Angled electrical connector

A right angle shielded connector includes an elongated shaft having connector surfaces and an opposite head portion with a flange which is slidably received within a groove around a slot in a shell cap. The slot extends through the upper portion of the cap and a lower threaded portion of cylindrical shape except for the slot extending therethrough. A cylindrical threaded bushing screws onto the lower threaded portion and snugly against the flange. A pair of terminals are located within the hollow interior of the shell cap and are keyed to prevent rotation once assembled. Prior art right angle connectors are also illustrated in which the shell cap are formed from two halves of a cover which mate together.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to an electrical connector for terminating an 
electrical cable having one or more conductors, and is particularly useful 
for a right angle connector plug in which the elongated shaft is skewed at 
an angle to a threaded bushing and the cable which extends therefrom. More 
specifically, the invention relates to an improved electrical connector, 
such as shielded connector, which is structurally strong and easily 
assembled during the manufacturing operation as well as by the end user. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The interconnection of various electronic and electrical systems typically 
requires that a cable containing one or more conductors terminates in an 
electrical connector which removably mates with a receptacle. Examples of 
electrical connectors are quarter-inch phone plugs having an elongated 
male shaft which is plugged into a female jack having connectors for 
mating engagement with surfaces on the shaft. Often it is desirable that 
the elongated shaft be at an angle such as 90.degree. to the threaded 
shield so that the inserted plug does not protrude much beyond the jack 
bearing panel. Because of their manner of use, right angle connectors 
often have increased stress caused by insertion and removal forces as 
contrasted with the standard in-line configuration in which the elongated 
shaft and the threaded shielded bushing and extending cable are coaxial. 
They also are more prone to breakage than an in-line connector. 
Conventional right angle connectors are typically formed by a housing 
formed from separate pieces which are joined together. One of the pieces 
may be integral to the elongated shaft. These separate pieces may each 
contain a partial annular thread and when mated together allow a threaded 
bushing with an internal thread to join together and hold the individual 
pieces. However, such a structure is more liable to breakage, forms a less 
effective shield, and the increased number of parts are individually and 
collectively less structurally sound than is desirable. Also, the number 
of pieces of the plug which must be assembled by the end user after 
connection is made to a cable should be minimized particularly to reduce 
labor costs in industrial and commercial applications. Unfortunately, 
these requirements often conflict with the need to form a structurally 
secure right angle connector. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In accordance with the present invention, a novel angled electrical 
connector is disclosed that is mechanically strong, easily assembled and 
minimizes the number of parts which the end user needs to assemble after 
connecting a cable to the connector. The electrical connector includes a 
cap housing having a slot for receiving a head portion of an elongated 
shaft. The cap housing is substantially more solid than has been typical 
in the prior art, and is structurally more sound and forms a better 
shield. The end user needs to join only two pieces after connecting a 
cable to the connector terminals, as contrasted with three or more pieces 
in many right angle connectors. 
The present electrical connector is particularly adapted to form a shielded 
plug, such as a quarter-inch audio phone plug or the like. However, the 
improved connector is useful whether or not the plug is to be shielded, 
and reduces the forces which cause breakage and difficulty in assembly. 
The connector is easily assembled during the manufacturing process and yet 
results in an improved structure.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
FIGS. 1-4 illustrate a novel electrical connector embodied in a right angle 
phone plug which is used to connect an electrical cable to a jack or 
receptacle of standard design. FIGS. 5-7 illustrate right angle phone 
plugs which are typical in the prior art. All such electrical connectors 
typically include an elongated connector assembly 20 which extends from a 
shell or cap assembly 22 which contains therein at least one terminal 
which can be soldered to an electrical conductor of a cable (not 
illustrated). The cable may be a shielded cable in which a center wire 
conductor extends through a surrounding shield which is to be connected to 
the cap assembly 22, or alternatively, the cable could contain a plurality 
of electrical conductors. 
The elongated connector assembly 20 has a terminating tip end 24 with a 
detent groove 25 spaced from the tip end which forms one electrical 
contact which mates with a contact in the receiving jack. A detent spring 
on the jack engages the groove 25 as is conventional. Adjacent the tip end 
24 is an annular spacer or insulator 26 which electrically isolates the 
tip from an annular hollow outer shaft 28 which forms a second electrical 
contact surface. The receptacle jack, as is well known, includes contacts 
which engage the surface 28 in order to electrically connect the plug to 
circuitry to which the receptacle jack is attached. 
While a right angle audio connector of the shielded type is illustrated, in 
which the contact tip 24 is connected to a center wire of a shielded 
cable, and the surrounding shaft 28 and cap assembly 22 are formed of 
metal and are electrically connected to the shield of the cable, other 
types of electrical connectors are suitable for use with the invention. 
For example, the elongated shaft assembly 20 may have additional 
electrical contact surfaces separated by additional insulators in order to 
form a connector for a multiple wire cable. 
In both the novel connector of FIGS. 1-4 and the prior art embodiment of 
FIGS. 5-6, the cap assembly 22 is threaded onto a metal annular cover or 
bushing 30. The bushing 30 is of a hollow cylindrical shape having 
interior threads 31 (see FIG. 6) adjacent one open end thereof. A circular 
aperture 33 is located at the other end for the cable to extend into the 
bushing 30. Such a threaded bushing 30 may be identical to the form used 
with an in-line connector. This provides economies of scale in the 
manufacturing process as well as bushing parts which are interchangeable 
for a family of in-line and right angle connectors. 
In typical prior art connectors such as seen in FIGS. 5-6 and FIG. 7, the 
cap assembly 22 is often formed of two parts or halves, the front of which 
is joined to or may be an integral part of the elongated shaft assembly 
20. A rear half 32 mates to the front half and may be connected thereto in 
a variety of manners. In the connector of FIGS. 5-6, the front half and 
the rear half each form about one half of an exterior threaded cylinder. 
When abutted together, the external threads form a complete cylinder which 
is held together by the bushing 30 when threaded onto the abutting pieces. 
In the type of prior art connector shown in FIG. 7, the rear cover 32 is 
secured to the front cover by a pair of screws 34. Typically, the 
connector of FIG. 7 does not form as good a shield as the other connectors 
but it is more inexpensive to manufacture. In addition, the screws 34 or 
other fasteners can be lost and are more labor intensive for the end user 
to assemble together after the cable has been secured to the terminals 
located inside the cover. 
The right angle connector of FIGS. 1-4 and the prior art right angle 
connector of FIGS. 5-6 each include a long terminal 40 having a clamp or 
crimp end 42 which may be connected to the shield conductor of the cable. 
The center wire of the cable is connected to a short terminal 44 which 
mechanically and electrically connects to an inner shaft 46 which extends 
within the hollow outer shaft 28 to the front terminal tip 24. The inner 
shaft 46 is of reduced diameter and electrically isolated from the outer 
surrounding shaft 28 and extends down the hollow center thereof into 
engagement with the tip end 24 and may be formed as an integral part of 
the tip 24. The opposite end of the inner shaft 46 is staked to the short 
terminal 44 or has an enlarged head to mechanically and electrically join 
them together. A pair of insulating ribbons 48, seen only in FIG. 6, may 
be used if desired to aid in electrically isolating the terminal 44 and 
the center wire of the cable when soldered thereto from the surrounding 
metal cap assembly 22. The electrical connectors, to the extent described 
above, are generally conventional and may be varied as is known. 
The aspects which are novel with respect to the prior art will now be 
explained. The elongated connector assembly 20 of FIGS. 1-4 includes a 
head section seen best in FIGS. 2 and 3. A flange 60 surrounds the outer 
shaft 28 and a plurality of interference ribs 62 are located on the side 
surfaces of the flange. The interference ribs 62 are V-shaped and their 
purpose will be described later. Adjacent the flange 60 is the terminating 
neck or end 64 of the outer shaft 28. This neck 64 is of reduced diameter 
compared to the flange 60. A cylindrical aperture extends through the 
entire outer shaft 28 to create the hollow interior through which the 
inner shaft 46 extends in spaced relationship to the outer shaft 28. 
Located in the bottom of the neck 64 is a key recess 66. A generally 
conical skirt 68 is spaced a distance in front of the flange 60. The rear 
surface of the skirt 68 is flat. The space between the skirt 68 and the 
flange 60 forms a notch or deep groove generally surrounding the head 
except for the bottom section thereof. 
The long terminal 40 is formed of a metal lug with a tab 70 which is bent 
at a right angle to the longitudinal extent of the terminal and towards 
the shaft assembly 20. A pair of bends 72 extend from the sides of the end 
of the long terminal opposite the clamp end 42. Centered within the bends 
72 is a circular aperture 74 of the same diameter as the diameter of the 
hollow center of the outer shaft 28. A rear insulator 80 is comprised of a 
hollow tubular shaft 82 and a square head 84. Extending through the rear 
insulator 80 is a cylindrical aperture just slightly larger than the 
diameter of the inner shaft 46 in order to be slidably mountable thereon. 
The outer diameter of the insulator shaft 82 is just slightly smaller than 
the diameter of the circular aperture 74 and the hollow interior of the 
outer shaft 28. 
The short terminal 44 is formed of a lug having a metal lug hole 90 for 
soldering to the center wire of the cable, and at the opposite end of the 
lug a circular aperture 92 of the same diameter as the circular aperture 
extending through the rear insulator 80. The short terminal 44 also 
includes a key or bend 94 located at the top thereof. 
During assembly by the manufacturer of the plug, the aperture 74 of the 
long terminal 40, the hollow aperture of the rear insulator 80, and the 
aperture 92 of the short terminal 44 are inserted through the inner shaft 
46. The inner shaft 46 then extends slightly beyond the aperture 92 in the 
short terminal 44, and the inner shaft 46 is then staked in a conventional 
manner so as to secure together the shaft assembly 20, the long terminal 
40, the insulator 80 and the short terminal 44. Alternatively, the inner 
shaft 46 may be formed separate from the tip 24 and consist of an enlarged 
flattened head adjacent the terminals and a serrated end adjacent the tip 
24 which would contain a mating aperture therein. The nail like inner 
shaft 46 would be driven into the tip 24 with the enlarged head forming 
the stake or mounting surface to secure the short terminal 44 and 
sandwiched insulator and long terminal to the head of the assembly 20. 
The tab 70 of the long terminal extends into the key access 66 to prevent 
rotation therebetween. The tab 70 may be bent into the key recess 66 
during the assembly operation, if desired. The bends 72 on the long 
terminal snugly fit against the outer sides of the square insulator head 
84. This keys together the parts to prevent the insulator 80 from rotating 
within the assembled unit. In turn, the bend 94 on the short terminal 
extends over the top of the square head 84 to key it and prevent rotation 
when the inner shaft 46 is staked to the terminal 44. The bend 94 extends 
less than the thickness of the square head 84 so as to maintain electrical 
isolation between the pair of terminals 40 and 44. The bends 72 and 94 may 
each be formed during the assembly operation, if desired. Alternatively, 
the recess 66 can be eliminated and one or more of the bends 72 can extend 
oppositely over the narrow neck 64 which serves as a key surface. The 
inner insulator 80 can be formed solely by a space head 84 with the parts 
being shaped so as to key together the parts to prevent rotation. 
The shell cap or joint 22 is best seen in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4. It consists of 
an upper hollow housing 100 of generally cube shape. Integrally connected 
thereto is a lower generally cylindrical member 102 containing exterior 
threads 104 which mate with the interior threads located in the hollow 
bushing 30. Extending through the upper body 100 and lower body 102 is an 
elongated slot 106 which forms a generally rectangular opening through the 
otherwise solid side surfaces of the cap housing 22. The surrounding walls 
of the cap around the slot 104 contain a groove 108 which will slidably 
receive the flange 60 of the shaft assembly 20. 
The completed connector assembly 20, which includes the long terminal 40, 
spacer 80 and short terminal 44 joined thereto, is pushed into the slot 
106 of the cap 22 by aligning the flange 60 with the groove 108 and 
pushing the units together. As the units are slid together, the 
interference ribs 62 slide inside the groove 108 to create a force fit 
that snugly holds together the cap 22 and shaft and terminal assembly. The 
flange 60 extends completely into the surrounding groove 108 to seal 
mechanically and electrically the opening otherwise contained in the upper 
body 100 of the cap 22. The skirt 68 slides snugly against the outer side 
of the housing 100, see FIG. 3, and abuts the housing to strengthen the 
extending shaft 28 against forces which would tend to snap or bend the 
elongated shaft out of its 90.degree. or normal position to the flat side 
of the housing 100. The head 60 includes a bottom surface 109 which is 
generally flat. When the flange 60 is fully inserted into the groove, the 
bottom 109 is flush with the bottom surfaces 110 of the upper body 100 and 
with an annular bottom seat 111 surrounding the upper body 100 where it 
joins the threaded lower section. 
In effect, the customer or end user is supplied with a two-piece connector 
consisting of the integral shaft connector 20 and cap 22, and the separate 
threaded bushing 30. When the customer desires to use the connector, the 
cable is placed through hole 31 of the bushing 30 and the center wire of 
the cable is soldered within aperture 90 of the short terminal 44. The 
outer shield may be crimped by the clamp 42 or otherwise soldered or 
connected to the long terminal 40. The bushing 30 is then screwed onto the 
exterior threads 102 until the top annular rim 114 of the bushing 30 abuts 
the annular seat 111 of the upper body 100 including portions of the 
bottom surface 109 of the outer shaft. Since the bushing 30 as well as the 
cap 22 and outer shaft 28 are all formed of conductive metal, a good 
shield is formed for the inner wire of the cable once the bushing 30 is 
tightly screwed against the bottom seat surfaces of the joined shaft 
assembly. 
The cap housing 22 is substantially more solid than prior cap housing 
units. The threads 102 extend around a greater circumference than the 
illustrated prior art connectors, with only the slot 106 interrupting the 
otherwise completed cylinder formed by the threads. Once the shaft 
assembly 20 is snugly secured within the groove 108 of the slot opening 
106 with the skirt 68 abutting the outer surface of the upper housing, a 
fairly rigid structure is created which is stronger than the typical prior 
art devices. The strength of the connector assembly helps to reduce 
breakage. The part count of pieces for final assembly by the end user or 
customer has been reduced. Also, the cap 22 is more solid and forms a 
better shield than prior art caps 22 as seen in FIGS. 5-7 in which a split 
occurs in the top of the cap caused by separate pieces or halfs which must 
be mated together. 
While the connector has been shown for a typical shielded audio plug having 
a pair of contacts 24 and 28 along an elongated shaft, it will be 
appreciated that numerous variations can be made. The electrical conductor 
can be used with or without a shielded cable as desired. The connector can 
be made in male or female form and for cables using one or multiple 
conductors. Other changes are intended to be within the spirit of the 
invention and can be made by one skilled in the art.