IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
UP-0749974
(2007-05-17)
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등록번호 |
US-7615714
(2009-11-23)
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발명자
/ 주소 |
- Pyron, Roger
- Yoss, Craig
- Cole, Andrew C.
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출원인 / 주소 |
- Thomas & Betts International, Inc.
|
대리인 / 주소 |
|
인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
13 인용 특허 :
10 |
초록
▼
This invention pertains to a cord connector that both seals and provides strain relief automatically upon wire insertion. The cord connector comprises a wire passageway through a pliable shell which seals around both the wire inserted through the passageway as well as the knock-out or wall opening i
This invention pertains to a cord connector that both seals and provides strain relief automatically upon wire insertion. The cord connector comprises a wire passageway through a pliable shell which seals around both the wire inserted through the passageway as well as the knock-out or wall opening into which the connector is secured. A more rigid skeleton supports this shell and is provided with appendages which permit the wire to pass through the passageway but which block or resist any removal of the wire from the passageway. Preferably the shell is over-molded over the skeleton for ease of manufacture.
대표청구항
▼
What is claimed is: 1. A cord connector comprising: (a) a pliable shell having a wire passageway therethrough; (b) a rigid skeleton adjoining said pliable shell and sharing said wire passageway therethrough with said pliable shell, said rigid skeleton having a flange configured to retain against a
What is claimed is: 1. A cord connector comprising: (a) a pliable shell having a wire passageway therethrough; (b) a rigid skeleton adjoining said pliable shell and sharing said wire passageway therethrough with said pliable shell, said rigid skeleton having a flange configured to retain against a wall opening said rigid skeleton having perimetrical side wall and a plurality of deflectable appendages which are deflected by the passage of a wire through said wire passageway, said rigid skeleton supporting said pliable shell with flexible resistance such that said deflectable appendages cooperate with said pliable shell to further restrict the removal of the wire back through said wire passageway; and (c) whereby said pliable shell and said deflectable appendages cooperate to provide a seal around said wire and also to provide strain relief to said wire in said wire passageway. 2. A cord connector as set forth in claim 1 further comprising at least one tab spaced from a flange wherein said tab is deflectable so as to be pushed through said wall opening and wherein said flange prevents the further movement of the connector through the wall opening. 3. A cord connector as set forth in claim 2 wherein at least one said tab or said flange form a part of said skeleton. 4. A cord connector as set forth in claim 2 wherein at least one said tab or said flange form a part of said pliable shell. 5. A cord connector as set forth in claim 1 wherein said deflectable appendages comprise a plurality of inwardly directed fingers having distal ends that are deflected by the insertion of a wire through the connector. 6. A cord connector as set forth in claim 1 wherein said deflectable appendages comprise at least one curved edge arranged around the boundary of said wire passageway, said curved edge and said deflectable appendages being deflected by the insertion of a wire through the connector. 7. A cord connector according to claim 1, wherein said pliable shell further comprises a center portion which is a thin elastomer membrane configured to plug the wall opening until pierced by said wire such that the cord connector remains contaminant-free when in said wall opening without said wire in said wire passageway. 8. A cord connector according to claim 1, further wherein said the pliable shell is selected from a material having properties selected from the group consisting of: a resilient flexibility, a self-lubricating quality, a dielectric quality, corrosion resistant, non-metallic, and combinations thereof. 9. A cord connector according to claim 1, wherein the cord connector has a low profile that eliminates any chances of interference. 10. A cord connector according to claim 7, wherein said center portion of said pliable shell and said deflectable appendages are resiliently flexible to sealably accommodate and retain a variety of different cord gauges. 11. A cord connector according to claim 1, wherein the cord connector is sized slightly bigger than the wall opening into which the cord connector will fit so as to allow engagement with a non-standard opening size. 12. A cord connector according to claim 5 further wherein said inwardly directed fingers are curved upwardly away from said flange to make it easier to push the wire through and provide a high cable retention force further preventing removal of the cable wire once inserted. 13. A cord connector according to claim 1, wherein said wire is releasable from said deflectable appendages of said rigid skeleton and said pliable shell by an angular release. 14. A cord connector according to claim 1, wherein said inwardly directed fingers extend from a mid-region of an end of said perimetrical side wall of said rigid skeleton or from a region of said perimetrical side wall closest to said flange to provide a stronger support and result in a low profile for the cord connector. 15. A cord connector according to claim 1, wherein said deflectable appendages are a plurality of angular sectors configured to conically extend substantially close to said center portion and substantially close to each other to allow insertion of a wide range of different wire shapes and gauges as a thick power cabling as well as a thin data cabling. 16. A cord connector according to claim 1, wherein said deflectable appendages are of non-uniform thickness in a mid-region that is reduced in thickness compared to the remaining portion of the deflectable appendage, so that said deflectable appendage will flex at a mid-region and not at each deflectable appendage base. 17. A cord connector according to claim 1, wherein each of said pair of inwardly directed fingers is perforated so that each of said fingers will flex at a mid-region and not at a base of each finger. 18. A cord connector according to claim 1, wherein the cord connector assembly is pivotedly removable from said pliable shell and said deflectable appendages of said rigid skeleton upon the wire projecting from the cord connector at about 45 degrees or less. 19. A cord connector according to claim 1, wherein said wire is sealably restrained in the wire passageway when the wire is pivoted at an angle greater than about 45 degrees. 20. A cord connector according to claim 1, wherein said flange has apertures to engage with said pliable shell. 21. A cord connector according to claim 1, wherein the cord connector is configured to push onto and retain in said wall opening from the wire insertion side of the wall by a plurality of releasable tabs located on said rigid skeleton. 22. A cord connector as set forth in claim 1 wherein said inwardly directed fingers are capable of flexible resiliency to accommodate and retain repetitive insertion of various sized wires. 23. A cord connector as set forth in claim 1 wherein said wire passageway and said perimetrical side wall of said rigid skeleton are lined with said pliable shell to promote a liquid-tight seal throughout the wire passageway. 24. A cord connector assembly comprising: a rigid skeleton part characterized by a circumferential hoop with a perimeter, said skeleton part including an outer flange, at least a plurality of inwardly jutting pronged cable supports adjacent said perimeter, and at least a radially outwardly protruding tab on said perimeter; and a pliable shell over-molded around at least a portion of said rigid skeleton part, said pliable shell having a center portion shaped to allow passage of a wire and provide strain relief to the cable wire while sealing the wire passageway and a wall opening to prevent passage of contaminants, wherein said protruding tab is configured to be pressed through said wall opening, said pliable shell overmolded onto a plurality of inwardly jutting pronged cable supports to create a center portion as the only support layer to imparting direct force on the wire. 25. A cord connector assembly according to claim 24, wherein said center portion is a thin elastomer membrane which further comprises a plug in the wall opening to seal the wall opening from contaminants until pierced by a wire. 26. A cord connector assembly according to claim 24, wherein said strain relief and sealing characteristics defined by passage prevention of contaminants automatically occur upon the cable insertion and do not require any secondary operation or installation step. 27. A cord connector assembly according to claim 24, wherein the cord connector assembly has a non-interfering profile in said wall opening. 28. A cord connector assembly according to claim 24, wherein said center portion is configured to resiliently flex and expand to accommodate a variety of different cord gauges. 29. A cord connector assembly according to claim 24, wherein the cord connector assembly is sized slightly bigger than the wall opening into which the cord connector assembly will fit so as to allow engagement with a non-standard opening size. 30. A cord connector assembly according to claim 24, wherein said plurality of inwardly jutting pronged cable supports are curved upwardly away from said flange to make it easier to push the wire through and provide a high cable retention force further preventing removal of the wire once inserted. 31. A cord connector assembly according to claim 24, wherein said plurality of inwardly jutting pronged cable supports extend from a mid-region of said end of said hoop, or from a region of said hoop closest to said flange to provide a stronger support and result in a low profile for the cord connector assembly. 32. A cord connector assembly according to claim 24, wherein said plurality of inwardly jutting pronged cable supports extend substantially close to said center portion and substantially close to each other to allow insertion of a wide range of different wire shapes and gauges as a thick power cabling as well as a thin data cabling. 33. A cord connector assembly according to claim 24, wherein said plurality of inwardly jutting pronged cable supports includes an intermediate region that is slightly reduced in thickness, so that said support will flex at a mid-region and not at its base. 34. A cord connector assembly according to claim 24, wherein each of said plurality of inwardly jutting pronged cable supports is perforated so that said support will flex at a mid-region and not at its base. 35. A cord connector assembly according to claim 24, wherein the inserted cable wire is pivoted against the cord connector assembly so that the wire projects outward from the cord connector assembly at a 45 or less degree angle rather than at its normal 90 degrees, causing said plurality of inwardly jutting cable supports to be mis-aligned with each other and enable the cable to be slid off of the cord connector assembly. 36. A cord connector assembly according to claim 24, wherein the wire is retained in said wire passageway by said plurality of inwardly jutting cable supports when the wire is pivoted at an angle greater than about 45 degrees. 37. A cord connector assembly according to claim 24, wherein said flange has apertures to engage with said pliable shell. 38. A cord connector assembly according to claim 24, wherein the cord connector assembly is made to plug into the wall opening in the same direction as the wire. 39. A cord connector assembly as set forth in claim 24, wherein said inwardly jutting pronged cable supports comprise a plurality of inwardly directed fingers having distal ends that are deflected by the insertion of the wire through the cord connector assembly. 40. A cord connector assembly as set forth in claim 24, wherein said inwardly jutting pronged cable supports comprise at least one curved edge arranged around the boundary of said wire passageway, said curved edge and said cable supports being deflected by the insertion of the wire through the cord connector assembly. 41. A cord connector assembly according to claim 24, further comprising at least one tab spaced from a flange wherein said tab is deflectable so as to be pushed through an opening and wherein said flange prevents the further movement of the connector through the opening. 42. A cord connector assembly according to claim 41, wherein at least one said tab or said flange form a part of said rigid skeleton. 43. A method of manipulating a connector for insertion into and removal out of a wall aperture for reusage of the connector, the method comprising: providing a connector comprising a rigid skeleton part characterized by a circumferential hoop, said skeleton part having an outwardly directed flange, at least a pair of inwardly jutting pronged cable supports, and at least a radially outwardly protruding tab on said hoop, at least a portion of said rigid skeleton part over-molded with a pliable shell, said pliable shell having a center portion shaped to allow passage of a cable wire and provide strain relief to the cable wire but prevent passage of contaminants, wherein said center portion is designed to be the sole provider of force on the cable wire; inserting the cable wire through said center portion in a direction perpendicular to the wall to allow said cable supports to abut against the cable wire in an alignment; skewing/pivoting the cable wire on said connector so that the cable projects outward from the connector at a 45 or less degree angle rather than at its normal 90 degrees; and sliding off the cable wire from said connector once said cable supports are mis-aligned with each other. 44. A cord connector for providing strain relief to a wire, the cord connector comprising: a rigid skeleton having a sole wire passageway defined by a circumferential hoop with deflectable appendages extending from said circumferential hoop, said deflectable appendages being deflected by the passage of the wire through said wire passageway, said deflectable appendages designed to further restrict the removal of the wire back through said wire passageway; and a pliable shell adjoining said rigid skeleton and configured to wrap around the wire in the sole wire passageway, wherein said sole wire passageway minimizes the thickness of the cord connector. 45. A cord connector as set forth in claim 44 further comprising: at least one tab spaced from a flange wherein said tab is deflectable so as to be pushed through a wall opening and wherein said flange prevents the further movement of the connector through the opening. 46. A cord connector according to claim 44, wherein each of said appendages are separated from other appendages by slits therebetween on said circumferential hoop, said slits providing additional flexibility to said appendages. 47. A cord connector according to claim 45, wherein said flange is of a size and a slits provide additional uniform flexibility to said circumferential hoop, to accommodate and seal wide range of knock-out hole tolerances. 48. A cord connector according to claim 45, wherein said flange includes a head side and a tail side, and knobs are provided on said tail side, protruding over said pliable shell. 49. A cord connector according to claim 45, further including two additional tabs to provide stability when the connector is inserted into the wall. 50. A cord connector according to claim 46, wherein the thickness of said appendages narrows toward an intermediate position of a slit section and includes a distinct boundary on its top to facilitate its deflection at said intermediate position of a slit section.
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