U.S. patent number RE41,699 [Application Number 11/264,810] was granted by the patent office on 2010-09-14 for electrical connector jack.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc.. Invention is credited to Michael M. Itano, John M. Redfield, William D. Regester.
United States Patent |
RE41,699 |
Itano , et al. |
September 14, 2010 |
Electrical connector jack
Abstract
A connector jack usable with a plug having a plurality of plug
contacts. The jack includes a body having a receptacle sized and
configured to receive the plug therein, a circuit board, and a
plurality of contact tines extending within the receptacle. Each
tine has a first end fixedly attached to the circuit board and a
second free end, and is positioned in the receptacle for contact by
a corresponding one of the plug contacts and moved in response
thereto in a first direction as the plug is inserted into the
receptacle. The jack also includes a plurality of resilient spring
members extending within the receptacle, each positioned adjacent
to a corresponding one of the tines to be engaged thereby when
moved in the first direction by the corresponding plug contact as
the plug is inserted into the receptacle, and apply a supplemental
force thereto to increase contact force and tine resiliency.
Inventors: |
Itano; Michael M. (Seattle,
WA), Regester; William D. (Bothell, WA), Redfield; John
M. (Brier, WA) |
Assignee: |
Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc.
(Little Neck, NY)
|
Family
ID: |
29270289 |
Appl.
No.: |
11/264,810 |
Filed: |
November 1, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
Reissue of: |
10261165 |
Sep 27, 2002 |
06641443 |
Nov 4, 2003 |
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
439/676;
439/839 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01R
13/6464 (20130101); H01R 13/6474 (20130101); H01R
24/64 (20130101); H01R 13/6467 (20130101); H01R
13/6658 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H01R
24/00 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;439/676,839,620.11,620.17,620.23,941,592 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Paumen; Gary F.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Davis Wright Tremaine LLP Rondeau,
Jr.; George C. Colburn; Heather M.
Claims
We claim:
1. A connector jack, usable with a plug having a plurality of plug
contacts, the jack comprising: a body having a receptacle sized and
configured to receive the plug therein; a circuit board positioned
adjacent to the receptacle; a plurality of contact tines, each
having a first end fixedly attached to the circuit board, a second
free end and a contact portion between the first and second ends,
the tine contact portions being positioned within the receptacle to
be contacted by a corresponding one of the plug contacts and moved
in response thereto in a first direction as the plug is inserted
into the receptacle, each tine being sufficiently resilient to
produce a first force on the tine contact portion against the
corresponding plug contact in response to having been moved in the
first direction; and a plurality of resilient, non-conductive
elongated spring arms, each having an independently movable spring
member portion within the receptacle positioned adjacent to a
corresponding one of the tine contact portions to be engaged by the
corresponding tine contact portion when moved, in the first
direction by the corresponding plug contact as the plug is inserted
into the receptacle, each spring arm being configured for the
spring member portion thereof to apply a second force on the
corresponding tine contact portion against the corresponding plug
contact in response to having been moved in the first direction to
produce a contact force between the corresponding tine contact
portion and plug contact substantially equal to the sum of the
first and second forces and to assist return movement of the
corresponding tine contact portion in a second direction opposite
the first direction when the plug is removed from the
receptacle.
2. A connector jack, usable with a plug having a plurality of plug
contacts, the jack comprising: a body having a receptacle sized and
configured to receive the plug therein; a circuit board; a
plurality of contact tines extending within the receptacle, each
having a first end fixedly attached to the circuit board and a
second free end, the contact tines being positioned within the
receptacle to be contacted by a corresponding one of the plug
contacts and moved in response thereto in a first direction as the
plug is inserted into the receptacle, each contact tine being
sufficiently resilient to produce a first contact force between the
corresponding contact tine and plug contact in response to having
been contacted and moved in the first direction by the
corresponding plug contact; and a plurality of resilient, elongated
spring members extending within the receptacle, each positioned
adjacent to a corresponding one of the contact tines to be engaged
by the corresponding contact tine when moved in the first direction
by the corresponding plug contact as the plug is inserted into the
receptacle, each spring member being configured to apply a force on
the corresponding contact tine to produce a second contact force
between the corresponding contact tine and plug contact in addition
to the first contact force in response to the corresponding contact
tine having been contacted and moved in the first direction by the
corresponding plug contact.
3. A connector jack, usable with a plug having a plurality of plug
contacts, the jack comprising: a body having a receptacle sized and
configured to receive the plug therein; a circuit board; a
plurality of contact tines, each having a first end fixedly
attached to the circuit board, a second free end and a contact
portion between the first and second ends, the contact portions
each having a first side and an opposite second side, the contact
tines extending within the receptacle and positioned for the first
sides of the contact portions to be engaged by correspondingly
positioned ones of the plug contacts to move the engaged contact
tines in a first generally transverse direction when the plug is
inserted into the receptacle, each contact tine being sufficiently
resilient to produce a first force in a second direction opposite
the first direction against the correspondingly positioned plug
contact in response to being moved by the plug contact; and a
plurality of resilient spring members extending within the
receptacle, each being adjacent to the second side of the contact
portion of a correspondingly positioned one of the contact tines in
position to be engaged thereby when the correspondingly positioned
contact tine is moved in the first direction by the correspondingly
positioned plug contact when the plug is inserted into the
receptacle, the spring members each being configured to apply a
second force against the correspondingly positioned contact tine in
the second direction to produce a contact force between the engaged
correspondingly positioned contact tine and the plug contact
substantially equal to the sum of the first and second forces and
to assist return movement of the engaged correspondingly positioned
contact tine in the second direction when the plug is removed from
the receptacle.
4. A connector jack, usable with a plug having a plurality of plug
contacts, the jack comprising: a body having a receptacle sized and
configured to receive the plug therein; a plurality of contact
tines, each with at least a portion thereof positioned within the
receptacle to be contacted by a corresponding one of the plug
contacts and moved in response thereto in a first direction as the
plug is inserted into the receptacle, each contact tine being
sufficiently resilient to produce a first contact force between the
corresponding contact tine and plug contact in response to having
been contacted and moved by the corresponding plug contact; and a
plurality of resilient spring members, each with at least a portion
thereof positioned within the receptacle adjacent to a
corresponding one of the contact tines to be engaged by the
corresponding contact tine when moved in the first direction by the
corresponding plug contact as the plug is inserted into the
receptacle, each spring member being configured to apply a force on
the corresponding contact tine to produce a second contact force
between the corresponding contact tine and plug contact in addition
to the first contact force in response to the corresponding contact
tine having been contacted and moved in the first direction by the
corresponding plug contact.
5. The connector jack of claim 4 wherein each of the contact tines
has a first end supported by a support member, a second free end
and a contact portion between the first and second ends positioned
to be contacted by a corresponding one of the plug contacts.
6. A connector jack, usable with a plug having a plurality of plug
contacts, the jack comprising: a body having a receptacle sized and
configured to receive the plug therein; a plurality of contact
tines extending within the receptacle with each in position for
contact by a corresponding one of the plug contacts and movement in
response thereto from a first position to a second position when
the plug is in the receptacle; and a plurality of resilient spring
members extending within the receptacle and positioned adjacent to
a corresponding one of the contact tines to be engaged by the
corresponding contact tine when moved from the first position to
the second position by the corresponding plug contact when the plug
is in the receptacle, each spring member being configured to apply
a force against the corresponding contact tine in a direction from
the second position toward the first-position to produce a contact
force between the corresponding contact tine and plug contact when
the plug is in the receptacle.
7. The connector jack of claim 6 wherein each of the contact tines
has a first end supported by a support member, a second free end
and a contact portion between the first and second ends positioned
to be contacted by a corresponding one of the plug contacts.
8. The connector jack of claim 6 wherein each spring member is
configured to apply the force against the corresponding contact
tine when the corresponding contact tine is in the second position
in a sufficient amount to at least assist in moving the
corresponding contact tine to the first position when the plug is
removed from the receptacle.
9. A connector jack, usable with a plug having a plurality of plug
contacts, the jack comprising: a body having a receptacle sized and
configured to receive the plug therein; a plurality of contact
tines, each having a first side and an opposite second side, the
first side of each contact tine having a contact portion within the
receptacle positioned to be engaged by a correspondingly positioned
one of the plug contacts when the plug is inserted into the
receptacle; and a plurality of resilient spring members, each
positioned adjacent to the second side of a correspondingly
positioned one of the contact tines, whereby the spring members
corresponding to the contact tines engaged by the correspondingly
positioned plug contacts each apply a reaction force to the
corresponding engaged contact tine to generate a contact force
between the corresponding engaged contact tine and the
correspondingly positioned plug contact.
10. The connector jack of claim 9 wherein each of the contact tines
has a first end supported by a support member and a second free end
with the contact portion located between the first and second ends
in a position to be engaged by the correspondingly positioned one
of the plug contacts when the plug is inserted into the
receptacle.
11. The connector jack of claim 9 wherein the spring members each
have at least a portion positioned within the receptacle and
adjacent to the second side of the correspondingly positioned one
of the contact tines, whereby the spring member portions
corresponding to the contact tines engaged by the correspondingly
positioned plug contacts each apply the reaction force to the
corresponding engaged contact tine to generate the contact force
between the corresponding engaged contact tine and the
correspondingly positioned plug contact.
12. A connector jack, usable with a plug having a plurality of plug
contacts, the jack comprising: a body having a receptacle sized and
configured to receive the plug therein; a plurality of contact
tines, each having a contact portion within the receptacle
positioned to be engaged by a correspondingly positioned .[.ones.].
.Iadd.one .Iaddend.of the plug contacts when the plug is inserted
into the receptacle; and a plurality of resilient spring members,
each configured to apply a reaction force to one of the contact
tines when engaged by the correspondingly positioned plug contact
in a direction to generate a supplemental contact force between the
contact tine and the correspondingly positioned plug contact.
13. The connector jack of claim 12 wherein each of the contact
tines has a first end supported by a support member and a second
free end with the contact portion located between the first and
second ends in a position to be engaged by the correspondingly
positioned one of the plug contacts when the plug is inserted into
the receptacle.
.Iadd.14. A connector jack, usable with a plug having a plurality
of plug contacts, the jack comprising: a body having a receptacle
sized and configured to receive the plug therein; a plurality of
contacts, each having a contact portion within the receptacle
positioned to be engaged by a correspondingly positioned one of the
plug contacts when the plug is inserted into the receptacle; and a
plurality of resilient spring members, each configured to apply a
reaction force to one of the contacts when engaged by the
correspondingly positioned plug contact in a direction to generate
a contact force between the contact member and the correspondingly
positioned plug contact..Iaddend.
.Iadd.15. The connector jack of claim 14 wherein the contact
portion of each of the plurality of contacts has a substantially
flat side positioned to be engaged by the correspondingly
positioned one of the plug contacts when the plug is inserted into
the receptacle..Iaddend.
.Iadd.16. The connector jack of claim 14 wherein each of the
resilient spring members comprises a nonconductive spring
arm..Iaddend.
.Iadd.17. A connector jack, usable with a plug having at least one
plug contact, the jack comprising: a body having a receptacle sized
and configured to receive the plug therein; at least one electrical
conductor having a contact portion within the receptacle positioned
to be engaged by the at least one plug contact when the plug is
inserted into the receptacle; and a resilient spring member
configured to apply a reaction force to the at least one electrical
conductor when engaged by the at least one plug contact in a
direction to generate a contact force between the at least one
electrical conductor and the at least one plug
contact..Iaddend.
.Iadd.18. The connector jack of claim 17 wherein the contact
portion of the at least one electrical conductor has a
substantially flat side positioned to be engaged by the at least
one plug contact when the plug is inserted into the
receptacle..Iaddend.
.Iadd.19. The connector jack of claim 17 wherein the resilient
spring member comprises a nonconductive spring arm..Iaddend.
.Iadd.20. A connector jack, usable with a plug having a plurality
of plug contacts, the jack comprising: a body having a receptacle
sized and configured to receive the plug therein; a plurality of
electrical conductors to be engaged by correspondingly positioned
ones of the plug contacts when the plug is inserted into the
receptacle; and a plurality of resilient spring members, each
configured to apply a reaction force to one of the electrical
conductors when engaged by the correspondingly positioned plug
contact in a direction to generate a contact force between the
electrical conductor and the correspondingly positioned plug
contact..Iaddend.
.Iadd.21. The connector jack of claim 20 wherein each of the
plurality of electrical conductors comprises a contact portion to
be engaged by the correspondingly positioned plug contact when the
plug is inserted into the receptacle, the contact portion having a
substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape..Iaddend.
.Iadd.22. The connector jack of claim 20 wherein each of the
plurality of electrical conductors has a substantially flat side
positioned to be engaged by the correspondingly positioned plug
contact when the plug is inserted into the receptacle..Iaddend.
.Iadd.23. The connector jack of claim 20 wherein the plurality of
resilient spring members comprises a nonconductive spring
arm..Iaddend.
.Iadd.24. A connector jack, usable with a plug having a plurality
of plug contacts, the jack comprising: a body having a receptacle
sized and configured to receive the plug therein; a plurality of
contact members extending within the receptacle with each in
position for contact by a corresponding one of the plug contacts
when the plug is in the receptacle; and a plurality of resilient
spring members extending within the receptacle and positioned
adjacent to a corresponding one of the contact members to be
engaged by the corresponding contact member when contacted by the
corresponding plug contact when the plug is in the receptacle, each
spring member being configured to apply a force against the
corresponding contact member to produce a contact force between the
corresponding contact member and plug contact when the plug is in
the receptacle..Iaddend.
.Iadd.25. A connector jack, usable with a plug having a plurality
of plug contacts, the jack comprising: a body having a receptacle
sized and configured to receive the plug therein; a plurality of
contact members, each having a first side and an opposite second
side, the first side of each contact tine having a contact portion
within the receptacle positioned to be engaged by a correspondingly
positioned one of the plug contacts when the plug is inserted into
the receptacle; and a plurality of resilient spring members, each
positioned adjacent to the second side of a correspondingly
positioned one of the contact members, whereby the spring members
corresponding to the contact members engaged by the correspondingly
positioned plug contacts each apply a reaction force to the
correspondingly engaged contact member to generate a contact force
between the correspondingly engaged contact member and the
correspondingly positioned plug contact..Iaddend.
.Iadd.26. A method of connecting a plug having a plurality of plug
contacts to a connector jack, comprising: inserting the plug into a
body having a receptacle sized and configured to receive the plug
therein; bringing the plurality of plug contacts into electrical
engagement with a corresponding plurality of electrical contacts
positioned within the receptacle when the plug is inserted into the
receptacle; and applying, through a plurality of resilient spring
members positioned within the receptacle in proximity with the
plurality of electrical contacts, a force to one of the electrical
contacts when engaged by the correspondingly positioned plug
contact to thereby generate a contact force between the electrical
contact and the correspondingly positioned plug
contact..Iaddend.
.Iadd.27. The method of claim 26 wherein the plurality of
electrical contacts positioned within the receptacle are positioned
within the receptacle intermediate the plug contacts and the
resilient spring members when the plug contacts are brought into
electrical contact with the plurality of electrical contacts within
the receptacle..Iaddend.
.Iadd.28. A method of connecting a plug having a plurality of plug
contacts to a connector jack, comprising: inserting the plug into a
body having a receptacle sized and configured to receive the plug
therein; bringing the plurality of plug contacts into electrical
engagement with a corresponding plurality of electrical contacts
positioned within the receptacle when the plug is inserted into the
receptacle; and deflecting a plurality of resilient spring members
positioned in proximity with the plurality of electrical contacts
to thereby generate a reaction force on the electrical contacts
when engaged by the corresponding plug contacts..Iaddend.
.Iadd.29. A method of connecting a plug having at least one plug
contact to a connector jack, comprising: inserting the plug into a
body having a receptacle sized and configured to receive the plug
therein; bringing the at least one plug contact into electrical
engagement with at least one electrical contact positioned within
the receptacle when the plug is inserted into the receptacle; and
deflecting at least one resilient spring member in proximity with
the at least one electrical contact to thereby generate a reaction
force on the at least one electrical contact in a direction toward
the at least one plug contact when engaged by the at least one plug
contact..Iaddend.
.Iadd.30. The method of claim 29 wherein the at least one
electrical contact is positioned within the receptacle intermediate
the at least one plug contact and the at least one resilient spring
member when the at least one plug contact is brought into
electrical contact with the at least one electrical
contact..Iaddend.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The Category 6 jack is a receptacle that accepts a Category 6 plug,
and is frequently used to electrically interconnect
telecommunication equipment. There are several standards that
dictate how the Category 6 jack is constructed and performs. Two of
which are TIA/EIA (Telecommunications Industry
Association/Electronic Industries Alliance) 568 B and FCC (Federal
Communication Commission) part 68. The TIA standard is largely a
cabling standard to allow for proper installation and performance
criteria. The FCC standard is a legal standard that dictates
physical characteristics of the plug and jack, such as form
factor.
To meet jack performance requirements as dictated by the TIA
standard, the tines of the jack must be as short as possible. To
provide satisfactory electrical characteristics for the Category 6
jack, it is best that the tines be as short as possible. However,
the shorter the tines the less resiliency will be demonstrated by
the tines. This can create a problem when mating the Category 6
jack with a non-Category 6 plugs as required by the TIA standard
discussed below.
In particular, the TIA standard requires the Category 6 jack be
usable with legacy plugs (e.g., 6 position wide-2 contact plates or
6P-2C, 6 position wide-6 contact plates or 6P-6C, and so on). Such
use can occur during testing after installation of Category 6 jacks
when a test meter having an RJ-11 style plug (6P-4C) is plugged
into one of the Category 6 jacks. Also, such use can occur when
using a Category 6 jack to receive other style plugs, such as a
typical phone plug (6P-2C) used for voice transmissions. When using
these legacy plugs with the Category 6 jack, some of the tines of
the jack encounter large amounts of deflection. While the tines of
a Category 6 jack receiving a Category 6 plug usually experience a
relatively small deflection, use of a legacy plug with the Category
6 jack may result in a much larger deflection. This is because the
older style plugs do not have cut outs where there would be a
recessed conductive plate or opening on an RJ45 style plug
(Category 5, 5e or 6). However, to provide sufficient resiliency of
the tines to allow such a large amount of deflection without
permanent deformation, the tines must have a length so long that
electrical performance is degraded.
The FCC standard specifies that the contact force between the
Category 6 jack and plug when mated be a minimum of 100 grams (0.22
pounds). This is largely to ensure good electrical contact between
the plug and the jack. If the Category 6 jack has tines long enough
to provide the resiliency needed to accommodate legacy plugs
without deformation, as discussed above, providing the necessary
contact force becomes a problem since increasing the resiliency of
the tine tends to cause the tine to generate lower contact force
with the plug contact. The increased length also degrades
electrical performance.
As such, it is desirable to provide a Category 6 jack with tines as
short as possible to improve electrical performance of the jack,
while still providing the resiliency to accommodate legacy plugs
and the contact force needed to meet the TIA and FCC standards.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an electrical connector, and in
particular, to a jack used for telecommunication equipment.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is embodied in a connector jack usable with a
plug having a plurality of plug contacts. The jack includes a body
having a receptacle sized and configured to receive the plug
therein, a plurality of contact tines, each having a contact
portion within the receptacle positioned to be engaged by a
corresponding positioned one of the plug contacts when the plug is
inserted into the receptacle, and a plurality of resilient spring
members. Each of the spring members is configured to apply a
reaction force to one of the contact tines when engaged by the
correspondingly positioned plug contact in a direction to generate
a supplemental contact force between the contact tine and the
correspondingly positioned plug contact.
In the illustrated embodiment, the contact tines each having a
first side and an opposite second side, with the first side of each
contact tine having a contact portion within the receptacle
positioned to be engaged by the correspondingly positioned one of
the plug contacts when the plug is inserted into the receptacle.
Each spring member is positioned adjacent to the second side of a
correspondingly positioned one of the contact tines. The spring
members each have at least a portion positioned within the
receptacle and adjacent to the second side of the correspondingly
positioned one of the contact tines.
In the illustrated embodiment, each spring member is configured to
apply a force against the corresponding contact tine when in a
deflected position sufficient to at least assist in moving the
corresponding contact tine to a return position when the plug is
removed from the receptacle.
Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent
from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with
the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an isometric view of an electrical connector jack
embodying the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an exploded isometric view of the electrical connector
jack shown in FIG. 1 with the spring assembly separated from the
circuit board and without the connector body.
FIG. 3 is an isometric view of the electrical connector jack
assembly shown in FIG. 2 with the spring assembly shown mounted to
the circuit board but still without the connector body.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the electrical connector jack
shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 5 is an exploded isometric view of the two separated
components of the spring assembly used with the electrical
connector jack shown in FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
An embodiment of a Category 6 RJ series electrical connector jack
10 of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 1 fully
assembled and ready for use. The jack 10 includes a dielectric
housing or body 12 and a plurality of resilient contact tines 14 in
parallel arrangement within an interior receptacle 16 of the body.
The tines 14 may be spring wires with round or other
cross-sectional shapes, elongated contact plates or have other
suitable contact tine constructions. In the illustrated embodiment,
eight tines 14 are used, but a fewer or greater number may be used
as desired for the style connector while utilizing the principals
of the invention. The body 12 is typically formed of plastic, and
the tines 14 are formed of a conventional phosphor bronze metal
used for Category 6 jacks and other style jacks. The receptacle 16
is sized and configured to receive a Category 6 plug 18 of
conventional design, shown in cross-section in FIG. 4 inserted into
the receptacle. The plug 18 has a plurality of metal conductive
plates or contacts 20 which when the plug is inserted into the
receptacle 16 are in contact with corresponding ones of the tines
14. The plug 18 generally has two to eight contacts 20. As noted
above, other style plugs may be inserted into the receptacle 16 and
those plugs may have a variety of different numbers of
contacts.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the tines 14 each have a first end
portion 22 fixedly attached to a printed circuit board 24 and have
a second free end portion 26. Each tine 14 has a contact portion 28
extending between its first and second end portions 22 and 26. As
will be discussed below, the contact portions 28 are arranged in
the body 12 to be contacted by the contacts 20 of the plug 18 when
inserted into the receptacle 16. The contact portions 28 of the
tines 14 are in a generally parallel arrangement and the tines are
essentially allowed to "float" as simple cantilevered beams. The
printed circuit board 24 also supports eight insulation
displacement contacts (IDCs) 30, each being electrically connected
through the circuit paths on the printed circuit board to one of
the eight tines 14. Wires carrying electrical signals may be
connected to the IDCs 30 in a conventional manner. Other style
contacts and means may be used to electrically connect signals to
the tines 14. In the illustrated embodiment of the connector jack
10, the IDCs 30 are pressed into place in apertures in the printed
circuit board 24, and the first end portions 22 of the tines 14 are
first pressed into place in apertures in the printed circuit board
and then soldered.
When the printed circuit board 24 has the tines 14 and the IDCs 30
attached, a spring assembly 32 is mounted to the printed circuit
board 24 in position below the tines as shown in FIG. 3. As best
seen in FIG. 2, the spring assembly 32 has a pair of protrusions 34
which are inserted into apertures in the printed circuit board. The
printed circuit board assembly, indicated by reference numeral 33
is shown in FIG. 3 ready for positioning within the body 12 of the
connector jack 10, as is illustrated in FIG. 4.
The receptacle 16 of the body 12 has a forward facing opening 35 in
a forward end 36 of the body 12 which is sized to pass the plug 18
therethrough as it is inserted into the receptacle. As shown in
FIG. 4, a rearward end 38 of the body 12 has a chamber 40 with a
rearward facing opening 42 sized to receive the assembled printed
circuit board 24 therein. The printed circuit board 24 is
positioned adjacent to the receptacle 16 with the tines 14
projecting forward into the receptacle in position for the contact
portions 28 thereof to be contacted by the contacts 20 of the plug
18 when inserted into the receptacle to make electrical contact
therewith. A carrier or terminal block 43, shown in FIG. 1, is
mounted at and covers the rearward facing opening 42 of the chamber
40, and captures and holds the printed circuit board 24 in place.
Snaps securely connect the terminal block 43 to the body 12. The
terminal block 43 has apertures to allow access to the IDCs 30
which project rearward from the printed circuit board 24 to allow
connection of wires thereto.
The tines 14 are laterally spaced apart so that one tine is
contacted by a correspondingly positioned one of the plug contacts
20 when the plug 18 is inserted into the receptacle 16. The contact
of the plug contacts 20 with the tines 14 moves the contacted tines
in a generally downward direction, with a small rearward component,
as the tines flex downward in response thereto. Each of the tines
14 is sufficiently resilient to produce a first generally upward
force on the tine against the corresponding plug contact 20 in
response thereto. This serves as a contact force between the tine
and the plug contact to help provide good electrical contact.
However, as discussed above, it is desirable to keep the tines 14
as short as possible to improve electrical performance of the jack,
while still providing sufficient resiliency to accommodate legacy
plugs and the contact force needed to meet the FCC standards. To do
so, the spring assembly 32 is positioned below the tines 14, as
best seen in FIG. 4, to provide increased contact force and
resiliency than the tines alone can produce in response to the
tines moving downward as the plug 18 is inserted into the
receptacle 16, without requiring the tines to be longer than
desired to provide good electrical performance. The increased
resiliency allows the insertion of legacy plugs into the receptacle
16 and the resulting extreme flexure of the tines 14 that can
result, without permanent deformation of the tines.
The spring assembly 32 includes eight resilient, non-conductive
spring arms 44, each positioned immediately under a correspondingly
positioned one of the tines 14. A head portion 45 of each spring
arm 44 is in contact with an underside of the tine opposite the
side of the tine contacted by the plug contact 20. The spring arms
44 extend forward from a spring assembly base 46, with a slight
upward slant, and have a knee bend whereat the spring arms project
generally upward and rearward and terminate in a free end portion
including the head portion 45. Each of the spring arms 44 is
positioned to have the head portion 45 thereof engaged by and move
downward with the correspondingly positioned tine 14 as the tine
moves downward when the plug 18 is inserted into the receptacle 16.
The spring arm head portion 45 moves downward with a small rearward
component since the tine deflects with an arcuate movement.
The spring arms are 44 laterally separated from each other by a
small distance. As such, each of the spring arms 44 is
independently movable relative to the other ones of the spring
arms, and each spring arm provides a second generally upward force
on the correspondingly positioned tine which is transmitted to the
plug contact 20 contacting the tine. This creates a supplemental
upward force that causes an increased contact force between the
tine and the plug contact (generally the sum of the first and
second upward forces). The supplemental upward force also causes
the tine to respond as if having greater resiliency than
experienced by the unassisted tine, and assists the return movement
of the tine when the plug 18 is removed from the receptacle 16 and
allowed to return from its deflected position to its original
position before the plug was inserted into the receptacle. This
improvement in mechanical performance is accomplished without the
need to lengthen and thicken the tines 14 to achieve it and thereby
degrade electrical performance of the jack. Also, since each spring
arm 44 operates on the tine 14 it engages independent of the other
spring arms, the same characteristics of increased contact force
and tine resiliency are experienced by a tine whether one tine or
all eight tines are being engaged by plug contacts 20. This
provides consistent performance characteristics for the jack
10.
The increased tine resiliency improves the ability of the jack 10
to handle legacy plugs having substantially different sizes and
styles than a Category 6 plug, when inserted into the receptacle 16
by allowing an increased range of elastic deflection without
undesirable permanent deformation of the tines 14. The independent
operation of the spring arms 44 allows the use of legacy plugs of
many configurations, size and number of plug contacts that cause
some tines 14 to deflect by large amounts such as when engaged by
sidewalls or other non-contact portions of the plug, while other
tines do not and still producing good electrical contact with the
contacts of the legacy plug and without damage to the tines. Again,
the increased resiliency is accomplished without the need to
lengthen and thicken the tines to achieve it.
Rails inside the body 12 align and hold the spring arms 44 in
position for contact with the plug contacts 20. The body also
includes features to capture the tines 14.
The spring assembly 32 is manufactured of a non-conductive plastic,
thus the spring arms 44 can directly contact the metal tines
without requiring insulation or causing an electrical problem. The
plastic is selected to provide a good life cycle with low creep or
cold flow characteristics.
As best seen in FIGS. 2, 3 and 5, the spring assembly 32 is
composed of two separately molded components for ease of
manufacture. In particular, the first component includes a first
portion 46a of the base 46 which has the pair of protrusions 34
which secure the spring assembly 32 to the printed circuit board
24, and has every other one of the eight spring arms 44 projecting
therefrom. The second component includes a second portion 46b of
the base 46, and has the other four of the eight spring arms 44
projecting therefrom. Adjacent spring arms of the first component
are separated by slightly greater than the width of one of the
spring arms of the second component, and adjacent spring arms of
the second component are separated by slightly greater than the
width of one of the spring arms of the first component. As such,
when the first and second components of the spring assembly 32 are
assembled together, with the spring arms of the first and second
assemblies interleaved, there is a very small space between
neighboring spring arms of the first and second assemblies which
allows their independent movement.
An alternative method of achieving such closely spaced spring arms
would be to injection mold the spring assembly 32 as one piece, but
put thin blades of steel between each spring arm position in the
mold cavity. This would cause the resulting eight spring arms to be
closely spaced but yet independently movable.
While the present invention is illustrated and discussed with
respect to a Category 6 jack, it should be understood that the
invention is useful for many style jacks, including but not limited
to Category 3, Category 5, Category 5e and other telecommunication
and non-telecommunication jacks, and that the jacks need not
utilize a printed circuit board mounting for the tines 14, spring
assembly 32 or other components or utilize a printed circuit board
at all.
From the foregoing it will be appreciated that, although specific
embodiments of the invention have been described herein for
purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made without
deviating from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly,
the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims.
* * * * *