US1538230A - Insulated spark-plug connecter - Google Patents

Description

'May 1'9, 1925. 1,538,230

E. F. WIEDERHOLDT INSULATED srARK PLUG CONNECTER Fled Dec. '5, 1921:

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ATTORNEYS Patented May 19,` 19215.

UNITED STATES mr r, wrnnnsnormr, or s'r. Louis, xrssotrar.

' Application led December 5, 1821. `Serial No. {519,980. i

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, ERNEST F.` WIEDER- nom, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Insulated Spark-Flu Connecters, .of which the following is a fu l, clear, and exact descripltion, such as will enable others skilled in t e art to which it appertainsto 'make and use the same.

This invention relates to spark plug connecters, and has for one of its objects'to'provide an inexpensive spark plug connecter that can be used with various kinds 'of spark plugs now in commercial use, and which is compact and ofsuch construction that the metallic parts of the connecter and the ortion of the electrode of the plug with -w ich the connecter co-operates are completely protected by insulating material.

Another object is to provide a spark intensifier of novel design, which is constructed in such. a manner that there is no liability of thelength .of the 'spark gap being in creased, due to burningof one'orthe other of the electrodes arranged at opposite sides -of the spark gap. -Other objects and desirable features of myinvention. will be hereinafter pointed out.

`Fi re 1 of the drawings is a side elevationa view, illustrating my improved con-l necter applied vto a conventional spark plug. Fi re 2 is a longitudinal'sectional view of said connecter. l

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view of said connecter, taken on the line 3-1-3 of Fi re 2; and

igure 4 1s a vertical lon 'tudinal section-- y al view of a combined insu ated sparkplug connecterand spark intensifier constructed in accordance with my invention.

Referring to Fi res 1, 2 and 3ofthe drawings, which il ustrate one form of my invention, ,A designates a conventional spark lug provided with an externally screw- Ereaded electrode 1 .that rojects upwardly above the upper end of t e insulator 2 of the s ark lug. The supply wire B throu h -w ich t e electric current is conducte to the spark plug A is detachably connected tothe electrodey 1 of thepl'ug by m improved connecter which is composed ofy aY member C of insulatlng material, a metal part 3 inside ofthe insulator C to part 3.

the bore 5 of the metallic part 4, and

which the supply wirewis connected and a separate metal part 4 inside ofthe insulator connected to the metal part.3 and provided with a bore 5 for -receiving the electrode 1 of the spark plug.A TheinsulatoinC vmay be of any preferred shape, b ut it is preferably of substantially spherical form and is provided with two \right-angularlydisposed bores in which themetal parts 3 and 4 are loosely mounted, thereby enabling the connecter to be manufactured-at a lo'w cost, due to the fact that it is not necessary to mold the insulator lof the connecter around the metallic parts of the connecter' or permanentlyy secure said metallic parts and insulator together. In the vformof my invention shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 the metallic part 3 consists preferably ofa tubular member horizontally arranged in the insulator C and provided on its underside with an internally screw-threaded hole 6, t-he conductving portion a: of the supply`wire B projecti ing into said member B, as shown in Figures l 2 and 3. The metallic part 4 ofthe con-4 necter is arranged in the bore or opening on the underside Aof the insulator C and is provided with an externally-screw-threaded portion 7 that projects upwardly into the internally-screw-threaded hole 6 in the metallic part 3 of the connecter, said portion 7 bemg long enough so that it will engage and securely clamp the conducting pore A tion of the supply wire to themetallic part 3 ofthe connecter.4 Accordingly, the portion 7 of the metallic part 4 performs the ual function of retaining the two metallic parts 3 and l4 in the insulator C and securely connecting the supply wire to said metallic The means that I prefer to use for holding the connecter as an entirety in operative position on the spark plug A consists of two metal balls 8 mountedy in the metallic part-4 in such a manner that they will project ilnto t us engage the electrode V.1 of the sparkl plug,

Iand coiled e ansion s rings 9, shown in I prefer to construct the connecter in this manner so 'as to enable it to be used with a spark plug provided with an electrode of small crosssectional diameter, or with a spark plug provided with an electrode of large cross-sectional diameter. In other words, when the metallic part 4 of the connecter is rovided with two oppositely-disposed bal s 8 that roject into the bore 5 of said metallic part t at receives the electrode of the plu as herein shown, the connecter will be he d securely in operative position on the spark plug, nres ective of whether the spark plug is provide with a small electrode or a large electrode. The-springs 9 that back up the balls'S-are retained in operative Aposition in the metallic part 4 by a split ring compression spring 10 that'surrounds'th'e metallic part 4 and which is seated in an annular groove in said metallic part. The metallic part 4 is preferablyprovided on its underside with a transverselydisposed groove or slot 11 'in which a'scre`wdriver can be inserted during the o eration of screwing the externally-screw-t readed portion 7 of the metallic part 4 into the in- 'ternally-screw-threaded hole 6 in the metallic part 3 of the connecter. plug connecter of the construcsprk tion a ve described can be manufactured and sold at a low cost it can be easily applied toorremoved from a spark plug wit out hablhty of subjecting the user to an electric shock, due to the fact that the metallic Aparts of the connecterthrough which the electric current asses are completely protected by insulating material; it can be used with ractically any make of spark plug provl ed with an electrode that projects upwardly above the insulator of the plu 1t is so constructed that there is little lability of its becoming accidentally detached from the spark plug, due, of course, to the factthat it comprises a plurality of springressed elements that are held pressed tight-4 y against the electrode of the spark plug.

As previously stated, one object of my in# ventlon isto provide a spark intensifier in which the electrodes are of 'such construction and arrangement that they will not be burned by the intense spark created at the gap, and thus cause the en h ofthe spark ap to be mcreased, as so o n occurs with t e s ark intensiliers now in use. To this end have devised a spark intensifier which may be described brie y as consisting oftwo electrodes having relatively large areas ar-.

ranged in an electric circuit in spaced relation and in parallel planes, so as to form a gap across 4which the ing through said circuit jumps. The form and size of said electrodes is immaterial, so longas said electrodes have suicient area to prevent them from being burned away by the intense sparks that jump across the gap bef or electrode 3i and electric current ow-,

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tween said electrodes, and it is also immaterial what means is used for holding said electrodes in spaced relation, so as to produce a spark ga between them. I prefer, how ever, to ma e said electrodes of annular form and arrange them in parallel planes with a gap or space between the adjacent faces or inner sides of said electrodes. In Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings I have illustrated a spark lntenser of the character abm'e referred to combined with a spark plufr connecter of the kind previously described, said connecter being of similar con-- struction to the one shown in Figures 1 2 and 3, except that the metallic part to whleh theI supply wire B with a gap 12 across which the electric current jumps before reaching the metallic part that receivesthe electrode 1 Aof the spark plug. It is immaterial how the ga 12 is formed, but I prefer to use a metallic part to which the conducting portion w of the supplyv wire is connected by a set screw or other device 13 and hold said l electrode l3D in spaced relation with the outer end of a meta lic part or electrode 3* by means of a piece of insulating material 14 that is secured to the metallic part 3* and the part 3" by means of rivets 15, or the like, theV space between the outer end of the electrode 3* and the inner end of the electrode 3h constituting the gap of the intensifier. Preferably, the spaced end ortions of the electrodes 3* and 3 across w ich the spark jumps, are of annular form, as I have found that a spark gap formed by tworspaced annular. rings or portions is superior to a spark ap formed b two points, prongs onsimilar evices s ace away fromeach other in that they wil not burn away, and thus increase the lengthv ofthe spark projects laterally from one side of the insulatorC and is surrounded b a sleeve of insulating materia-l 16 providedv with an inwardl -projectin dan e 16 that is overlapp by a hea or en arged portion on the part 3", as shown in `Fi re 4, thus causing the insulating sleevetoe retained in position by the part of the connecter to which the'supply wire is fastened. A connecter of the construction shown in Figure 4 has all of the desirable characteristics of the connectershown in Figures 1v 2 and 3, and it has. the added advantage of being construct-i ed 1n such a. way that it will intensify the spark which the spark plug produces when in service. To 1n Figure 2 into a combined s ark plug connecter and spark intensifier, aB that is necessary;1 is toy substitute for the metallic part 3 t e two-piece member com osed ofthe parts ,3 and 3, as shown in Figure 4, the

is connectedis provided i gap. The part 3" i convert the connecter shown metallic part 4*.of the-connecter which receives the electrode of the spark ,olming combined equipped with a springassenso connecter and spark intensifier that it performed in the insulated'spark plug connecter shown in Figure 2.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Lett'ers Patent of the -United States is:

1. A spark plug connecter consisting of an insulator, a metallic means in said insulator provided with a spark gap and adapted to have a supply wire connected to saine, and a metallic member in said insulator connected to said means and provided with a spring-pressed element for frictionally con-v necting said memberto the electrode of a spark plug.

2. A spark plug connecter, comprising a metallic art ,provided with a bore for receiving tlie electrode of a spark plug and ressed element for frictionally engaging sai electrode, an independent metallic means connected to the metallic part first referred to and adapted to have a supply wire secured to same, said metallic means being provided with a spark gap, and insulatin material that completely protects said meta ic part and said metallic means.

vspring-pressed element for frictionall 3. A spark plug connecter consisting of an insulator rovided with two bores arranged at anV ang e. to each other, a spark gap device in one of saidbores composed of .two metal parts spaced away from each other and connected together by insulating material, one of said parts being provided with means for enabling a supply wire to be connected to same, and a metallic member inthe other bore of said linsulator equipped with a connecting saine to a spark plug elect e and is 'screwed into an 'opening in one part of said spark gap device.

A spark plug connecter consisting of a spherical-shaped insulator provided with i two bores arranged at substantially right angles to each other, ametallic member in the horizontal bore of said insulator provided at its outer eind with a piece of insulating material, a metallic device connected to said piece of insulating material and provided with a head portion to which a supply wire is adapted to be connected, an 'insulating sleeve surrounding said head portion' and provided with a flange that is positioned etween said head of the connecter, and a second metallic member in the vertical bore of the insulator detachably connected to the metallic member in said horizontal bore and provided with a plurality of spring-pressed balls that are adapted to frictionally engage the electrode of-thespark plug with which the connecter is used. A: i, i

5. A spark plug connecter, consisting of an insulator, two electrodes carried by said insulatork and arranged in longitudinal alignment with each other and with annular portions on the inner ends of said electrodes spaced apart so as to form a spark gap, means for maintaining the annular portions of said electrodes in fixed relatiommeans for venabling a supply wire to be connected to one of said electro said insulator connected to the other electrode for securing the insulator to the electrode of a spark plug;

ERNEST F. WIEDERHOLDTQ- portion and the insulator` es, and a metallic member in

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