US2332483A - Electrical connector - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 19, 1943. H. R. DOTY 2,332,483

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR Fil ed March 4, 1941 v HOWARD RDOTY W ww AT RNEY ljfatented Oct. 19, .1943

, UNITED ,STATES PATENT or ice ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR;

Howard B. Duty. Gienside, Pa, assignor to Hugh H. Eby, Inc., Philadelphia, Pa, a corporation of Pennsylvania Application March 4, 1941, Serial No. 381,623

This invention relates to electrical connectors,

' pertaining particularly to prong receiving socket ly smaller steps over the-years, there are certain disadvantages pertaining to the prior art that have not yet been obviated. Thecost factor both of production and of assembly remains rather high, the contact resistance of the parts is frequently unduly high, the devices in the main are assemblages of a plurality of portions involving assembly difliculties and not infrequently the contacts of the socket device are dislodged in use.

It is among the objects of this invention to provide a unitary molded base of a single component; to provide a socket base and an improved contact therefor which is assembled and anchored by mere axial insertion into the appropriate aperture in the socket; to provide a prong receiving socket device with a female contact so anchored within the socket base that neither tension on the attached connector cord nor push or pull from the inserted prong member can dislodge or displace the contact; to provide a component unitary molded socket base with an inserted contact having a resilient locking lug so arranged that all undesired movement of the contact within the socket in any direction is obviated; to provide a molded socket base with suitable contact apertures such that connectors may be threaded through the apertures and attached contacts may be pulled into permanently anchored aperture-mounted relation in said base by tension on said cords; to provide an electrical connector device comprising a unitary base structure having a contact receiving aperture, :1 wire connector, and a female contact element havin a soldering connection for the connector so arranged that anchored association of the connector and of the contact apart from the socket base is facilitated to obviate the difliculty and labor cost of soldering a plurality of connectors to a plurality of female contacts in a restricted space; to provide a socket assembly of an insulating molded base having a shielding prong-supporting aperture arranged entirely to house a female contact and. the exposed portion of a connector soldered thereto; to provide a connector comprising asocket receptacle of such complete shielding and insulation value as to enable the contacts of the, socket to carry relatively high voltages with impunity; to provide a socket assembly with a, plurality of contacts and connectors anchored thereto such that capacity factors between adja- 5 Claims. (Cl. 173-328) cent contacts are minimized; to provide a simplifled electrical connector of ornamental appearance; and .many other objects and advantages will become more apparent as the description proceeds.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of i this description.

Fig. 1 represents a plan form of blank from vention is made up.

Fig. 2 represents a front elevation of the preferred form of contact.

Fig. 3 represents a top plan thereof. Fig. 4 represents a fragmentary vertical section through a molded socket base suitably apertured.

to receive the contact shown in side elevation in anchored position therein.

Fig. 5 represents a top plan of an illustrative form of socket base in which suitable apertures are provided as to resume the contacts of this in-- vention.

Fig. 6 represents a bottom plan thereof.

Fig. 7 represents a side elevation partially in section of the socket element of Fi 5 with a coupled contact and connector in a stage of progress toward permanent anchorage.

Fig. 8 represents a fragmentary transverse section through the assembly of Fig. 4, on line 8-8 thereof.

' Fig. 9 represents a similar section on line 99 of Fig. 4 and Fig. 10 represents a member similar to that of Fig. 4 with a modified form of contact mounted therein.-

The basic concept of the socket construction is indicated in Figs. 4 and ,10, in each of which a solid body ID has a preferably cylindrical bore or aperture ll opening in the upper surface l2, and which may be designated as the prong contact aperture. Theprong aperture extends only par- .tially through the base and terminates in a shoulder l3 formed by the abutment of a semi-cylindrical die member with the plastic of the base. As will beseen the shoulder is substantially crescent in contour in plan form because of the formation of a connector aperture l4 extending from the lower surface l5 and terminating in the similarly crescent contoured shoulder l6 closer to the prong entrance surface l2 than the shoulder l3. The connector aperture is made by a sub-cylindrical die member overlapping but extending in parallelism with the first mentioned die member so that the respective shoulders l6 and I3 are parallel and spaced both axially of the socket, but also on opposite sides of the comshown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, and sofar as the disclosure of a base section alone is concerned the sections comprising Figs. 4 and may be asare bent are laterally spaced apart so that in sumed to have been taken radially through the left hand aperture of Fig. 5.

A connector' plug according to this invention comprises a substantially cylindrical body I8 having an end surface 26 corresponding to lower surface l5 of Fig. 4, and having aparallel top surface 2|, corresponding to surface i 2 of Fig. 4, although it is preferred that end surface 2| be provided with a shallow annular groove 22, not

shown in Fig. 4. An enlarged open ended cylindrical shielding skirt portion 23 is provided preferably integral with base l8 and coaxial therewith so as to shieldingly receive the prongs and base of a male connector-member (not shown). Obviously the skirt 23 can be omitted if.desired.

The base II has a plurality of through channels 7 11, formed as described and p ferably disposed with their longest transverse dia eter radial of thebase.

m the blank of Fig. 1 is formed the conts for mounting in the respective sockets, as noted, and the blank comprises a stamping having preferably parallel side edges 24 and 251)! suitable length, connected at the upper end by a substantially linear edge 26 normal to the side edges and having the median lip 21 formed by a neck which is ruptured to separate adjacent blanks, although said lip obviously may be omitted. The blank has left and right short lower edges 28 and 88, parallel to the top edge 26, and 'merging into side edges 24 and 25 respectively by rounded corners: A soldering tail extension 8| having respectively the straight side edges 34 and 26 substantially parallel to the side edges 24 and 25. The soldering tail 2| may be formed as desired for convenience of attachment of a wire connector, as by an aperture 86. A resilient tongue 81 is provided having'the edge of the free end 88 struck out of the body of the blank with the free edge 38 presenting in a direction opposite to that of the aligned lower edge surfaces .28 and 28.

The portions of the blank defined by side edge 24 and end edges 28 and 28 and protuberance 22 and by side edge 28, and end edges 28 and 88 and protuberance 28, comprise wings or arms 48 and 41, respectively bendable as a whole relative to the backing portion 4| in substantial align ment with the forwardly bent soldering tail 8|, with the free ends of the arms, outwardly of the protuberances, defined by the parallel end surfaces reentrantly bent to overlie the backing portion 4|. This structure provides a prong receiving channel formed by the backing portion 4| and the respective-side arms 46 and 42 with which an inserted prong has plural line contact.

profile the contact is substantially oval with its widest lateral extent such as to have substantially sliding fit in the prong receiving aperture ll of the composite aperture ll, as shown in Fig. 8.

Preferably also the degree of bend imparted to the respective protuberances 82 and 88 is such that the latter form short substantially parallel legs, in transverse section, so that their side edges 34 and 26 respectively abut the arcuate surface of the lower-most or connector aperture I 4 below the level of shoulder l3, to prevent contact rotation as shown in Fig. 9.

It is to be understood that a connector 43 having insulation 44 has a free end engaged and soldered in the soldering tail hole 26 after the tail preferably has been bent forwardly to partially overlie the prong channel, as shown. As the soldering is accomplished apart from the socket and therefore out of a sharply constricted space, it may be very expeditiously accomplished. Each contact bearing wire is threaded through the appropriate composite holes as indicated,

from the top, with the resilient extended tongue 21 projecting rearwardly toward the side of the opening having the upper shoulder l6, and with the outer contours of the respective side arms 48 and 42 guided slidably between the diametrically opposite arcuate portions of the upper aperture ll.

r 81 clears the edge of shoulder l6 so that the free end 28 thereof engages beneath shoulder l6, the lowermost edges 28 and 86 engage and rest upon shoulder I 3 and the contact is then anchored in place. When so anchored, it will be understood that the axis of the contact centrally of the arms and backing portion is disposed and held in substantial coincidence with the axis of upper or prong receiving opening II by the diameter extension of the side arms in substantial contact with the opposite sides of the aperture II. The resilient tongue 31 prevents retraction of the contact during withdrawal of the male prong member, while a positive inward axial stop is secured by the engagement of the arm lower edges 28 and 28 on shoulder I8.

It is important that the alignment of stops and shoulders be maintained, and to this end rotation of the contact in the composite hole is limited and stopped by the engagement of the inner surface of lower aperture I4 by the vertical edges 24 and 25, of the protuberances, as shown in Fig. 9.

A modification is disclosed in Fig. 10 in which all of the parts are as discussed, and all have the same numbers, except that the lower flat edges 28 and 38, the protuberances 32 and 22 and their edges 84 and 26 are all replaced by the substantially linear slanting edges 45, disposed at about 30', preferably, to the surface of shoulder l8. It will be clear that at the points of contact between the slanting or inclined edges 48 and the edge of shoulder 12, axial downward motion, as well as rotational motion of the contact is obviated.

The simplicity, economy, and efficiency of the Preferably the centers about which the side arms 76 connector described will be manifest.

I claim:

1. A socket connector comprising in combination a base and a female contact, said base having a composite hole extending completely through the base and comprising a contact aperture extending from the top surface of the base to an internal lower contact stop shoulder, a connector aperture extending from the lower surface of the base to an internal upper contact anchoring shoulder, the stop shoulder being closer to the lower surface than the anchoring shoulder, and the apertures being substantially parallel, overlapping and intercommunicating, the respective apertures being each substantially cylindrical and the respective shoulders being substantially crescent-shaped in profile and sym-' metrically diametrically oppositely disposed in the composite hole, a contact comprising a substantially barrel-shaped transversely oval contact element having a long diametrical axis in transverse section and having an axial slot in one wall forming spaced arms having lower stop surfaces substantially on one side of the transverse long diametrical axis of the contact in position to engage the stop shoulder, a resilient tongue on the element on the opposite side thereof from the stop surfaces projecting away from said stop surfaces in position to engage the anchoring shoulder to anchor the element against axial dislodgment from the apertures, and spaced continuations of the spaced stop surfaces on the element disposed for bearing laterally against the inner wall of the lower aperture adjacent to the stop shoulder preventing rotation and dislodgement of the element from the respective shoulders.

2. A socket connector comprising a base, said base having a composite hole extending completely through the base and comprising a substantially cylindrical contact aperture formed in and extending downwardly from the top surface of the base as the only part of said hole in said upper surface, said aperture terminating in a solid transverse wall of base material forming a contact stop shoulder, said .hole further comprising a substantially cylindrical connector aperture formed in and extending upwardly from the lower surface of the base as the only part of the hole in the lower surface and terminating in a solid transverse wall of base material forming a contact anchoring shoulder, said respective aper-' tures being staggered, substantially parallel, and overlapping so that each passes through the portion of the solid terminal wall of the other to the extent of the overlapping only, to cause the respective shoulders each to assume a substancontact anchoring shoulder, said respective apertures being staggered, substantially parallel, and overlapping so tha each passes through the portion of the solid terminal wall of the other to the extent of the overlapping only, to cause the respective shoulders each to assume a substantially crescent shaped profile, said shoulders being oppositely disposed symmetrically of the long diameter of the composite hole in the median plane of the base, said female contact being disposed in the composite hole and comprising a backing portion and side arms having a prong receiving channel disposed in the contact receivingaperture, said side armshaving lower edge portions engageable upon the crescent shaped stop shoulder to limit axial movement of the contact downwardly of the base, and a resilient tongue on said contact extending away from the contact stop shoulder engageable with the crescent shaped anchorage shoulder to anchor the contact against axial movement upwardly of the ase.

4. A socket connector comprising the combination of a base and a female contact, said base having a composite hole extending completely through the base and comprising a substantially cylindrical contact aperture formed in and extending downwardly from the top surface of the base as the only-part of said hole in said upper surface, said aperture terminating in a solid transverse wall of base material forming a contact stop shoulder, said hole further comprising a substantially cylindrical connector aperture formed in and extending upwardly from the lower surface of the base as the only part of the hole in the lower surface and terminating in a solid transverse wall of base material forming a contact anchoring shoulder, said respective apertures being staggered, substantially parallel, and overlapping so that each passes through the portion of the solid terminal wall of the other to the extent of the overlapping only, to cause the respective shoulders each to assume a substantially crescent shaped profile, said shoulders being oppositely disposed symmetrically of the long diameter of the composite hole in the median plane of the base, said female contact being disposed in the composite hole and comprising a backing portion and side arms having a prong receiving channel disposed in the contact receiving aperture, said side arms having lower edge portions engageable upon the crescent shaped stop shoulder to limit axial movement of tially crescent shaped profile, said shoulders being oppositely disposed symmetrically of the long diameter of the composite hole in the median plane of the base.

3. A socket connector comprising the combination of a base and a female contact, said base having a composite hole extending completely through the base and comprising a substantially cylindrical contact aperture formed in and extending downwardly from the top surface of the base as the only part of said hole in said upper surface, said. aperture terminating in a solid transverse wall of base material forming a contact stop shoulder, said hole further comprising a substantially cylindrical connector aperture formed in and extending upwardly from the lower surface of the base as the only part of the hole in the lower surface and terminating in a solid transverse wall of base material forming a the contact downwardly of the base, and a resilient tongue on said contact extending away from the contact stop shoulder engageable with the crescent shaped anchorage shoulder to anchor the contact against axial movement upwardly of the base, and means engageable at a plurality of peripherally spaced points against the inner surface of the said second aperture adjacent to the stop shoulder to prevent rotation of the contact in said hole.

5. A socket connector comprising the combination of a base and a female contact, saidbase having a composite hole extending completely through the base and comprising a substantially cylindrical contact aperture formed in and extending downwardly from the top surface of the base as the only part of said hole in said upper surface, said aperture terminating in a solid transverse wall of base material forming a contact stop shoulder, said hole further comprising a substantially cylindrical connector aperture formed in and extending upwardly from the lower surface of. the base as the only part of thia \v hole in the lower surface and terminating in a solid transverse wall of base material forming a contact anchoring shoulder, said respective apertures being staggered, substantially parallel, and overlapping so that each passes through the portion of the solid terminal wall of the other to the extent of the overlapping only, to cause the respective shoulders each to assume a substantially crescent shaped profile, said shoulders being oppositely disposed symmetrically of the long diameter of the composite hole in the median plane of the base, said female contact being disposed in the composite hole and comprising a backing portion and side arms having a prong receiving channel disposed in the contact receiving aperture, said side arms having lower edge assaeaa portions engageable upon the crescent shaped stop shoulder to limit axial movement of the contact downwardly oi the base, and a resilient tongue on said contact extending away from the contact stop shoulder engageable with the crescent shaped anchorage shoulder to anchor the contact against axial movement upwardly of the base, and means engageable at a plurality of peripherally spaced points against the inner surface or the said second aperture adjacent to the stop shoulder to prevent rotation of the 'contact in said hole, said tongue and last means being symmetrically disposed relative to the transverse axis or the contact to maintain balanced support of the contact relating to the oppositely disposed shoulders of the base.

HOWARD R. DOI'Y.

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