Cable gripping unit

Claim 1

In a unit for gripping a helical stranded cable of the type including a shell having a conical shell bore terminating at its outer end in a cable accommodating opening and presenting a tapered shell bore circular in cross section, a gripping member within said shell bore and movable longitudinally of said shell, and a helical spring thrusting against said member and said shell, that improvement consisting of said gripping member comprising: an elastic retaining member within said shell bore, a plurality of jaw segments, said retaining member being circular and concentric with said shell bore and provided with a plurality of jaw segment retaining slots within each of which one of said jaw segments is respectively retained whereby said jaw segments are supported by said retaining member within said shell bore in circular arrangement, a cylindrical jaw bore defined by said jaw segments, said retaining member yieldingly urging said jaw segments to ride on the surface of said shell bore, said helical spring yieldingly urging said gripping member toward the reduced end of said shell bore constricting said jaw segments and a cable gripping portion of each of said jaw segments angled in the direction which is in opposite hand to the helix of said cable disposed therein.