Thomas & Betts Corporation

Peter Noorily

Julio Filipe Rodrigues

Sidney Levy

Richard F Strauss

Joseph P Slachetka

Phillip Herb

A hold-down bracket secures an electrical terminal block to an enclosure surface. The terminal block includes a base having a plurality of circular terminal modules extending upwardly therefrom. The connector modules are arranged in plural staggered rows. Adjacent modules define a longitudinal passage therebetween. The bracket includes an elongate body having a securement element at one end for mechanical securement to the enclosure surface and an elongate terminal block holding member at the other end for positioning within the passage defined between adjacent terminal modules. The terminal block holding member has outwardly diverging opposed curved sidewalls preventing lateral withdrawal of the holding member through the passage. The mounting bracket may be supported at various locations along the terminal block to facilitate mounting to the enclosure surface.

Hold-down bracket for an electrical terminal block

An electrical connector provides for repeatable sealed termination of electrical conductors. The connector includes an insulative connector housing supporting therein an insulation displacing contact. The contact permits insertable and removable insulation displacing engagement with an insulated conductor. A sealing material is disposed within the housing around the contact for sealing the engagement of the contact with the conductor. The sealing material is displaceable upon insertable engagement of the conductor with the contact. The connector further includes a plunger supported adjacent the contact. The plunger is compressible in response to the insertable engagement of the conductor with the contact and returnable to an uncompressed condition upon removal of the conductor for returning the displaced sealing material to its original position.

Insulation displacing connector for providing repeatable sealed

An eject header comprises an elongate insulative housing having opposing longitudinally extending sidewalls and transversely extending endwalls and a base supporting a plurality of male terminal posts therein for electrical connection with socket contacts of a complementary connector. The sidewalls, endwalls and base define a cavity for receipt of such complimentary socket connector. A pair of ejectors are mounted on the housing for pivotal movement in a plane substantially parallel to the endwalls and wherein the ejector lever is manually moveable toward and away from one of the sidewalls. The sidewall is formed to have an opening for receipt of a foot portion therethrough into the header cavity. Further, the sidewall is formed to have a sidewall portion attached to the endwall such that the sidewall portion intersects the plane of pivotal movement of the ejector lever. The attached sidewall portion, in addition to providing structural strength through the header housing, serves as a stopping surface for movement of the eject lever. By using the sidewall portion as a stop surface, the throw distance for ejecting the complementary socket connector is enhanced.

Electrical eject header

An electrical connector for terminating conductors of a shielded multiconductor cable and for mating with a complementary electrical connector comprises an insulative housing supporting a plurality of elongate electrical contacts thereon. The contacts include a contact engaging portion and a shunt engaging portion movably supported on the housing. The contact engaging portion terminates in a curved free end that is axially movable within the housing. A pair of shunt bars is disposed transversely to and in electrical engagement with shunt engaging portions of the contacts thereby electrically commoning preselected pairs of electrical contacts when the connector is in a disconnected condition. Upon electrical connection with a complementary connector, the movable portion of the contact is moved axially in the housing as a result of the free movement of the free end of the contact, thereby causing the shunt engaging portions to move transversely relative to the shunt bars and away therefrom providing a wiping action during both connection with the complementary connector and disengagement therefrom.

Electrical connector with contact wiping action

The tapping or splicing apparatus for electrically connecting cables of the type having plural insulated conductors and drain wires comprises a base having an upper surface and a lower, substantially flat surface for juxtaposition with a floor surface. A plurality of insulation displacement contacts are supported on the base upper surface, each contact being configured to receive and electrically connect insulated conductors from at least two electrical cables. A detachable cover is secured to the base, the cover having an extent covering the contacts and including an upper surface that tapers downwardly toward the cover periphery. At the cover periphery there are plurality of cutouts extending through the upper surface of the cover, each cutout configured to accommodate a cable therein in a manner to present a gradual taper of the apparatus beneath carpets in an undercarpet wiring system to minimize its height effect in use.

Apparatus for tapping or splicing undercarpet cable

Electrical connector which provides visual recognition of the correct termination of plural discrete conductors is disclosed. The connector includes a base which supports plural electrical contacts therein. A conductor support assembly supports individually plural discrete conductors in a one-to-one correspondence with the contacts. The conductor support assembly includes thereon color indicative markings which correspond to the color-coded insulation of the conductors. A cover is supportable over the base which encloses the conductor support assembly to enclose the connection assembly. The cover includes plural apertures therethrough which align with the color indicative markings of the conductor support assembly to permit external visual access to the markings so that a comparison may be made between the markings and the color coding of the insulation.

Panel mounted electrical connector including means for providing an

A protective cover for removable attachment to the open end of an electrical connector that has exposed electrical contacts thereat, includes an insulative body having walls for substantially enclosing the open end of the electrical connector. The body includes a pair of guiding members that are adapted to engage side surface of walls of the electrical connector and guide the installation of the cover onto the connector such that potential damage to the electrical contacts will be minimized or prevented. The dust cover includes a flexible tether preferably integrally attached to the insulative body, the tether terminating in a discontinuous loop. The discontinuous loop has an opening so that the loop may be removably attached to an electrical cable that is terminated to the electrical connector. In the installed condition, the dust cover suitably prevents contaminants, debris or other particles from entering the open end of the connector while the electrical connector is in a disconnected condition.

Protective cover for electrical connector

An electrical connector for particular use in the data communications industry includes an improved latching mechanism for engagement with a like electrical connector or with an apertured panel of a terminal box or the like. The latching mechanism includes a movable arm pivotally mounted integrally with the housing of the connector. The arm comprises a latch on the front end facing the mating end of the connector. A lever captively supported on the housing includes a cam for engagement in a first position with a cam surface on the back portion of the movable arm to dispose the arm in an inclined relation with the latch located closely adjacent the housing so that the latch may be placed for connection another component. When the lever is slid to a second position, a locking spacer thereon engages the front portion of the arm to move the latch away from the housing and cause engagement of the latch with the other component. In the second position, the locking spacer substantially prevents further movement of the latch thereby maintaining the latch in a locking disposition relative to the other component.

Electrical connector and latching apparatus therefor

A latching apparatus is provided for an electrical connector of the type having a housing including a plurality of electrical contacts therein. The latching apparatus comprises a deflectable arm that is pivotally supported on the connector housing, the pivot being disposed generally between the two ends of the pivotal arm such that both opposed ends of such arm may move relatively toward and away from the connector housing. The front end of the deflectable arm is provided with a latch for attachment to a complementary latch of a mateable electrical connector or the like. A slidable locking bar is captively supported on the housing for movement between a first position and a second position. The locking bar and deflectable arm include cooperative locking means disposed on both sides of the pivot that are operative in the first position to prevent movement of both ends of the latching arm and in the second position to permit free movement of both arm ends. As such, when the bar is in the first position, secured locking engagement of the latch is provided when attached to the mateable connector, while when the locking bar is in the second position, the free movement of the deflectable arm permits ease of attachment to or detachment from the mateable connector.

Latching apparatus for an electrical connector

The flat multiconductor cable contains live, neutral and ground conductors lying generally parallel to each other and in side by side, single-plane relation. The live and neutral conductors are sealably surrounded by a relatively hard, polyetherimide material that is substantially free from attack from calcium hydroxide. An outer jacket or casing of polyvinylchloride (PVC) sealably surrounds the polyetherimide layers and contacts the ground conductor. The PVC is substantially free from attack in an alkaline environment. As such, the cable construction provides an enhanced resistance to puncture, particularly in alkaline environments which may be encountered in undercarpet wiring system applications.

Flat multiconductor cable for undercarpet wiring system

A cable termination sub-assembly is provided for electrically terminating insulated conductors of an electrical cable exteriorly of the housing of a shielded electrical connector, the sub-assembly being adapted for attachment to the housing subsequent to electrical termination of the cable conductors. The sub-assembly includes an insulative contact holder and an insulative conductor holding block that are adapted to be joined together in terminating insulated conductors of an electrical cable. A contact holder supports a plurality of electrical contacts each having an insulation displacement portion and a deflectable terminal portion. The conductor holding block includes means for frictionally retaining insulated conductors individually therein. The block further supports insulatively a pair of electrically conductive shorting elements, each element including a pair of spaced, exposed terminals. When the contact holder and the holding block are joined, the individual conductors are electrically engaged to the contacts through the insulation displacement portions and each terminal of each shorting element contacts a deflectable terminal portion of a unique different electrical contact for providing closed-loop circuit conditions for two selective pairs of cable conductors.

Electrical connector and cable termination apparatus therefor

The flat multiconductor cable contains live, neutral and ground conductors lying generally parallel to each other and in side by side, single-plane relation. The live and neutral conductors are sealably surrounded by a relatively hard, polyetherimide material that is substantially free from attack from calcium hydroxide. An outer jacket or casing of polyvinylchloride (PVC) sealably surrounds the polyetherimide layers and contacts the ground conductor. The PVC is substantially free from attack in an alkaline environment. The polyetherimide layers are extruded over the live and neutral conductors providing a seal therearound and thereby a barrier to moisture. The PVC layer is then extruded over the conductors providing a further seal around the polyetherimide layers.

Method of making an electrical cable for undercarpet wiring systems

Electrical connector including insulation displacing contacts

A shielded electrical connector is provided for electrical attachment to a shielded electrical cable of the type including a plurality of electrical conductors and a shielding braid surrounding the conductors. The connector includes an electrically insulative housing including a base and a separable cover attached thereto, the housing defining a mating end for electrical connection to an electrical component and a cable receiving end for receipt of the electrical cable. The housing base defines first and second open compartments divided by a partition extending therebetween. The first compartment is disposed adjacent the connector mating end and supports a plurality of electrical contacts therein. In the preferred arrangement, only the first compartment of the connector is electrically shielded. Shielding is provided by a conductive member including at least one conductive wall between the first and second compartments, the wall including an open slot for receipt of and engagement with the shielding braid of the electrical cable. Engagement with the conductive wall provides not only electrical connection to the cable shielding braid, but also provides cooperative strain relief thereto. The second compartment includes walls define a plurality of accessible ports for receipt of the cable in selectively different directions. These accessible ports are preferably in the form of slidably removable gates mounted on the base walls. The second compartment is of sufficient size to accommodate bending of the cable therein from the strain relief to any one of the accessible ports.

Shielded electrical connector

An electrical cable assembly for use in particular with undercarpet wiring systems has a flat multiconductor cable encased in electrical insulation, an insulative film extending lengthwise on the cable and an electrically conductive member overlying the film lengthwise, the conductive member having successive lengthwise extents that are respectively unsecured and secured to the cable. The film is provided with openings therethrough in registry with an exclusive one of the cable conductors through which the conductive member extents are connected to the cable. An electrically conductive shield preferably extends lengthwise with and overlies the conductive member. The shield is selected from material having a hardness greater than that of the conductive member. The material of the conductive member is preferably less cathodic in the electromotive series than the shield material so that in the presence of a corroding medium the shield and not the conductive member will first galvanically corrode.

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Bridgewater, NJ, United States of America

Peter Noorily