US2436280A - Electrical test clip - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 17,i w48.

C. C. WRIGHT ELECTRICAL TEST CLIP Filed Dec. 1, 1944 mm N Patented Feb. 17, 1948 2,43s.2so Y ELECTRICAL TEST CLIP Clifton C. Wright, Chicago, n1., assigner te Rapid Specialties Company, a corporation of Illinois Application December 1, 1944, Serial No. 566,152`

In Vthe manufacture of electrical apparatus, equipment or products a great deal of testing must be done, requiring apparatuses or devices to be Vconnected in a circuit containing an electric meter. Little clips are commonly used in making such connections. Although a great variety of such clips are available, I know of none which is not open to some `serious objection such, for example, as being time wasting, requiring too much attention on the part of the user, having only a limited field of usefulness so that it may be, necessary to pick up several before the right one is found, getting out of order easily and being diilicult to restore to a satisfactory working condition when they need it.

The object of the present invention is to produce a simple and novel clip free from all of the faults and limitations inherent in prior devices, especially those just mentioned.

The various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterized will hereinafter be pointed out with particularity inthe claims; but, fora full understanding of the invention and of its objects and advantages, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figures 1, 2 and 3 are, respectively, a side view,

3 Claims. (Cl. 173-273) on the adjacent face of member I; the projection beingv loosely entered in the socket.

The contact piece I is provided with a headed stud 6 fixed thereto between the ends of the piece, preferably nearer the hinge end than the other, and extending through a hole 1 in contact piece 2,: the stud being much longer than the thickness of the latter contact piece.v Engaged with the outer face of and extending lengthwise of member an edge view and a top plan View of a preferred form of my device; Fig. 4 is a section on line 4 4 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a section on line 5 5 of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is an elevational view of one of the contact pieces or ngers; and Fig. 7 is an elevational view of the leaf spring that holds the contact pieces yieldingly in face to face engagement with each other.

Referring to the drawing, I and 2 are a pair of contact pieces or ngers composed of flat strips of metal adapted normally to lie face to face, in contact with each other. At one end the pieces are curved outwardly, away from each other, as indicated at 3, to provide a flaring mouth into which a wire or a blade-like terminal may be inserted. These contact pieces are connected together at the other end by a hinge joint to permit relative rocking movements in the direction to shift their free ends toward and away from each other. The hinge joint is preferably of a specialV type to permit relative bodily movements of the hinge ends of the contact pieces from and toward each other and complete separation thereof, when desired. In the arrangement shown, the hinge joint comprises a socket 4 in the inner or under face of member 2 and a small projection 5 2 is a bow shaped leaf spring 8 through a hole 9 at the middle ofv which the stud passes; the spring being under an initial stress so that the ends thereof thrust against the outer face of member 2 while its middle .portion presses outwardly against the head on the stud. The spring contains at the hinge end of the device a small hole I0 into which a little pin or projection Il on the contact piece extends.

The holes 1 and 9 are preferably as wide as the diameter of the stud and somewhat longer in thedirection of the length of the Contact piece; an elongation of about ten thousandths of an inch being usually suicient. Likewise, the hole IU in the spring is a little longer, in the direction of the length of the spring than the diameter of the pin or projection I I. that cooperates with this hole;

The pins 5 and II are preferably integral parts of members I and 2, respectively, formed by applying pressure against one side of each member to create a socket and to cause the metal displaced in the making of the socket to protrude beyond the other side or face as a pin or projection. Thus the socket 4 and the pin or projection II are the result of a single pressing operation.

The contact piece I is provided at the hinge end with an extension I2 that is bent laterally at right angles to form a foot or base. The part I2 contains a hole I3 through which a terminal element or binding post on a meter may be slipped; so that, upon applyingthe usual nut to such element, the'clip is mechanically and electrically connected to the meter. Or, if necessary or desirable, the clip may be fastened to a bench or other support by means of a screw engaged in hole I3; and, if a wire has previously been inserted beneath the foot or base I2, an electrically conductive connection between the same and the clip win be established simuitaneouny with the securing of the clip to the support.

In using the clip, the wire or other terminal element is simply pressed down between and below the diverging ends 3 of the members I and 2, and is afterwards simply pulled out again upon the completion of the test being madethere lit being no need to spread the contact pieces apart before the wire or terminal is inserted. In the case of a stiff element, such as a blade or a heavy wire, only one hand need be used to insert it in the clip. On the other hand, a ne wire must be held in both hands to attach it.

Because of the loose connections between the two contact pieces or fingers, they will grip a fine wire or a heavy wire equally well, both from the standpoint of A .fa mechanical fastening and that of agoodelecti'icall'y conductive connection. I have used the same clip with very ne wires and with Wires one eighth of an inch thick, l

If the strength of the spring diminishes objec` tionably after prolonged use, the fault can be .prising twocontact `pieces lying fiat against each corrected quickly and easily. The lower kend of the spring may be lifted oil' the `projection i i and the spring be swung about the stud 6 as an axis into a position transverse to l`the contact pieces. f

While in this new position the spring may be bent to a sharper curvature so that, upon restor' ing it to its original, normal working position, it fexerts a greater jpress'ureon -the 'contactpieces than before.

"It fwill also be seen Athat after the spring has been iunl'atched and turn'edfcro'sswise ofthe contact pieces, the member 2 can 'be lifted clear of the pin or projection 5 and then be turned so as to lie 'crosswi'seof 'the cooperating member I. By this means vthefcooper'ating faces 'onthe two contact p'ieces are 'exposed sothat they can beleasily cleaned and be i'n vperfect working order when the partsof the clipare restored vto their working positions relative to each other.

'While lI have :illustrated and described with particularity only "a single preferred embodiment of my invention, I do not #desire to be limited to the exact Adetails V*thus illustrated and described; biit intend to 'cover all forms and arrangements coming Within the definitions of Amy invention constituting `the 'appended claims.

`I claim:

Yl. =A device of theicharacterdescribcd, comprising two lcontact pieces ilying; fiat against each other and flaring away from each other for a short distance inwardly from one end, a projection on one of said pieces at the other end entered of the socket the contact pieces may be turned about the axis of thestud so as to lie crosswise of each other, and a bowed leaf spring underneath the head on the stud extending lengthwise of and bearing at its ends on said second piece to hold it yieldingly against the other piece, the spring being turnable on the stud to position it crosswise of said contact pieces.

2. Adevice such as setjorthfinrclaim 1 where- .in .there is an interlock betweenfon cnil of the spring and the contact piece against which it bears and which can be undone by raising that end of the spring a. predetermined distance from the 'surface of the contact piece which it engages.

3. A device ofthe character described, com- `otherand flaring away from each other for a shortdistance inwardly from one end, a projection `on one of said pieces at the other end entered loosely in a socket in the second piece to vicinity of that Vend of the second contact pice 'containing `the socket, and 'saidsecondpiece'having a short projection entered. 'loosely in s'a'id small hole in Ythe spring to 4hold "it normally againstrturning. l I l vCLIFTON "C. WRIGHT.

REFERENCES CITED The `following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 'Name v 4Date 771,239 Ga1e,jsr oct. i, u1'9'0'4 1,369,221 Currier Feb. 22,1921 1,800,756 sass- ,.Apr 1.4, Y193,1 Y2,247,282 Webb .June 24, `1941 FOREGN PATENTS Number Country Date 21,701 ,Honan'd 1 Mar. 1e, i930

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