Electrical connectors – Contact comprising cutter – Insulation cutter
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-09
2002-02-12
Ta, Tho D. (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
Contact comprising cutter
Insulation cutter
C439S409000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06346004
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to electronics generally, and more specifically to connectors used in telecommunications.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
FIGS. 1A-1D
show a conventional barrel type insulation displacement connector (IDC)
10
manufactured by the 3M Corporation of St. Paul, Minn. Connector
10
may be used for a variety of applications, including but not limited to connecting wires to telecommunications equipment.
FIG. 1A
is an exploded side elevation view of the connector
10
. The connector
10
includes two main portions
20
and
50
.
FIGS. 1A and 1D
show the bottom portion. The bottom portion
50
has a collar
60
integrally formed as part of the base
62
. Bottom portion
50
has a cylindrical terminal
52
, that is formed of conductive material. Terminal
52
has a wire receiving hole
54
with a slot
56
connected to the hole. The edges
56
a
of the slot
56
are sufficiently sharp to displace insulation from a wire, thereby to form an electrical connection. Terminal
52
has a second hole
55
(shown in phantom in
FIG. 1D
) on the wall of the terminal about 180 degrees from hole
54
. An outer collar
64
receives the bottom end of cap
20
. A bridge
66
connects collar
60
and outer collar
64
.
The top portion of connector
10
is a cap
20
, shown in
FIGS. 1A-1C
. The cap
20
fits over the terminal
52
, and fits within the outer collar
64
. The terminal
52
is received in an annular space
32
, and the collar
60
fits in the bore
30
of cap
20
. The cap
20
has a horizontal wire receiving hole
22
on a side wall of the cap. The hole
22
passes approximately across a diameter of the cap
20
. The cap has a cutout
28
that fits over the bridge
66
on the base
62
. The cap
20
is rotatable within an angular range determined by the size of the cutout
28
.
The cap
20
has a first angular position in which the hole
22
in the cap is aligned with the holes
54
and
55
in the terminal. A wire (not shown) is insertable through holes
22
,
54
and
55
. The cap
20
is then rotated, so that the wire is forced into the slot
56
, displacing away insulation and forming an electrical connection between the wire and the terminal
52
.
The top surface of the cap
20
has a second hole
24
. A conventional test probe (not shown) may be inserted into hole
24
. The test probe contacts a tab
58
which may be formed from a portion of the terminal
52
. The top surface of the cap
20
also has a slot
26
for receiving a screw driver, to facilitate rotation of the cap.
A plurality of the above described connectors may be mounted in a single block having several rows and columns. The connector cap is about 1 centimeter (0.4 inch) in diameter. In some applications, these connectors have been closely spaced, with a center-to-center distance between adjacent connectors of about 1.25 centimeters (0.5 inch), leaving a space of about 0.25 centimeters. With this close spacing, it is difficult to insert a wire into an interior connector.
An improved connector is desired.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a cap for a connector having a hole at its top end, and a connector that includes the cap. The connector includes a base and a cylindrical terminal attached to the base. The terminal has a hole in a side wall of the terminal and a horizontal slot extending from the hole.
The cap is mounted on the base so as to substantially cover the terminal. A passage extends through the cap. The passage has a first end at a top end of the cap and a second end at a side wall of the cap. The cap is rotatable between a first position in which the second end of the passage is adjacent the hole of the terminal, and a second position in which the second end of the passage is adjacent the horizontal slot.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4795363 (1989-01-01), Scherer et al.
patent: 4795364 (1989-01-01), Frantum, Jr. et al.
patent: 4913659 (1990-04-01), Doyle
Avaya Technology Corp
Duane Morris & Heckscher LLP
Hammond Briggitte R.
Ta Tho D.
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