Patents by Inventor Terrance F. Little

Terrance F. Little 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).

  • Publication number: 20190179093
    Abstract: A plug connector includes: a metallic enclosure enclosing a printed circuit board; a heat sink member exposed to an exterior surface of the metallic enclosure; and a set of electronic components assembled upon the printed circuit board, wherein the heat sink member is to dissipate heat from at least one of the set of electronic components, and the heat sink member is detachably attached upon the metallic enclosure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2018
    Publication date: June 13, 2019
    Inventors: TERRANCE F. LITTLE, AN-JEN YANG, JIM ZHAO, YUAN ZHANG
  • Patent number: 10312646
    Abstract: A receptacle connector assembly includes an outer housing and a terminal module. The terminals module includes an insulator having a base and a mating tongue extending from the base and equipped with a plurality of contacts and a shielding plate. The contacts include front contacting sections exposed upon the mating tongue and tail sections extending out of the base. The shielding plate is embedded within the mating tongue and includes a pair of rigid notches in two opposite lateral sides for locking to a pair of corresponding latches of a complementary plug connector. The outer housing is of an insulative molding part or a metallic die cast, the terminal module is assembled in the outer housing, and thus a mating cavity is directly defined between the mating tongue and the outer housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: FOXCONN INTERCONNECT TECHNOLOGY LIMITED
    Inventors: Terrance F. Little, Chih-Pi Cheng, Wei-Hao Su, Cheng-Chi Yeh, Yuan Zhang, Stephen Sedio, Hendrikus P. G. Van der Steen
  • Publication number: 20190157810
    Abstract: The first type adaptor cable assembly has an inner connector equipped with a plug board derived from the FP5 for mating with the FP5 vertical receptacle connector, and an outer connector configured to be in compliance with the FP5 or QSFP-DD receptacle connector and disposed at a rear end of the cage for mating with the FP5 or QSFP-DD inserted into the cage. Notably, the connection between the inserted FP5 and QSFP-DD and the corresponding FP5 or QSFP-DD receptacle connector directly attached/linked to the adaptor cable, is same with the traditional connection between the inserted FP5 or QSFP-DD and the corresponding receptacle connector which is only mounted to the main/external printed circuit board without directly attachment to the cable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2018
    Publication date: May 23, 2019
    Inventor: TERRANCE F. LITTLE
  • Publication number: 20190148889
    Abstract: A receptacle connector includes an insulative housing defining a base and a mating tongue extending with a step portion defined at a root region of the mating tongue; a plurality of contacts disposed in the insulative housing with contacting sections exposed upon a first surface and a second surface of the mating tongue and categorized with signal contacts, power contacts and grounding contacts; a shielding plate embedded with the mating tongue and forming a pair of locking edge in two opposite lateral side edges; and an EMI collar intimately surrounding the step portion, the collar comprising two long portions covering the first surface and the second surface of the step portion and two short portions connecting with opposite ends of the long portions. A lateral rigid finger extends straight from a side of the shielding plate and touch an inner side of a short portion of the collar.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2018
    Publication date: May 16, 2019
    Inventors: TERRANCE F. LITTLE, CHIH-PI CHENG, SHUO-HSIU HSU, WEI-HAO SU
  • Patent number: 10283885
    Abstract: An electrical cable connector assembly comprises a receptacle connector mated with a plug/cable connector. The receptacle connector mounted upon an external printed circuit board and includes an insulative housing forming a mating cavity, and a terminal module assembly received within the housing with contacting sections exposed in the mating cavity. The cable connector includes an internal printed circuit board with a contact module fixed at a front end region and a cable having a plurality of wires fixed at a rear end region in a multilevel manner. A die-casting cover encloses the internal printed circuit board with heat dissipation fin structure on an exterior surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: FOXCONN INTERCONNECT TECHNOLOGY LIMITED
    Inventors: Terrance F. Little, Yuan Zhang, An-Jen Yang, Jie Zheng, Yuan-Chieh Lin
  • Patent number: 10276993
    Abstract: A receptacle connector assembly includes an outer housing and a terminal module. The terminals module includes an insulator having a base and a mating tongue extending from the base and equipped with a plurality of contacts and a shielding plate. The contacts include front contacting sections exposed upon the mating tongue and tail sections extending out of the base. The shielding plate is embedded within the mating tongue and includes a pair of rigid notches in two opposite lateral sides for locking to a pair of corresponding latches of a complementary plug connector. The outer housing is of an insulative molding part or a metallic die cast, the terminal module is assembled in the outer housing, and thus a mating cavity is directly defined between the mating tongue and the outer housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: FOXCONN INTERCONNECT TECHNOLOGY LIMITED
    Inventors: Terrance F. Little, Chih-Pi Cheng, Wei-Hao Su, Cheng-Chi Yeh, Yuan Zhang, Stephen Sedio, Hendrikus P. G. Van der Steen
  • Patent number: 10276995
    Abstract: An electrical assembly includes a main body on which the cage assembly and the associated main receptacle connector are mounted. The cage is adapted to receive the FP5 plug module or the QSFP-28 plug module associated with an adaptor. The adaptor includes a housing unitarily formed with the heat sink structure and an intermediate receptacle connector mounted upon an intermediate board wherein the intermediate receptacle connector is adapted to receive the QSFP-28 plug module and the intermediate board is adapted to be received with the main board. The cage includes different latches respectively mutually exclusively locking the FP5 plug module and the QSFP-28 plug module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: FOXCONN INTERCONNECT TECHNOLOGY LIMITED
    Inventor: Terrance F. Little
  • Publication number: 20190116692
    Abstract: An electrical assembly includes a metallic cage including a plurality of faces to commonly form a receiving space; a receptacle connector located in a rear portion of the receiving space; and a heat sink member mounted on an outer side of the metallic cage. The heat sink member comprising a first portion located on one of the faces, and a second portion located on another one of the faces. The first portion and the second portion are associated with the metallic cage by different mechanical structures. The first portion and the second portion are thermally connected with each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 15, 2018
    Publication date: April 18, 2019
    Inventors: TERRANCE F. LITTLE, JOE-FU CHEN
  • Patent number: 10218121
    Abstract: An electrical cable connector includes a case forming a front receiving cavity, and a rear receiving cavity. An upward room is formed in an upper face of the case. A latch is pivotally mounted in the room with an upward locking hook at a front end thereof in an up-and-down moveable manner. An actuator is engaged with the latch to actuate the latch to be unlatched from the locking hole in the cage via a rearward pulling. An engagement between the latch and the actuator is performed by a latch slot in the latch and a T-shaped lug on the underside of the actuator moving along the latch slot. A curve structure is formed on the latch along a front-to-back direction so as to have the latch to be pivoted during rearward pulling the actuator, thus having the upward locking hook downward moved for unlatching.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: FOXCONN INTERCONNECT TECHNOLOGY LIMITED
    Inventors: Terrance F. Little, Kamyar Khorrami, Yuan Zhang
  • Publication number: 20190020152
    Abstract: An electrical receptacle connector assembly includes an insulative main housing forming a plurality of mating ports, and a plurality of vertical wafers stacked with one another along a transverse direction in a form that every stacked (differential) signal wafer pair are spaced from the neighboring signal wafer pair by a ground wafer in the transverse direction. The signal wafers and the grounding wafers have corresponding signal contacts and grounding contacts thereon to be exposed upon the corresponding mating ports. A plurality of spring loaded common ground plates extend in the transverse direction so as to reliably mechanically and electrically connect the corresponding grounding wafers at the same time for each common ground plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 17, 2018
    Publication date: January 17, 2019
    Inventor: TERRANCE F. LITTLE
  • Patent number: 10170870
    Abstract: A receptacle connector includes an insulating housing including a base and a mating tongue extending from the base and the mating tongue defining a thicken step portion at a root near to the base, two rows of contacts with contacting section exposing to opposite surfaces of the mating tongue in front of the step portion and tail sections extending out of the base, and a pair of separate metallic collars respectively disposed upon the opposite surface of the step portion. Two opposite ends of each metallic collar are embedded in the step portion of the insulating housing via an inserting mold process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: FOXCONN INTERCONNECT TECHNOLOGY LIMITED
    Inventors: Terrance F. Little, Chih-Pi Cheng, Hsueh-Lung Hsiao, Ming-Lun Szu, Chao-Chieh Chen
  • Patent number: 10164362
    Abstract: A plug connector includes a metallic enclosure with a heat sink member exposed on an exterior surface to enclose a printed circuit board; a set of electronic components assembled upon the printed circuit board; a thermal pad sandwiched between the set of electronic components and the metallic enclosure to dissipate heat from the electronic component to the metallic enclosure and eventually to the air via the heat sink member; wherein a center of said heat sink member is essentially aligned with a center of said set of electronic components or a center of the thermal pad for efficient dissipation of heat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: FOXCONN INTERCONNECT TECHNOLOGY LIMITED
    Inventors: Terrance F. Little, An-Jen Yang, Jim Zhao, Yuan Zhang, Jie Zheng, Ke-Hao Chen, Yu Zhang
  • Publication number: 20180368283
    Abstract: An electrical receptacle assembly includes a metallic cage defining a receiving space therein, a receptacle connector unit is received in the receiving space. The receptacle connector unit includes a pair of mating ports. An middle heat transfer unit is located between the two mating ports in a vertical direction. The middle heat transfer unit includes a plastic thermal pad with a pair of heat pipes insert-molded on two sides. The pair of heat pipes extend through a rear wall of the cage and connect to a rear heat sink unit located behind the rear wall of the cage. An electrical plug module assembly equipped with a metallic case composed of the upper part and the lower part each having a heat sink structure unitarily formed on the exterior surfaces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2018
    Publication date: December 20, 2018
    Inventor: TERRANCE F. LITTLE
  • Patent number: 10158197
    Abstract: A receptacle connector for use with a plug, includes an insulative housing defining a base and a mating tongue extending, with a widen and thicken step portion defined at a root region of the mating tongue; a plurality of contacts disposed in the housing with contacting sections exposed upon the first and second surfaces of the mating tongue and categorized with signal contacts, power contacts and grounding contacts. Each of first and second surfaces of the step portion is fitly surrounded with a metallic plate, the metallic plate mechanically and electrically connects to the corresponding grounding contact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2018
    Assignee: FOXCONN INTERCONNECT TECHNOLOGY LIMITED
    Inventors: Terrance F. Little, Chih-Pi Cheng, Shuo-Hsiu Hsu, Wei-Hao Su
  • Publication number: 20180337476
    Abstract: An electrical connector assembly includes a metallic cage defining a receiving space therein, a receptacle connector unit received in the receiving space and including a pair of mating ports, and a number of terminal wafers stacked with one another with corresponding contacting sections exposed upon the mating ports and tail sections to be mounted on a printed circuit board on which the receptacle connector unit is mounted, and a middle heat transfer unit located between the two mating ports in a vertical direction and including a heat base linked with a pair of heat pipes on two sides, the pair of heat pipes extending through a rear of the cage and connected to a rear heat sink unit located behind the rear of the cage. Each of the pair of heat pipes is directly contacted with at least two different surfaces of the heat base.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2018
    Publication date: November 22, 2018
    Inventors: ROBERT GUY RITTER, TERRANCE F. LITTLE, JOE-FU CHEN
  • Patent number: 10135197
    Abstract: An electrical connector includes an insulative housing defining a front cavity for receiving a plug and a rear cavity, a terminal assembly assembled in the rear cavity, and a ground member. The terminal assembly includes an upper terminal module, a lower terminal module, and a shielding module sandwiched therebetween. The upper terminal module includes a pair of upper ground terminals. The lower terminal module includes a pair of lower ground terminals. The shielding module includes a metallic shielding plate. The ground member is associated with the shielding module to mechanically and electrically connect at least one of the upper ground terminals and the lower ground terminals with the shielding plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: FOXCONN INTERCONNECT TECHNOLOGY LIMITED
    Inventors: Terrance F. Little, Chih-Hsien Chou, Jim Zhao, An-Jen Yang
  • Publication number: 20180331468
    Abstract: An electrical special plug connector includes a mating space, for receiving a mating tongue of a complementary receptacle connector, with a corresponding latch extending thereinto, and further equipped with a moveable actuator to move a corresponding latch away from the mating space toward an outer position when said actuator is affected by magnetic forces derived from a special receptacle connector equipped with a magnet so as to have the special plug connector mated with the special receptacle connector with magnetic forces while keeping the corresponding latch in an inner position to interlock with a locking notch of a standard type C receptacle connector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2018
    Publication date: November 15, 2018
    Inventors: TERRANCE F. LITTLE, CHIH-PI CHENG, JOE-FU CHEN, QI ZHOU
  • Patent number: 10096931
    Abstract: The plug connector includes an insulative housing and a terminal module wherein the terminal module is able to be moveable relative to the housing via sliding or rotation or translation or even detachment so as to have the front mating portion of the terminal module independently mated with the thin receptacle connector or cooperate with the housing to be mated with the regular RJ-45 modular jack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: FOXCONN INTERCONNECT TECHNOLOGY LIMITED
    Inventors: Terrance F. Little, Stephen Sedio, Wei-Hao Su, Sheng-Pin Gao, Chih-Ching Hsu, Wei-Kang Liu
  • Patent number: 10069262
    Abstract: A receptacle connector for two types of plug includes an insulative housing defining a front mating port and a rear connecting port along the front-to-back direction, the front mating port defining a plurality of upper passageways and a plurality of lower passageways with a receiving slot therebetween in the vertical direction, the upper passageways being respectively offset from the corresponding lower passageways in a transverse direction. An IMLA (Insert Molded Lead-Frame Assembly) assembled within a space of the rear connecting port and including a plurality of wafers stacked with one another along the transverse direction, each of said wafers including an insulator equipped with a front upper contact disposed in the corresponding upper passageway, a rear upper contact located behind the corresponding upper passageway, a front lower contact disposed in the corresponding lower passageway, and a rear lower contact located behind the corresponding lower passageway.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: FOXCONN INTERCONNECT TECHNOLOGY LIMITED
    Inventor: Terrance F. Little
  • Patent number: 10062989
    Abstract: A receptacle connector includes an insulative receptacle housing defining two grooves located inside two corresponding lengthwise walls and extending along a longitudinal direction to receive the two lengthwise walls of the plug connector therein. A center island is formed between the two grooves in the transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. Two rows of passageways are formed in the corresponding lengthwise walls, respectively, and each passageway communicates with the corresponding groove. Two rows of receptacle contacts are disposed in the corresponding passageways, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: FOXCONN INTERCONNECT TECHNOLOGY LIMITED
    Inventors: Terrance F. Little, Kamyar Khorrami