Electrical contact sockets with incluned elastic wires and in methods for their manufacture

Claim 2

Electrical connector socket, for plug and socket assemblies, which socket comprises in combination an inner rigid tubular element having an outer wall, a series of resilient conducting wires, each having ends carried by respective ends of said tubular element so as to extend obliquely to the longitudinal axis of said tubular element in a position where the transverse cross-section of the space between the wires has limited area, resilient pressure, contact engagement with said plug as the plug is inserted into said tubular element, each said wire having each of its ends hooked around the corresponding ends respectively of said tubular element and being straight when not in engagement with said plug, and an outer, integral, tubular part coaxially surrounding said tubular element, having a smooth inner surface and having an inner diameter slightly greater than the outer diameter of said tubular element and of a length a little greater than the length of said tubular element, the two ends of each said wire being crimped, by means of the smooth inner wall of said tubular part and the outer wall at the ends of the tubular element, said tubular part being open at one end and closed at the other end by a transverse wall, said outer wall of said inner ridge tubular element being provided with a plurality of essentially annular gripping projections, at least over its portion in the neighbourhood of the open end of the tubular part for gripping the wires against movement relative to the tubular element.

Claim 3

Electrical connector socket according to claim 1, said plurality of said wires positioned in relative positions derived geometrically from one another by rotation around said axis along one of the families of generators of a hyperboloid of revolution.

Claim 4

Electrical connector socket according to claim 1, wherein each said projection has a saw-tooth profile, each tooth being bounded by an edge approximately perpendicular to the axis of the element, on the side for introducing the part during assembly, and by an inclined edge on the other side.

Claim 5

Electrical connector socket according to claim 1, wherein said projections are distributed symmetrically at each end of said tubular element.

Claim 6

Electrical connector socket according to claim 1, wherein said projections are formed by ridges of a screw-thread.

Claim 7

Method of manufacturing an electrical connector socket, for plug And socket assemblies, which socket comprises in combination an inner rigid tubular element, a plurality of resilient conducting wires, each having ends carried by respective ends of said tubular element so as to extend obliquely to the longitudinal axis of said tubular element in a position where the transverse cross-section of the space between the wires has limited area, resilient pressure, contact engagement with said plug as it is inserted into said tubular element, said wires each having each of its ends hooked around the corresponding ends respectively of said tubular element and being straight when not in engagement with said plug, and an outer, integral, tubular part coaxially surrounding said tubular element, having a smooth interior surface and an inner diameter slightly greater than the outer diameter of said tubular element and having a length a little greater than the length of said tubular element, the two ends of said wire having been crimped, by means of said tubular part having a smooth inner wall, between the respective ends of the tubular element and the inner wall of said tubular part, said tubular part being open at one end and closed at the other end by a transverse wall, said inner rigid tubular element having an outer wall provided with a plurality of essentially annular gripping projections, at least over its portion in the neighbourhood of the open end of the tubular part, which method comprises the steps of arranging each said wire obliquely inside said tubular element, by curving first and second of its ends respectively around first and second terminal edges of the tubular element; engaging the second curved end by means preventing longitudinal movement of the wire away from the tubular element, forcing the tubular element into the tubular part by making the said first terminal edge pass over said smooth inner wall of the tubular part until said one end of each wire is pinched between said terminal edge and said transverse wall; and also by causing said gripping projections to securely grip the said second ends of said wires which are most distant from said transverse wall against movement relative to the tubular element and so as to limit the tendancy of the wires to move with said tubular part.

Claim 8

Method of manufacturing an electrical connector socket, for plug And socket assemblies, which socket comprises in combination an inner rigid tubular element, a plurality of resilient conducting wires, each having ends carried by respective ends of said tubular element so as to extend obliquely to the longitudinal axis of said tubular element in a position where the transverse cross-section of the space between the wires has limited area, resilient pressure, contact engagement with said plug as it is inserted into said tubular element, said wires each having each of its ends hooked around the corresponding ends respectively of said tubular element and being straight when not in engagement with said plug, and an outer, integral, tubular part coaxially surrounding said tubular element, having a smooth interior surface and an inner diameter slightly greater than the outer diameter of said tubular element and having a length a little greater than the length of said tubular element, the two ends of said wire having been crimped, by means of said tubular part having a smooth inner wall, between the respective ends of the tubular element and the inner wall of said tubular part, said tubular part being open at one end and closed at the other end by a transverse wall, said inner rigid tubular element having an outer wall provided with a plurality of essentially annular gripping projections, at least over its portion in the neighbourhood of the open end of the tubular part, which method comprises the steps of arranging each said wire obliquely inside said tubular element, by curving first and second of its ends respectively around first and second terminal edges of the tubular element; engaging the second curved end by means preventing longitudinal movement of the wire away from the tubular element, forcing the tubular element into the tubular part by making the said first terminal edge pass over said smooth inner wall of the tubular part until said one end of each wire is pinched between said terminal edge and said transverse wall; and also by causing said gripping projections to securely grip the said second ends of said wires which are most distant from said transverse wall against movement relative to the tubular element and so as to limit the tendancy of the wires to move with said tubular part.

Claim 9

Method according to claim 6, including deforming the end of said tubular part which is most distant from said transverse wall so as to produce a clamping action on the other end of each wire, against the tubular element.

Claim 10

Method according to claim 6, wherein the said step of causing the gripping projections includes using projections which are screw-threads.

Claim 11

Method according to claim 6, wherein the said step of causing the gripping projections includes using projections which are annular ridges.