Abstract: Connector for a reed switch comprises a cylindrical connector body having two stamped and formed contact members thereon. One of the contact members has a wire receiving slot adjacent to a first end of the switch body for one of the switch leads. The other contact member has a wire receiving slot adjacent to the second end for the other switch lead. Both contact members have slots for external conductors at the first end. An inserter is slidably mounted on the first end for pushing external conductors into the slots which receive the external conductors. The switch body has excess lead storage portions at each end for storing portions of the leads which extend beyond the lead wire slots. A housing encloses the switch body and has an opening through which the inserter projects.

Abstract: Edge connector for a circuit board has stamped and formed latch members at each end of the connector housing. The circuit board extends at an acute angle from the board receiving face of the housing when the board is in its fully inserted functional position. Each latch member is U-shaped and has one arm which has a shoulder. The shoulders overlap side edge portions of the board and are directed towards the board receiving face. The housing has internal support members which are against the bight portions of the U-shaped latch members thereby to enhance the board retaining effect of the latch members. Each latch member has a convex camming surface along which the edge of the board moves when the board is pivoted from an initial insertion position to its functional position.

Abstract: Cylindrical electrical assembly comprises a plug part and a receptacle part, each part consisting of a metallic shell and an insulating insert within the shell. The insert of the receptacle part has an integral hood which extends forwardly beyond the mating face of the receptacle insert and which receives forward portions of the plug insert. The shell of the receptacle part also has an integral hood which extends forwardly, and is radially spaced from, the hood of the insert. Forward portions of the plug shell are received between the hood of the receptacle insert and the hood of the receptacle shell. The internal surfaces of the hoods of the receptacle shell and the receptacle insert are each provided with keyways. These keyways receive integral keys on the plug shell and the forward portions of the plug insert.

Abstract: Strip feed mechanism comprises an intermittently rotated sprocket wheel which engages the strip material. A guide plate extends tangentially past the sprocket wheel and serves to hold the strip material against the wheel and in engagement with the sprocket teeth. At the end of a feeding interval, the guide plate is moved away from the sprocket wheel by a bell crank mechanism. The bell crank mechanism comprises a bell crank having a movable axis which, in combination with other features of the mechanism, permits the guide plate to be moved away abruptly from the sprocket so that the feeding interval is brought to an abrupt halt without "chattering" or other slight uncontrolled movement of the strip.

Abstract: An electrical terminal device has stamped and formed post portions of U-shaped cross-section which are stiff and suitable for wire wrapping and has a compliant mounting portion between the post portions for mounting the terminal in a plated through-hole in a circuit board. The compliant mounting portion comprises outwardly bowed portions extending longitudinally between aligned associated sidewalls of the U-shaped post portions which are elastically deformable inwardly and towards each other. When one of the terminal post is inserted into the circuit board hole, these bowed portions are flexed towards each other when they enter the circuit board hole and the edges of the bowed portions bear against the surface of the hole thereby to establish contact with the plating in the hole and retain the terminal in the circuit board. The U-shaped post portions, but not the compliant mounting portion, are severely cold-worked.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing electrical harnesses is disclosed in which wires are fed through a loading zone and then clamped in the loading zone in side-by-side parallel relationship in an array. The wires are then cut and the clamped array of wires is moved laterally of the axes of the wires past a succession of crimping machines or the like. At each of the machines, a preselected wire is moved axially from the array so that its end is presented to the machine and a terminal is crimped onto the wire. The method of the invention is capable of producing harnesses comprising a plurality of discrete wires having different types of discrete terminals on their ends.

Abstract: Strip feeding mechanism intended for use in a stamping and forming machine comprises an intermittently rotated sprocket wheel which is located adjacent to the operating zone of the machine in which the stamping and tooling is located. The strip material is held against the periphery of the sprocket wheel by a retaining shoe so that the sprocket teeth will enter pilot holes in the strip and advance the strip during feeding intervals. During non-feeding intervals, the pilot pins which are part of the stamping and forming tooling, will adjust the position of the strip relative to the tooling performing the operation thereon. The construction of the biasing shoe and the sprocket wheel is such that the strip is not firmly held by the feeding mechanism and can be moved by a very slight amount by the pilot pins in order to position the strip precisely in the operating zone.

Abstract: A selective wire feed for feeding any one of a plurality of wires which are arranged in pairs, each pair having a first wire and a second wire. Each wire pair has a feeding unit associated therewith which comprises a driven belt and two idler belts. The idler belts are movable between a feeding position and a non-feeding position. A specific wire is fed by moving its associated feeding belt to its feeding position and actuating the driven belt so that the wire is fed by the two belts. A wire guide is provided and has convergent passageways which extend to a wire outlet. A cutter is provided adjacent to the outlet so that a wire which has been fed can be cut. Thereafter, the wire which has been fed can be retracted by reversing the direction of the driven belt.

Abstract: Harness-making machine has a connector installing station, a staging zone adjacent to the installing station for holding a stack of connectors, and a cable dispensing or feeding unit adjacent to the staging zone. Cable is fed from the feeding unit through the staging zone to the installing station at which the leading connector on the stack is installed on the cable. The dispensing unit has a cable guide which extends through the staging zone to the installing station thereby to protect the cable from the terminals which extend from the connectors contained in the staging zone. This guide thereby prevents jamming of the machine which can occur if cable movement through the staging zone is impeded by the terminals.

Abstract: Work holder for holding electrical connectors during insertion of terminals into cavities in the connector comprises a positioning fixture and a clamping member. The connector is clamped between one face of the positioning fixture and the clamping member. The positioning fixture has terminal guiding openings extending therethrough and has aligning and guiding surface portions which guide the connector towards these openings when the connector is being clamped in the fixture so that the cavities in the connector are in precise alignment with the terminal guiding openings. The fixture is intended for use in a robot and permits reorientation of the connector, from right to left, so that connectors requiring terminals in two different orientations can be accommodated.

Abstract: An electrical harness comprising a plurality of harness subassemblies is assembled by locating the subassembly leading ends of all of the subassemblies in a staging zone. The subassemblies are moved in succession along a transporting path which extends away from the staging zone in a succession which locates the subassembly leading ends of the several subassemblies at the required locations along the length of the harness. Bindings for the conductors in the harness subassemblies are applied where required. A fully automatic apparatus is disclosed for carrying out the process comprising individual transporters for each of the harness subassemblies which move the subassemblies individually along the transporting path.

Abstract: Tooling system for a forming machine has a continuous guide passageway in which first and second tooling assemblies are contained for movement towards and away from each other. The passageway has passageway surfaces which serve as bearing and guiding surfaces for the tooling assemblies. Each of the tooling assemblies has a ram member and a tool holder mounted on the ram member. Additionally, a face plate is provided on one of the tooling assemblies at the leading end thereof and is movable relative to the leading end between a retracted position and an extended position. When in its extended position, it is spaced from the ram so that tools, such as punches have their ends in openings in the face plate. When the tooling assemblies move against strip material positioned therebetween, the punches or similar tools move from the face plate and perform operations on the strip. The face plate then serves as a stripper plate during reverse movement of the ram.

Abstract: A scrap removal system is disclosed for a stamping and forming machine in which strip material is fed in a vertical plane through a tooling assembly having punches and dies therein so that holes are punched in the strip when the punches move through the strip and into the die openings. Such punching operations produce small bits of scrap material commonly referred to as slugs. The die block is mounted against a supporting structure which has passageways extending therethrough in alignment with the die openings so that as the slugs are produced, they are pushed into the passageways and form stacks of aligned slugs. The passageways extend to outlets, past which a slug removing device in the form of an endless belt continuously moves. As the slugs are pushed from the slug outlets, the endless belt carries them laterally and disposes of them at a location beside the tooling assembly. A detecting means is also disclosed which stops the machine in the event of failure of the scrap removal system.

Abstract: Wire holder for holding discrete wires in side-by-side parallel coplanar aligned relationship comprises a rectangular frame having oppositely-facing major surfaces and oppositely-facing minor surfaces. Side-by-side wire-receiving cavities extend into one of the major surfaces and through the frame and between the minor surfaces, a removable wire guard is connected to the frame and extends beside one of the minor surfaces. Wires inserted into the cavities will have projecting tip portions which will be located in the clearance space between the guard and the adjacent minor surface. Use of the wire holder has the effect of conferring on discrete wires many of the desirable features of flat conductor cable.

Abstract: Electrical connector assembly comprises a plug and a receptacle. The receptacle has a plug-receiving opening which receives the forward portion of the plug. A primary keying system is provided which permits insertion of the plug of the assembly into the opening but which precludes insertion of a similar, but more narrow, plug into the opening. A secondary keying system is provided for specifically keying the plug and receptacle to each other. The secondary keying system prevents insertion of a properly sized plug into the opening which is not intended for insertion. The primary keying system is advantageous when a series or family of connector assemblies are produced with the different assemblies of the family being generally similar but having increasing numbers of terminals and therefore increasing width.

Abstract: Electrical connector assembly comprises an insulating housing having terminals in terminal-receiving cavities in the housing. The terminals have post portions which extend from a mounting face, the post portions being intended for insertion into plated holes in a panel-like member. The post portions have compliant spring portions that are compressed upon insertion and establish contact with the plated metal in the holes. The assembly has improved force transmitting surfaces on the terminals and on the walls of the terminal-receiving cavities so that the assembly can be assembled to the panel-like member by merely aligning the post portions with the holes and applying insertion forces to the face of the housing which is opposite to the mounting face.

Abstract: Connector plug comprises an insulating housing having a conductor-receiving opening extending into its conductor receiving end and substantially to the leading end. The conductors extending into the opening are in parallel side-by-side relationship at the leading end. The contact members extend through openings in one of the housing sidewalls to the conductor-receiving openings. The contact members have plate-like portions having conductor-receiving slots by means of which contact is established. The plate-like portions of the contact members are arranged in a row with the planes of the plate-like portions extending diagonally with respect to the axes of the conductors. The contact members have external contact portions which extend to the leading end of the housing and partially across the leading end.

Abstract: Electrical connector for connecting a pair of side-by-side tap wires to through wires comprises a generally T-shaped housing having side-by-side parallel channels extending through the head for the through wires and having parallel side-by-side channels extending into the free end of the stem for the tap wires. The terminals are substantially L-shaped and offset slightly from each other. The terminals intersect the channels in the head and have wire receiving slots for the through wires. The terminals have ends adjacent to the free end of the stem which are directly inwardly towards each other and which intersect the channels for the tap wires. An opening is provided in the housing between the two terminals in the stem for a test probe to permit carrying out of a continuity test. The housing has a pair of covers, one for the head of the housing and one for the stem, which can be separately assembled so that the electrical connections to the through wires and the tap wires need not be made at the same time.

Abstract: A continuous strip of connector housing material is described which comprises a succession of housing segments that are latched together at their ends. Each segment contains a plurality of individual housing cells that are connected to each other by severable webs. The latches between juxtaposed segments are also severable. A connector housing of a desired size, as the regards the number of terminals therein, is obtained by severing from the end of the strip the desired number of housing cells. The connectors thus produced may be of the type which require a closure member which is fitted into the wire receiving ends of the cells. A continuous strip of closure members are also provided. The housings may by of either the feed-through type which are installed on wires intermediate the wire ends, or they may be of a wire end type, which are installed on the ends of wires.

Abstract: A bell crank type strip feeding apparatus is disclosed in which one arm of the bell crank is coupled to an actuator and the other arm has a feed pawl thereon for feeding the strip. The actuator is a crank pin which is moved along a circular path about a fixed center. The intermediate pivot of the bell crank is mounted for movement along an arcuate path in response to the circular motion of the crank pin. The intermediate pivotal axis of the bell crank is yieldingly supported so that it can move laterally of the arcuate axis path when the feed pawl engages a fixed stop. A shearing mechanism is also disclosed for shearing the strip material at the conclusion of the feeding stroke.