Abstract: A connector is provided with a housing that includes a front face and a rear face, each face having a card slot. A row of terminals is provided and some of the terminals in the row have first contacts positioned in a card slot in the front face and second contacts positioned in a card slot in the second face. Other terminals in the row of terminals have contacts in the card slot in the front face and have tails configured to be mounted to a circuit board.

Abstract: A connector is provided with a housing that includes a front face and a rear face, each face having a card slot. A row of terminals is provided and some of the terminals in the row have first contacts positioned in a card slot in the front face and second contacts positioned in a card slot in the second face. Other terminals in the row of terminals have contacts in the card slot in the front face and have tails configured to be mounted to a circuit board.

Abstract: A laminated terminal is provided for an electrical connector and includes a plurality of flat metal layers juxtaposed to form a laminated structure. Each metal layer includes a joining section, a contact section and a terminating section. A plurality of projections on the joining sections of the layers are interengaged within a respective plurality of recesses in adjacent layers to align the layers and provide a strong mechanical and good electrical joint between the layers. Solder tails extend linearly along the bottom edge of each joining section to form a plurality of rows of solder tails, and the terminating portions of the metal layers are bent outwardly to separate the rows of solder tails from each other. The contact section of one metal layer may include a generally planar finger which is coplanar with a planar finger of another of the metal layers.

Abstract: A side-entry, blade-receiving electrical connector is provided for mounting on a printed circuit board. The connector includes a dielectric housing having a bottom wall and a blade-receiving receptacle at a side of the housing. At least one conductive terminal is mounted on the housing and includes a contact section exposed within the receptacle for electrically engaging a terminal blade of a complementary mating connecting device inserted into the side receptacle generally parallel to the printed circuit board. A mounting section is exposed exteriorly of the housing below the bottom wall thereof for mounting the connector on the printed circuit board. A flex section joins the mounting section to the contact section and performs a dual function of (a) spacing the bottom wall of the housing above the printed circuit board and (b) providing a yielding flexibility between the connector and the board.

Abstract: An electrical power connector is mountable on a printed circuit board. The connector includes an outer terminal and an inner terminal, both of which are of generally inverted U-shaped configurations, with the inner terminal nested in the outer terminal. Solder tails project downwardly from bottom edges of side walls of the two terminals. Both terminals have a pair of blade portions projecting forwardly from the respective side walls of the terminals, whereby the blade portions of each terminal are spaced from each other. The blade portions of one terminal are generally coplanar with the blade portions of the other terminal. A dielectric housing is overmolded about the side walls of the outer terminal, leaving the solder tails and the outside surfaces of the blade portions exposed. The housing has a projecting portion extending into the spacing between the blade portions of the two terminals against the inside surfaces of the blade portions, leaving the outside surfaces of the blade portions exposed.

Abstract: A low profile blade receiving electrical connector is provided for mounting on a printed circuit board. The connector includes a dielectric housing having a blade insertion cavity which extends generally parallel to the printed circuit board. A pair of generally U-shaped terminals are mounted on the housing, with one terminal nested within the other terminal. Each terminal includes a pair of side walls joined by a connecting beam. The side walls are generally perpendicular to and electrically connected to the circuit board. The connecting beams are generally parallel to the circuit board. The connecting beams of the two terminals are spaced from each other for receiving a terminal blade therebetween. The connecting beams have contact portions exposed in the blade insertion cavity of the housing for engaging opposite sides of the terminal blade.

Abstract: A mounting arrangement is disclosed in a power distribution system for electrification of modular wall panels or the like. A mounting bracket is adapted for location in a wire raceway of a modular wall panel. An electrical receptacle is mountable on the mounting bracket. Complementary interengaging guide ribs and grooves are provided between the bracket and the receptacle for guiding the receptacle into a proper mounted position on the bracket. Complementary interengaging latch arms and latch recesses are provided between the bracket and the receptacle for locking the receptacle on the bracket at its mounted position.

Abstract: A shielded electrical connector assembly includes a dielectric housing having at least one terminal-receiving passage. An opening is provided in an outside wall of the housing communicating with the passage. A terminal is inserted into the passage, with an engaging portion of the terminal aligned with the opening. A conductive shell is disposed about at least a portion of the housing. The shell includes a finger portion extending through the opening in the housing into engagement with the engaging portion of the terminal.

Abstract: A hermaphroditic electrical connection includes a pair of like electrical terminals. Each terminal has a front terminal mating end and a rear conductor connecting end. The front terminal mating end includes forwardly extending spaced-apart contact arms and a generally planar contact blade. The contact blade of each terminal is adapted to be slidingly received between the contact arms of the other terminal. The contact blade and at least one of the contact arms of each terminal include complementary interengaging guides extending longitudinally in a mating direction of the terminals for laterally aligning the contact blades and the contact arms during mating of the terminals. The contact arms are configured with opposing longitudinal side edges spaced-apart more closely than lateral mid-portions of the contact arms to define four points of contact between the contact arms and the contact blade.

Abstract: A latch-release mechanism is disclosed for a pair of electrical connectors movable toward each other in a mating direction into a mated condition. The mechanism includes a latching device on one of the electrical connectors for latchingly engaging a latch on the other electrical connector in response to movement of the connectors into the mated condition. A releasing device is provided for releasing the latching device on the one connector from latching engagement with the latch on the other connector in response to movement of the latching device generally perpendicular to the mating direction of the connectors.

Abstract: A power distribution system is disclosed for electrification of modular wall panels. The distribution system includes a track along a wall panel, a plurality of electrical power lines running along the track and defining a plurality of power distribution circuits, and a plug-receiving receptacle mounted adjacent the power lines for interconnection therewith. The invention contemplates receptacle contacts mounted on the receptacle, a plurality of circuit contacts interconnected with the power lines, and a plurality of interchangeable circuit control modules for selectively interchangeably interconnecting the plug-receiving receptacle with different power distribution circuits. The interchangeable circuit control modules include a plurality of control contacts of different arrays engageable between the receptacle contacts and different ones of the circuit contacts.

Abstract: A cable clamping device is provided for use with an electrical connector for electrically terminating conductors of a multi-conductor cable. The cable includes a shielding foil running the length of the cable. The cable clamping device includes first and second clamp means hingedly attached and defining mating faces profiled to provide a cable passage therebetween. Complementary interengaging latch means are provided on the first and second clamp means to hold the clamp means together sandwiching the cable in the passage. A foil shield bus terminal is mounted on one of the first and second clamp means and includes puncture means for penetrating the shielding foil. The other first and second clamp mans bias the shielding foil into penetrating engagement with the puncture means. A conductive means couples the foil shield bus terminal to the ground conductor of the cable.

Abstract: A longitudinal raceway is provided for housing electrical components such as in a space-dividing wall structure or the like. The raceway includes a pair of elongated raceway sections which, when in longitudinal juxtaposition, define a generally closed hollow structure for concealing and protecting the electrical components. A hinge is connected between adjacent longitudinal sides of the raceway sections whereby the sections are movable about the hinge between open and closed positions. Complementary interengaging latches are provided on the opposite longitudinal sides of the raceway sections to hold the sections in the closed position.

Abstract: A power distribution system is disclosed for electrification of modular wall panels. The distribution system includes a track along a wall panel, a plurality of electrical power lines running along the track and defining a plurality of power distribution circuits, and a plug-receiving receptacle mounted adjacent the power lines for interconnection therewith. The invention contemplates receptacle contacts mounted on the receptacle, a plurality of circuit contacts interconnected with the power lines, and a plurality of interchangeable circuit control modules for selectively interchangeably interconnecting the plug-receiving receptacle with different power distribution circuits. The interchangeable circuit control modules include a plurality of control contacts of different arrays engageable between the receptacle contacts and different ones of the circuit contacts.

Abstract: An electrical connector is provided with a dielectric housing having a forward mating end and a rear terminating end. The forward mating end has at least one terminal receiving cavity. A terminal is received in the cavity for connection to a complementary terminal of an appropriate mating connector when the mating connector is coupled to the mating end of the housing. The terminal is terminated to a conductor projecting from the rear terminating end of the housing. The rear end of the housing is provided substantially entirely by a pair of clam-shell members movably mounted on the forward end of the housing for movement between an open condition to allow the terminal easily to be inserted into the cavity and a closed condition securely encapsulating the inserted terminal. Complementary interengaging retaining portions are provided on the terminal and at least one of the clam-shell members for holding the terminal in the cavity when the clam-shell members are in their closed condition.

Abstract: An electrical terminal structure is provided by a pair of hermaphroditic terminals. In one form of the invention, each terminal is bifurcated to define a pair of elongated semi-cylindrical arms of different diameters defining pairs of elongated spaced edges to provide a four-point contact array. In another form of the invention, a pair of hermaphroditic terminals each are trifurcated to define a central semi-cylindrical arm and two outside arms, combining to provide a six-point contact array.

Abstract: An electrical connector is provided of the wire-trap type. The connector includes a housing defining an interior cavity with a passage through the cavity for receiving an in-line conductor. A pair of openings are provided in the housing for receiving the stripped ends of a pair of electrical wires. A generally U-shaped terminal is disposed in the cavity of the housing and includes a pair of leg portions joined by a bight portion. The leg portions have wire-trapping distal ends in registry with the openings for deflectingly engaging and trapping the stripped ends of the electrical wires inserted into the openings. The bight portion has a terminating section in registry with the passage for termination to the in-line conductor.