This application is related to provisional application Ser. No. 60/648,379, filed Jan. 27, 2005, and nonprovisional application Ser. No. 11/342,335, filed Jan. 27, 2006, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference.
In broadcast communications environments, coaxial communications circuits are often associated with each other to form pairs of circuits, such as a pairing of send and receive circuits. These pairs of circuits may be used to connect signal generating devices, such as cameras, microphones, or other equipment, with signal processing devices, such as mixers, amplifiers, or other equipment. In some installations, a plurality of signal generating devices and a plurality of signal processing devices may be present and a pair of circuits may be extended to each one of these devices. The pairs of circuits from the devices may be directed to a panel or other connection interface, permitting any of the generating devices to be connected to any of the processing devices, as desired or required for a particular operation. At the panel or interface device, these circuits may end in a connector, such as a jack or a plug.
In such installations, at times the circuit pairs of some devices may not be connected to any other devices. In such a case, it may be desirable for the unconnected device to have any signals generated by the device and transmitted over the send circuit looped back through and transmitted back to the device through the receive circuit. Such looping may be accomplished by a cable with a mating plug or jack which is connected to each of the circuits at the panel or interface device. Alternatively, if the pairs of circuits are located directly adjacent to each other at a known spacing and size, a loop plug may be used to connect the circuits, with the loop plug having an appropriate plug or jack to interface with the jack or plug of the circuit.
Improvements to such loop plugs are desirable.
A loop plug in accordance with the present invention includes a conductive housing including first and second halves which together form a loop back passage through the housing extending between first and second openings on a front face of the housing. A center conductor having a U-shape is positioned in the loop back passage and includes first and second ends extending from the first and second openings, respectively. An insulator extends around at least a portion of the center conductor. First and second conductive barrels are mounted to the housing in conductive contact with the housing. Each of the first and second conductive barrels is mounted around one of the first and second ends of the center conductor, respectively. Each of the first and second conductive barrels extends parallel to each other from the first and second openings of the housing. The insulator separates the center conductor from contact with the first and second conductive barrels. A non-conductive handle is mounted to the housing. In one embodiment, the handle includes an offset grip portion. In one preferred embodiment, the grip portion is J-shaped.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the description, illustrate several aspects of the invention and together with the detailed description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. A brief description of the drawings is as follows:
Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary aspects of the present invention which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.
In
Referring now to
Referring now to
Loop plug 200 also includes a second embodiment of inner housing 206 and housing halves 216. Housing 206 is sized to receive barrels 202, which may have mating ends 230 which are sized different from mating ends 130 of barrels 102. Further, barrels 202 may be spaced differently to mate with a different size, or format jack pair. A continuous loop conductor 220 includes two opposite ends 204 extending within barrels 202 and positioned and electrically isolated by insulators 122. Inner housing 206 defines an inner opening 226 for receiving loop conductor 220. Inner housing 206 is received within opening 124 of outer housing 108 and inner housing 206 includes opposing tab portions 118 which are received within openings 112.
Referring now to
Housing halves 116 are preferably die cast of a conductive metallic material which will electrically connect barrels 102. By positioning opening 142 centrally within housing halve 116, the uniformity of wall thickness created by the casting process can be improved. Each housing halve 116 includes tab portion 118. A rib 146 extends from a each of a top and a bottom edge of housing halve 116 and is received within channel 138 of opening 124 of outer housing 108. A plurality of ramped ridges 144 may be positioned atop each of the ribs 146 to aid tab portion 118 in engaging outer housing 108 and holding inner housing 106 within opening 124.
Each housing halve 116 includes an inner face 148 which engages the inner face 148 of another housing halve 116 to form inner housing 106. An outer face 150 opposite inner face 148 includes tab portion 118. On inner face 148 of housing halve 116 adjacent an outer edge of recess 132 are a mating outer groove 150 and ridge 152 which mate which each other when two halves 116 are positioned to form inner housing 116. Similarly, an inner groove 154 and ridge 156 are positioned adjacent an inner edge of recess 132. These grooves and ridges cooperate to form interface features about opening 126 of inner housing 116. Rear face 147 is generally rounded and follows the shape of recess 132.
Housing halves 116 and barrels 102 include a mating interface which keeps barrels 102 secured to housing halves 116. Housing halves 116 include flats 135 which mate with corresponding flats 137 on mating ends 130 of barrels 102. The mating interface prevents rotation of barrels 102. Shoulders 141 on housing halves keep barrels 102 from moving axially. Once mated, barrels 102 project outward from openings 143 in front face 145.
Referring now to
Loop plug 500 includes a non-conductive outer housing 508 defining a grip portion 510 at a distal end 511. Grip portion 510 is at the end of an arm 519 that is offset from a center axis 509 of plug 500. Grip portion 510 defines a non-symmetrical shape about a center plane along axis 509 for an end of outer housing 508. Grip portion 500 includes a tab surface 523 facing the panel that the user can access with a finger to pull the loop plug away from the panel. In the illustrated embodiment, grip portion 510 defines a J-shaped hook portion for engagement by a user's fingers. The offset grip portion 510 is advantageous in higher density panels whereby a user's fingers may be unable to grasp the grip portions 110 of the earlier defined embodiments. By providing an offset arrangement, grip portion 510 may be more easily grasped by the user for loop plug removal without disrupting adjacent loop plugs. Distal end 511 of grip portion 510 includes an indicia 514. Indicia 514 may be colored plastic, or it may be transparent plastic positioned over a label.
Grip portion 510 includes an aperture 515 through the outlet housing 508 in a transverse direction to center axis 509. Aperture 515 can be used to hold a tie or strap 517 which can be used to label loop plug 500. Tie 517 can be used to pull loop plug out of the jack openings.
Referring now to
In use of loop plug 500, a user can insert a finger behind grip portion 510 in area 521 and pull loop plug 500 away from the engaged jack 542 without pulling the adjacent loop plugs 500 from engagement with their respective jacks 542. Such an arrangement for loop plug 500 is advantageous for smaller jacks 542, and higher density panels 524.
The above specification, examples and data provide a complete description of the manufacture and use of the composition of the invention. Since many embodiments of the invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, the invention resides in the claims hereinafter appended.
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