Housing and spring support for piezoelectric resonator

Claim 1

A resonator assembly comprising: a base defined by an annular sidewall having an outer open end, and a bottom wall closing the opposite end, said bottom wall having a central recess opening outwardly toward said open end and an annular outwardly facing shoulder between said recess and sidewall; a cap defined by a top wall, an inwardly extending annular flange on the top wall having a radially outer cylindrical surface fitted in the outer end of said base annular sidewall and defining an inwardly facing annular shoulder aligned with said base outwardly facing annular shoulder; resonator means disposed within said sidewall means and clamped coaxially between said shoulders, said resonator means having a first circular springy contact engaging said outwardly facing shoulder and a second circularly springy contact engaging said inwardly facing shoulder, said springy contacts having elongated terminals extending endwise therefrom, said base sidewall having a first outwardly opening notch defining an inner end spaced from the outer end of the sidewall a distance substantially equal to the axial height of said cap flange and thickness of one of said terminals extending outwardly therethrough, said cap having a first axially inwardly projecting terminal retainer received in said notch and having an axial length substantially equal to the axial depth of said notch less the thickness of said one terminal to clamp the terminal between said base and cap with its springy contact centered therein, said base sidewall having a second outwardly opening notch defining an inner end spaced from the outer end of the sidewall a distance substantially equal to the axial height of said base sidewall, the other of said terminals extending outwardly therethrough, said cap having a second axially inwardly projecting terminal retainer received in said second notch and having an axial length substantially equal to the axial depth of said second notch less the thickness of said other terminal to clamp said other terminal between said base and cap with its springy contact centered therein, both said projecting terminal retainers being fitted into said notches to further define means for holding the cap to the base; and frictional interlocking securing means on said base and cap intermediate said terminal retainers, said fitted retainers and the interlocked securing means defining an effectively positive means for preventing separation of the cap from the base by forces acting on the exposed terminals in normal use of the resonator assembly, said interlocked securing means comprising an elongated projection on said cap extending parallel to said inwardly projecting terminal retainers and firmly into a complementary outwardly opening securing recess in said base whereby outward urging of a terminal in its notch is counteracted by resistance of said projection to become angularly disaligned with the securing recess as well as by frictional retention of said terminal retainers in said notches and securing means projection in said securing recess.