Low profile spring contact with protective guard means

Abstract

A self-supporting contact for engaging a conductor combined with guard means for protecting both the contact and the conductor against accidental touch by a human hand. The contact is stamped from a flat strip of resilient, conductive material and has a rectangular body with a plurality, preferably four, spaced along and extending in parallel from one edge of the contact body. Each of the contact fingers is formed with a spring arch located near the end of the finger attached to the contact body. The apices of arches of the fingers are alternately directed above and below the plane of the contact body and the spring arches tension each of the contact fingers so as to bias the free ends of the fingers toward the plane of the contact body. The guard means for the contact comprises an insulating housing enclosing the contact body with portions of each of the contact fingers projecting to the exterior of the housing. The projecting portions of the fingers are enclosed by an insulating silo formed by two opposed shells. Each of the shells are of a corrugated form. One of the shells encloses those ones of the contact fingers having the spring arches directed above the plane of the contact body. The other of the shells encloses those ones of the contact fingers having the spring arches directed below the plane of the contact body. The guard means for the conductor to be engaged by the contact comprises an insulating housing enclosing the conductor. An opening in the conductor housing aligned with the conductor provides access to the conductor by the contact fingers. The opening has an outline which is complimentary to the outline of the periphery of the silo. The contact fingers and the silo are so dimensioned that no gap in the space enclosed by the opening is of sufficient width to permit entry by a human finger and contact of the conductor underlying the opening.