Abstract: A connector (100) includes at least one electrical lead for electrically coupling a first device (100) to a second device (210), a base (110) through which the electrical lead (105) extends, and an upper portion (150) through which the electrical lead (105) also extends. A spring mechanism (135) mechanically couples the base (110) and the upper portion (150) and holds the base (110) away from the upper portion (150), and the upper portion (150) includes an upper guide (145) having a hole formed therein. When the connector (100) is in an open position (in which the connector (100) is electrically inactive), the electrical lead (105) does not extend through the hole in the upper guide (150). When the connector (100) is in a closed position (in which the connector (100) is electrically active), the electrical lead (105) extends through the hole in the upper guide (145).

Abstract: A connector assembly, in particular for making contact with gas discharge lamps, is specified which is safe in operation even with the lamp not having been introduced. The assembly has a housing made of a dielectric material, having a central contact and having an outer contact. A rotatable sleeve made of a dielectric material is situated in the housing. The sleeve can be rotated by means of at least one lug fitted on the outer periphery of the base of the gas discharge lamp. A tongue which moves from a first position to a second position when the gas discharge lamp is screwed in is fitted on the rotatable sleeve. The tongue opens or closes an electrical circuit, or actuates a switch.

Abstract: A new electrical plug with retractible blade cover member for preventing objects from coming in contact with the electrical blades. The inventive device includes a casing with a pair of blade members that extend through the casing. A portion of each of the blade members protrudes outwardly from the inner portion of the front of the casing. The front of the casing has a generally annular cover receiving channel. The channel extends from the front of the casing towards the back of the casing. A blade cover member that substantially covers the blade members is slidably inserted in the cover receiving channel. An outlet contacting portion of the blade cover member has a pair of spaced apart openings through which the blade members extend.

Abstract: A ZIF connector includes a flexible contact, a fixed housing receiving therein the contact, and a movable housing slidably received in the fixed housing for receiving a contact portion of a counterpart connector. The contact portion of the counterpart connector includes a bifurcate portion into which a contact portion of the contact is fittable. The contact portion of the contact extends along an attaching/detaching direction of the counterpart connector in the fixed housing, while the contact has a bent portion near a bottom wall of the fixed housing. The movable housing supports the contact portion of the contact along the foregoing attaching/detaching direction, while allowing deformation of the contact portion of the contact.

Abstract: A holder of a portable device includes a depression for accepting a portable device detachably, a clamp mechanism for clamping the portable device in the depression, a terminal pin provided in the depression for electrical contact with the portable device, and a movable protective cover provided in the depression so as to cover the terminal pin, the movable protective cover being adapted to engage the portable device when it held in the depression properly and is constructed so as to be movable in an elongating direction of the terminal element between a first position covering the terminal element and a second position exposing the terminal element, the movable protective cover being urged to the second position when the portable device is mounted upon the depression.

Abstract: A universal recharging and data communication apparatus for electrically and communicatively connecting a hand-held or portable data terminal with a data terminal docking unit comprises mating modules for electrical coupling and data or signal communication. The design of data terminals and docking stations is simplified and the need for a specialized or customized arrangement for the electrical and data communication interface is eliminated by providing the necessary electrical and data links together. In a preferred embodiment, the data communication is provided by a plurality of pins and mating contacts whereby a moveable housing protects the pins when a data terminal is not in the data terminal dock.

Abstract: An opposed-contact connector (11) in which terminal contacts are prevented from projecting from the connector except when they are to be electrically contacted with their respective mating electrodes, and the terminal contacts can be projected to have an appropriate contact pressure only when they are electrically contacted with the mating electrodes, respectively.

Abstract: The present invention includes a first component having a dimensional variance spring for connection to a second component where alignment is critical and dimensional variances between the components may be present. Preferably, the invention includes a male blade stabilizer having a dimensional variance spring. The stabilizer includes first and second plates separated by a plurality of slots. Edges of the first and second plates are connected together by an angular web. Each plate has a plurality of apertures formed therein, each for receiving the male blade of a terminal carried by a male connector part. The angular web acts as a spring allowing movement of the plates in a direction perpendicular to the slots to assure proper fit of the stabilizer inside the connector shroud and insertion of each male blade through an associated aperture in the stabilizer.

Abstract: It is an object of the invention to provide a configuration wherein, in a multipolar electrical connector B, when a counter electrical connector 100 is not inserted, a number of contacts 3 are individually protected from an external force, and, when the counter electrical connector 100 is inserted, even if the contacts are somewhat bent, the contacts can be connected in an unforced manner with contacts of the counter electrical connector. In the multipolar electrical connector B, a cover member 4 is disposed in an insertion space 2 formed in the body 1, so as to be movable in extracting and retracting directions. The tip ends of the contacts 3 are housed in hole portions 41 of the cover member 4. Spring members 5 for urging the cover member 4, and an engaging mechanism 10 which restricts the position of the cover member are disposed between the body 1 and the cover member 4.

Abstract: A nonconductive electrical plug enclosure having a retractable sheath which retracts into a body as the electrical plug safety cover is plugged into a receptacle and extends out when unplugged. The body houses an electrical plug and has openings through which the plug's prongs may protrude. A cap is secured to the body and securely holds the electrical plug in the body.

Abstract: A buckling beam type electrical connector is provided which is operable to selectably protect the contact ends of the buckling beam elements from physical damage.

Abstract: A connector includes a male terminal housing section having an opening for receiving a female terminal housing section of a counter-connector for connection between a male terminal disposed in the male terminal housing section and a female terminal disposed in the female terminal housing section. The connector further includes an insulator cap slidably disposed in the male terminal housing section. The insulator cap has a guide hole for the male terminal and is biased by a spring toward the opening of the male terminal housing section. The insulator cap is positioned forward of a tip of the male terminal relative to the opening of the male terminal housing section so that contact of an operator's finger to the tip of the male terminal is reliably prevented when, for example, fixing the connector.

Abstract: A safety plug for an electrical cord, the plug having electrically conductive prongs with a pair of protective retractable sheaths of a dielectric material encasing the prongs, with preferably a separate spring biassing each prong to an extended position, the sheaths being retracted on plugging the safety plug into a conventional electrical socket.

Abstract: A connector 10, 30' has a guide member 70, 60' movably latched in its housing 12, 40'. The guide member 70, 60' is used to guide and align contact portions of male contacts. The guide member 70, 60' has a plate 72 formed with a large number of through-holes 84 to pass the male contacts therethrough. Preferably, the guide member 70 is formed with side plates 78 at both sides of the plate 72 perpendicular thereto. Latching arms 92, 94, 96 are stemmed from the free ends of the side plates 78 and extend in the opposite direction, thereby minimizing the apparent length of the latching arms 92, 94, 96 which engage with respective projections 100, 102, 104 on the inner wall of the connector housing 12.

Abstract: An electric vehicle charging connector assembly used for charging a power battery of an electric vehicle is disclosed.

Abstract: This invention provides a connector which can positively effect coupling and detaching of a female connector, prevent electric shock and short-circuiting, and prevent an electric failure arising from contamination by extraneous substances. A lid plate 15 is biased by a compression coil spring 22 so that the lid plate is held by limit projections 26 at a protection position for covering male terminals 12 when a female connector is not coupled to the connector. Even if the lid plate 15 is pushed down by an external force so that the male terminals 12 are exposed from the lid plate 15, it can return to the protection position by itself when the external force is released. Since the lid plate 15 is constrained from rotating circumferentially at the protection position, the male terminal 12 smoothly passes through a terminal-through hole 16 in the lid plate 15 when the female connector 40 is inserted into a hood 13 and then the male terminals 12 are connected to female terminals 43.

Abstract: A safety shield for an electric plug includes a plate member adapted to be held secure against the base of the electric plug with the prongs of the plug extending through complementary openings in the plate member. The plate member carries rotatably a flexible cage member surrounding the prongs of the electric plug, and the cage member is collapsible. In this way as the prongs are inserted into the electric outlet, the cage will collapse to permit insertion, and as the plug is withdrawn from the electric outlet, the cage member will return to its original shape to guard against inadvertent contact with the electrical prongs. The cage member includes a bar element which in one position of the cage member will lie across the tips of the prongs to prevent insertion into an electric outlet, and the cage member can be rotated to position the bar element between the prongs of the plug to enable the plug to be inserted into an electric outlet.

Abstract: A night lamp includes a cylindrical member disposed in a body so as to form an annular slot. A board is secured on top of the cylindrical member. Two prongs are secured to the board, a light bulb is connected to the prongs. A cap is slidably engaging with the prongs and has a peripheral wall slidably engaged in the annular slot. A spring biases the cap away from the body so as to shield and protect the prongs and in order to prevent users from getting electric shocks.

Abstract: In a connector whose exposed terminals are connected to a mating connector having a terminal portion of a flexible printed circuit, the invention provides a terminal cover structure which prevents terminals from being exposed when the connector is disconnected. The terminal cover structure has a slidable protective cover that protects the exposed terminals of the connector. With the protective cover retracted, the exposed terminals are brought into contact with the exposed terminal portion of the mating connector. Either of the protective cover or the mating connector is provided with an engagement portion which consists of resilient clamping pieces to draw out the protective cover. The other is provided with a second engagement portion that engages with the first engagement portion.

Abstract: The invention provides for a modularized terminal block and an improved method of manufacturing the modular block. The block permits the connection of a plurality of drop wires or other devices in a reversible manner through the use of a standardized plug in module configuration. The module can be optimized for a given drop wire range which then uniformly connects to the base block through a standardized demateable contact. The mateable connectors each include a collapsible container filled with a sealant material such as gel or grease and an enclosed contact. Upon mating of the contacts, the deformation of the containers maintains the sealant material under compression.

Abstract: A plug includes two prongs extended outward from a body, a casing slidably engaged on the body of the plug and having a hardness greater than that of said body, a spring biasing the casing away from the body, and a housing engaged on the casing. A sleeve is embedded in the body for preventing the spring from electrically connecting with the prongs. The prongs are shielded by the casing during plugging operation of the plug.

Abstract: An electrostatic discharge-safe connector comprising mating male and female connectors, that includes an insulated connector pin and a shorting member comprising an electromagnetic interference (EMI) sandwich structure that shorts the connector pin to the body of the connector when the mating portions are unmated. The EMI sandwich structure comprises an EMI gasket material sandwiched between two layers of insulating material. The EMI gasket material has a bulk resistivity of less than 10 ohms per square. When the male connector is inserted into the female connector, the EMI sandwich structure moves away from the conducting portion of the connector pin and rides against the insulating sleeve that surrounds the connector pin. This prevents conduction of electrical charge to the pin from the shell or vice versa. The present connector thus provides protection against electrostatic discharge.

Abstract: For the purposes of connecting and joining conductive traces on printed circuit boards, the stripped ends of a flexible multi-conductor flat cable are inserted into metallized openings in the printed circuit boards. The cables are cut to length and their ends are stripped of insulation and supported in an injection molded bar member. Those ends are desirably not to be bent in storage and transportation. In order to protect them, a U-shaped device is pushed onto the bar member over the cable ends. The bottom plate portion of the device has holes of a conical configuration. In a transportation position the ends are disposed within the walls of those holes and are held therein. The device latches in the transportation position. For the ends to be inserted into the holes in the printed circuit board the device is pushed further onto the cable ends in an operative position. As such, the ends pass in a guided fashion through the holes in the bottom plate portion and into the holes in the printed circuit board.

Abstract: An electrical male connector assembly incorporates a floating shield that is resiliently held in a position on the connector body wherein the male contact pins are hidden or shielded from contact by the shield in its outermost position. When the connector member is mated with a corresponding female connector, the opposed face of the female connector impinges on the shield and cause it to be slid along the contact pins to a retracted position. Means are provided for biasing the shield toward its outermost position. The shield face is metalized to provide an exposed ground plane in electrically conductive contact with a metal portion of the connector member shell to drain off any electrical static discharges that might otherwise come into contact with the exposed contact pins.

Abstract: A body of elastically deformable insulating material to encapsulate the handle assemblies of battery booster cables. The entire assembly is placed within the body of material therefore leaving no exposed metal surfaces and hence preventing the risk of electrical shock during the use of such cables.

Abstract: A male electrical connector with positive locking prongs and shielded blade protection. The connector comprises a plug body, a plurality of curved blades extending therefrom, and a plate carrying locking prongs and axially slidably coupled to the blades and plug body. In one embodiment, the plate is slidably received in a recess in the plug body, while in another embodiment, the plate is coupled to a tube which is slidably received on the exterior surface of the plug body. The connector can include an auxiliary lock-in assembly, a lock-out assembly, or both, as well as a seal to resist ingress of dirt or moisture.

Abstract: A dual-function DUT board connection and disconnection and prober/handler docking system is easy to use and provides high quality parallel electrical interconnection for a large number of signals by exerting a proper amount of pressure over a large but variable connection area with a high degree of reliability. A cam-ring is rotatably mounted to a load board. A DUT board, a DUT board holddown ring with cam followers and (optional) layers of pin-protecting plastic rings are aligned by two alignment pins on the load board into a correct position for mating of electrical connections between the load board and the DUT board. Rotation of the cam-ring by attached handles forces cam followers on the DUT board holddown ring to be drawn closer to the load board, bringing the DUT board into suitable electrical contact with connectors that electrically connect the DUT board to the load board.

Abstract: A male electrical connector with positive locking prongs and shielded blade protection. The connector comprises a plug body, a plurality of curved blades extending therefrom, a cover rotatably coupled to the plug body, and a shield carrying locking prongs and axially slidably coupled to the blades and plug body. The cover carries a set of cams and the shield carries a set of cam followers, rotation of the cover relative to the shield camming the shield and its locking prongs axially towards the plug body and out of locking engagement with slots in a female receptacle. In a first embodiment, the cover encloses a cable clamping assembly, while in a second embodiment the clamping assembly is outside the cover.

Abstract: A safety electrical device, including a housing, a pair of electrical terminals projecting forwardly from said housing for insertion into an electrical receptacle, and a spring biased protective cover mounted on the housing for movement between an extended position enclosed in the forwardly projecting terminals within the cover when the terminals are not inserted in an electrical receptacle and a retracted position which permits the terminals to be inserted into the electrical receptacle. The housing includes a blade holder within which the terminals are fixed and a separate forward housing member secured in forwardly extending fashion to the blade holder. The housing is formed with outwardly extending forward flanges and a stepped outer peripery which facilitates gripping of the device and prevents the hand from slipping off the housing during insertion into and removal from an electrical receptacle.

Abstract: A jumper cable apparatus to interconnect two batteries is described. The apparatus has a first and second connecting means that releasably engage each other. The first and second connecting means have a polarity-sensitive and current-limiting circuit within each connecting means with one or more colored LEDs, a current-limiting resistor and a piezoelectric alarm. The circuits also indicate when one of the batteries may have an open or short cell. The second connecting means has an electrically insulative, translating block means to reduce the chance of accidental contact with the interior of the connecting means and to reduce the chance of arcing outside of the electrically insulated housing and block means. The apparatus may have an extension cable apparatus to assist jumping the batteries when access to the batteries may be difficult. The housings of the connecting means have bosses and slots to aid in the alignment of the housings and to align the positive cables when the housings are interconnected.

Abstract: An electrical clamp suitable for use with automotive jumper cables, which consists of a handle with a spring loaded conducting member extending therethrough, the conducting member preferably having two contact surfaces on the end extending from the handle. One end of the handle is open for allowing the entry of an electrical cable for attachment to the conducting member, and the other end of the handle constitutes a bearing surface facing the contact surfaces of the conducting member. One of the contact surfaces is specially adapted to be used with side-mounted battery terminals, and the other contact surface is adapted to be used with top-mounted battery terminals.

Abstract: In an electrical connector which has to operate in fluid-tight manner in a liquid medium, in which one of the connector elements comprises contacts distributed circumferentially around an axial bore provided with a movable obturator and the other connector element comprises a cylindrical body adapted to penetrate into the bore by pushing back the obturator and provided with contacts distributed over its periphery and borne by insulating bodies of PTFE, the contacts are borne by insulating bodies of elastically deformable elastomer with the possibility of limited radial movement (springs) of the contacts with respect to the insulating bodies.

Abstract: A memory card comprises a plastic outer package which houses a semiconductor device and electrical connector. The outer package comprises a plurality of package sections which are stacked atop one another and bonded together along connecting surfaces formed on the outer peripheries of the package sections. The connecting surface of one package section of each pair of adjoining package sections has a projecting engaging portion formed thereon, and the connecting surface of the other package section of the pair of adjoining package sections has a recessed engaging portion formed therein which engages with the projecting engaging portion of the adjoining package section.

Abstract: An electrical connector for electrical connection with a complementary electrical connector comprises an insulating housing (11, 31) having a first recessed portion (12, 32) opening outward. A plurality of electrical contact members (14) are secured in the housing (11, 31) and have contact sections extending along the first recessed portion but spaced inwardly from a front end of the housing (11, 31). A movable guide member has a second recessed portion (15a, 35c) and is positioned in the first recessed portion (12, 32) at an outer position and has holes (15c) in a bottom wall in which ends (14a) of the contact members are positioned.

Abstract: An improved electrical plug household use to protect household occupants from electrical shocks while inserting or removing the plug from an electrical receptacle. The plug, in general, is a standard household electrical plug with or without a ground prong. The improvement of the present invention is to mount an elastically collapsible electrically insulating hood on the plug surrounding the prongs so that when the improved plug is inserted more than half way into the household electrical receptacle, the extent of the prongs not yet within the receptacle is surrounded by the hood and inaccessible to contact by household occupants, especially children. The hood can be a plastic bellows integrally molded with the body of the plug or the hood can be formed separatly and glued to the body of the plug. The hood can also be a foamed polymer tube section glued to the body of the plug.

Abstract: A connector assembly comprises a female connector having a protruding portion extending from one end and with one or more sockets therein and a male connector having one or more pins for being received in a different one of the sockets and a retractable pin shield member in which the pins are recessed when the shield member is in a forward position. The pin shield member includes a cavity for receiving the protruding portion of the female connector and as the connectors are progressively engaged the protruding portion is urged against the shield member causing it to become gradually retracted and exposing the pins which are then progressively received in the sockets of the female connector.

Abstract: An electrical connector (10) for electrical connection to a complementary electrical connector (20) comprises a housing (10a) having electrical contacts (13) secured in passageways (11) by housing lances (14); a movable contact guide member (40) is positioned in the housing (10a) and includes a guide plate (41) having holes (43) through which ends of contact sections (132) of contacts (13) extend when the contact guide member is an outer position so that holes (43) serve to align and guide the contact sections (132) for electrical engagement with complementary contact sections (231) of electrical contacts (23) secured in housing (20a) when contact guide member (40) moves to an inner position during the engagement between connectors (10, 20); and the movable contact guide member has an inner section (42) that extends along and maintains the housing lances (14) in latching engagement with the contacts (13).