Electrical connectors for electrically heated vehicle windows
AssigneePPG Industries, Inc.
InventorsJohn A. Winter, Bruce A. Bartrug, Harry S. Koontz
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A terminal connector for a heated window, a heated window provided with a plurality of terminal connectors constructed and arranged for simultaneous engagement to corresponding terminals of a multiple terminal housing and a method of assembling a heated window provided with at least two of said terminal connectors in a terminal connection area along a side edge of said heated window.
Claims10
In a heated window assembly for a vehicle of the type having a first transparent sheet laminated to a second transparent sheet, a terminal connection area along one edge portion of said assembly, a first bus bar having first electroconductive extension means extending along an interior major surface of said first sheet into said terminal connection area, a second bus bar having second electroconductive extension means electrically insulated from said first electroconductive extension means and extending along said major surface of said first sheet and into said terminal connection area, and an electroconductive heating member extending between and electrically interconnecting said first and second bus bars, the improvement comprising:
- a first terminal connector including a strip having an inner portion overlapping said first extension means within said terminal connection area and laminated between said first and second sheets to electrically connect said first electroconductive extension means with said first terminal connector, and
- a second terminal connector including a strip having an inner portion overlaying said second extension means within said terminal connecting area and laminated between said first and second sheets in close proximity to said first terminal connector to electrically connect said second electroconductive extension means with said second terminal connector, wherein each strip of said terminal connectors further include an outer portion extending outwardly from said assembly at said terminal connection area, said connectors being spaced along said edge portion of said assembly at said terminal connection area to allow simultaneous engagement of said outwardly extending portions with a corresponding terminal of a multiple terminal housing having at least two terminals constructed and arranged in close proximity to each other simultaneously receive each of said outwardly extending portions of said terminal connectors.
In a method of connecting at least two bus bars of a heated window assembly to a multiple terminal housing having at least two terminals constructed and arranged in a predetermined manner, said window assembly being of the type having a first transparent sheet laminated to a second transparent sheet, a terminal connection area along one edge of said assembly, a first bus bar having first electroconductive extension means extending along an interior major surface of said first sheet and into said terminal connection area, a second bus bar having second electroconductive extension means electrically insulated from said first electroconductive extension means and extending along said major surface of said first sheet and into said terminal connection area and an electroconductive heating member extending between and electrically interconnecting said first and second bus bars, the improvement comprising:
- laminating terminal connectors between said sheets in such a manner that a strip portion of each of said terminal connectors is positioned within said window assembly in overlaying relation to a corresponding one of said electroconductive extension means within said terminal connection area to electrically interconnect said terminals with a corresponding extension means and a tab portion of each of said terminal connectors extends outwardly from said assembly at locations along said edge of said assembly in close proximity to each other at said terminal connection area that enables each of said tab portions to make simultaneous engagement with a corresponding terminal within said multiple terminal housing when said multiple terminal housing is aligned with and connected to said terminal connection area.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.