Solderless electrical contact

A multi-contact electrical connector for solderless termination of insulation covered electrical conductors comprising:

• an insulator housing having a mating end, a wire termination end and a plurality of elongated passages extending between said ends;
• a contact element within each of said channels;
• each of said contact elements being of thin sheet metal construction and including a mating portion and a wire termination portion, said wire termination portion comprising a pair of side wall sections and a base portion extending therebetween to define an elongated channel, at least one of said side wall sections having an integral offset formed inwardly into said channel to provide a contact jaw and a rounded transitional portion adjacent the free edge of said side wall section for rupturing the insulation and guiding the conductor into contact with said jaw during insertion, said rounded portion being forced by bending said thin sheet metal into a rounded blunt nose sufficiently rigid to rupture and separate the insulation from the conductor.

An electrical contact member of thin conductive sheet metal for solderless electrical connection with an insulation covered electrical conductor, comprising:

• an elongated channel portion with opposite side walls having at least one integral inwardly formed ridge portion extending vertically along at least one of said side walls and defining with a portion of the opposite side wall an upwardly open space for receiving said conductor, the upper portion of each such ridge being of a gradually increasing depth and defining a rounded blunt nose having a continuous thin sheet metal surface for separating the insulation from the conductor and guiding the conductor into said space, the lower portion of each such ridge being substantially parallel to the side walls to define a contact wiping surface for engaging said conductor in electrical contact with said element.

An insulation rupturing wire termination contact element for establishing and maintaining electrical contact with the conductive core of an insulated wire as the insulated wire is forced into the contact element, comprising a wire termination channel portion having side panels and a base portion of thin conductive sheet metal, each of said side panels having an integral offset portion formed inwardly into said channel to engage the conductive core of a wire inserted therein, said offset portions each having an end exposed toward the open side of said channel which end is formed by bending said sheet metal into a smoothly rounded blunt transitional configuration having sufficient rigidity for rupturing the insulation of a wire forced into said wire termination channel and for guiding the conductive core of such a wire into contact with the inwardly disposed surfaces of said offset portions, said offset portions being located in opposing relation to one another and defining a narrowed passageway for receiving a wire forced therebetween.