Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
This invention relates to a hand too] ~or assem-
blil~g an electrical cable to a terminal connector.
Certain hand tools of the character described, as
well as crimping tools in the field o e electrical connectors,
commonly include a pair of jaws in a plier-type tool The
jaws may have either a pivotal action for cooperation with
one another, or a generally parallel action -facilitated by
a toggle~type connection. The tool has a pair of handle
members pivotally connected to one another and which are
pivo-ted by the operator~s hands to effect a connector as-
sembly, crimping or other terminal operation through closing
movement o- the jaws The handle members are usually spring
biased to their open or separated positions and manipulated
by the operator to their closed positions against the spring
bias It is through forc0 exerted by the operator on the
handle member~ that the assembly or -termination is effected.
One common method of terminating electrical cables,
for instance, insulation clad cables to terminal connectors,
is to insert the cables into receiving slots formed in the
connectors and which hold the cables in terminate positions
In many instances, the connectors have electrical contact
piercing portions or blades which pierce the insulative
covering about the cables during assembly or termination of
the cables to the connector to establish an electrical con-
ductive path therethrough after the assembly operation.
Problems arise when an operator exerts indeterminate Eorce
on the handle members oE the tool during the aforesaid
assembly operation, particularly when excess force is
exerted by the operator, Excessive forces can drive the
insulation piercing conductive blades into or through the
conductive wire portion or core of the cable causing damage
to the cable. This could interEere with the elPctrical
~g~3~
properties of the cable, This problem particularly arises
when the electrical COnDeCtOrS to which the cables are ter-
minated are of varying sizes for various intended purposes,
such as male and female connectors. Without any provision
being made ~or the dif~erence in conllector size, the opera-
tor can rely only on his ~eel o e the connector to insure that
the piercing blades o~ the connector contacts do not damage
or overly cut through the conduc-tor core of the cable.
Attempts have been made to provide a hand tool
which has adjusting means which can be set to determine the
closing ~stance of travel of the jaws o~ the tool depending
upon the si~e of the connector which is to be assembled to
the appropriate electrical cable, However, with such manu-
ally adjustable tools, the tool requires a separate physical
action to set the tool eOr each size or configuration of
connector, It would be desirable, and this invention is
direc~ed, to provide a hand tool of the character described
for solving these problems in assembling or terminating
electrical cables ior electrical connectors or the like.
An object, therefore, of the present invention is
to provide a hand tool for assembling or terminating an
electrical cable to a -terminal connector or the like -for
accommodating difeerent sizes or configuratiolls of terminal
connectors,
Another object O-e the invention is -to provide such
a hand tool which automatically accommodates difeerent
sized terminal connectors,
These and other objects are accomplished by pro-
viding a hand tool for assembling or terminating an electri-
cal cable to a terminal connector or the like which has a
receptacle portion for receiving the cable. The tool is in
the form of a plier type structure which has a pair of
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handle-operated opposing jaws ~or movement toward and away
~rom each other at adjacent ends o~ handle members which
are spring biased to their open or separated posi-tions,
The handle operated jaws are manipulated by an operator to
their closed positions against the spring bias. The jaws
are closed to assemble or terminate the electrical cable
-to the terminal conductor through force exerted by the
operator on the handle members, A bearing plate is mounted
on one of the jaws and has a bearing sur~ace facing the
opposing jaw for engaging the terminal connector. The other
jaw has a stu~fer portion or blade for engaging the electri-
cal cable and driving the cable in-to the receptacle portion
of the connector. A resilientl~ yieldable backing member7
in the ~orm o~ a backing pad, is sandwiched between the
bearing plate and the one jaw providing yielding movement
therebetween to accommodate variable sized terminal connec-
tors positioned between the jaws, to prevent damage to the
electrical cable due to excess pressure applied by an opera-
tor when the cable is assembled to the connector. The
beàring plate is moullted on its respective jaw by means of
a post type member which is rigidly fixed at one end thereof
-to the bearing plate, extends through the yielding backing
member, and is connected to the jaw at the other end o~ the
post member by los-t motion means in the ~orm o~ a pin and
slot connection. The slot is ~ormed in the jaw and extends
generally in the direction o~ movement thereo~, and the pin
is positioned within the slo-t transversely thereof and ex-
tending through the post member. The pin is removable to
permit replacement of the bearing plate and/or the yieldable
backing member. The stu~fer portio~ or blade on the other
jaw is mounted thereon by means of a removable pi]n so tha*
the stu-~fer blade can be removed ~or replacement purposes
3-
or for reversal of the s-tu~fer blade,
In one form of the invention, the opposing jaws
of the hand tool are connected to the handle members o~
the tool by a toggle type connection, and iTl another form
of tlle invention7 the jaws ~orm integral extensions o~ the
handle members,
The invention is particularly directed toward a
hand tool for assembling an insulated electrical cable to a
terminal conductor or the like which has a receptacle por-
tion and an insulation piercing contact for receiving the
insulated cable, The tool has a pair of handle operated
opposing jaws for movement toward and away from each other.
One of the jaws has means defining a bearing surface ~or
engaging the -terminal connector, and the other jaw has a
stuffer portion ~or engaging the cable and inserting the
cable into the insul~tion piercing contact in the receptacle
portion o~ the connector. The tool also has means de~ining
a resiliently yieldable backing member in the ~orm of a
cushion pad on at least one o~ the jaws between the jaw and
the respective bearing surface or the stuffer portioD pro-
viding yielding movement therebetween to accommodate vari~
able sized terminal connectors positioned between the jaws
and to prevent damage to the electrical cable due to excess
pressure applied when the cable is assembled to the con-
nector. The cushion pad is -fabricated of a material pro-
viding suf~icient back-up to permit the contact to pierce
the insulation of the cable but being su-fficiently resilient
to prevent the contact from damaging the conductive wire of
the cable.
Other objects, features and advantages of -the
invention will be apparent from the following detailed
description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.
~,J ~4~
Figure 1 is a side elevational view o~ one form
O-e the hand tool o~ the present invention;
Figure 2 is an end elevational view taken generally
in the direction o~ arrows 2-2 of Figure l;
Figure 3 is a ~ragmented horizontal section taken
generally along line 3-3 o~ Figure 3;
Figure 4 is a ~ragmented horizontal section taken
generally along line 4-4 o~ Figure l;
Figure 5 is a fragmented horizontal section taken
generally along line 5-5 of Figure l;
Figure 6 is a vertical section -taken generally
: along line 6-6 o~ Figure l;
: Figure 7 is a side elevational view O:e another ~orm
of the hand tool o-f the present inventioll;
Figure 8 is a top plan view o-~ the hand tool o~ :~
Figure 7;
Figure 9 is an end elevational view o~ the hand
tool o~ Figure 7, looking toward the le~t o~` the tool shown
in Figure 7; and
Z0 Figure 10 is an end elevational view looking to-
ward the right end o~ the tool shown in Figure 7,
Referring to the drawings in greater detail, and
speci-fically to the ~orm o~ the inven-tion shown in Figure l;
; . the hand tool o~ the present invention, generally desig-
nated 10, is de.signed :eor assembling an electrical cable
(not shown) to an appropriate terminal connector (not shown)
or the like which has an appropriate receptacle portion eor
receiving the cable, The cable is conventional and includes
an electrical conducto7~ or wire covered by a coating o~
thermoplastic insul~tive material or the like. Ribbon cables
which include a plurality O:e such coated conductors con-
nected by a webbing in a planar parallel disposition norm-
ally are terminated in an elongated terminal connector which
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has a plurality o~ slots extending longitudinally thereo~
defining receptacles ~or receiving the multiple cablesO A
plurality of individual contact members are mounted on the
terminal connec-tor in conjunction with each receiving slot
and includes conductive piercing blades which cut into or
pierce the thermoplastic insulative coating ~or the cables
as the cables are stuf~ed into the slots to establish the
respective electrical connections. In many instances, the
cables must be removed and/or replaced individually for
repair or other purposes, and khe hand tool o~ the present
invention is designed for assembling an individual cable into
an individual receptacle portion of the terminal connector~
Other similar applications o~ the hand tool wil] be apparent
~rom the ~ollowing detailed description.
The hand tool lO includes a pair o~ handle
operated opposiDg jaws 12 and 14 (the upper and lower jaws,
respectively, shown in Figure 1) which are ~abricated o~
solid rigid material such as steel, or similar alloy materials. ~ ,
The jaws 12 and 14 are pivotally connected in a toggle arrange-
ment to the ends of channel shaped handles 16 aDd 18, respec-
ti~ely, by pivot pins 20 and 22, respectively. Each handle
16, 18 has spaced wing-like members 24 disposed at -the
inner end thereo~ in a generally parallel spaced dispositio~
sandwiching the jaws 12, 14 therebetween and through which
the pivot pins 20, 22 extend. The jaws 12, 14 ex-tend in-
wardly beyond the pivot pins 20, 22 between the wings 24 o~
the handles 16, 18 and are connected thereto by a lost
motion means, generally designated 26, completing the toggle
type connection between the handles and jaws. The lost
motion connection 26 ~'or each handle and jaw includes a rear-
wardly opening slot 28 ~ormed in the inner ends o:E the jaws
12, 14 and through which pivot pins 30 extend for movement
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lengthwise within -the slots 28 of tha jaws, The pivot pins
30 are fixed at the ends -thereo~ to the respective handles.
As the jaws 12~ 14 open and close in the direction of double
headed arrow A (~igure 1) as the handles 16, 18 are operated
in the direction o~ double headed arrow B ~Figure 1), the
jaws correspondingly move in a toggle type fashion about
pivot pins 20, 22 with the difference between the arcua-te
paths of movement of the jaws and the handles being accommo-
dated by the relative movement of pivot pins 30 within slots
28.
The handles 16, 18 themselves are pivotally con-
nected together for opening and closing about double headed
pivot pins 32 extending through the pairs of wings 24 at the
inner ends of the handles. Each handle 16, 18 is covered
by an insulative coating or sleeve 33.
The handles 16, 18 are spring biased to their open
; or separated positions and manipulated by an operator to
their closed positions against the spring bias, The spring
means includes a pair of elonga~ed coil springs 34 which
are secured to their outer ends to tabs 35 on the inside of
the handles and at their inner ends to the inner ends of the
ja~s 12, 14 within the handles 16, 18, respectively.
A stuf-Per blade 3G is rigidly secured to the in-
side o-~ the upper jaw 12 by means of a set screw 38, with
the s-tu~fer blade disposed within a slot 40 (Figure 3)
~ormed in the jaw 12. The stuf~er blade 36 has a wa~fle con-
figuration 42 along its exposed edge ~acing the jaw 14. The
waffled edge 42 engages the outer coating or insulation of
an electrical cable during the assembly operation of the
hand tool to eliminate longitudinal movement o~ the cable
during assembly. The set screw 38 may be loosened to adjust,
reverse or replace the stu~fer blade 36.
,v ,=-~
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A bearing plate 44 is secured to the lower jaw
14 and has a flat bearing surface 46 ~acing the stu~er
blade 36 in the jaw 12, A resiliently yieldable backing
member or cushioning pad 48 is sandwiched between the
bearing plate 44 and the jaw 14 providing for yielding
movement between the bearing plate and jaw to accommodate
variable sized terminal connectors positioned between the
jaws 12~ 14 to prevent damage to -the electrical cable due
to excessive pressure which might be applied by an operator
of thè tool when the cable is assembled or terminated to the
connector as further elaborated hereinafter,
A lost motion means, generally designated 50, is
provided for conDecting the bearing plate 44 to the jaw 14.
More particularly, the lost motion means includes a pair o~
slots 42 formed in the outer or side faces o~ the jaw 14
and extending generall~ in the opening and closing direction
of movement of the jaws 12, 14 as shown by the double headed
arrow A (Figure 1), A pin 54 extends through the jaw 14
with the opposite ends of the pin disposed within the slots
52, A post like member ~6 is rigidly secured to one end
thereof (the top end as viewed in Figure 1) to the underside
of the bearing plate 44, extends through a bore 58 in the
resiliently yieldable backing member or cushion 48 and
through a bore 60 formed in the Jaw 14. The pin 54 e~tends
through the post member 56 to mount the bearing plate 44
and the resilient backing member 48 to the jaw 14, This
lost motion connection accommod~tes relative movement between
the bearing plate 44 and th~ jaw 14 as well as compression
and expansion of the resilient member 48 during operation
of the tool to assemble or terminate an electrical wire or
cable to a terminal connector or the like. The pin 54-
preferably is removable, as b~ a press-fit throug~ -the post
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member 56 connected to the 'bearing plate 44, to permit
replacement of the b~cking member 48 and/or bearing plate
44 and post member 56.
It should be poin-ted out that the resiliently
yieldable backing means of the present invention could be
appropriately employed between the stuffer blade 36 and jaw
12 to accommodate differences in the sizes and shapes of
various connectors, but the present embodiment o-f the back-
ing member 48 disposed between the bearing plate 44 and the
jaw 14 has proven quite effective.
The yieldable backing member 48 is fabricated of
a resilient material depending upon the material of the
insulative coating of the particular type o~ electrical.
cable employed with -the hand tool 10 of the present inven-
tion, so that the yieldable backing member 48 provides a
suf-ficient back-up for the bearing plate 40 whereby the
piercing blades of the contact which is mGunted on the ter-
mina'l connector can cut through or p~erce the outer insula-
tive coating of the cable to esta'blish an electrical con-
nection, However, the yieldable backing member 48 should
be sufficiently resilient to prevent the piercing b'lades o
the contact from cutting through or damaging the conductive
wire o~ the cable. In pra~tice, a synthetic rubber material
for the backing member 48 of approximately 80 durometer has
proven ef:eective for many insula-tion clad cables, to permit
the insulative covering o~' the cable to be pierced by the
contact blades, but to prevent the wires of the cables to
be damaged by the contact piercing blades.
Referring to the form of the invention shown in
Figures 7 through 10, a hand tool, generally designated 70 J
is shown to include a pair of handle operated opposing jaws
72 and 74 (the upper and lower jaws, respectively, shown in
_~_
3~
Figure 7), The jaws are ~abricated of solid rigid material,
such as steel or similar alloy material.s, and form unitar~
ex-tensions of handle mémbers 76 and 78 ~or -the ~jaws 72 and
74, respec-tively, The jaws 72, 74 and the handle members
76, 78 are pivoted together by a single pivot pin 80 to ~orm
a plier-type tool whereby the jaws move toward and away ~rom
each other generally in the direction o~ double headed arrow
A (Figure 7) and the handle members rnoved toward and away
from each other generally in the direction of double headed
arrow B (Figure 7~O A coil spring 82 is disposed, under
compression, between -the handle members 76 and 78 to bias
the hand members and jaws outwardly toward their open or
separated positions,
A stu~fer blade 84, similar to the stu:f*er blade
36 shown in Figures 1 6, is rigidly secured t,o the inside
o~ -the upper jaw 72 by means of a set screw or pin 860 The
stuffer blade 84 is disposed within a slot 88 (Figure 9)
formed in the jaw 72. The stuPfer blade 84 has a wa~le con-
~iguration 90 along its exposed edge facing the jaw 74, As
with the stu~er blade 36 shown in Figures 1-6, the wa~led
edge engages the outer coating or insulation o~ an electri-
cal cable during the assembly or termination operation of
the hand tool to eliminate longi-tudinal movement o~ -the
cable during assembly. The set screw or pin 86 may be
loosened to adjust, reverse, or replace the stuffer blade 84.
A bearing plat,e 92, similar to the bearing pla-te
44 shown in Figures 1-6, is secured to the lower jaw 74
and has a .-~lat bearing surface 94 ~acing the stu~er blade
84 in the jaw 72. A resiliently yieldable backing member
or cushioning pad 96, similar to the backing member 48
in Figures 1-6, is sandwiched between the bearing plate 9
and the jaw 74 providing for yielding movement between the
bearing plate and jaw to accommodate variable sized terminal
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3~
connectors positioned be-tween the jaws to prevent damage
to the elec*rical cable due to excessive pressure which
might be applied by an operator o~ the -tool when the cable
is assembled or terminated to -the connector, as elab~rated
in relation to the ~orm o~ the invention shown in Figures
1-6.
A lost motion means similar to that shown in
Figures 1-6, is provided for connec-ting the bearing plate
92 to the jaw 74 and includes a pair o~ slots 98 formed
in the outer or side ~aces of the jaw 74 and extending
generally in the opening and closing direction o~ movement
o~ the jaws as shown by -the double headed arrow A (Figure 7).
A pin 100 extends through the Jaw 74 with the opposite ends
of the pin disposed within the slots 98, A post-like mem-
ber 102 is rigidly secured at one end thereof (the top end as
viewed in Figure 7) to the underside o~ the bearing plate
92, extends through a bore 104 in the resiliently backing
member or cushion 96, and through a bore 106 formed in the
jaw 74. The pin 100 extends through the post member 102
to mount the bearing plate 92 and the resilient backing
member 96 to the jaw 74. This lost motion connection
accommodates relative movement between the bearing plate 92
and jaw 74 as well as compression and expansion o~ the
resilient member 96 during operation of the tool to assemble
or terminate an electrical wire or cable to a terminal con-
nector or the like. The pin 100 is removable 7 as by a
press-fit through the post member 102 to permit replacement
o~ the backing member 96 and or bearing plate ~2 anA post
member 102~
As mentioned hereinbefore, it should be pointed
out that the resiliently yieldable backing means de~ined
by the backing member or pad 96 could be approp:ria*ely
:`
: \
,. employed between the stuffer blade 84 and the jaw 72, but
~ the present embodiment of the backing member 96 disposed
. between the bearing plate 92 and the jaw 74 has proven ~uite
effective, In addition, each of the handles 72, 78 is
covered by an insulative coating or sleeve 110.
While a particular embodimellt of the present
invention has been shown and described~ it is apparent that
various changes and modifications may be made, and it is
therefore intended i~ -the following claims to cover all such
modifications and changes as may fall within the true spirit
and scope of this invention.
