GB2330022A

GB2330022A - Electrical connector

Info

Publication number: GB2330022A
Application number: GB9900917A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Richard Drewnicki
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1996-07-18
Filing date: 1997-07-11
Publication date: 1999-04-07
Anticipated expiration: 2017-07-11
Also published as: GB2330022B

Abstract

An electrical connector comprises a plug-receiving socket, a body in two parts 6, 13, a support 10 integral with the body and round which contact wires are bent, and is characterised in that the one body part 13 has an aperture 16 defining the mouth of the socket, and in that the parts 6, 13 are joined together by corresponding lugs 11 and apertures 18 near the mouth and by a latch 8,11 remote from the mouth.

Description

TITLE: ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS DESCRIPTION The invention relates to electrical connectors and to a method of making electrical connectors. More particularly, but not exclusively, the invention relates to electrical connectors for use in connecting telephone apparatus.

It is known to provide a telephone connector having a plug-receiving socket in which resilient electrical contacts in the socket are formed from bent wire. In the known arrangement, several components are required to form the body of the connector and to define the socket.

It is an object of the invention to provide an electrical socket for use on the end of a roving electrical lead, i.e. an extension lead, and intended to receive a telephone plug, wherein the contacts in the socket are formed from wire.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a socket construction which is simple and which facilitates assembly, e.g. automated assembly.

According to the invention an electrical connector has a body defining a plug-receiving socket, at least one wire member forming an electrical contact in the socket, and a support member integral with the body and embraced by the or each wire member, wherein the body has a first part having an aperture defining the mouth of the socket and a second part having lugs at its front part engaging in corresponding apertures in the front of the first part, the first and second parts of the body being secured together at the rear by snap-action connectors.

From another aspect the invention is an electrical connector having a body defining a plug-receiving socket and consisting of first and second parts, one of the parts comprising an integral member supporting at least one wire member forming an electrical contact in the socket.

The integral member may be in the form of a bridge defining an aperture in which a plurality of the wire members is positioned. As an aid to assembly the wire members may be bent round the bridge to form them to shape in which they embrace the bridge after they have been positioned in the aperture defined by the bridge. Thus the wire members may have an initial straight form.

One part of the body may be formed with means defining slots for aligning and separating a plurality of the wire members. The one body part may also comprise a cable support.

Another of the body parts may comprise a portion defining the mouth of the socket. Two body parts may be formed with means for engaging one with the other to hold the body parts assembled together, e.g. snap-action connectors.

From yet another aspect the invention is a method of making an electrical connector comprising providing straight wire members for forming electrical contacts, providing a body to define the connector, providing the body with a member for supporting the wire members, and bending the wire members round the support member to form the wire members into spring contacts embracing the support member. The method may comprise crimping the wire members to the conductors of electric cables.

The invention is diagrammatically illustrated, by way of example, in the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of an electrical connector in the form of a telephone extension lead socket; Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a detail of the construction of the connector of Figure 1; Figures 3 to 5 are perspective views showing further steps in the assembly of the connector of Figure 1 and Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of the connector of Figure 1.

In the drawings Figure 1 illustrates an electrical connector (1) according to the present invention in the form of a telephone extension lead socket having a body (12) moulded from plastics and consisting of two parts (6,13) respectively which together define a socket (14).

Figure 6 shows how the two parts (6,13) of the body (12) are assembled together to form the connector (1) defining the socket (14) having an array of electrical spring contacts (15), with lugs (11) at the front of the body part (6) engaging in corresponding apertures (18) in the front of the body part (13), which is formed with an aperture (16) defining the mouth of the socket (14), and the parts of the body being secured together at the rear by means of snap-action connectors, part of which can be seen at (17).

Figure 2 shows the crimping of wire members (2) which form the spring contacts (15) to the individual conductors (3) of an electrical lead (4) by means of crimps (5) e.g. of deformable electrically conductive metal.

Figure 3 shows an assembly stage in making the connector of Figure 1 in which a plurality of the wire members (2) are engaged with part (6) of the body (12) by movement in the direction of arrow A, the part (6) having at its rear end a cable guide (7), a cable grip (8), and at an intermediate position a plurality of parallel guides (9) defining between them slots (19) for receiving the individual wire members (2) to align and separate them, and an integral member (10) in the form of a bridge spanning the guides (9) and defining an aperture (20).

Figure 4 shows an assembly stage subsequent to that shown in Figure 3, in which the wire members (2) are positioned in the slots defined by the guides (9) and trapped by the bridge (10), with the ends of the crimps (5) abutting against the rear ends of the guides (9) , after which the free ends of the wire members are bent upwards as indicated by arrow B using the bridge as a fulcrum to form the spring contacts (15).

Figure 5 shows the wire members (2) bent up to form the spring contacts (15).

The invention thus provides a simple electrical connector, e.g. for a telephone, having a minimum of parts and which is capable of simple assembly.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. An electrical connector comprising a body defining a plug-receiving socket, at least one wire member forming an electrical contact in the socket, and a support member integral with the body and embraced by the or each wire, wherein the body has a first part having an aperture defining the mouth of the socket and a second part having lugs at its front part engaging in corresponding apertures in the front of the first part, the first and second parts of the body being secured together at the rear by snapaction connectors.
2. An electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the integral member is integral with one of the body parts.
3. An electrical connector according to claim 2 wherein the body consists of the first and second parts.
4. An electrical connector according to claim 3, wherein the first part has an aperture defining the mouth of the socket and the second part has lugs at its front part engaging in corresponding apertures in the front of the first part, the parts of the body being secured together at the rear by snap-action connectors.
5. An electrical connector according to claim 4 wherein the support member is provided on the second part.
6. An electrical connector according to any preceding claim, wherein the integral support is in the form of a bridge defining an aperture adapted to receive and position a plurality of the wire members.
7. An electrical connector according to claim 6, wherein the bridge is adapted so that the wire members can be bent there-around to form them to a shape in which they embrace the bridge after they have been positioned in the aperture defined by the bridge.
8. An electrical connector according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein a body part is formed with means defining slots for aligning and separating a plurality of the wire members.
9. An electrical connector according to claim 8, wherein the bridge and the slot defining means are on the same body part.
10. An electrical connector according to claim 9, wherein the same body part comprises a cable support.
11. A telephone extension lead comprising an electrical connector as claimed in any preceding claim.