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US 5,397,251 AGranted
Electrical connector and an electrical terminal therefor
AssigneeThe Whitaker Corporation
InventorChristopher Kaminski
Life of this patent
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AssigneeThe Whitaker Corporation
InventorChristopher Kaminski
Estimating the term…
An electrical connector comprises as shown in FIGS. 23 to 25, an insulating housing defining a socket for an electrical lamp bulb and first and second cavities and for receiving a first terminal and a second terminal respectively. The first terminal has a contact spring in the socket, the second terminal having a contact spring in the socket. An electric lamp bulb can be inserted into the socket so that contacts of the bulb are resiliently engaged by the respective contact springs. Each terminal also has a slotted plate portion for connection to an insulated electrical lead. The top wall of the housing is formed with two spaced holes for receiving lead wires of a diode. The first terminal has, a spring socket aligned with each of the holes and. Between the spring sockets, the first terminal has a reduced cross section severable portion, which is accessible to be sheared by shearing tooling, by way of an opening in the top wall and an opening in the opposite wall of the housing. Where the diode is to be connected in circuit with the bulb the severable portion is sheared out by means of the tooling, and the lead wires of the diode are inserted through the holes and the spring sockets. Where the diode is not needed, the severable portion is left in situ.
An electrical connector comprising an insulating housing defining a socket for an electric lamp bulb, and first and second cavities receiving first and second terminals respectively, in electrical isolation from each other, each terminal having a contact spring in the socket for engaging a respective contact of the bulb and a lead connecting portion which is accessible externally of the housing for connection to an electrical supply lead, an external wall of the housing being formed with first and second supply lead wire guiding holes therein, the first terminal being formed with first and second supply lead wire receiving spring sockets each aligned with a respective one of said first and second supply lead wire guiding holes, for the retention therein of a supply lead wire inserted through said respective supply lead wire guiding hole, the first terminal having, intermediate said spring sockets, a portion which is accessible externally of the housing and is severable to divide the second terminal into two electrically isolated parts.
An electrical connector for use in connecting first and second electrical conductors, optionally with a circuit component interposed therebetween, the connector comprising an insulating housing defining a terminal receiving cavity opening into opposite ends of the housing, and first and second aligned, through, tooling access openings intermediate said ends of the housing and being provided in respective first and second opposite external walls thereof, a one piece electrical terminal secured in the cavity having a first conductor connecting portion exposed for connection to the first conductor through one end of the cavity, a second conductor connecting portion exposed through the other end of the cavity, for receiving the second conductor and a severable, reduced cross section portion aligned with both of said openings and being located therebetween, one of said first and second opposite walls, having a component lead wire guiding through hole on either side of said reduced cross section severable portion, the terminal being formed with first and second lead wire receiving spring sockets each aligned with a respective one of said holes, for the retention therein of a lead wire inserted through said respective hole, the reduced cross-section portion of the terminal being severable by means of tooling inserted through said tooling access openings, to divide the terminal into two electrically isolated parts.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.