Electrical plug contact

Claim 2

A one-piece plug connector formed from sheet material comprising a sleeve and a contact portion, the contact portion comprising a bullet-nose tip with a plurality of arms emanating therefrom and extending generally longitudinally behind the tip, one arm integrally connected to the sleeve and the free ends of the remaining arms being received in the sleeve, said arms including radially outwardly biasing means for generally resisting radial compression of the contact portion while allowing the longitudinal edges of the adjacent arms to substantially abut and form a columnar structure upon compression of the contact portion, wherein the connector is capable of sustaining electrical contact with a mating socket portion while resisting bending of the contact portion.

Claim 3

A connector in accordance with claim 1 wherein the plurality of arms includes a portion adjacent the tip having a first width which allows abutment of the longitudinal edges upon radial compression of the arms, the remaining arms including a portion received in the sleeve having a second width which is greater than the first width.

Claim 4

A connector in accordance with claim 2 wherein the sleeve includes a seam means extending longitudinal and protruding radially inwardly thereof for impinging contact with an associated conductor wire.

Claim 5

A one-piece plug connector for association with a mating socket connector including a probe portion and a barrel portion, the probe portion having a bullet-nose tip and a plUrality of longitudinally extending contact arms emanating therefrom, said contact arms comprising at least one free extending arm and one arm integrally attached to the barrel portion, each contact arm including outwardly bowed portions for aggressive mating contact with an associated socket, the bowed portions being of such a width as to allow the edges of the contact arms to substantially abut when the probe is in compressed condition, thereby imparting columnar strength to the probe upon insertion in the mating socket, the free extending arms extending into the barrel portion and having a width greater than the width of their associated bowed portions to uniformly decrease the cross-sectional area within the barrel, the barrel including seam means extending radially inwardly and situated between two of the free extending arms, whereby an associated conductor is positioned in the barrel in such a manner as to be impinged by the seam means and operatively connected to the contact arms through both the barrel and free extending arms.

Claim 6

A one-piece plug connector for association with a mating socket connector including a probe portion and a barrel portion, the probe portion having a bullet-nose tip and a plUrality of longitudinally extending contact arms emanating therefrom, said contact arms comprising at least one free extending arm and one arm integrally attached to the barrel portion, each contact arm including outwardly bowed portions for aggressive mating contact with an associated socket, the bowed portions being of such a width as to allow the edges of the contact arms to substantially abut when the probe is in compressed condition, thereby imparting columnar strength to the probe upon insertion in the mating socket, the free extending arms extending into the barrel portion and having a width greater than the width of their associated bowed portions to uniformly decrease the cross-sectional area within the barrel, the barrel including seam means extending radially inwardly and situated between two of the free extending arms, whereby an associated conductor is positioned in the barrel in such a manner as to be impinged by the seam means and operatively connected to the contact arms through both the barrel and free extending arms.

Claim 7

A one-piece plug connector in accordance with claim 4 for association with a mating socket having a contact surface with an inner periphery P, the probe portion having N number of contact arms each having a width of approximately P/N, said contact arms being radially spaced from one another in their non-compressed state, the barrel portion having an inner periphery P1, and the free extending arms having a width of approximately P1 (N-1).

Claim 8

In a connector plug for a conductor terminal, contact means and ferrule means formed in one-piece from a sheet of conductive material, the contact means including three arms emanating from a central conical-tipped portion and folded back to be received in the bore of the ferrule, one of said arms integrally connected to the ferrule, each arm being bowed outwardly from the longitudinal axis of the plug to provide a resiliently biased electrical contact with a cooperating socket connector, the ferrule means including inwardly extending seam means impinging an associated conductor thus affording positive electrical contact while retaining the ferrule in a closed configuration, the two free arms extending into the ferrule for operative association between the ferrule and conductor and straddling the inwardly extending seam.

Claim 9

In a connector plug for a conductor terminal, contact means and ferrule means formed in one-piece from a sheet of conductive material, the contact means including three arms emanating from a central conical-tipped portion and folded back to be received in the bore of the ferrule, one of said arms integrally connected to the ferrule, each arm being bowed outwardly from the longitudinal axis of the plug to provide a resiliently biased electrical contact with a cooperating socket connector, the ferrule means including inwardly extending seam means impinging an associated conductor thus affording positive electrical contact while retaining the ferrule in a closed configuration, the two free arms extending into the ferrule for operative association between the ferrule and conductor and straddling the inwardly extending seam.

Claim 10

In an electrical connection of the plug and socket type, a contact probe including longitudinally extending means for providing agressive, substantially constant electrical contact with an associated socket while substantially increasing the column strength of the probe upon insertion in an associated socket, a conductive sleeve means for connecting an associated conductor to the contact probe, said sleeve means formed from sheet material and including a longitudinal seam formed from edges of the sheet material, said seam extending radially inwardly for impingement into the associated conductor, said probe including a conical shaped tip at one end for facilitating entry of the plug into a socket, the other end of the probe including a plurality of arms inserted in the sleeve and positioned between the conductor and the inner surface of the sleeve, said sleeve and associated arms including at least one crimped section for increasing the electrical contact between the conductor, probe, and sleeve as well as preventing relative axial movement between the conductor, probe, and sleeve.

Claim 11

In an electrical connection of the plug and socket type, a contact probe including longitudinally extending means for providing agressive, substantially constant electrical contact with an associated socket while substantially increasing the column strength of the probe upon insertion in an associated socket, a conductive sleeve means for connecting an associated conductor to the contact probe, said sleeve means formed from sheet material and including a longitudinal seam formed from edges of the sheet material, said seam extending radially inwardly for impingement into the associated conductor, said probe including a conical shaped tip at one end for facilitating entry of the plug into a socket, the other end of the probe including a plurality of arms inserted in the sleeve and positioned between the conductor and the inner surface of the sleeve, said sleeve and associated arms including at least one crimped section for increasing the electrical contact between the conductor, probe, and sleeve as well as preventing relative axial movement between the conductor, probe, and sleeve.

Claim 12

An electrical connection as set forth in claim 7 wherein the arms have a generally arcuate cross-section for increasing the surface contact of the arms between the sleeve and conductor.

Claim 13

A plug-in connector as set forth in claim 8 wherein the free ends of two contact arms are positioned between the conductor wire and the inner surface of the ferrule portion thus providing substantial surface contact between the conductor, ferrule, and contact portions.

Claim 14

A plug-in connector for electrically connecting the terminal ends of a conductor with a cooperating socket connector, inclUding contact means and a ferrule portion, the contact means being of a generally bullet-like configuration including a plurality of arms integrally connected to a generally conical shaped tip portion, at least one of said arms being integrally connected to said ferrule portion, said arms having portions bowed outwardly from the longitudinal axis of the contact means, the bowed portions forming a biased electrical engagement between the contact means and an associated socket connector, said arms being of sufficient width and being spaced radially from one another so that the longitudinal edges of the arms substantially abut when operatively associated with a socket connector, the ferrule portion receiving an end of a conductor wire and further receiving free ends of the arms of the contact means with the conductor wire, whereby the contact means provides a radially biased contact with a socket connector while providing a connection which has relatively large column strength.

Claim 15

A plug-in connector for electrically connecting the terminal ends of a conductor with a cooperating socket connector, inclUding contact means and a ferrule portion, the contact means being of a generally bullet-like configuration including a plurality of arms integrally connected to a generally conical shaped tip portion, at least one of said arms being integrally connected to said ferrule portion, said arms having portions bowed outwardly from the longitudinal axis of the contact means, the bowed portions forming a biased electrical engagement between the contact means and an associated socket connector, said arms being of sufficient width and being spaced radially from one another so that the longitudinal edges of the arms substantially abut when operatively associated with a socket connector, the ferrule portion receiving an end of a conductor wire and further receiving free ends of the arms of the contact means with the conductor wire, whereby the contact means provides a radially biased contact with a socket connector while providing a connection which has relatively large column strength.

Claim 16

A plug connector, comprising a sleeve having a contact portion extending outwardly from one end thereof, the sleeve and contact portion formed from electrically conductive sheet materials, said sleeve including a formed seam means extending radially inwardly forming a penetrating contact with an associated conductor wire, the contact portion including a nose with a plurality of longitudinally extending arms emanating therefrom, the arms having portions bowed outwardly from the longitudinal axis of the contact portion and radially spaced from each other, the free ends of the arms received in the sleeve for electrical contact between the sleeve, arms and conductor, said sleeve including at least one crimped portion for insuring contact between the sleeve and conductor, the portions of the contact arms received in the sleeve also including crimped sections which generally eliminate relative axial movement between the sleeve and arms.

Claim 17

A plug connector, comprising a sleeve having a contact portion extending outwardly from one end thereof, the sleeve and contact portion formed from electrically conductive sheet materials, said sleeve including a formed seam means extending radially inwardly forming a penetrating contact with an associated conductor wire, the contact portion including a nose with a plurality of longitudinally extending arms emanating therefrom, the arms having portions bowed outwardly from the longitudinal axis of the contact portion and radially spaced from each other, the free ends of the arms received in the sleeve for electrical contact between the sleeve, arms and conductor, said sleeve including at least one crimped portion for insuring contact between the sleeve and conductor, the portions of the contact arms received in the sleeve also including crimped sections which generally eliminate relative axial movement between the sleeve and arms.

Claim 20

The method of making a one-piece plug connector in accordance with claim 12 wherein the bullet-shaped configuration having slightly bowed arms is formed by depressing the circular portion and portions of the arms connected to the circular portion to a lower horizontal plane than the remainder of the blank, and drawing the lower plane portion into a bullet-shaped configuration with the circular portion being of a generally conical configuration.

Claim 21

The method of making a one-piece plug connector in accordance with claim 13 wherein the plurality of arms are formed of a predetermined width and the free extending arms are formed with an outer extremity portion of a larger width than the generally bowed portions of the arms.

Claim 22

The method of making a one-piece plug connector in accordance with claim 13 including locking the free extending arm inside the U-shaped base portion adjacent the longitudinal edges of the base portion, closing the U-shaped base portion while impinging the longitudinal edges of the base portion into the associated conductor wire, crimping The base portion while deforming portions of the free extending arms inwardly thus impinging the conductor with both a portion of the surface of the base portion as well as portions of the free extending arms.

Claim 23

The method of making a one-piece plug connector in accordance with claim 13 including forming the arms with a curved cross-sectional configuration.