BATTERY TERMINAL CLAMP ASSEMBLY WITH IMPROVED SECURITY AND METHOD OF FORMING THE SAME - Patent application

Abstract

The vehicle battery terminal clamp assembly features a fastening mechanism and a fastening assembly. The fastening mechanism includes a top wall having an upper battery post aperture and an upper slit, a bottom wall having a lower battery post aperture and a lower slit, and a front wall extending integrally between the top wall and the bottom wall and including a forward slit, the upper slit, the lower slit and the forward slit being arranged to form a continuous slit extending from the upper battery post aperture across the front wall to the lower battery post aperture. The upper and lower battery post apertures are configured to accommodate the spread of posts extending from the vehicle battery. The fastening assembly applies less than a nominal compressive force to the fastening mechanism, and the top wall of the fastening mechanism is substantially parallel to the bottom wall of the fastening mechanism. In contrast, when the fastening assembly applies a sufficient compressive force to the fastening mechanism, the top wall of the fastening mechanism is not substantially parallel to the bottom wall of the fastening mechanism, which increases the "tensile force" of the battery terminal clamp assembly of the present invention.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] (Reference to Related Application) This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 289,627, filed December 14, 2021, and is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] (Technical field) The present disclosure relates to electrical connectors, and more particularly to a battery terminal clamp assembly having a clasping mechanism and a securement assembly. When the battery terminal clamp is secured to a post of a vehicle battery, the securement assembly is in an installed state in which a bottom wall assembly of the clamp assembly is separated from a lower wall assembly of the clamp assembly. In the installed state, the force required to pull and remove the terminal clamp of the present invention from the battery post is increased compared to conventional battery terminal clamps. In addition, the battery terminal clamp of the present invention reduces the amount of scrap material generated during the manufacturing process compared to conventional battery terminal clamps which reduces material costs while increasing the value of the terminal clamp of the present invention. [Background technology]

[0003] Over the past several decades, the number of electrical components used in automobiles and other on-road and off-road vehicles, such as pickup trucks, commercial vans and trucks, semi-trucks, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, and sport utility vehicles (collectively, "motor vehicles") has increased dramatically. Electrical components are used in automobiles for a variety of reasons, including, but not limited to, monitoring, improving, and / or controlling vehicle performance, emissions, safety, and the interior cabin environment for the occupants of the automobile. Considerable time, resources, and energy have been expended to develop power distribution components that meet the diverse needs and complexities of the automotive market. However, conventional electrical distribution components suffer from various shortcomings.

[0004] Automobiles are challenging electrical environments for both electrical components and the connector assemblies that interconnect these components due to many conditions, including, but not limited to, space constraints that make initial installation difficult, harsh operating conditions, large ambient temperature ranges, long vibration, thermal loads, and life spans, all of which can lead to premature component and / or connector performance degradation or failure. For example, incorrectly seated battery terminal connectors or "clamps," which typically occur in the assembly plant, and dislodged connectors, which typically occur in the field, are two significant failure modes for electrical components and automobiles. Each of these failure modes leads to significant repair and warranty costs. For example, the combined annual cost of warranties by all automobile manufacturers and their direct suppliers is estimated to be $50 billion to $150 billion worldwide. Given these harsh electrical environments, substantial time, money, and energy have been expended to develop and manufacture power distribution components that meet the diverse needs of vehicles and their markets. This disclosure addresses the shortcomings of conventional power distribution components. A detailed discussion of the configuration and advantages of the present disclosure follows the following detailed description, which continues with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0005] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional battery terminal clamp assembly having a conventional fastening mechanism and fastening assembly in an assembled state SA. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a top view of a sheet metal blank having the outlines of two conventional fastening mechanism blanks in an unfolded state SU, the blanks undergoing a forming process including multiple folding steps to form the conventional fastening mechanism of FIG. [Figure 3A] 3 shows eight steps in a forming process that moves one of the fastening mechanism blanks of FIG. 2 from the unfolded state SU to the folded state SF. [Figure 3B] 3 shows eight steps in a forming process that moves one of the fastening mechanism blanks of FIG. 2 from the unfolded state SU to the folded state SF. [Figure 3C] 3 shows eight steps in a forming process that moves one of the fastening mechanism blanks of FIG. 2 from the unfolded state SU to the folded state SF. [Figure 3D] 3 shows eight steps in a forming process that moves one of the fastening mechanism blanks of FIG. 2 from the unfolded state SU to the folded state SF. [Figure 3E] 3 shows eight steps in a forming process that moves one of the fastening mechanism blanks of FIG. 2 from the unfolded state SU to the folded state SF. [Figure 3F] 3 shows eight steps in a forming process that moves one of the fastening mechanism blanks of FIG. 2 from the unfolded state SU to the folded state SF. [Figure 3G] 3 shows eight steps in a forming process that moves one of the fastening mechanism blanks of FIG. 2 from the unfolded state SU to the folded state SF. [Figure 3H] 3 shows eight steps in a forming process that moves one of the fastening mechanism blanks of FIG. 2 from the unfolded state SU to the folded state SF. [Figure 4]2 is a top view of the conventional battery terminal clamp assembly of FIG. 1 positioned around the extent of the battery posts of a battery in an installed state SI. [Diagram 5] 5 is a cross-sectional view of the conventional battery terminal clamp assembly taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 4. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a battery terminal clamp assembly of the present invention having a fastening mechanism and a securing assembly in an assembled state SA. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a front view of the battery terminal clamp assembly of FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 7 is a top view of the battery terminal clamp assembly of FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the battery terminal clamp assembly of FIG. [Figure 10A] 7 is a top view of a sheet metal blank having the outlines of two fastening mechanism blanks in an unfolded state SU, said blanks undergoing a forming process including multiple folding steps to form the fastening mechanism of FIG. [Figure 10B] 7 is a top view of a sheet metal blank having the outlines of two fastening mechanism blanks in an unfolded state SU, said blanks undergoing a forming process including multiple folding steps to form the fastening mechanism of FIG. [Figure 10C] 7 is a top view of a sheet metal blank having the outlines of two fastening mechanism blanks in an unfolded state SU, said blanks undergoing a forming process including multiple folding steps to form the fastening mechanism of FIG. [Figure 11A] 11 illustrates seven steps in the forming process that moves the fastening mechanism blank of FIG. 10 from the unfolded state SU to the folded state SF. [Figure 11B] 11 illustrates seven steps in the forming process that moves the fastening mechanism blank of FIG. 10 from the unfolded state SU to the folded state SF. [Figure 11C] 11 illustrates seven steps in the forming process that moves the fastening mechanism blank of FIG. 10 from the unfolded state SU to the folded state SF. [Figure 11D] 11 illustrates seven steps in the forming process that moves the fastening mechanism blank of FIG. 10 from the unfolded state SU to the folded state SF. [Figure 11E] 11 illustrates seven steps in the forming process that moves the fastening mechanism blank of FIG. 10 from the unfolded state SU to the folded state SF. [Figure 11F] 11 illustrates seven steps in the forming process that moves the fastening mechanism blank of FIG. 10 from the unfolded state SU to the folded state SF. [Figure 11G] 11 illustrates seven steps in the forming process that moves the fastening mechanism blank of FIG. 10 from the unfolded state SU to the folded state SF. [Figure 12] 7 is a top view of the battery terminal clamp assembly of FIG. 6 in exploded state SD, with the extent of the fastening assembly omitted. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the battery terminal clamp assembly taken along line 13-13 of FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the battery terminal clamp assembly taken along line 13-13 of FIG. 12, the battery terminal clamp assembly being in a first partially assembled state S1P. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the battery terminal clamp assembly taken along line 13-13 of FIG. 12, the battery terminal clamp assembly being in a second partially assembled state S2P. [Figure 16] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the battery terminal clamp assembly taken along line 13-13 of FIG. 12, the battery terminal assembly being in a third partially assembled state S3P. [Figure 17] FIG. 7 is a side view of the battery terminal clamp assembly of FIG. 6 positioned around the extent of the battery posts of a battery in a partially installed state SP1. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view of the battery terminal clamp assembly taken along line 18-18 of FIG. 17. [Figure 19] FIG. 7 is a top view of the battery terminal clamp assembly of FIG. 6 positioned around the extent of the battery posts of a battery in a partially installed state SPI. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of the battery terminal clamp assembly taken along line 20-20 of FIG. 19. [Figure 21] FIG. 7 is a side view of the battery terminal clamp assembly of FIG. 6 positioned around the extent of the battery posts of a battery in an installed state SI. [Figure 22] 22 is a cross-sectional view of the battery terminal clamp assembly taken along line 22-22 of FIG. 21. [Figure 23] FIG. 7 is a top view of the battery terminal clamp assembly of FIG. 6 positioned around the extent of the battery posts of a battery in an installed state SI. [Figure 24] FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional view of the battery terminal clamp assembly taken along line 24-24 of FIG. 23. [Diagram 25] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a battery terminal clamp assembly of the present invention having a fastening mechanism and a securing assembly in an assembled state SA. [Figure 26] 26 is a top view of a sheet metal blank having the outlines of two fastening mechanism blanks in an unfolded state SU, said blanks undergoing a forming process including multiple folding steps to form the fastening mechanism of FIG. 25. [Figure 27A] 27 illustrates six steps in a forming process that moves one of the fastening mechanism blanks of FIG. 26 from the unfolded state SU to the folded state SF. [Figure 27B] 27 illustrates six steps in a forming process that moves one of the fastening mechanism blanks of FIG. 26 from the unfolded state SU to the folded state SF. [Figure 27C] 27 illustrates six steps in a forming process that moves one of the fastening mechanism blanks of FIG. 26 from the unfolded state SU to the folded state SF. [Figure 27D]27 illustrates six steps in a forming process that moves one of the fastening mechanism blanks of FIG. 26 from the unfolded state SU to the folded state SF. [Figure 27E] 27 illustrates six steps in a forming process that moves one of the fastening mechanism blanks of FIG. 26 from the unfolded state SU to the folded state SF. [Figure 27F] 27 illustrates six steps in a forming process that moves one of the fastening mechanism blanks of FIG. 26 from the unfolded state SU to the folded state SF. [Figure 28] FIG. 26 is a top view of the battery terminal clamp assembly of FIG. 25 positioned around the extent of the battery posts of a battery in a partially installed state SPI. [Figure 29] FIG. 29 is a cross-sectional view of the battery terminal clamp assembly taken along line 29-29 of FIG. 28. [Diagram 30] FIG. 26 is a top view of the battery terminal clamp assembly of FIG. 25 positioned around the extent of the battery posts of a battery in an installed state SI. [Diagram 31] 31 is a cross-sectional view of the battery terminal assembly taken along line 31-31 of FIG. 30. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0006] The following description describes, illustrates, and illustrates one or more embodiments of the present invention in accordance with its principles. This description is not provided to limit the present invention to the embodiments described herein, but rather to explain and teach the principles of the present invention so that those skilled in the art can understand these principles and, upon understanding, can apply them not only to the embodiments described herein but also to other embodiments that may come to mind in accordance with these principles. The scope of the present invention is intended to cover all such embodiments that may fall within the scope of the appended claims, either literally or under the doctrine of equivalents.

[0007] The battery terminal clamp assembly 510 of the present invention is designed to fit over an elongated battery terminal post 5, such as a frusto-conical post, to couple a vehicle battery 7 to a cable and provides several advantages over the conventional battery terminal clamp assembly 10. Although the battery terminal clamp assembly 510 of the present invention may be heavier than the conventional battery terminal clamp assembly 10, the formation of the battery terminal clamp assembly 510 of the present invention reduces material waste as compared to the formation of the conventional battery terminal clamp assembly 10. The clasping mechanism 600 of the present invention reduces material waste by over 35%. Additionally, when the battery terminal clamp assembly 510 of the present invention and the conventional battery terminal clamp assembly 10 are placed on similar battery posts 5 and the security assemblies 300, 800 are torqued to the same value, the battery terminal clamp assembly 510 of the present invention (i) exceeds current USCAR specifications and (ii) has a pull-off force that is more than 40% greater than the pull-off force associated with the conventional battery terminal clamp assembly 10.

[0008] The second version of the battery terminal clamp assembly 1510 of the present invention is designed to mate with a battery terminal post 5 to couple a vehicle battery 7 to a cable and provides several benefits over the conventional battery terminal clamp assembly 10. Even though the battery terminal clamp assembly 1510 of the present invention may be heavier than the conventional battery terminal clamp assembly 10, the formation of the battery terminal clamp assembly 1510 of the present invention reduces material waste compared to the formation of the conventional battery terminal clamp assembly 10. The fastening mechanism 1600 of the present invention reduces material waste by more than 35%. Additionally, when the battery terminal clamp assembly 1510 of the present invention and the conventional battery terminal clamp assembly 10 are placed on similar battery posts 5 and the fastening assemblies 300, 1300 are torqued to the same value, the battery terminal clamp assembly 1510 of the present invention (i) exceeds current USCAR specifications and (ii) has a tensile force that is more than 30% greater than the tensile force associated with the conventional battery terminal clamp assembly 10.

[0009] (Conventional Battery Terminal Clamp Assembly) 1-5 show a conventional battery terminal clamp assembly 10 in various stages of assembly and use. A 1 shows a conventional battery terminal clamp assembly 10 in a state shown in FIG. 2A to FIG. 3 show a process for forming a conventional fastening mechanism 100, and FIG. 4 shows the conventional battery terminal clamp assembly 10 in an installed or usable state. Referring to FIG. 1, the conventional battery terminal clamp assembly 10 includes a conventional fastening mechanism 100 and a fixing assembly 300. The conventional fastening mechanism 100 includes a body 104 and an attachment assembly 280.

[0010] (a. Retaining Mechanism) The mounting assembly 280 extends from the extent of the body 104 and is configured to electrically couple the body 104 to an external device, component, or part. In this conventional fastening mechanism 100, the mounting assembly 280 includes an arrangement of walls curved toward one another and an aperture 282 configured to receive an elongated battery cable fastener (not shown).

[0011] The body 104 has a top wall arrangement 110, a bottom wall arrangement 180, and an intermediate sidewall 250. The top wall arrangement 110 includes (i) an upper wall 112 having a front surface 113a and a rear surface 113b, and (ii) a top or first sidewall 114 having a front surface 115a and a rear surface 115b. The top wall 112 includes (i) an upper battery post aperture 120 configured to receive a battery post 5 (which may be, for example, any post size (JIS, DIN, SAE, IEC)) and (ii) a fastening assembly 300 in a loosened (untightened) state S. UT Tightened state S T and an upper gap 122 configured to contract when moved to the upper battery post hole 120. To enable said contraction, the upper gap 122 extends from the upper battery post hole 120 to the front surface 113a of the top wall 112 and includes two substantially straight sections. A first substantially straight upper section 124a extends from the upper battery post hole 120 to an apex 126, and a second substantially straight upper section 124b extends from the apex 126 to the front surface 113a of the top wall 112. As described above, each section 124a, 124b of the upper gap 122 is substantially straight and not curved. In addition, the upper gap 122 includes only two sections 124a, 124b, and does not include more than two sections (e.g., three sections).

[0012] The first sidewall 114 is integrally formed with the top wall 112, with the front surface 115a being substantially coplanar with the front surface 113a of the top wall 112. To form the first sidewall 114 integrally with the top wall 112, the first sidewall 114 is formed from the same sheet metal stock 50 and bent along bend line B1. When the first sidewall 114 is bent in place, it is configured to (i) extend upwardly from the top wall 112, (ii) extend toward the bottom wall arrangement 180, and (iii) be perpendicular to the top wall 112. The first pull bar opening 130 is formed in the first sidewall 114 and includes two rectangular extents. A first rectangular extent 132a of the first pull bar opening 130 extends from an edge adjacent to the top wall 112 to a pull bar opening line P1, and a second rectangular extent 132b of the first pull bar opening 130 extends from the pull bar opening line P1 to an edge near the lower edge 116 of the first side wall 114.

[0013] The intermediate sidewall 250 of the body 104 has a front surface 252 and is integrally formed with the top wall 112 and the bottom wall 182. Additionally, the intermediate sidewall 250 is configured to be positioned (i) opposite the first and second sidewalls 114, 186, and (ii) substantially perpendicular to the top wall 112 and the bottom wall 182. To form the intermediate sidewall 250 integrally with the top wall 112 and bottom wall 182, the intermediate sidewall 250 is formed from the same sheet metal blank 50 and bent along bend lines B3, B4. As shown in FIG. 2, the bend lines B3, B4 extend along the entire length of the intermediate sidewall 250 (extending between the leading edge 251a and the trailing edge 251b) and are positioned substantially perpendicular to the front faces 113a, 184 of the top wall 112 and bottom wall 182. The intermediate sidewall 250 is formed by: (i) a length L of the top wall 112 extending between the leading face 113a and the trailing face 113b; T and (ii) a length L of the lower wall 182 extending between the front surface 188a and the rear surface 188b. B The length L is substantially equal to the extent of ISW Therefore, the length of the bending lines B3 and B4 is the length L of the upper wall 112. Tand the length L of the lower wall 182 is substantially equal to B In addition, from the above description and figures, it should be understood that the intermediate sidewall 250 and the first sidewall 114 are positioned on either side of the top wall 612. However, the sidewalls 114, 250 are not mirror images of each other. In other words, the configurations of the perimeters of the sidewalls 114, 250 are not the same.

[0014] The intermediate sidewall 250 includes a third pull bar opening 260 having two rectangular extents. A first rectangular extent 262a of the third pull bar opening 260 extends from an edge located adjacent the bottom wall 182 to a pull bar opening line P3, and a second rectangular extent 262b of the third pull bar opening 260 extends from the pull bar opening line P3 to an edge located near the top wall 112. The configuration of the third pull bar opening 260 is the same as the configurations of the first and second pull bar openings 130, 200. Thus, all three pull bar openings 130, 200, 260 include two extents 132a, 132b, 202a, 202b, 262a, 262b, with the configurations of the first extents 132a, 202a, 262a coinciding with each other and the configurations of the second extents 132b, 202b, 262b coinciding with each other. As best shown in Figures 1 and 5, the body 104 does not include a front wall that connects the front surface 113a of the top wall 112 to the front surface 184 of the bottom wall 182. Instead, as described above, the top wall 112 is connected to the bottom wall 182 via the intermediate side wall 250. Because the body 104 lacks a front wall, the body 104 does not include an opening formed in the extent of the front wall. Also, by including the intermediate side wall 250, the body 104 lacks four side walls. In other words, the top wall arrangement 110 and the bottom wall arrangement 180 only include a single sidewall 114 , 186 .

[0015] The bottom wall arrangement 180 includes (i) a lower wall 182 having a front surface 184 and (ii) a bottom or second side wall 186 having a rear edge 187. The bottom wall 182 includes (i) a lower battery post aperture 190 configured to receive the battery post 5 and (ii) a bottom or second side wall 186 configured to receive the battery post 5 when the fastening assembly 300 is in a loosened state S. UT Tightened state ST and a lower gap 192 configured to contract when moved to the lower battery post aperture 190. To enable said contraction, the lower gap 192 extends from the lower battery post aperture 190 to the front surface 184 of the lower wall 182 and includes two substantially straight sections. A first substantially straight lower section 194a extends from the lower battery post aperture 190 to an apex 196, and a second substantially straight lower section 194b extends from the apex 196 to the front surface 184 of the lower wall 182. As described above, each section 194a, 194b of the lower gap 192 is substantially straight and not curved. Additionally, the lower gap 192 includes only two sections 194a, 194b, and does not include more than two sections (e.g., three sections).

[0016] The second sidewall 186 is integrally formed with the bottom wall 182, with the front surface 188a being substantially flush with the front surface 184 of the bottom wall 182. To form the second sidewall 186 integrally with the bottom wall 182, the second sidewall 186 is formed from the same sheet metal blank 50 and bent along bend line B2. When the second sidewall 186 is bent in place, it is configured to (i) extend upwardly from the bottom wall 182, (ii) extend toward the top wall arrangement 110, and (iii) be perpendicular to the bottom wall 182. A second pull bar opening 200 is formed in the second sidewall 186 and includes two rectangular extents. A first rectangular extent 202a of the second pull bar opening 200 extends from an edge located near the upper edge 187 of the second side wall 186 to a pull bar opening line P2, and a second rectangular extent 202b of the second pull bar opening 200 extends from the pull bar opening line P2 to an edge located near the lower wall 182.

[0017] (b. Fixing Assembly) The fastening assembly 300 includes a pull bar 302 and a clamp assembly 350. The pull bar 302 has a first end 304 configured to be positioned adjacent the bottom sidewall 186, a middle extent positioned within the pull bar opening 130, 200, 260, and an end extent coupled to a clamp assembly 350. The clamp assembly 350 is configured to be positioned adjacent the middle sidewall 250 and has two terminal states. The first state is a relaxed state S. UT , in which case the fastening assembly 300 does not apply a full compressive force or only a nominal compressive force to the conventional fastening mechanism 100. The second state is the tightened state S T where the fastening assembly 300 is torqued to a set value (e.g., between 7.5-10.5 Nm, preferably 9 Nm) to provide sufficient compression or sufficient compressive force to the conventional fastening mechanism 100 to cause the conventional fastening mechanism 100 to respond as detailed in the following paragraphs. Thus, the sufficient compressive force is clearly greater than the nominal force that would not result in compression of the fastening mechanism 100. This tightened state S T In the embodiment, a compressive force on the conventional fastening mechanism 100 generates a clamping force FC on the battery post 5, (i) contracting the upper gap 122 from its original state (FIG. 1) to a contracted state (FIG. 4), (iii) contracting the lower gap 192 from its original state to a contracted state, and (iv) reducing the widths of the battery post holes 120, 190 from their original state (FIG. 1) to a reduced state (FIG. 4). Further disclosure regarding the operation and functionality of the fastening assembly 300 is disclosed in detail in U.S. Patent No. 10,008,789, which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0018] 2 illustrates a substantially flat blank 50 having (i) a top edge 52a, (ii) a bottom edge 52b, and (iii) the outline of two conventional fastening mechanism blanks 54a-b positioned between the top and bottom edges 52a, 52b. Positioned on the blank 50 and between the conventional fastening mechanism blanks 54a-b is an extent of scrap or engineered scrap 56 due to the configuration of the conventional fastening mechanism 100. The engineered scrap 56 is an extent of the blank 50 that cannot be used due to the configuration of the blanks 54a-b and the spacing required to cut the blanks 54a-b from the blank 50. Specifically, the engineered scrap 56 includes four extents 60, 62, 64, and 66. The first extent 60 of the engineered scrap 56 has a first area A1 extending between (i) a first axis A1 extending through the center of the hole 282a configured to receive an elongated battery cable fastener, (ii) a second axis A2 extending through the hole 282b configured to receive an elongated battery cable fastener, (iii) a top edge of the blank 52a, and (iv) a first engineered scrap line ES1 aligned with the uppermost extent of the mounting assembly 280. The second extent 62 of the engineered scrap 56 has a second area A2 extending between (i) a left edge of the first conventional fastening mechanism blank 54a, i.e., the left edge of the first conventional fastening mechanism blank 54a consisting of the edge associated with the mounting assembly 280, the top wall 112, the middle side wall 250, the bottom wall 182, and the second side wall 186, (ii) a right edge of the second conventional fastening mechanism blank 54b, i.e., the right edge of the second conventional fastening mechanism blank 54b consisting of the edge associated with the mounting assembly 280, the top wall 112, and the first side wall 114, (iii) the first engineered scrap line ES1, and (iv) a second engineered scrap line ES2 aligned with the trailing edges of the first and second side walls 114, 186.

[0019] The third extent 64 of the engineered scrap 56 has a third area A3 extending between (i) the top edge 189 of the second sidewall 186, (ii) the bottom edge 119 of the first sidewall 114, (iii) the first engineered scrap line ES2, and (iv) a third engineered scrap line ES3 aligned with the front faces 113a, 184 of the first and second sidewalls 114, 186. The fourth extent 66 of the engineered scrap 56 has a fourth area A4 extending between (i) the first axis A1, (ii) the second axis A2, (iii) the bottom edge of the blank 52b, and (iv) the third engineered scrap line ES3. Thus, the engineered scrap 56 has an area A4 equal to the sum of the first through fourth areas A1 through A4. ES In other words, engineered scrap 56 has an area A that extends substantially between (i) a first axis A1, (ii) a second axis A2, (iii) a left edge of first conventional fastening mechanism blank 54a, (iv) a right edge of second conventional fastening mechanism blank 54b, (v) a top edge of blank 52a, and (iv) a bottom edge of blank 52b. ES has.

[0020] Conventional Fastening Mechanism Once one of the blanks 54a-54b is removed from the sheet metal 50, each blank 54a-54b is placed in an expanded condition S U (unfolded state) to folded state S F 3A-3H, where step 1 (70) is obtaining a blank 54a, step 2 (72) involves bending the flaps of the mounting assembly 280, step 3 and step 4 (74, 76) form the upper and lower battery post holes 120, 192, step 5 (78) forms the top and bottom side walls 114, 186, step 6 (80) positions the bottom wall 182 perpendicular to the top wall 112, step 7 (82) moves the bottom wall 182 from its perpendicular position with the top wall 112 in step 6 to substantially parallel with the top wall 112, and step 8 (84) completes bending the mounting assembly 280 in another direction.U From the folded state S F It is desirable to reduce the number of steps required to convert a conventional battery terminal clamp assembly 10 to a conventional battery terminal clamp assembly 10 because it will make it less expensive to manufacture.

[0021] 4 and 5 show a conventional battery terminal clamp assembly 10 in an installed state S I The installed state S is shown. I 1 shows a state S in which (i) the conventional battery terminal clamp blanks 54a-54b are removed from the metal plate 50, and (ii) the blanks 54a-54b are spread apart. U From the folded state S F and (iii) the fastening assembly 300 is coupled to the conventional fastening mechanism 100 to be in an assembled state S A (iv) the battery post 5 is positioned within the battery post hole 120, 190, and (v) the fastening assembly 300 is in the loosened state S UT Tightened state S T This occurs after the fastening assembly 300 is moved to the fastened state S T By disposing the battery terminal clamp assembly 10 in the C Apply clamping force F Cis applied to said battery post 5, (i) the top wall 114 and the bottom wall 182 are kept substantially parallel to each other, (ii) the upper gap 122 shrinks from its original state to a contracted state, (iii) the lower gap 192 shrinks from its original state to a contracted state, and (iv) the widths of the battery post holes 120, 190 are reduced from their original state to a reduced state. The reduction does not substantially change the distance separating the top wall 112 and the bottom wall 182. In other words, (i) before installation on the battery post 5, a pre-installation distance extends between the lower surface of the top wall 112 and the upper surface of the bottom wall 182, and (ii) after installation on the battery post 5, an installed distance extends between the lower surface of the top wall 112 and the upper surface of the bottom wall 182, where the installed distance is substantially equal to the pre-installation distance. In other words, the conventional battery terminal clamp assembly 10 does not have the spreading effect disclosed in connection with the inventive assemblies 510, 1510 disclosed herein. Taking into account the lack of spreading effect, when the conventional battery terminal clamp assembly 10 is placed on the battery post 5 and the fastening assembly 300 is torqued to a first value (e.g., between 7.6-10.4 Nm, preferably 9 Nm), the conventional battery terminal clamp assembly 10 has a pull-off of greater than 980 N, preferably about 2,000 N.

[0022] (First embodiment kick plate - battery terminal clamp assembly of the present invention) 6-24 show the battery terminal clamp assembly 510 of the present invention in various stages of formation, assembly and use. In particular, FIGS. 6-8 show the S A10A-11G illustrate a process for forming the fastening mechanism 600, FIGS. 12-16 illustrate steps taken in assembling the battery terminal clamp assembly 510, FIGS. 17-20 illustrate the battery terminal clamp assembly 510 in a partially installed state, and FIGS. 21-24 illustrate the battery terminal clamp assembly 510 in an installed or ready to use state. Referring to FIGS. 6-8, the battery terminal clamp assembly 510 includes the fastening mechanism 600 of the present invention and a fastening assembly 800.

[0023] (Retaining mechanism) The fastening mechanism 600 includes a body 604 and a mounting assembly 780. The mounting assembly 780 extends from an extent of the body 604 and is configured to electrically couple the body 604 to an external device, component, or part. In this fastening mechanism 600, the mounting assembly 780 includes a wall arrangement curved toward one another and an aperture 782 configured to receive an elongated battery cable fastener (not shown). It should be understood that in other embodiments, the mounting assembly 780 may have other configurations, including a protrusion extending from the bottom wall arrangement 680, a protrusion extending forward from either the top wall arrangement 610 or the bottom wall arrangement 680, or one or more protrusions extending from the sides of the top wall arrangement 610 and the bottom wall arrangement 680.

[0024] Unlike the conventional body 104 of the fastening mechanism 100, the body 604 of the fastening mechanism 600 of the present invention lacks an intermediate sidewall integrally formed with and extending between the top wall configuration 610 and the bottom wall configuration 680. Instead, the body 604 includes a top wall configuration 610, a front wall 750, and a bottom wall configuration 680. The top wall configuration 610 includes (i) a top wall 612 having a leading edge 613a and a trailing edge 613b, (ii) a first top sidewall or top left sidewall 614 having a leading surface 615a and a trailing surface 615b, and (iii) a second top sidewall or top right sidewall 617 having a leading surface 618a and a trailing surface 618b. Unlike the conventional body 104, the top wall 612 lacks a leading surface because the forward extent of the top wall 612 is integrally formed with the front wall 750. Instead, the top wall includes a leading edge 613a extending between the boundary between the top wall 612 and the front wall 750. The top wall 612 includes (i) an upper battery post aperture 620 configured to receive a battery post 5, (ii) a depending battery post flange 621 that substantially surrounds the upper battery post aperture 620 and extends toward the bottom wall 682, and (iii) a front edge 613a extending between the leading edge 613a and the front wall 750 when the fastening assembly 800 is in a relaxed state S. UT Tightened state S Tand an upper slit 622 configured to contract when moving to the front wall 250. To allow for said contraction, the upper slit 622 extends from the upper battery post aperture 620 to the front edge 613a of the top wall 612 and includes three sections. A first upper substantially curved section 624a extends from the upper battery post aperture 620 to an outer apex 626, a second upper substantially curved section 624b extends from the outer apex 626 to an inner apex 628, and a third upper substantially straight section 624c extends from the inner apex 628 to the front wall 250. Unlike the conventional body 104, two of the sections 624a, 624b of the upper slit 622 are substantially curved, and the sections 624a, 624b are not straight. In addition, one section 624c is not curved, but instead is substantially straight. In other words, the upper slit 622 includes two substantially curved sections 624a, 624b and one substantially straight section 624c. Additionally, unlike the conventional body 104, the upper slit 622 includes three sections 624a, 624b, 624c and does not include less than three sections (e.g., one or two sections). In other embodiments, the upper slit 622 may include more (e.g., more than three) sections or fewer (e.g., one or two) sections.

[0025] The top left sidewall 614 is integrally formed with the top wall 612 and has a front surface 615a that is substantially flush with (i) a leading edge 613a of the top wall 612 and (ii) a front surface 752 of the front wall 750. To form the top left sidewall 614 integrally with the top wall 612, the top left sidewall 614 is formed from the same sheet metal blank 50 and bent along a left bend line B1. When the top left sidewall 614 is bent in place, it is configured such that it (i) extends downwardly from the top wall 612, (ii) extends toward the bottom wall configuration 680, and (iii) is perpendicular to the top wall 612 and the bottom wall 682. A first or left pull bar opening 630 is formed in the top left sidewall 614 and includes two rectangular extents. A first rectangular extent 632a of the first pull bar opening 630 extends from an edge located adjacent the top wall 612 to a pull bar opening line P1, and a second rectangular extent 632b of the first pull bar opening 630 extends from the pull bar opening line P1 to an edge located near the lower edge 616 of the top left side wall 614.

[0026] The top right sidewall 617 is integrally formed with the top wall 612 and has a front surface 618a that is substantially flush with (i) the leading edge 613a of the top wall 612 and (ii) the front surface 752 of the front wall 750. To form the top right sidewall 617 integrally with the top wall 612, the top right sidewall 617 is formed from the same sheet metal blank 50 and bent along a right bend line B2. When the top right sidewall 617 is bent in place, it is configured such that it (i) extends downwardly from the top wall 612, (ii) extends toward the bottom wall configuration 680, and (iii) is perpendicular to the top wall 612 and the bottom wall 682. A second or right pull bar opening 640 is formed in the top right sidewall 617 and includes two rectangular extents. A first rectangular extent 642a of the second pull bar opening 640 extends from an edge located adjacent the top wall 612 to a pull bar opening line P2, and a second rectangular extent 642b of the second pull bar opening 640 extends from the pull bar opening line P2 to an edge located near the lower edge 619 of the top right side wall 617. It should be appreciated that unlike the conventional body 104, the top left side wall 614 and the right side wall 617 are positioned on either side of the top wall 612 and are configured to be substantially mirror images of one another. In other words, the configuration of the perimeters of the side walls 614, 617 are substantially the same, and the openings 630, 640 are the same.

[0027] Unlike the conventional body 104, the body 604 of the battery terminal clamp assembly 510 of the present invention includes a front wall 750. Other differences between the conventional body 104 and the body 604 of the present invention include (i) the inclusion of the front wall 750 that does not directly contact the fastening assembly 800, and (ii) side walls that extend along the entire length of the battery post holes 620, 690. The front wall 750 has a front surface 752, a top edge 754a, and a bottom edge 754b, and is integrally formed with the top wall 612 and the bottom wall 682, and is in a position where it is in a relaxed state S when the fastening assembly 800 is in a relaxed state S. UT Tightened state S T10A-10C. The front wall 750 includes a front slit 760 configured to contract when the front wall 750 moves to the upper slit 622. To permit said contraction, the front slit 760 extends from the upper slit 622 to the lower slit 692. Because the upper slit 622 is not vertically aligned with the lower slit 692, the front slit 760 angularly traverses a substantial extent of the front wall 750 to connect said slits 622, 692. Additional disclosure regarding the configuration of the slits 622, 692, 760 is disclosed below in connection with FIGS. 10A-10C. Because the conventional body 104 lacks a front wall 750, it also lacks a front slit 760 extending between the slits 112, 192.

[0028] Additionally, the front wall 750 is (i) adjacent the leading edges or front faces 613a, 615a, 618a, 683a, 685a, 688a of the top wall configuration 610 and the bottom wall configuration 680, and (ii) adjacent the leading edges or front faces 613a, 615a, 618a, 683a, 685a, 688a of the top wall configuration 610 and the bottom wall configuration 680. I 11A-11G, the top and bottom bend lines B3, B4 (i) extend along the entire width of the front wall 750 (extending between the first side edge 751a and the second side edge 751b), (ii) are positioned substantially parallel to the leading edges or front faces 613a, 615a, 618a, 683a, 685a, 688a, and (iii) are positioned substantially parallel to the front face 644 of the pull bar opening 640. In other words, the top and bottom bend lines B3, B4 are not perpendicular to the leading edges or faces 613a, 615a, 618a, 683a, 685a, 688a and do not run along the length of the top and bottom walls 612, 682.

[0029] The front wall 750 has a width W of the top wall 612 that extends between the first and second side walls 614, 617. T and (ii) a width W of the bottom wall 682 extending between the first and second side walls 684, 687. B The width W is substantially equal to the width FWThus, the width of the top and bottom bend lines B3, B4 is equal to the width W of the top wall 612. T and the width W of the bottom wall 682 is substantially equal to B In other words, the width W of the front wall 750 is substantially equal to the width W of the front wall 750. FW , and the width of the top and bottom bend lines B3, B4 are the length L of the top and bottom walls 612, 682 (extending between the leading and trailing edges or front and rear faces 613a, 613b, 683a, 683b). T , L B Additionally, from the above description and figures, it should be understood that the fastening mechanism 600 lacks a wall located opposite the front wall 750. In other words, unlike the conventional body 104, the body 604 lacks a wall located opposite the walls integrally formed with the top wall arrangement 610 and the bottom wall arrangement 680.

[0030] The bottom wall configuration 680 includes (i) a bottom wall 682 having a leading edge 683a and a trailing surface 683b, (ii) a first bottom side wall or bottom left side wall 684 having a leading surface 685a and a trailing surface 685b, and (iii) a second bottom side wall or bottom right side wall 687 having a leading surface 688a and a trailing surface 688b. Unlike the conventional body 104, the bottom wall 682 lacks a leading surface because the forward extent of the bottom wall 682 is integrally formed with the front wall 750. Instead, the bottom wall includes a leading edge 683a that extends between the boundary between the bottom wall 682 and the front wall 750. The bottom wall 682 includes (i) a lower battery post aperture 690 configured to receive a battery post 5 therein, (ii) an upwardly depending battery post flange 691 that substantially surrounds the lower battery post aperture 690 and extends toward the top wall 618, and (iii) a recess 692 that recesses the lower battery post aperture 690 when the fastening assembly 800 is in a relaxed state S UT Tightened state S Tand a lower slit 692 configured to contract when moved to the front wall 250. To allow for said contraction, the lower slit 692 extends from the lower battery post aperture 690 to the front edge 683a of the bottom wall 682 and includes three sections. A first lower substantially curved section 694a extends from the lower battery post aperture 690 to an outer apex 696, a second lower substantially curved section 694b extends from the outer apex 696 to an inner apex 698, and a third lower substantially straight section 694c extends from the inner apex 698 to the front wall 250. As described above, two of the sections 694a, 694b of the lower slit 692 are substantially curved, and the sections 694a, 694b are not straight. Additionally, one section 694c is substantially linear rather than curved. In other words, the lower slit 692 includes two substantially curved sections 694a, 694b and one substantially straight section 694c. In addition, unlike the conventional body 104, the lower slit 692 includes three sections 694a, 694b, 694c, and does not include less than three sections (e.g., one or two sections). In other embodiments, the lower slit 692 may include more (e.g., more than three) sections or fewer (e.g., one or two) sections. As shown, the lower slit 692 and the upper slit 622 are not vertically aligned, but the configuration of the lower slit 692 substantially matches the configuration of the upper slit 622.

[0031] The bottom left side wall 684 is integrally formed with the bottom wall 682, with a front surface 685a substantially flush with (i) a front edge 683a of the bottom wall 682 and (ii) a front edge 752 of the front wall 750. To form the bottom left side wall 684 integrally with the bottom wall 682, the bottom left side wall 684 is formed from the same sheet metal blank 50 and bent along a left bend line B1. When the bottom left side wall 684 is bent in place, it is configured such that it (i) extends upwardly from the bottom wall 682, (ii) extends toward the top wall arrangement 610, and (iii) is perpendicular to the bottom wall 682. A first or left pull bar opening 700 is formed in the bottom left side wall 684 and includes two rectangular extents. A first rectangular extent 702a of the first pull bar opening 700 extends from an edge located adjacent the bottom wall 682 to a pull bar opening line P3, and a second rectangular extent 702b of the first pull bar opening 700 extends from the pull bar opening line P3 to an edge located near the lower edge 686 of the bottom left side wall 684.

[0032] A second bottom sidewall or bottom right sidewall 687 is integrally formed with the bottom wall 682, with a front surface 688a substantially flush with (i) the front edge 683a of the bottom wall 682 and (ii) the front edge 752 of the front wall 750. To form the bottom right sidewall 687 integrally with the bottom wall 682, the bottom right sidewall 687 is formed from the same sheet metal blank 50 and bent along a right bend line B2. When the bottom right sidewall 687 is bent in place, it is configured to (i) extend upwardly from the bottom wall 682, (ii) extend toward the top wall arrangement 610, and (iii) be perpendicular to the bottom wall 682. A second pull bar opening or right pull bar opening 710 is formed in the bottom right sidewall 687 and includes two rectangular extents. A first rectangular extent 712a of the second pull bar opening 710 extends from an edge located adjacent to the bottom wall 682 to a pull bar opening line P4, and a second rectangular extent 712b of the second pull bar opening 710 extends from the pull bar opening line P4 to an edge located near the lower edge 689 of the bottom left side wall 684. It should be appreciated that unlike the conventional body 104, the bottom left side wall 684 and the bottom right side wall 687 are located on either side of the bottom wall 682 and have circumferences that are substantially mirror images of each other. However, unlike the top side walls 614, 617, the openings 700, 710 in the bottom side walls 684, 687 do not coincide with each other. In other words, unlike the body 104, the body 604 includes four (instead of three) openings 630, 640, 700, 710, and the configurations of all four openings do not coincide with each other. Instead, the configurations of the three apertures 630, 640, 710 match each other, and the configuration of the other apertures 700 does not match the configuration of the other apertures.

[0033] (b. Fixing Assembly) The fastening assembly 800 in the central top-down drive system consists of (i) an upper pull bar 810, (ii) a lower pull bar 850, and (iii) an elongated coupler 900. The pull bars 810, 850 and the coupler 900 work together to enable the application of a compressive force to the fastening mechanism 100, whereby said compressive force on the fastening mechanism 100 is converted into a clamping force F on the battery post 5. CThe upper pull bar 810 includes (i) a head or outer flange 812 and (ii) a body 814 having a first or substantially straight section 818, a second or angled portion 822, and a third or interacting protrusion 830. Specifically, the first substantially straight section 818 extends between a first upper pull bar UP1 line aligned vertically with the extent of the inner surface 812a of the head 812 and a second upper pull bar UP2 line extending angularly through a bend located between the straight portion 818 and the angled portion 822. The angled portion 822 extends between the second upper pull bar UP2 line and a third upper pull bar UP3 line aligned with the shoulders 826a, 826b of the angled portion 822, while the interacting protrusion 830 extends from the third upper pull bar UP3 to a free end 840. Both the angled portion 822 and the interacting protrusion 830 slope downwardly toward a plane extending from the lowermost surface 813 of the head 812. The upper pull bar 810 includes two openings: (i) a first opening formed in the substantially straight portion 818 and which is an oval shaped coupler opening 821, and (ii) a second opening formed in the outer flange 812 and a curved wall extending between said outer flange 812 and the substantially straight portion 818 and which is a lower pull bar receiver 842.

[0034] The lower pull bar 850 includes (i) a head or outer flange 852 and (ii) a body 854 having a first or straight portion 856, a second or angled portion 858, a third or substantially straight portion 862, and a fourth or interacting protrusion 870. Specifically, the first or straight portion 856 extends between a first lower pull bar LP1 line that is aligned perpendicular to the extent of the inner surface 852a of the head or outer flange 852 and a second lower pull bar LP2 line that extends angularly through a bend located between the first portion 856 and the angled portion 858. The angled portion 858 extends between the second lower pull bar LP2 line and a third lower pull bar LP3 line that extends angularly through a bend located between the angled portion 858 and the substantially straight portion 862. The straight portion 862 extends between the third lower pull bar LP3 line and the fourth lower pull bar LP3 line aligned with the shoulders 866a, 866b of the straight portion 862, while the interacting protrusion 870 extends from the fourth lower pull bar LP4 to a free end 880. The angled portion 858 and the interacting protrusion 870 both slope upwardly toward a plane extending from the top surface 853 of the head 852. The lower pull bar 850 includes one opening 866 and a thermoformed threaded coupler 892. The opening is formed in the outer flange 852 and a curved wall extending between the outer flange 852 and the substantially straight portion 856a, which is the upper pull bar receiver 866. The thermoformed threaded coupler is located within the substantially straight portion 862 and extends downwardly from the top surface 862a of the lower pull bar 850. Thermoformed threaded coupler 892 is designed and configured to function with threaded elongated coupler 900. It should be understood that in other embodiments, fastening assembly 800 may be replaced with other fastening assemblies (e.g., the assemblies disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 10,008,789, angled drive top down, and / or lever action).

[0035] (c. Assembling and Using the Battery Terminal Clamp Assembly) Figures 12 to 17 show the disassembled state SD Assembled from S A 12 and 13, where the fastening assembly 800 is separated from the catch mechanism 100. Next, as shown in FIG. 14, the assembly 510 is moved to a disassembled state S when the upper pull bar 810 is inserted into the body 604 through the right pull bar opening 640, 710 and angled upward toward the top wall 612. D from the first partially assembled state S 1P 15, the assembly 510 moves to a first partially assembled state S when the lower pull bar 850 is inserted into the body 604 through the left pull bar opening 630, 700 and angled downward toward the bottom wall 682. 1P to the second partially assembled state S 2P In this position, the upper surfaces 822a, 830a of the angled portion 822 and the interacting protrusions 830 of the lower pull bar 850 are positioned adjacent to the lower surface 858a of the straight portion 858 of the upper pull bar 810. The assembly 510 then moves to a second partially assembled state S as the assembly continues to insert the lower pull bar 850 into the body 604, as shown in FIG. 2P to the third partially assembled state S 3P Finally, the lower pull bar 850 is fully inserted into the body 604, the interacting protrusion 870 is inserted into the lower pull bar receiver 842, the interacting protrusion 830 is inserted into the upper pull bar receiver 866, and the coupler 900 is inserted through the opening in the top wall 612 and the oval coupler opening 821 into the thermoformed threaded coupler 892. Once this final step occurs, the battery terminal clamp assembly 510 is in the assembled state S. A Go to.

[0036] 10A-10C show a substantially flat sheet metal blank 550 having (i) a top edge 552a, (ii) a bottom edge 552b, and (iii) the contours of two fastening mechanism blanks 554a-554b positioned between the top edge 552a and the bottom edge 552b. The fastening mechanism blanks 554a-554b include first and second axes A1, A2 that extend through the center of the hole 782a of the mounting assembly 780. Unlike the conventional body 104, the combination of the slits 622, 692, 760 forms a continuous slit or clamp slit 770 included in the body 604 of the present invention. The continuous slit 770 follows a circuit path between the upper battery post hole 620 and the lower battery post hole 690. The circuit path of the continuous slit 770 forms substantially an inverted "S" shape about the axes A1, A2, intersecting at an intersection between the horizontal central axis AC and the vertical axes A1, A2. In other words, the continuous slit 770 is C 7 and mirrored about axes A1, A2. It should also be appreciated that continuous slit 770 is contained entirely within fastening mechanism 600 and does not extend to the exterior surface of said mechanism 600. In contrast to fastening mechanism 600 of the present invention, both of gaps 122, 192 of conventional fastening mechanism 100 extend from battery post holes 120, 190 to front surfaces 113a, 184.

[0037] Positioned on the blank 550 and between the fastening mechanism blanks 554a and 554b is a span of scrap or engineered scrap 556 resulting from the configuration of the fastening mechanism 600. This engineered scrap 556 is a span of blank 550 that cannot be used due to the configuration of blanks 554a-554b and the spacing required to cut the blanks 554a-554b from the blank 550. In particular, engineered scrap 556 includes seven spans 560, 562, 564, 566, 568, 570, and 572. The first extent 560 of the engineered scrap 556 has a first area A1 extending between (i) a first axis A1 extending through the center of the hole 782a configured to receive an elongated battery cable fastener, (ii) a second axis A2 extending through the hole 782b configured to receive an elongated battery cable fastener, (iii) a top edge of the blank 552a, and (iv) a first engineered scrap line ES1 aligned with the uppermost extent of the mounting assembly 780. The second extent 562 of the engineered scrap 556 has a second area A2 extending between (i) the left edge of the first fastening mechanism blank 554a, i.e., the edge associated with the mounting assembly 780 and the top wall 612, (ii) the right edge of the second fastening mechanism blank 554b, i.e., the edge associated with the mounting assembly 280 and the top wall 612, (iii) the first engineered scrap line ES1, and (iv) the second engineered scrap line ES2 aligned with the rear faces 615b, 618b of the first and second side walls 614, 617.

[0038] The third extent 564 of the engineered scrap 556 has a third area A3 extending between (i) the lower edge 616 of the top left sidewall 614, (ii) the lower edge 619 of the top right sidewall 617, (iii) the second engineered scrap line ES2, and (iv) a third engineered scrap line ES3 aligned with the front faces 615b, 618b of the first and second sidewalls 614, 617. The fourth extent 566 of the engineered scrap 556 has a fourth area A4 extending between (i) the first side edge 751a of the front wall 750, (ii) the second side edge 751b of the front wall 750, (iii) the third engineered scrap line ES2, and (iv) a fourth engineered scrap line ES4 aligned with the rear faces 685b, 688b of the first and second sidewalls 684, 687. The fifth extent 568 of the engineered scrap 556 has a fifth area A5 extending between (i) the lower edge 686 of the apex left sidewall 614, (ii) the lower edge 689 of the apex right sidewall 617, (iii) the fourth engineered scrap line ES4, and (iv) a fifth engineered scrap line ES5 aligned with the front faces 685a, 688a of the first and second sidewalls 684, 687.

[0039] The sixth extent 570 of the engineered scrap 556 has a sixth area A6 extending between (i) the left edge of the first fastening mechanism blank 554a, i.e., the edge associated with the bottom wall 682, (ii) the right edge of the second fastening mechanism blank 554b, i.e., the edge associated with the bottom wall 682, (iii) the fifth engineered scrap line ES5, and (iv) a sixth engineered scrap line ES6 aligned with the rear surface 685b of the bottom wall 682. The seventh extent 572 of the engineered scrap 556 has a seventh area A7 extending between (i) the first axis A1, (ii) the second axis A2, (iii) the bottom edge of the blank 52b, and (iv) the sixth engineered scrap line ES6. Thus, the engineered scrap 556 has an area A7 equal to the sum of the first through seventh areas A1 through A7. ES In other words, engineered scrap 556 has an area A that extends substantially between (i) a first axis A1, (ii) a second axis A2, (iii) a left edge of first fastening mechanism blank 54a, (iv) a right edge of second fastening mechanism blank 54b, (v) a top edge of blank 52a, and (iv) a bottom edge of blank 52b.ES has.

[0040] Comparing the conventional fastening mechanism blanks 54a-54b to the fastening mechanism blanks 554a-554b of the present invention, the conventional engineering scrap 56 has four extents while the engineering scrap 556 of the present invention has seven extents. The four extent area AES of the conventional engineering scrap 56 is approximately 40% greater than the seven extent area AES of the engineering scrap 556 of the present invention. In other words, the assembly 510 of the present invention reduces material waste or engineering scrap by more than 40%. This reduction can best be seen when comparing how the distance between the axes is reduced when comparing the blanks 54a-54b to the blanks 554a-554b. The assembly 510 of the present invention contains more material, i.e., the 100,000 fastening mechanism 600 is 1,500 pounds heavier than the 100,000 fastening mechanism 100 - the manufacture of the battery terminal clamp assembly 510 uses less material due to the reduction in engineering scrap. The reduction in scrap is particularly noticeable when these components are manufactured in large quantities and are formed from expensive materials (e.g., copper, aluminum, plated copper, copper clad on other materials, or any combination thereof).

[0041] Once one of the fastening mechanism blanks 554a-554b is removed from the sheet metal 550, each blank 554a-554b is in an expanded state S U From the folded state S F11A-11G, where step 1 (570) is obtaining a blank 554a, step 2 (572) includes forming upper and lower battery post holes 620, 692, step 3 (574) includes forming side walls 614, 617, 684, 687, step 4 and step 5 (576, 578) include bending the extension of the mounting assembly 780, step 6 (580) positions the bottom wall 682 perpendicular to the top wall 612, and step 7 (582) moves the bottom wall 682 from its perpendicular position with the top wall 612 in step 6 to substantially parallel with the top wall 612. Compared to the above-described process of folding a conventional fastening mechanism blank 54a, this disclosed process of folding the fastening mechanism blank 554a requires one less step. Each blank 554a to 554b is in an unfolded state S U From the folded state S F It is desirable to reduce the number of steps required to convert the battery terminal clamp assembly 510 to a 32-pin connector because it will make the battery terminal clamp assembly 510 cheaper to manufacture.

[0042] As shown in FIGS. 17-20 , after the battery terminal clamp assembly 510 is in the assembled state SA, the installer connects the mounting assembly 780 and places the battery posts 5 into the upper and lower battery post holes 620, 690 to move the battery terminal clamp assembly 510 to the partially installed state S. PI In this partially attached state S PI In the relaxed state S UT or in the tightened state S T The relaxed state S UTIn FIG. 11, (i) an extent of the lower pull bar 850 (e.g., a thermoformed threaded coupler 892) is positioned adjacent to the bottom wall 682, (ii) an extent of the upper pull bar 810 (e.g., a substantially straight portion 818) is positioned adjacent to the top wall 612, (iii) the fastening assembly 800 applies a significant compressive force or only a nominal compressive force to the fastening mechanism 600, and (iv) the battery terminal clamp assembly 510 applies a clamping force F against the battery post 512. C (v) the top wall 612 is substantially parallel to the bottom wall 682 (FIGS. 17 and 20), (vi) the battery post holes 620, 690 are substantially circular (FIG. 19), (vii) the slits 622, 692 are in their original or uncompressed state (FIGS. 18 and 19), and (viii) the lower surface of the top wall 612 is positioned a first or partially mounted distance D1 away from the upper surface of the bottom wall 682. To move the fastening assembly 800 from the loosened state SUT to the tightened state ST, the user rotates the coupler 900 in a clockwise direction. By rotating the coupler 900 in a clockwise direction, the lower pull bar 850 is pulled upward toward the top wall 612. This upward pulling force causes an interaction between (i) the upper surface 870a of the interacting protrusion 870 of the lower pull bar 850 and the lower surface 818b of the straight portion 818 of the upper pull bar 810, and (ii) the upper surface 858a of the angled portion 858 of the lower pull bar 850 and the lower surface 822b of the angled portion 822 of the upper pull bar 810. This interaction causes the outer flanges 812, 852 to apply a compressive force against the fastening mechanism 600.

[0043] As shown in FIGS. 21-24, when the fastening assembly 800 is torqued to a set value (e.g., between 7.6-10.4 Nm, preferably 9 Nm), the fastening assembly 800 is in a loosened state S T 5, and the battery terminal clamp assembly 510 is in the installed state S I In the installed state S IIn the embodiment, (i) the substantially straight portion 862 of the lower pull bar 850 is positioned adjacent to the substantially straight portion 818 of the upper pull bar 810, (ii) the extent (e.g., the substantially straight portion 818) of the upper pull bar 810 is positioned adjacent to the top wall 612, (iii) the fastening assembly 800 applies a sufficient compressive force (e.g., a force greater than the nominal force) to the fastening mechanism 600, and (iv) the battery terminal clamp assembly 510 applies a clamping force F to the battery post 510. C 19, (v) the widths of the battery post apertures 620, 690 are contracted from their original state to a reduced state (FIG. 23), (vi) the top and bottom walls 612, 682 are angled relative to the front wall 750, (vii) the top wall 612 is not parallel to the bottom wall 682, (viii) the battery post apertures 620, 690 are not substantially circular, (ix) the slits 622, 692, 760 are contracted from their original state (FIG. 19) to a contracted state (FIG. 23), and (x) the lower surface of the top wall 612 is positioned a second or mounted distance D2 away from an upper surface of the bottom wall 682, the second or mounted distance D2 being greater than the first or partially mounted distance D1. Additional disclosure regarding the operation and functionality of the fastening assembly 800 is disclosed in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 9,608,254, which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0044] Partially fitted S PI When installed from S I Unlike the movement of the conventional battery terminal clamp assembly 10 from the partially seated state SPI to the seated state S I The movement of the battery terminal clamp assembly 510 of the present invention to the loosened state S creates a "spreading effect." UT Tightened state S T , the width of the wall forming the body 604 (e.g., the width W of the top wall 612) T , front wall 750W FW , and the width W of the bottom wall 682 B) and the size of the slits 622, 692, 760 forming said walls are reduced. This reduction in the width of the walls 612, 682, 750 increases the distance separating the top wall 612 and the bottom wall 682 from a first distance D1 to a second distance D2. The increase in the distance between the walls 612, 682 can be referred to as a "diffusion effect." When the battery terminal clamp assembly 510 is subjected to this diffusion effect, (i) the top wall 612 is no longer parallel to the bottom wall 682, (ii) the top wall 612 is positioned angularly relative to the bottom wall 682, (iii) the top and bottom walls 612, 682 are no longer positioned substantially perpendicular to the front wall 750, (iv) the top and bottom walls 612, 682 are positioned angularly relative to the front wall 750, (v) a positive angle alpha is formed between the rearward extent of the top wall 612 of the fastening mechanism 600 and the substantially vertical wall 5a of the battery post 5, and (vi) a negative angle theta is formed between the rearward extent of the bottom wall 682 of the fastening mechanism 600 and the substantially vertical wall 5a of the battery post 5. In other words, the interior angle beta formed between the top wall 612 and the front wall 750 is moved from about 90° to an angle between 91° and 135°. In other words, (i) before mounting on the battery post 5, the pre-mounted distance D1 extends between the lower surface of the top wall 612 and the upper surface of the bottom wall 682, and (ii) after mounting on the battery post 5 and fastening assembly 800 is in the fastened state S, T After the battery terminal clamp assembly 510 is moved to the upper surface of the battery post 5, a mounted distance D2 extends between the lower surface of the top wall 612 and the upper surface of the bottom wall 682, the mounted distance D2 being greater than the pre-mounted distance D1. The "spreading effect" increases the fixation between the assembly 510 and the battery post 5 and the retention of the assembly 510 on the post 5, particularly over time during operation of the battery and vehicle to which the assembly 510 is mounted. As discussed above, conventional battery terminal clamp assemblies 10 do not suffer from the spreading effect disclosed in connection with the battery terminal clamp assembly 510 of the present invention.

[0045] Thus, when the assembly 510 is placed on the battery post 5 and the fastening assembly 800 is torqued to a first value (the same value as described above in connection with the conventional battery terminal clamp assembly 10, i.e., between 7.6 and 10.4 Nm, preferably 9 Nm), the diffusion effect causes the assembly 510 to have a pull-off force of more than 980 N, preferably more than 2,300 N, most preferably more than 3,000 N, and may even be up to 3,700 N. Using the same torque value between the conventional battery terminal clamp assembly 10 and the assembly 510 of the present invention, the pull-off force of the assembly 510 of the present invention is at least 5% greater, preferably more than 15%, and most preferably more than 40% greater than the pull-off force associated with the conventional battery terminal clamp assembly 10. This increased pull-off force provides the assembly 510 with increased fastening and retention on the battery post 5, which increases the durability and reliability of the battery and battery terminal clamp assembly 510 during extended operation of the vehicle to which the battery and battery terminal clamp assembly 510 is attached.

[0046] Second Embodiment - Battery Terminal Clamp Assembly of the Present Invention 25-31 show that a second embodiment of a battery terminal clamp assembly 1510 includes a catch mechanism 1600 of the present invention and a fastening assembly 1300. Since a substantial majority of the structures included in this embodiment of the assembly 1510 are similar to either the first embodiment of the assembly 1510 or the conventional embodiment of the battery terminal clamp assembly 10, it should be understood that the reference numbers shown in the figures may be omitted from this specification for brevity, since similar structures have similar numbers. For example, the disclosure related to the fastening assembly 300 is not repeated in this specification, but it applies to the fastening assembly 1300 as if it were repeated in this specification. In other words, the omission of a reference number from this specification or a specific disclosure of the functionality of that structure should not limit the disclosure of this application. Instead, reference is made to the disclosure of similar structures that may be discussed in another section of this application or in other applications incorporated herein by reference. The main difference between the first and second embodiments of the fastening mechanism 600, 1600 is the formation of the slits 622, 692, 760, 1622, 1692, 1760. Instead of utilizing the slits 622, 692, 760 disclosed in the first embodiment of the assembly 600, the second embodiment of the assembly 1600 includes two wedge-shaped gaps 1623, 1693 aligned with each other, said gaps 1623, 1693 being connected with a straight front wall gap 1761. Although the shapes of the slits or gaps 622, 692, 760, 1622, 1692, 1760 are different across these embodiments, the advantages of the fastening mechanism 600 over the conventional fastening mechanism 100 apply equally to this fastening mechanism 1600. Thus, other shapes of slits or gaps (e.g., circular, angular, curved, linear, offset from one another, not offset from other shapes) or configurations (e.g., multiple gaps formed in any one of the top wall, bottom wall, or front wall) are contemplated by the present disclosure. In other words, the fastening mechanism 1600 includes the above-mentioned advantages of the fastening mechanism 600 over the conventional fastening mechanism 100.

[0047] (Related Information Regarding Assemblies and Materials Incorporated by Reference) Assemblies 510 and 1510 meet or exceed the relevant portions of the following specifications: (i) Ford Connector SDS EL-0176 and RQT-180107-008728 specifications, (ii) FCA PF.90100, (iii) GMW3191, (iv) GMW3172, (v) GMCG3801, (vi) USCAR2, (vii) USCAR21, (viii) USCAR38, (ix) SAE specifications, (x) ASTM specifications, (xi) DIN specifications. Assemblies 510 and 1510 meet T4 / V4 / D2, where assemblies 510 and 1510 meet or exceed the following: (i) T4 is exposure of system 10 to 150°C, (ii) V4 is severe vibration, and (iii) D2 is 200 mile durability.

[0048] Ford Connector Specifications, including SDS EL-0176 and RQT-180107-008728, which are fully incorporated by reference herein and made a part hereof.

[0049] FCA and GM specifications, including FCA PF.90100, GMW3191, GMW3172, GMCG3801, which are fully incorporated by reference herein and made a part hereof.

[0050] SAE specifications, including J1742_20103, entitled "Connections for High Voltage On-Board Vehicle Electrical Wiring Harness - Test Methods and General Performance Requirements," last revised in March 2010, each of which is fully incorporated herein by reference and made a part hereof.

[0051] DIN Specifications - Tests and measurements - Part 5-2: Current-carrying capacity tests; Test 5b: Current-temperature derating (IEC 60512-5-2:2002), including connectors for electronic devices, each of which is fully incorporated herein by reference and forms a part of this specification.

[0052] (i) SAE / USCAR-2, Revision 6, last revised in February 2013, and having ISBN: 978-0-7680-7998-2; (ii) SAE / USCAR-12, Revision 5, last revised in August 2017, and having ISBN: 978-0-7680-8446-7; (iii) SAE / USCAR-21, Revision 3, last revised in December 2014; and (iv) SAE / USCAR-25, Revision 3, last revised in March 2016, and having ISBN: 978-0-7680-8319-4, each of which is incorporated herein by reference and made a part hereof. 3, (v) SAE / USCAR-37, revised in August 2008, having ISBN: 978-0-7680-2098-4, and (vi) USCAR specifications, including SAE / USCAR-38, revised in May 2016, having ISBN: 9780-7680-8350-7.

[0053] Other standards including Federal Test Standards 101C and 4046, each of which is fully incorporated herein by reference and forms a part of this specification. Although several implementations have been shown and described, many modifications are envisioned without significantly departing from the spirit of this disclosure, and the scope of protection is limited only by the scope of the appended claims. For example, the shapes of the components described above may be changed to triangular prisms, pentagonal prisms, hexagonal prisms, octagonal prisms, spheres, cones, tetrahedrons, cubes, dodecahedrons, icosahedrons, octahedrons, ellipsoids, or any other similar shapes. Additionally, assemblies 510 and 1510 may be modified to include anti-rotation configurations, poke-yoke configurations, fused connections, wire routing, multi-grip eyelets, overmolding, free-spinning nuts and bolts.

[0054] Headings and subheadings, if any, are for convenience only and are not limiting. The term exemplary is used to mean serving as an example or illustration. To the extent that inclusive terms such as includes and have are used, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a similar manner to the term comprise as it is interpreted when used as a transitional term in the claims. Relative terms such as first and second, etc. may be used to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between the entities or actions.

[0055] Phrases such as an aspect, an aspect, another aspect, some aspects, one or more aspects, an implementation, an implementation, another implementation, some implementations, one or more implementations, an embodiment, an embodiment, another embodiment, some embodiments, one or more embodiments, a configuration, a configuration, another configuration, some configurations, one or more configurations, the subject technology, disclosure, the present disclosure, other variations thereof, and the like are for convenience and do not imply that the disclosure of such phrases is essential to the subject technology or that such disclosure applies to all configurations of the subject technology. The disclosure of such phrases may apply to all configurations, or to one or more configurations. The disclosure of such phrases may provide one or more examples. Phrases such as an aspect or some aspects may refer to one or more aspects, and vice versa, as applies to other aforementioned phrases as well.

[0056] Numerous modifications to the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the foregoing description. Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the disclosure. It should be understood that the illustrated embodiments are illustrative only and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. 1. A battery terminal clamp assembly including a fastening mechanism, comprising: The fastening mechanism includes: a top wall having an upper battery post aperture and an upper slit, the upper battery post aperture configured to receive an expansion of a battery post; a bottom wall having a lower battery post aperture and a lower slit, the upper battery post aperture configured to accommodate the expansion of the battery post; a front wall extending integrally between the top wall and the bottom wall and including a front slit, the upper slit, the lower slit and the front slit being arranged to form a continuous slit extending from the upper battery post opening across the front wall to the lower battery post opening. Battery Terminal Clamp Assembly.

2. 2. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 1, wherein the battery posts reside within the upper and lower battery post holes and when a fastening assembly applies sufficient compressive force against the fastening mechanism, the top wall of the fastening mechanism is not substantially parallel to the bottom wall of the fastening mechanism.

3. 2. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 1, wherein when the battery post is positioned within the upper and lower battery post apertures and a fastening assembly applies sufficient compressive force against the fastening mechanism, (i) a positive angle is formed between a rearward extent of the top wall of the fastening mechanism and a substantially vertical wall of the battery post, and (ii) a negative angle is formed between a rearward extent of the bottom wall of the fastening mechanism and the substantially vertical wall of the battery post.

4. 2. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 1, wherein in an installed state, (i) the battery posts are located within the upper and lower battery post holes, (ii) a fastening assembly applies sufficient compressive force to the fastening mechanism, and (iii) the top wall of the fastening mechanism is not substantially parallel to the bottom wall of the fastening mechanism.

5. In a first partially installed state, (i) the battery posts are positioned within the upper and lower battery post apertures, (ii) a fastening assembly applies sufficient compressive force to the fastening mechanism, and (iii) an inner surface of the top wall of the fastening mechanism is positioned a first distance from an upper surface of the bottom wall of the fastening mechanism; In an installed state, (a) the battery posts are positioned within the upper and lower battery post holes, (b) the fastening assembly exerts a sufficient compressive force on the fastening mechanism, and (c) the inner surface of the top wall of the fastening mechanism is positioned a second distance from the upper surface of the bottom wall of the fastening mechanism, the second distance being greater than the first distance.

2. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 1.

6. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a fastener assembly in direct contact with said top wall, said fastener assembly not in direct contact with said front wall.

7. The fixing assembly is in a loosened state S ＵＴ Tightened state S Ｔ The battery terminal clamp assembly of any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the width of the continuous slit decreases when the continuous slit is moved to a position adjacent the terminal of the battery terminal clamp assembly.

8. the fastening mechanism further includes: (a) a top left side wall having a top left lower edge and a top right side wall having a top right lower edge; and (b) a bottom left side wall having a bottom left lower edge and a bottom right side wall having a bottom right lower edge; 8. A battery terminal clamp assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein when the fastening mechanism is outlined on a blank in an unfolded state prior to formation of the battery terminal clamp assembly, the upper battery post hole is aligned with the lower battery post hole, the top left lower edge is not aligned with the bottom left lower edge, and the top right lower edge is not aligned with the bottom right lower edge.

9. The battery terminal clamp assembly of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the catch mechanism omits side walls integrally formed with both the top and bottom walls.

10. 8. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 1, wherein the fastening feature is formed by (a) bending the top wall about an apex bend line to be substantially parallel to the front wall, and (b) bending the bottom wall about a bottom bend line to be substantially parallel to the front wall, the apex bend line and the bottom bend line being parallel to one another.

11. 8. A battery terminal clamp assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the upper and lower slits have two extents with a curved configuration and a third extent with a straight configuration.

12. 8. A battery terminal clamp assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the top wall includes a left side wall having a rear surface, the rear surface not being rearward of a rearmost extent of the upper battery post aperture.

13. The continuous slit is aligned along the horizontal central axis A Ｃ is reflected around the vertical axis A １ 8. A battery terminal clamp assembly according to claim 1, wherein the battery terminal clamp assembly is mirror imaged with respect to the first and second electrodes.

14. A battery terminal clamp assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the continuous slit does not extend to an outer edge of the catch mechanism.

15. A battery terminal clamp assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said forward slit traverses a substantial width of said front wall.

16. The battery terminal clamp assembly of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the battery terminal clamp assembly meets applicable USCAR specifications and has a tensile force of greater than 3,000 Newtons.

17. A fixing assembly; a fastening mechanism; the fastening mechanism includes a top wall having an upper battery post aperture, a bottom wall having a lower battery post aperture, and a front wall extending integrally between the top wall and the bottom wall; when a battery post resides within the upper and lower battery post apertures and the fastening assembly applies sufficient compressive force to the fastening mechanism, the top wall of the fastening mechanism is not substantially parallel to the bottom wall of the fastening mechanism. Battery Terminal Clamp Assembly.

18. 18. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 17, wherein when a battery post is positioned within the upper and lower battery post holes and the fastening assembly applies no force against the fastening mechanism, the top wall of the fastening mechanism is substantially parallel to the bottom wall of the fastening mechanism.

19. 18. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 17, wherein said fastening assembly is in direct contact with said top wall and not in direct contact with said front wall.

20. the fastening mechanism further includes: (i) a top left wall having a top left lower edge and a top right wall having a top right lower edge; and (ii) a bottom left wall having a bottom left lower edge and a bottom right wall having a bottom right lower edge; when the fastening mechanism is outlined on a blank in an unfolded state prior to formation of the battery terminal clamp assembly, the upper battery post hole is aligned with the lower battery post hole, the top left lower edge is not aligned with the bottom left lower edge, and the top right lower edge is not aligned with the bottom right lower edge.

20. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 17.

21. 18. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 17, wherein said catch mechanism omits side walls integrally formed with both said top and bottom walls.

22. 18. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 17, wherein the retention feature is formed by (i) bending the top wall about an apex bend line to be substantially parallel to the front wall, and (ii) bending the bottom wall about a bottom bend line to be substantially parallel to the front wall, the apex bend line and the bottom bend line being parallel to one another.

23. 18. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 17, wherein said top wall includes a left side wall having a rear surface, said rear surface not located rearward of a rearmost extent of said upper battery post aperture.

24. 20. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 17, wherein the battery terminal clamp assembly meets applicable USCAR specifications and has a tensile force of greater than 3,000 Newtons.

25. 25. A battery terminal clamp assembly as described in any one of claims 17 to 24, wherein the top wall includes an upper slit, the bottom wall includes a lower slit, and the front wall includes a forward slit, the upper slit, the lower slit and the forward slit being arranged to form a continuous slit extending from the upper battery post hole across the front wall to the lower battery post hole.

26. The fixing assembly is in a loosened state S ＵＴ Tightened state S Ｔ 26. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 25, configured to decrease a width of the continuous slit when moved to.

27. The continuous slit is aligned along the horizontal center axis A Ｃ is reflected around the vertical axis A １ 26. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 25, wherein the battery terminal clamp assembly is mirrored with respect to

28. 26. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 25, wherein the continuous slit does not extend to an outer edge of the catch mechanism.

29. The battery terminal clamp assembly of any one of claims 17 to 24, wherein the fastening mechanism includes a continuous slit extending from the upper battery post aperture across the front wall to the lower battery post aperture.

30. The fixing assembly is in a loosened state S ＵＴ Tightened state S Ｔ 30. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 29, configured to decrease a width of the continuous slit when moved to.

31. The continuous slit is aligned along the horizontal center axis A Ｃ is reflected around the vertical axis A １ 30. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 29, wherein the battery terminal clamp assembly is mirrored about a

32. 30. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 29, wherein the continuous slit does not extend to an outer edge of the catch mechanism.

33. A fixing assembly; a fastening mechanism; the fastening mechanism having a top wall with an upper battery post aperture and a bottom wall with a lower battery post aperture; when a battery post is positioned within the upper and lower battery post apertures and the fastening assembly applies sufficient compressive force to the fastening mechanism, a positive angle is formed between a rearward extent of the top wall of the fastening mechanism and a substantially vertical wall of the battery post and a negative angle is formed between a rearward extent of the bottom wall of the fastening mechanism and the substantially vertical wall of the battery post. Battery Terminal Clamp Assembly.

34. 34. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 33, wherein when the battery posts are positioned within the upper and lower battery post holes and the fastening assembly applies insufficient compressive force against the fastening mechanism, the top wall of the fastening mechanism is substantially parallel to the bottom wall of the fastening mechanism.

35. 34. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 33, wherein when the battery posts are positioned within the upper and lower battery post holes and the fastening assembly applies insufficient compressive force against the fastening mechanism, the top wall of the fastening mechanism is substantially parallel to the bottom wall of the fastening mechanism.

36. 34. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 33, wherein said fastening assembly directly contacts said top wall.

37. the fastening mechanism further includes: (i) a top left wall having a top left lower edge and a top right wall having a top right lower edge; and (ii) a bottom left wall having a bottom left lower edge and a bottom right wall having a bottom right lower edge; when the fastening mechanism is outlined on a blank in an unfolded state prior to formation of the battery terminal clamp assembly, the upper battery post hole is aligned with the lower battery post hole, the top left lower edge is not aligned with the bottom left lower edge, and the top right lower edge is not aligned with the bottom right lower edge.

34. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 33.

38. 34. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 33, wherein said catch mechanism omits side walls integrally formed with both said top and bottom walls.

39. 34. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 33, wherein the fastening feature is formed by (i) bending the top wall about an apex bend line and (ii) bending the bottom wall about a bottom bend line, the apex bend line and the bottom bend line being parallel to one another and extending along a width of the top and bottom walls.

40. 34. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 33, wherein said top wall includes a left side wall having a rear face, said rear face not located rearward of a rearmost extent of said upper battery post aperture.

41. 34. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 33, wherein the battery terminal clamp assembly meets applicable USCAR specifications and has a tensile force of greater than 3,000 Newtons.

42. The battery terminal clamp assembly of any one of claims 33 to 41, wherein the catch mechanism includes a front wall extending integrally between the top wall and the bottom wall.

43. 43. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 42, wherein said top wall includes an upper slit, said bottom wall includes a lower slit, and said front wall includes a forward slit, said upper slit, said lower slit and said forward slit being arranged to form a continuous slit extending from said upper battery post hole across said front wall to said lower battery post hole.

44. 44. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 43, wherein the continuous slit does not extend to an outer edge of the catch mechanism.

45. 43. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 42, wherein said catch mechanism includes a continuous slit extending from said upper battery post aperture across said front wall to said lower battery post aperture.

46. The continuous slit is aligned along the horizontal central axis A Ｃ is reflected around the vertical axis A １ 46. ​​The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 45, wherein said battery terminal clamp assembly is mirrored about said first and second electrodes.

47. 46. ​​The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 45, wherein the continuous slit does not extend to an outer edge of the catch mechanism.

48. A fixing assembly; a fastening mechanism; the fastening mechanism includes a top wall having an upper battery post aperture, a bottom wall having a lower battery post aperture, and a front wall extending integrally between the top wall and the bottom wall; In an installed state, (i) battery posts are positioned within the upper and lower battery post holes, (ii) the fastening assembly exerts a sufficient compressive force on the fastening mechanism, and (iii) the top wall of the fastening mechanism is not substantially parallel to the bottom wall of the fastening mechanism. Battery Terminal Clamp Assembly.

49. 49. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 48, wherein the battery terminal clamp assembly is in a first partially installed state, and when the battery posts are positioned within the upper and lower battery post apertures, the fastening assembly exerts insufficient compressive force on the fastening mechanism and the top wall of the fastening mechanism is substantially parallel to the bottom wall of the fastening mechanism.

50. 49. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 48, wherein when the battery post is positioned within the upper and lower battery post holes and the fastening assembly applies insufficient compressive force against the fastening mechanism, the top wall of the fastening mechanism is substantially parallel to the bottom wall of the fastening mechanism.

51. 49. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 48, wherein when the battery post is positioned within the upper and lower battery post holes and the fastening assembly applies insufficient compressive force against the fastening mechanism, the top wall of the fastening mechanism is substantially parallel to the bottom wall of the fastening mechanism.

52. 49. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 48, wherein said fastening assembly is in direct contact with said top wall but not with said front wall.

53. the fastening mechanism further includes: (i) a top left wall having a top left lower edge and a top right wall having a top right lower edge; and (ii) a bottom left wall having a bottom left lower edge and a bottom right wall having a bottom right lower edge; when the fastening mechanism is outlined on the blank in an unfolded condition prior to formation of the battery terminal clamp assembly, the upper battery post hole is aligned with the lower battery post hole, the top left lower edge is aligned with the bottom left lower edge, and the top right lower edge is not aligned with the bottom right lower edge.

49. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 48.

54. 49. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 48, wherein said catch mechanism omits side walls integrally formed with both said top and bottom walls.

55. 49. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 48, wherein the fastening feature is formed by (i) bending the top wall about an apex bend line to be substantially parallel to the front wall, and (ii) bending the bottom wall about a bottom bend line to be substantially parallel to the front wall, the apex bend line and the bottom bend lying parallel to one another.

56. 49. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 48, wherein said top wall includes a left side wall having a rear face, said rear face not located rearward of a rearmost extent of said upper battery post aperture.

57. 49. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 48, wherein the battery terminal clamp assembly meets applicable USCAR specifications and has a tensile force of greater than 3,000 Newtons.

58. 58. A battery terminal clamp assembly as described in any one of claims 48 to 57, wherein the top wall includes an upper slit, the bottom wall includes a lower slit, and the front wall includes a forward slit, the upper slit, the lower slit and the forward slit being arranged to form a continuous slit extending from the upper battery post hole across the front wall to the lower battery post hole.

59. The continuous slit is aligned along the horizontal central axis A Ｃ is reflected around the vertical axis A １ 60. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 58, wherein the battery terminal clamp assembly is mirrored with respect to

60. 60. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 58, wherein the continuous slit does not extend to an outer edge of the catch mechanism.

61. 58. A battery terminal clamp assembly as claimed in any one of claims 48 to 57, wherein the fastening mechanism includes a continuous slit extending from the upper battery post aperture across the front wall to the lower battery post aperture.

62. The continuous slit is aligned along the horizontal center axis A Ｃ is reflected around the vertical axis A １ 62. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 61, wherein the battery terminal clamp assembly is mirrored with respect to

63. 62. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 61, wherein the continuous slit does not extend to an outer edge of the catch mechanism.

64. A fixing assembly; a fastening mechanism; the fastening mechanism having a top wall with an upper battery post aperture and a bottom wall with a lower battery post aperture; in a first partially installed state, battery posts are positioned within the upper and lower battery post apertures, the fastening assembly exerts a force on the fastening mechanism that is less than a nominal force, and an inner surface of the top wall of the fastening mechanism is positioned a first distance from an upper surface of the bottom wall of the fastening mechanism; In an installed position, the battery posts are positioned within the upper and lower battery post apertures, and the fastening assembly exerts a sufficient compressive force on the fastening mechanism, such that the inner surface of the top wall of the fastening mechanism is positioned a second distance from the upper surface of the bottom wall of the fastening mechanism, the second distance being greater than the first distance. Battery Terminal Clamp Assembly.

65. 65. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 64, wherein when the battery terminal clamp assembly is in the first partially installed state and the battery posts are located within the upper and lower battery post holes, the fastening assembly applies less than a nominal force to the fastening mechanism and the top wall of the fastening mechanism is substantially parallel to the bottom wall of the fastening mechanism.

66. 65. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 64, wherein when the battery post is positioned within the upper and lower battery post holes and the fastening assembly applies less than a nominal force to the fastening mechanism, the top wall of the fastening mechanism is substantially parallel to the bottom wall of the fastening mechanism.

67. 65. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 64, wherein when the battery post is positioned within the upper and lower battery post holes and the fastening assembly applies less than a nominal force to the fastening mechanism, the top wall of the fastening mechanism is substantially parallel to the bottom wall of the fastening mechanism.

68. 65. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 64, wherein the fastening assembly directly contacts the top wall.

69. the fastening mechanism further includes: (i) a top left wall having a top left lower edge and a top right wall having a top right lower edge; and (ii) a bottom left wall having a bottom left lower edge and a bottom right wall having a bottom right lower edge; when the fastening mechanism is outlined on a blank in an unfolded state prior to formation of the battery terminal clamp assembly, the upper battery post hole is aligned with the lower battery post hole, the top left lower edge is not aligned with the bottom left lower edge, and the top right lower edge is not aligned with the bottom right lower edge.

65. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 64.

70. 65. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 64, wherein said catch mechanism omits side walls integrally formed with both said top and bottom walls.

71. 65. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 64, wherein said top wall includes a left side wall having a rear surface, said rear surface not located rearward of a rearmost extent of said upper battery post aperture.

72. 65. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 64, wherein the battery terminal clamp assembly meets applicable USCAR specifications and has a tensile force of greater than 3,000 Newtons.

73. The battery terminal clamp assembly of any one of claims 64 to 72, wherein the catch mechanism includes a front wall extending integrally between the top wall and the bottom wall.

74. 74. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 73, wherein the top wall includes an upper slit, the bottom wall includes a lower slit, and the front wall includes a forward slit, the upper slit, the lower slit and the forward slit being arranged to form a continuous slit extending from the upper battery post hole across the front wall to the lower battery post hole.

75. The continuous slit is aligned along the horizontal center axis A Ｃ is reflected around the vertical axis A １ 75. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 74, wherein said battery terminal clamp assembly is mirrored about said first and second ends.

76. 75. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 74, wherein the continuous slit does not extend to an outer edge of the catch mechanism.

77. 74. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 73, wherein said catch mechanism includes a continuous slit extending from said upper battery post aperture across said front wall to said lower battery post aperture.

78. The continuous slit is aligned along the horizontal central axis A Ｃ is reflected around the vertical axis A １ 78. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 77, which is mirrored about

79. 78. The battery terminal clamp assembly of claim 77, wherein the continuous slit does not extend to an outer edge of the catch mechanism.

Images