Ribbon cable connector system having feed thru connector

Claim 2

A female multi-contact electrical connection device for interconnecting flat thin multiconductor ribbon cable which is provided with a male edge-type connector adapted to mate in edgeto-edge relation with said female connector device, said female device comprising: a. a plurality of electrically conductive resilient members, said axis being defined as passing through the center of gravity of the member and extending on either side of the center of gravity in a direction toward either end, each of said ends being in the same plane as its respective longitudinal axis, each end of each of said resilient members being spatially offset transverse to its longitudinal axis in conjugate relationship on either side of and in the same plane with its longitudinal axis whereby each of said members has one of its ends in spatial conjugate and transverse offset relation relative to the other of its ends; b. and a substantially flat thin electrically non-conductive body having at least two edge-type receptacles adapted to receive in mating edge-to-edge union the male portion of the male edge-type connector when present, said flat thin body also having on its internal surface an array of discrete open-ended channels, each channel adapted to receive pairs of said conductive resilient members in an X-configuration, each pair of resilient members having substantially the same longitudinal axis and each pair lying in the same plane as their longitudinal axis and with each member of each pair lying on opposite sides of each pair''s respective longitudinal axis, each pair of said resilient members being electrically isolated from each other pair, and also each resilient member of each pair being electrically isolated one from the other.

Claim 3

A female multicontact electrical connection as recited in claim 1 wherein each of said resilient members has a predetermined shape comprising in electrical continuity a substantially flat center section, substantially flat intermediate sections disposed longitudinally one each on either side of said center section and having larger lateral face dimensions than said center section, said intermediate sections also being transversely and spatially displaced one each on alternate sides of a plane containing the flat face of said center section and in conjugate face-to-face relation one intermediate section with the other, and two sections one each on either end of said intermediate sections in transverse relation to the face of said intermediate section.

Claim 4

A female multicontact electrical connection device as recited in claim 2 wherein said center section of each of said resilient members in displaced transversely from the longitudinal center, and wherein said open-ended channels are adapted to receive pairs of said resilient members in an X-configuration with their center section in complementary relation, position-wise, thereby leaving a space at the cross-over point to provide electrical isolation between members.

Claim 5

A female multi-contact electrical connection device as recited in claim 3 wherein sad toe section of said resilient members are disposed in pairs external to said body beyond the open ends of each of said channels, each pair of toe sections adapted for resilient lateral motion external to said body for receiving thereinbetween the mating portion of the edge-type connector when slidably inserted thereinbetween.

Claim 6

A female multicontact electrical connection device as recited in claim 4 wherein said non-conductive body comprises two mating halves each half including on the internal surfaces thereof an array of discrete open-ended channels each of said channels adapted to receive said conductive resilient members and with each of said halves joined in registered mating alignment, and including spacing means disposed on the internal surfaces thereof for spacing said mating halves at a predetermined distance from each other.

Claim 7

A female multi-contact electrical connection device as recited in claim 5 including a resilient electrically non-conductive protrusion on said non-conductive body for operatively engaging a notch on the male edge-type connector when present in operative engagement with said female connection device and locking said female connector to the male connector.

Claim 8

An electrical ribbon cable connector system comprising: A. at least two male connectors each male connector further comprising; a. a wafer of predetermined shape, each wafer having corresponding faces (1) and (2) and comprised substantially of a flat non-conductive medium; b. a plurality of flat electrically conductive fingers affixed on faces (1) and (2) of said each wafer, each of said plurality of electrically conductive fingers having three of its surfaces substantially embedded in said non-conductive medium and with its fourth surface substantially exposed, each of said fingers further being disposed on said each wafer in parallel longitudinal relationship with each other for a portion of their longitudinal dimensions, and for the remainder of their longitudinal dimensions converging toward constricted lateral dimensions in isolated independence one from the other, and including key-means for assuring a predetermined registration of said electrical ribbon cable connector system; c. a flexible ribbon-cable comprised of a plurality of longitudinally oriented substantially parallel flexible conductive wires embedded in a thin flat belt-like insulating medium having a portion of the insulating medium at the terminal end removed to expose a portion of each of the embedded wires, said exposed wires of said flexible ribbon cable disposed, relative to the constricted end of said conductive fingers affixed to said each wafer, in registered contacting alignment each-to-each and bonded on each-to-each at the contacting points; d. non-conductive housing means comprised of two mating halves, each half further comprising an envelope section and an S-curve section, said halves of said housing means joined in mating alignment, with the envelope sections enveloping a portion of said wafer, the portion of said wafer and conductive fingers therein not enveloped by said envelope section protruding longitudinally forward of said envelope section, and with said S-curve sections in coordinated engagement with said flat ribbon cable; B. at least one female connector further comprising; e. a plurality of electronically conductive resilient members, each member having two ends and a longitudinal axis each of said members being in the same plane as its respective longitudinal axis, each end of each of said resilient members being spatially offset transverse to its longitudinal axis in conjugate inverse relationship on either side of and in the same plane with its longitudinal axis whereby each of said resilient members has one of its ends in spatial conjugate inverse and transverse offset relation relative to the other of its ends; f. and a substantially flat thin electrically non-conductive body having at least two edge-type receptacles adapted to receive in mating edge-to-edge union that portion of said wafer, When present, with said electrically conductive fingers affixed thereto, that protrudes beyond said non-conductive housing means, said flat thin body also having on its internal surfaces an array of discrete open-ended channels, each channel adapted to receive pairs of said conductive resilient in an X-configuration, each pair of resilient members having substantially the same longitudinal axis and each pair lying in the same plane as their longitudinal axis and with each member of each pair lying on opposite sides of each pairs respective longitudinal axis, each pair of said resilient members being electrically isolated from each other pair, and also each resilient member of each pair being electrically isolated from the other, whereby said electrical ribbon cable system, when assembled in operative registration, connects the conductive fingers on face 1 of the wafer of one male connector with the conductive fingers on face 2 of the wafer of the other male connector and vice versa.

Claim 9

An electrical ribbon cable connector system comprising: A. at least two male connectors each male connector further comprising; a. a wafer of predetermined shape, each wafer having corresponding faces (1) and (2) and comprised substantially of a flat non-conductive medium; b. a plurality of flat electrically conductive fingers affixed on faces (1) and (2) of said each wafer, each of said plurality of electrically conductive fingers having three of its surfaces substantially embedded in said non-conductive medium and with its fourth surface substantially exposed, each of said fingers further being disposed on said each wafer in parallel longitudinal relationship with each other for a portion of their longitudinal dimensions, and for the remainder of their longitudinal dimensions converging toward constricted lateral dimensions in isolated independence one from the other, and including key-means for assuring a predetermined registration of said electrical ribbon cable connector system; c. a flexible ribbon-cable comprised of a plurality of longitudinally oriented substantially parallel flexible conductive wires embedded in a thin flat belt-like insulating medium having a portion of the insulating medium at the terminal end removed to expose a portion of each of the embedded wires, said exposed wires of said flexible ribbon cable disposed, relative to the constricted end of said conductive fingers affixed to said each wafer, in registered contacting alignment each-to-each and bonded on each-to-each at the contacting points; d. non-conductive housing means comprised of two mating halves, each half further comprising an envelope section and an S-curve section, said halves of said housing means joined in mating alignment, with the envelope sections enveloping a portion of said wafer, the portion of said wafer and conductive fingers therein not enveloped by said envelope section protruding longitudinally forward of said envelope section, and with said S-curve sections in coordinated engagement with said flat ribbon cable; B. at least one female connector further comprising; e. a plurality of electronically conductive resilient members, each member having two ends and a longitudinal axis each of said members being in the same plane as its respective longitudinal axis, each end of each of said resilient members being spatially offset transverse to its longitudinal axis in conjugate inverse relationship on either side of and in the same plane with its longitudinal axis whereby each of said resilient members has one of its ends in spatial conjugate inverse and transverse offset relation relative to the other of its ends; f. and a substantially flat thin electrically non-conductive body having at least two edge-type receptacles adapted to receive in mating edge-to-edge union that portion of said wafer, When present, with said electrically conductive fingers affixed thereto, that protrudes beyond said non-conductive housing means, said flat thin body also having on its internal surfaces an array of discrete open-ended channels, each channel adapted to receive pairs of said conductive resilient in an X-configuration, each pair of resilient members having substantially the same longitudinal axis and each pair lying in the same plane as their longitudinal axis and with each member of each pair lying on opposite sides of each pairs respective longitudinal axis, each pair of said resilient members being electrically isolated from each other pair, and also each resilient member of each pair being electrically isolated from the other, whereby said electrical ribbon cable system, when assembled in operative registration, connects the conductive fingers on face 1 of the wafer of one male connector with the conductive fingers on face 2 of the wafer of the other male connector and vice versa.