Abstract:
An electrical connector for connecting first and second conductive crossing bars together comprising a first elongated enclosure for at least partially enclosing the first bar; and a second elongated enclosure intersecting said first elongated enclosure for at least partially enclosing the second bar. The first and second enclosures are comprised of a single sheet metal member. The first elongated enclosure may be crimped on the first bar and the second elongated enclosure may be separately crimped on the second bar.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to electrical connectors and, more particularly, to a connector for reinforcing bars which are crossing each other. 
     2. Prior Art 
     U.S. Pat. No. 2,760,798 discloses an electrical tap connector formed from a blank of sheet metal. The connector is for connecting two crossing conductors. The connector is compressed onto the two conductors simultaneously. In the prior art, crossing reinforcing bars, such as used in steel reinforced concrete, were electrically connected to each other by arc welding the two bars to each other for electrical bonding. It is desired to eliminate the need for welding reinforcing bars to each other. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, an electrical connector is provided for connecting first and second conductive crossing bars together comprising a first elongated enclosure for at least partially enclosing the first bar; and a second elongated enclosure intersecting said first elongated enclosure for at least partially enclosing the second bar. The first and second enclosures are comprised of a single sheet metal member. The first elongated enclosure may be crimped on the first bar and the second elongated enclosure may be separately crimped on the second bar. 
     In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, an electrical connector is provided comprising a first section having a first receiving area which is sized and shaped to receive a portion of a first elongate bar therein; and a second section having a second receiving area which is sized and shaped to receive a portion of a second elongate bar therein. The first and second sections are comprised of a single sheet metal member. The first and second receiving areas are angled relative to each other. The receiving areas are connected to each other at an intersection of the receiving areas such that the first and second bars contact each other when located in the receiving areas. 
     In accordance with one method of the present invention, a method of connecting two bars with an electrical connector is provided comprising steps of providing the electrical connector with two bar receiving areas located at angles relative to each other, the connector comprising a formed sheet metal member; locating the electrical connector on the two bars, the two bars being angled relative to each other; and compressing the electrical connector onto the bars by compressing a first section of the connector onto a first one of the bars and subsequently compressing a second separate section of the connector onto a second one of the bar. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The foregoing aspects and other features of the present invention are explained in the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of two crossing bars and an electrical connector incorporating features of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2A is a top plan view of a flat sheet metal blank used to manufacture the connector shown in FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of another alternate embodiment of the present invention; and 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another alternate embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown an exploded perspective view of an electrical connector  10  incorporating features of the present invention and two crossing bars A, B intended to be connected by the connector. Although the present invention will be described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present invention can be embodied in many alternate forms of embodiments. In addition, any suitable size, shape or type of elements or materials could be used. 
     The connector  10  is preferably a one-piece member comprised of stamped sheet metal. However, in alternate embodiments, the connector could be comprised of multiple members. Any suitable material other than sheet metal could also be used. Any suitable method(s) could be used to form the connector other than or in addition to stamping. The bars A, B are preferably steel reinforcing ars, such as those used in steel reinforced concrete construction. However, the connector  10  could be used to electrically connect any suitable crossing elongate members, such as connecting crossing electrical ground cables to each other or connecting a ground cable to a crossing reinforcing bar. 
     The connector  10  generally comprises a first section  12  and a second section  14 . The first section  12  forms a first generally elongate enclosure with a first receiving area  16 . The second section  14  forms a second generally elongate enclosure with a second receiving area  18 . The first receiving area  16  is suitably sized and shaped to receive a portion of the first bar A therein. The second receiving area  18  is suitably sized and shaped to receive a portion of the second bar B therein. The two receiving areas  16 ,  18  are generally perpendicular to each other, slightly offset vertically from each other, but intersect or are adjacent to each other. In alternate embodiments any suitable angle other than 90° could be provided between the receiving areas  16 ,  18 . In addition, the receiving areas need not be adjacent or intersect each other. 
     In this embodiment the second section  14  generally comprises two portions  20 ,  22 . Each portion  20 ,  22  is located on opposite sides of the first section  12 . The two portions  20 ,  22  are substantially mirror images of each other. However, in alternate embodiments the portions could have different sizes or shapes. In addition, the second section could be comprised of more or less than two portions. In this embodiment each portion  20 ,  22  has a general cross-sectional “C” shape. However, any suitable cross-sectional shape(s) could be provided. In this embodiment the cross-sectional “C” shape provides an entrance  24  into the receiving area  18  between the two elongate ends  26 ,  28  at a bottom side of the connector  10 . In an alternate embodiment the entrance or entrances into the second receiving area  18  could be provided on any suitable side(s). The entrance  24  is preferably larger than the diameter of the bar B such that the connector can be slipped onto the bar B via the entrance  24 . However, in alternate embodiments the entrance  24  need not be provided, such as when the connector is longitudinally slid onto the bar B. Alternatively, the entrance  24  could be slightly smaller than the diameter of the bar B such that the connector  10  is snapped onto the bar B with the ends  26 ,  28  resiliently moving as the bar B passes through the entrance  24 . Thus, the connector  10  can be retained with the bar B as a loose pre-connection retainment before final connection of the connector to the bar B. 
     The first section  12  has an entrance  30  between two ends  32 ,  34  at the bottom side of the connector  10 . However, the entrance could be provided on any suitable side. The entrance  30  is preferably larger than the diameter of the bar A such that the connector  10  can be slipped onto the bar A via the entrance  30 . In an alternate embodiment the width of the entrance  30  could be slightly smaller than the diameter of the bar A such that the bar A must be snapped through the entrance  30 . The ends  32 ,  34  can then prevent the bar A from inadvertently exiting the connector through the entrance  30 ; forming a loose pre-connection retainment before final connection of the connector to the bar A. In this embodiment the two entrances  24 ,  30  intersect each other at the bottom side of the connector. Thus, when both bars A, B are being located into their respective receiving areas  16 ,  18  via the entrances  30 ,  24 , the first bar A must first be positioned in its receiving area  16  before the second bar B is positioned in its receiving area. Otherwise, the second bar B would block the entrance  30  to prevent the first bar A from entering the first receiving area  16  through the entrance  30 . The first section  12  has a general elongate shape extending outward from opposite sides of the second section. Thus, the connector forms a general “X” shaped profile. In an alternate embodiment, the first section  12  need not extend outward from both opposite lateral sides of the second section. One or both of the opposite ends of the first section  12  could be flush with the lateral sides of the second section or could be recessed inward from the lateral sides of the second section. 
     With the two bars A, B crossing each other as shown in FIG. 1, the connector  10  can merely be placed onto the two bars in direction C onto the bars&#39; intersection or crossing. With this embodiment the first bar A is captured between the top of the first section  12  and the top of the second bar B. Therefore, the first section  12  does not need to be crimped onto the first bar A. Instead, only the second section  14  is crimped. More specifically, the two portions  20 ,  22  are separately crimped onto the second bar B on opposite lateral sides of the first bar A. A suitable type of crimping or compression tool could be used, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,062,290 and 4,942,757 which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties. In an alternate embodiment the first section  12  could also be crimped onto the first bar A. When the two portions  20 ,  22  are crimped onto the second bar B, the top of the first section  12  compresses the first bar A against the second bar B. This forms a stationary fixed mechanical connection of the two bars A, B by the connector  10 . Contact directly between the two bars A, B at their intersection and by the connector  10  on the two bars forms an electrical connection between the two bars. 
     Referring now to FIG. 2 an alternate embodiment of the connector will be described. In this embodiment the connector  50  generally comprises two sections  52 ,  54  generally crossing each other, each having an elongate conductor or bar receiving area  56 ,  58 , entrances  60 ,  62  on a same side into the receiving areas, and one section  52  being interposed between two portions  64 ,  66  of the other section  54 . In this embodiment the first section  52  has general square cross-sectional shapes at two end portions  68 ,  69  (with one open corner to form parts of the entrance  60 ) and a center portion  70  with a general angled roof cross-section shape. The portions  64 ,  66  of the second section  54  also have a general square cross-sectional shape with one open corner to form parts of the entrance  62 . With this embodiment the connector  50  is preferably directly crimped to both bars A, B. More specifically, the two portions  64 ,  66  are both crimped to the second bar B and the two portions  68 ,  69  are both crimped to the first bar A. However, in an alternate method only one of the portions  64  or  66  need to be compressed onto the second bar B and/or only one of the portions  68  or  69  need be compressed onto the first bar A. FIG. 2A shows a flat sheet metal blank  50 ′ which is used to form the connector  50  shown in FIG.  2 . The blank  50 ′ is cut at locations S. This forms locations  64 ′,  66 ′,  68 ′,  69 ′,  70 ′ which can then be stamped or bent at the dashed lines to form the portions  64 ,  66 ,  68 ,  69 ,  70 . 
     Referring now to FIG. 3, another alternate embodiment is shown. In this embodiment the connector  80  is preferably comprised of a one-piece formed sheet metal member with a first section  82  and an integral second section  84 . In this embodiment the connector has a general “T” shaped profile. However, any suitable profile could be provided. The first section  82  has a general C-shaped cross-section forming a first receiving area  86 . The second section  84  has a general C-shaped cross-section forming a second receiving area  88 . The first section  82  extends from an end of the second section  84 . The first section  82  is generally perpendicular to the second section  84 . The two receiving areas  86 ,  88  are generally perpendicular to each other, but spaced form each other with a portion of the sheet metal member separating the two areas  86 ,  88 . The entrance  90  into the first section  82  is separate and spaced from the entrance  92  into the second section  84 . The two entrances  90 ,  92  are also on different sides of the connector  80 . FIG. 4 illustrates another alternate embodiment similar to FIG. 3, but wherein the two receiving areas  106 ,  108  formed by the two sections  102 ,  104  slightly intersect. The first and second bars A, B would contact each other with the use of this embodiment. 
     It should be understood that the foregoing description is only illustrative of the invention. Various alternatives and modifications can be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variances which fall within the scope of the appended claims.