Solderless terminal strip connector assembly

Claim 2

A solderless electrical connector comprising, a terminal block constructed from insulating material, said terminal block having a through passageway including an entrance end and an opposite end, a terminal strip of conductive material slidably mounted in said passageway and including a portion thereof projecting outwardly of the terminal block at said entrance end, means on said terminal strip portion for loosely receiving a lead wire for projecting outwardly from said entrance end, said through passageway having a height adjacent said entrance end which is only slightly larger than the thickness of said terminal strip, such that upon engagement of a lead wire in said means for receiving same and movement of said terminal strip relative to said block to dispose said portion within the passageway, said terminal strip and said block will cooperate to wedge the lead wire between the terminal strip and the wall of said passageway to establish electrical contact between said lead wire and said terminal strip, said terminal strip having a flexible lug and said terminal block having a preformed shoulder, said lug being positioned so as to engage said shoulder upon said movement And thereby maintaining said terminal block and terminal strip in the wedged position.

Claim 3

A solderless electrical connector as defined in claim 1, wherein said entrance end of the passageway is tapered and cooperates with the terminal strip portion to wedge said lead wire into conductive engagement with said terminal strip.

Claim 4

A solderless electrical connector as defined in claim 1, wherein said terminal strip includes a stop portion disposed at an angle to said terminal strip portion and at an end thereof and said terminal block has a recess that receives said stop portion to limit movement of the terminal strip in said passageway with respect to one direction relative to said block.

Claim 5

A solderless electrical connector as defined in claim 1, wherein said block includes a channel opening to said opposite end and in communication with said passageway, said channel terminating to define the lug engaging shoulder, whereby a tool may be disposed in said channel to disengage said lug thereby permitting withdrawal of said terminal strip.

Claim 6

A solderless electrical connector comprising a terminal block having a tracklike means for slidably receiving an elongated tongue and means for cooperating with the tongue to secure the latter in said tracklike means, said block also including terminal-strip receiving segments which are integrally formed with said tracklike means, each terminal-strip receiving segment including a through passageway, a terminal strip slidable in each passageway and having means for receiving a lead wire such that upon movement of the terminal strip relative to said block in its associated passageway, a lead wire will be wedged between the terminal strip and an adjacent wall of the passageway to effect electrical contact with said terminal strip, and cooperating means on each said terminal strip and its associated receiving portion to maintain the two parts assembled, each said terminal strip having end portions projecting outwardly beyond opposite ends of its associated passageway, one of said outwardly projected portions of each terminal strip having said means for receiving a lead wire and the other said portion including means for attachment of a conductor thereto and also by which the terminal strip may be grasped to effect said relative movement.

Claim 7

A solderless electrical connector comprising a terminal block having a tracklike means for slidably receiving an elongated tongue and means for cooperating with the tongue to secure the latter in said tracklike means, said block also including terminal-strip receiving segments which are integrally formed with said tracklike means, each terminal-strip receiving segment including a through passageway, a terminal strip slidable in each passageway and having means for receiving a lead wire such that upon movement of the terminal strip relative to said block in its associated passageway, a lead wire will be wedged between the terminal strip and an adjacent wall of the passageway to effect electrical contact with said terminal strip, and cooperating means on each said terminal strip and its associated receiving portion to maintain the two parts assembled, each said terminal strip having end portions projecting outwardly beyond opposite ends of its associated passageway, one of said outwardly projected portions of each terminal strip having said means for receiving a lead wire and the other said portion including means for attachment of a conductor thereto and also by which the terminal strip may be grasped to effect said relative movement.

Claim 8

A solderless electrical connector according to claim 5 in combination with a loudspeaker having a speaker basket with an elongated tongue slidably received in said tracklike means, and a pair of wire leads extending from a voice coil, said wire leads being respectively received by the wire-receiving means, said means cooperating with said tongue comprises a resilient protuberance, and said tongue has a recess received by said protuberance upon relative sliding movement of the block and tongue to retain said tongue assembled with said block.

Claim 9

A solderless electrical connector comprising a terminal block constructed from insulating material, said terminal block having a through passageway including an entrance end and an opposite end, a terminal strip of conductive material slidably mounted in said passageway and having a first portion thereof projecting outwardly of the terminal block at said entrance end with means on said first terminal-strip portion for loosely receiving a lead wire, a second terminal-strip portion projecting outwardly beyond said opposite end and means on said second terminal-strip portion by which the terminal may be grasped to effect movement thereof relative to said terminal block, said through passageway having a height adjacent said entrance end which is only slightly larger than said terminal strip such that upon engagement of a lead wire with said means for loosely receiving same and upon movement of said terminal strip relative to cause said first portion to enter said passageway, said lead wire will be wedged into electrical contact with said terminal strip by the walls of said passageway, and cooperating means on said terminal strip and said terminal block for mAintaining said terminal strip and said terminal block in wedging position, said means being releasable to permit withdrawal of said terminal strip.

Claim 10

A solderless electrical connector comprising a terminal block constructed from insulating material, said terminal block having a through passageway including an entrance end and an opposite end, a terminal strip of conductive material slidably mounted in said passageway and having a first portion thereof projecting outwardly of the terminal block at said entrance end with means on said first terminal-strip portion for loosely receiving a lead wire, a second terminal-strip portion projecting outwardly beyond said opposite end and means on said second terminal-strip portion by which the terminal may be grasped to effect movement thereof relative to said terminal block, said through passageway having a height adjacent said entrance end which is only slightly larger than said terminal strip such that upon engagement of a lead wire with said means for loosely receiving same and upon movement of said terminal strip relative to cause said first portion to enter said passageway, said lead wire will be wedged into electrical contact with said terminal strip by the walls of said passageway, and cooperating means on said terminal strip and said terminal block for mAintaining said terminal strip and said terminal block in wedging position, said means being releasable to permit withdrawal of said terminal strip.