Tap connections for multi-conductor cables

Claim 2

A housing in combination with an electrical cable comprising a plurality of wires and an electrical connector, said connector having a forward side and a rearward side, said connector having spaced-apart electrical contact terminals therein, said terminals having wire receiving portions at said rearward side, intermediate portion of said cable extending along a predetermined axis, said connector being disposed beside said axis, said wires having intermediate portions extending laterally from said axis to said rearward side with a portion of each of said wires being in said wire-receiving portion of one of said terminals, and said wires extending from said rearward side back to said axis, said housing comprising: first and second cover members, said cover members being hinged together by hinge means extending between said cover members and along one side thereof, said cover members extending from said one side to said rearward side of said connector and over said terminals at said rearward side, sidewalls extending between said cover members, said sidewalls and said cover members forming an enclosure surrounding said intermediate portions of said wires, and openings in said sidewalls adjacent to said hinge means, said cable extending through said openings into, and from, said enclosure.

Claim 3

The combination as set forth in claim 1, said sidewalls having interengaging latching means for latching said cover members to each other.

Claim 4

The combination as set forth in claim 1, said sidewalls and said cover means having ear means extending laterally therefrom, said ear means extending from, and surrounding said openings said ear means extending over portions of said cable which extend into, and from, said enclosure.

Claim 5

The combination as set forth in claim 3 including clamping means on said ear means, said ear means being clamped to said portions of said cable to provide a first strain relief for said intermediate portions of said wires.

Claim 6

The combination as set forth in claim 1 including wire guide means in said enclosure, said wire guide means comprising a guide surface extending between said cover means and serving to guide said wires from said axis towards said rearward side of said connector.

Claim 7

The combination set forth in claim 1 including second strain relief means within said enclosure, said second strain relief means being mounted on said rearward side of said connector, said intermediate portions of said wires extending through said second strain relief means to said wire-receiving portions of said terminals then from said strain relief means.

Claim 8

The combination set forth in claim 6, said second strain relief means comprising holding means extending across said rearward side of said connector and over said wire-receiving portions of said terminals.

Claim 9

A housing for enclosing a tap on a multi-conductor cable said tap comprising an electrical connector having a mating side and a rearward side, a plurality of contact terminals in said connector, each of said terminals having a wire-receiving portion at said rearward side, the wires in said cable extending from said cable to said rearward side and being in said wire-receiving portions of said terminals, said wires extending from said terminals back to said cable, said housing comprising: first and second cover members, said cover members being connected to each other clamshell fashion along one side thereof, said side constituting a rear side and having hinge means whereby said cover members can be moved from an open position to a closed position, each of said cover meMbers comprising a panel section extending from said rear side, each of said panel sections having flanges extending from opposite side edges thereof, said panel sections said flanges, and said rear side forming an enclosure when said cover members are closed, said enclosure having an open side which is opposite to said rearward side internal surface portions of said enclosure which are proximate to open side conforming to said rearward side of said connector, cable openings in said flanges adjacent to said rear side, said openings conforming in size to said cable, and means for latching said cover members to each other in said closed position whereby, portions of said cable adjacent to said connector can be positioned in said cable openings and said cover members can be closed onto said rearward side of said connector whereby said wires extending from said cable to said connector will be contained in said enclosure.

Claim 10

A housing for enclosing a tap on a multi-conductor cable said tap comprising an electrical connector having a mating side and a rearward side, a plurality of contact terminals in said connector, each of said terminals having a wire-receiving portion at said rearward side, the wires in said cable extending from said cable to said rearward side and being in said wire-receiving portions of said terminals, said wires extending from said terminals back to said cable, said housing comprising: first and second cover members, said cover members being connected to each other clamshell fashion along one side thereof, said side constituting a rear side and having hinge means whereby said cover members can be moved from an open position to a closed position, each of said cover meMbers comprising a panel section extending from said rear side, each of said panel sections having flanges extending from opposite side edges thereof, said panel sections said flanges, and said rear side forming an enclosure when said cover members are closed, said enclosure having an open side which is opposite to said rearward side internal surface portions of said enclosure which are proximate to open side conforming to said rearward side of said connector, cable openings in said flanges adjacent to said rear side, said openings conforming in size to said cable, and means for latching said cover members to each other in said closed position whereby, portions of said cable adjacent to said connector can be positioned in said cable openings and said cover members can be closed onto said rearward side of said connector whereby said wires extending from said cable to said connector will be contained in said enclosure.

Claim 11

A housing as set forth in claim 8, said cover member having strain relief ears extending laterally in opposite directions from portions thereof which surround said openings, whereby said ears can be clamped to said cable to provide strain relief means therefore.

Claim 12

A housing as set forth in claim 9 including guide means in said enclosure for guiding wires extending between said cable and said connector.

Claim 13

A multi-contact electrical connector and a multi-conductor cable, said cable extending along a predetermined axis, said connector comprising an insulating housing having a mating side and a rearward side, a rib extending from said rearward side, a plurality of electrical contact terminals extending through said housing from said rearward side to said mating side, said terminals having wire-receiving portions arranged in two rows, said wire-receiving portions facing in opposite directions on oppositely directed surfaces of said rib, said connector being disposed beside said cable with said rib being proximate to, and extending parallel to, said cable, a pair of clamping bars disposed against said oppositely directed surfaces of said rib, first portions of said conductors extending from said cable laterally of said axis and towards said rib, each of said conductors being in said wire-receiving portion of one of said terminals, said conductors extending from said terminals in a reverse direction and being wrapped over said clamping bars, second portions of said conductors extending from said clamping bars towards said axis and thence along said axis.

Claim 14

A multi-contact electrical connector and a multi-conductor cable, said cable extending along a predetermined axis, said connector comprising an insulating housing having a mating side and a rearward side, a rib extending from said rearward side, a plurality of electrical contact terminals extending through said housing from said rearward side to said mating side, said terminals having wire-receiving portions arranged in two rows, said wire-receiving portions facing in opposite directions on oppositely directed surfaces of said rib, said connector being disposed beside said cable with said rib being proximate to, and extending parallel to, said cable, a pair of clamping bars disposed against said oppositely directed surfaces of said rib, first portions of said conductors extending from said cable laterally of said axis and towards said rib, each of said conductors being in said wire-receiving portion of one of said terminals, said conductors extending from said terminals in a reverse direction and being wrapped over said clamping bars, second portions of said conductors extending from said clamping bars towards said axis and thence along said axis.

Claim 15

A connector and a cable as set forth in claim 11, and cover means on said cable, said cover means having openings at opposite ends thereof, said cable extending through said openings into, and from, the interior of said cover means, portions of said cover means being secured to said housing in surrounding relationship to said rib and said clamping bars.

Claim 16

The combination set forth in claim 12, said cover means comprising two opposed parts.

Claim 17

The combination set forth in claim 13, said parts of said cover means being hinged to each other.

Claim 18

The combination set forth in claim 12, said cover means having clamping means at said openings, said clamping means holding said cover means in clamping engagement with said cable.

Claim 19

The combination set forth in claim 11, said clamping bars having conductor-receiving grooves therein, said conductors being in said grooves.