Two conductor bridge

Details Two conductor bridge Two conductor bridge

1999-05-18

2001-01-02

Paumen, Gary F. (Department: 2833)

Electrical connectors

With circuit conductors and safety grounding provision

Direct grounding of coupling part member passing into aperture

C439S606000

Utility Patent

active

06168443

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to electric plug conductor bridges, and, more particularly, to a monolithically molded two conductor bridge that is incorporated into an overmolded plug assembly.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Previous conductor bridges (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,411,403) have been of a non-integral, multiple piece design. The difficulty with this type of bridge lies in its use of separate pieces to form the bridge; the pieces are not securely attached together until the entire bridge is thermowelded, a step which is not performed until after wires have been attached to the power blades, thereby increasing the potential for misaligned blades.
Another existing method of manufacturing electrical plugs is to place the power blades into a plug-shaped mold, and then infuse plastic to fill the mold around the blades. This method involves a high risk of the blades and the ground pin being deflected off-center by the plastic as it is infused into the mold, which could lead to misaligned blades and a non-functional plug.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a monolithically molded two conductor bridge, made of a plastic type having a higher melting point than PVC; for example, NYLON 66. The bridge is designed such that the power blades are inserted into open-ended slots. The open end of each slot is then closed by bending a retainer along a living hinge and locking the retainer in a closed position, thereby securing the power blades in the slots. The retainer is locked by use of a locking tab on the central portion of the bridge and a corresponding catch on the retainer.
The central portion and the retainers are provided with interdigitating teeth, which mate when the retainer is locked into position. The interdigitating teeth cooperate to prevent lateral movement of the retainer, providing better strain relief action for the entire bridge, and allowing the bridge to withstand higher stresses without breaking or opening. The two conductor bridge of the present invention may be overmolded into a plug in a conventional manner.
The present invention is advantageous over the prior art in that the design of the slots minimizes potential power blade misalignment upon the loading of the blades, even when used with various types of load bars. The use of the slots also allows for different NEMA blade configurations (i.e., 2-15P, 5-15P, 7-15P, 2-20P, or 2-30P), other than the NEMA 1-15P configuration as illustrated herein, to be assembled using the same basic bridge design.


REFERENCES:
patent: 4718865 (1988-01-01), Cordeiro
patent: 4790776 (1988-12-01), Iijima
patent: 5411403 (1995-05-01), Blanche
patent: 5603638 (1997-02-01), Brown et al.
patent: 5662484 (1997-09-01), Blanche

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