The use of bus bars to supply multiple loads from a single source of electric power is well known in the art and has found broad application in many power distribution settings. Examples of bus bars are found, amongst others, in automotive, industrial and residential installations.
Traditionally, soldered interconnections have been used in low voltage applications. However, with the increased modularization of components, solderless tab/socket combinations and associated cabling have been developed. Normally, the tab is inserted into the socket and selection of suitable shapes and materials is relied upon to insure that the contact pressure between the tab and the socket is sufficient to provide a good and durable electrical connection.
Alternatively, spring clips or leafs have been proposed to produce the necessary contact pressure. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,152,764 (Robinson et al.) issued on Nov. 28, 2000 discloses a watthour meter socket adapter which takes advantage of a spring clip to exert pressure on two contacting surfaces. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,178,106 B1 (Umemoto et al.) issued on Jan. 23, 2001 describes a power distribution centre including a spring clamp to urge a power terminal into contact with a bus bar.