Wire cutting electrical connector

Claim 1

A wire connector comprising: a hollow, open-topped, insulating body having a base wall, a pair of generally parallel side walls extending generally perpendicularly from said base wall and an end wall extending from said base wall between said side walls at one end of said body, the upper edge of at least a portion of said end wall being inclined at an acute angle to said base wall, and the end of said body opposite said end wall being open for access by at least one wire, a U-shaped, resilient, conductive wire connector element, the legs of the U being wide and thin, one of the legs being formed with at least one wire connecting slot extending from the top of said leg toward the base of said U, the second leg being sharpened along its top edge in alignment with at least one said wire connecting slot in said first leg, said connector element being positioned in said body with the base of the U on said base wall of said body and said second leg abutting and extending above said inclined portion of said body end wall, and an insulating cover formed to telescope with said body, said cover having means to carry a wire into each said connector element slot and to cooperate with said sharpened second leg of said connector element to sever at least one wire extending through said connector upon telescoping of said cover and said body fully together, said body and cover being formed with means to seal the end of said connector adjacent said sharpened second leg of said connector element when said body and cover are fully telescoped together, and complementary latch members to retain said body and cover in an open position to permit at least one wire to be inserted into said body end that is open for access by at least one wire and through said connector between said body and cover, and to retain said body and cover in a crimped position with said cover and body fully telescoped together.