Jumper cable safety means

Jumper cable safety means, for a set of battery jumper cables having a pair of cables, at each end of which is a releasable connector for temporary operative attachment of the cables respectively to the terminals of a donor battery and a receiver battery which operatively co-operate in a battery-jumping procedure, the safety means comprising:

• a first body member and a second body member,
• interconnection means which provide that the first body member and the second body member are interconnected against separation but are rotatably movable relative to one another in and between a first relative position and a second relative position;
• and when so connected, the first body member and the second body member each have an axially inwardly-facing end, those ends being relatively adjacent one another, and they both have an axially outwardly-facing end, those ends being relatively non-adjacent to one another;
• there being co-operative abutment means provided for each of the first body member and second body member which block the relative rotation thereof to be less than 180.degree. between said first relative position and said second relative position,
• the non-adjacent ends of the first body member and the second body member being provided with opening means through which extend the pair of cables from a respective one of the batteries,
• the adjacent ends of the first body member and second body member being provided with co-operative abutment means which provide said non-separability of the first body member and second body member, yet permit said relative rotatable movement thereof in and between said first relative position and said second relative position,
• the cables being discontinuous at adjacent ends in the region of the adjacent ends of the first body member and second body member,
• each of said adjacent ends of the cables being provided with contact means,
• there being spring means for at least one of the adjacent cable-ends of each of said pair of cables, the spring means being operative to assure forceful and electrically conductive contact between the adjacent cable-ends contact means when the first body member and second body member are relatively rotated such that said cable-ends contact means are in registration, this being said first relative position of the first body member and the second body member,
• the relative rotatable movement of said first body member and second body member being such that in said second relative position of the first body member and second body member the contact means of said adjacent ends of the cables are out of registration and thus non-conductive electrically,
• thereby providing safety by providing that the electrical conductivity of the cables is blocked except when the user, in a position of safety removed from the location of connection of the cables to either battery, moves the switch components to electrically-conducting condition by manual manipulation at such position of safety away from the location of either battery.