GB2292269A

GB2292269A - Electrical connectors

Info

Publication number: GB2292269A
Application number: GB9516428A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Richard Drewnicki
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1994-08-11
Filing date: 1995-08-10
Publication date: 1996-02-14
Anticipated expiration: 2015-08-10
Also published as: GB2292269B; GB9516428D0; GB9416254D0

Abstract

A telephone socket comprises a moulded plastic member (2) which defines socket means (3, 4 and 20) and includes integrally formed terminals (5, 6), conductive material being deposited (8) on the surface of said member (2) to link between said terminals (5, 6) and a plurality of contacts (7) in the socket means (3, 4 and 20). The contacts (7) can be formed from wire with ends (10) which have a friction fit within holes (11) such that they make electrical contact with the deposited conductors (8). The terminals may comprise insulation displacement contacts (6) and may further include screw contacts (5). Details relating to a cover (12) and shutter (14) arrangement are also disclosed. <IMAGE>

Description

TITLE: ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS DESCRIPTION The invention relates to electrical connectors of the nature of plug and socket connectors, and more particularly to electrical connectors being or forming part of telephone wall sockets.

In the United Kingdom the standard telephone wall socket comprises a printed circuit board which forms a chassis on which is mounted a socket-forming member and all of the electrical components, conductors and electrical terminals required to form the wall socket. Such a device is expensive to produce.

It is an object of the invention to produce a telephone wall socket.

According to the invention, an electrical connector in the form of a telephone wall socket comprises a chassis member moulded from plastics and having a socket-defining member and a plurality of terminals moulded integrally therewith, a plurality of contacts in the socket, and conductors applied to the surface of the chassis by deposition and electrically connecting the contacts to the terminals. Preferably the conductor is applied by a three dimensional photographic metal deposition technique known ser se, and by which conductive metal is plated onto the plastics surface, although other techniques such as printing may be possible.

Preferably the contacts are formed, e.g. by bending, from wire.

A plurality of apertures may be formed in the chassis member, the arrangement being such that the conductors extend into the interiors of the apertures, and that the ends of the contacts are held by friction in the apertures and in contact with the conductors.

The terminals may comprise I.D.C. lugs. Preferably the chassis member also carries integrally moulded screw terminals conductively linked to the I.D.C. terminals to provide terminal options.

The chassis member may have integrally moulded terminals for receiving an electrical component such as a capacitor. Preferably the terminals are formed with I.D.C.

lugs whereby the electrical component is a push-fit on the lugs.

The telephone wall socket may comprise a cover member shielding the chassis member and formed with an aperture aligned with the socket, a shutter door for closing the aperture, resilient means biasing the shutter door to close the aperture, and fixing means for securing the cover member to the chassis member.

Preferably the shutter door is a unitary member moulded from plastics and which comprises a pair of spaced apart overlying plate-like limbs connected together at one end, whereby the shutter door can be slidably mounted on the cover member to embrace a portion thereof with one of the plate-like limbs on the exterior of the portion of the cover member and the other plate-like limb on its interior.

The shutter door may be made from a resilient material such that the plate-like limbs can be resiliently deformed to mount the shutter door in position on the portion of the cover member after which the limbs regain their original condition to prevent removal of the shutter door from the cover member. The resilient biasing means may be in the form of a compression spring mounted between the limbs of the shutter door and acting against the portion of the cover member to urge the shutter door into a closed position.

The invention is diagrammatically illustrated by way of example, in the accompanying drawings of a telephone wall socket, in which: Figure 1 is an exploded front perspective view of a telephone wall socket; Figure 2 is a view similar to that of Figure 1 and showing the telephone wall socket partially assembled; Figure 3 is a rear view of the telephone wall socket of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a rear view similar to that of Figure 3 and showing how the telephone wall socket can be wired to a connecting cable using I.D.C. terminals, and Figure 5 is a view similar to that of Figure 4 and showing how the telephone wall socket can be wired to a connecting cable using screw terminals.

In the drawings there is shown a telephone wall socket (1) comprising a generally box-like cover (12) housing a chassis member (2) which is fixed into the cover (12) by fixing means in the form of a pair of screws (16). The chassis is formed as a stepped plate having an intermediate shoulder portion (20) separating the chassis into opposed end portions (34 and 35 respectively). The chassis has a front face (36), as seen in Figure 1, and a rear face (37), as shown in Figure 3. The front face (36) of the chassis is formed at its end portion (34) with a rectangular projection (3) disposed adjacent to the shoulder (20) of the chassis to define between the shoulder (20) and the projection (3), a gap or recess (4) which forms a socket for receiving a telephone plug (not shown).

The projection (3) is formed at its free end with a series of slots (25) for receiving and supporting spring contacts (7) which extend into the socket recess (4). The portion (34) of chassis member (2) is formed with a plurality of apertures (11) at the base of the projection (3), the apertures extending through the chassis from side to side.

The spring contacts (7) are each bent from wire and comprise hooked ends (10) arranged to be received frictionally in the respective apertures (11) in the chassis, folded intermediate portions (26) arranged to be received in the respective slots (25) in the projection (3) and spring limbs (9) arranged to extend into the socket recess (4) to make electrical contact with a suitable telephone plug (not shown).

The rear face (37) of the chassis member (2) is formed at its opposite ends with two alternative sets of terminals, for connecting the wall socket with a telephone cable, in the form of screw terminals (5) and IDC terminals (6) which are connected to the contacts (7) by metallic conductors (8) plated onto the chassis by a threedimensional photographic process with the conductors extending into the apertures (11) through the chassis so that the ends (10) of the contacts are electrically connected to the conductors. The screw terminals comprise screws (21) mating with sockets (22) in cylindrical bosses (38) projecting from the front face of the chassis, the sockets (22) being plated with the electrically conductive metal of the conductors.The IDC connectors (6) comprise opposed pairs of lugs (23) formed with opposed knife-edge portions for the purpose of piercing the insulation on wires (28) of a telephone cable (29) in a manner known ner se. The lugs (23) are moulded integrally with the chassis member (2) and the knife-edge portions (27) are plated with the electrically conductive metal of the conductors to form an electrical connection between the wires (28) of the cable (29) and the contacts (7).

It will be seen that the screw terminals (5) are arranged in the end portion (34) of the chassis member (2) and that the IDC terminals (6) are arranged in the other end portion (35) of the chassis member (2) so that the terminals are separated by the stepped portion (20) of the chassis. The chassis member is moulded from a plastics material such that the projection (3) and the terminals are integral therewith.

The cover member (12) is formed with an aperture (13) arranged to align with the socket (4) in the chassis member (2), the aperture (13) being closed by a shutter door (14) slidably mounted on the cover member (12) and which is biased to close the aperture (13) by resilient means in the form of a helical compression spring (15).

The shutter door comprises a pair of spaced-apart generally parallel plate-like limbs (17) joined together by an intermediate portion (18), a rear one of the plate-like limbs having a semi-cylindrical recess (24) for receiving a portion of the spring (15). The shutter door is arranged to slide on a web-like portion (19) of the cover member (12) formed in a recess (13) in the front face (31) of the cover member (12) so that the pair of limbs of the shutter door embrace the web-like portion (19). In this position one end of the spring (15) bears against the shutter door and the other end of the spring bears against a recess (32) in the edge of the web-like portion (19) to urge the shutter door to close the aperture (13). In this closed position the intermediate portion (18) of the shutter door bears against the lower edge (33) of the aperture (13).

The shutter door (14) is preferably moulded from a resilient plastics material such that the limbs (17) can be resiliently prised apart or otherwise separated to an extent sufficient to enable the shutter door to be mounted in position in the recess (30) in the front face (31) of the cover member (12) such that the web-like portion (19) of the cover plate is embraced between the limbs (17) of the shutter door and such that the shutter door can slide substantially vertically in the recess (30) to cover and uncover the recess (13).

The invention thus provides a simple constructional method for telephone wall sockets, which obviates or reduces the need for expensive construction and assembly costs.

The construction method of the present invention substantially reduces the need for separate metal components in the construction of telephone wall sockets and thus reduces cost of construction and/or assembly. In addition, assembly costs are reduced by moulding the components integrally with the chassis as compared to the known technique of mounting the components on the chassis and fixing them mechanically e.g. by adhesives, by fasteners and by soldering.

Claims

1. A telephone wall socket comprising a chassis member moulded from plastics and having socket-defining means and a plurality of terminals moulded integrally therewith, a plurality of contacts in the socket, and conductors applied to the surface of the chassis by deposition and electrically connecting the contacts to the terminals.

2. A telephone wall socket according to claim 1, wherein the contacts are formed from wire.

3. A telephone wall socket according to claim 2, comprising a plurality of apertures in the chassis member, the arrangement being such that the conductors extend into the interiors of the apertures, and wherein the ends of the contacts are held by friction in the apertures and in contact with the conductors.

4. A telephone wall socket according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the terminals comprise I.D.C. lugs.

5. A telephone wall socket according to claim 4, wherein the chassis member also carries integrally moulded screw terminals conductively linked to the I.D.C. terminals to provide terminal options.

6. A telephone wall socket according to any preceding claim1 wherein the chassis member has integrally moulded terminals for receiving an electrical component.

7. A telephone wall socket according to claim 6, wherein the terminals are formed with I.D.C. lugs.

8. A telephone wall socket according to any preceding claim comprising a cover member shielding the chassis member and formed with an aperture aligned with the socket, a shutter door for closing the aperture, resilient means biasing the shutter door to close the aperture, and fixing means for securing the cover member to the chassis member.

9. A telephone wall socket according to claim 8, wherein the shutter door is a unitary member moulded from plastics and which comprises a pair of spaced apart overlying platelike limbs connected together at one end, whereby the shutter door can be slidably mounted on the cover member to embrace a portion thereof with one of the plate-like limbs on the exterior of the portion of the cover member and the other plate-like limb on its interior.

10. A telephone wall socket according to claim 9, wherein the shutter door is made from a resilient material such that the plate-like limbs can be resiliently deformed to mount the shutter door in position on the portion of the cover member after which the limbs regain their original condition to prevent removal of the shutter door from the cover member.

11. A telephone wall socket according to claim 9 or claim 10, wherein the resilient biasing means is in the form of a compression spring mounted between the limbs of the shutter door and acting against the portion of the cover member to urge the shutter door into a closed position.

12. A telephone wall socket substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawings.