Self-locking spade terminal

Claim 1

A self-locking spade terminal fabricated from a resilient, highly conductive alloy comprising: a tubular portion adapted to receive a portion of an electrical conductor from which the insulation has been removed; a planar portion; a solid, continuous, planar transition portion extending in the same plane as said planar portion connected at a first end to said tubular portion and at a second end, opposite said first end, to said planar portion; said planar portion comprising two tines separated by a terminal screw-receiving slot; two nibs, one for each of said tines, each coupled to its associated tine adjacent the free ends thereof and partially blocking said terminal screwreceiving slot each of said nibs having a chamfered edge adjacent the coupling between said nib and its associated tine and the free end of said tine; said tines being proportioned to flex outwardly with respect to one another when the chamfered edges of said nibs are brought into contact with a terminal screw normal to the plane of said terminal and to return inwardly to their initial position when said terminal is removed from contact with said terminal screw whereby the engagement of the chamfered edges of said nibs with a terminal screw causes the outward deflection of said tines only until the terminal is advanced to place the terminal screw within the terminal screw-receiving slot permitting the tines only to return to their initial position and barring removal of the terminal from the terminal screw by the position of the nibs in the path of the terminal screw.