U.S. patent number 3,761,771 [Application Number 05/232,143] was granted by the patent office on 1973-09-25 for a terminal board for expediting restoration of phone service over a severed communication cable.
Invention is credited to George W. Gillemot, John T. Thompson.
United States Patent |
3,761,771 |
Thompson , et al. |
September 25, 1973 |
A TERMINAL BOARD FOR EXPEDITING RESTORATION OF PHONE SERVICE OVER A
SEVERED COMMUNICATION CABLE
Abstract
A terminal board for expediting the temporary restoration of
phone service following severance of a cable. The board provides
rows of tip and ring solderless terminal strips along either edge
designed to cut through insulation and making gripping contact with
a conductor as an incident to forcibly inserting a conductor along
a slit at the outer free end of the resilient terminal strips. Each
terminal strip is connected to a contact of a patching cable
coupling connected with a second terminal board similarly connected
with the conductor pairs of the other severed cable end.
Inventors: |
Thompson; John T. (Los Angeles,
CA), Gillemot; George W. (Santa Monica, CA) |
Family
ID: |
22872031 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/232,143 |
Filed: |
March 6, 1972 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
361/823; 174/88R;
174/60; 379/325; 439/709; 439/405 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04Q
1/141 (20130101); H04Q 1/142 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H04Q
1/14 (20060101); H04Q 1/02 (20060101); H02b
001/20 (); H01r 009/08 () |
Field of
Search: |
;174/88,60,88R
;317/99,112,118,122
;339/95R,97R,98,99R,198R,198G,198H,198E,198J |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Truhe; J. V.
Assistant Examiner: Tolin; Gerald P.
Claims
We claim:
1. A rapid restoration board for use in quickly re-establishing
temporary service over a severed communication cable preliminary to
making permanent splice connections, said board comprising an
elongated non-conductive main body supporting along at least one
lateral edge at least one row of elongated solderless metal
terminal strips each insulated from one another and extending
crosswise of said board having unobstructed notched free ends
adjacent a lateral edge of said board, said strips being arranged
in space apart side-by-side relation with the faces thereof lying
substantially in a common plane generally parallel to an adjacent
face of said board, said strips being insulated from one another
and each having a slit extending inwardly from the inner end of
each of said notches, said strips being sufficiently flexible
normal to the plane thereof and each of said slits providing means
to receive and hold captive a cable conductor forced into said slit
while held generally normal to the plane of the strip, and means
including removable connector coupling means mounted on said board
for connecting each of said strips to a separate conductor of a
temporary patching cable.
2. A rapid restoration board as defined in claim 1 characterized in
that said main body is relatively thin and wide, and having a row
of said terminal strips rigidly mounted along both lateral edges in
two spaced apart layers with the notches and slits of the strips in
one layer offset laterally from the notches and slits of the
adjacent row of terminal strips in the other layer.
3. A rapid restoration board as defined in claim 2 characterized in
that said terminal strips are rigidly secured in seating recesses
formed along either face of said main body thereby to safeguard
against movement of adjacent ones of said strips into contact with
one another.
4. A rapid restoration board as defined in claim 1 characterized in
the provision of a non-conductive guard strip secured to said main
body closely adjacent one face of the latter with its lateral edges
terminating opposite the free ends of said terminal strips, and the
edges of said guard strip being notched opposite the notch and slit
of an associated one of said terminal strips and permitting a
conductor to be shifted laterally of the conductor and lengthwise
of the notch while being assembled to and disassembled from said
terminal strips and providing strain relief for the installed
conductor.
5. A rapid restoration board as defined in claim 4 characterized in
that said notches have a depth effective to limit the insertion of
a conductor lengthwise of the associated one of said terminal
strips.
6. A rapid restoration board as defined in claim 1 characterized in
that said slits open at the inner ends thereof into an elongated
punchout in the mid-length of said terminal strips.
7. A rapid restoration board as defined in claim 1 characterized in
the provision of manually adjustable clamp means mounted on said
board for use in clamping the board to a rigid temporary support
adjacent one severed end of a cable preparatory to restoring said
cable to service.
8. A rapid restoration board as defined in claim 1 characterized in
the provision of a detachable protective cover for said main body
with its lateral sidewalls spaced inwardly from the slit free ends
of said terminal strips, said separable coupling means being
mounted on said cover for use in connecting a patching cable to
said board, and separate electrical connections enclosed by said
cover and interconnecting each of said terminal strips and a
terminal of said separable coupling means.
9. A rapid restoration board for use in expediting restoration of a
severed communication cable to service using a temporary patching
cable, said board comprising first and second elongated
non-conductive main body members sandwiched together centrally of
one another, said first member being wider with its lateral edges
projecting substantially beyond the adjacent lateral edges of said
second member, a plurality of tempered metal terminal strips
located along the opposite faces of said second member with their
free ends notched and projecting outwardly beyond either lateral
edge thereof and closely spaced from one face of said first member,
each of said strips being resilient and having a long slit
longitudinally thereof opening into the inner end of the notched
ends of said terminal strips, said slits being adapted to receive
and grip a cable conductor manually forced therealong while held
generally normal to the plane of the strip, and the lateral edges
of said first member being notched in juxtaposition to said slits
to facilitate insertion of a conductor along the slit of a selected
one of said strips and safeguarding the same against flexure about
a lateral edge of said slit.
10. A rapid restoration board as defined in claim 9 characterized
in the provision thereon of cable coupling means mateable with the
complementally shaped cable coupling means of a patching cable, and
individual conductors connecting respective ones of said terminal
strips to a respective contactor of said cable coupling means.
11. A rapid restoration board as defined in claim 9 characterized
in the provision thereon of means for detachably securing said
board to a fixed support adjacent the damaged end of a severed
cable.
12. A rapid restoration board as defined in claim 9 characterized
in that said terminal strips are arranged in two spaced apart rows,
the terminals in one of said rows being for tip conductors, and the
notched ends of the terminal strips in said one row being offset
and out of line with the notched ends of the terminals strips in
said second row.
13. A rapid restoration board as defined in claim 12 characterized
in that the tip and ring conductors of a related pair of the
severed cable conductors are respectively insertable in the first
terminal strips at one end of the two rows of terminals along one
edge of said board, and other related pairs of the cable conductors
being insertable in other similarly related pairs of said terminal
strips.
14. A rapid restoration board as defined in claim 9 characterized
in that the edges of said slits are sharp and effective to cut
through insulation on a conductor and to make firm electrical
contact with the conductor as an incident to the insertion of the
conductor along said slit from the notched entrance end
thereof.
15. A rapid restoration board as defined in claim 14 characterized
in that the notches in the ends of said terminal strips are
generally V-shaped with the apex thereof opening into one end of
the associated one of said slits.
16. A rapid restoration board as defined in claim 15 characterized
in that the mid portions of said terminal strips have a punchout
merging with one end of the conductor seating slit and facilitating
flexing of the portions of said strip along either edge of said
slits.
Description
This invention relates to a repair accessory for a severed
communication cable, and more particularly to a terminal board
equipped with solderless terminal strips to individual ones of
which cable conductors can be quickly connected without need for
tools or the removal of insulation and then connected by a
temporary patching cable to a second board similarly connected to
conductor pairs of the other severed cable end.
It not infrequently happens that a telephone communication cable is
accidentally severed by storms or by workmen operating without
knowledge of the presence of a phone cable. Phone service over
dozens of pairs of conductors is interrupted until the wires of
both severed ends can be identified and reconnected. It is of
crucial importance that the repair operation be as expeditiously as
possible.
Various proposals have been made heretofore for expediting
completion of new splice connections. Some of these prior proposals
have included resort to devices for making temporary emergency
connections pending completion of permanent splice connections.
However, the means provided for such purposes are subject to
shortcomings and disadvantages avoided by the present invention.
More specifically the means heretofore proposed have required
excessive time to complete the connections between the severed
conductors and temporary conductors and the connections so provided
have been unreliable and subject to premature and unpredictable
failure.
To avoid the foregoing and other shortcomings there is provided by
the present invention a ruggedly constructed terminal board, there
preferably being a separate board connectable to each severed cable
end and interconnected by a patching cable. The board is equipped
with rows of closely spaced solderless terminal strips each
connected to a separate contactor of the patching cable coupling.
The terminal strips are anchored cantilever fashion to either edge
of the board with their free ends projecting therebeyond and
notched to guide a sheathed conductor into a slit effective to cut
through the sheath and firmly grip the conductor proper. The board
is preferably notched in planes aligned with the conductor gripping
slit and sized to provide substantial strain relief for the
conductor in a zone closely adjacent the terminal strip. In a
preferred construction, the solderless terminal strips are arranged
in closely spaced rows along either side of the board with one of
the rows used to grip "tip" conductors and the other row being used
to grip "ring" conductors of the many pairs of such conductors in a
severed cable. Each of the related pairs of tip and ring terminal
strips is connected to a selected contactor of a separable coupling
by which the terminals of one board are connected to the associated
pair of terminals of the other severed cable end by a patching
cable.
Another feature of the invention terminal board is the provision of
at least one and preferably a pair of clamping devices secured to
the board and useful in anchoring the board firmly to a field
support, such as a stake driven in the ground.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to
provide an improved terminal board having the free ends of a
multiplicity of solderless terminal strips projecting therefrom for
use in quickly connecting tip and ring wires of a severed phone
cable thereto to expedite restoration of phone service while
permanent splice connections are being made.
Another object of the invention is the provision of a ruggedly
constructed terminal board notched along at least one lateral edge
with each notch aligned with a conductor gripping slit of a
solderless terminal strip and each adapted to seat a separate
conductor of a severed communication cable, said board being
equipped with coupling means for connecting the conductors of a
patching cable to individual terminal strips.
Another object of the invention is the provision of a rapid
restoration terminal board for use in the field to complete
temporary connections between the conductors of a severed
communication cable without need for tools or the manipulation of
adjustable fasteners or the like.
Another object of the invention is the provision of a rapid
restoration terminal board for use in the field and having a
multiplicity of solderless terminal means readily connectable to
the individual conductors of a severed cable end and including
means for rigidly supporting the board temporarily from the ground
and including patching cable means extending between a pair of the
terminal boards.
These and other more specific objects will appear upon reading the
following specification and claims and upon considering in
connection therewith the attached drawing to which they relate.
Referring now to the drawing in which a preferred embodiment of the
invention is illustrated:
FIG. 1 is a general elevational view showing a preferred embodiment
of the invention terminal board connected to one severed end of a
cable;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the terminal board shown in FIG. 1
with portions broken away;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken along the broken
line 3--3 on FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view with portions broken away
and taken along line 4--4 on FIG. 3; and
FIG. 5 is a fragmentary cross sectional view taken along line 5--5
on FIG. 4.
Referring initially to FIG. 1, there is shown an illustrative
embodiment of the invention terminal board, designated generally
10, supported by clamps 12, 12 in an upright position on a stake 11
driven into the ground. It will be understood that board 10 is
usually employed in pairs with each board supported as shown in
FIG. 1 adjacent a respective end of a severed communication cable
13. Such cables are normally located in either underground ducts or
supported from overhead messenger cables. If the accident involves
an overhead cable, it will be understood that the terminal boards
are suspended from any suitable support such as the messenger
cable. Board 10 is equipped with one half 15 of any suitable
separable coupling or connector having contactors mateable with one
another, the second half 16 being attached to the conductors of a
flexible patching cable 17. While not illustrated in FIG. 1, it
will be understood that the opposite end of patching cable 17 is
equipped with a coupling half corresponding to coupling 16 and
mateable with a companion coupling half mounted on a second
terminal board of like design similarly connected to the other
severed cable end.
The constructional details of terminal board 10 are best shown in
FIGS. 2-5 to which reference will now be had. The main body of
board 10 comprises a pair of elongated non-conductive strips or
members 20, 21 held assembled against one another in any suitable
manner, such as by screws 22. Member 20 is substantially narrower
than member 21 and is formed with closely spaced shallow
rectangular wells 24 along either face and opening through the
lateral edges of the member. Wells 24 snugly seat one end of a
solderless terminal strip, designated generally 25. As herein
illustrated, strips 25 are arranged in two layers along either edge
of main body member 20 with one layer held assembled to the rear
face of the member 20 and the other layer being held assembled to
its front face by screws 27 in the manner best shown in FIG. 3. It
will also be noted from FIG. 4 that the strips in one layer are
offset laterally from the strips in the other layer. The wells 24
on one face of member 20 are offset laterally from the
corresponding wells on the other face with their adjacent edges
here shown as overlapping slightly. The inner or anchor end of each
strip 25 has an elongated hole 26 seating a pair of fastener screws
27 extending into threaded bores formed in member 20.
The solderless terminal strips 25 are formed of tempered resilient
conductive material such as phosphor bronze. The mid length of each
strip is formed with an elongated cutout 28 (FIG. 4) and their
outer free ends have a deep V-shaped notch 29. A sheared slit 30
extends lengthwise of the free end of each strip with one end
opening into the apex of notch 29 and the other end opening into
cutout 28. In a preferred embodiment, the sharp edges of slits 30
are in virtual abutment with one another as manufactured and
assembled to the board. However, the resiliency and strength of the
jaw members to either side of the slit is such that the slit edges
can be forcible separated as necessary to receive a conductor, such
as a size 24 copper wire normally employed in telephone
communication cables. These conductors 33 are normally sheathed in
a layer of insulation 34 of a nature readily ruptured and torn away
by the sharp edges of slits 30.
It will be understood that the wider main body member 21 has its
lateral edges projecting substantially to or slightly beyond the
outer free ends of terminal strips 25. The underlying portions of
body member 21 are provided with deep notches 36 to a depth
slightly short of the inner end of slits 30 in terminal strips 25.
Each notch 36 underlies a related slit 30 of one of the terminal
members and has a width approximating the diameter of the sheathed
conductor. The outer ends of notches 36 may be flared to facilitate
reception of a conductor about to be pressed into a captive
assembled relation in one of the slits 30.
Overlying the front face of member 20 is an elongated cup shaped
cover 40 of non-conductive material. This cover overlies and
substantially conceals body member 20 and the inner halves of the
adjacent layer of terminal strips. This cover is held detachably in
place over member 20 by cap screws 42, the shanks of which are
preferably surrounded by a spacer sleeve 43. The free edges of the
sidewalls are notched at 44 to accommodate lead wires 45 extending
between each of the terminal strips 25 and a related contactor 46
of coupling member 15 (FIG. 2), several of these couplings 15 being
shown secured to the top side of cover 40 by fasteners 48. One row
or layer of terminals 25 is customarily known as the tip terminals
whereas the strips in the other layer are known as the ring
terminals. The immediately adjacent terminals of each layer are
customarily employed to grip to the tip and ring conductors
respectively of a given pair of cable conductors.
Clamping devices 12, here shown as anchored to the opposite ends of
board 10, may be of any suitable construction. Each device has a
mounting bracket 50 firmly anchored across the end of the terminal
board, as by screws 51. Bracket 50 projects beyond one lateral edge
of the board and supports an adjustable thumb screw 52 at its outer
end for the adjustable clamping jaw 53. This jaw cooperates with a
fixed jaw 54 mounted between the sidewalls of bracket 50 to grip a
support, such as the stake 11.
In the use of the invention restoration board 10, a repair crew
proceeds to the site of a severed cable and erects separate
terminal boards 10 opposite either severed end of the cable. A
portion of the cable sheath is then removed to expose a suitable
length of the conductors 33, 34, the ring and tip conductors of
each twisted pair of which are readily identifiable. The workman
grasps the conductors of each pair between the thumb and forefinger
of each hand and inserts the intervening portion of the conductor
between his two hands into a selected one of the slots 36 to the
apex of the associated notch 29 and then forcibly along slit 30 of
that terminal strip. Usually the wire is shifted laterally along
the slit until it bottoms out against the inner end of notch 36 but
such bottoming is not essential. The forced insertion of the wire
along the slit tears and ruptures the insulation sheath 34 allowing
the edges of the slit to make firm high pressure contact with the
conductor proper to hold it firmly captive between the ends of the
slit 30.
In carrying out the described assembly operation, the operator
exercises care to make certain that the ring conductor of a given
pair is inserted in the appropriate layer of the terminals and that
its companion tip conductor is inserted in the immediately adjacent
terminal of the other layer of terminal strips. After all
conductors of one served end have been connected to a board in this
manner, the necessary number of patching cables are connected to
the respective couplings 15, 15. Usually each patching cable
accommodates only 25 pairs of conductors and for this reason a 100
pair terminal board utilizes four patching cables and a like number
of couplings 15.
The assembly of the conductor pairs of the other severed cable end
is carried out in a similar manner except that the operator must
first locate a particular pair of conductors in the severed cable
end for connection to a particular related pair of tip and ring
strips of the second terminal board. This having been completed
using well known techniques, the cable is restored to temporary
operation and the operator may then proceed to complete permanent
splicing repairs on a more leisurely basis and without need for
interrupting service over the temporary splice connections.
Although the foregoing description has dealt with the use of the
invention board to restore service on a damaged or severed
communication cable, it will be understood that it may be put to
numerous other uses such as in testing equipment of a wide variety.
In all such applications, the solderless terminal strips function
in the same manner and provide simple highly reliable means for
completing a positive electrical connection to either a sheathed or
an unsheathed conductor of appropriate size for the particular
terminal strip.
While the particular rapid restoration board for use with severed
communication cables herein shown and disclosed in detail is fully
capable of attaining the objects and providing the advantages
hereinbefore stated, it is to be understood that it is merely
illustrative of the presently preferred embodiment of the invention
and that no limitations are intended to the detail of construction
or design herein shown other than as defined in the appended
claims.
* * * * *