US1970767A - Cable terminal - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 21, 1934.

H I'QABEZZANA CABLE TERMINAL Original Filed March 22, 1928 Patented Aug. 21, 1934 CABLE TERMINAL Hector Rabezzana, Flint, Michfassignor, by

mesne assignments, to

General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Del- Original application March 22, 1928, Serial No.

. 263,903. Divided and this 31, 1929, Serial No. 403,792

application October 1 Claim. (Cl. 173-269) This invention relates to cable terminal con nectors, such as are employed for connecting ignition cables to the terminals of spark plugs, and is a division of my application, S. N. 263,903,

filed March 22, 1928, which has become Patent No. 1,792,866 dated February 17, 1931.

My invention consists essentially of a cylinder within one endof which the cable is secured and the other end of which is adapted for griplll ping engagement with the spark plug terminal. The connection with the cable is preferably made by means of a tongue bent inwardly from the cylinder and forced through the cable covering into electrical contact with the conductor; In the forms disclosed herein, the gripping engagement with the spark plug terminal is obtained by providing the cylinder with an integral inwardly pressed portion for engaging the terminal.

Various modifications of my invention will be described herein, as shown in the accompanying drawing.

Fig. l is a partial section through the preferred form of my connector showing it applied to a conventional type of spark plug.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of such preferred form.

Figs. 3 and 4 are perspective views of modified forms of the connector.

Fig. 5 is a view showing the method of connecting the cable end to the connector.

Fig. 6, is a cross-sectional view showing the electrical contact of the cable connection.

In Fig. 1 the numeral 1 indicates a conventional spark plug provided with a terminal 2 shown as screw-threaded and equipped with a sleeve 3 provided with-an annular groove 4 for cooperation with my improved connector, the part of this construction essential to the present invention being the provision of such annular groove or equivalent engaging means. My preferred form of connector consists of a cylinder 5 formed of sheet metal and provided intermediate its ends with an annular constriction or abutment 6 serving to limit the extent of insertion of the ignition cable '1.

The numeral 8 designates a pointed tongue pressed inwardly from the metal of the cylinder 5 and adapted to pierce the cable insulation and make electrical contact with the cable conductor 9, as shown in Fig. 6. To assemble the cable with the connector, the cable receiving end of the cylinder'5 is left open at the seam, as shown in Fig. 5, so as to permit the introduction of the cable, it being understood that during or after insertion of the cable, this open end of the cylinder will be closed.

In my preferred embodiment, the other end of the-cylinder 5 is provided with a bendable tongue 10 having an inwardly pressed portion 11, which as shown in Fig. 1, is adapted to engage in the groove 4 of the spark plug terminal. The bendable tongue 10 is preferably formed by cutting or punching out a portion of the cylinder wall between the abutment 6 and the terminal receiving end, which in the final product is positioned diametrically opposite the split in the cylinder and in longitudinal alignment with the pointed tongue pressed therefrom as may be seen from Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 2, tongue -10 may be formed to extend toward the open end of they connector adapted axially to receive the grooved terminal of a spark plug by cuts converging toward said end and joined together near said end. It will be seen from Fig. 1 that the cylinder 5 is of .such size and form as to maintain itself securely on the spark plug and substantially in axial alignment with the grooved terminal member 3 when the resilient tongue 10 engages the groove 4.

In the form shown in Fig. 3, the connector is slotted diametrically as at 12 at the terminalreceiving end to form opposed spring fingers or bendable tongues 13 and 14. The fingers or tongues are provided with inwardly pressed ribs 15 adapted to seat in the groove 4 of the spark plug terminal in the same manner as the inwardly pressed portion 11 in the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The end of the cylinder which engages the terminal is reduced as at 16 to limit the inward insertion of the ignition cable which .is connected thereto as previously described.

The construction in Fig. 4 illustrates a connector formed in two parts 16 and 17. The terminal-receiving part 16'is slotted and the spring fingers or bendable tongues provided with inwardly pressed ribs similarly to the form shown in Fig. 3. This part 16 is provided with a closed end 18 having an annular groove .19 receiving an intumed flange 20 on the cable-receiving part 17, which latter part is split and provided with the inwardly bent cable piercing tongue as in prior forms. The closed end 18 serves to limit insertion of the ignition cable.

My improved connector in its various forms is characterized by the ease with which it may Y be applied to the ignition cable and to-the spark plug terminal, and by the cheapness and simplicity of its construction. I

I claim:

and are joined together at a. point between the ends of said sleeve to provide an integral, resilient tongue, said tongue being formed with an inwardly extending portion for frictional engage- .n' ent in the groove of the terminal.

HECTOR RABEZZANA.

Images