US3846896A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Terminal block assembly apparatus
Assignee: FCI Americas Technology LLC
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Filing: 1973-10-15
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Granted: 1974-11-12
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Expires: 1993-10-15
Abstract
Abstract An apparatus is provided for assembling terminal blocks having a plurality of spring wire contacts interconnected with a plurality of lead wires in an insulated terminal block. The apparatus comprises a terminal block assembly station, a reciprocal spring wire feed assembly for inserting a plurality of spring wires through a terminal block positioned at a terminal block assembly station, a first positioning member for aligning the spring wires with holes in the terminal blocks at the assembly station, a second positioning member for receiving the spring wires inserted through the terminal blocks and aligning the spring wires with a plurality of lead wires attached to a carrier strip, and a spring wire-lead wire splice assembly having a carrier strip feed path for receiving a carrier strip having a plurality of lead wire attached to the carrier strip. The spring wires are spliced to the lead wires, the lead wires are severed from the carrier strip, and the spring wire feed assembly is retracted drawing the spliced interconnection into the insulated terminal block in the assembly station.
Inventors
- 👤 F Bakermans
- 👤 W Thoms
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 04:55
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01R; H01R43/00; H01R43/20; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T29/00; Y10T29/51; Y10T29/5176; Y10T29/5177; Y10T29/53; Y10T29/5313; Y10T29/532; Y10T29/53209; Y10T29/53213; Y10T29/53217; Y10T29/53313; Y10T29/53348; Y10T29/53361
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 24
Claim 1
Independent Claim
239 words
An apparatus for assembling terminal blocks having a plurality of spring wire contacts interconnected with a plurality of lead wires in a terminal block, comprising a terminal block assembly station for positioning a terminal block for receiving a plurality of spring wires and interconnecting the spring wires with a plurality of lead wires, first means for positioning the plurality of spring wires in alignment with a plurality of spaced holes in the terminal block at said terminal block assembly station for insertion through the spaced holes in the terminal block, means for feeding a plurality of spring wires through the spaced holes in the terminal block at said terminal block assembly station, second means for positioning the spring wires inserted through the spaced holes in the terminal block in alignment with the lead wires at the terminal block assembly station, means for positioning the plurality of lead wires at said terminal block assembly station, means for splicing the spring wires and lead wires at said terminal block assembly station to form a permanent electrical interconnection, means for retracting the spliced interconnection between the spring wires and the lead wires into the terminal block, and means for severing the plurality of continuous spring wires a spaced distance from the terminal block in said terminal block assembly station to provide a plurality of spring wire contacts on the terminal block interconnected to a plurality of lead wires within the terminal block.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
239 words
An apparatus for assembling terminal blocks having a plurality of spring wire contacts interconnected with a plurality of lead wires in a terminal block, comprising a terminal block assembly station for positioning a terminal block for receiving a plurality of spring wires and interconnecting the spring wires with a plurality of lead wires, first means for positioning the plurality of spring wires in alignment with a plurality of spaced holes in the terminal block at said terminal block assembly station for insertion through the spaced holes in the terminal block, means for feeding a plurality of spring wires through the spaced holes in the terminal block at said terminal block assembly station, second means for positioning the spring wires inserted through the spaced holes in the terminal block in alignment with the lead wires at the terminal block assembly station, means for positioning the plurality of lead wires at said terminal block assembly station, means for splicing the spring wires and lead wires at said terminal block assembly station to form a permanent electrical interconnection, means for retracting the spliced interconnection between the spring wires and the lead wires into the terminal block, and means for severing the plurality of continuous spring wires a spaced distance from the terminal block in said terminal block assembly station to provide a plurality of spring wire contacts on the terminal block interconnected to a plurality of lead wires within the terminal block.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
25 words
An apparatus, as recited in claim 1, additionally including means for supporting said plurality of continuous spring wires fed to said terminal block assembly station.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
31 words
An apparatus, as recited in claim 1, wherein said means for feeding the plurality of continuous spring wires feeds each wire a different length to provide uniform length spring wire contacts.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
28 words
An apparatus, as recited in claim 1, wherein said means for feeding the continuous spring wires and said means for retracting the spliced interconnection comprises a reciprocal carriage.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
244 words
An apparatus for assembling terminal blocks having a plurality of spring wire contacts interconnected with a plurality of lead wires in a terminal block, comprising a terminal block assembly station for positioning a terminal block for receiving a plurality of spring wires and interconnecting the spring wires with a plurality of lead wires, first means for positioning the plurality of sprinG wires in spaced vertical and horizontal alignment with a plurality of spaced holes in the terminal block at said terminal block assembly station for insertion through the spaced holes in the terminal block, means for feeding a plurality of continuous spring wires different lengths through the spaced holes in the terminal block at said terminal block assembly station, second means for positioning the spring wires inserted through the spaced holes in horizontal alignment with the lead wires at the terminal block assembly station, means for positioning a plurality of lead wires at said terminal block assembly station, means for splicing the spring wires and lead wires at said terminal block assembly station to form a permanent electrical interconnection, means for retracting the spliced interconnection between the spring wires and the lead wires into the terminal block, and means for severing the plurality of continuous spring wires different lengths from the terminal block in said terminal block assembly station to provide a plurality of uniform length spring wire contacts on the terminal block interconnected to a plurality of lead wires within the terminal blocks.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
244 words
An apparatus for assembling terminal blocks having a plurality of spring wire contacts interconnected with a plurality of lead wires in a terminal block, comprising a terminal block assembly station for positioning a terminal block for receiving a plurality of spring wires and interconnecting the spring wires with a plurality of lead wires, first means for positioning the plurality of sprinG wires in spaced vertical and horizontal alignment with a plurality of spaced holes in the terminal block at said terminal block assembly station for insertion through the spaced holes in the terminal block, means for feeding a plurality of continuous spring wires different lengths through the spaced holes in the terminal block at said terminal block assembly station, second means for positioning the spring wires inserted through the spaced holes in horizontal alignment with the lead wires at the terminal block assembly station, means for positioning a plurality of lead wires at said terminal block assembly station, means for splicing the spring wires and lead wires at said terminal block assembly station to form a permanent electrical interconnection, means for retracting the spliced interconnection between the spring wires and the lead wires into the terminal block, and means for severing the plurality of continuous spring wires different lengths from the terminal block in said terminal block assembly station to provide a plurality of uniform length spring wire contacts on the terminal block interconnected to a plurality of lead wires within the terminal blocks.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
21 words
An apparatus, as recited in claim 5, wherein said means for splicing the spring wires and lead wires comprises crimp means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
42 words
An apparatus, as recited in claim 5, wherein wherein said second means for positioning the spring wires comprises opposing members actuatably engagable with the terminal block for receiving the plurality of spring wires inserted through the spaced holes in the terminal block.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
30 words
An apparatus, as recited in claim 5, wherein said means for feeding the plurality of spring wires and said means for retracting the spliced interconnection comprises a reciprocal carriage assembly.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
21 words
An apparatus, as recited in claim 8, wherein said reciprocal carriage assembly includes means for supporting the plurality of spring wires.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
38 words
An apparatus, as recited in claim 6, wherein the plurality of lead wires includes crimp terminals attached to a continuous carrier strip, and said means for positioning the plurality of lead wires comprises a carrier strip feed path.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
31 words
An apparatus, as recited in claim 5, additionally comprising means for bending the spring wires to provide spring wire contacts at an acute angle with a surface of the terminal block.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
54 words
An apparatus, as recited in claim 5, wherein said means for severing the plurality of spring wires serves said wires at alternatively spaced different lengths from the terminal block to provide uniform length spring wire contacts when the spring wires are bent to form an acute angle with a surface of the terminal block.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
70 words
An apparatus, as recited in claim 5, wherein said means for feeding the plurality of spring wires different lengths comprises a plurality of cooperating bars for clamping each wire successively spaced distances from the terminal block assembly station, said feed bars being operably connected to close up the successively spaced distances and feed each wire a different length corresponding to the successively spaced distances to said terminal block assembly station.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
22 words
An apparatus, as recited in claim 9, wherein said means for supporting the plurality of wires comprises a plurality of opposing fingers.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
38 words
An apparatus, as recited in claim 5, wherein said first means for positioning the spring wires comprises a member having a plurality of alternatively spaced surfaces with holes in alignment with the spaced holes in the terminal block.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
38 words
An apparatus, as recited in claim 11, wherein said means for severing the plurality of spring wires comprises a knife having a plurality of cutting edges alternatively spaced from the terminal block in the terminal block assembly station.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
42 words
An apparatus, as recited in claim 16, wherein said knife has a back surface adjacent the terminal block for bending the spring wires to provide a plurality of spring wire contacts at an acute anglE with a surface of the terminal block.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
36 words
An apparatus, as recited in claim 17, additionally comprising second means for bending the spring wire contacts to form an acute angle with an intersecting surface of the terminal block from which the spring wires extend.
Claim 21
Independent Claim
67 words
An apparatus for feeding a plurality of wires different lengths to an assembly station, comprising a wire feed assembly, having a plurality of cooperating bars for clamping each wire a successively spaced distance from the assembly station, said feed bars being operably connected to close up the successively spaced distances and feed the respective wires different lengths corresponding to the successively spaced distances to said assembly station.
Claim 22
Independent Claim
67 words
An apparatus for feeding a plurality of wires different lengths to an assembly station, comprising a wire feed assembly, having a plurality of cooperating bars for clamping each wire a successively spaced distance from the assembly station, said feed bars being operably connected to close up the successively spaced distances and feed the respective wires different lengths corresponding to the successively spaced distances to said assembly station.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
38 words
An apparatus as recited in claim 14, additionally comprising a pair of stationary side plates on opposite sides of said feed assembly, said sideplates having a plurality of successively spaced recesses for receiving said plurality of cooperating bars.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
39 words
An apparatus, as recited in claim 15, wherein said feed assembly includes a carriage and additionally comprises a member slidable on said carriage having a plurality of opposing fingers for supporting the wire during feeding to the assembly station.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-11-11 | 1978-05-13 | 1978-11-12 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-11-11 | 1982-05-13 | 1982-11-12 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-11-11 | 1986-05-13 | 1986-11-12 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |