Connector for insulated conductors

Claim 1

In a connector for connecting insulated electrical conductors, said connector being of the type comprising a composite sleeve having an outer jacket of insulating material and a pair of coaxially, telescopically disposed metallic sleeves including an inner sleeve of relatively hard springlike material and an outer sleeve of relatively soft material, both of said metallic sleeves being positioned within said jacket, said inner metallic sleeve having on its inner surface spaced apart perforations defining inwardly extending insulation piercing and wire engaging protuberances, said connector being thereby adapted to confine and embrace a plurality of insulated electrical conductors positioned in the central bore of said inner sleeve responsive to the deformation of said outer sleeve, by pressure applied to said insulating jacket, to exert a crushing action on said inner sleeve to cause the protuberances to pierce the insulation on the conductors and engage the metallic portions of the conductors, thereby establishing electrical contact with the metallic portions of the electrical conductors; the improvement comprising a liner of electrically nonconductive, thin, filmlike material disposed within the central bore of said inner sleeve opposite the distal ends of said protuberances, said material being perforable by said protuberances responsive to the crushing action exerted on said inner sleeve to effect the electrical connection, said liner being retained in assembly with said connector by a reversely bent extension of the material thereof which extends over the end wall of said outer sleeve at the open end thereof and back toward the opposite end of said sleeve and is sandwiched between the outer surface of said outer sleeve and the inner surface of said outer jacket of insulating material, said liner being particularly adapted to facilitate the telescopic insertion of the electrical conductors into the central bore in said inner sleeve through the open end thereof.