Welding lead safety system

1 . A welding lead safety system for use with a female welding lead with a recessed substantially hollow female lead connector and a complementary male welding lead with a protruding male lead connector comprising:

a cylindrical first sleeve constructed to slip fit over the male welding lead and be releasably fixed in place along an exterior surface of the male welding lead, the first sleeve including a capture gap circumferentially extending around at least a portion of an outermost perimeter of the first sleeve;

a complementary second sleeve constructed to slip fit over the female welding lead and be releasably fixed in place along an exterior surface of the female welding lead; and

a cap pivotally secured to the second sleeve, the cap including a catch extending therefrom, the cap further being movable between a capture position wherein the catch at least partially resides within a portion of the capture gap restricting the first and second sleeves from being drawn apart once connected together, a release position wherein the catch resides outside the capture gap allowing the first and second sleeves to be connected or disconnected, and a cover position wherein the cap rotates under a bias to rest against a portion of the second sleeve and cover an opening of the female welding lead when the second sleeve is disposed thereon.

2 . The system of claim 1 wherein:

the first sleeve is releasably fixed to the male welding lead at a predetermined position along a length of the male connector welding lead; and

the second sleeve coupling releasably fixed to the female welding lead at a predetermined position along a length of the female welding lead allowing the catch to enter a portion of the capture gap when the welding leads are joined and abutting together to secure the welding leads together wherein the leads cannot be inadvertently pulled apart unless the catch is affirmatively withdrawn from the capture gap.

3 . The system of claim 1 wherein:

the capture gap on the first sleeve is defined by a pair of spaced apart ridges with the capture gap extending at least partially around an outer circumference of the first sleeve.

4 . The system of claim 3 wherein:

the spaced apart ridges include a leading edge ridge with an apex having one side radially projecting toward a hollow interior of the first sleeve to define a leading edge of the capture gap and a second side tapering downwardly and outwardly toward an outermost end of the first sleeve.

5 . The system of claim 4 wherein

the catch is constructed to slide along an outermost surface of the first sleeve and raise one end up as the catch slides over the second side of the leading edge ridge and drop into the capture gap disposing at least one surface of the catch against the leading edge of the capture gap as the first and second sleeves are brought together.

6 . The system of claim 1 wherein:

the cap is biased toward the cover position by a torsion spring at least partially wrapped about an axle extending through the cap to pivotally connect the cap to the second sleeve.

7 . The system of claim 6 further including:

the cap is constructed to rotate through a two hundred seventy degree arc to selectively assume the cover position, the capture position, and the release position.

8 . The system of claim 1 wherein:

the first sleeve includes a clamping gap spanned by at least one fastener constructed to clamp the first sleeve to the male welding lead.

9 . The system of claim 8 wherein:

the second sleeve includes a clamping gap spanned by at least one other fastener constructed to clamp the second sleeve to the female welding lead.

10 . The system of claim 9 wherein

the fasteners are screws.

11 . The system of claim 1 wherein:

with the second sleeve releasably coupled to the female welding lead, an interior surface of the cap abuts an outermost edge of the female welding lead when the cap is in the cover position with the catch at least partially disposed within a set of opposing sides in a hollow portion of the female lead connector without touching the opposing sides of the female lead connector.

12 . The system of claim 1 wherein:

an outer extent of the first sleeve abuts an outer extent of the second sleeve when the two sleeves are releasably coupled together with the cap in the capture position.

13 . The system of claim 1 wherein:

with the second sleeve releasably coupled to the female welding lead, the cap completely seals off access to the female lead connector within the female welding lead when in the cover position.

14 . The system of claim 1 wherein:

with the second sleeve releasably coupled to the female welding lead, the cap exposes the female lead connector when rotated away therefrom.

15 . The system of claim 1 wherein:

the two sleeves abut one another and the cap rests atop a portion of the second sleeve with the catch residing at least partially within the capture gap of the first sleeve when the female and male welding leads are releasably coupled together in an abutting arrangement.

16 . The system of claim 1 wherein:

the capture gap projects circumferentially about the first sleeve and includes at least one stop allowing the male lead connector to be rotated through a rotational arc relative to the female lead connector when the sleeves are releasably coupled to the male and female welding leads and brought together.

17 . The system of claim 1 wherein:

the cap includes a lever constructed to be responsive to a depressing motion to flip the catch of the cap out of the capture gap when engaged.

18 . The system of claim 1 wherein:

the capture gap on the first sleeve includes a leading edge and a trailing edge, with the outermost extent of both edges sloping downwardly away from the capture gap; and

the catch is constructed to slide up along a leading edge slope and drop into the capture gap by under tension from the spring as the two sleeves are brought together.

19 . A welding lead safety system for use with a female welding lead with a recessed substantially hollow female lead connector and a complementary male welding lead with a protruding male lead connector comprising:

a cylindrical first sleeve having a substantially hollow main body constructed with an exterior circumference and a smooth interior circumference, the first sleeve constructed to slip fit over the male welding lead and be releasably fixed in place with a first fastener to releasably retain the first sleeve on the male welding lead at a predetermined position along an outermost surface of the male welding lead, the first sleeve including a capture gap bounded by a pair of opposing ridges and circumferentially extending around at least a portion of an outermost perimeter of the sleeve;

a complementary second sleeve having a substantially hollow main body constructed with an exterior circumference and a smooth interior circumference, the second sleeve constructed to slip fit over the female welding lead and be releasably fixed in place with a second fastener to releasably retain the second sleeve on the female welding lead at a predetermined position along an outermost surface of the female connector welding lead; and

a cap with a biasing element pivotally secured to the second sleeve about an axle passing through a pair of mounting arms extending from the main body of the second sleeve, the cap including a catch extending therefrom and constructed to be releasably disposed within a portion of the capture gap and remaining within the capture gap as the first sleeve is rotated relative to the second sleeve, the cap further being movable between a capture position wherein the catch at least partially resides within a portion of the capture gap restricting the associated lead connectors from being drawn apart once connected together, a release position wherein the catch resides outside the capture gap allowing the lead connectors to be separated, and a cover position wherein the cap rotates under a bias to cover an opening of the female lead connector.

20 . A welding lead safety system kit for use with a male welding lead with a protruding male lead connector and a female welding lead with a recessed substantially hollow female lead connector, the kit comprising:

a cylindrical first sleeve with a hollow body constructed to slip fit over an outermost surface of the male welding lead, the first sleeve including a capture gap surrounded by a pair of ridges circumferentially extending around at least a portion of an outermost perimeter of the sleeve;

at least one fastener constructed to releasably retain the first sleeve in place about the male welding lead at a predetermined position along the male welding lead;

a complementary second sleeve having a hollow body with an open leading edge surface constructed to slip fit over an outermost surface of the female welding lead, the second sleeve including a cap pivotally secured to the hollow body and constructed to rotate through a closed position, a coupling position, and a release position, with the cap being biased toward the closed position to dispose an interior surface of the cap against the leading edge surface to completely cover the female lead connector when mounted thereon, the cap including a catch extending from the interior surface and constructed to ride up and over at least one ridge and drop into the capture gap to assume the coupling position restricting the associated lead connectors from being drawn apart once connected together; and

at least one other fastener constructed to releasably retain the second sleeve in place about the female welding lead at a predetermined position along the female welding lead.

21 . A welding lead safety system comprising:

a first welding lead end having a cylindrically shaped male body with a male connector side end having a male lead connector protruding therefrom and an opposing open end constructed to receive a cable insert, the first welding lead end further having at least one ridge extending outwardly from an outermost circumferential surface of the male body and recessed from the outermost extent of the male connector side end and circumferentially extending around at least a portion of the male body, and

a second welding lead end having a cylindrically shaped female body with an open female connector side end exposing a substantially hollow female lead connector and an opposing open end constructed to receive a separate cable insert, the second welding lead end including at least one mounting arm permanently affixed to the outermost surface of the female body and extending outwardly therefrom; and

a cap with a biasing element pivotally secured to the at least one mounting arm, the cap including a catch extending therefrom and constructed to be releasably disposed in a locking engagement with the at least one ridge and remaining in such locking engagement as the first welding lead end is rotated relative to the second welding lead end, the cap further being movable between a capture position wherein the catch engages at least one surface of the at least one ridge restricting the associated lead ends from being drawn apart once connected together, a release position wherein the catch is free of interference from the at least one ridge allowing the lead ends to be separated, and a cover position wherein the cap rotates under a bias to cover the female lead connector.

22 . The welding lead safety system of claim 21 further including:

a second ridge permanently affixed to and extending outwardly from the male body and spaced apart from the first ridge to define a capture gap, the capture gap constructed to releasably receive the catch of the safety cap as the male connector and the female connector are brought together and the catch slides up and over the first ridge; and

the catch resides within the capture gap in the capture position, resides outside the capture gap in the release position, and resides within an opening in the female side connector in the closed position.

23 . The welding lead safety system of claim 21 wherein:

the at least one ridge extends circumferentially around the male body allowing for the male and female connectors to be twisted together into a locking configuration while maintaining the catch against at least one surface of the at least one ridge preventing separation of the lead ends when the catch is in the capture position.