Patent Publication Number: US-6908337-B1

Title: Cable terminal

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates generally to a cable, and more particularly to a cable terminal. 
   2. Description of the Related Art 
   FIG.  1  and  FIG. 2  show a conventional cable terminal  60 , which has a base  61 , an outer member  62  and an engaging member  63 . The base  61  is a round tube fitted to the cable. The outer member  62  is a hexagonal tube with a round hole and on a sidewall of the hole is a thread  621 . An end of the outer member  62  is rested on an end of the base  61 . The engaging member  63 , which is a round tube, is inserted into both of the base  61  and the outer member  62  and has a protrusion  631  at an end thereof to stop the outer member  62 . The engaging member  63  has an end in the base  61  inserted into a cable between an insulating layer and an isolating layer (not shown). In connection with an electric product, such as television, the outer member  61  is turned to tighten or loose the terminal. 
   However, the base  61  is round and the terminal  60  is small that user has to use tool, such as pliers or wrench, to hold the outer member  62  and exerts the engaging member  63  into the cable. But the outer member  62  is free for rotation, such that it is hard to be held, even the tool is applied. The work of engaging the conventional terminal  60  with the cable is a hard job. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a cable terminal, which is easier to be connected to the cable. 
   According to the objective of the present invention, a cable terminal comprises a base having a hole, a large portion, a small portion and an annular wall between the large portion and small portion. The small portion has an annular protrusion at a circumference thereof and a tilted guiding flat beside the annular protrusion. An outer member has a hole having a plurality of sections with various diameters. A first protrusion portion is formed on a sidewall of the narrowest section of the hole, a second protrusion portion is formed on the sidewall of the hole next to the first protrusion portion, a thread is formed on the sidewall of the widest section of the hole and a stop portion is formed between the second protrusion portion and the thread. The diameter of the hole at the first protrusion portion is greater than that of the small portion of the base and is smaller than that of the annular protrusion of the base. The outer member is fitted to the smaller portion of the base with the first protrusion portion crossing the guiding flat and engaged with the annular protrusion. An engaging member is received in both of the base and the outer member and has a plate at an end thereof against the stop portion of the outer member to move the outer member toward the base. The first protrusion portion is moved to where between the annular flat and the annular protrusion of the base. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a sectional view of a conventional cable terminal in the exploded condition; 
       FIG. 2  is a sectional view of the conventional cable terminal in the combinative condition; 
       FIG. 3  is a sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention in the exploded condition; 
       FIG. 4  is a sectional view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention and a cable is going to be connected thereto, and 
       FIG. 5  is a sectional view following  FIG. 4 , showing the cable being secured. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   As shown in  FIG. 3 , a cable terminal  10  of the preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a base  20 , an outer member  30  and an engaging member  40 . 
   The base  20  is a round tube with a large portion  21 , a small portion  22  and an annular wall  23  between the large portion  21  and the small portion  22 . The small portion  22  has, from a distal end, an annular slot  221 , a tilting guiding flat  223  and an annular protrusion  222  on an outer surface thereof. A ring  24  is fitted to the small portion  22  and rested in the slot  221 . The large portion  21  has a first engaging portion  25  at an interior surface thereof and a stop flat  26  beside the first engaging portion  25  and adjacent to the small portion  22 . 
   The outer member  30  is a hexagonal tube with a three-order round hole, wherein on a sidewall of the hole is a first protrusion portion  31 , from an end thereof, a second protrusion portion  32 , a stop portion  34  and a thread  33 . A diameter of the hoe at the first protrusion portion  31  is greater than that of the small portion  22  of the base  20  but is smaller than the annular protrusion  222 . The outer member  30  is fitted to the base  20 , in which the first protrusion portion  31  of the out member  30  moves along the guiding flat  223  to be engaged with the annular protrusion  222  of the base  20 . 
   The engaging member  40  has a hook-like second engaging portion  41  at an end, a plate  42  at the other end and a teeth portion  43 , which has tilted teeth  431 , at a circumference thereof adjacent to the plate  42 . In assembly, the engaging member  40  is inserted into both of the base  20  and the outer member  30 , in which the plate is attached on the second protrusion portion  32  of the outer member  30 . 
   As shown in FIG.  4  and  FIG. 5 , the cable terminal  10  of the present invention is connected to a cable  50 . The cable  50  has a conductive core  51  at a center warped by an isolating layer  52  and an insulating layer  53 . In assembly, the base  20  of the cable terminal  10  is fitted to the insulating layer  53  of the cable  50 , and then the outer member  30  is held by a wrench or pliers to fit it to the base  20 . Now, exert the outer member  30  to attach the insulating layer  53  of the cable  50  on the stop flat  26  of the base  20  and to engage the first protrusion portion  31  of the outer member  30  with the annular protrusion  222  of the base  20 , such that the outer member  30  is secured to the base  30  firmly. After that, exert the engaging member  40  to insert the second engaging portion  41  into the cable  50  between the isolating layer  52  and the insulating layer  53 , in which the plate  42  of the engaging member  42  compresses the second protrusion portion  32  of the outer member  30  to move the outer member  30  inward. While first protrusion portion  31  is moved to where between the annular wall  23  and the annular protrusion  222  of the base  20 , the ring  24  is attached on sidewall of the hole of the outer member  30  and the outer member  30  is free for rotation again. In addition, the second engaging portion  41  of the engaging member  40  and the first engaging portion  25  of the base  20  clip the insulating layer  53  of the cable  50  and the teeth portion  20  compresses the base  20  at the small portion  22 . 
   The advantages of the present invention are: The outer member is not rotary in assembly because the first protrusion portion is engaged with the annular protrusion of the base for facilitation of exerting the second engaging portion to be inserted into the cable. In addition, it has a well strength of the connection of the terminal and the cable because that the teeth portion of the engaging member is engaged with the small portion of the base firmly and the first engaging portion of the base and the second engaging portion of the engaging member clip the insulating layer.