Patent Publication Number: US-7581971-B1

Title: Binding post

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to a connector and, more particularly, to a binding post for terminals of audio electronic equipment to connect with. 
   2. Description of the Related Art 
   Conventionally, a loudspeaker has to electrically connect with a plurality of audio lines from an amplifier through a plurality of conventional binding posts, so that audio signals generated by the amplifier can be transmitted to the loudspeaker. Referring to  FIG. 1 , a conventional binding post  9  used for a loudspeaker includes a threaded metal rod  91  with one end thereof attaching a lead  911  of the loudspeaker and a cap  92  screwing on the other end of the threaded metal rod  91 . A first annular plate  912  is formed on and radially extends from the outer surface of the threaded metal rod  91 . The cap  92  includes an insulating body  921 , a through hole  922  with two ends thereof being arranged at two opposite sides of the insulating body  921 , and a conductive tube  923  received in the through hole  922 . A second annular plate  924  is formed at one end of the conductive tube  923  and radially extends from the outer surface of the conductive tube  923 , with the second annular plate  924  being outside the insulating body  921 . Furthermore, there is a thread on an inner surface of the conductive tube  923 , which corresponds to that of the threaded metal rod  91  for the cap  92  to be screwed on the threaded metal rod  91  through the conductive tube  923 . 
   However, every conventional binding post can only be used to connect to one audio line, with an end of the audio line being sandwiched between the first and second annular plates  912  and  924 . Therefore, four conventional binding posts will be needed for the loudspeaker if there are four audio lines. Besides, when an amount of the binding posts connected to the loudspeaker is more than that of the audio lines of the amplifier, jumpers are used for connections between two of the binding posts that both connect to anodes or cathodes of the loudspeaker. For example, referring now to  FIG. 2 , the amplifier provides a pair of audio lines, that is a positive line  100  and a negative line  200 , while the loudspeaker  300  has four binding posts  9  with two of them connecting to anodes of the loudspeaker and the other two connecting to cathode thereof. The positive line  100  can only electrically connect to one of the two binding posts  9  connecting to anodes of the loudspeaker, and the other one should connect to the binding post  9  connected with the positive line  100  by a jumper  310 . Similarly, the way to connect the negative line  200  with the two binding posts  9  connecting to cathodes of the loudspeaker is the same. Nevertheless, use of the jumpers  310  increases additional connecting points in transmission, and, thus, impedance and quality of each jumper  310  may lower the timbre of sounds generated by the loudspeaker. Besides, the jumpers  310  in small size being easily lost by a user and deformation of the jumpers  310  easily caused by external force may both lead to inconvenience of using. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The primary objective of this invention is to provide a binding post that can be connected to an audio line or simultaneously to two audio lines without jumpers. 
   A binding post in accordance with an aspect of the present invention comprises a first conductive member, a second conductive member, an isolating module, a positioning module and a cap. The first conductive member includes a head and a rod coupling to the head. The second conductive member receives the rod of the first conductive member. The isolating module is sandwiched between the first and second conductive members for avoiding electrical connection between the first and second conductive members. The positioning module is for positioning the first and second conductive members relatively to the isolating module. The cap is mounted around the first conductive member and includes a body, a conductive tube between the body and the second conductive member and a hole passing through the body in an axial direction of the body, with one end of the conductive tube extending into the hole and the other end of the conductive tube forming a contacting surface. 
   According to the above description, the present invention provides the binding post having two independent conductive members and which is able to connect to one or two audio lines at the same time. Besides, the cap can be mounted on the second conductive member through any one of the two ends thereof and fixes the audio lines. Consequently, the amount of the required binding posts is reduced to enhance convenience of using the binding post, and lowered timbre and lost jumpers are avoided. 
   Further scope of the applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferable embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since variations will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein: 
       FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view illustrating a conventional binding post; 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view illustrating the linkage between a loudspeaker and two audio lines through four conventional binding posts; 
       FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view illustrating a binding post in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 4  is a cross sectional view illustrating the binding post in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view illustrating the two binding posts in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention connected between a loudspeaker and two audio lines including one positive line and one negative line; 
       FIG. 6  is a partial, cross sectional view illustrating one of the binding posts connected to one of the two audio lines of  FIG. 5 ; 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view illustrating the binding post in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention connected between a loudspeaker and four audio lines including two positive lines and two negative lines; and 
       FIG. 8  is a partial, cross sectional view illustrating one of the binding posts connected to the two positive lines of  FIG. 7 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   A binding post of a preferred embodiment according to the preferred teachings of the present invention is shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4  of the drawings. According to the preferred embodiment form shown, the binding post includes a cap  1 , a first conductive member  2 , a second conductive member  3 , an isolating module  4 , a positioning module  5  and a fixing module  6 . The cap  1  includes a body  11  made of insulating material, a conductive tube  12  between the body  11  and the second conductive member  3 , and a hole  13  passing through the body  11  and the conductive tube  12  in an axial direction of the body  11 . A thread  121  is formed on a surface of the conductive tube  12  facing the hole  13 . One end of the conductive tube  12  close to the body  11  extends into the hole  13 , and the other end of the conductive tube  12  forms a contacting surface  122  facing the second conductive member  3 . 
   The first conductive member  2  includes a head  21  and a rod  22  coupling to the head  21 . A thread  211  is radially formed on an outer surface of a free end of the head  21  for being received in the hole  13  of the cap  1  and engaged with the thread  121  of the conductive tube  12 . Furthermore, said free end of the head  21  preferably has a plugging hole  212  aligning with the hole  13  of the cap  1  for a terminal to plug into the plugging hole  212  through the hole  13  of the cap  1  to electrically connect with the head  21 . The rod  22  has a first through hole  221  and a second through hole  222  near two ends thereof respectively. As shown in  FIG. 4 , a lead  23  can be fixed on the rod  22  by welding or by a screw  24  passing through the second through hole  222  and firmly mounts on the rod  22  with a nut  25 . 
   The second conductive member  3  receives the rod  22  of the first conductive member  2  but does not contact with the first conductive member  2 . Said second conductive member  3  includes a hollow cylinder  31  and an annular plate  32  formed on one end of the hollow cylinder  31 , with the annular plate  32  forming an axial hole  321  for the head  21  of the first conductive member  2  to pass through and be outside the second conductive member  3 . The hollow cylinder  31  has two holes  311  on the radial wall thereof, which are close to the annular plate  32  and align with the first through hole  221  of the rod  22 . Thus, an audio line can be alternatively sandwiched between the annular plate  32  and the body  11  of the cap  1  or the contacting surface  122  of the conductive tube  12 . 
   Referring again to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the isolating module  4  made of insulating materials, such as plastics and rubber, is sandwiched between the first and second conductive members  2 ,  3  and includes a first insulating sleeve  41  and a second insulating sleeve  42 . The first insulating sleeve  41  disposed around the head  21  of the first conductive member  2  and between the thread  211  of the head  21  and the rod  22  separates the head  21  of the first conductive member  2  and the annular plate  32  of the second conductive member  3 . Therefore, the audio line alternatively sandwiched between the annular plate  32  and the body  11  or the contacting surface  122  is prevented from electrically connecting with the annular plate  32  and the head  21  at the same time. Moreover, the first insulating sleeve  41  preferably consists of two half bodies  411  to be coupled onto the head  21  from two sides. The second insulating sleeve  42  receives a section of the rod  22  of the first conductive member  2  between the first and second through holes  221 ,  222  and is sandwiched between the rod  22  and the hollow cylinder  31  of the second conductive member  3 . Therefore, electrical connection between the first and second conductive members  2 ,  3  causing a short circuit is avoided. 
   The positioning module  5  includes two semi-annular bodies  51 , a bolt  52  and a nut  53  all made of insulating materials for further providing an electrical disconnection between the first and second conductive members  2 ,  3 . Two ends of each semi-annular body  51  respectively form two combining surfaces  511  for the two semi-annular bodies  51  to contact with each other to form a complete annular body. Two protrusions  512  are formed on two inner surfaces of the two semi-annular bodies  51  respectively and pass through the holes  311  to abut on the rod  22 , with the inner surfaces jointly forming an inner periphery of the complete annular body. Further, two positioning holes  513  respectively extend from an outer periphery of the semi-annular bodies  51  and through the protrusions  512  and align with the first through hole  221 . Furthermore, the inner surface of each semi-annular body  51  forms a shoulder  514  close to one side thereof for abutting against the annular plate  32 , and a flange  515  extends from an opposite side of the inner surface of each semi-annular body  51 . The bolt  52  extends through the positioning holes  513 , the holes  311 , the first through hole  221 , and the nut  53  in sequence, with the nut  53  being screwed onto the bolt  52  to firmly fasten the two semi-annular bodies  51  together, so that the first and second conductive members  2 ,  3  are positioned relatively to the isolating module  4 . Therefore, the first and second conductive members  2 , 3  are regarded as two independent conductive members of the binding post of the present invention. 
   The fixing module  6  is mounted around the second conductive member  3  and has a first fixing member  61  with one side thereof forming a flange  611  facing and aligning with the flanges  515  of the two semi-annular bodies  51  for abutting against and fixing a housing  7  of a loudspeaker between the first fixing member  61  and the semi-annular bodies  51 . Besides, the fixing module  6  further includes a second fixing member  62  and a spacer  63  between the first and second fixing members  61 ,  62 , with a lead  33  being sandwiched between the second fixing member  62  and the spacer  63  and contacting with the hollow cylinder  31 . Therefore, the two independent conductive members of the binding post of the present invention are coupled to the leads  23 ,  33  respectively. Alternatively, the fixing module  6  can only have the first fixing member  61  and the second fixing member  62  without the spacer  63 , with the lead  33  being sandwiched between the first fixing member  61  and the second fixing member  62 . 
   Referring now to the  FIGS. 5 and 6 , when two binding posts of the present invention are respectively coupled to a positive line  100  and a negative line  200  for connecting a loudspeaker to an amplifier, each of the positive and negative lines  100 ,  200  for coupling with the binding posts preferably forms a tongue crimp terminal or a tip terminal. The cap  1  is mounted around the head  21  of the first conductive member  2  with the contacting surface  122  of the conductive tube  12  facing the annular plate  32  of the second conductive member  3 . The electrical connection between the positive line  100  and one of the binding posts is shown in  FIG. 6 , and the electrical connection between the negative line  200  and the other binding post is the same. The tongue crimp terminal  101  of the positive line  100  is sandwiched between and contacts with the contacting surface  122  and the annular plate  32 , so as to electrically connect to the first and second conductive members  2 ,  3 . Therefore, the positive line  100  can electrically connect to the leads  23 ,  33 , so that audio signals from the amplifier are transmitted to the loudspeaker through the binding posts of the present invention. 
   Referring now to  FIGS. 7 and 8 , two kinds of terminals are used when two binding posts of the present invention are respectively coupled to two positive lines  100  and two negative lines  200  for connecting a loudspeaker and an amplifier. For the two positive lines  100 , one of them forms the tongue crimp terminal  101  and the other forms a tip terminal  102 , as do the two negative lines  200 . The cap  1  is mounted around the head  21  of the first conductive member  2 , with the body  11  of the cap  1  being beside the annular plate  32  of the second conductive member  3 . The electrical connection between the two positive lines  100  and one of the binding posts is shown in  FIG. 8 , and the electrical connection between the two negative lines  200  and the other binding post is the same. The tongue crimp terminal  101  is sandwiched between and contacts with the body  11  of the cap  1 , which is insulated, and the annular plate  32 , so as to electrically connect to the second conductive member  3 . The tip terminal  102  is plugged into the plugging hole  212  through the hole  13  of the cap  1 , so as to electrically connect to the first conductive member  2 . Therefore, the two positive lines  100  can electrically connect to the leads  23 ,  33  respectively, so that audio signals from the amplifier are transmitted to the loudspeaker. 
   As has been discussed above, the present invention provides the binding post having two independent conductive members  2 ,  3  to electrically connect with two leads  23 ,  33 , which is able to connect to two audio lines at the same time to reduce the amount of the required binding posts. Further, lowered timbre of the loudspeaker and lost jumpers are avoided, because jumpers are no longer needed. Consequently, convenience of using the binding post is enhanced. 
   Although the invention has been described in detail with reference to its presently preferable embodiments, it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention, as set forth in the appended claims.