Claims
- 1. Apparatus for forming an electrical connection to a plurality of different gauges of wire comprising:
- a base member;
- a first aperture in the base member for receiving an electrical wire;
- a second aperture spaced apart from the first aperture for receiving a cap, the second aperture intersecting the first aperture;
- an electrically conductive binding post fixed in the base member and protruding into said second aperture;
- a cap substantially filling the second aperture and capable of engaging the binding post, the cap including a central conductive portion and an outer nonconductive portion surrounding the central conductive portion, the central conductive portion including conductive means for cutting wire insulation and means for mechanically cooperating with the base member to retain a wire within the apparatus while forming an electrical contact thereto;
- cooperative restraining means between the binding post and the cap to restrain the conductive cutting means from completely severing the smallest wire intended to be inserted into the first aperture;
- a first indicator on the cap to indicate when a wire can be withdrawn from the first aperture; and
- a second indicator, spaced apart from the first indicator, on the cap to indicate a level of tightness sufficient to form an electrical contact to a largest gauge of wire capable of being inserted into the first aperture.
- 2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the first and second indicators are the edges of a solid circumferential indicator band on the cap, said band having a different color than the color of the cap.
- 3. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the first and second indicators are selected from the group consisting of the edges of a solid indicator band on the cap, circumferential depressions in the cap, dotted lines on the cap, dashed lines on the cap, different colored lines on the cap, or combinations thereof.
- 4. The apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the cooperative restraining means is a shoulder on the binding post capable of engaging a shoulder or the conductive portion on the cap prior to the conductive means for cutting wire insulation touching a conductive base region of the conductive binding post.
- 5. The apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the conductive means for cutting wire insulation is a cutting edge having a face parallel to a conductive base member portion of the conductive binding post and an angled shoulder capable of fixing a wire without cutting through the wire insulation between the base member and the angled shoulder.
- 6. The apparatus according to claim 5 further comprising a cavity within the base member, the cavity capable of receiving a crimped portion of a wire when the cap is engaged to pressure the wire inserted into the binding post.
- 7. The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the cooperative retaining means are selected from the group consisting of threads on the binding post and female threads on the cap, female threads withing the base member and male means for cutting wire insulation, and notching ribs on the binding post and the cap.
- 8. The apparatus according to claim 6 including a plurality of spaced apart binding posts fixed within the base member, each binding post oriented within a plurality of second apertures and each second aperture in communication with its own first aperture for receiving a wire and a cap for each binding post.
- 9. The apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the electrically conductive binding post contains an aperture in substantial alignment with the first aperture for the insertion of a wire therethrough.
- 10. The apparatus according to claim 9 wherein in the base member has a second or a plurality of apertures spread apart from the first aperture but in substantial alignment therewith and the binding post includes a divider within the electrically conductive binding post aperture for each aperture in the base member.
- 11. The apparatus according to claim 10 wherein the binding post contains a single aperture within the binding post for all the base member apertures.
- 12. The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein a base member shoulder which pinches the wire to a blunt portion of the electrically conductive cutting edge forms a point mechancial contact.
- 13. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein a base member shoulder pinches the wire to a blunt portion of the electrically conductive cutting edge over a region greater than a point mechanical contact.
- 14. The apparatus according to claim 13 wherein the base member shoulder and the blunt portion of the electrically conductive cutting edge are chamfered to be substantially parallel.
- 15. The apparatus according to claim 14 further including an environmental sealing material within the base member apertures.
- 16. The apparatus according to claim 15 wherein the base member contains an aperture in communication with the other apertures to receive the sealing material displaced from the other apertures upon the insertion of a wire into the wire aperture and/or the engagement of the cap on the binding post.
- 17. The apparatus according to claim 16 wherein the aperture for the displaced sealing material internally communicates with the first or second apertures.
- 18. An electrical connector suitable for forming an electrical connection to a plurality of different size gauge of wire, and having a binding post and a binding post cap, the binding post cap which includes:
- a first indicator on the binding post cap to indicate when wire can be withdrawn from the binding post; and
- a second indicator on the binding post cap, spaced apart from the first indicator, to indicate when an electrical connection is made to the largest gauge of insulated wire capable of being inserted into the binding post.
- 19. The apparatus according to claim 18 wherein said first and second indicators are selected from the group consisting of the edges of a circumferential indicator band on the binding post cap, circumferential depressions in the binding post cap, circumferential dotted lines on the binding post cap, circumferential dashed lines on the binding post cap, circumferential different colored lines on the binding post cap, or combinations thereof.
- 20. A method of indicating the formation of an electrical connection to a wire and the disconnection from the insulation on the wire comprising:
- providing an electrical connection means for indicating an electrical connection to an insulated wire on a binding post connector cap; and
- providing an insulation disconnection means for indicating a disconnection from the wire insulation on the binding post connector cap.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. application Ser. No. 07/246,399 filed Sept. 19, 1988 and completely incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.
US Referenced Citations (6)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
1128425 |
Sep 1968 |
GBX |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
246399 |
Sep 1988 |
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