Snap in electrical connector assembly with unidirectional wire conductor retainer ring
IPC분류정보
국가/구분
United States(US) Patent
등록
국제특허분류(IPC7판)
H02G-003/06
H02G-003/02
출원번호
US-0100250
(2005-04-06)
발명자
/ 주소
Auray,Delbert
Kiely,Kenneth M.
출원인 / 주소
Bridgeport Fittings, Inc.
대리인 / 주소
Fattibene &
인용정보
피인용 횟수 :
23인용 특허 :
25
초록▼
An electrical connector that includes a connector body having an inlet end and an outlet end which has an outer surface sloping downwardly toward the outlet opening, and having a complementary frustro conical outer snap retaining ring mounted on the outlet end of the connector body. The outer frustr
An electrical connector that includes a connector body having an inlet end and an outlet end which has an outer surface sloping downwardly toward the outlet opening, and having a complementary frustro conical outer snap retaining ring mounted on the outlet end of the connector body. The outer frustro conical retaining ring is integrally formed from a blank of spring steel having integral locking and grounding tangs blanked or formed out of the plane of the blank. The connector assembly also includes an internal sleeve secured to the inlet end formed with spring fingers to secure an electrical conductor to the inlet end by a snap fit. In an alternate embodiment, a simple clamp arrangement can be substituted for the internal snap fit sleeve for securing a wire conductor to the inlet end of the connector assembly.
대표청구항▼
What is claimed is: 1. An electric connector assembly for securing an electrical conductor to an electric box comprising: a connector body having an inlet end portion, and an outlet end portion, said outlet portion terminating in an outlet opening, said outlet end portion having an outer surface th
What is claimed is: 1. An electric connector assembly for securing an electrical conductor to an electric box comprising: a connector body having an inlet end portion, and an outlet end portion, said outlet portion terminating in an outlet opening, said outlet end portion having an outer surface that slopes downward toward said outlet opening, a radially outward extending stop flange formed about an intermediate portion of said connector body, and a snap fit retaining ring having a face portion and an integrally connected circumscribing frustro-conical configuration wherein the diameter of the trailing end of said frustro-conical configuration is greater than the diameter of the leading end thereof whereby said frustro-conical configuration of said retainer ring complements said sloping outer surface of said outlet end portion, said circumscribing frustro-conical configuration includes a holding tang formed out of the surface of said ring and a grounding tang, and means for securing said retaining ring onto said outlet end portion of said connector body. 2. An electrical connecting assembly as defined in claim 1 and including an inner conductor retainer means disposed within said inlet end portion, said inner conductor retainer means comprising a blank of spring steel rolled to define a sleeve, and said sleeve having a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart wire retaining tangs projecting inwardly of said sleeve. 3. An electrical connector assembly for securing an electric conductor to a knockout hole of an electric box comprising: a connector body having an inlet end portion and an outlet end portion, and a bore extending therethrough, said outlet end portion terminating in an outlet opening adaptable for insertion through a knockout hole, a stop flange disposed intermediate of said connector body to limit the insertion of said outlet end portion into a knockout hole, said outlet end portion having an outer surface that slopes downward toward said outlet opening, a snap fit retainer ring being formed of a resilient material, said snap fit retainer ring having a face portion and an integrally connected frustro-conical configuration disposed about said face portion and extending laterally therefrom, a locking tang and a grounding tang formed out of the surface of said frustro-conical configuration, said locking tang being bent outwardly relative to the surface of said frustro-conical configuration at an angle greater than said grounding tang, said laterally extending frustro-conical configuration includes a trailing end having a diameter greater than that of said face portion whereby said locking tang and grounding tang are deflected inwardly to permit insertion of said connector assembly through a knockout hole, whereby said tangs are inherently biased outwardly when fully inserted, permitting the holding tang to secure the connector assembly to an electrical box and the grounding tang being positively biased in engagement with the internal periphery of the knockout hole to form a positive electrical ground, a wire conductor retainer sleeve formed from a blank of spring steel, said wire conductor retainer sleeve having an outer diameter sized so as to be frictionally secured within said inlet end portion, said wire retainer sleeve having a plurality of wire retaining tangs circumferentially spaced about the inner circumference of said retainer sleeve, said wire retaining tangs being inwardly bent relative to the circumference of said sleeve, said wire retaining tangs having their free ends longitudinally spaced apart. 4. An electrical connector assembly as defined in claim 3 and including means for securing said snap fit retainer ring onto the outlet end portion of said connector body. 5. An electrical connector assembly as defined in claim 4 wherein said securing means comprises: a projecting lug formed on said outlet end portion, and said frustro-conical configuration including a complementary slot for receiving said lug. 6. An electrical connector assembly for securing an electrical conductor to an electrical box comprising: a connector body having an inlet end portion and an outlet portion with a bore extending therethrough, an outwardly extending flange circumscribing said connector body, said outlet end portion having an outer surface sloping downwardly toward said outlet end opening, a projecting lug formed on said sloping surface of said outlet end portion, an outer retaining ring disposed on said outlet end portion, said outer retaining ring having a face portion provided with an opening therein, and a plurality of laterally extending arms integrally connected about the periphery of said face portion, said laterally extending arms defining a frustro-conical configuration for receiving and circumscribing said outlet end portion, locking tangs and grounding tangs blanked out of the surface of said arms, said locking tangs being cantileverly bent out of the surface of said arms at an angle greater than said grounding tangs, a retaining slot formed in at least one of said arms, said retaining slot adapted to receive said lug for securing said retaining ring on said outlet end portion, and an internal wire conductor retaining means disposed within said inlet end portion, said internal wire conductor retaining means being formed from a blank of spring steel rolled into a sleeve, said sleeve having an outer diameter sized for frictionally securing said sleeve within said inlet end portion, said sleeve having a plurality of tangs circumferentially spaced about the inner circumference of said sleeve, said tangs being blanked out of the surface of said sleeve, and said tangs having a free end projecting inwardly of said sleeve permitting a wire conductor to be readily gripped by said free ends upon insertion into said sleeve and whereby said free ends prohibit unintentional separation of the wire conductor from said sleeve. 7. An electrical connector assembly as defined in claim 6 wherein a circumferential portion of said sleeve is flat so as to facilitate orientation of said sleeve within said inlet end portion. 8. An electrical connector assembly as defined in claim 7 wherein said sleeve tangs are bifurcated to form twin tang fingers, Said tang fingers being disposed in parallel when said blank is formed to define said sleeve. 9. An electrical connector assembly as defined in claim 8 wherein each of said sleeve tang fingers include a first and second portion disposed at an angle relative to the circumference of said sleeve and an intermediate portion disposed between said first and second portion being disposed at an angle different from the angle declination of said first and second portion of said tang fingers. 10. A snap fit retainer ring adapted for use on an electrical connector to effect a snap fit connection to an electric box comprising: a blank of a metallic spring material formed to define a ring, said blank having a leading end, a trailing end, and a face portion; a plurality of opposed pairs of radial arms disposed about said face portion, said face portion having an opening therein, said radial pairs of arms being laterally bent about said face portion to define a frustro-conical configuration relative to said face portion wherein said trailing end has a diameter greater than the diameter of said leading end, holding tangs formed out of the surface of said opposed pairs of said arms, a retaining slot formed in at least one of said pair of said arms, said holding tangs being cantileverly bent out of the surface of said opposed pairs of said arms, and said pairs of arms having the free ends thereof functioning as grounding tangs. 11. For use in combination with an electrical box provided with at least one or more knock out holes, an electrical connector assembly comprising: a connector body defining an inlet end portion having an inlet opening, and a connected outlet end portion terminating in an outlet opening, an outwardly radially extending flange circumscribing said connector body between said inlet end portion and said outlet end portion, said flange forming a stop to limit the insertion of said connector body portion through a knock out opening of the electrical box, said outlet end portion having an outer surface sloping downwardly from said flange toward said outlet opening, a projecting lug formed on said sloping surface, a snap fit outer retainer ring supported on said outlet end portion, said snap fit retainer ring including a face portion and a plurality of arms formed integral with said face portion, said plurality of arms being laterally bent relative to and about said face portion to define a frustro-conical configuration circumscribing said face portion, a locking tang formed out of the surface of at least one of said arms, said locking tang being cantileverly bent outwardly relative to the surface of said one arm, and said arms having a free end defining a grounding tang, a retaining slot formed in at least one of said arms arranged to receive said lug for securing said retainer ring onto said outlet end portion, so that when said connector assembly is inserted through a knockout hole of an electric box, said locking tangs spring outwardly to secure the connector assembly to the electric box and the free ends of said arms being biased to engage the inner periphery of the knockout hole to create an electrical ground, an inner wire retaining sleeve disposed within said inlet end portion, said retaining sleeve being formed from a blank of steel spring material, said blank having a leading edge and a trailing edge and an intermediate surface therebetween, and said blank having a projecting tongue on one end, and a complementary notch formed in the other end thereof, whereby said tongue is received within said notch in the rolled position of said blank to form said sleeve, opposed wire retaining tangs formed out of the surface of said sleeve, each of said wire retaining tangs having their free ends bent inwardly of said sleeve toward the longitudinal axis of said sleeve and directed toward the leading edge of said sleeve so that said free ends permit a wire conductor to be readily inserted into said sleeve and gripped thereby so as to prohibit any unintentional separation of the wire conductor from said sleeve. 12. An electrical connector assembly as defined in claim 11 and including a wire conductor having an armor sheath having helical grooves, said free ends of said wire retaining tangs being spaced apart longitudinally of said sleeve to engage said helical grooves of said armored wire conductor whereby said armored wire conductor can be readily inserted or threaded to said wire conductor retainer.
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