Wire Connector

Abstract

A wire-connector adapted particularly for connecting tap wires to run wires, e.g., in strip lighting applications, employs a folded slotted spring compression reserve contact element in a wire-supporting grooved covered insulating body having an open inspection port and provided with a ribbed outer surface permitting final closure using either parallel jaw or angular jaw pliers.

Parent Case Text

This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Ser. No. 372,065 filed June 21, 1973 now abandoned.

Description

This invention relates to improvements in wire-connectors employing spring compression reserve contact elements in an insulating body. In one aspect the invention relates to connectors of particular utility in the installation of strip lighting facilities wherein a number of fluorescent light fixture ballast devices having lead-wires of No. 18, 16 or 14 AWG are to be connected onto a single No. 12 or No. 14 gauge 600-volt AC supply line. There is provided a connector which is easily attached using either conventional electrician's pliers or parallel jaw pliers. The connector permits inspection of wire-positioning prior to final assembly, whereby to assure full positive connection.

The present connector is similar in a number of respects to that described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,388,370, but has a number of advantages which will be referred to in connection with the following description and the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a view in elevation from the front or open wire-receiving side;

FIG. 2 is an end elevation from the left of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the connector of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a rear elevation of the insulating body of the connector of FIGS. 1-3 with a portion of the cover removed;

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the insulating body;

FIGS. 6 and 7 are interior plan views of upper and lower sections respectively of the insulating body;

FIG. 8 is a view in perspective of the folded contact element; and

FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate the closing of the connector onto tap and run wires using angular jaw and parallel jaw pliers respectively.

As with the connector of U.S. Pat. No. 3,388,370, the present connector 10 comprises a slotted or grooved resilient or spring compression reserve contact element slidably insertable within a wire-supporting insulating body 12 having a foldable cover or cap member 13. The body 12 has an upper section 14 and a lower section 15, the two being connected along one edge by a narrow web 16 serving as a hinge. The cover 13 also is attached to the lower section through a hinge 17 and in position to be folded across the bottom of the lower section and across the free edges of the two sections. A terminal hook 18 extending along the free edge of the cover 13 engages with a corresponding lip 19 extending along the free edge of the upper section when the connector is fully assembled.

The present connector employs a folded contact element 11 (FIG. 8) which is inserted in the bottom section 15 through a rectangular opening 21 (FIG. 5) having an offset 22. The element 11 is slotted to provide opposing narrow open-ended slots 23, 23a for receiving wires in the 14-18 gauge range, and wider slots 24 for receiving wires in the heavier 12 gauge range. The rounded corners of the legs or lobes defining the wider slots are desirably sharpened or given a wedge shape so as to more readily pierce the insulative covering of the heavy wire.

The inner surface of the upper section 14 is shown in FIG. 6 to be provided with parallel wire-receiving channels 25, 26, with shallow transverse slots 27, 28, 29 and with a wire-stop 30 extending across the narrower channel 25 and in line with the outer edge of the offset opening 22 in the lower section 15. Similarly, the inner surface of the lower section 15 is shown in FIG. 7 to include wire-receiving channels 31, 32 and a wire-stop 33 extending across the narrower channel at the edge of the opening 22 and in line with the stop 30 of section 14. Both upper and lower sections extend outwardly beyond the width of the cover to provide increased channel length and improved insulating capability.

The upper surface of the upper section 14 has a central transverse ridge or ramp 34 and the upper surface of which is in the form of a series of parallel longitudinal ribs 35-38, best seen in FIG. 2. The upper surfaces of ribs 35-37 define a common plane which is at an acute angle with the plane of the lower surface of the lower section 15 when the connector is in fully assembled condition. The upper surfaces of ribs 37 and 38 define a common plane which under the same conditions is parallel to the plane of said lower surface. Rib 37, the upper surface of which is common to both planes, will be seen to be located approximately above the center of the contact element 11 when the same is inserted in the slotted body 12. A preferred location is midway between wire-receiving channels 31 and 32.

The contact element 11 is 0.027 inch (0.68 mm.) in thickness and is made of spring tempered cartridge brass with a thin bright tin plate covering. Each slotted face measures 0.425 .times. 0.350 inch (10.80 .times. 8.89 mm.) and the two are spaced 0.126 inch (3.20 mm.) apart. The narrow slot 23 in the inner plate adjacent the stop 33 is 0.020 inch (0.51 mm.) in width; the opposing narrow slot 23a is 0.023 inch (0.58 mm.) in width; the wide slots are each 0.065 inch (1.65 mm.) in width. The slots are so disposed as to be in line with the center-line of the corresponding wire-supporting channels in the body member, and the extended lobes enter the correspondingly positioned slots 27, 28, 29 in the upper section when the element is fully inserted.

The body member exclusive of the cover 13 is approximately 0.48 .times. 0.62 .times. 1.04 inch (12.2 .times. 15.8 .times. 26.4 mm.) in overall dimensions and is made of polypropylene or equivalent firm resiliently flexible plastic insulating material. The attached cover is 0.060 inch (1.52 mm.) in thickness, being reduced to 0.013 inch (0.33 mm.) to form the hinge grooves 17. The cover is otherwise dimensioned to provide a snug fit across the free front edges of the lower and upper sections of the body.

In use, the run wire 39 is inserted from the open front of the body into the larger channels 26, 32, and the tap wire 40 is threaded into the smaller channels from the left end and to an extent sufficient for the wire-end to contact the stops 30, 33, which may be determined by visual inspection through the extension opening 22. With the contact element in position in the opening 21, the connector is then closed by application of forces against top and bottom surfaces as illutrated in either of FIGS. 9 and 10. With the pliers 41 of FIG. 9 the downward force is applied against ribs 35-37, whereas with parallel jaw pliers 42 of FIG. 10 the force is applied against ribs 37 and 38. In each case the element 11 is driven into spring reserve compression contact with the wires, the lobes of the element entering the transverse slots 27-29 and the wires entering the open-ended slots of the element 11. The ridge 34 is sufficiently massive to transmit the force uniformly so that complete closure is attained in both cases.

The cover is then folded over the inserted element 11 and across the open front, being retained in the fully closed position by interaction between the hook 18 and lip 19. Permanent electrical contact between the conductors is effected, and the contact element is fully insulatively protected.

An important feature of the invention is the ribbed ramp which facilitates the full closing of the connector without requiring specially designed tools. For a connector having the specific dimensions stated hereinabove, the ribs 35-37 define an angle of very close to 15.degree. with the bottom of the lower section as previously identified, and with the plane defined by ribs 37 and 38. Ribs 35-37 are constructed to a radius of 0.07 inch (1.8 mm.); rib 38 to a radius of 0.158 inch (4.01 mm.). The rib surfaces may if desired carry a roughened or knurled pattern to avoid any possibility of slipping of the pliers or other tool, although smooth surfaces are normally entirely effective since the tool face itself is ordinarily not smooth.

Claims

1. A wire-connector comprising a folded slotted spring compression reserve contact element slidably retained within an insulating body having upper and lower body sections opposingly channeled to receive a pair of insulated electrical conductors, said sections being hingedly interconnected along their back edges, and a cover member hingedly connected to said body for fitting beneath said lower section and across the free front edges of said upper and lower sections, and wherein said lower section has a flat base defining a first plane, said upper section having a top surface defining a pair of planes intersecting at a peak midway above said channels, the one of said planes extending toward the free edge of said section being at an acute angle with said first plane.

2. Wire-connector of claim 1 wherein said pair of planes is defined by a

3. Wire-connector of claim 1 wherein said channeled bottom section has two parallel channels, a rectangular opening transversely of said two parallel channels receiving said contact element, and said opening extending along the inner of said channels to provide inspection access to said inner

4. Wire-connector of claim 3 wherein said inner channel has a wire-stop

5. Wire-connector of claim 4 wherein said channeled upper section has two parallel channels corresponding to those of said lower section and a series of transverse slots for receiving the ends of the lobes of said

6. Wire-connector of claim 5 wherein the inner ones of said channels and the corresponding slots of said contact element are smaller than the outer ones of said channels and the corresponding slots of said contact element.