Electrical connectors – With indicating or identifying provision
Reexamination Certificate
2000-11-13
2002-09-03
Bradley, P. Austin (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With indicating or identifying provision
C439S519000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06443759
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a terminal connector having a cover for use in electrical connection, specifically in audio and video equipment.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to
FIG. 7
, a conventional terminal connector, shown generally at
100
′, includes an electrically conductive terminal plate
14
mounted on an insulative circuit board
10
. A terminal
15
is secured to insulative circuit board
10
by a screw portion
17
threaded through a screw hole
16
in terminal plate
14
. A knob
19
″, affixed projecting away from terminal
15
enables screwing and unscrewing of screw portion
17
for making electrical connection, as will be explained. Conventional terminal connectors
100
′, are generally constructed in a four-gang (shown) or eight-gang (not shown) configurations.
Circuit board
10
includes four cylindrical portions
11
. Cylindrical portions
11
are integrally formed on a first surface of circuit board
10
and surround part of terminals
15
near the first surface of insulative circuit board
10
. Cylindrical portions
11
help avoid lead wire shorts and reduce the chance of electrical contact with a person or an object. Knob
19
″ of terminal
15
also protrudes away from the first surface. Cylindrical portions
11
each have at least one lead wire insertion notch
12
in an outer periphery.
A through hole
13
, formed in insulative circuit board
10
, accommodates adjustable screw portion
17
of terminal
15
. Screw portion
17
is centered in cylindrical portion
11
. Around through hole
13
, a plurality of insertion holes
20
permit insertion of one or more press-in lock pieces
21
and a terminal portion
22
of terminal plate
14
into selected insertion holes
20
to fix terminal plate
14
firmly to insulative circuit board
10
.
A fit hole
25
, shaped to receive plug connection portion
23
, passes through the center of knob
19
″. A plug insertion opening
26
, having a diameter greater than that of fit hole
25
, is formed at the top of knob
19
″ for guiding as will be described.
A terminal body
59
′, made from electrically conductive material, includes cylindrical plug connection portion
23
, suitable for accepting insertion of a conventional banana tip, a wire end, or other conductor. Also included in terminal body
59
′, a collar
18
is pulled down into stabilizing contact with insulative circuit board
10
when screw portion
17
is tightened. Terminal body
59
′ accepts a press fitted knob
19
″ to form terminal
15
.
Terminal body
59
′ is conventionally formed by cold forging or a similar process. Through cold forging, conventional cylindrical plug connection portion
23
, collar
18
, and screw portion
17
are simultaneously formed.
After integration of terminal plates
14
to insulative circuit board
10
, terminals
15
are threaded into terminal plates
14
through screw holes
16
. When each screw portion
17
is tightened, collar
18
of terminal
15
contacts terminal plate
14
and an end portion of screw portion
17
protrudes below a second surface of insulative circuit board
10
. After tightening, an end portion of screw portion
17
is mechanically flattened to form a preventive bulged portion
31
and disrupt a continuous helical thread formed on screw portion
17
. Preventive bulged portion
31
prevents terminal
15
from disengaging screw hole
16
or from being lost during later adjustment.
Once terminal plates
14
and terminals
15
are connected to circuit board
10
, knobs
19
″ are loosened sufficiently to allow insertion of at least one lead wire (not shown).through insertion notches
12
. When screw portion
17
of terminal
15
is tightened toward screw hole
16
in terminal plate
14
, a bottom surface of collar
18
and a top surface of terminal plate
14
sandwich the lead wire (not shown) for electrical contact. A banana plug (not shown), or other conductor, may be inserted into terminal
15
, through plug insertion opening
26
and into plug connection portion
23
, for electrical connection to the lead wire. More than one lead wire may be captured this way, and connected to a connector inserted into plug connection portion
23
or alternatively to terminal portion
22
.
Referring additionally to
FIG. 6
, conventional terminal connectors
100
′, positioned now in an eight-gang configuration, illustrate positioning of insertion notches
12
through an outer periphery of terminals
15
. Here, knobs
19
″ are labeled
19
″
a
through
19
″
d,
indicating each individual knobs
19
″ within the configuration.
Referring additionally to
FIG. 5
, a non-conventional terminal connector
100
, previously developed by the applicant, includes electrically conductive terminal plate
14
mounted to insulative circuit board
10
′. Terminal
15
is secured to insulative circuit board
10
′ by screw portion
17
threaded into screw hole
16
in terminal plate
14
. A knob
19
′, fixed projecting away from terminal
15
enables screwing and unscrewing of screw portion
17
for making electrical connection, as will be explained.
Cylindrical portion
11
, surrounding a part of terminal
15
near the first surface of insulative circuit board
10
′, helps avoid lead wire shorts and reduces the chance of electrical contact with a person or an object. Cylindrical portion
11
is formed cylindrically about a center axis and has at least one wire insertion notch
12
in its outer periphery. Cylindrical portion
11
includes at least one lock portion
38
protruding from an upper edge of cylindrical portion
11
and facing the central axis. Lock portions
38
, combined with retention portions
39
(later described) act to prevent terminal
15
from separating from terminal plate
14
. In this figure, insulative circuit board
10
′ has four cylindrical portions
11
formed on the first surface.
Each terminal
15
comprises knob
19
′ protruding away from the first surface and generally cylindrical in shape. Fit hole
25
contains plug connection portion
23
, and passes through the center of knob
19
′. Plug insertion opening
26
is formed at the top of fit hole
25
. A circular recess at the bottom of fit hole
25
engages a collar
18
. Knob
19
′ is made from an electrically insulating material such as resin.
An electrically conductive terminal body
59
is an integrally formed element with plug connection portion
23
at a first end, and a minor diameter portion
42
at a second end. Terminal body
59
is integrally formed from with plug connection portion
23
suitable for accepting the insertion of a conventional banana tip, a wire end, or other conductor. Collar
18
is disposed at a first intermediate location and contacts plug connection portion
23
. A screw portion
17
is disposed at a second intermediate location and contacts a minor diameter portion
42
.
Plug connection portion
23
, collar
18
, screw portion
17
, and minor diameter portion
42
all have circular shapes about a common axis. That is, plug connection portion
23
has a cylindrical shape, collar
18
has a disk-like shape, screw portion
17
has a cylindrical-column shape, and minor diameter portion
42
has a cylindrical-column shape. Screw portion
17
contains a continuous helical thread having a minor diameter measured from a central axis of screw portion
17
. Minor diameter portion
42
has a diameter, measured from the same central axis, less than the minor diameter of screw portion
17
. Minor diameter portion
42
serves as a guide as is later described.
Knob
19
′ and terminal body
59
are fixed to each other by both the engagement of collar
18
and the swaging of a top rim of plug connection portion
23
to form a complete terminal
15
. This engagement prevents terminal body
59
and knob
19
′ from rotating with respect to each other and from losing contact with each other as terminal
15
adjusts.
Kn
Mano Nobuyuki
Matsuda Takeshi
Bradley P. Austin
Gushi Ross
Morrison Law Firm
SMK Corporation
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