Abstract: An electrical joint which is capable, while carrying current, of simultaneous vertical and horizontal articulation as well as extension or retraction in the longitudinal direction comprises in combination a pair of electrical conductors for supplying electrical energy to mine equipment, each of said conductors having a square C cross section defined by a rear wall, a pair of upstanding ends formed, respectively, on opposite edges of said rear wall, and a pair of inturned lips formed, respectively, on said upstanding ends; a unitary jointing member having an I cross-section defined by first and second parallel cheeks interconnected by a central stem portion; said jointing member being mutully engaged with said conductors with said first cheek being located within said conductors, with said first cheek having a dimension, in its direction of parallelism, such that there is established an articulation space beyond opposite ends of said first cheek, and with said stem portion extending outwardly between the intur

Abstract: A connector assembly for rechargeable battery-operated power supplies requiring a watertight housing. Such a connector is usable, for example, in conjunction with a waterproof housing for a hand-carried, rechargeable floodlight. The connector assembly incorporates a male connector member affixed to the exterior of the housing for mating with a female connector via which power may be supplied to recharge a battery maintained within the housing. Vents which permit gases generated by the charging operation to escape from the housing are located interior to the periphery of said connector assembly. When the battery is not being recharged, the connector assembly is covered by a watertight cap, thereby closing the vents and protecting the male connector member. A pilot lamp charge indicator is provided, and the cap provides protection against injury thereto.

Abstract: A high voltage bushing for an electrical device such as a transformer, the bushing including a fixed cylindrical conductor and a gas actuated bore contact mounted for reciprocal movement in the conductor and a fixed current interchange device in the form of an annular spring mounted in the conductor for maintaining electrical communication between the bore contact and the conductor.

Abstract: A ground termination and strain relief connector means includes a termination plate to which an exposed section of a shield conductor means of a flat cable means is connected. The termination plate with the shield conductor means secured thereto is clamped onto an instrument housing to form the ground connection and also provide a strain relief for the cable means.

Abstract: A connector assembly for a printed circuit board having electrical contacts on at least one surface of its edge portion, comprising a housing structure having spaced parallel side wall portions at least one of which has electrical contact elements carried on the inner face thereof, and at least one elastic retaining member partly positioned within the housing structure and in engagement with at least one of the side wall portions of the housing structure for being in pressing engagement with the printed circuit board and thereby holding the circuit board in a predetermined fixed position having the contacts in close contact with the contact elements on the housing structure.

Abstract: A cable clamp for use with various ribbon connectors is readily mounted on a connector end for providing a strain relief avoiding inadvertent disengagement of wires terminated in contacts of the connector. A protective hood construction is designed to cover the connector contacts and support the cable clamp. After the clamp is fixed in place and the wire terminations visually inspected, the hood is readily snapped in place. The provided clamp is particularly well-suited for automated assembly operations, requiring no discrete securing elements but merely a squeezing or clamping engagement with a cable to impart desired strain relief. The hood similarly requires no separate securing means for interlocking assembly with the connector and clamp.

Abstract: A deformable cable clamp for use with various ribbon connectors is readily mountable on a connector end portion to conveniently clamp a cable of wires in position prior to application of a cover or hood. The provided clamp enables the wire terminations to be effected either prior to or after the cable from which the wires emanate is secured in place by the clamp. The clamp is readily engaged with the cable by a simple bending step to effect a strain-free relationship between the cable wires and connector contacts. The simplicity of the construction provided lends itself particularly well to automated assembly operations.

Abstract: A compact electronic component and contact retainer device for use with electrical wiring terminal blocks having a plurality of adjacently positioned elongated terminal means disposed in aligned successive rows. The device includes a two-piece dielectric housing designed to accept an electronic component associated with spaced contacts adapted to accept a pair of spaced terminals in a row falling in a common plane. The housing, in its interior, specifically provides integral means for orienting and complementary retention of the contacts and electronic component means connected thereto while the component and the outside of the housing includes indicia means for proper orientation of the device relative to the terminals to thereby insure the proper polarity or direction of current flow through the electronic component means contained therein.

Abstract: A connector is provided of the type having the insulating body formed of a pair of similar half-shells adapted to be coupled to each other. The connector comprises a portion integrally formed therewith and forming a clamping region for the cable supplying the connector contacts.

Abstract: A clutch disengaging device which includes a sliding sleeve assembly and a self-centering clutch pressure bearing having a stationary bearing ring resting against the sliding sleeve assembly. The clutch pressure bearing is centered in the process of engagement and held by suitable means in a radial direction, such as adhesive means on facing surfaces of the sliding sleeve assembly and the stationary bearing ring for bonding the facing surfaces together.

Abstract: An electrical connector is matably attached to an oxygen sensor having a hollow center terminal for exposing the inner electrode of the oxygen sensor to ambient air. The electrical connector comprises a nylon connector body having radially spaced shrouds at a plug-in opening which receives the oxygen sensor terminal. A silicone rubber seal sleeve disposed in the outer shroud sealingly engages the inner shroud and the insulator sleeve of the oxygen sensor to environmentally protect the interface between the oxygen sensor terminal and the mating terminal carried by the connector body. The plug-in opening is vented via grooves in the shrouds. A retaining clip carried by the outer shroud forms a splash shield for the vent inlet. The connector body has an enlarged lead receiving opening which is sealed by a seal sleeve molded on th lead.

Abstract: A connector for coupling electrical equipment to a conductor rail has its contacts positioned on flexible spring members which are elastically movable in both the horizontal and vertical directions, thus permitting the connector to accomodate itself to different embodiments of conductor rails. The connector can also have locking members positioned at different levels to enable the connector to be firmly fastened to conductor rails having variously-positioned attachment flanges. For grounded circuits, the connector can be provided with a twisted leaf spring as a ground connection.

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: An input connection assembly comprises a holder of electrically insulating material having a well intermediate its ends, in which well are located at one end a U-shaped metal input terminal, at the other end a U-shaped metal output terminal, and intermediate the input and output terminals a U-shaped metal connection member. A jack plug can be inserted for test or interconnection purposes between said connection and terminal members. The holder contains two such current conducting systems in side-by-side relationship separated by insulating barriers and is received in a spring metal clip having an earth contact extending into the holder. Over-voltage protection devices are located between the input terminal members and the earth contact. A multiplicity of said assemblies are arranged in an array for terminating subscriber's lines at a telephone exchange. The terminal members have slots for stripping, connecting and holding wires.

Abstract: This invention relates to device comprising a plurality of movable electrically conductive contacts each having at least one contact surface. The contacts are movable in guide paths in response to application of forces to the contact surfaces. Elastomeric biassing means engage the contacts and bias the contacts to oppose forces applied to the contact surfaces. The elastomeric biassing means preferably comprises a moulded element of elastomeric material bonded to the contacts and restraining the contacts from leaving the guide paths. The contact surfaces can then be provided on one side of said element and terminals for connection to electrical leads can be provided by the contacts at the opposite side of the element.

Abstract: A security hinge is disclosed which includes a pair of leaves, having respectively, at least a pair of spaced end knuckles and at least one immediate knuckle disposed therebetween. Each knuckle includes a central axial bore, the bores being aligned co-axially. A pair of pins are provided, each pin having a head portion disposed in an end knuckle bore for rotation in unison therewith and a body portion thereof disposed within an intermediate knuckle bore to maintain the leaves in assembly and permit relative rotation therebetween the pin and intermediate knuckle. Stop means, are provided interiorly of the bores, against which the heads of the respective pins abut, thus preventing the pins from being driven completely through the end knuckle bores in the axially inward direction. Since the pins are recessed within the bores, and one prevents the other from being forced out of the bores in the axially outward direction, unauthorized disassembly of the hinge is precluded.

Abstract: An assembly is disclosed for bridging pairs of closely spaced electrical terminals having a variety of predetermined spacings. The assembly consists of a pair of identical insulative body parts which have cavities therein for housing two identical contacts and conductive devices connected between the contacts. The contacts and the conductive devices are connected together and inserted into appropriate cavities of a first body part, whereupon the second body part is snapped together and sealed with the first body part. A cantilevered contact mount enables the contacts to deflect and mate with connector blocks having split blade-like metallic terminals of various predetermined spacings.

Abstract: Electrical connector comprises an insulating housing having a wire-receiving face into which a cavity extends. A sheet metal terminal is disposed in the cavity and has a displation type wire connecting portion adjacent to the wire-receiving face. The wire connecting portion comprises an elongated metal strip which has been reversely curled inwardly to form a cylindrical surface adjacent to the face and a free end which is spaced from an intermediate portion of the terminal. A wire-receiving slot extends into the strip at the free end and a wire-receiving opening is provided in the curled strip adjacent to the wire-receiving face. In use, a wire is inserted axially through the opening so that the end of the wire is located between the free end of the strip and the intermediate portion of the terminal. The wire connecting portion is then subjected to a force applied against the cylindrical portion of the terminal which causes the wire connecting portion to be further curled.

Abstract: A seal for a cable connector is provided. The seal is made between a cable extending into an oversize cable clamp housing and the housing itself. The sealing element itself is a generally annular ring of yieldable material such as polymer foam. The sealing element preferably includes three generally triangular sectors some surfaces of which are preferably curved and the sectors are interconnected by webs formed integrally with the sectors. The annular sealing element extends generally about a cable extending into the housing.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system for supplying electrical current from a printed circuit board to an electrical motor rotatably positioned in an insulating housing. More particularly, the system includes two pair of cell contact members and two pair of collet tab members. The collet tab members include cylindrical tube sections which are received in arcuate fingers positioned at the ends of cantilever beams on the contact members.