Cord assembly and method for making
AssigneeThe Wiremold Company
InventorJames J. Johnston
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A cord assembly including an insulated electric cord containing a plurality of twisted pairs of insulated solid wire conductors and terminated by a plug having an inner part and an outer part. Terminal end portions of the conductors wrapped about an inner part and trapped between the inner and outer parts extend across an opening in the plug for direct releasable plugging connection with an inline array of insulation displacement contacts (IDCs) carried by a mating connector block mounted on a cross-connect panel. An assembly jig is used to position the conductor terminal end portions and supports the inner part while the terminal end portions are wrapped about the inner part.
Claims19
A cord assembly for releasable plugging connection to an inline array of insulation displacement connectors including at least two connectors, said cord assembly comprising a plug having a housing defining an exterior opening for receiving the insulation displacement connectors, a cord including a plurality of insulated solid wire conductors having spaced apart bridging portions extending across said exterior opening, reinforcing means on said housing for supporting said bridging portions, and retaining means for securing said bridging portions in predetermined positions relative to said housing and each other to cooperate in releasable plugging engagement within the insulation displacement connectors in response to insertion of the inline array of insulation displacement connectors into said opening.
A method for making a plug and cord assembly for releasable plugging connection with an inline array of insulation displacement connectors comprising the steps of forming a plug body having an exterior opening for receiving the insulation displacement connectors, forming a plurality of reinforcing webs on said housing in predetermined spaced apart positions within said opening and in bridging relation to said opening providing an electrical cord having a plurality of insulated solid wire conductors, arranging terminal end portions of the conductors in predetermined spaced apart positions relative to each other, positioning the spaced apart terminal end portions adjacent the plug body with contact defining segments of the terminal end portions in bridging relation to the exterior opening and with each of the contact defining segments disposed in parallel alignment with and supported by an associated one of the reinforcing webs, wrapping the remaining segments of the terminal end portions about the plug body, and securing the remaining segments to the plug body.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.