Electrical connection device

Claim 2

In an electrical connection device of the type for connecting a plurality of lead wires with individual conductors, the improvement comprising: the lead wires extending to a terminal mount and to an array of lead-wire terminals on and forming a part of the terminal mount; a conductor support holding the individual conductors in a conductor array; and a connector block having a first space and an array of second spaces each intersecting the first space, the first space receiving the terminal mount and the array of second spaces receiving the conductor array, the connector block, terminal mount and conductor array configured and arranged such that the lead-wire terminals and individual conductors are held in engagement by mechanical interference.

Claim 3

The electrical connection device of claim 1 wherein: the terminal mount is an elongate member having the lead-wire terminals spaced therealong; the first space is a first elongate cavity in the connector block shaped to receive the elongate member, said first elongate cavity being defined by a cavity surface formed of non-conductive material, said cavity surface contacting the elongate member received in said cavity; the individual conductors are male members protruding from the conductor support; and the second spaces are second elongate cavities in the connector block shaped to receive the male members, said second spaces each being defined by a second-space surface formed of non-conductive material, said second-space surfaces contacting the male members received in said second spaces.

Claim 4

The electrical connection device of claim 2 further including means biasing the male members and lead-wire terminals together at the intersections of the second elongate cavities with the first elongate cavity.

Claim 5

The electrical connection device of claim 3 wherein: the lead-wire terminals have substantially fixed cross-dimensions; the connector block has a pair of adjacent second elongate cavities corresponding to each lead-wire terminal; and each individual conductor includes a pair of said male members in the pair of second elongate cavities, said pair of male members spaced from one another by an amount less than the fixed cross-dimension, whereby the pair of male members are forcibly spread in engaging the lead-wire terminals therebetween to provide said biasing means.

Claim 6

The electrical connection device of claim 2 wherein the connector block is substantially transparent, whereby engagement of the conductors with the lead-wire terminals is visible.

Claim 7

The electrical connection device of claim 2 wherein the connector block is of non-conductive one-piece construction.

Claim 8

The electrical connection device of claim 2 wherein the connector block includes a main surface extending substantially parallel to the first elongate cavity, said second elongate cavities extending from the main surface to the first elongate cavity.

Claim 9

The electrical connection device of claim 7 further including an off-center recess on the connector block main surface to dictate orientation of the conductor support with respect thereto.

Claim 10

The electrical connector device of claim 7 wherein the connector block has opposed sidewalls extending to opposite edges of the main surface and finger-grip protrusions on the opposed sidewalls for facilitating detachment of the connector block.

Claim 11

The electrical connection device of claim 7 wherein: the connector block is formed of a plurality of sub-blocks attached end-to-end, said sub-blocks having mating means on each adjacent pair of sub-blocks securing to one another the sub-blocks of each such pair; the sub-blocks each forming a portion of the first elongate cavity and a portion of the main surface and having a subset of the second elongate cavities, whereby the connector block can be sized to accommodate varying numbers of lead-wire terminals and conductors by choosing the number of sub-blocks to be attached to one another.

Claim 12

The electrical connection device of claim 10 wherein the mating means include stop means facilitating co-alignment of the first elongate cavity portions and co-alignment of the main surface portions.

Claim 13

The electrical connection device of claim 11 wherein the mating means are corresponding male and female dove-tail connectors.

Claim 14

In an electrical brain-contact device of the type having a tissue-engagement member with a plurality of electrodes, separate leadwires from the tissue-engagement member for each electrode, and means away from the tissue-engagement member to connect the lead wires with individual conductors, the improvement comprising: the lead wires extending from the tissue-engagement member to a terminal mount and to an array of lead-wire terminals on and forming a part of the terminal mount; a conductor support holding the individual conductors in a conductor array; and a connector block having a first space and an array of second spaces each intersecting the first space, the first space receiving the terminal mount and the array of second spaces receiving the conductor array, the connector block, terminal mount and conductor array configured and arranged such that the lead-wire terminals and individual conductors are held in engagement by mechanical interference, whereby electrical connection of a brain-contact device is facilitated.

Claim 15

In an electrical brain-contact device of the type having a tissue-engagement member with a plurality of electrodes, separate leadwires from the tissue-engagement member for each electrode, and means away from the tissue-engagement member to connect the lead wires with individual conductors, the improvement comprising: the lead wires extending from the tissue-engagement member to a terminal mount and to an array of lead-wire terminals on and forming a part of the terminal mount; a conductor support holding the individual conductors in a conductor array; and a connector block having a first space and an array of second spaces each intersecting the first space, the first space receiving the terminal mount and the array of second spaces receiving the conductor array, the connector block, terminal mount and conductor array configured and arranged such that the lead-wire terminals and individual conductors are held in engagement by mechanical interference, whereby electrical connection of a brain-contact device is facilitated.

Claim 16

The electrical connection device of claim 13 wherein: the terminal mount is an elongate member including a sheathing with the lead wires therein and rings around the sheathing spaced therealong to form the lead-wire terminals; the first space is a first elongate cavity in the connector block shaped to receive the elongate member, said first elongate cavity being defined by a cavity surface formed of non-conductive material, said cavity surface contacting the elongate member received in said cavity; the individual conductors are male members protruding from the conductor support; and the second spaces are second elongate cavities in the connector block shaped to receive the male members, said second spaces each being defined by a second-space surface formed of non-conductive material, said second-space surfaces contacting the male members received in said second spaces.

Claim 17

The electrical connection device of claim 14 further including means biasing the male members and lead-wire terminals together at the intersections of the second elongate cavities with the first elongate cavity.

Claim 18

The electrical connection device of claim 15 wherein: the lead-wire terminals have substantially fixed cross-dimensions; the connector block has a pair of adjacent second elongate cavities corresponding to each lead-wire terminal; and each individual conductor includes a pair of said male members in the pair of second elongate cavities, said pair of male members spaced from one another by an amount less than the fixed cross-dimension, whereby the pair of male members are forcibly spread in engaging the lead-wire terminals therebetween to provide said biasing means.

Claim 19

The electrical connection device of claim 14 wherein the connector block is substantially transparent, whereby engagement of the conductors with the lead-wire terminals is visible.

Claim 20

The electrical connection device of claim 14 wherein the connector block is of non-conductive one-piece construction.

Claim 21

The electrical connection device of claim 14 wherein the connector block includes a main surface extending substantially parallel to the first elongate cavity, said second elongate cavities extending from the main surface to the first elongate cavity.

Claim 22

The electrical connection device of claim 19 further including an off-center recess on the connector block main surface to dictate orientation of the conductor support with respect thereto.

Claim 23

The electrical connector device of claim 19 wherein the connector block has opposed sidewalls extending to opposite edges of the main surface and finger-grip protrusions on the opposed sidewalls for facilitating detachment of the connector block.

Claim 24

The electrical connection device of claim 19 wherein: the connector block is formed of a plurality of sub-blocks attached end-to-end, said sub-blocks having mating means on each adjacent pair of sub-blocks securing to one another the sub-blocks of each such pair; the sub-blocks each forming a portion of the first elongate cavity and a portion of the main surface and having a subset of the second elongate cavities, whereby the connector block can be sized to accommodate varying numbers of lead-wire terminals and conductors by choosing the number of sub-blocks to be attached to one another.

Claim 25

The electrical connection device of claim 22 wherein the mating means include stop means facilitating co-alignment of the first elongate cavity portions and co-alignment of the main surface portions.

Claim 26

The electrical connection device of claim 23 wherein the mating means are corresponding male and female dove-tail connectors.