US2885653A - Electrical connector - Google Patents

Description

May 5, 1959 M. BETH'EA ETAL 2,335,653

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR 1 Filed July 7, 1955 INVENTOILS, #44504 5477954 By 0004 9, j/W/Zfl 177" VQANL/s United States Parent Ala, assignors to Bethea Company Incorporated, a corporation of Alabama Application July 7, 1955, Serial No. 520,524 2 Claims. (Cl. 339-243) This invention relates to a device for making connection to an electrical conductor and particularly to a conductor while carrying an electrical charge and has for an object the provision of a device of the character designated which is simple of design and easily installed with the usual switching tools and which may be connected to, and disconnected from, without disturbing main power lines.

A more specific object of our invention is to provide a connector comprised of two cooperating clamping jaws connected respectively to the opposite sides of a resilient stirrup whereby the connector may be snapped or sprung onto the conductor using an ordinary switch stick or hot line tool and which shall include means for clamping the two parts firmly onto the conductor.

A still further object of our invention is to provide a connector comprised of two cooperating clamping jaws connected together with a resilient stirrup, the two jaws having oppositely inclined edge portions providing a V- shaped opening to receive an electrical conductor and be adapted to be forced apart to engage the conductor, one of said jaw parts being provided with means to engage it with a switch stick whereby to mount it on a conductor.

Briefly, our invention comprises a pair of cooperating clamping jaws which are mounted one on each side, or leg, of a resilient stirrup whereby they are held yieldingly in cooperating clamping relation. The edges of the clamping members opposite the connection to the stirrup are flared outwardly to engage a conductor and one is provided with a ring or opening to receive a hot line tool, and upon the exercise of force by the hot line tool the jaws may be forced apart and thus snapped onto the conductor. Clamping bolts pass through the jaws which, when tightened, draw them into tight engagement with the conductor. A tap ofi wire may be secured to the stirrup before attaching the connector to the line.

A device embodying features of our invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this application, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevational view with parts broken away;

Fig. 3 is an end view looking in the direction of the arrows III-III of Fig. 1; and,

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the clamping jaws spread apart by the insertion of an electrical conductor.

Referring to the drawing for a better understanding of our invention, our improved device comprises a pair of clamping jaws and 11 which may be made from heat treated, high strength aluminum alloy where connection is to be made to an aluminum conductor or from bronze where connection is to be made to a copper conductor. Passing through the clamping jaws are clamping bolts 12 and 13 with nuts 14 and 16 which,

when tightened down, clamp the jaws firmly against a conductor 17 as shown in Fig. 3. The jaw 10 has provided on one side near the end a boss 18 and the jaw 11 is provided with a similar boss 19 each of which is bored out to receive with a compressed fit the legs 21 and 22 of a resilient U-shaped stirrup 23. The legs 21 and 22, as shown in Fig. 3, when in clamping position are generally parallel and tend to hold the jaws 10 and 11 in engagement with the conductor 17 but as shown in Fig. 4, when the device is being forced onto a conductor 17 the legs 21 and 22 are caused to diverge at right angles to the bottom of the U. Being resilient they force the jaws 10 and 11 back to the position shown in Fig. 3 as soon as the conductor 17 is seated. The stirrup 23 is preferably made of hard drawn copper or what is known in the trade as 28F aluminum." Being resilient, it serves to hold the jaws yieldingly in cooperating relation to receive the conductor 17.

The edges of the jaws 10 and 11, opposite the side to which the stirrup 23 is connected, are provided with outwardly flaring portions 24 and 26. The edge 24 is also provided with an extension or boss 25 having an opening 27 therein forming a lifting ring which is adapted to receive a hot line tool such as a switch stick 28, indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4 of the drawing. Adjacent the fiaring portions 24 and 26 the jaws are provided with recesses 29 and 30 to receive the conductor 17. To facilitate tightening while attaching the device to a hot line the nuts 14 and 16 on the bolts 12 and 13 are placed on the same side as the lifting ring 25.

In order to prevent relative endwise motion of the jaws 10 and 11, the jaw 10 is provided with bosses 31 and 32 which interfit in complementary recesses 33 and 34 which are provided in the jaw members 11. The jaw 11 is also provided with a ridge 38 along its lower side which bears against a complementary recess 39 in the jaw 10 when the nuts 14 and 16 are tightened on the bolts 12 and 13.

In Order to place the device upon a conductor carrying an electrical charge, the switch stick 28 is inserted in the hole 27, the nuts 14 and 16 are slacked off on the bolts 12 and 13 and the device is pushed against the conductor as shown in Fig. 4 to spring the jaws apart. After this has been done, the nuts 14 and 16 are tightened down to bring the jaws into tight engagement with the conductor.

The line may be tapped in the usual way by attaching a conductor 36 to the stirrup 23 by means of a clamp 37 which may be any of the many available types suitable.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that we have devised an improved electrical connector which is simple of design, economical of manufacture, and one which may be readily connected to an electrical conductor by means of the usual hot line tools.

While we have shown our invention in but one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. In a clamping device for connecting to an electrical conductor, a pair of relatively Wide cooperating clamping jaws having opposed recesses located adjacent the upper edges of said jaws when the clamp is placed in service and adapted to receive the conductor therein, a resilient generally U-shaped stirrup having one leg rigidly connected to one of said jaws at one side thereof and the other leg connected to the other jaw at the other side thereof with the bottom of the U extending in a direction generally parallel to the conductor when placed in the clamp, said legs being bent outwardly away from each other in a direction generally at right angles to the bottom of the U when force is exerted against said jaws in an outward direction generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the conductor and adapted to urge the jaws toward each other in clamping relation, an outwardly flaring portion on each of the jaws along the upper edge portions thereof and disposed to receive the conductor and to be spread apart by exercise of force, clamping bolts extending through the clamping jaws below the opposed recesses therein in a direction generally at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the conductor, a lifting ring on the upper edge of one of the outwardly flaring portions, and nuts on said bolts adjacent the jaw on which the lifting ring is disposed whereby the jaws may be tightened in contact with the conductor on the same side of the clamp as the lifting ring.

2. In a hot line clamp for connecting to an electrical conductor, a pair of relatively wide cooperating jaws each comprising a generally rectangular member, there being coacting conductor receiving seats in the opposed faces of the jaws located near the upper edges of said jaws when the clamp is placed in service, bolt means extending through and adjustably securing the jaws to each other and extending in a direction generally at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the conductor, projecting bosses depending from the oppositely disposed lower corners of the jaws remote from the conductor seats, a generally U-shaped resilient stirrup having its ends inserted one in each of the said bosses with the bottom of the U extending in a direction generally parallel to a conductor in the clamp when placed in service, whereby the jaws are urged yieldingly in contact with the conductor by the stirrup, and outwardly flaring conductor guide portions along the upper edge portions of the jaws whereby the clamp may be snapped over the conductor by forcing the jaws apart in a direction at right angles to the bottom of the U.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,172,604 Johnson Feb. 22, 1916 1,366,799 Hartung Jan. 25, 1921 1,493,517 Bush May 13, 1924 1,500,499 Johnson July 8, 1924-

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