US 3,945,708 A · Electrical connector with premold

Abstract

A locking receptacle for electrical connectors includes a premold which holds the wire contacts in position and prevents insulation from overflowing into the contacts during molding. The premold is a cylindrical form of rigid high melting point thermoplastic insulating material having differently shaped passages and slots for a plurality of female contacts and connecting leads and includes an end closure member. The elements are assembled together, mounted in a mold and overmolded with a lower melting point resilient insulation covering in a simplified molding process to form an integral water-tight unit.

Drawings

Claims9

Dependent claims

A premold for a molded electrical connector comprising:

an outer cylinder of a relatively high melting point rigid thermoplastic material;
a plurality of hollow passages extending between the opposite ends of said cylinder;
a plurality of inner longitudinal walls separating said passages, said passages and walls being adapted to retain and enclose a plurality of female electrical contact members;
a front face having a plurality of openings at the front end of respective ones of said passages, said openings being adapted to receive a plurality of male connector blades engageable with said female contact members;
an end closure member receivable within the back end of said cylinder, said end closure member having a central opening to receive said plurality of female contact members;
said inner longitudinal walls including an inner cylinder and longitudinal partitions, said passages being disposed radially to receive said contact members between said inner and outer cylinders and said longitudinal partitions;
said openings in said front face being arcuate slots enclosing correspondingly curved female contact members to receive like curved rotatable male connector blades;
said closure member including a plurality of radially positioned notches around said central opening adapted to receive reduced width wire connecting portions of said contact members;
external raised embossments surrounding said arcuate slots on said front face;
one of said arcuate slots including an L-shaped notch adapted to receive a key member of a correspondingly shaped male blade;
and
said closure member further including inner shoulders extending around the edges of said central opening between said notches, said shoulders engaging the inner wall of said inner cylinder.

9 more elements

An electrical connector comprising:

an inner cylindrical premold of a relatively high melting point rigid thermoplastic insulating material;
a plurality of hollow passages extending between the front and back ends of said premold;
a plurality of inner longitudinal walls separating said passages;
a plurality of female electrical contact members enclosed in respective ones of said passages;
a front face at said front end having a plurality of openings therein aligned with the adjacent ends of respective ones of said contact members and adapted to receive a plurality of male connector blades engageable with said female contact members;
an end closure member closing the back end of said premold, said closure member having a central opening receiving said plurality of contact members;
an insulated wire cord;
a plurality of insulated wire conductors extending from an end of said cord and connected to respective ones of said contact members;
and
an outer covering of a relatively low melting point resilient insulating material enclosing said premold, said end of said wire cord and the extending wire conductors, and having a plurality of openings in the front end of said covering aligned with said premold openings;
said inner longitudinal walls including an inner cylinder and longitudinal partitions, said passages being disposed radially to receive said contact members between said inner cylinder, the inner wall of said premold and said longitudinal partitions;
and
said closure member including a plurality of radially positioned notches around said central opening adapted to receive reduced width wire conductor connecting portions of said contact members and inner shoulders extending around the edges of said central opening between said notches, said shoulders engaging the inner wall of said inner cylinder.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Description1,567 words

Summary399 words

#1. Field of the Invention

#The present invention concerns an electrical locking connector and particularly an internal premold therefore which secures the contacts during molding and provides a barrier to insulation overflow.

#2. Description of the Prior Art

Brief description of the drawings3 figures

#FIG. 1 shows a partial cross-section of the assembled contacts, lead wires and premold of a molded cord set,

#FIGS. 2a, 2b and 2c show front, rear and side section views of the premold, and

#FIGS. 3a and 3b show front and side views of the premold end closure member .

Detailed description1,117 words

#As shown in FIG. 1, a locking electrical connector includes female receptacle contact members 10, 12 connected to the respective ends of insulated wires 14, 16 extending from an insulated cord or cable 18. A third wire and contact are not shown. The contact members are arcuately curved and positioned within radially disposed longitudinal passages 20, 22, 30 in a cylindrical premold 24, which is shown in more detail in FIGS. 2a, 2b and 2c. The curvature of the contacts to receive like shaped blades is required in order to achieve locking action wherein the male blade is inserted into the slot and contact and is twisted or rotated to engage an inner surface of the premold. The entire assembly is molded within a suitable resilient low melting point thermoplastic insulating material covering or jacket 26 such as polyvinylchloride (PVC). Rubber may also be utilized.

#The premold is preferably made of nylon or other relatively rigid high melting point thermoplastic insulation material and is formed in a previous molding operation not described here. Another suitable material is styrene. The premold includes an outer cylindrical wall 28 having three arcuate radially spaced longitudinal passages 20, 22, 30 to receive the three female contacts. An inner cylindrical wall 32 around an open central bore 33 provides the inner boundary of each passage. The front ends of the passages have small different sized curved slots or openings 34, 36, 38 in the front face 40 enclosing the contacts to receive cooperating blades of a male plug member, not shown. Each of the curved slots on the face of the premold has like shaped bosses 42, 44, 46 extending around the edges of the openings. The bosses provide a given spacing between the internal contacts and the front end of the thermoplastic outer covering 26 which is molded over the assembled premold and contacts. During the molding operation, load pins, not shown, having the shape of the male plug members, are incorporated in the mold and engage the contacts through the premold slots to form the corresponding openings in the front end of outer covering 26 which is molded over the front face and body of the premold.

#Radially arranged longitudinal partitions 48, 50, 52, 54, 56, 58 in the premold provide the opposite walls of arcuate passages 22, 20, 30 and of hollow core holes 60, 62, 64 extending between the passages to the front face 40. The core holes are for the purpose of eliminating unnecessary insulation material in the premold form. A raised longitudinal nip or porjection 66 on the outer surface of the premold cylindrical wall 28 serves to indicate the location of the top of the premold for placement in the mold during the final outer cover insulation molding operation.

Facts

Application

05/563,023Filed 28 Mar 1975

Granted

23 Mar 1976

Term ended

23 Mar 1993

Estimated · how

Pre-1995 term; greater of 17 years from grant or 20 years from filing when eligible. Maintenance-fee lapses, terminal disclaimers and statutory extensions have not been checked. The continuity chain may be incomplete; this is not an enforceability determination.

Classification4 codes

H01R 24/22
Coupling parts carrying sockets, clips or analogous contacts and secured only to wire or cable: with additional earth or shield contacts
H01R 13/652
Protective earth or shield arrangements on coupling devices , e.g. anti-static shielding: with earth pin, blade or socket
H01R 2103/00
Two poles
H01R
Electrically-conductive connections

Electrical connector with premold

Life of this patent

Electrical connector with premold

Life of this patent

Life of this patent

Abstract

Drawings

Drawings

Claims9

Description1,567 words

Drawings

Classification4 codes

Life of this patent

Description1,567 words