Electrical receptacle

Application filed December 12, IMS. Serial No. 32SJS9S.

The invention relates to improvements in electrical receptacles.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of electrical recep_a taeles and to provide a simple, practical and efficient duplex receptacle of strong, durable and comparatively inexpensive construction adapted to be readily secured to an ordinary outlet box and equipped with means for posi10 tively gripping and securely clamping a plurality of branch conductors and of firmly holding the same without the necessity of soldering and splicing the wires and without the liability of the wires becoming accidentally 15 loose or disconnected from the receptacle through vibration.

A further object of the invention is to provide an electrical receptacle of this character adapted in clamping or gripping the branch 20 bared ends of the branch conductors to crimp or bend the same, whereby the said terminals of the branch wires will be securely locked in the receptacle, and effectually prevented from becoming disconnected therefrom through 25 tensile strain on the conductor wires.

It is also an object of the invention to provide means for holding the insulated portions of the branch wires in spaced relation, and to prevent lateral .movement of such insulated ao portions on the receptacle, whereby wearing of the insulation is prevented·

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction and novel arrangement of the parts hereinafter 35 described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction, within the scope of 40 the claims, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings:—

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a duplex 45 electrical receptacle constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a similar view, the cover plate of the body being removed.

Fig. 3 is a central transverse sectional view 50 on the line 3—3 of Fig.· 5.

Fig. 4 is a similar view on the line 4—4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken longitudinally of the bus bars on the line 5—5 of Fig, 4.

Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of one gg of the channel bus bars.

Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of one of the adjustable clamping bars.

In the accompanying drawings in which is illustrated the preferred embodiment of 50 the invention, the duplex electrical receptacle which is adpted to be installed in an ordinary outlet box comprises in its construction a body portion 1 of suitable insulating material provided at opposite sides with longi- 55 tudinal recesses 2 having terminal extensions 3 of substantially rectangular form to provide pockets for spring contacts 4 of bus bars 5. The body 1 is provided at the longitudinal recesses with a supporting ledge 6 70 extending between the pockets 3 at each side of the body and adapted to receive the bus bar 5 which is retained in the side recesses 2 by a cover plate 7 secured to the body by a central bolt 8 or other suitable fastening de- 75 vice. The cover plate 7 which is preferably provided with terminal enlargements has apertures 9 arranged in pairs at the said enlargements and communicating with the pockets 3 of the body and adapted to permit go knife blades of plugs to be introduced into the receptacle and engaged with the spring contacts 4.

The bus bars each consist of a channel bar or member constructed of suitable conducting 85 metal and having spaced side flanges provided at intervals with openings 10 forming bearings or seats for the bared terminals 11 of branch conductors 12.

The branch wires are inserted in the open- »0 ings 10 from the back of the receptacle which is provided at the inner side walls of the recesses 2 with spaced grooves 13 adapted to form seats for the insulation of the branch wires 12 to space the branch wires from one 95 another and also to prevent rubbing of the insulation and wear of the same through contact with the body 1. The cover plate is provided at its inner face opposite the openings 10 with enlarged sockets 14 to receive the ends 100

1,817,441 of the branch conductors and permit the bars and arranged within the same to engage branch wires to be extended entirely across ¹ ‘ ' the channel bus bars and project a sufficient distance beyond the same so that there will be no liability of the branch wires becoming disengaged from the opposite seats of the bus bar when gripped by a clamping bar 15. The clamping bar 15 which is provided at its inner side with grooves 16 to receive the wires is approximately wedge-shaped in cross section at its inner-side to oow or crimp the bared terminals of the wires between the side flanges of the bus bars, whereby the. terminals 11 of the branch conductors will be securely gripped and firmly locked in the seats of the bus oar and effectually prevented from becoming accidentally disconnected therefrom through vibration or tensile strain on the conductor wires. While the clamping ²⁰ bar is shown with the substantially Wedgeshaped wire engaging portion, it will be clear that the coacting portions of the bus bars and the clamping bar may be of various constructions to secure a firm gripping and clamping ³⁸ of a plurality of branch wires.

Hie clamping bar of each bus bar is connected with the latter by terminal adjusting screws 17 piercing the ends of the clamping bar and threaded into the bus bar at 18, W coiled springs 19 being preferably interposed between the clamping oar and the bus bar for automatically moving the clamping bar outwardly when the screws 17 are adjusted to branch conductors. * release the wires. When the wires are re⁸⁸ leased by the clamping bar they may be readily removed from or introduced into the openings of the bus bars.

The spring contacts 4' which are located at the ends of the bus bars and which extend inwardly therefrom are preferably constructed of a single piece of metal, but they may be of any other desired construction, as will be readily understood. The body is provided with a lug band 19' of the ordinary construction for attaching the receptacle to an outlet box.

The adjustable clamping bars are accessible from the sides of the receptacle, and the branch conductors may be conveniently introduced at the back of the receptacle.