Method of manufacturing electrical connector receptacle

Claim 1

A method of manufacturing an electrical connector receptacle of the type comprising an insulating housing having a plug-receiving end and a rearward end, a plug-receiving opening extending into said plug-receiving end, said plug-receiving opening having opposed internal sidewalls and opposed internal endwalls, said housing having oppositely directed external sidewalls and oppositely directed external endwalls, a plurality of electrical conductors in side-by-side spaced-apart relationship, each of said conductors comprising a contact spring extending from one of said internal sidewalls at a location adjacent to said plug-receiving end diagonally into said plug-receiving opening and towards the opposite internal sidewall, and each conductor having a lead portion extending from said plug-receiving end through said housing between said one internal sidewall and the adjacent external sidewall and towards said rearward end, said plug-receiving opening being dimensioned to receive a connector plug having spaced-apart contact members therein which engage contact spring portions of said conductors, said method comprising the steps of: manufacturing said housing as a one-piece molding having a single conductor-receiving opening extending therethrough from said rearward end to said plug-receiving end, which opening is between said one internal sidewall and the adjacent external sidewall and which has a constricted width at said plug-receiving end which is sufficient to receive all of said conductors, manufacturing said conductors as a continuous strip of stamped and formed conductors in side-by-side spaced-apart relationship with said conductors extending from a continuous carrier strip means and with the spacing between at least portions of adjacent conductors in said strip the same as the required spacing between adjacent conductors in said connector receptacle, severing a section of said strip having a number of conductors thereon equal to the number of conductors required in said connector receptacle, inserting said conductors in said section through said conductor-receiving opening and positioning intermediate portions of said conductors in said conductor-receiving opening, severing said carrier strip means from said section of strip, and reversely bending first end portions of said conductors which extend beyond said plug-receiving end and positioning said first end portions in said plug-receiving opening whereby said first end portions constitute said contact springs and said intermediate portions constitute said lead portions with second end portions of said conductors extending beyond said rearward face and being adapted for connection to further conductors.

Claim 2

A method of manufacturing an electrical connector receptacle of the type comprising an insulating housing having a plug-receiving end and a rearward end, a plug-receiving opening extending into said plug-receiving end, said plug-receiving opening having opposed internal sidewalls and opposed internal endwalls, said housing having oppositely directed external sidewalls and oppositely directed external endwalls, a plurality of electrical conductors in side-by-side spaced-apart relationship, each of said conductors comprising a contact spring extending from one of said internal sidewalls at a location adjacent to said plug-receiving end diagonally into said plug-receiving opening and towards the opposite internal sidewall, and each conductor having a lead portion extending from said plug-receiving end through said housing between said one internal sidewall and the adjacent external sidewall and towards said rearward end, said plug-receiving opening being dimensioned to receive a connector plug having spaced-apart contact members therein which engage contact spring portions of said conductors, said method comprising the steps of: manufacturing said housing as a one-piece molding having a single conductor-receiving opening extending therethrough from said rearward end to said plug-receiving end, which opening is between said one internal sidewall and the adjacent external sidewall and which has a constricted width at said plug-receiving end which is sufficient to receive all of said conductors, manufacturing said conductors as a continuous strip of stamped and formed conductors in side-by-side spaced-apart relationship with said conductors extending from a continuous carrier strip means and with the spacing between at least portions of adjacent conductors in said strip the same as the required spacing between adjacent conductors in said connector receptacle, severing a section of said strip having a number of conductors thereon equal to the number of conductors required in said connector receptacle, inserting said conductors in said section through said conductor-receiving opening and positioning intermediate portions of said conductors in said conductor-receiving opening, severing said carrier strip means from said section of strip, and reversely bending first end portions of said conductors which extend beyond said plug-receiving end and positioning said first end portions in said plug-receiving opening whereby said first end portions constitute said contact springs and said intermediate portions constitute said lead portions with second end portions of said conductors extending beyond said rearward face and being adapted for connection to further conductors.