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US 7,114,986 B1Granted
Electrical cord connector apparatus
OwnerElde V. (Bud) Tolyinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electrical connector adapted for use in terminating the individual solid and/or stranded wires of a NEMA cable includes a locking connector body having a plurality of nested cam levers, each of which selectively rotates to engage a spring clamp to releasably capture a conductor within the connector body, and without the need of inserting a tool into the device.
Claims8
An electrical cord connector apparatus comprising:
- a connector housing having a front wall, a rear wall, an exterior side, and at least two interior chambers for accommodating at least hot and neutral electrical terminals;
- a base portion disposed on said connector housing, and having a front side, a rear side, and an outer side;
- an enclosure disposed over said outer side of said base portion and covering said base portion;
- at least one electrical terminal in said base portion;
- at least one clamping spring in said base portion, said clamping spring having an open position to permit insertion of a conductor, and a closed position to urge the conductor against said electrical terminal;
- and
- at least one cam and lever assembly, each having a lever arm and a cam tang, said cam tang adapted to bias one of said clamping springs to said open position when said enclosure is removed from said base portion and said lever arm is in a first position to permit insertion of a conductor, and when said lever arm is in a second position, said clamping spring urges the conductor against said electrical terminal and said enclosure may be placed over said base portion so as to cover said base portion and said cam and lever assembly.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.