Abstract: An electrical ribbon connector is disclosed having a protective hood which is assembled to or disassembled from a locked position on the connector insert member by either a sliding or pivoting technique. The hood is also automatically locked or secured in its final assembled position, and the locked or latched structure may be easily disengaged using a simple prying device such as a screwdriver. The connector body or insert member also includes retent structure for maintaining the plug and receptacle connectors in fully mated assembly but which also prevents contaminants from reaching the interior of the fully mated connectors.

Abstract: An interlock arrangement is disclosed for a unitary molded enclosure for electrical terminals such as for the terminals for a dead-front electrical plug. The enclosure is formed of electrically insulating material and has an interior chamber for housing the terminals and additionally has at least one moveable wall portion connected to the remainder of the enclosure by an integral web hinge. The moveable wall portion pivots on the hinge to an open position which provides access to the interior chamber of the enclosure. A number of interengaging locking members are integrally formed with the moveable wall and the remainder of the enclosure and engage one another when the moveable wall portion is closed to relieve stress on the hinge when assembling and using the enclosure and to provide safety even if the web hinge is weakened or fails. The unitary molded enclosure may have two such moveable walls, each with its own web hinge and interengaging locking members.

Abstract: A high voltage electrical connector of the type employed to connect a high voltage cable to the terminal of an electrical apparatus, such as a transformer, in a power distribution circuit is provided with a connector element which enables a ground connection to be made so as to ground the terminal without disconnecting the connector. A fault-closing device is provided in the electrical connector, in the event that the ground connection inadvertently is made when the circuit is energized. Access is provided through the connector element and the fault-closing device for a tool which can be inserted and operated from a remote location to selectively disconnect and connect the electrical connector and the terminal of the electrical apparatus, while the electrical connector and the cable attached thereto are grounded.

Abstract: A three-prong electrical plug for power tools and other electrical equipment is provided which can be used with either a 3- or 2-wire electrical outlet. One portion of the body of the plug containing the ground prong is detachably connected to another portion of the plug containing the two electric contact blades. When disconnected from one another, the plug body components can be then offset with respect to one another and connected together again in a predetermined second location. In this combination, the ground prong is located to contact the grounded screw of an electrical receptacle on inserting of the two electric blades of the plug into the receptacle, thus automatically grounding the electrical equipment.

Abstract: A grounding connector including a base plate having a plurality of grooves for aluminum clad or other similar metal clad telephone cables and a pressure pad adapted to be removably coupled with the base plate to facilitate retention of the metal clad telephone cables in the grooves. The connector is adapted to be connected to ground. Each groove has a configuration for assisting and retaining the metal clad telephone cables therein and grounding the cable.

Abstract: A watt-hour meter socket jaw comprises a pair of upstanding contact segments which are engaged by the arms of a C-shaped spring clip. The clip includes an integrally formed tab for guiding a meter stab into electrical engagement between the contact segments. Tabs lanced from the clip arms engage in apertures in the contact segments to securely mount the spring clip to the jaw.

Abstract: A connector for one or more wires includes a casing, a cavity within the casing, an opening in the casing providing a path leading into the cavity for the insertion of a wire, a wire gripping member secured to one side of the casing within the cavity for automatically engaging a wire inserted into the cavity through the opening. The wire gripping member is normally inwardly inclined away from the cavity opening across the path of a wire being inserted through the opening, and is resiliently yieldable to swing toward and away from the opening across the path of the inserted wire. The gripping member has a free end and a secured end about which the gripping member swings. A V-shaped slot having converging sharp edge portions for cutting the insulation of an insulated wire extends inwardly from the free end of the gripping member. A narrow slot having blunt edges for gripping the bare wire forms an extension of the V-shaped slot toward the secured end of the gripping member and terminates short thereof.

Abstract: A converter plug with improved self-locking terminals that are adapted to interlock with the terminals on a standard electric plug when the prongs of the latter are inserted into openings in the converter plug and the standard plug is rotated through an angle with respect to the converter plug for causing its prongs to interlock with the converter plug. Novel means is provided in the converter plug to prevent the displacement of the electrodes therein when the electrodes on the standard plug are inserted into openings in the converter plug and the standard plug is rotated with respect to the converter plug for causing its terminals to interlock with the terminals in the converter plug.

Abstract: A connector module for loadbreak operation having an insulating housing and a switch insert. The insert includes a container with a major portion of uniform diameter and a configuration such that the diameter does not increase from its outer end to its inner end, to permit the insert to be installed in the finished housing. Inside the container is a snuffer-contact assembly which has a bore lined with an ablative material. A bore contact having a gas port is attached to a snuffer tube of the assembly and has fixed to it a piston adapter for driving the snuffer-contact assembly toward the open end of the container tube in response to gas generated by arcing inside the bore. Resilient sliding contact means are fixed to the piston and press against the inside wall of the container tube to establish continuous electrical contact with it even while the piston is moving.

Abstract: A lampholder for a medium bi-pin fluorescent lamp has a combination slot permitting either "straight-in" or "turn-lock" insertion. The lampholder contacts have a pin-contacting section supported for reliable resilient gripping of the lamp pins so that the lamps will not drop out accidently, while a planar contact mounting section and use of only one major fold reduce contact cost.

Abstract: Each welding cable terminal component, such as a semi-cylindrical terminal half, near its rearward end is provided with a semi-cylindrical recess in which the cable conductors are received and held in position by a clip in the form of an endless band having a partially cylindrical external portion snugly fitting a corresponding external semi-cylindrical groove in the terminal component. A chordal inner portion of the clip is pressed forcibly into compressing engagement with the ends of the cable conductors within the recess, whereupon molten solder is flowed into the recess under the clip between the hair-like wires of the strands of the cable conductors, thereby forcibly holding the cable conductors firmly in the recess while the solder permeates the entire cable conductor ends within the recess. The terminal components of which there are at least two, are then assembled with an insulating strip between them and clamped together, as by bolts.

Abstract: An improved socket, particularly for a fluorescent lamp, includes a base, a casing which has guide passages for inserting therein the contact pins of the lamp, holes adjacent to the guide passages and communicating therewith. The holes receive power terminals, which are maintained in a desired position by a spring. The base and the casing are integrally connected to one another by a web which permits the casing to tilt relative to the base within a limited tilting range.

Abstract: An integrally molded housing has a dead-front base and a pair of side covers pivotally connected to it by web hinges. The side covers fold about the web hinges to: (i) force cord conductors into insulation displacement terminals affixed to the housing and thus wire the connector; (ii) safely enclose the wiring area; and (iii) lock the side covers to the dead-front base by the engagement of mating portions of the covers and base to prevent relative motion even should the web hinges fail. The connector can have male or female contacts or both. It provides speed and convenience of wiring and assembly and ensures quality wiring by eliminating the variability in workmanship associated with conventional stripping of conductor ends and screw tightening used for screw type terminals.

Abstract: An electrical connector includes a housing having a plurality of electrical contact elements disposed therein for terminating one end of an insulated conductor and a shroud securable to the connector housing to cover the electrical contact elements. Improved strain relief for the terminated conductor is provided by base clamp means securable to the housing and engageable with the conductor, and fastener clamp means engageable with the conductor and securable to the base clamp means. The base clamp means includes first detent means adjustably matable with second detent means disposed on the fastener clamp means to enable adjustable locking engagement between the base and fastener clamp means to grip the insulated conductor therebetween, the base and fastener clamp means being easily engaged or disengaged without the use of tools and adjustable relative to each other to accept conductors of different sizes.

Abstract: A method and assembly are disclosed for terminating a plurality of signal and ground or shield conductors of a ribbon cable. The assembly includes a contact plate having a plurality of termination tabs each joined to a carrier strip and a ground member. The active signal conductors of the cable are electrically connected to each of the tabs while the ground conductors are connected to the ground member. The terminated cable is then insert molded in an integral dielectric housing, leaving only the carrier strip and portions of the termination tabs and ground member exposed. The carrier strip is then severed from the connector, thereby electrically isolating the termination tabs from each other and the ground member. The resulting connector is mechanically and electrically reliable and may be interfaced with compatible electrical components without damage to the individual terminations.

Abstract: The present invention relates generally to electrical connectors and more particularly to the electrical connectors which are commonly known as cable bonding clamps. Cable bonding clamps are used for providing continuity of the conductive shielding of a communication cable at splice points so as to carry electrical current across the splice and to ground the conductive shield at termination points.

Abstract: A strain relief housing for a flat ribbon cable (11) terminating in an electrical connector (10) in which the housing comprises a pair of identical halves (20, 30) each having a flange (27) extending outwardly therefrom for clasping the cable (11) therebetween. Each flange (27) has extending outwardly therefrom at opposite ends a lug (28) and a notch (29), the lug (28) of one flange (27) being adapted to fold into the notch (29) of and about the other flange (27) to pierce a margin (13) at each side of the cable (11).

Abstract: The disclosure relates to intermatable connector bodies for splicing coaxial cables. Each connector body is identical with the other and includes an outer conductive sleeve providing an outer receptacle and an outwardly projecting tongue which is intermatable with the outer receptacle of the other connector body. The outer shell of each connector body contains a dielectric having a coaxial bore in which is mounted a sleeve form inner receptacle provided with a projecting crimp sleeve which is secured, by crimping, to a coaxial cable center conductor which passes through the inner receptacle. Each inner receptacle matingly receives the crimping sleeve of another receptacle to establish an electrical splice of the respective center conductors of a pair of coaxial cables.

Abstract: Apparatus for connecting and disconnecting a male contact element and a high voltage cable includes a housing securable to the cable and defining an axial passage having a cavity, a piston assembly with a female contact element movable in the passage and defining a chamber, material generating arc-quenching gas, a gas-pressure responsive valve providing communication between the chamber and cavity selectively on fault closure to accelerate engagement of the contact elements and connectors for providing continuous electrical connection to the female contact element of substantially fixed resistivity.

Abstract: A dead front plug is provided having an insulating housing with the general configuration of a valise. The electric cord enters the housing from the top of the valise. Strain relief is provided integral with the housing and comprises an annular channel around which the separated strands of the wire is directed. Radially extending pairs of walls in opposite sides of the valise press the two wire arcs into generally sinusoidal configuration along the length of each arc. Secure wire retention and strain relief is achieved.