Patent Publication Number: US-6910912-B2

Title: Wire connector

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to a wire connector for connecting an electric wire, and more particularly to a wire connector that facilitates the user&#39;s operation. 
   2. Description of the Related Art 
   A conventional wire connector  1  in accordance with the prior art shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  comprises a main body  11 , and a cover  12  movably mounted on the main body  1 . The main body  11  has an outer wall formed with a protruding receiving block  111  connected to the inside of the main body  11  for passage of a plurality of electric wires A. The cover  12  is provided with a cutter  121  aligning with the electric wires A. In operation, the jaws B 1  of a pair of pliers B are pressed on the cover  12  and the main body  11  to move the cover  12  into the main body  11 , so that the cutter  121  of the cover  12  will pierce the outer layers of the electric wires A, thereby conducting the cores A 1  of all of the electric wires A. 
   However, each of the jaws B 1  of the pliers B is disposed at an oblique state, and the surface of each of the cover  12  and the main body  11  is disposed at a horizontal state, so that each of the jaws B 1  of the pliers B applies an oblique pressing force on the cover  12  and the main body  11 , thereby easily incurring deflection. Thus, the cover  12  cannot be moved into the main body  11  easily and conveniently, thereby causing inconvenience to the user. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a wire connector for connecting an electric wire. 
   Another objective of the present invention is to provide a wire connector, wherein the oblique jaw portions of the pliers are closely urged on the oblique faces of the action portions of the upper cover and the lower cover, so that the upper cover and the lower cover are pressed by the pair of pliers to move into the receiving chamber of the main body smoothly and conveniently without incurring deflection. 
   A further objective of the present invention is to provide a wire connector, wherein the cutting slots of the upper cutter and the cutting slots of the lower cutter co-operate with each other to pierce the outer layers of the electric wires, thereby conducting the cores of all of the electric wires exactly. 
   A further objective of the present invention is to provide a wire connector, wherein the locking hooks of the guide plates of the upper cover and the lower cover are locked in the respective insertion recesses of the receiving chamber of the main body, so that the upper cover and the lower cover are locked in the receiving chamber of the main body rigidly and stably. 
   In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a wire connector, comprising a main body, an upper cover, an upper cutter, a lower cover, and a lower cutter, wherein:
         the main body has an inner wall formed with a receiving chamber;   the upper cover is mounted in an upper portion of the receiving chamber of the main body and has an inside formed with a channel;   the upper cutter is inserted into the channel of the upper cover and has a surface formed with a plurality of equally spaced cutting slots;   the lower cover is mounted in a lower portion of the receiving chamber of the main body and has an inside formed with a channel; and   the lower cutter is inserted into the channel of the lower cover and has a surface formed with a plurality of equally spaced cutting slots.       

   Further benefits and advantages of the present invention will become apparent after a careful reading of the detailed description with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a conventional wire connector in accordance with the prior art; 
       FIG. 2  is a schematic plan operational view of the conventional wire connector in accordance with the prior art; 
       FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of a wire connector in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 4  is a plan exploded cross-sectional view of the wire connector in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 5  is a plan cross-sectional view of the wire connector taken along line  5 — 5  as shown in  FIG. 4 ; 
       FIG. 6  is a schematic plan cross-sectional operational view of the wire connector in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 7  is a plan assembly view of the wire connector as shown in  FIG. 5 ; and 
       FIG. 8  is a plan assembly view of the wire connector as shown in  FIG. 4 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   Referring to the drawings and initially to  FIGS. 3–5 , a wire connector  2  in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a main body  21 , an upper cover  22 , an upper cutter  23 , a lower cover  24 , and a lower cutter  25 . 
   The main body  21  has an inner wall formed with an oblong receiving chamber  211 . The receiving chamber  211  of the main body  21  has a periphery formed with a plurality of insertion recesses  2111 . The main body  21  has an outer wall formed with a protruding receiving block  212  connected to the receiving chamber  211  of the main body  21  for passage of a plurality of electric wires A. 
   The upper cover  22  is mounted in an upper portion of the receiving chamber  211  of the main body  21  and has an inside formed with a channel  221 . The upper cover  22  has two side walls each having a lower portion formed with a plurality of arc-shaped grooves  222 . The upper cover  22  has two ends each having a lower portion formed with a guide plate  223  having an outer wall formed with two locking hooks  2231  each corresponding to a respective one of the insertion recesses  2111  of the receiving chamber  211  of the main body  21 . The upper cover  22  has a top formed with an action portion  224  having a first section formed with an oblique face  2240  mating with the inclined angle of one jaw portion B 1  of a pair of pliers B as shown in  FIG. 6 , and a second section formed with an arcuate face  2242  gradually extended downward. 
   The upper cutter  23  is a single-plate conductive plate and is inserted into the channel  221  of the upper cover  22 . The upper cutter  23  has a surface formed with a plurality of equally spaced cutting slots  231  for mounting the respective electric wires A. 
   The lower cover  24  is mounted in a lower portion of the receiving chamber  211  of the main body  21  and has an inside formed with a channel  241 . The lower cover  24  has two side walls each having an upper portion formed with a plurality of arc-shaped grooves  242 . The lower cover  24  has two ends each having an upper portion formed with a guide plate  243  having an outer wall formed with two locking hooks  2431  each corresponding to a respective one of the insertion recesses  2111  of the receiving chamber  211  of the main body  21 . The lower cover  24  has a bottom formed with an action portion  244  having a first section formed with an oblique face  2440  mating with the inclined angle of the other jaw portion B 1  of the pair of pliers B as shown in  FIG. 6 , and a second section formed with an arcuate face  2442  gradually extended upward. 
   The lower cutter  25  is a substantially U-shaped dual-plate conductive plate and is inserted into the channel  241  of the lower cover  24 . The lower cutter  25  has a surface forted with a plurality of equally spaced cutting slots  251  for mounting the respective electric wires A. 
   In operation, referring to  FIGS. 3–8 , the electric wires A in the receiving block  212  are extended into the receiving chamber  211  of the main body  21  as shown in  FIG. 4 . Then, the upper cutter  23  is inserted into the channel  221  of the upper cover  22 , and the lower cutter  25  is inserted into the channel  241  of the lower cover  24  as shown in  FIG. 5 . Then, the upper cover  22  is mounted in the upper portion of the receiving chamber  211  of the main body  21 , with the guide plate  223  of the upper cover  22  being rested on a wall of the receiving chamber  211  of the main body  21 , and the lower cover  24  is mounted in the lower portion of the receiving chamber  211  of the main body  21 , with the guide plate  243  of the lower cover  24  being rested on the wall of the receiving chamber  211  of the main body  21 . 
   Then, as shown in  FIG. 6 , one jaw portion B 1  of the pair of pliers B is closely urged on the oblique face  2240  of the action portion  224  of the upper cover  22 , and the other one jaw portion B 1  of the pair of pliers B is closely urged on the oblique face  2440  of the action portion  244  of the lower cover  24 , so that the upper cover  22  and the lower cover  24  are pressed by the pair of pliers B to move into the receiving chamber  211  of the main body  21  smoothly and conveniently without incurring deflection. At this time, a first one of the two locking hooks  2231  of the guide plate  223  of the upper cover  22  is locked in the respective insertion recess  2111  of the receiving chamber  211  of the main body  21 , so that the upper cover  22  is locked in the receiving chamber  211  of the main body  21  temporarily. In addition, a first one of the two locking hooks  2431  of the guide plate  243  of the lower cover  24  is locked in the respective insertion recess  2111  of the receiving chamber  211  of the main boxy  21 , so that the lower cover  24  is locked in the receiving chamber  211  of the main body  21  temporarily. 
   When the upper cover  22  and the lower cover  24  are successively pressed by the pair of pliers B to further move into the receiving chamber  211  of the m body  21 , the cutting slots  231  of the upper cutter  23  and the cutting slots  251  of the lower cutter  25  will pierce the outer layers of the respective electric wires A, thereby conducting the cores A 1  of all of the electric wires A as shown in  FIG. 6 . At this time, a second one of the two locking hooks  2231  of the guide plate  223  of the upper cover  22  is locked in the respective insertion recess  2111  of the receiving chamber  211  of the main body  21 , so that the upper cover  22  is locked in the receiving chamber  211  of the main body  21  rigidly and stably as shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 . In addition, a second one of the two locking hooks  2431  of the guide plate  243  of the lower cover  24  is locked in the respective insertion recess  2111  of the receiving chamber  211  of the main body  21 , so that the lower cover  24  is locked in the receiving chamber  211  of the main body  21  rigidly and stably as shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 . 
   Accordingly, the oblique jaw portions B 1  of the pair of pliers B are closely urged on the oblique faces  2240  and  2440  of the action portions  224  and  224  of the upper cover  22  and the lower cover  24 , so that the upper cover  22  and the lower cover  24  are pressed by the pair of pliers B to move into the receiving chamber  211  of the main body  21  smoothly and conveniently without incurring deflection. In addition, the cutting slots  231  of the upper cutter  23  and the cutting slots  251  of the lower cutter  25  cooperate with each other to pierce the outer layers of the electric wires A, thereby conducting the cores A 1  of all of the electric wires A exactly. Further, the locking hooks  2231  and  2431  of the guide plates  223  and  243  of the upper cover  22  and the lower cover  24  are locked in the respective insertion recesses  2111  of the receiving chamber  211  of the main body  21 , so that the upper cover  22  and the lower cover  24  are locked in the receiving chamber  211  of the main body  21  rigidly and stably. 
   Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment(s) as mentioned above, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. It is, therefore, contemplated that the appended claim or claims will cover such modifications and variations that fall within the true scope of the invention.