Universal electrical construction set

The Universal Electrical Construction Set consists of a coded series of plastic spring-bearing disks called "connectors", used for temporary attachment and support of electrical circuit components, plus a set of hook-up wires with coded lengths, used for linking the connectors together in appropriate ways to complete the electrical circuit construction; two additional types of devices, adaptors and indicators, make the set complete. These devices can be temporarily attached, when and where desired, to the springs of the connectors. The "adaptors" allow the utilization of circuit components having short leads. The "indicators" provide a convenient, optional coding system to indicate numbers or relative electrical potentials. The color, diameter, and geometry of construction of each disk are related to the number of springs supported by it. The same color-coding system, namely the resistor color code, is used for connectors, hook-up wires, and indicators.

The first member of a series of spring-bearing devices, called 
"connectors", and which is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, consists of a 
cylindrical plastic disk (10) which is 3/8" in height, and 11/2" in 
diameter, plus a single spring (11) which is partially imbedded in the 
plastic disk at its center, in such manner that the spring is permanently 
supported with its axis in a vertical position, and to such depth in the 
plastic that the spring is electrically insulated from the supporting 
surface for the connector. The disk is brown in color, as is indicated by 
the slanted hatch lines. The second member of the connector series, shown 
in FIG. 1, consists of a cylindrical disk of the same height as the first 
member but of a larger diameter, namely 1 and 3/4", plus 2 springs 
permanently attached to it, in the manner described, near opposite ends of 
a diameter of the disk. The disk is red in color, as is indicated by the 
vertical hatch lines. The third member of the series is an orange-colored 
disk of the same height but still larger diameter, namely 2". It bears 3 
springs, mounted in such manner that one is at each of the corners of an 
equilateral triangle. Only the first 5 members of the series are shown in 
FIG. 1. The colors, diameters, and geometries of construction of higher 
members of the series can be readily deduced from the diagram plus the 
description. In color, all of the disks conform to the resistor color 
code: brown for 1, red for 2, orange for 3, yellow for 4, green for 5, 
blue for 6, violet for 7, grey for 8, and white for 9. The diameters of 
the connectors increase by increments of 1/4" in proceeding upward through 
the series. Specifically, for n=1, 2, 3, and so on, up to and including 9, 
and possibly 10, the diameter of the nth disk in inches is given by: 
d(n)=1/4(n+5). The springs are situated on each disk at the corners of the 
regular polygon (equilateral triangle, square, pentagon, hexagon, etc.) to 
which the number of springs corresponds. On each of the connectors above 
the first, the outer edges of the springs are 1/8" from the edge of the 
disk. The springs employed in making the connectors are those which are 
commercially designated as #178. (There are 3 versions of this spring, 
178A, 178B, and 178C. The longest one, the C version, was used in making 
prototype connectors; each spring was cut in half prior to use in building 
the connectors). Their diameter is approximately 5/16", and the height of 
the body of each spring above the surface of a connector is 7/8", or 
thereabout. That would most probably be considered as the maximum height 
above the connector surface for the springs of the mass-produced devices. 
These springs were specially selected because their size and degree of 
tension makes them easy to manipulate. The vertical loop (12) at the top 
end of each supported spring is retained to facilitate manipulation of the 
spring. The loops also serve for the attachment of alligator clips, as for 
example, those attached to leads coming from devices monitoring a 
circuit's operation. The maximum height mentioned refers only to the body 
of the spring, that is, it does not include the loop. When mass-produced, 
the disks will be made of Celcon and will be injection-molded, unless 
another material &/or method is found to be more desirable. 
The connectors are intended for use in the temporary construction of 
electrical circuits. This is accomplished by inserting component leads and 
the ends of hook-up wires, such as 16 of FIG. 3, between the turns of the 
springs. Entire circuits, differing in size and variety of components, can 
be constructed using only the first member of the series. However, as the 
circuits increase in size and variety of components, it becomes more 
convenient to employ, for each component, a connector whose number of 
springs corresponds to the number of leads of the component. For example, 
circuit components like resistors, capacitors, and diodes, which have 2 
leads, can be readily mounted in a temporary way on the red connectors. 
Transistors can be accommodated by the orange connectors. Circuit 
components having larger numbers of leads, including vacuum-tube sockets 
with leads attached, can be readily accommodated by connectors having 
correspondingly larger numbers of springs. With circuit components 
attached to them, the connectors can be easily shifted around on a plane 
surface and placed into convenient positions relative to one another. To 
complete the construction of any particular circuit, the various 
connectors supporting the components of the circuit are linked together, 
in accordance with the plan of the circuit, by hook-up wires which extend 
between the appropriate springs of connectors that are to be electrically 
joined. For the latter purpose, a complete set of wires of assorted sizes 
is utilized. 
In the set of hook-up wires, the 1" wires have brown insulation, the 2" 
wires have red insulation, and so on, in accordance with the resistor 
color code. They are single-stranded wires, 20 gauge, or thereabout. The 
wire lengths vary, though, in increments of 1/4" from 1" to 9 and 3/4". A 
1 and 3/4" hook-up wire is shown in FIG. 3. Wires having lengths of 11/4, 
11/2, and 1 & 3/4" have brown insulation, but the insulation (13) is 
centrally marked with, respectively, 1, 2, and 3 black bands (14) which 
encircle the wire. Each band corresponds to an additional 1/4" over 1". 
There is a total of 36 different wire lengths in the basic set, with the 
same banding system used throughout. To complete the set of hook-up wires, 
there are several representatives of each length. The color-coding system 
gives the length of wire covered by insulation. A short length of 
uninsulated wire (15) protrudes from the insulation at each end. 
Right-angle bends can be made within the uninsulated sections, as shown at 
16, so that when the ends of the wires are inserted between the turns of 
the connector springs, they will not slip out. With the bent ends of wires 
inserted between the turns of the springs, the length of wire extending 
between adjoining springs will be essentially equal to that which is 
indicated by the coding system. Optionally, solder-lugs (17) having the 
same diameter as the springs can be attached to the ends of the wires. The 
uninsulated length of wire (15) at each end is just sufficient to 
accommodate a solder-lug. Since the washer-like lugs slip readily between 
the turns of the springs, the assembly and disassembly of circuits can 
thereby be facilitated. 
The members of the connector series thus far described, namely 1 through 9, 
can, collectively, accommodate a wide variety of electrical circuit 
components. However, there are some circuit elements, such as "integrated 
circuits", which cannot be accommodated due to their large number of 
leads. Accordingly, connectors still higher in the series are contemplated 
for future construction. Beginning at 10 or 11, the connectors will have 
smaller springs. With the introduction of smaller springs, the diameter of 
the 10th or 11th disk will be reduced accordingly, but the diameters of 
successive disks will increase again by regular increments. Whatever the 
spring size for 10, the disk will be black, again in accordance with the 
resistor color code wherein black represents zero. At this point the code 
represents 10 plus 0. In like manner, brown represents 11, red 12, and so 
on through 19. Thus, for 10 through 19, the number of springs on a disk is 
10 plus the number corresponding to the color of the disk. The series can 
be extended even farther as needed, according to the same plan, and with 
or without a further reduction in spring size. 
The hook-up wire lengths will also be extended as required. 10" wires will 
have black insulation, and white bands around the black insulation will be 
used for wires having lengths of 101/4, 101/2, and 10 & 3/4". 11" wires 
will be brown; 12" wires will be red; and so on. Thus, for 10 through 19, 
the wire length in inches is 10 plus the number corresponding to the 
insulation color. And as before, beginning with 111/4", black bands will 
be used to represent 1/4" increments. 
As determined through use, the size of the connectors is generally both 
sufficient and convenient for accommodating circuit components. In those 
instances where it is not, re-orienting a component with appropriate bends 
in its leads will usually enable it to be attached to the connector. If 
necessary, the component can be placed alongside the connector. Such might 
be the case, for example, with an ammeter, which is generally too large to 
fit on a red disk. Some components, such as parts salvaged from assembled 
printed-circuit boards, have very short leads, too short to effect contact 
with the connector springs. In this instance, simple devices designated as 
"adaptors", as shown in FIG. 4, can be readily employed. Each one consists 
of a short piece of wire (18) with a solder-lug (17) attached to one end 
and an alligator clip (19), the smallest available, attached to the other 
end. The solder-lug (17) slips between the turns of a spring (11) and the 
clip (19) holds onto a lead of a circuit component. A more durable and 
flexible variation of the above is contemplated which employs a slender 
spring in place of the short segment of wire. 
In those instances wherein it is desirable to associate a number with each 
of a component's leads, a means is provided for doing so in the form of 
simple devices called "indicators"; one is shown in FIG. 5. Each indicator 
consists essentially of a solder-lug (17) and a colored bead (20) in 
combination. A truncated section of a straight-pin, with head attached, 
extends through the bead (20) to the lug (17), to which it is permanently 
attached. The head of the pin (21) prevents the bead from slipping off. 
The colors of the beads range through the resistor color code and 
represent the corresponding numbers. A solder-lug, with bead attached, can 
slip readily between the turns of a spring. Thus, any spring of any 
connector can temporarily have associated with it any number that one 
desires to associate with it. The numbers can correspond to those 
associated with component leads, as for example, pin numbers of a 
vacuum-tube. And where it is desirable to distinguish between individual 
components by number, such as C1, C2, C3, etc., the indicators can be 
readily employed. Furthermore, where it is desirable to indicate that a 
given point is at a positive electrical potential relative to some other 
point, an indicator with a red bead can be readily employed. An indicator 
with a black bead can be associated with the point having the negative 
electrical potential. The indicator colors can represent whatever one 
wants them to represent. 
The connectors and hook-up wires, in basic plus extended forms, plus the 
adaptors and indicators, constitute a Universal Electrical Construction 
Set. It is universal in that it can accommodate virtually any electrical 
circuit components, and can employ any desired numbering systems, and 
universal in that the number of different circuits which can be 
constructed is virtually infinite. The usefulness of the Universal 
Electrical Construction Set in practice is limited only by the 
unfeasability of constructing circuits which become overwhelming in size. 
The ingredients of the Universal Electrical Construction Set will be 
employed in educational kits, which will also include, in each case, a 
copyrighted instruction book, or booklet. The first of these kits, which 
is entitled "The Electrical Star", will employ the simplest usable 
assortment of ingredients of the Universal Electrical Construction Set, 
namely a set of the brown single-spring connectors and hook-up wires. The 
latter, however, may be supplied as a single wire, of variable or herein 
unspecified length, or separate wires, also of variable or herein 
unspecified lengths, which can be cut into shorter, measured lengths as 
appropriate for the insulation colors. Bands may be supplied which can be 
peeled away from a supportive backing and wrapped around the wires. Even a 
small length of friction tape, which can be cut into narrow strips, could 
be supplied for this purpose. The object is to get this first kit together 
as economically as possible. With financial growth and increasing 
sophistication of the circuitry of subsequent kits, broader assortments of 
the ingredients of the Universal Electrical Construction Set will be 
employed, with selected quantities of the various ingredients as deemed 
appropriate for each kit. All of the components of the Universal 
Electrical Construction Set will also be made available on an individual, 
or selectively-packaged basis, apart from their inclusion in educational 
kits, as it is found to be desirable to do so. 
The connectors possess, or have associated with them, a combination of 
qualities, or properties, which both suit them to their intended purpose 
and distinguish them from related products already available on the 
market. The connectors are durable, in that they are not readily 
breakable. They are insulative, and can be safely used with a.c. 
accommodations available in the home. They are supportive in that they 
actually hold onto the circuit components as well as providing a means of 
making electrical connections between them. By the nature of the springs, 
they are retentive, to greater or lesser degrees depending upon the type 
of connection made, and they are easy to work with. The connectors are 
conservative; they can be used repeatedly in temporarily constructing 
electrical circuits for study, experiment, demonstration, or whatever, and 
thereby conserve time, energy, and materials. They are also conservative 
in that they allow, in conjunction with the adaptors, the use of 
functional salvaged parts which might otherwise be discarded due to their 
possession of short leads. The connectors are versatile. For example, the 
brown connectors of the basic set can be readily employed to link together 
hook-up wires where long connections are necessary. The red connectors 
with 2 springs can be employed as switches, and also provide a convenient 
means of making parallel connections, as by placing one resistor above 
another. The orange connectors with 3 springs allow two devices, such as 
resistors, to be connected in series. The yellow connectors with 4 springs 
provide a means of making a bridge-rectifier by arranging 4 diodes in a 
square with a spring at each corner. In addition, they all permit easy 
attachment of monitoring devices, such as a voltmeter or oscilloscope, 
since leads bearing alligator clips can be readily attached to the loops 
of the springs, and to the bodies of the springs as well. By way of 
summary thus far, the connectors are durable, insulative, supportive, 
retentive, easy to work with, conservative, and versatile. In addition, 
they are simple, colorful, freely-movable, of convenient size, and as 
previously seen, they are universal. Their combination of qualities 
enables the easy construction of circuits which are neat, attractive, and 
easier to follow through than those constructed by the usual or what might 
be called "conventional methods". 
The idea of using springs for making temporary electrical connections is 
not new, and accordingly, patent rights are not being sought on this idea 
as such. Of greater importance is the manner in which the springs are 
provided for use, that is, what they are in conjunction with and what the 
special features of structure and function are which arise from that 
conjunction. There are spring-containing devices which can be attached to 
bread-boards, or peg-boards, and hence, are not freely-movable. 
Bread-boards are generally made with holes arranged in the manner 
suggestive of a rectangular coordinate system. But there are circuits 
which can be better and more-meaningfully constructed within a polar 
coordinate system instead. With my Universal Electrical Construction Set, 
which employs freely-movable connectors, one can construct on a continuous 
smooth surface one part of a circuit that is built within a rectangular 
coordinate system and another part of the same circuit that is built 
within a polar coordinate system. No other device or system patented to 
this date, that is concerned with temporary electrical circuit 
construction can do this neatly, nor does any patent contain any mention 
to this effect. Thus, my Universal Electrical Construction Set possesses a 
versatility that is not possessed by any of the others. In developing my 
series of connectors I have produced bases which have maximum weight for 
the overall volume that they occupy since they are solid cylinders, and I 
have endeavored to find the best base-shape, since base-weight and shape 
are necessarily involved in any consideration of the possibility that a 
connector will tip over either when accidentally bumped or when a tipping 
leverage is placed on the connectors in connecting things to the springs. 
Consider the following example involving a comparison of different base 
shapes. Suppose you have two single-spring connectors that have the same 
height and same volume (and hence are made from the same amounts of raw 
material) but which have different base shapes, say a square cylinder and 
a circular cylinder, and each has a centrally-located spring. Now suppose 
that you apply a tipping leverage to each. With the circular cylinder the 
direction in which the leverage is applied is inconsequential because the 
possibility of tipping would be the same in all directions for the same 
amounts of leverage. But with the square-cylinder base the possibility of 
tipping is not the same in all directions. The greatest possibility of 
tipping would be in a direction perpendicular to any one of its sides, so 
leverage would be applied in one of those directions, here considered to 
be comparable to the weakest links in a chain. Now if leverage is 
increased simultaneously and equally on both connectors, the connector 
whose base is a square cylinder will tip first, as can be seen by simple 
mathematical consideration of the geometry of the bases. So, from the 
functional point of view, a circular cylinder is more desirable. And for 
aesthetic reasons, I have considered the use of the circular-cylinder base 
shape throughout the connector series to be more desirable than any 
variation in base shape. It is simply more desirable to have uniformity in 
shape throughout the series, and since the first base should be a circular 
cylinder for the attainment of optimum stability, then the others should 
be circular cylinders too. It is also aesthetically-pleasing to have bases 
whose diameters grow by regular increments and to have different bases 
distinguishable by different colors in correspondence with their diameters 
and the number of springs which they support, and in accordance with a 
color-code that is well-established in the field of electronics. In 
bringing my connectors slowly to the point of full development, I have 
neither pasted nor inscribed anything on any of the bases, such as a 
schematic symbol for some particular circuit component, thus leaving all 
of the connectors open for use with any electrical circuit components, or 
combinations thereof as desired, thereby maintaining their universality. 
Other devices used for making temporary electrical connections may possess 
some of the features possessed by my connectors, or associated with them, 
but there are none which possess all of their features. There is no other 
construction set which starts with a single-spring connector and proceeds 
upwards through a color-coded series of connectors, nor is there any other 
construction set which uses hook-up wires whose lengths are 
distinguishable by a coding system that is a combination of color and 
banding, nor is there any other construction set which uses adaptors and 
indicators as specifically described herein. 
On the basis of the above description, an my own conviction concerning the 
uniqueness of my material, I present my claims: