Claims
- 1. A wire connector for connecting multiple wires comprising;
- a base member having a plurality of elongate side-by-side wire-receiving channels leading through a throat portion into a truncated conical cavity, said base member being formed with at least one groove extending transversely across the wire-receiving channels in the bottom of said cavity, said base member having wall members defining said cavity and enclosing said wire-receiving channels, which wall members have inner and outer surfaces, with the walls of the cavity diverging from an opening into the cavity toward the bottom thereof,
- a cap, shaped to fit in the cavity of the base member, including an end wall and depending side wall members diverging from the end wall, said side wall members having two legs extending beyond the free edges of said side wall members at peripherally spaced locations, and
- a wire connecting member positioned against the interior surface of said end wall of said cap,
- said legs of said cap diverging from the free edges of the side wall members and being shaped to fit within the cavity when the cap is placed on the base member, said wall members of one of the base member and cap being formed with at least one key extending generally radially therefrom and the other of said base member and cap being formed with a keyway, said key being of uniform cross-section along the length thereof which is that of a trapezoid and the keyway having a uniform cross-section to form a cooperating truncated V-shaped groove, such that the converging walls of the truncated groove contact the converging walls of the key and that a space exists between the bottom of the keyway and the end of the key.
- 2. A wire connector according to claim 1 wherein said base is formed of a translucent, solvent resistant, hydrophobic, resilient polymeric material.
- 3. A wire connector according to claim 2 wherein said polymeric material is a polyolefin.
- 4. A wire connector according to claim 3 wherein said polyolefin is polypropylene.
- 5. A wire connector for connecting multiple wires comprising;
- a base member having a plurality of side-by-side elongate wire-receiving channels having extended surfaces to support a corresponding plurality of wires, said base member being formed with at least one groove extending transverse across said channel surfaces and generally perpendicular to said channels, wall members defining a cavity about said channel surfaces, said wall members having inner and outer surfaces, with the inner surface of the walls of the cavity diverging from an opening into said cavity toward said channel surfaces, and said wall members having peripherally spaced, truncated, generally V-shaped keys formed on the inner wall surface,
- a resilient conductive connecting member having at least one wide thin and deeply grooved plate adapted to fit within the transverse groove and with one of said grooves in said plate being aligned with each of said wire receiving channels, and
- a cap supporting said connecting member and shaped to fit in said cavity, said cap comprising an end wall and depending side walls which diverge from said end wall, said side walls having two legs extending beyond the free edges of said side walls at peripherally spaced locations, said connecting member being positioned between said legs and against the interior surface of said end wall, said legs and side walls of said cap having converging walls forming generally truncated V-shaped keyways along each leg and an adjacent portion of said side wall, said keyways being shaped to frictionally receive said keys with walls of the keys engaging the walls of the keyways and with the free truncated end of each key being spaced from the bottom wall of the keyway when said cap is placed on the base member, whereby each key is wedged against said converging walls of the keyway when a force tending to separate or tilt the cap, in relationship to the base member, is applied.
- 6. A wire connector according to claim 5 wherein said cap has an external peripheral rib on said side walls the peripheral dimensions of which exceed the inner peripheral dimensions of said peripheral edge of said opening of said base to restrict movement of said cap from closed position to open position.
- 7. A wire connector according to claim 8 wherein the converging walls of the keyway are disposed at 6.degree..
- 8. A wire connector according to claim 5 wherein said connecting member is U-shaped and has a pair of parallel plates each formed with wire receiving grooves for making connection with the wires to be joined.
- 9. A wire connector according to claim 8 wherein said metal is a ductile cartridge brass.
- 10. A wire connector according to claim 5 wherein said base is formed of a translucent, solvent resistant, hydrophobic, resilient polymeric material.
- 11. A wire connector according to claim 10 wherein said polymeric material is a polyolefin.
- 12. A wire connector according to claim 11 wherein said polyolefin is polypropylene.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 07/642,534 filed Jan. 17, 1991, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,910.
US Referenced Citations (8)
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
642534 |
Jan 1991 |
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