Multi-circuit separable connector for printed circuit boards and the like

Claim 1

A CONNECTOR DEVICE COMPRISING A BASE OF RIGID INSULATION MATERIAL, A CONTACT CLIP TO FRICTIONALLY RECEIVED A PLUG-IN MEMBER CARRYING A CONTACT STRIP, SAID CLIP CONSISTING OF A SINGLE CONTINUOUS LENGTH OF RIGID SPRING WIRE OF ROUNDED CROSS-SECTION WITH TWO CONVEXLY CURVED LOOPS JOINED BY AN INTERMEDIATE CONCAVE LOOP, THE SAID CONVEXLY CURVED LOOPS EACH TERMINATING IN A RESPECTIVE LINEAR PORTION RIGIDLY ANCHORED AT THEIR FREE ENDS DIRECTLY IN SAID BASE AGAINST MOVEMENT THEREIN AND PROTRUDING FROM ONE FACE OF SAID BASE A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE WHILE THE REMAINDER OF THE CLIP IS LOCATED ON THE OPPOSITE FACE OF SAID BASE, SAID CONCAVE LOOP BEING POSITIONED IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT SAID BASE SO AS TO BE SUBSTANTIALLY ABUTTING RELATIONSHIP THEREWITH DURING INSERTION OF SAID PLUGIN MEMBER, SAID CONVEXLY CURVED LOOPS DEFINING A MOUTH THEREBETWEEN TO RECEIVE SAID PLUG-IN MEMBER, THE NORMAL WIDTH OF SAID MOUTH BEING SLIGHTLY LESS THAN THE THICKNESS OF SAID PLUG-IN MEMBER, AND THE DISTANCE BETWEEN PORTIONS OF SAID WIRE JOINING SAID MOUTH TO SAID CONCAVE LOOP BEING SLIGHTLY FARTHER APART THAN THE THICKNESS OF SAID PLUG-IN MEMBER WHEREBY SAID STRIP IS SUBJECTED TO A CONTINUOUS WIPING ACTION DURING INSERTION OF THE PLUG-IN MEMBER AND SAID PLUG-IN MEMBER IS FLEXIBLY GRIPPED BY THE CLIP TO HOLD IT IN PREDETERMINED RELATION TO SAID BASE, THE CONTACT BETWEEN THE PLUG-IN MEMBER AND CLIP BEING INDEPENDENT OF PRESSURE ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN THE SAID MEMBER AND THE BOTTOM OF SAID CONCAVE LOOP, SAID CLIP BEING SUPPORTED AND ATTACHED TO SAID BASE ENTIRELY BY REASON OF SAID ANCHORING OF SAID FREE ENDS, AND THE REMAINDER OF THE CLIP BEING FREE FROM MECHANICAL ABUTMENT AGAINST ANY RIGID SUPPORTS, EXCEPT THE ABUTTING RELATIONSHIP OF SAID CONCAVE LOOP AND SAID BASE, WHEREBY THE NORMAL WIDTH OF SAID MOUTH IS DETERMINED SOLELY BY THE NORMAL PREFORMED CURVATURE AND BIAS OF SAID CONCAVE AND CONVEX LOOPS AND THE SAID MOUTH IS AUTOMATICALLY WIDENED SOLELY BY REASON OF THE ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN THE MOUTH OF THE CLIP AND THE INSERTED PLUG-IN MEMBER.