tube 22 in the axial center thereof andv is secured to the tube 22 by lugs 25 on the oppo- 85 site side edges of the partition or Wall 24 which enter slots 26 in the tube 22 when the pressure of the hand is removed from the tube and the latter is automatically restored to its circular form by the resiliency of the tube.

The partition or wall 24 is made of sufficient length to pass between the terminals 20, 21 and the rear ends of the contact members 10, 12, and is preferably of such length as to enable its front end to engage the head 14 of the insu- 95 lating contact carrier.

Provision is made for preventing the tube 22 being accidentally collapsed so as to effect withdrawal of the locking lugs 25 from their slots 26, and for this purpose the rear end of the tube 22 is reinforced by a ring 28, preferably of fiber, which is inserted into the tube 22 and is preferably of greater thickness than the tube 22.

The relatively thin tube 22 forms a hollow handle for the plug member and in practice is frequently subjected to severe blows, as for instance when the plug member is withdrawn from its socket member and dropped by the operator, 110

or when it is accidentally struck against a solid object while being handled by the operator.

These severe blows are liable to crush or break the relatively thin hollow handle or to chip or break on" portions of the insulating contact earrier and especially the head 14 and body portion 13 thereof, which would impair the usefulness of the plug member.

To avoid such results, the plug member is provided with a cushioning member of rubber or like material, and said cushioning member is preferably made of soft rubber and relatively thin, so as to enable its front end to be made of smaller diameter than the diameter of the hollow handle or tube 22, and enable the front end of the rubber cushioning member to be expanded sufficiently to permit it to be pulled over the rear end of the hollow handle 22, and when released to contract and iit snugly the body por tion 13 of the contact carrier.

The cushioning member is provided with a body portion 30, which is designed to cover the hollow handle 22 and is provided at its front end with an extension 31 of smaller diameter, which is designed to fit the body portion 13 of the contact carrier and form with the body portion 30 an internal annular shoulder 33 which co-operates with the head 14 to assist in retaining the cushioning member in its operative position on the hollow handle 22, which latter is preferably provided at its front end with an inturned annular lip 34 which engages the annular shoulder 15 of the head 14 and with which lip the internal shoulder 33 of the cushioning member is engaged.

The extension 3l of the cushioning member is provided with an inturned annular lip 35 which engages the shoulder 17 of the contact carrier and aids in retaining the cushioning member in its operative position.

The cushioning member is provided at its rear end with a tubular extension 36 of materially smaller diameter than the body portion 30 and preferably of such diameter as will iit substantially tight upon the cable or circuit wires, not shown, which extend therethrough into the hollow handle and are connected with the circuit terminals 20, 21 in a manner well understood.

The front end of the tubular extension 36 is made flaring or tapering outwardly and is united with the rear end of the body portion 30, and said rear end is preferably made of greater thickness as at 38, so as to provide a cushion of increased thickness for the rear 0r free end of the hollow handle 22.

The aring end of the tubular extension 36 is designed to engage the rear end of the hollow handle 22, and limit the movement of the cushioning member in a forward direction thereon.

The cushioning member is capable of being expanded at its front end to permit it to be slipped over the hollow handle 22 of larger diameter and is extensible so that it can be stretched to have the shoulder 33 and the lip 35 co-operate with the shoulders l5 and 1'7 to retain the cushioning member in its extended condition and thereby cause the cushioning member to fit weather-tight upon the hollow handle 22 and the body portion of the Contact carrier, and also to retain the cushioning member in its operative position on the said handle and contact carrier.

One embodiment of the invention is herein shown, but it is not desired to limit the invention to the particular construction shown.

What is claimed is:

1. In an electrical connection, in combination, a contact carrier, contact members carried thereby and having their rear ends extended beyond the same, a tube fitted upon said contact carrier 8G and extended therefrom beyond the rear ends of said contact members and provided with substantially diametrically opposite slots, a partition wall extended lengthwise of said tube and having lugs extended into said slots, and a relatively thin flexible cushioning member having a body portion tted over said tube and an extension of smaller diameter fitted upon said contact carrier, and a rearwardly extended portion of smaller diameter extended beyond the rear end of said tube and provided, with a flaring front end united with the body portion of said cushioning member.

2. In an electrical connection, in combination, a contact carrier, a relatively thin tube slidably fitted upon and supported by said contact carrier and extended rearwardly therefrom, and a cushioning member enveloping said tube and the rear portion of said contact carrier and having at its rear end a tubular extension of smaller diameter extended beyond the rear end of said tube.

3. In an electrical connection, in combination, a contact carrier, a relatively thin tube slidably fitted upon and supported by said contact carrier and extended rearwardly therefrom, and a cushioning member enveloping said tube and having 105 its front end engaged with said contact carrier and its rear end extended beyond the rear end of said tube and engaged therewith.

4. In an electrical connection, in combination, a Contact carrier having contact members extended beyond the rear end thereof, a relatively thin tubular member supported by and extended rearwardly of said contact members and within which said contact members are located, an insulating wall located in said tubular member and interposed between said contact members, and an extensible cushioning member covering said tubular member and having its front end engaged with said Contact carrier and its rear end co-operating with the rear end of said tubular member to hold 1120 the cushioning member in its extended condition on said tubular member and contact carrier.

5. In an electrical connection, in combination, a contact carrier, a relatively thin tube slidably iitted upon and supported by said contact carrier and extended rearwardly therefrom, a cushioning member enveloping said tube, and an insulating wall extended lengthwise of the said tube and cooperating with the tube and with the contact carrier to limit rearward movement of the latter in said tube.

6. In an electrical connection, in combination, a contact carrier, a hollow handle into which the said contact carrier is extended tov be supported thereby, an extensible cushioning member enveloping said hollow handle and engaged therewith and with said contact carrier and tending to move the contact carrier within the hollow handle, and means within the hollow handle co-operating with the contact carrier for limiting movement of 140 the latter within the hollow handle.

'7, In an electrical connection, in combination, a contact carrier, a relatively thin tube of insulating material slidably fitted upon said contact carrier and extended rearwardly therefrom and provided with substantially diametrically opposite slots, a partition wall located in said tube and having lugs extended into said slots and a cushioning member enveloping said tube.

8. In an electrical connection, in combination, 15g

tween said contact members, and an extensible cushioning member enveloping said tube and engaged therewith and with said contact carrier and having a tubular extension projecting beyond the reinforced end or" said tube and of smaller diameter than the latter.

ALF E. ANDERSON.

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