US1432844A - Contact carrier - Google Patents

Description

H. A. DOUGLAS.

CONTACT CARRIER.

APPLICATION FILE-D FEB. 4. 1912;.

1 32 44, Patented 0m. 24L, 1922.

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Patented Oct. 24, 1922.

HARRY A, DOUGLAS, OF BRONSON, MICHIGAN.

CONTACT CARRIER.

Application filed February 4, 1918. Serial No. 215,330.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY A. DoUcLAs, citizen of the United States, residing at Bronson, in the county of Branch and State of Michigan, have invented'a certain new and useful Improvement in Contact Carriers, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description.

My invention relates to contact carriers, one feature of the .invention residing particularly in contact carriers that are in the form of plugs. It is the object of this feature of my invention to provide a given plug for the reception of a terminal conductor or conductors passed into the plug either from end to end of the plug or through a side of the plug and thence toward one end of the plug. This feature of my invention may be practiced in conjunction with a socalled single pole plug or a so-called double pole plug.

In carrying out this feature of the invention I provide a plug with one bore, if the plug is a single pole plug or two bores if the plug is a double pole plug, such bore or bores extending longitudinally through the plug. There is also provided one or two bores, as the case may be, which communicate with the aforesaid bore or bores and extend laterally into the plug. The longitudinally disposed bore or bores are thus always in service in whole or in part whether the conductor or conductors are passed into the plug longitudinally or laterally thereof, the lateral bores not being used, as the invention "is preferably practiced when the conductors extend from end to end of the plug.

The plug is desirably divided lengthwise into sections, a half of each bore being formed in each section of the plug. Where the plug is formed in sections it is desirably provided with a sheath for maintaining the sections in assembly.

The invention has for another of its objects the provision of improved means forholding a plug or other contact carrier, such as the plug hitherto described, in assembly with a shell of a circuit extending device. In practicing this feature of my invention I employ a spring secured to and extending laterally of the shell and located to engage bayonet pins upon a plug orother carrier and hold them in their seats that are formed in the bayonet slots in the shell. This spring is preferably rigidly anchored to the shell at the intermediate portion of the spring and the sprlng ltself extends transversely of the shell to have its ends engageable with the bayonet pins.

I will explain my invention more fully by reference to the accompanying drawing showing the preferred embodiment thereof and in which Fig. 1 is a View, in longitudinal section, illustrating a connector having a shell and plug equipped in accordance with my invention, one of the two arrangements of conductors being shown in conjunction with the plug, a lamp being shown in elevation within the shell; Fig. 2 is a view on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 shows another disposition of conductors within the plug of'the connector; Fig. 4 is a view in elevation of the structure as it appears in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a view in plan of the rear part of the shell appearing in Fig. 4;

Fig. 5 is a view of the shell as it appears in Fig. 5 minus the retaining spring; Fig. 6 is a View in perspective showing the two parts of the core of the plug in separated relation; and Fig. 7 shows in perspective the sheath that I prefer to employ for the plug when it is used as illustrated in Fig. 1.

Like parts are indicated by similar characters of reference throughout the different figures. I

The shell 1 of the connector is preferably metallic. Its front end is provided with bayonet slots 2 adapted to receive the bayonet pins 3 that project laterally from the base 4 of the incandescent lamp 5. The filament 6 of the lampis connected with the contacts 7 and 8 that are provided upon the base of the lamp. Both of these contacts are shown as being upon the inner end face of the lamp base inasmuch as the connector illustrated is a so-called two pole connector, but to which type of connector the invention is not to be limited. A contact carrier 9,

of insulating material, is fixedly located in, the mid portion of the shell. 'Metallic spring barrels 10 and 11 are secured to and pass through the contact carrier 9. Coiled springs 12 and 13 are located within the spring barrels. These coiled springs press the contact plungers 14 and 15 forwardly to have them respectively engage the contacts 7 and 8 upon the lamp base. These same springs press the contact plungers 16 and 17 rearwardly to engage them with contacts 18 and 19 that are suitably connectedwith the terminals of a source of currht through the interinediation of flexib1e con ductors 20 and 21.

The contacts 18 and 19, the conductors 20 and 21 leading to these contacts and the coverings or serving for these conductors are disposed within and are carried by a contact carrying plug of insulating material, which contact carrying plug is preferably divided longitudinally into sections by being symmetrically formed into halves 22 -23 as illustrated in Fig. 6. Two cylindrical bores 24, 25 extend longitudinally through the oontact carrying plu 22,-23, the half of each bore being iorme in each half of said contact carrying plug. Transversely extended bores 26, 27 merge with the bores 24, 25, the bores 26, 27 being curved forwardly to merge gradually with the other bores. .A half of each of the bores 26, 27 is formed in each half of the contact carrying plug 22-23. When the conductors 20, 21 extend into the plug 2223 laterally of such plug the sheath 28, clearly illustrated in Fig. 7, is employed, the bore of this sheath being e ual in diameter to the diameter of the Slug whereby the two halves of the plug are prevented from slipping transversely of the sheath. The rear ends of the plug'halves 22, 23 abut. against the rear end wall 29 of the sheath 28. The forward end of the sheath is turned'inwardly, as indicated at 30 in Fig. 1, to engage the front ends of the plug halves 22, 23. The two halves of the plug are thus prevented from sli ping endwise with respect to each other. ferrule 31 encloses the conductors 20'and 21' and a'tube 32 through which these conductors are led. This ferrule has a head or flange 33 that is located within the interior of the sheath 28, said ferrule projecting into this sheath through the slot 34 that is formed longitudinally of the sheath 28 to permit the ferrule to be slipped into the sheath from the front end thereof.

In the arrangement illustrated in Fig. 1 the conductors 20 and 21 first pass through the bores 26, 27 before passing into the bores 24, 25. In the arrangement illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, the conductors project through the rear end of the contact carry ingplug 22 -23 extending throughout the entire length-of the bores 24, 25 and passing.

through no part of the bores 26, 27. In this arrangement the ferrule 31 is omitted and the sheath 28 is minus the longitudinal slot 34 but has its rear end open as indicated at .35 in order that the conductors may pass from the plug. To maintain the conductors '20, 21 and their terminal contacts 18 and 1.9 in assembly with the contact carrying plug 2223, I provide said contacts with flanges 35, 36 that are receivedwithin the annular; enlargements 37, 38 of the bores 24, 25.

'1. The ends of the retaining spring are The sheath of the plug 22-23, whether of the form illustrated in Fig. 1 or of the form illustrated in Fig. 3, is provided with bayonet pin extensions 39 receivable within bayonet slots 40 provided in the rear end of the shell 1. Instead of relying upon the contacts 16 and 17 to maintain the bayonet pins 39 in their seats within the bayonet slots or channels 40 I provide a strip or wire retaining external spring 41 extending later. ally of the shell and disposed in the zone of the bayonet slots or channels 40 and which retaining spring has an arrangement that is well illustrated in Figs. 2, 3 and 5. This spring extends laterally and conforms generallyto the curvature of the shell and is depressed at its intermediate portion 41 to contact with the sheath 28 or 28 of the plug, this depressed portion being received 1n the transverse slotor opening 42 and be. ing substantially co-extensive with this slot tohave abutting engagement at the ends of the slot where the spring rises to have its sections 41 engage the exterior of the shell 99 depressed to enter the bayonet slots 40 and engage the. sheath 28 or 28, these spring en s extending across the entrance branches of the bayonet slots 40 to be enga ed by the bayonet pins or projections 39. hen the plug 22-23-is inserted the bayonet pins or projections 39 en age the spring 41 and flex it longitudina ly ofthe shellfrom its normal plane, this lane being resumed by the spring when t e bayonet pins are in their seats owing to the resilience of the spring and the substantially fixed anchora e of the spring at its mid portion to the she l, the ends of the spring 41 serving to hold these bayonet pins in their seats. Any 105 preferred means may be employed for holdmally to hold the spring in its plane, the

en agement of the spring and shell being su ciently firm to establish a, substantially fixed relation between the mid section 41 129 of the spring with the shell so that the spring-is merely permitted to yield, due to its own resilience, when the plu 22-23 is being ihserted within or. remove from the shell. The ends of the spring are depressed intothebayonet slots to engage the sheath of the plug and thereby have full efiective engagement with the bayonet pins. While the sprin 41 is shown for the purpose of holding t 'e plug inassembly with the shell 13 it is obvious that it is not limitedrto the nature of the contact carrier that it serves to hold in position.

The plug structure herein disclosed and parts in association therewith formthe subect matter of a division of this application Serial N 0. 258,065, filed October 14:, 1918.

While I have herein shown and particularly described the preferred embodiment of my invention I do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction shown as changes may readily be made without'departing from the spirit of my invention, but having thus described my invention I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentthe following 1. The combination with a shell having bayonet channels therein; of a contact carrier provided with receivable in said bayonet channels; and a spring extending laterally of and substantially fixedly secured at an intermediate portion to the shell, the ends of said spring being located to engage said bayonet projections and hoid them in their seats, the intermediate and end portions of the spring extending into engagement with the contact carrlier through openings provided in the she] 2. The combination with a shell having bayonet channels therein; of a contact carrier provided with bayonerprojections receivable in said bayonet channels; and a spring extending laterally of andsubstantially fixedly secured at an intermediate portion to the shell, the ends of said spring being located to engage said bayonet probayonet projections jections and hold them in their seats, the end portions of the spring extending into engagement with the contact carrier through openings provided in the shell to engage the bayonet projections that extend into these openings and elsewhere engaging the exterior of the shell.

3. The combination with a shell having bayonet channels therein; of a contact can rier provided with bayonet projections receivable in said spring extending laterally of and substantially fixedly secured at an intermediate portion to the shell, the ends of said spring being located to engage said bayonet projections and hold them in their seats, the intermediate and end portions of the spring extending into openings provided in the shell.

41 The combination with a shell having bayonet channels therein; of a contact carrier provided with bayonet projections receivable in said bayonet channels; and a spring extending laterally of and substantially fixedly secured at an intermediate portion vto the shell, the ends of said spring being located to engage said bayonet projections and hold them in their seats, the end portions of the spring extending into openings provided in the shell to engage the bayonet, projections that extend into these openings. t

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe bayonet channels; and a v my name this thirtieth day of January,

HARRY A. DOUGLAS,

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