Patent · US Expired

Water resistant container for electrical connectors

US5427270A · kind A · utility

15Cited by
3References
11Claims
0Family size

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateOct 29, 1993
Grant dateJun 27, 1995
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 29, 2013

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01R13/5216
  • WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A water resistant and fire retardant container for releasably encapsulating an electrical connection includes a housing having an opening and a receiving chamber for receiving a wire nut having an electrical connection therein between contacting ends of electrical wires. The receiving chamber is pre-filled with water resistant sealing gel. An end cap is removably interlocked with a circular lip of the housing at the opening and includes a plurality of flexible segments extending from a perimeter opening within the end cap radially inward. The flexible segments are positioned common to a single plane and converge toward a common point to form a flexible, segmented cover over the housing opening. A locking ring is disposed within the receiving chamber below the end cap for allowing one-way passage of the wire nut therethrough. The wire nut is pushed through the flexible cover and further through the locking ring into the receiving chamber in a seated position between a bottom of the housing and the locking ring such that the sealing gel sealably covers the electrical connection within the wire nut. The container thereby forms a water resistant, fire retardant electrical connection.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.