Notched plate clasp apparatus

Claim 2

An electrical clasp apparatus for a length of electrically conducting strand material including: a base, a first pair of uprights cantilever mounted to said base, a web between said first pair of uprights and including a first pair of resilient cantilever flanges defining a first notch portion therebetween, a second pair of uprights cantilever mounted to said base and connected respectively to said first pair of uprights, a second web between said second pair of uprights and including a second pair of resilient cantilever flanges defining a second notch portion therebetween, said notch portions being capable of receiving a length of electrically conducting strand material forcibly inserted therein, said cantilever flanges being resiliently deformable in cantilever action to result in residual cantilever action which provides compression forces on the inserted strand material, and a stiffener flange on each of said uprights substantially reducing cantilever action thereof.

Claim 3

An electrical clasp apparatus for a length of electrically conducting strand material including: a base, a first pair of uprights cantilever mounted to said base, a web between said first pair of uprights aNd including a first pair of resilient cantilever flanges defining a first notch portion therebetween, a second pair of uprights cantilever mounted to said base and connected respectively to said first pair of uprights, a second web between said second pair of uprights and including a second pair of resilient cantilever flanges defining a second notch portion therebetween, said notch portions being capable of receiving a length of electrically conducting strand material forcibly inserted therein, said cantilever flanges being resiliently deformable in cantilever action to result in residual cantilever action which provides compression forces on the inserted strand material, and wherein each of said first and second pairs of flanges includes a slicing edge thereon adjacent a corresponding notch portion for partially penetrating into a length of electrically conducting strand material inserted in said corresponding notch portion.

Claim 4

An electrical clasp apparatus for a length of electrically conducting strand material including: a base, a first pair of uprights cantilever mounted to said base, a web between said first pair of uprights aNd including a first pair of resilient cantilever flanges defining a first notch portion therebetween, a second pair of uprights cantilever mounted to said base and connected respectively to said first pair of uprights, a second web between said second pair of uprights and including a second pair of resilient cantilever flanges defining a second notch portion therebetween, said notch portions being capable of receiving a length of electrically conducting strand material forcibly inserted therein, said cantilever flanges being resiliently deformable in cantilever action to result in residual cantilever action which provides compression forces on the inserted strand material, and wherein each of said first and second pairs of flanges includes a slicing edge thereon adjacent a corresponding notch portion for partially penetrating into a length of electrically conducting strand material inserted in said corresponding notch portion.

Claim 5

An electrical clasp apparatus for a length of electrically conducting strand material including: a base, a first pair of uprights cantilever mounted to said base, a web between said first pair of uprights and including a first pair of resilient cantilever flanges defining a first notch portion therebetween, a second pair of uprights cantilever mounted to said base and connected respectively to said first pair of uprights, a second web between said second pair of uprights and including a second pair of resilient cantilever flanges defining a second notch portion therebetween, said notch portions being capable of receiving a length of electrically conducting strand material forcibly inserted therein, said cantilever flanges being resiliently deformable in cantilever action to result in residual cantilever action which provides compression forces on the inserted strand material, and wherein said uprights are resilient to provide resilient cantilever action, the connected uprights being connected together at corresponding end portions thereof and acting together as a single cantilever beam resiliently deformable in cantilever action in a direction laterally of said notch portions.

Claim 6

An electrical clasp apparatus for a length of electrically conducting strand material including: a base, a first pair of uprights cantilever mounted to said base, a web between said first pair of uprights and including a first pair of resilient cantilever flanges defining a first notch portion therebetween, a second pair of uprights cantilever mounted to said base and connected respectively to said first pair of uprights, a second web between said second pair of uprights and including a second pair of resilient cantilever flanges defining a second notch portion therebetween, said notch portions being capable of receiving a length of electrically conducting strand material forcibly inserted therein, said cantilever flanges being resiliently deformable in cantilever action to result in residual cantilever action which provides compression forces on the inserted strand material, and wherein said uprights are resilient to provide resilient cantilever action, the connected uprights being connected together at corresponding end portions thereof and acting together as a single cantilever beam resiliently deformable in cantilever action in a direction laterally of said notch portions.

Claim 7

An electrical clasp apparatus for a length of electrically conducting strand material including: a base, a first pair of uprights cantilever mounted to said base, a web between said first pair of uprights and including a first pair of resilient cantilever flanges defining a first notch portion therebetween, a second pair of uprights cantilever mounted to said base and connected respectively to said first pair of uprights, a second web between said second pair of uprights and including a second pair of resilient cantilever flanges defining a second notch portion therebetween, said notch portions being capable of receiving a length of electrically conducting strand material forcibly inserted therein, said cantilever flanges being resiliently deformable in cantilever action to result in residual cantilever action which provides compression forces on the inserted strand material, and wherein, said flanges of each respective pair thereof extend mutually toward each other in mutually oppositely extending diagonal directions.

Claim 8

An electrical clasp apparatus for a length of electrically conducting strand material including: a base, a first pair of uprights cantilever mounted to said base, a web between said first pair of uprights and including a first pair of resilient cantilever flanges defining a first notch portion therebetween, a second pair of uprights cantilever mounted to said base and connected respectively to said first pair of uprights, a second web between said second pair of uprights and including a second pair of resilient cantilever flanges defining a second notch portion therebetween, said notch portions being capable of receiving a length of electrically conducting strand material forcibly inserted therein, said cantilever flanges being resiliently deformable in cantilever action to result in residual cantilever action which provides compression forces on the inserted strand material, and wherein, said flanges of each respective pair thereof extend mutually toward each other in mutually oppositely extending diagonal directions.

Claim 9

An electrical clasp apparatus for a length of electrically conducting strand material including: a base, a first pair of uprights cantilever mounted to said base, a web between said first pair of uprights and including a first pair of resilient cantilever flanges defining a first notch portion therebetween, a second pair of uprights cantilever mounted to said base and connected respectively to said first pair of uprights, a second web between said second pair of uprights and including a second pair of resilient cantilever flanges defining a second notch portion therebetween, said notch portions being capable of receiving a length of electrically conducting strand material forcibly inserted therein, said cantiLever flanges being resiliently deformable in cantilever action to result in residual cantilever action which provides compression forces on the inserted strand material, wherein, said webs are each dimpled to provide a bulged protuberance, and wherein, the flanges are positioned out of alignment with each other and on said protuberance.

Claim 10

An electrical clasp apparatus for a length of electrically conducting strand material including: a base, a first pair of uprights cantilever mounted to said base, a web between said first pair of uprights and including a first pair of resilient cantilever flanges defining a first notch portion therebetween, a second pair of uprights cantilever mounted to said base and connected respectively to said first pair of uprights, a second web between said second pair of uprights and including a second pair of resilient cantilever flanges defining a second notch portion therebetween, said notch portions being capable of receiving a length of electrically conducting strand material forcibly inserted therein, said cantiLever flanges being resiliently deformable in cantilever action to result in residual cantilever action which provides compression forces on the inserted strand material, wherein, said webs are each dimpled to provide a bulged protuberance, and wherein, the flanges are positioned out of alignment with each other and on said protuberance.

Claim 11

A one-piece electrical terminal for connection to a length of electrically conducting strand material, comprising: a malleable metal strip having a pair of first uprights, a first web connecting said first uprights and provided with a conductor receiving first notch portion therein, said metal strip having a pair of second uprights, a second web connecting said second uprights and provided with a conductor receiving second notch portion therein, one of said first uprights being connected to one of said second uprights to form a single first cantilever beam, another of said first uprights connected to another of said second uprights to form a single second cantilever beam, said first and second cantilever beams being resiliently deformable in cantilever action in a direction laterally of said corresponding first and second notch portions upon insertion of a length of electrically conducting strand material in said first and second notches.

Claim 12

A one-piece electrical terminal for connection to a length of electrically conducting strand material, comprising: a malleable metal strip having a pair of first uprights, a first web connecting said first uprights and provided with a conductor receiving first notch portion therein, said metal strip having a pair of second uprights, a second web connecting said second uprights and provided with a conductor receiving second notch portion therein, one of said first uprights being connected to one of said second uprights to form a single first cantilever beam, another of said first uprights connected to another of said second uprights to form a single second cantilever beam, said first and second cantilever beams being resiliently deformable in cantilever action in a direction laterally of said corresponding first and second notch portions upon insertion of a length of electrically conducting strand material in said first and second notches.

Claim 13

The structure as recited in claim 6, wherein said first and second webs include electrical conductor slicing edges respectively adjacent said first and second notch portions for slicing into and partially penetrating into a length of strand material inserted into said first and second notch portions.

Claim 14

The structure as recited in claim 6, wherein, each of said first and second uprights includes a stiffening flange thereon to limit cantilever action of each of said cantilever beams.

Claim 15

The structure as recited in claim 6, wherein, each of said webs includes a pair of flange portions defining a corresponding conductor receiving notch portion of each of said webs, said flange portions being resiliently deformable in cantilever action upon insertion of a length of strand material in each of said notch portions to result in residual cantilever action for resiliently gripping and clasping said length of strand material.

Claim 16

The structure as recited in claim 9, wherein each of said flange portions includes a slicing edge thereon adjacent to a corresponding notch for slicing into and partially penetrating into a length of electrically conducting strand material inserted in said notch portions.

Claim 17

The structure as recited in claim 9, wherein said flange portions included on each of said webs extend toward each other in mutually oppositely extending diagonal directions, with the flange portions of said first web cooperating with the flange portions on said second web to compress a longitudinal portion of a length of strand material inserted into and spanning between said first and said second notch portions.

Claim 18

The structure as recited in claim 11, wherein each of said flange portions includes a slicing edge thereon adjacent to a corresponding notch for slicing into and partially penetrating into a length of electrically conducting strand material inserted in said notch portions.

Claim 19

The structure as recited in claim 6, wherein, each of said first and second webs are dimpled to provide a bulged protuberance.

Claim 20

The structure as recited in claim 6, and further including: a bight portion connecting one of said first uprights with one of said second uprights to form one of said cantilever beams, and a second bight portion connecting another one of said first uprights with another one of said second uprights to form said second cantilever beam.