US3835241A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Adaptor for modifying connector to accommodate smaller conductors
Assignee: General Cable Corp
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Filing: 1972-06-30
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Granted: 1974-09-10
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Expires: 1992-06-30
Abstract
Abstract Communication cables are connected together by inserting end portions of insulated conductors into connectors having inwardly projecting tangs, and the connectors are then compressed to grip the wires and force the tangs to cut through the insulation and part way through the wires to hold the wires firmly in the connector and in an electrical circuit with each other. Such standard connectors could not be used with wires smaller than No. 26 AWG. This invention places an adaptor in the connector as a stop to limit the flattening of the connector against the wires, and to prevent the connector sleeve from closing tight enough to cut through wires as small as No. 28 AWG. The range of wire sizes that the connector can be used for is thereby extended.
Inventors
- 👤 J Masterson
- 👤 J Lawler
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 00:25
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01R; H01R4/00; H01R4/24; H01R4/2495; H01R4/10; H01R4/18; H01R4/188; H01R4/20; H01R4/203
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
129 words
An electrical connection comprising a flattened inner metal sleeve enclosing the ends of wires that are connected together in an electric circuit, tangs extending inwardly from the sleeve and engaging and going into the wires securing the wires therein and connecting the wires in an electric circuit with one another, adaptor means within the sleeve, said adaptor means including abutment material adjacent to the wiers but not one of the wires that are connected together in the electric circuit, the abutment means being of a cross-section larger than that of the wires and constituting a stop limiting the flattening of the sleeve causing the tangs to contact with said wires and preventing cut-through of the wires by the tangs, and an outer sleeve fitting over the flattened inner sleeve.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
129 words
An electrical connection comprising a flattened inner metal sleeve enclosing the ends of wires that are connected together in an electric circuit, tangs extending inwardly from the sleeve and engaging and going into the wires securing the wires therein and connecting the wires in an electric circuit with one another, adaptor means within the sleeve, said adaptor means including abutment material adjacent to the wiers but not one of the wires that are connected together in the electric circuit, the abutment means being of a cross-section larger than that of the wires and constituting a stop limiting the flattening of the sleeve causing the tangs to contact with said wires and preventing cut-through of the wires by the tangs, and an outer sleeve fitting over the flattened inner sleeve.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
46 words
The connection described in claim 1 characterized by the tangs being formed of metal displaced by piercing openings through a side of the inner sleeve, both the wires being secured in the sleeve by being pierced by the tangs, and electrical insulation surrounding the outer sleeve.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
37 words
The connection described in claim 2 characterized by the tangs extending inward from flattened sides on both sides of the inner sleeve and the adaptor being soft wire of larger gauge than the wires that are connected.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
106 words
The connection described in claim 1 characterized by the adaptor being a piece of soft wire shaped in the form of a narrow U with the sides of the U extending through the sleeve between the sides of the sleeve and the wires that are connected together by said connector, with the bent end of the U being at the other end of the sleeve from that through which the wires are originally inserted into the inner sleeve and having tapered faces at the free ends of the U in angular relation that provide a flaring entrance between them for the wire to enter the sleeve.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
178 words
The connection described in claim 1 characterized by the inner sleeve being a metal that is a good conductor of electricity, the tangs being formed of material displaced from openings pierced through flattened sides at both the top and bottom of the inner sleeve and having a length of about 13 mils, the wires to be connected being wire of No. 26 and No. 28 gauge (AWG) with insulation on the wire pierced by the tangs, the tangs having a mean cut-through of the wire of approximately 53 percent with standard deviations of approximately 17 percent, the adaptor being a length of soft copper wire of No. 19 gauge (AWG) with the length of the copper wire bent to the shape of a narrow U, the insulated wires being located side by side at a region approximately mid way across the width of the inner sleeve and the sides of the U being located beyond the insulated wires in the direction of the width of the inner sleeve, the copper wire of the adaptor serving as the stop.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
71 words
The connection described in claim 1 characterized by the tangs being formed of metal displaced by piercing openings in both sides of the inner sleeve, the outer sleeve having a seam with adjacent edges extending generally lengthwise of the inner sleeve and having said edges shaped to interlock with one another to prevent each edge of the outer sleeve from moving lengthwise of the inner sleeve independently of the other edge.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
25 words
The connection described in claim 6 characterized by the inner sleeve being made of hard metal and the outer sleeve being made of soft metal.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
34 words
The connection described in claim 6 characterized by an outer envelope of electrical insulating material that fits over the outer sleeve and that holds the outer sleeve in assembled relation with the inner sleeve.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
68 words
The connection described in claim 8 characterized by the outer envelope being of generally tubular shape and closed at its upper end and made of plastic that stretches to fit over the outer sleeve, said outer envelope being longer than the sleeves and the adaptor, and said outer envelope contracting at its lower end under the lower ends of the sleeves and adaptor to fully insulate the connector.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3566006A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-09-09 | 1978-03-11 | 1978-09-10 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-09-09 | 1982-03-11 | 1982-09-10 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-09-09 | 1986-03-11 | 1986-09-10 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |