US3704440A

US3704440A - Corrosion resistant battery terminal connector

Info

Publication number: US3704440A
Application number: US94286A
Authority: US
Inventors: Curtis E Bradley
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1970-12-02
Filing date: 1970-12-02
Publication date: 1972-11-28
Anticipated expiration: 1989-11-28

Abstract

A corrosion resistant battery terminal connector for attaching an electrical conductor cable to a terminal post in an electric storage battery. An elastomeric material sealingly engaged between the outside surface of the battery terminal post and the bore of the cable terminal is used to define corrosion resistant areas by electrical contact which are protected from corrosion by air and moisture. One embodiment employs a circular cable terminal having inwardly projecting battery post contacting flanges enclosed by a gasket or elastomeric material. An alternate embodiment employs a conventional cable terminal and a battery terminal post having recesses to receive the elastomeric gasket. A fastener fits around the battery post and cable terminal. The fastener has two rings which are slightly larger than the terminal post. The rings are connected to each other and the top and bottom ring is elastically fixed to an angle so as to eliptically engage the terminal connector to the post. A second connecting piece joined only at the bottom ring extends upwardly. The second connecting piece serves to pull the bottom ring into a perpendicular position relative the battery post relieving the pressure of the eliptical contact of the ring with the post. The connector apparatus can then be easily removed. The rings also serve the purpose of compressing the elastomeric material in the first embodiment thereof thus providing a firmer seal.

Description

United States Patent Bradley [451 Nov. 28, 1972 CORROSION RESISTANT BATTERY TERMINAL CONNECTOR [72] Inventor: Curtis E. Bradley, 4517 Calle Ventura, Phoenix, Ariz. 85018 22] Filed: Dec. 2, 1970 21 Appl.No.: 94,286

Related U.S. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 47,384, June 18, 1970, abandoned.

[52] U.S. Cl. ..339/1l4, 339/230 R [51] Int. Cl. ..H0lr 11/26 [58] Field of Search ..136/135, 168', 339/94, 114,

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS l,l86,l38 4/1970 Great Britain ..339/l16 R Primary ExaminerRichard E. Moore Att0rney-Eric P. Schellin and John A. Robertson [57] ABSTRACT A corrosion resistant battery terminal connector for attaching an electrical conductor cable to a terminal post in an electric storage battery. An elastorneric material sealingly engaged between the outside surface of the battery terminal post and the bore of the cable terminal is used to define corrosion resistant areas by electrical contact which are protected from corrosion by air and moisture. One embodiment employs a circular cable terminal having inwardly projecting battery post contacting flanges enclosed by a gasket or elastomeric material. An alternate embodiment employs a conventional cable terminal and a battery terminal post having recesses to receive the elastomeric gasket. A fastener fits around the battery post and cable terminal. The fastener has two rings which are slightly larger than the terminal post. The rings are connected to each other and the top and bottom ring is elastically fixed to an angle so as to eliptically engage the terminal connector to the post. A second connecting piece joined only at the bottom ring extends upwardly. The second connecting piece serves to pull the bottom ring into a perpendicular position relative the battery post relieving the pressure of the eliptical contact of the ring with the post. The connector apparatus can then be easily removed. The rings also serve the purpose of compressing the elastomeric material in the first embodiment thereof thus providing a firmer seal.

5 Claim, 8 Drawing Figures PATENIEDnnv 2a 1912 SHEU 1 0f 2 INVENTOR.

CURTIS E. BRADLEY ATTORNEYS PATENTEDuuvza I972 3.104.440

SHEEI 2 0F 2 INVENTOR.

CURTIS 58 AD E $335- 15/ Y 5 I L ATTORNEYS CORROSION RESISTANT BATTERY TERMINAL CONNECTOR This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Ser. No. 47,384 filed June 18, 1970, now abandoned entitled CORROSION RE- SISTANT BATTERY TERMINAL CONNECTOR."

This invention relates to terminal connectors for attaching electrical conductor cables to battery posts.

More specifically, it pertains to means for protecting the contacting surfaces of the connector from corrosion by air and moisture.

In another sense, the invention pertains to devices for rapid, easy installation and removal of cable terminals.

There are in the prior art a number of devices for protecting the contacting surfaces between battery posts and cable terminals from oxidation by air and moisture. However, the difficulty with the prior art devices is that they are cumbersome to utilize and awkward to install and remove. Others appear to be overly complicated and, therefore, difficult to manufacture.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved battery terminal connector which fully and adequately protects the electrical contact surfaces of a cable terminal and battery post from corrosion by air and moisture.

It is another object of this invention to provide such a connector which is simply constructed and, therefore, inexpensive to manufacture.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide such a connector which can be quickly and easily placed on and removed from a battery post.

The invention is summarized as follows: Briefly, in accordance with a first preferred embodiment thereof, there is provided a corrosion resistant battery terminal connector for attaching an electrical conductor cable to a terminal post of an electric storage battery. This connector comprises a cable terminal having means for attaching the cable thereto; a bore wall defining an aperture larger than, and adapted to receive, a battery post; flanges projecting inwardly from the bore wall into the aperture for contacting the battery post and for conducting electricity through the terminal to the cable; and a gasket sized and shaped to fit the bore wall and sealingly fill the space between the bore wall and the post, the gasket having ports sized to permit the flanges to protrude therethrough to make contact with the post. The connector also comprises a fastener disposed around the cable terminal, the fastener having opposed top and bottom rings having inside diameters larger than the battery post; a first connector joining the rings and adapted to bias the plane of at least one of the rings to an angular attitude relative the axis of the post, thus making contact with the post for frictional engagement thereof; a second connector having one end attached to the bottom ring and a second end projecting upwardly, such that by pulling the second end, the angular attitude of the plane of said rings relative the longitudinal axis of the post is changed to more nearly perpendicular thereto, thus releasing the frictional engagement of the rings with the post so as to permit removal of the cable terminal.

An alternately preferred embodiment of the invention employs a conventional cable terminal and a modified battery terminal post. The modified battery terminal post has a first angular groove proximate the upper end thereof and a second angular groove proximate the lower end thereof and spaced longitudinal grooves extending therebetween. An elastomeric gasket sized and shaped to be received by the grooves sealingly engages the bore wall of the cable terminal to provide sealed areas of electrical contact.

Other, further and more specific objects and advantages of the invention disclosed will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the invention taken in conjunction with the drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the component parts of the connector, a portion of the cable terminal and the gasket being broken away;

FIG. 2 is an elevation view of the invention in place on a battery post, a portion of the terminal, the gasket and the fastener being broken away to show a cross section;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of FIG. 2 sectioned along the line 3-3;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of an alternative embodiment of the cable terminal;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the component parts of an alternate embodiment of the connector;

FIG. 6 is an elevation view partly in section of the assembled components of the device of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of FIG. 6 in section taken along the line 7-7; and

FIG. 8 is a plan view in section corresponding to FIG. 7 showing an alternate arrangement of the elements thereof.

The fastener 21 fits around the cable terminal 3 in such a way that the axis of the aperture 7 of the cable terminal 3 and the axis of the top ring 22 and bottom ring 23 coincide. The bottom ring 23 of the fastener 21 forms an obtuse angle with the first connector 24 whereas the top ring 22 forms a right angle with the first connector 24. Thus, when the terminal connector 8 is in place on the battery post 1, the bottom ring 23 elliptically engages the battery post 1. The connectors are formed from sheet metal material. This material is harder than lead and the edges 25 of the bottom ring 23 grip the outside surface 2 of the battery post 1 and hold the terminal connector 8 securely in place on the battery post 1. The second connector 26 is connected to the bottom ring 23 only. It is retained in a vertical position by bracket arms 27 attached to the top ring 22. The second connector 26 is free to slide and is provided with a slot 28 which can be engaged by any handy tool such as a screwdriver, or if nothing else is available, the shank of a car key, which is inserted through slot 28 with one end on the top 9 of the battery post I. It is then a simple matter to release the pressure of the bottom ring 23 on the battery post 1 by prying upwardly using the screwdriver or similar tool as a lever. When the leverage is exerted on the second connector 26, the angle between the first connector 24 and the bottom ring 23 is changed to an approximately right angle, and both

rings

22 and 23 can be easily slipped off the battery post 1. FIGS. 1 through 3 illustrate a modification of a standard cable terminal. In FIG. 4 an alternative embodiment of the invention is shown wherein the cable terminal is manufactured as a continuous ring 31 instead of a split ring in which case the gasket 1 1 can be made in the form of continuous parallel pieces, dispensing with the tie pieces 18 of the gasket 11. Manufactured as a continuous ring 31, the unnecessary nut and bolt 16 are eliminated. The continuous ring also provides larger contacting surfaca between the alternate cable terminal 29 and the battery post 1.

FIG. 5 specifically details an alternately preferred embodiment of the invention utilizing a conventional cable terminal 35 having an upright cylindrical body 36 and a longitudinal axial bore 37. The bore 37 is shaped and adapted to receive and engage the modified battery terminal post 38. As is conventional practice in the art, the body 35 is of split ring construction having flanges 39 extending outwardly which are drawn together by a bolt 40 and a nut 41 to provide clamping means about the battery terminal post 38. A cylindrical protrusion 42 is provided for attachment to the cable which is either molded or swedged therein.

The battery post 38 has an outside surface 43 which mates with the wall 44 of the bore 37. The battery post 38 has a surface recess therein defined by a first annular groove 47 proximate the upper end thereof and a second annular groove 48 proximate the lower end thereof. Spaced

longitudinal grooves

49 and 50 extend between the upper annular groove 47 and the lower annular groove 48. Not shown in this particular view is a third longitudinal groove approximately diametrically opposing the shown longitudinal grooves. A sealing gasket 51 preferably constructed of an elastomer such as silicon rubber is shaped and adapted to be received within the surface recess of the terminal post 38. Specifically, to illustrate corresponding elements, the gasket 5! has a lower circular portion 52 which fits into the lower annular recess 48, an upper circular member 53 which fits into the upper annular groove 48 and

longitudinal tic pieces

54, 55, and 56 which fit respectively into the

longitudinal recesses

49, 50 and the third recess specifically not shown.

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate the assembled relationship of the components of the invention, specifically detailed in connection with the description of FIG. 5. As specifically noted herein, the gasket 51 defines corrosion resistant areas of electrical contact between the outside surface 43 of the terminal 38 and the bore wall 44 of the cable terminal 35. The first area generally designated A in FIG. 7 lies between the

longitudinal tie pieces

54 and 56 while the second area B lies between the

longitudinal tie pieces

55 and 56. Both areas are bounded at the upper end by the circular member 53 and at the lower end by the circular member 54. A relatively small area generally designated C lined between the

longitudinal tie pieces

54 and 55 is subject to corrosion from air and moisture entering between the flanges 39 while the sealed areas A and B are more than adequate to transmit full current from the battery to the circuits. In this configuration, care must be exercised when coupling the cable terminal 35 to the battery post 38 to maintain proper orientation to expose only the area C. FIG. 8 shows a slightly modified arrangement providing equal areas of contact A, B and C as defined by the longitudinal tie piece 56 and the displaced longitudinal tie pieces 54a and 550. This configuration eliminates orientatiori of the cable terminal 35 upon the battery post 38. Regardless of orientation, at least two of the three equally spaced areas will provide sealed corrosion resistant contact and amply conduct adequate current.

Vanous other changes in the devices chosen for purposes of illustration will readily occur to persons skilled in the art. For example, the

longitudinal tie pieces

54 and 55 could be juxtapositionally placed or fused into one relatively wide longitudinal tie piece to seal the open area between the flanges 39. Such modifications and variations while not explicitly denoted in the foregoing detailed description do not deviate from the teachings of the present invention and are intended to be included in the scope and spirit thereof which is limited only by a fair interpretation of the following claims.

Having now fully described the presently preferred embodiment of my invention, 1 claim:

1. An electrical conductor cable terminal adapted for attachment to a terminal post of an electric storage battery and further adapted to provide a corrosion-resistant connection therewith, said cable terminal comprising:

a. means for attaching a cable thereto;

b. a bore wall defining an aperture larger than, and

adapted to receive, a battery post;

0. arcuate flanges projecting inwardly from said bore wall into said aperture presenting inner curved surfaces for contacting said battery post and for conducting electricity through said terminal to said cable;

d. a gasket sized and shaped to fit said bore wall and sealingly fill the space between the said bore wall and said post, said gasket having ports sized to permit said flanges to protrude therethrough to make contact with said post;

e. a fastener disposed around said cable terminal adapted to frictionally engage said terminal post and releasably secure said cable terminal to said terminal post, said fastener comprising i. opposed top and bottom rings having inside diameters larger than said battery post,

ii. a first connector joining said rings and adapted to bias the plane of at least one of said rings to an angular attitude relative the axis of said post, thus making contact with said post for frictional engagement thereof, and

iii. a second connector having one end attached to said bottom ring and a second end projecting upwardly, such that by pulling said second end, the angular attitude of the plane of said rings relative the longitudinal axis of said post is changed to more nearly perpendicular thereto, thus releasing the frictional engagement of the rings with said post so as to permit removal of the cable terminal.

2. A corrosion-resistant battery terminal connector for attaching an electrical conductor cable to a terminal post of an electric storage battery, said connector 60 comprising:

a. a cable terminal having means for attaching said cable thereto, a bore wall defining an aperture larger than, and adapted to receive, a battery post, flanges projecting inwardly from said bore wall into said aperture for contacting said battery post and for conducting electricity through said terminal to said cable, and a gasket sized and shaped to fit said bore wall and sealingly fill the space between the said bore wall and said post, said gasket having ports sized to permit said flanges to protrude therethrough to make contact with said post;

b. a fastener disposed around said cable terminal,

said fastener having opposed top and bottom rings having inside diameters larger than said battery post, a first connector joining said rings and adapted to bias the plane of at least one of said rings to an angular attitude relative the axis of said post, thus making contact with said post for frictional engagement thereof, a second connector having one end attached to said bottom ring and a second end projecting upwardly, such that by pulling said second end, the angular attitude of the plane of said rings relative to the longitudinal axis of said post is changed to more nearly perpendicular thereto, thus releasing the frictional engagement of the rings with said post so as to permit removal ol'the cable terminal.

3. An electric storage battery terminal post adapted to circumferentially receive a conventional annular cable terminal and further adapted to define corrosionresistant areas of electrical contact between the outside surfaces of said terminal post and the bore of the annular cable terminal, said electric storage battery terminal post comprising:

a. an upright generally conical battery terminal post having a surface recess therein defined by a first annular groove, a second annular groove spaced from said first annular groove, and a longitudinal groove extending therebetween; and

b. a gasket sized and shaped to be contained within said recess and sealingly engaging the base of said cable terminal.

4. The battery terminal post of claim 3, wherein said surface recess includes a first annular groove, a second annular groove spaced from said first annular groove, and at least two longitudinal grooves extending therebetween.

5. The battery terminal post of claim 4 wherein there are three longitudinal grooves angularly spaced apart.

Claims

1. An electrical conductor cable terminal adapted for attachment to a terminal post of an electric storage battery and further adapted to provide a corrosion-resistant connection therewith, said cable terminal comprising: a. means for attaching a cable thereto; b. a bore wall defining an aperture larger than, and adapted to receive, a battery post; c. arcuate flanges projecting inwardly from said bore wall into said aperture presenting inner curved surfaces for contacting said battery post and for conducting electricity through said terminal to said cable; d. a gasket sized and shaped to fit said bore wall and sealingly fill the space between the said bore wall and said post, said gasket having ports sized to permit said flanges to protrude therethrough to make contact with said post; e. a fastener disposed around said cable terminal adapted to frictionally engage said terminal post and releasably secure said cable terminal to said terminal post, said fastener comprising i. opposed top and bottom rings having inside diameters larger than said battery post, ii. a first connector joining said rings and adapted to bias the plane of at least one of said rings to an angular attitude relative the axis of said post, thus making contact with said post for frictional engagement thereof, and iii. a second connector having one end attached to said bottom ring and a second end projecting upwardly, such that by pulling said second end, the angular attitude of the plane of said rings relative the longitudinal axis of said post is changed to more nearly perpendicular thereto, thus releasing the frictional engagement of the rings with said post so as to permit removal of the cable terminal.

2. A corrosion-resistant battery terminal connector for attaching an electrical conductor cable to a terminal post of an electric storage battery, said connector comprising: a. a cable terminal having means for attaching said cable thereto, a bore wall defining an aperture larger than, and adapted to receive, a battery post, flanges projecting inwardly from said bore wall into said aperture for contacting said battery post and for conducting electricity through said terminal to said cable, and a gasket sized and shaped to fit said bore wall and sealingly fill the space between the said bore wall and said post, said gasket having ports sized to permit said flanges to protrude therethrough to make contact with said post; b. a fastener disposed around said cable terminal, said fastener having opposed top and bottom rings having inside diameters larger than said battery post, a first connector joining said rings and adapted to bias the plane of at least one of said rings to an angular attitude relative the axis of said post, thus making contact with said post for frictional engagement thereof, a second connector having one end attached to said bottom ring and a second end projecting upwardly, such that by pulling said second end, the angular attitude of the plane of said rings relative to the longitudinal axis of said post is changed to more nearly perpendicular thereto, thus releasing the frictional engagement of the rings with said post so as to permit removal of the cable terminal.

3. An electric storage battery terminal post adapted to circumferentially receive a conventional annular cable terminal and further adapted to define corrosion-resistant areas of electrical contact between the outside surfaces of said terminal post and the bore of the annular cable terminal, said electric storage battery terminal post comprising: a. an upright generally conical battery terminal post having a surface recess therein defined by a first annular groove, a second annular groove spaced from said first annular groove, and a longitudinal groove extending therebetween; and b. a gasket sized and shaped to be contained within said recess and sealingly engaging the base of said cable terminal.