Retaining Means Comprising Helically Threaded Member Patents (Class 439/359)
  • Patent number: 5277611
    Abstract: An arrangement is provided for connecting an electrical connector to a mating printed circuit board. The connector includes a dielectric housing having top and bottom walls joined by spaced apart side walls. An elongated slot is defined by the top and bottom walls for receiving the mating printed circuit board. A plurality of terminals are mounted in the housing with contact portions along the slot for engaging contact pads on the circuit board. At least one pair of aligned apertures pass through the top and bottom walls of the housing, and an aperture in the circuit board is adapted for alignment with the housing apertures when the circuit board is inserted into the slot. A fastener is received in the housing apertures and the aligned board aperture to maintain the board in mating relationship with the connector. The fastener is adapted to clamp against the top and bottom walls of the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 1993
    Date of Patent: January 11, 1994
    Assignee: Molex Incorporated
    Inventors: Dennis W. Berek, Arvind Patel, Daniel M. Prescott, Matthew Sanford
  • Patent number: 5213532
    Abstract: An orbital replacement unit electrical connector assembly is provided which is releasably attachable to a threaded bore of a target area of a support structure having at leat one first electrical connector and nut mounted thereon. The orbital replacement unit includes a casing in which a base panel housing is mounted together with a threaded shaft for engagement with the nut. A spring loaded transfer mechanism is provided between the shaft and the base panel which has at least one second electrical connector for mating with the first electrical connector. The spring loaded transfer mechanism serves to apply a disconnecting load at the interface between the shaft and the base panel to align the threaded shaft with the nut. Rotation of the aligned threaded shaft causes a second load to be applied for aligning the second electrical connector with the first electrical connector as the threaded shaft is screwed into the nut.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 1992
    Date of Patent: May 25, 1993
    Assignee: Canadian Space Agency/Agence Spatiale Canadienne
    Inventor: Francis H. A. Mee
  • Patent number: 5197900
    Abstract: An energy transmission cable connector having interchangeable locking mechanisms for attaching and releasably locking the connector to another device. The locking mechanisms can comprise retainers and rotatable jack screws or pivotal latches, the retainers and latches being interchangeably snap-fitted to the outer connector housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1990
    Date of Patent: March 30, 1993
    Assignee: Icontec, Inc.
    Inventors: J. Scott Ellis, Keith R. Carver
  • Patent number: 5169334
    Abstract: In a screw-fastened electrical connector, a plurality of cylindrical nuts are rotatably provided in a connector housing, a plurality of bolts are securely fixed to a mating connector housing, rotatory gears are secured to the cylindrical nuts and engaged with rotation direction changing gears secured to rotatory shafts at one end of each thereof, other rotation direction changing gears are secured to the shafts at the other ends thereof and engaged with driving gears secured to driving shafts, and the driving shafts are rotated in conjunction with a screw engaging portion. The cylindrical nuts are simultaneously rotated to be engaged with the bolts so that the housings are uniformly and smoothly fastened to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 8, 1992
    Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
    Inventor: Toshihiko Makita
  • Patent number: 5139439
    Abstract: The portable computer has a computer casing provided with a rectangular receiving space accessible from one side thereof, and a socket connector projecting inwardly into the receiving space from an innermost end of the receiving space and being electrically connected to the internal circuitry confined by the computer casing. A detachable cartridge type interface device has a rectangular casing detachably provided in the receiving space of the computer casing, and an interface card confined inside the rectangular casing. The rectangular casing has a rear end provided with a rectangular opening to access one end of the interface card. The socket connector extends into the rectangular opening to engage the interface card so as to electrically connect the same to the internal circuitry. The front end of the rectangular casing is provided with a socket to permit electrical connection of the portable compute with an external device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 1991
    Date of Patent: August 18, 1992
    Assignee: Veridata Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Alen Shie
  • Patent number: 4957208
    Abstract: An electrical connection portion for a railway car coupler having multiple contacts for being connected to train line circuits. The electrical connection portion includes a plurality of movable and stationary contact elements and a plurality of conductive studs assembled from the front side of an insulative block. There is a plurality of jumper plates electrically connected to selected ones of the conductive studs for establishing train line circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 1989
    Date of Patent: September 18, 1990
    Assignee: American Standard Inc.
    Inventor: Cuong Manh Ta
  • Patent number: 4820187
    Abstract: An electrical receptacle of the three contact type, one of which receives the standard, normally non-current-carrying, system ground pin of a corresponding cap.A set screw is advanced into a threaded bore in the plastic body material of the receptacle to make contact with the aforementioned ground pin. The bore may be from the receptacle front or from behind the face plate, in either case preventing the casual or surreptitious removal of the cap and cord and the associated equipment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 1987
    Date of Patent: April 11, 1989
    Inventor: Donald M. May
  • Patent number: 4781330
    Abstract: A device preventing connector pins attached to individual wires in a conductor from becoming removed from a computer connector. The device includes a body, which defines a chamber and includes a top, a bottom and sides joining the top and bottom. The computer connector is secured to the bottom of the body by a connecting apparatus and the conductor is secured to the body by a strain relief mechanism. The device prevents the connector pins from becoming removed from the computer connector when moving the conductor after the strain relief member has secured the conductor to the body and the connecting apparatus has secured the computer connector to the body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 1986
    Date of Patent: November 1, 1988
    Assignee: Custom Computer Cables, Inc.
    Inventor: Jack F. Atkins
  • Patent number: 4740174
    Abstract: A tension clamp adapted for mounting electrical and communications cables is provided. A flexible elongated C-shaped bail member is connected to a first clamp body portion on one end and a second clamp body portion on the other end. The clamp portions are plate-like and have opposing faces defining a cable recess therebetween. Bolts connecting the first and second body portions may be laterally translated out of grooves in one of the body portions to permit relative lateral translation of the body portions, without disconnecting the bail from the body portion, and enabling side mounting of a cable therewithin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 1986
    Date of Patent: April 26, 1988
    Assignee: Fargo Mfg. Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Nick S. Annas, John G. Torok
  • Patent number: 4700996
    Abstract: An electrical edge connector (14) of the zero insertion force type includes a pair of opposing blocks (30, 32) defining a longitudinal guideway (34) therebetween. Opposite corresonding pairs of female contacts (52, 54) are disposed in transverse holes in the blocks (30, 32), and male contacts (60) are slidably supported in the female contacts in one block for selective actuation into or out of sliding engagement with the female contacts in the other block responsive to insertion of a slider (36).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 1986
    Date of Patent: October 20, 1987
    Assignee: Cray Research, Inc.
    Inventors: Melvin C. August, Stephen A. Bowen, John T. Williams