US2712167A - Parallel cable clamp - Google Patents

Description

July 5, 955 E. BLANCHARD 2,712,167

PARALLEL CABLE CLAMP Filed March 7, 1951 lll l I Mill Til lllllllllllllll llll l I INVENTO R Albefii fidiwardblanc/zwd I mxl tmf United States Patent PARALLEL CABLE CLAMP Albert Edward Blanchard, New Hyde Park, N. Y., as-

signor to Bnrndy Engineering Co. Inc., a corporation of New'York Application March 7, 1951, Serial No. 214,379

1 Claim. (Cl. 24-81) My invention relates to clamping connectors and more particularly to connectors adapted to be quickly installed on a cable or conductor.

Sometimes it is desirable to separate the various component elements of the connector at the top of a pole and assemble them about a wire, which procedure is time consuming and frequently contributes to dropping one of the elements especially if the assembly is atmeans whereby the connection is in position to accept resiliently an additional cable even though the connector is secured to a line; and to provide a clamping spring that will occupy a minimum space when compressed and lessen the possibility of loosening the finished connectron.

I accomplish these and other objects and obtain my new results as will be apparent from the device described in the following specification, particularly pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a top view of my connector shown mounted to parallel conductors, with a portion of the bolt head cut away to show the structure of the upper clamping member;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of my connector taken along line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional elevation view of th connector taken along line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation view of the connector showing one method of attachment to an additional cable; and

Fig. 5 is a side elevation view of the same showing a different method of attachment.

In the preferred version of my invention illustrated in the drawing, reference numerals and 12 designate upper and lower clamping members, respectively, each containing parallel grooves for positioning a plurality of cables or conductors to be supported therein.

In the upper member 10, the grooves comprise concave seats designated by numerals 14 and 16 for the respective conductors 18 and 20, while numerals 22 and 24 designate the corresponding seats in the lower clamping member 12.

A bolt 26 threadedly engages aperture 28 located between the respective seats 22 and 2.4 in the lower clamping member, the spiral shaped spring 30 being positioned between the head 32 of the bolt 26 and the upper clamping member 10. A washer 34 may be conveniently inserted between the spring and the upper clamping member, forming a support for the base of the spring.

The upper and lower clamping members are provided with outwardly flared lips 36, 38 and 40, 42, respectively, having opposing cam surfaces 36a, 38a, and 40a, 42a

2,712,167 Patented July 5, 1955 ice for facilitating the entrance of a conductor therebetween, the opposite set of lips adapted to be compressed at the backs thereof by finger contacting surfaces 36b, 38b, and 40b and 42b against the resilient action of the spiral spring, as shown in Fig. .4. The cable will be thus resiliently gripped after installation which is an aid to the installer. To assist in this operation, the upper clamping member is provided with an oval shaped aperture 44, as in Figs. 1 and '3, through which the bolt projects to permit the upper clamping member to be tilted or rocked from one side to expedite opening.

The axial ends of the clamping members 10 and 12 are formed with extending arms 46 in one member and accommodating openings or notches 48 in the other to allow the upper clamping member to rock without loss of longitudinal alignment axially of the conductors. The arms 46 are of a sufiicient length to enable the connector to accommodate conductors of various sizes depending on the size of the device. This construction will also allow two conductors of a different size to be secured together as is shown by cables 18 and 20 in the drawing.

The lips 36 and 38 of the upper clamping member 10 are staggered in relationship to the lips 40 and .42, respectively, of lower clamping member 12. Four recesses in the upper clamping member, one of which is indicated by numeral 50 in Fig. 1, accommodate the four lips of the lower clamping member, and the two recesses in the lower clamping member, one of which is indicated by numeral 52 in Fig. 2, accommodate the two upper lips in the upper clamping member, to permit the members to be rocked, as is shown in Fig. 4.

in the non-illustrated empty assembled position, the clamping members are in a closed position through the action of the spring 30. In this position, one set of opposing lips may be spread apart to facilitate entrance of the first cable 18 by pinching the other set of lips, the bottom member acting as a bearing surface on which the upper member rides during the rocking action.

As shown in Fig. 4, the opposing set of lips on one side of the device may be pinched together by the fingers, employing the inserted cable 18 as a bearing to open the other set of lips to receive the cable 20.

Another method of laterally opening the grooves is to hold the two spaced arms 46 by the thumb and middle finger while depressing the bolt head against the conical spring 30 with the forefinger forcing the members apart, as illustrated in Fig. 5. The connector may be opened with one hand and snapped over a cable or conductor. Releasing the finger pressure will allow the members to be drawn together by the action of the spring and clamp the cable or conductor. Thereafter an additional cable may be inserted in the other side of the connector while the connector is supported by the first cable.

The spring 30 is preferably spirally wound into the shape of an involute cone, as shown in Fig. 4, to allow the spring to be compressed into a single thickness, as indicated in Fig. 1, when the bolt is tightened to secure the connector to the conductors.

If desired the seats 14 and 16 may be scored to provide a better grip on the conductors.

By my design I can attach the connector to an endless cable or conductor strung across the top of a pole with one hand, and cam another wire through the outwardly flared lips of remaining set of grooves into position. The bolt may be then tightened to secure the conductors. When the connector is in a normal assembled position not connected to the cables, the spring exerts sufficient pressure to maintain the members together. When the connector is mounted to a first cable by opening the one set of lips, it will be self-supported on the cable until the second cable is mounted to the connector through the remaining set of lips. This construction minimizes separation and dropping of the connector or its component parts and simplifies installation procedure.

I have thus described my invention, but I desire it understood that it is not confined to the particular forms or uses shown and described, the same being merely illustrative, and that the invention may be carried out in other ways without departing from the spirit of my invention, and, therefore, I claim broadly the right to employ all equivalent instrumentalities coming within the scope of the appended claims, and by means of which, objects of my invention are attained and new results accomplished, as it is obvious that the particular embodiments herein shown and described are only some of the many that can be employed to attain these objects and accomplish these results.

I claim:

A connector for securing a plurality of cables comprising a pair of complementary clamping members, each having a pair of opposing seat portions to accommodate the cables to be positioned therein; a bolt positioned centrally of the clamping members and extending through one member into the other member for securing the members together with an elongated recess for the bolt in the one member to permit said member to be tilted with respect to the other member, one of said clamping members having integrally extending arm portions on the two end faces longitudinally positioned with respect to the seat portions, the other of said clamping members having recesses for receiving said arm portions on the corresponding two end faces for keeping the two clamping members in aligned position when the clamping members are open for receiving the cables, and a spiral spring having a flat supporting section positioned between the head of the bolt and the adjacent clamping member for urging the said clamping member towards the other clamping member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

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