Snap-in electrical connector

Claim 2

An assembly comprising a mounting panel having a rectangular hole therethrough and a connector assembled in said hole: said connector being of generally U-shape with spaced legs extending in the same direction and projecting through said hole and connected at one of their ends by a base web Flange having a central hole therethrough: shoulder means on said legs retaining the connector against displacement from said panel hole and maintaining a spaced relation of said base from the adjacent surface of the panel; and a clamping screw having a threaded shank extending freely through said base hole with a screw head opposing the face of the base which faces away from said adjacent surface of the base which faces away from said adjacent surface of the panel and a nut threadedly engaged on said shank and held against rotation by confrontation of edges of the nut with said legs and freely clearing through said panel hole, whereby the nut can be backed away from said base through said panel hole by turning the screw shank and an electrical lead terminal adapted to be inserted between the base and the nut as facilitated by the spaced relation of the base from said adjacent surface of the panel and the nut tightened toward the base by manipulation of the screw to clamp the terminal between the nut and the base.

Claim 3

An assembly according to claim 1, said shoulder means comprising respective fixed shoulders on said legs engaging said adjacent surface of the panel, and resiliently flexible normally splayed shoulder tab lugs on the legs engaging with the opposite surface of the panel and being resiliently flexibly movable into the plane of the respective leg in each instance to enable clearance of the legs through the panel hole when mounting the connector or for removing the connector with respect to the panel.

Claim 4

An assembly according to claim 2, said shoulders engaging said adjacent surface of the panel comprising stepped shoulders at the respective opposite edges of the legs adjacent to but spaced from the base.

Claim 5

An assembly according to claim 1, including stop shoulder means on at least one of said legs confronting said nut in such spaced relation to said base as to limit the distance the nut can back off from said base.

Claim 6

An assembly according to claim 4, wherein said shoulder means are spaced from said base a distance related to the thickness of the nut to stop backing off of the nut at a position wherein the face of the nut which opposes said base is about in a plane with said adjacent surface of said panel.

Claim 7

An electrical connector assembly comprising: a U-shaped member having spaced legs extending in the same direction connected at one of their ends by a web flange base having a hole therethrough; a screw having a head opposing the outer face of said base and provided with a shank extending freely through said hole with a nut threaded on said shank and having opposite edges opposing said legs whereby to be held against turning when the screw is manipulated to back the nut away from said base to receive an electrical terminal therebetween and when the nut is drawn toward said base by manipulation of the screw to clamp the terminal between the nut an the base; shoulders on said legs adjacent to but space from said base to engage an adjacent surface of a mounting panel having rectangular mounting hole through which the legs are projected until said shoulders engage said surface to orient said base in spaced relation relative to the plane of said surface to afford free access of the electrical terminal into a gap between the base and the nut when the nut is backed away from the base after the connector has been mounted on the base with said legs through said rectangular hole; and shoulder means on said legs projecting from the outer faces of said legs to engage the opposite surface of the panel for retaining the connector in place on the panel in cooperation with said first-mentioned shoulders.

Claim 8

An electrical connector assembly comprising: a U-shaped member having spaced legs extending in the same direction connected at one of their ends by a web flange base having a hole therethrough; a screw having a head opposing the outer face of said base and provided with a shank extending freely through said hole with a nut threaded on said shank and having opposite edges opposing said legs whereby to be held against turning when the screw is manipulated to back the nut away from said base to receive an electrical terminal therebetween and when the nut is drawn toward said base by manipulation of the screw to clamp the terminal between the nut an the base; shoulders on said legs adjacent to but space from said base to engage an adjacent surface of a mounting panel having rectangular mounting hole through which the legs are projected until said shoulders engage said surface to orient said base in spaced relation relative to the plane of said surface to afford free access of the electrical terminal into a gap between the base and the nut when the nut is backed away from the base after the connector has been mounted on the base with said legs through said rectangular hole; and shoulder means on said legs projecting from the outer faces of said legs to engage the opposite surface of the panel for retaining the connector in place on the panel in cooperation with said first-mentioned shoulders.

Claim 9

An assembly according to claim 6, said first-mentioned shoulders comprising stepped portions at side edges of the legs adjacent to said base.

Claim 10

An assembly according to claim 6, said shoulders which project from said outer faces of the legs comprising shear-formed tab lugs which are normally resiliently biased into splayed relAtion to said legs and are adapted to be pressed inwardly toward one another in opposition to their bias into the planes of the respective legs to enable insertion of the legs into the panel hole with the lugs thus clearing through the hole and then automatically snapping into interlocking relation to said opposite surface of the panel. 9 An assembly according to claim 8, said legs having holes therethrough adjacent to their free ends, said lugs being sheared from the legs along lines which run out at respective side edges of the legs and said holes, and the lugs being resiliently connected to the legs and said holes, and the lugs being resiliently connected to the legs along resilient hinge bends extending between said edges and said holes.

Claim 11

An assembly according to claim 6, including a gauging stop shoulder on one of said legs opposing said nut in such spaced relation to said base as to permit a predetermined but limited backing off of said nut relative to said base by manipulation of said screw.

Claim 12

An assembly according to claim 6, including stop shoulder means on each of said legs projecting inwardly and spaced form said base to limit the distance the nut can move from said base.

Claim 13

An assembly according to claim 1, said legs having stop shoulder means confronting said nut in spaced relation to said base and related to the panel such that the nut can be backed away from the base sufficiently to receive a terminal to be clamped between the nut and the base, but should the nut be freed from the shank, the shoulder means in cooperation with said legs and side edges defining said hole will retain the nut against escape.