Patent Grant
9882323
The amount of data transferred between electronic devices has grown tremendously the last several years. Large amounts of audio, streaming video, text, and other types of data content are now regularly transferred among desktop and portable computers, media devices, handheld media devices, displays, storage devices, and other types of electronic devices.
Power may be transferred with this data, or power may be transferred separately. Power and data may be conveyed over cable assemblies. Cable assemblies may include a cable that may have wire conductors, fiber optic cables, or some combination of these or other conductors. Cable assemblies may also include a connector insert at each end of the cable, though other cable assemblies may be connected or tethered to an electronic device in a dedicated manner. The connector inserts may be inserted into receptacles in the communicating electronic devices.
During these insertions, a user inserting a connector insert may exert a force in the direction of insertion into the receptacle. Also, the direction of insertion may be somewhat tilted or rotated. This force may exert compression and angular forces on one or more portions of the connector receptacle. This force may damage the connector receptacle causing a reduction or loss of functionality of the electronic device housing the connector receptacle. Similar forces may be exerted on one or more portions of a connector receptacle after a connector insert has been inserted in the receptacle or during extraction of a connector insert from the receptacle.
Also, these connector inserts may be inserted into a device receptacle one or more times a day for multiple years. It may be desirable that these connector inserts be reliable and do not break or wear down prematurely, since such failures may lead to user dissatisfaction with the electronic device.
Electronic devices may be sold in the millions, with an attendant number of connector receptacles sold with them. With such volumes, any reduction or simplification in the manufacturing of a connector receptacle becomes significant. For such reasons, it may be desirable that these connector receptacles are readily manufactured.
Thus, what is needed are connector receptacles that are able to withstand insertion and other forces, are reliable, and are easy to manufacture.
Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention may provide connector receptacles that are able to withstand insertion and other forces, are reliable, and are readily manufactured. An exemplary embodiment of the present invention may provide a connector receptacle having one or more movable portions. These movable portions may move relative to an enclosure or portion of an enclosure for an electronic device housing the connector receptacle. When a connector insert is inserted into, extracted from, or subject to force after insertion into the receptacle, the movable portions may move to help absorb insertion forces, thereby protecting the connector receptacle from damage. The movable portions may further include self-aligning features such that the movable portions self-align back to an original position in the absence of force. While these techniques are well-suited to use in connector receptacles, they may also be employed in connector inserts, or both connector inserts and receptacles, consistent with embodiments of the present invention. Also, while embodiments of the present invention may protect connector receptacles from damage during the insertion of a connector insert, embodiments of the present invention may also protect connector receptacles from damage during an extraction of a connector insert and from damage caused by forces being applied to a connector insert or connector receptacle while the connector insert is positioned inside the connector receptacle. Embodiments of the present invention may also protect connector receptacles from damage by unrelated items at other times. Throughout this document damage that may occur at any of these or other times may be referred to as damage caused during the insertion of a connector insert for clarity.
In a specific embodiment of the present invention, a connector receptacle having a movable tongue may be provided. The tongue may move front-to-back along an axis of insertion. This may help to protect the tongue during the insertion of a connector insert. The tongue may also move in forward, up, down, side-to-side, pitch, yaw, and roll directions. This may help to protect the tongue during insertions where a connector insert is not directly inserted into the receptacle, but is instead inserted in an offset or rotated direction. This may be of particular importance when the tongue is exceptionally thin and would otherwise be prone to damage. In other embodiments of the present invention, various portions of a connector receptacle, such as housings, tongues, contacts, shields, and the like, may move together or separately relative to a device enclosure or portion of an enclosure. For example, a housing and a tongue may be able to move together or separately relative to a device enclosure or portion of an enclosure.
In a specific embodiment of the present invention, a connector receptacle may include a tongue located in an opening in a housing. The housing may be a portion of a device enclosure, or it may be separate from the device enclosure. The tongue may be attached to the opening in the housing by a pliable or flexible gasket or grommet. This flexible gasket or grommet may flex to allow the tongue to move during an insertion. In this and other embodiments of the present invention, the tongue may be further attached through one or more other gaskets or grommets to one or more other structures attached to or formed as part of the device enclosure, a printed circuit board in the enclosure, or other structure in the electronic device. For example, the tongue may attach to one or more rods or posts through one or more other gaskets or grommets. These rods or posts may, in turn, attach to the device enclosure, a printed circuit board in the device enclosure, or other structure in or associated with the device enclosure. In still other embodiments of the present invention, rods, posts, screws, or other structures may be located in one or more openings in the tongue. These structures may be located in the openings in way to apply pressure against the grommet to hold the grommet in place against a device enclosure. In this embodiment, the tongue may include one or more tabs to secure the grommet in place between the tabs and the device enclosure. As before, each of these gaskets or grommets may flex to allow the tongue to move in forward, backward, up, down, side-to-side, pitch, yaw, and roll directions.
In various embodiments of the present invention, these gaskets or grommets may be formed of various materials. For example, these gaskets or grommets may be formed using elastomers with low compression set. This may help to ensure consistent performance over the life of the connector receptacle. In specific embodiments of the present invention, the elastomers used may be silicone or urethane. In various embodiments of the present invention, the gasket or grommets may be conductive. This may be useful in providing a ground or power path through the gasket or grommet.
In still other embodiments of the present invention, other gaskets or grommets may be used. For example, a tongue may pass through an opening in a printed circuit board, and a gasket or grommet may be used to attach the two. In still other embodiments, the tongue itself may be part of a printed circuit board in an electronic device. The printed circuit board may then be attached through grommets to posts or other structures that may, in turn, be attached to a device enclosure, a second printed circuit board, or other structure in or associated with the electronic device.
In various embodiments of the present invention, various components may be placed on such a flexible tongue. For example, electronic components and circuits may be placed on the tongue. Other connectors may be used to connect the tongue to a printed circuit board, flexible circuit board, or other structure in an electronic device housing the tongue. Traces or interconnect lines may connect contacts on the tongue to these components, circuits, connectors, and other structures or devices.
In various embodiments of the present invention, contacts, ground contacts, metallic pieces, and other conductive portions of a connector receptacle, such as the shell or shield, may be formed by stamping, metal-injection molding, machining, micro-machining, 3-D printing, or other manufacturing process. The conductive portions may be formed of stainless steel, steel, copper, copper titanium, phosphor bronze, or other material or combination of materials. They may be plated or coated with nickel, gold, or other material. The nonconductive portions may be formed using injection or other molding, 3-D printing, machining, or other manufacturing process. The nonconductive portions may be formed of silicon or silicone, rubber, hard rubber, plastic, nylon, liquid-crystal polymers (LCPs), ceramics, or other nonconductive material or combination of materials. Again, the gaskets or grommets may be formed of various materials including, but not limited to, elastomers with low compression set. This may help to ensure consistent performance over the life of the connector receptacle. In specific embodiments of the present invention, the elastomers used may be silicone or urethane. The printed circuit boards used may be formed of FR-4 or other material. Printed circuit boards may be replaced by other substrates, such as flexible circuit boards, in many embodiments of the present invention.
Embodiments of the present invention may provide connector receptacles that may be located in and may connect to various types of devices, such as portable computing devices, tablet computers, desktop computers, laptops, all-in-one computers, cell phones, smart phones, media phones, storage devices, portable media players, navigation systems, monitors, power supplies, adapters, remote control devices, chargers, and other devices. These connector receptacles may provide pathways for signals and power compliant with various standards such as Universal Serial Bus (USB), a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), Digital Visual Interface (DVI), power, Ethernet, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt, Lightning and other types of standard and non-standard interfaces that have been developed, are being developed, or will be developed in the future.
Various embodiments of the present invention may incorporate one or more of these and the other features described herein. A better understanding of the nature and advantages of the present invention may be gained by reference to the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.
Electronic system 100 may include cable 110 joining electronic devices 120 and 130. In this example, electronic device 120 may be a laptop or portable computer having screen 122. Electronic device 130 may be a monitor 130 that may include screen 132. In other embodiments of the present invention, cable 110 may couple various types of devices, such as portable computing devices, tablets, desktop computers, all-in-one computers, cell phones, smart phones, media phones, storage devices, portable media players, navigation systems, monitors power supplies, adapters, and chargers, and other devices. These cables, such as cable 110, may provide pathways for signals and power compliant with various standards such as Universal Serial Bus (USB), a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), Digital Visual Interface (DVI), power, Ethernet, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt, Lightning and other types of standard and non-standard interfaces that are either presently developed, under development, or will be developed in the future. Cable 110 may attach to electronic devices 110 and 130 through connector receptacles provided by embodiments of the present invention.
In this and other embodiments of the present invention, a front of tongue 210 may be chamfered for easier insertion into an opening in a connector insert. This chamfered opening may be coated to reduce wear on the front surface of tongue 210 that may be caused by repeated insertions of a connector insert.
In various embodiments of the present invention, tongue 210 or other portions of this connector receptacle may be reinforced to prevent damage during the insertion of a connector insert. These tongues may be located in openings in device enclosures, they may be located in connector receptacle housings separate from device enclosures, or they may be located in other structures. An example of such a connector system is shown in the following figure.
Connector insert 310 may include shield 470 surrounding contacts 460. Shield 470 may be electrically connected to ground contacts 472. Shield 470 may terminate in end pieces 474. Tongue 410 may include a central ground plane or portion (not shown), while the connector insert may include ground plane or portion 480.
This arrangement may provide shielding for signal paths formed by contacts 412 and 460. Specifically, connector insert shield 470 may electrically contact receptacle shield 420. Receptacle shield 420 may electrically connect to ground contact 414 through vertical portion 416 and horizontal portion 418. Ground contact 472 in the connector insert may electrically contact ground contacts 414 and connector insert shield 470. Ground planes and ground portions in tongue 410 and ground plane or portions 480 in the connector insert may electrically connect to each other and these other structures as well. In various embodiments of the present invention, end pieces 474 may be conductive, and may thus form electrical connections with vertical portions 416. This shielding may help to isolate signals on contacts 412 and 460 from each other and from circuits, traces, and components external to this connector system.
This connector system, as with the other included connector systems may perform at least three functions. The first is to convey signals between a connector insert and a connector receptacle. These signals may include power, ground, and data signals, such as audio and video signals. A second is to shield these signals while they are being transferred. This may prevent or reduce the corruption of the signals during transfer. A third is to provide a retention force such that the connector insert is not inadvertently removed from the connector receptacle. Such accidental extractions may be particularly undesirable during transfer of large files.
Signals may be transferred using pins 460 in the connector insert 310, which may mate with contacts 412 in receptacle 300.
These signals may be shielded in a number of ways. For example, shield 470 of connector insert 310 may electrically connect to ground piece 472 at finger 473. Ground contacts 474 at a front of connector insert 310 may contact a horizontal portion of ground piece 414 in connector receptacle 300. Ground piece 414 may electrically connect to connector receptacle shield 420 via connection points 421. Shield 420 of connector receptacle 300 may electrically connect to shield 470 on connector receptacle 300.
Retention may be provided by side ground contacts 112 engaging notches 125 on tongue 129. Specifically, side ground contacts 510 may include contacting portion 512, which may engage notches 411 on sides of tongue 410. Notches 411 may be plated and connected to ground in the connector receptacle 300, thereby forming another ground path with side ground contacts 510, which may be connected to ground through the connector insert 310.
In various embodiments of the present invention, varying amounts of retention force may be desired. Accordingly, side ground contacts 510 may be pre-biased such that they spring back to fit into notches 411 during insertion. The strength and thickness of side ground contacts 510 may also be adjusted to provide different retention forces for different applications. In some embodiments of the present invention, for example some docking stations, it may be desirable to provide zero retention force, in which case side ground contacts 510 may be omitted.
Again, these insertions may damage the connector receptacles. This may be particularly true when a connector insert is not inserted directly into the connector receptacle, but is instead inserted in a tilted or rotated direction. Damage may also be more likely when portions of a connector receptacle, such as a tongue, are small or thin. Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention may provide connector receptacles that are able to withstand these insertion forces. Again, while embodiments of the present invention may protect connector receptacles from damage during insertion of a connector insert, embodiments of the present invention may also protect connector receptacles from damage during extraction of a connector insert and from damage caused by forces being applied to a connector insert or connector receptacle while the connector insert is positioned inside the connector receptacle. Embodiments of the present invention may also protect connector receptacles from damage by unrelated items at other times. Throughout this document damage that may occur at any of these or other times may be referred to as damage caused during the insertion of a connector insert for clarity. Various embodiments of the present invention may employ flexible gaskets or grommets that may allow one or more portions of a connector receptacle to move relative to a device enclosure. An example is shown in the following figure.
In various embodiments the present invention, an opening may be formed in tongue 210. A gasket or grommet 230 may be placed in the opening in tongue 210. The gasket or grommet 230 may have an opening 232. A rod, post, or other structure may be inserted into opening 232 of gasket or grommet 230. This rod or post may be attached to or formed as part of device enclosure 200, a printed circuit board located inside device enclosure 200, or other structure in, or associated with, the device enclosure 200.
These gaskets or grommets 220 and 230 may be flexible such that tongue 210 may move relative to device enclosure 200. For example, flexible gaskets or grommets 220 and 230 may allow tongue 210 to move backward into device enclosure 200 during the insertion of connector insert. This may help to relieve stress on tongue 210 during insertion, thereby helping to prevent damage. Flexible gaskets or grommets 220 and 230 may also allow tongue 210 to move in forward, up, down, side to side, pitch, yaw, and roll directions during the insertion and extraction of a connector insert. Again, this movement may protect tongue 210 during insertion, particularly during non-direct insertions, such as when the connector insert is inserted at a tilted or skewed angle.
Flexible gaskets or grommets 220 and 230 may be formed of various materials. For example, they may be formed using elastomers, such as silicone or urethane. They may be conductive to form ground paths, for example between ground contacts 214 and enclosure 200.
Tongue 210 may support a number of contacts 212. Contacts 212 may be located on a top side of tongue 210, on a bottom side of tongue 210, or on both top and bottom sides of tongue 210. Contacts 212 may form power and signal paths with corresponding contacts in a connector insert (not shown) when a connector insert is inserted in this connector receptacle.
Ground contacts 214 may be located on either or both a top and bottom side of tongue 210. Ground contacts 214 may form ground connections with corresponding ground contacts in a connector insert.
While in this example, tongue 210 is shown as being attached to enclosure 200 through grommet or gasket 220, in other embodiments of the present invention, tongue 210 may be attached through grommet or gasket 220 to a standalone connector receptacle housing separate from enclosure 200, or tongue 210 may be attached to another appropriate structure.
As before, tongue 210 may support a number of contacts 212 and ground contacts 214. Grommets or gasket 220 may be wrapped around tongue 210, while grommets or gaskets 230 may be placed in openings in tongue 210. In other embodiments of the present invention, tongue 210 may have one, three, or more openings having grommets or gaskets 230. Also, in other embodiments the present invention, more than one gasket or grommet 220 may surround tongue 210. Tongue 210 may further include side cutout 216. Side cutout 216 may be used to accept a retention feature on a connector insert when the connector insert is inserted into a connector receptacle including this tongue.
In this example, a receptacle may include a tongue 210 attached to a device enclosure through one or more grommets or gaskets 220 and 230. In other embodiments of the present invention, tongue 210 may be attached to other structures in or associated with the electronic device. In other embodiments of the present invention, a receptacle may include a housing without a tongue. This housing may be attached to a device enclosure or other structure through one or more gaskets or grommets. In still other embodiments, a receptacle may include a tongue and a housing, where the tongue and housing may be attached to a device enclosure or other structure through one or more gaskets or grommets. In still other embodiments of the present invention, a tongue may be attached to a housing through one or more gaskets or grommets, while the housing may be attached to a device enclosure or other structure through one or more gaskets or grommets.
Another embodiment of the present invention may provide other connector receptacles tongues or other connector receptacle portions that may move relative to a device housing in order to protect the connector receptacle. An example is shown in the following figures.
A ground plane or ground contact 830 may cover a rear portion of tongue 810. Ground contacts 830 may include tabs 840. Tabs 840 may be bent or folded to be orthogonal to a surface of tongue 810. Ground contacts 830 may engage ground contacts in a connector insert, as shown above.
One or more openings 850 in the tongue structure 810 may be included. Openings 850 may accept fasteners. Openings 850 may have a relatively flat edge facing a front of tongue 810. This flatter edge may give openings 850 a slightly D-shaped appearance. This edge may allow a tongue to move laterally a distance, for example approximately 0.1 mm, relative to the fasteners without changing the depth of tongue 810 in a device enclosure in order to reduce wear and the chance of damage to tongue 810 during insertion of a connector insert.
Various structures or fasteners may be placed in openings 852 help secure tongue 810 in place. Specifically, grommets or gaskets may fit around tongue 810 and between tabs 840 and a back side of a device enclosure opening. Fasteners may be placed in openings 850 and may provide a force compressing these gaskets in order to hold on to tongue 810 in place.
In various embodiments the present invention, an opening, such as opening 850, may be formed in tongue 810. A fastener, such as a screw, rod, post, or other structure may be inserted into opening 850 of tongue 810. This fastener, rod, or post may be attached to or formed as part of a device enclosure, a printed circuit board located inside a device enclosure, or other structure in, or associated with, the device enclosure.
Again, gaskets or grommets may be used, for example around tongue 810. These gaskets and grommets may be flexible such that tongue 810 may move relative to a device enclosure. For example, flexible gaskets or grommets may allow tongue 810 to move in a device enclosure during the insertion of a connector insert. This may help to relieve stress on tongue 810 during insertion, thereby helping to prevent damage. The flexible gaskets or grommets may also allow tongue 810 to move in forward, up, down, side to side, pitch, yaw, and roll directions during the insertion and extraction of a connector insert. Backward movement may be possible in various embodiments of the present invention, or backward movement may be limited by other structures, such as fasteners in openings 850. Again, this movement may protect tongue 810 during insertion, particularly during non-direct insertions, such as when the connector insert is inserted at a tilted or skewed angle. These gaskets or grommets may also include self-aligning features such that the tongue may reset back to an original position once such stress or force is removed. These gaskets or grommets may further be conductive to allow ground connections between ground contacts 830 and tabs 840 on tongue 810 and the device enclosure or other structures.
A second optional grommet or gasket 920 may be included. Optional gasket 920 may be located between tongue 810 and a top inside surface of a device enclosure. Grommet or gasket 920 may surround a number of mechanical or electrical components or devices 930. Mechanical or electrical components or devices 930 may be located in an opening in a ground plane on top of tongue 810. Grommet or gasket 920 may be conductive and form an electrical connection between a ground plane on tongue 810 and a device enclosure or other structure. Grommet or gasket 920 may thus provide an amount of shielding for mechanical or electrical components or devices 930.
As before, tongue 810 may support a number of contacts 812. Tongue 810 may include side ground contacts 814 and ground contacts 830. Openings 850 may accept fasteners used to secure tongue 810 to a device enclosure. Bracket 870 may also be used to secure tongue 810 in place.
In various embodiments of the present invention, tongue 810 may include various plated areas. For example, contacts 812 may be formed using a hard gold plating, such as an electrolytic gold. This may improve the durability and longevity of contacts 812 while providing a low contact resistance. Contacts in connector 860 and other portions of tongue 810, such a ground planes on a top and bottom of tongue 810, may be formed or plated using an electroless nickel immersion gold material, which may be known as ENIG. This may provide a good contact having less gold to avoid the contacts from being too brittle. Side ground contacts 814 may be plated with palladium nickel (PdNi.), which is a durable material. In still other embodiments of the present invention, contacts 812 may also be formed using palladium nickel to reduce the number of plating steps used to form tongue 810.
Again, tongue 810 may be formed of a printed circuit board. Typically, printed circuit boards are not well controlled for their color. This may lead to a large variation in color for tongues 810 among different devices. To avoid this undesirable occurrence, embodiments of the present invention may provide a tongue 810 having a leading edge that is a covered with an ink or otherwise given a uniform color. An example is shown in the following figure.
Again, opening 850 may have a somewhat flattened front edge contacting fastener 1530. This may allow tongue 810 to move laterally when a force acts on tongue 810, even though fasteners 1530 may limit the amount that tongue 810 can move in a backward direction into the device enclosure. This lateral movement may absorb some insertion force and reduce wear and decrease the chance of damage to tongue 810 during insertion of a connector insert. This arrangement may also allow tongue 810 to move up and down and in a twisting direction in order to further decrease wear and the chance of damage to tongue 810 during insertion of a connector insert.
In various embodiments of the present invention, these gaskets or grommets 910 may be conductive. By forming these gaskets or grommets 910 of a conductive material, an additional ground path may be provided.
In several included examples, a connector receptacle may be formed primarily of a tongue in a recess or opening of a device enclosure. More details of these structures can be found in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/543,748, filed Nov. 17, 2014, titled CONNECTOR RECEPTACLE HAVING A TONGUE, which is incorporated by reference.
In this way, tongue 810 may be free to move forward, up and down, left or right, and in a pitch, yaw, or roll motion relative to device enclosure 1510. Backward motion may be limited by fasteners 1530 in openings 850, but may be more readily allowed, for example where fasteners 1530 are surrounded by grommets or gaskets in openings 850. This permitted movement may help to prevent damage to tongue 810 during the insertion or extraction of a connector plug into or out of the connector receptacle.
These connector receptacles may be formed or assembled in different ways. Tongue 810 may be inserted through opening 1512 in enclosure 1510 into opening or recess 1513. Opening 1512 may be a slot in a back side of the receptacle opening or recess 1513. In other embodiments of the present invention, the back side of the receptacle opening may be a separate piece that is held in place by forces exerted by screws 1530 on gasket 910. In this case the back side may be a bracket attached to tongue 810.
Grommet or gasket 910 may be located between an inside surface of device enclosure 1510 and tabs 840. During assembly, a small forward pressure may be applied to tongue 810. Fasteners 1710 and 1720 may be passed through openings 850 and 851 and into openings in device enclosure 1510. Tongue 810 may then be released. Grommet or gasket 910 may be slightly compressed under pressure and may provide a force against fasteners 1710 and 1720 thereby holding tongue 810 in place.
In this example, it may be undesirable to confuse fasteners 1710 and 1720 during assembly of an electronic device housing tongue 810. Accordingly, fasteners 1710 and 1720 may have top side openings to accept different non-compatible tools. That is, a tool used on fasteners 1710 may not be useful in turning fasteners 1720, while a tool for fastener 1720 would not be useful for fastener 1710. In this way, fastener 1720 is unlikely to be mistakenly inserted into an opening intended to receive fastener 1710, and fastener 1710 is unlikely to be mistakenly inserted into an opening intended to receive fastener 1720. A thickness of body portions of fasteners 1710 and 1720 may also be varied in order to reduce the chance of confusion during assembly.
Again, fastener 1710 may provide a slight forward pressure on tongue 810 such that grommet or gasket 910 is at least slightly compressed. This compression may help secure tongue 810 in place and further reduce water or other unwanted ingress into the device.
Grommet or gasket 910 may include a tapered front edge 912. This tapered edge 912 may help to fill a gap between ground contact 830 and opening 1512 in device enclosure 1510. This conical or tapered front edge 912 may also provide a self-centering or self-alignment feature such that tongue 810 is realigned in opening 1512 of a device enclosure 1510 once a connector insert is removed. Grommet or gasket 910 may also provide an electrical path for grounding between ground contact 830 and tabs 840 on tongue 810 and the device enclosure.
In various embodiments of the present invention including the examples shown, contacts, ground contacts, metallic pieces including metallic center pieces, and other conductive portions of a connector receptacle, such as the shell or shield, may be formed by stamping, metal-injection molding, machining, micro-machining, 3-D printing, or other manufacturing process. The conductive portions may be formed of stainless steel, steel, copper, copper titanium, phosphor bronze, or other material or combination of materials. They may be plated or coated with nickel, gold, or other material. The nonconductive portions may be formed using injection or other molding, 3-D printing, machining, or other manufacturing process. The nonconductive portions may be formed of silicon or silicone, rubber, hard rubber, plastic, nylon, liquid-crystal polymers (LCPs), or other nonconductive material or combination of materials. Again, the gaskets or grommets may be formed of various materials including, but not limited to, elastomers with low compression set. This may help to ensure consistent performance over the life of the connector receptacle. In specific embodiments of the present invention, the elastomers used may be silicone or urethane. The printed circuit boards used may be formed of FR-4 or other material. Various printed circuit boards shown and in other embodiments of the present invention may be replaced by other substrates, such as flexible circuit boards.
Embodiments of the present invention may provide connector receptacles that may be located in and may connect to various types of devices, such as portable computing devices, tablet computers, desktop computers, laptops, all-in-one computers, cell phones, smart phones, media phones, storage devices, portable media players, navigation systems, monitors, power supplies, adapters, remote control devices, chargers, and other devices. These connector receptacles may provide pathways for signals and power compliant with various standards such as Universal Serial Bus (USB), a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), Digital Visual Interface (DVI), power, Ethernet, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt, Lightning and other types of standard and non-standard interfaces that have been developed, are being developed, or will be developed in the future.
The above description of embodiments of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form described, and many modifications and variations are possible in light of the teaching above. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Thus, it will be appreciated that the invention is intended to cover all modifications and equivalents within the scope of the following claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional applications No. 61/979,469, filed on Apr. 14, 2014, No. 62/001,060, filed May 21, 2014, and No. 62/129,826, filed Mar. 7, 2015, each titled “DURABLE CONNECTOR RECEPTACLES,” which are incorporated by reference.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3539973 | Wright | Nov 1970 | A |
| 5267868 | Wolff, Jr. | Dec 1993 | A |
| 6884094 | Bernhart | Apr 2005 | B1 |
| 7922535 | Jiang | Apr 2011 | B1 |
| 9093779 | Wang | Jul 2015 | B1 |
| 9350121 | Ju | May 2016 | B2 |
| 9509084 | Zhao | Nov 2016 | B2 |
| 9531113 | Ohyama | Dec 2016 | B2 |
| 20020149875 | Dague | Oct 2002 | A1 |
| 20090163071 | Chen | Jun 2009 | A1 |
| 20090190277 | Hiew et al. | Jul 2009 | A1 |
| 20100055986 | Wang et al. | Mar 2010 | A1 |
| 20110159747 | Tung et al. | Jun 2011 | A1 |
| 20110195606 | Hsia | Aug 2011 | A1 |
| 20110230074 | Schmidt | Sep 2011 | A1 |
| 20130143441 | Huang et al. | Jun 2013 | A1 |
| 20130244494 | Tziviskos et al. | Sep 2013 | A1 |
| 20130288520 | Simmel et al. | Oct 2013 | A1 |
| 20130330976 | Simmel et al. | Dec 2013 | A1 |
| 20140073184 | Zhao et al. | Mar 2014 | A1 |
| 20140099835 | Chang | Apr 2014 | A1 |
| 20150162684 | Amini et al. | Jun 2015 | A1 |
| 20150171562 | Gao et al. | Jun 2015 | A1 |
| 20150200493 | Gao et al. | Jul 2015 | A1 |
| 20150263465 | Zhang | Sep 2015 | A1 |
| 20150270661 | Kao | Sep 2015 | A1 |
| 20150295362 | Tziviskos et al. | Oct 2015 | A1 |
| 20150340782 | Amini et al. | Nov 2015 | A1 |
| 20150340783 | Lee et al. | Nov 2015 | A1 |
| 20150340813 | Ng et al. | Nov 2015 | A1 |
| 20150340825 | Ng et al. | Nov 2015 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 201 285 872 | Aug 2009 | CN |
| 2 590 273 | May 2013 | EP |
| 2003-059586 | Feb 2003 | JP |
| 2013-118165 | Jun 2013 | JP |
| 2013-522846 | Jun 2013 | JP |
| 10-2010-0050530 | May 2010 | KR |
| 2009017599 | Feb 2009 | WO |
| Entry |
|---|
| International Search Report and Written Opinion dated Dec. 16, 2015, 16 pages. |
| First Examination Report dated Mar. 17, 2016 for AU Patent Application No. 2016100014, 4 pages. |
| Office Action (English Translation) dated Jul. 29, 2016 in Korean Patent Application No. 20-2015-0002381, 4 pages. |
| Office Action (English Translation) dated Aug. 1, 2016 in Korean Patent Application No. 20-2015-0002378, 4 pages. |
| Office Action (English Translation) dated Jun. 23, 2017 in Korean Patent Application No. 20-2015-0002378, 3 pages. |
| Autralian Office Action dated Jun. 10, 2015 for AU Patent Application No. 2015100481, 4 pages. |
| First Action Interview Pilot Communication Pre-Interview Communication dated Sep. 21, 2017 in U.S. Appl. No. 14/683,134, 5 pages. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20150295356 A1 | Oct 2015 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61979469 | Apr 2014 | US | |
| 62001060 | May 2014 | US | |
| 62129826 | Mar 2015 | US |
