Patents by Inventor Robin Johnson

Robin Johnson has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11337327
    Abstract: A connector for surface mounting with a solder reflow process with closely-spaced solder masses on mounting ends of reference contacts. The solder masses on the reference contacts may fuse for enhanced shielding. The mounting ends of signal and reference contacts may be positioned in rows, configured such that the solder masses of the reference contacts may shield solder masses attached to signal contacts in adjacent rows. The mounting ends of the signal contacts may be disposed in pockets in a surface of the connector housing. In some embodiments, solder balls may be fused to an edge of the signal contact, with the length of the edge extending beyond locations at which the solder ball is fused to. The edge may extend through a wall of the pocket, so as to set a desired impedance in the mounting region of the connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: FCI USA LLC
    Inventors: Madhumitha Rengarajan, Lewis Robin Johnson
  • Publication number: 20190387638
    Abstract: A connector for surface mounting with a solder reflow process with closely-spaced solder masses on mounting ends of reference contacts. The solder masses on the reference contacts may fuse for enhanced shielding. The mounting ends of signal and reference contacts may be positioned in rows, configured such that the solder masses of the reference contacts may shield solder masses attached to signal contacts in adjacent rows. The mounting ends of the signal contacts may be disposed in pockets in a surface of the connector housing. In some embodiments, solder balls may be fused to an edge of the signal contact, with the length of the edge extending beyond locations at which the solder ball is fused to. The edge may extend through a wall of the pocket, so as to set a desired impedance in the mounting region of the connector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2019
    Publication date: December 19, 2019
    Applicant: FCI USA LLC
    Inventors: Madhumitha Rengarajan, Lewis Robin Johnson
  • Patent number: 10498086
    Abstract: An electrical connector configured for differential pairs with low in-pair skew. The connector may comprise lead frame assemblies, such as insert molded lead frame assemblies, with adjacent conductors configured for reduced skew by distributing skew correction throughout the transmission path through the lead frame assembly. Elongated air gaps are formed in a side of the housing, exposing the longer conductor of each pair. The elongated air gap may span the entire length of the arc of a longer conductor of each pair. The width of this air gap may be different for different pairs in the lead frame assembly and may be selected to cancel or prevent in-pair skew from arising. The width for each pair may be selected to tune the effective dielectric constant of the longer conductor such that its electrical length matches that of the shorter conductor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: FCI USA LLC
    Inventors: Madhumitha Rengarajan, Lewis Robin Johnson, Jan De Geest
  • Patent number: 10405448
    Abstract: A connector for surface mounting with a solder reflow process with closely-spaced solder masses on mounting ends of reference contacts. The solder masses on the reference contacts may fuse for enhanced shielding. The mounting ends of signal and reference contacts may be positioned in rows, configured such that the solder masses of the reference contacts may shield solder masses attached to signal contacts in adjacent rows. The mounting ends of the signal contacts may be disposed in pockets in a surface of the connector housing. In some embodiments, solder balls may be fused to an edge of the signal contact, with the length of the edge extending beyond locations at which the solder ball is fused to. The edge may extend through a wall of the pocket, so as to set a desired impedance in the mounting region of the connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: FCI USA LLC
    Inventors: Madhumitha Rengarajan, Lewis Robin Johnson
  • Patent number: 10320098
    Abstract: A connector for surface mounting with a solder reflow process with solder masses fused to mounting ends of contacts exposed in a mounting surface of the connector. The solder masses may be attached to edges of the mounting ends using a pin transfer method to apply flux to the edges. The edges may have a concave shape to both increase the length of the edge to which the solder masses are attached and position the solder masses with respect to the mounting ends. Solder paste may be omitted in attaching the solder balls to the contacts, reducing the capacitance of the contact and promoting uniformity of the impedance of the signal paths through the mounting interface of the connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: FCI USA LLC
    Inventors: Madhumitha Rengarajan, Lewis Robin Johnson
  • Publication number: 20190027869
    Abstract: An electrical connector configured for differential pairs with low in-pair skew. The connector may comprise lead frame assemblies, such as insert molded lead frame assemblies, with adjacent conductors configured for reduced skew by distributing skew correction throughout the transmission path through the lead frame assembly. Elongated air gaps are formed in a side of the housing, exposing the longer conductor of each pair. The elongated air gap may span the entire length of the arc of a longer conductor of each pair. The width of this air gap may be different for different pairs in the lead frame assembly and may be selected to cancel or prevent in-pair skew from arising. The width for each pair may be selected to tune the effective dielectric constant of the longer conductor such that its electrical length matches that of the shorter conductor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2017
    Publication date: January 24, 2019
    Applicant: FCI USA LLC
    Inventors: Madhumitha Rengarajan, Lewis Robin Johnson, Jan De Geest
  • Publication number: 20180316106
    Abstract: A connector for surface mounting with a solder reflow process with solder masses fused to mounting ends of contacts exposed in a mounting surface of the connector. The solder masses may be attached to edges of the mounting ends using a pin transfer method to apply flux to the edges. The edges may have a concave shape to both increase the length of the edge to which the solder masses are attached and position the solder masses with respect to the mounting ends. Solder paste may be omitted in attaching the solder balls to the contacts, reducing the capacitance of the contact and promoting uniformity of the impedance of the signal paths through the mounting interface of the connector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2018
    Publication date: November 1, 2018
    Applicant: FCI USA LLC
    Inventors: Madhumitha Rengarajan, Lewis Robin Johnson
  • Publication number: 20180317335
    Abstract: A connector for surface mounting with a solder reflow process with closely-spaced solder masses on mounting ends of reference contacts. The solder masses on the reference contacts may fuse for enhanced shielding. The mounting ends of signal and reference contacts may be positioned in rows, configured such that the solder masses of the reference contacts may shield solder masses attached to signal contacts in adjacent rows. The mounting ends of the signal contacts may be disposed in pockets in a surface of the connector housing. In some embodiments, solder balls may be fused to an edge of the signal contact, with the length of the edge extending beyond locations at which the solder ball is fused to. The edge may extend through a wall of the pocket, so as to set a desired impedance in the mounting region of the connector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2018
    Publication date: November 1, 2018
    Applicant: FCI USA LLC
    Inventors: Madhumitha Rengarajan, Lewis Robin Johnson
  • Patent number: 9871323
    Abstract: An electrical connector assembly includes first and second mezzanine electrical connectors that include respective first and second arrays of electrical contacts. The electrical contacts can be receptacle, or one can be a plug and the other can be a receptacle. Each electrical connector can further include at least one alignment member that cooperate to align the first and second arrays of electrical contacts relative to each other. Each electrical connector can further include at least one orientation member that allows the first and second electrical connectors to mate when in a predetermined orientation relative to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: FCI Americas Technology LLC
    Inventors: David C. Horchler, Lewis Robin Johnson
  • Publication number: 20170125946
    Abstract: An electrical connector assembly includes first and second mezzanine electrical connectors that include respective first and second arrays of electrical contacts. The electrical contacts can be receptacle, or one can be a plug and the other can be a receptacle. Each electrical connector can further include at least one alignment member that cooperate to align the first and second arrays of electrical contacts relative to each other. Each electrical connector can further include at least one orientation member that allows the first and second electrical connectors to mate when in a predetermined orientation relative to each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 9, 2017
    Publication date: May 4, 2017
    Applicant: FCI Americas Technology LLC
    Inventors: David C. Horchler, Lewis Robin Johnson
  • Patent number: 9543703
    Abstract: An electrical connector assembly includes first and second mezzanine electrical connectors that include respective first and second arrays of electrical contacts. The electrical contacts can be receptacle, or one can be a plug and the other can be a receptacle. Each electrical connector can further include at least one alignment member that cooperate to align the first and second arrays of electrical contacts relative to each other. Each electrical connector can further include at least one orientation member that allows the first and second electrical connectors to mate when in a predetermined orientation relative to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: FCI Americas Technology LLC
    Inventors: David C. Horchler, Lewis Robin Johnson
  • Publication number: 20140017957
    Abstract: An electrical connector assembly includes first and second mezzanine electrical connectors that include respective first and second arrays of electrical contacts. The electrical contacts can be receptacle, or one can be a plug and the other can be a receptacle. Each electrical connector can further include at least one alignment member that cooperate to align the first and second arrays of electrical contacts relative to each other. Each electrical connector can further include at least one orientation member that allows the first and second electrical connectors to mate when in a predetermined orientation relative to each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 10, 2013
    Publication date: January 16, 2014
    Inventors: David C. Horchler, Lewis Robin Johnson
  • Patent number: 8147254
    Abstract: An electrical connector with at least two connector portions. A first connector portion and a second connector portion may each be mountable on a respective surface, such as a printed circuit board. The first and second connector portions may each include a housing. The housing of the first connector portion may include a bore and an adjacent pin. The housing of the second connector portion may also include a bore and an adjacent pin. The pin of the first connector portion may be received in the bore of the second connector portion, and the pin of the second connector portion may be received in the bore of the first connector portion, when the two connector portions are mated to one another. In one embodiment, the first and second connector portions may be substantially identical to one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: FCI Americas Technology LLC
    Inventors: Joseph B. Shuey, Mark R. Gray, Lewis Robin Johnson
  • Patent number: 8147268
    Abstract: Embodiments of electrical connectors include substantially identical first and second halves. The first and second halves each include insert molded leadframe assemblies that comprise electrical conductors. Each electrical conductor of the first half engages a substantially identical electrical conductor of the second half when the first and second halves are mated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: FCI Americas Technology LLC
    Inventors: Joseph B. Shuey, Mark R. Gray, Lewis Robin Johnson
  • Patent number: D713799
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2014
    Assignee: FCI Americas Technology LLC
    Inventors: Jonathan E. Buck, Stuart C. Stoner, Steven E. Minich, Douglas M. Johnescu, Stephen B. Smith, Lewis Robin Johnson, Mark Edwin Lauermann
  • Patent number: D714227
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: FCI Americas Technology LLC
    Inventors: Jonathan E. Buck, Stuart C. Stoner, Steven E. Minich, Douglas M. Johnescu, Stephen B. Smith, Lewis Robin Johnson, Mark Edwin Lauermann
  • Patent number: D733662
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2015
    Assignee: FCI AMERICAS TECHNOLOGY LLC
    Inventors: Donald K. Harper, Jr., Lewis Robin Johnson
  • Patent number: D745852
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2015
    Assignee: FCI AMERICAS TECHNOLOGY LLC
    Inventors: Donald K. Harper, Jr., Lewis Robin Johnson
  • Patent number: D766832
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2016
    Assignee: FCI Americas Technology LLC
    Inventors: Donald K. Harper, Jr., Lewis Robin Johnson
  • Patent number: D772168
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: FCI Americas Technology LLC
    Inventors: Donald K. Harper, Jr., Lewis Robin Johnson