Cable gripping funit

Claim 1

IN THE COMBINATION OF AN ELECTRICAL CABLE AND A GRIPPING UNIT COMPRISING A SHELL HAVING A CONICAL BORE TERMINATING AT ITS OUTER END IN A CABLE-ACCOMMODATING OPENING, A SERIES OF JAWS EACH AXIALLY TAPERED AND SOMEWHAT ARCUATE IN CROSS SECTION, MEANS MOVABLY CONNECTING SAID JAWS TO PROVIDE A TAPERED, ANNULAR AND CONSTRICTABLE CABLE-EMBRACING EMBMER PRESENTING ON ITS INNER FACE A CORRESPONDING SERIES OF SURFACES TO GRIP A CABLE DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID JAWS, SAID SHELL PRESENTING A TAPERED BORE CIRCULAR IN CROSS SECTION, SAID MEMBER BEING SLIDABLY DISPOSED WITHIN SAID SHELL BORE TO RIDE ON THE SURFACE OF THE LATTER WITH ITS TAPERED END EXTENDING TOWARDS THE REDUCED BORE END, A HELICAL SPRING THRUSTING AGAINST THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID MEMBER AND THE SHELL TO URGE THE MEMBER TOWARDS THE REDUCED END OF SAID BORE AND THUS CAUSE SAID JAWS TO CONSTRICT AROUND A CABLE EMBRACED THEREBY, THE OUTER FACES OF EACH INDIVIDUAL JAW DEFINING AN ARC LESS THAN THE CURVATURE OF THE BORE FACE AND MEANS CONNECTING AN ADJACENT PAIR OF SAID JAWS MAINTAINING THE OUTER FACES OF THE LATTER IN CONTACT WITH THE BORE FACE SOLELY IN A ZONE MIDWAY BETWEEN THEIR SIDE EDGES, THAT IMPROVEMENT INCLUDING A CABLE RECEIVING CUP POSITIONED IN THE OUTER END OF SAID SHELL BORE, FLEXIBLE POSITIONING FINGERS CARRIED BY SAID CUP MEMBER AT ITS OPEN END FOR INITIALLY LOCATING SAID CUP IN SAID BORE END OPENING BUT CAPABLE OF YIELDING AGAINST INWARD PRESSURE ON SAID CABLE AND CUP TO PERMIT THE ENTRANCE OF SAID CUP AND CABLE WITHIN THE SHELL BORE AND SAID FINGERS THEREAFTER LOCATING SAID CUP AT THE FORWARD END OF THE OPENINGS OF SAID JAWS SO THAT CONTINUED INWARD PRESSURE ON SAID CABLE CAUSES SAID JAW STRUCTURE TO MOVE REARWARDLY AGAINST THE PRESSURE OF SAID SPRING UNTIL THE LATTER HAS BEEN FULLY COMPRESSED AND WHEREBY CONTINUED PRESSURE ON SAID CABLE CAUSES SAID CUP FINGERS TO AGAIN FLEX PERMITTING SAID CUP AND CABLE TO ENTER THE BORE BETWEEN SAID GRIPPING JAWS AND INTO THE CENTRAL BORE OF SAID COMPRESSED HELICAL SPRING, SAID COLLAPSED LENGTH OF SAID SPRING BEING GREATER THAN THE LONGITUDINAL DIMENSION OF SAID CUP MEMBER.