Patent Application
20090142957
This invention relates generally to a jack cable assembly comprising an electrical jack cable connector and an adaptor coupling for mounting the electrical jack cable connector on a support for receiving an electrical plug-in connector and to a method for making the jack cable assembly.
It is already known to provide a jack cable assembly comprising an electrical jack cable connector and an adaptor coupling for mounting the electrical jack cable connector on a support for receiving an electrical plug-in connector. In the known assembly, an annular adaptor is pushed into a smaller hole in a support panel from one side, usually the outside of the support panel and retained by flexible lock arms engaging an opposite side, usually the inside of the support panel adjacent the hole. The electrical jack cable connector is then plugged into the adaptor from the opposite or inside of the support panel and retained by flexible lock arms of the electrical jack cable connector that engage the adaptor. Thus, the electrical jack cable connector is mounted on the support panel for receiving an electrical plug-in connector that is plugged into the electrical jack cable connector from the one side or outside of the panel through the smaller hole in the support panel.
A potential problem exists when the electrical cable jack connector is retained in the plug-in direction of the electrical plug-in connector by flexible lock arms and the electrical plug-in connector is plugged into and pulled out of the electrical jack cable connector often. Repeated plugging and unplugging tends to weaken the flexible lock arms so that electrical cable jack connector can be pushed back away from the support in the plug-in direction when the electrical plug-in connector is plugged into the cable jack connector in the plug-in direction resulting in failure to make an electrical connection.
The jack cable assembly of the invention provides a cable jack assembly having an adaptor coupling that resists the plug-in forces in a positive manner so that an electrical connection is made between the jack cable connector and a plug-in connector even after repeated plugging and unplugging of the plug-in connector in the plug-in direction.
The adaptor coupling preferably includes a tray for holding a connector body of the jack cable assembly so that a rear wall of the tray resists movement of connector body in the plug-in direction.
The adaptor coupling preferably includes a face plate and a socket that extends rearwardly from an opening in the face plate for receiving an electrical plug-in connector in the plug-in direction.
In another aspect, the jack cable assembly of the invention is made by providing a jack cable connector having a connector body, providing an adaptor coupling and assembling the jack cable connector to the adaptor coupling so that the connector body is held against a rear wall of the adaptor connector to resist movement of the connector body in the plug-in direction.
The adaptor coupling preferably includes a tray that is shaped to receive the connector body snugly.
The tray of the adaptor coupling may have a reduced height to facilitate assembly of the connector body into the tray.
Referring now to the drawings, the electrical jack cable assembly 10 comprises a jack cable connector 12 and an adaptor coupling 14 for attaching the connector 12 to a support (not shown). The adaptor coupling 14 can be attached to the support in any suitable manner, such by pushing the adaptor coupling 14 into a smaller hole of a support panel from one side and retaining the adaptor coupling 14 by flexible arms engaging the opposite side of the support panel as in the case of the prior art assembly discussed above. Alternatively, the adaptor coupling 14 may form an integral part of the support itself, such as being an integral part of a molded plastic panel in an automobile. In either event, the adaptor coupling 14 is preferably of one-piece construction that may result from molding the adaptor coupling in one piece.
Jack cable jack connector 12 comprises a plurality of electric cables 20, 22 and 24 and a plurality of grounded electric terminals 26, 28 and 30 that are attached to the ends of the electric cables 20, 22 and 24 respectively. Each of the electric cables comprises a signal cable and a ground cable that are attached to an inner signal contact and an outer ground shell respectively. More particularly as shown in
The ends of the electric cables 20, 22 and 24, signal cables as well as ground cables, and the attached electric terminals 26, 28 and 30 are all spaced apart and insert molded in a molded connector body 32 of a suitable plastic electrically insulating material. When the molded connector body 32 is cured, three juxtaposed electric cables 20, 22 and 24 enter the rear end of the connector body 32 (
Adaptor coupling 14 has a face plate 34 and a tray 36 that has side walls 38 and a rear wall 40 of reduced height. Adaptor coupling 14 preferably includes a socket 42 at the forward end that extends rearwardly from an opening 44 in the face plate 34 to an abutment wall 46 that is intermediate the face plate 34 and the rear wall 40. Abutment wall 46 has a plurality of through holes 48, 50 and 52 for receiving the respective electric terminals 26, 28 and 30 so as to protrude into the socket 42 from the portion of the tray 36 behind the abutment wall 46. Adaptor coupling 14 also preferably includes a hold-down tab 54 that projects rearwardly from abutment wall 46 and the rear wall 40 of reduced height preferably includes a central cable channel 56 for receiving the juxtaposed cables 20, 22 and 24 that project from the rear end of the molded connector body 32 as best shown in
The molded connector body 32 is retained in the tray 36 behind the abutment wall 46 by lock projections 58 that snap into place beneath lock bars 60 that are formed by slots in the lower portions of the rear wall 40 which is also best shown in
The jack cable assembly 10 is assembled in the following manner. The cable jack connector 12 is formed in a conventional and well known manner by attaching the female terminals 26, 28 and 30 to the ends of the respective cables 20, 22 and 24 and then insert molding the rearward portions of the female terminals 26, 28 and 30 in the molded connector body 32. The adaptor coupling 14 is also fabricated in any suitable manner such by a conventional injection molding technique. The cable jack connector 12 and adaptor coupling 14 are formed so that the connector body 32 fits snugly into the tray 36 between the abutment wall 46 and the rear wall 40 as shown in
The jack cable connector 12 is assembled to the adaptor coupling 14 by slanting the connector body 32 at an angle of about 15 degrees with respect to the bottom of the tray 36 (or about 75 degrees with respect to the face plate 34) so that the connector body 32 can be inserted into the tray 36 behind the abutment wall 46 as best shown in
The projecting ends of the female terminals 26, 28 and 30 of the slanted connector body 32 are then aligned with the holes 48, 50 and 52 in the abutment wall 46 and inserted through the holes 48, 50 and 52 in the abutment wall 46 until connector body 32 engages the abutment wall 48 passes over the rear wall 40 of the tray 36 as shown in
A mating connector with male pins and an outer canister such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,838 granted Jul. 22, 1997 or the like (not shown) can be plugged into the cable jack 12 repeatedly without any danger of pushing the connector body 32 out of the adapter coupling 14 because the plug-in forces are transmitted to the rear wall 40 of the tray 36.
In all of the embodiments discussed above, there is a positive two-way retention of the connector body 32, 132 or 232 in the respective tray 36, 136 or 236 with the rear wall 40, 140 or 240 resisting movement in the plug-in direction and the intermediate wall 46, 146 or 246 at the front of the tray resisting movement in the pull-out direction.
It will be readily understood by those persons skilled in the art that the present invention is susceptible of broad utility and application. Many embodiments and adaptations of the present invention other than those described above, as well as many variations, modifications and equivalent arrangements, will be apparent from or reasonably suggested by the present invention and the foregoing description, without departing from the substance or scope of the present invention. Accordingly, while the present invention has been described herein in detail in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that this disclosure is only illustrative and exemplary of the present invention and is made merely for purposes of providing a full and enabling disclosure of the invention. The foregoing disclosure is not intended or to be construed to limit the present invention or otherwise to exclude any such other embodiments, adaptations, variations, modifications and equivalent arrangements, the present invention being limited only by the following claims and the equivalents thereof.
