OF

PAUL MARC JOHN SIMS FOR

ELECTRICAL CABLE CONNECTOR USING WIRE COMPRESSION METHOD

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the connection of two electrical cables which require joining using a more rapid method and compression technique.

Background

When two sections of electrical wire require fitting together to form a through current, the most common way to do this on domestic or commercial cables is a connector. These form various types including blocks which have passages through their body into which the wire ends are inserted and are held down by vertical screws.

Screw connectors were one of the first types of electrical connectors to be used, with one of the earliest patents found utilizing a screw "terminal" being that awarded to William P. Marr of Toronto, Canada - for an "Electric Wire Connecter U.S. Patent 1 ,583,479, Filed March 3 1923, Patented May 4,1926. A second which shows a very early generation of the block terminal is By Alfred Gunthel and William Wheeler U.S Patent 3137, 764. Screw terminals are low in cost when compared to other types of connectors, and can be readily designed into products for circuits carrying currents from a fraction of an ampere up to several hundred amperes at low to moderate frequencies. The black connectors easily can be re-used in the field, allowing for the replacement of wires or equipment, generally with standard hand tools. Screw terminals usually avoid the requirement for a specialized mating connector to be applied to the ends of wires.

When properly tightened, the connections are physically and electrically secure because they firmly contact a large section of wire. The terminals are relatively low cost compared with other types of connector, and a screw terminal can easily be integrated into the design of a building wiring device (such as a socket, switch, or lamp holder). Disadvantages include the time taken to strip a wire and, in basic terminals, properly secure it under a screw head, since it is essential that any wire installed under a screw head be secure and stripped sufficiently to expose the correct amount of copper thread.

This procedure is more time consuming than using a plug-in connector - thus making screw connections uncommon for portable equipment, where wires are repeatedly connected and disconnected.

In addition, the screw mechanism limits the minimum physical size of a terminal, making screw terminals less useful where very many connections are required. It is difficult to automate multiple terminations with screw connections. Vibration or corrosion can cause a screw to become ineffective in holding the wire. The wire may be wrapped directly under the head of a screw, may be held by a metal plate forced against the wire by a screw, or may be held by what is, in effect, a set screw in the side of a metal tube. The wire may be directly stripped of insulation and inserted under the head of a screw or into the terminal. Otherwise, it may be either inserted first into a ferrule, which is then inserted into the terminal, or else attached to a connecting lug, which is then fixed under the screw head.

Depending on the design, a flat-blade screwdriver, a cross-blade screwdriver, hex key, Torx key, or other tool may be required to properly tighten the connection for reliable operation

A similar arrangement is common with paired screw terminals, where metal tubes are loosely encased in an insulating block with a set screw at each end of each tube to hold and thus connect a conductor. These are often used to connect light fixtures and are shown at the right.

Alternatively, terminals can also be arranged as a terminal strip or terminal block, with several screws along (typically) two long strips. This creates a bus bar for power distribution, and so may also include a master input connector, usually binding posts or banana connectors.

The present invention aims to provide an improved connector for electrical cables and wires which is more instant as a fitting using compression and does not require screws, tape or additional time consuming stripping of wires on installation in one of the embodiments. Summary of the invention

According to the present invention there is provided a connecting device for electrical cable. The first embodiment of the device is comprised of a circular centre member which is at least five millimetres or more in width and has three connecting prongs extending from its centre, to either side of its core area, as shown. The exterior of the circular centre member is threaded for screwed over fitting of the accompanying components.

The ends of the cables requiring connection are often cut in line and across, leaving the exposed tips of the cut off negative, positive and earth wires, as shown in Figure 1 and 6.

In the first embodiment of the invention these ends although cut off, can still be connected by the tips of the three connecting prongs on either side of the centre member coming into touch contact with them.

Once contact of these tips is made on both sides the function and delivery flow of each wire is carried through and onto the other wire to which the prongs also connect, as shown In Figure 1 and 6.

These 'touch contacted' wire ends and connector prongs, must however be held securely and safely in place before an effective connector is claimed herein.

The ensemble of components includes cable sleeves which are coned rubber sections being compressible, an important factor to the assembly.

To the exterior of these are separate ringed shrouds which have a thread to their interior face. This thread is provided to join with the thread of the centre member's exterior thread when the two halves are closed together over the centre member and the touching wire ends, as shown.

The centre member is formed of a cylindric section which provides passage for two or three prongs through it. This passage is an ability to pass the power or value of the cut off wires, being connected, through to the opposing cable to complete the flow. The threaded exterior of said center member provides the ability to enable the two ringed shrouds to tighten over it securing the two wire lengths together as a completed connection. The method of holding the wires together once the ends of the cut wires are connected to the prong ends works through compression and not through a screwing mechanism, as known in other cited connectors, including block connectors. The device in effect joins the two lengths of cable together by feeding the connector to the wiring and not feeding the wiring to the connector.

The device seals and insulates the join making it integral and protected once sealed and as a fitting it does not require any additional material such as insulation tape to ensure its connection integrity or insulation of the join, this includes its ability to be water proof.

The users work time is also advantageously reduced when joining cables with the said device rather than conventional and known connectors, as the preparation of the wires themselves is simplified and the need to individually use a screw for each wire end is removed due to the compression holding method as described herein.

In a second embodiment of the invention the device may extend hollowed prongs into which the wire ends of the cables are inserted. As shown.

These prongs are provided and may be colour coded individually for ease of use, for example; A Red hollowed prong for a live wire and a Green hollowed prong for an Earth wire.

The ends of the individual wires wishing to be joined inside each cable, are prepared in the known way of removing a few millimetres of the wires rubber / plastic covering, to expose the copper wire threads or thread within.

These exposed copper ends are then inserted into the two or three hollow prong members which extend horizontally from the cylindric centre member.

These hollowed prongs pass completely through the body of the cylindric centre member and emerge to the exacting length on the opposing side of the centre member, as shown. Because of this, as with the first embodiment, the value of the wire. For example: A live wire has a value of live electricity, is passed through the centre member and outward to the continued extending prongs into which the second two or three wire ends are inserted from the cable to which they are being connected. These wire ends being, Live, Neutral and Earth. Brief description of figures

Figures 1 show an example of the cable connector device as a touch connector version and two cable lengths with twin wires.

Figures 2 show an example of the cable connector device as a wire insert version and two cable lengths with three wires.

Figures 3 show an example of the cable connector device wire insert version as an expanded centre view.

Figures 4 show a typical example of the cable connector device wire insert version, as an expanded view showing internal connection passages.

Figures 5 show an example of the cable connector device touch connector version, as an expanded view showing internal connection passages.

Figures 6 show an example of the cable connector device touch connector version with two cable lengths with three wires.

Figures 7 show an example of the cable connector device when fully closed on completion of fitting.

Detailed description of figures

A typical embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Figure 1. This shows the cable connector device body 1 which is a cylindric rounded body with more planar ends. From the connector device body 1 are presented at least four prong member ends selected as 1 and 6 in Figure 1. These prong member ends 1 and 6 (two selectively numbered of the four, as shown), are positioned to connect with the cut off ends of the electrical cable wires, 7 and 12 (two selectively numbered of the four, as shown). The prongs present from the cable end sections 5 and 8 therein. The electrical cable lengths 2 and 11 , are attached via the connector device body 1 being positioned between them and the four prong ends 1 and 6 and the cut off ends of the cable wires 7 and 12, being put together to touch connect therein.

On this application the threaded ringed shrouds 4 and 10 are passed over the rubber coned cable sleeves 3 and 9, as shown.

The threaded ringed shrouds 4 and 10 locate to the central main thread 14 of the connector device body 1 exterior.

The threaded ringed shrouds 4 and 10 are screwed tightly onto the main thread

14 until they meet centrally of the exterior of the connector device body 1 , forming a compression around the enclosed aforementioned connections and holding them.

This method of compression is also presented in Figure 2 wherein the wire ends

15 and 18 presented from the electrical cable, are left complete to protrude to enable them to be inserted into openings from tubed prongs 16 and 17 from the central connector device body.

The connection is shown in an expanded view in Figure 3, wherein wire ends 15B, are exposed by the stripping back of the insulation sleeve 19. These extend from the electrical cable end 5B.

The wire ends 15B are thus inserted into the tubed prongs 17B into an opening

20 which is copper, presented from the connector device body 1B therein.

The connection of electricity and its value are passed through a tubed passage

21 which has copper connecting means 22.

The cut off wire embodiment of the invention is shown as an expanded view in Figure 5, wherein the cut of wire ends 12D touch connect with the prongs 13D, to provide continued connection and thus passage of electricity value through means 21 D and 220. This touch connection with Earth, Live and Neutral wires is shown in Figure 6.

When the ringed shrouds 4F and 10F are fully rotated and tightened into the centre over the cable sleeves 3F and 9F, the two cable lengths 2F and 11F are connected securely and held together for use, as shown in Figure 7.

The means provide a seal which will prevent inlet of moisture or water.