Pole mounting connector

A connector has a rectangular box-like form body with end walls and side walls and a transverse wall dividing the body into front and back parts. The transverse wall extends from one end wall to the other but at the sides extends backwards a distance from the side walls and then extends laterally to the back ends of the side walls. This forms a central web portion having a channel along each side and a back chamber between the channels. Terminals are positioned in the central web portion. A stub cable enters through an end wall into the back chamber, the cable conductors connected to rear ends of the terminals. Drop wire conductors can enter through grommets to connect to the front ends of the terminals. A cover is pivotally mounted at one end of the body. The back chamber is filled with potting compound after connection of the cable conductors to the rear ends of the terminals.

This invention relates to a pole mounting connector and particularly to a 
connector by which wires to a customer's premises are connected to 
conductors of a stub cable which in turn is connected to a distribution 
cable. 
Various types of connectors exist, often supported on a wire which extends 
with the distribution cable. Others are pole mounted adjacent to the 
distribution cable. A major problem of these connectors is providing a 
weatherproof enclosure for the conductors or wires, generally referred to 
as drop wires, which extend to a customer's premises. It is necessary for 
an installer, or maintenance worker, to have easy access to the terminals. 
At the same time, the connectors are positioned in exposed places. Ingress 
of water, dust, insects and other foreign matter can cause erosion of 
connectors and short circuits. 
The present invention provides a connector which is molded as a single unit 
for the body part, with a separate cover or lid which seals the body. The 
body is divided into two parts, back and front. The stub cable conductors 
connect to the rear ends of terminals and the drop wire conductors connect 
to the front ends of terminals. After the stub cable conductors are 
connected to the terminals, the back part of the body is filled with a 
potting compound to seal the connectors. 
Broadly, the invention provides a connector having a body member and a 
removable cover. The body member, of rectangular form, is divided into two 
parts, back and front, by a wall. Terminals are positioned in the wall, 
with stub cable connections to the rear ends of the terminals. Drop wire 
connections are made to the front ends of the terminals. Provision is made 
at one end for entry of a stub cable and access for the stub cable 
conductors to the back part of the body. Brackets for mounting straps are 
provided on the rear of the body and provision can be made for screws to 
pass through the rear of the body for attachment to a surface.

As illustrated in the drawings, a connector body, indicated generally at 
10, has parallel spaced side walls 11 and 12 and parallel spaced end walls 
13 and 14 forming a rectangular body 15 which is a unitary molded 
structure. The body 15 is divided into front and back parts by a wall 16. 
Wall 16, at each side, unites with the back edges of the side walls 11 and 
12, extending inwards for a short distance to define narrow back sections 
17 and 18 (FIG. 5). The wall then extends forward for a short distance at 
each side, thus forming, with the side walls and the back sections 17 and 
18, two channels 19 and 20. The wall then extends across to form a web 21. 
At the same time, a back chamber 22 is formed. A plurality of hollow 
bosses 23 are formed on the front surface 24 of the web 21. Each boss 
carries a terminal 25. The front end of each terminal is positioned in the 
front part of the body and is suited for connection of drop wire 
conductors, as by a threaded portion 26 and nuts 27. The back end of each 
terminal is in the back chamber 22 and is suited for connection of a 
conductor of a cable stub, for example being formed, at 28, for wire 
wrapping. The bosses 23 and the wall 16 are molded integral with the rest 
of the body. An alternative form of nut is indicated at 27a which can be 
tightened by a screwdriver. 
At one end, an aperture 30 is formed in the end wall, for example end wall 
13. Extending outward from the end wall 13, around aperture 30, is a 
tubular extension 31. Through the extension 31 a cable stub can be 
inserted. The web 21 has an arcuate formation 32 which facilitates access 
for a cable end through aperture 30 into the back chamber 22. A ground 
terminal 33 is provided in the arcuate formation 32, having a ground 
member 34 which makes contact with the shield of the cable. The front end 
of the ground terminal extends into the front part and has means, such as 
nuts 35, for connection of a ground conductor. 
Also in one end wall, in the example also wall 13, a number of apertures 36 
are formed, communicating with the front part of the body. The apertures 
extend up to the front edge of the end wall, being open at the front edge. 
A grommet 37 (FIG. 7) is positioned in each aperture 36. The drop wires 
pass through the grommets 37 to the front ends of the terminals 25. 
The side walls 11 and 12, in the example, are reduced in height for a major 
part of their length between the end walls, providing easy access by 
installers to the terminals 25. At the end remote from the cable stub 
entry, at end wall 14, there is provided mounting means for a cover. This 
mounting means comprises bores 40 extending through webs 41 which are 
extensions of the side walls 11 and 12. The end wall 14 has a somewhat 
sinuous form, as indicated in dotted outline at 45 in FIG. 3, so as to 
extend up outside the webs 41. The webs 41 also each have an indent 42 at 
their peripheral edges for reception of a protrusion on the cover to hold 
the cover in an open position. 
Also formed in the web 21 are two shallow bosses 43 through which bolts or 
screws can be passed to fasten the connector to a surface, such as pole, 
or a wall. Four small hollow bosses 44, two in each channel 19 and 20, 
provide positions through which screws or bolts can be pushed, for 
fastening the connector to a mounting surface. Bosses 43 and 44 have thin 
diaphragms molded in at the time of molding the body to close off bores 
through the bosses. The diaphragms can readily be pushed out, where 
necessary, when the particular mounting method has been determined, one 
diaphragm, in boss 43, being shown at 46 in FIG. 5. 
On the back surface of the body, in the example on the back surfaces of the 
back sections 17 and 18 of the dividing wall 16, are formed brackets 50. 
These brackets provide for mounting of the connector on a pole by a strap 
passing through the brackets and round the pole. Also formed on the back 
surfaces of the sections 17 and 18 are hollow bosses 51. These bosses 51 
are aligned with the bosses 44 and act to support the connector when the 
connector is mounted by screws or bolts through bosses 44, or through 
bosses 43. 
In FIGS. 1 to 5, the connector body only is seen, while in FIGS. 6 and 7 
the cover 60 is shown in position. The cover is illustrated in more detail 
in FIGS. 8 to 12. FIG. 8 is an outer or front view, the cover being 
rectangular to meet the body 10. The cover has a front web 61 and parallel 
side walls 62. At one end is an end wall 63, this wall 63 extended to 
cooperate with end wall 14 of the body. A bore 64 in each side wal 
adjacent the end wall 63 is positioned to align with bores 40 in the webs 
41 of the body 10. The cover pivots on pins positioned in the bores 40 and 
64, a pin indicated at 65 in FIG. 13. 
At each end of each side wall 62, adjacent to the rear edge 66, is an 
inwardly projecting rib or boss 67. These snap into recesses 68. Along the 
bottom or rear edge 69 of the wall 63 is an inwardly extending rib 70. Rib 
70 engages under a step 71 on the end wall 14 of the body 10. 
Seen in FIGS. 6 and 13 is a sleeve 72 which fits over the tubular extension 
31 on the body and over the end of a stub cable, not shown. In the 
cross-section illustration in FIG. 5, the back chamber 22 is shown filled 
with potting compound 75. 
As can be appreciated from FIGS. 7 and 13, the side walls 62 of the cover 
extend down and over the side walls 11 and 12 of the body. The end 63 of 
the cover extends down over the end wall 14 of the body. At the end wall 
13, the cover rests on the edge of the end wall, and a transverse rib 76 
extends down inside the end wall 13, as seen in FIG. 6. 
As illustrated in FIG. 5, the back chamber 22 is filled with potting 
compound, after connection of cable conductors 77 to the formations 28. 
This seals the back chamber against ingress of moisture, dust and the 
like.