Patents Represented by Attorney Robert M. Rodrick
-
Patent number: 5569041Abstract: A connector is provided that can be coupled with a low inserting force and that will not terminate coupling operation while it is in an incomplete coupling state. The connector comprises a pair of housings coupled to each other, a pivotal piece pivotally provide on one of the two housings, a spring interposed between one housing and the pivotal piece, and a latch means for locking the two housings that are coupled to each other. When the two housings are coupled, and after the two housings reach a predetermined intermediate coupling state, the pivotal piece is pivoted by the spring, thereby completing coupling of the two housings.Type: GrantFiled: October 14, 1993Date of Patent: October 29, 1996Assignee: Thomas & Betts CorporationInventors: Toshimitsu Sonobe, Masahiro Yamamoto
-
Patent number: 5538440Abstract: An electrical connector provides for the termination of discrete insulated conductors of a multi-conductor cable. The connector includes an insulative connector housing supporting plural electrical contacts having insulation displacing contact portions. A conductor holding block is movably supported by the housing with respect to the insulation displacing contact portions. The conductor holding block includes contact slots for receipt of the insulation displacing contact portions. The conductor holding block further includes passages in communication with the contact slots for receipt of the conductors. Deflectable fingers extend into the passages to provide for support of the conductors and for the accurate alignment of the conductors over the insulation displacing contact portions upon movement of the conductor holding block with respect to the electrical housing.Type: GrantFiled: November 17, 1993Date of Patent: July 23, 1996Assignee: Thomas & Betts CorporationInventors: Julio F. Rodrigues, Paul J. Bartholomew
-
Patent number: 5531606Abstract: An electrical connector component assembly terminates discrete conductors of a multiconductor data cable. The component assembly includes an insulative component housing (122, 124) having a mating end for engagement with a mating electrical connection device and a cable receiving end for terminating the multiconductor cable. A plurality of electrical contacts (126, 128) are supported by the component housing. Each of the contacts has a conductor terminating end and a mating connection end. The contacts are supported in the component housing in a pair of horizontally extending, vertically spaced rows with each contact of one row being aligned with a respective contact of the other row. The contacts of one row are directly electrically shunted (126g) to the aligned contacts of the other row. Electrical shielding (138, 139) is disposed around the contacts and includes a shield extension (168) extending between at least two of the contacts.Type: GrantFiled: July 14, 1993Date of Patent: July 2, 1996Assignee: Thomas & Betts CorporationInventors: Julio F. Rodrigues, Paul Bartholomew
-
Patent number: 5517728Abstract: A cable tie comprises a head and a strap of plastic material. The head has a transverse aperture formed therethrough and contains a separately formed barb. The barb has a head engaging portion and a strap engaging portion extending at least partly across the head aperture. The barb includes a flexure region comprising a pair of opposed cut-out portions each located in a edge of the barb to provide a section of reduced width between the cut-out portions. Each cut-out portion provides a shoulder at the side thereof such that after insertion of the barb into the head the plastic material of the head flows over the shoulders of the cut-out portions to anchor the barb in the head.Type: GrantFiled: January 6, 1995Date of Patent: May 21, 1996Assignee: Thomas & Betts CorporationInventor: Derek Woods
-
Patent number: 5492491Abstract: A cable pinching section and a core wire connecting section are integrally linked together to allow connection of a cable before a terminal main body is assembled, thus simplifying a cable connection. In addition, terminal portions are formed as box-shaped terminals to obtain a reliable and stable engagement with a CRT anode electrode.Type: GrantFiled: April 28, 1994Date of Patent: February 20, 1996Assignee: Thomas & Betts CorporationInventors: Masahiro Yamamoto, Sumio Maekawa
-
Patent number: 5477442Abstract: A lighting fixture for use in hazardous locations and adverse environments, includes a mounting plate and a first ballast housing. A second non-interchangeable ballast housing may be alternately employed by use of an adapter ring removably securable intermediate the mounting plate and the second ballast housing. The adapter ring comprises a top portion specially adapted to engage the mounting plate, with first fastening means associated therewith, and a bottom portion specially adapted to engage the second ballast housing, with second fastening means being associated therewith. The adapter ring allows the replacement of the first ballast housing with the second, wherein the first and second ballast housings are not identical and are produced by different manufacturers. The adaptor ring effectively seals the interfaces with the mounting plate and second ballast housing, thereby maintaining the integrity of the lighting fixture for its intended purpose.Type: GrantFiled: December 4, 1992Date of Patent: December 19, 1995Assignee: Thomas & Betts CorporationInventor: Margaret A. Self
-
Patent number: 5476393Abstract: A connector body member has conductor receiving sections for receiving a plurality of conductive end portions of a member to be connected, such as a flat cable, a jumper, or a printed circuit board. A plurality of contacts are so mounted as to project into the conductor receiving sections in order to contact the conductive end portions of the member to be connected. A cover member for holding the contact between the conductive end portions of the member to be connected and the contacts is formed to be pivotal with respect to the connector body member. Each conductor receiving section has an opening. The cover member pivots to cover the openings of the conductor receiving sections. The cover member is also locked into the connector body member by sliding along the connector body member while covering the openings.Type: GrantFiled: April 6, 1994Date of Patent: December 19, 1995Assignee: Thomas & Betts CorporationInventor: Hiroshi Narita
-
Patent number: 5470244Abstract: An electrical connector (30) having crosstalk reduction between selected pairs of electrical contacts comprises a printed circuit board (36, 36') having a pair of circuit elements (40, 42) therein connected through welding pads to selected contacts (6, 3) the connector. The signal paths of such selected contacts are severed and then are re-routed by means of the pattern of circuit elements in the printed circuit board, each circuit element balancing the mutual inductance in such re-routed signal paths for enhanced crosstalk reduction.Type: GrantFiled: October 5, 1993Date of Patent: November 28, 1995Assignee: Thomas & Betts CorporationInventors: Gunsang Lim, Richard D. Marowsky, Ben Khoshnood
-
Patent number: 5467729Abstract: Information of the type, number, burying depth and direction of a pipe or other objects buried in the ground is identified on the ground surface. There is provided a buried marker comprising an identifying plate having indicia thereon and an interconnect band for interconnecting the identifying plate to the object buried in the ground. The position where the pipe or other object is buried is thus easily identified.Type: GrantFiled: September 28, 1993Date of Patent: November 21, 1995Assignee: Thomas & Betts CorporationInventors: Yoshio Yamada, Katumi Yamakawa
-
Patent number: 5463706Abstract: A traceable transmission conduit assembly includes an optically transmissive jacket over a transmission conduit. The conduit, which may be an optical fiber, includes a light transmissive and translucent jacket thereover. Light is injected into the jacket at one location therealong. The light is emitted along the length of the jacket so that the jacket illuminates. One conduit bundled among a group of similar conduits may be traced by so illuminating the jacket of the one conduit.Type: GrantFiled: February 16, 1994Date of Patent: October 31, 1995Assignee: Thomas & Betts CorporationInventors: Kenneth R. Dumont, Andrew J. O'Neill, Scott T. Davies
-
Patent number: 5460415Abstract: Apparatus for suspending and connecting a pair of tubular members, particularly a pair of radiant heater tubes, wherein each tubular member has an expanded end and a straight end so that successive tubular members are connected by slip joints. The suspending and connecting apparatus of the preferred embodiment includes a pair of brackets fixedly secured to the body of one tubular member generally adjacent to the straight end thereof, and a pair of semi-circular clamping members forming a ring about the adjoining tubular member and engaging the expanded end thereof. Holes formed in the clamping members and brackets are alignable so that a pair of screws may be inserted therein to operatively engage a pair of nuts retained by the brackets. The brackets include holes for attachment to conventional suspension systems, so that one bracket for each tubular member may be employed to suspend the assembly from a ceiling or other overhead support structure.Type: GrantFiled: April 23, 1993Date of Patent: October 24, 1995Assignee: Thomas & Betts CorporationInventors: Philip Lengauer, Kenneth Rowe, Warner Specht
-
Patent number: 5455388Abstract: Covers for outlets in an electrical floor box are connected with an access plate by snap-fit hinge connections. The covers are swingable through arcs greater than 90.degree. during movement from a closed position to an open position or to an inward storage position. Cooperating pimples and dimples on the covers and plate releasably retain the covers in their closed or storage positions.Type: GrantFiled: July 8, 1993Date of Patent: October 3, 1995Assignee: Thomas & Betts CorporationInventor: Michael L. Pratt
-
Patent number: 5454738Abstract: An electrical connector having crosstalk reduction between selected pairs of electrical contacts comprises a printed circuit board having a pair of circuit elements therein connected to selected contacts in the connector. The signal paths of such selected contacts are re-routed by means of the pattern of circuit elements in the printed circuit board, each circuit element balancing the mutual inductance in such re-routed signal paths for enhanced crosstalk reduction.Type: GrantFiled: May 25, 1994Date of Patent: October 3, 1995Assignee: Thomas & Betts CorporationInventors: Gunsang Lim, Richard D. Marowsky, Ben Khoshnood
-
Patent number: 5449859Abstract: A bracket supports an electrical access floor module in an opening in a raised floor. The bracket includes an elongate member having a first surface positionable on the upper surface of the floor, and a second surface extending perpendicular thereto into the floor opening. The second surface of the bracket includes a pair of bendable legs adapted to be bent under the floor to lie along the under surface of the floor. This securely supports the bracket in the floor opening. The second surface of the bracket further includes a screw receiving member for accommodating a screw inserted from within the access floor module to secure the module in the opening. The screw accommodating member prevents relative lateral movement of said access floor module with respect to said opening.Type: GrantFiled: January 26, 1993Date of Patent: September 12, 1995Assignee: Thomas & Betts CorporationInventor: Mark Bordwell
-
Patent number: 5445538Abstract: An electrical connector is provided for the termination of jacketed multi-conductor electrical cable. The connector includes a connector housing defining a first bounded opening which permits passage of the cable therethrough. The cable strain relief device is positioned adjacent the first bounded opening of the housing. The cable strain relief device includes first and second hermaphroditic strain relief members for securing the cable therebetween. The first strain relief member is fixedly positioned within the housing and the second strain relief member is movably supported with respect to the first strain relief member. The first and second strain relief members define a fully bounded opening surrounding the cable. The first and second strain relief members are movable so as to reduce the size of the seconded bounded opening for frictionally securing the cable thereat.Type: GrantFiled: November 17, 1993Date of Patent: August 29, 1995Assignee: Thomas & Betts CorporationInventors: Julio F. Rodrigues, Paul J. Bartholomew, Timothy S. Bowman, Gary L. Lowery
-
Patent number: 5430248Abstract: An enclosure for an electrical terminal block includes a housing having a back wall and projecting side walls which form a bounded chamber. The chamber accommodates an electrical terminal block. A cover is hingedly attached to the housing and may be locked thereto to protect the terminal block housed therein. The cover and the housing are attached in such a manner so that if the cover is not properly locked to the housing, the cover will pop open providing a visual indication to the installer that the cover has not been locked properly to the housing.Type: GrantFiled: October 5, 1992Date of Patent: July 4, 1995Assignee: Thomas & Betts CorporationInventor: Sidney Levy
-
Patent number: 5421774Abstract: An exhaust vent adapter is provided for use in a heating system having a plurality of heating units, which allows all heating units to discharge combustion gases through a single exhaust opening. The adapter comprises a body with a plurality of discrete chambers formed therein, each chamber communicating with a separate heating unit. The body of the adapter has a single exhaust opening formed therein, through which each chamber is independently connected to a separate exhaust vent pipe. The vent pipes leading from plurality of the chambers are concentrically arranged, and may be extended through a single opening in either the wall or ceiling of a building in which the heating units are installed. In a preferred embodiment, the body of the adapter has a single divider secured therein, which defines two chambers and segregates the combustion gases from a pair of heating units.Type: GrantFiled: April 6, 1993Date of Patent: June 6, 1995Assignee: Thomas & Betts CorporationInventor: Werner Specht
-
Patent number: 5411399Abstract: A connector connecting two circuit boards of different types comprises an insulative male housing which houses conductive plug contacts therein, a circuit board having conductive receptacle contacts engaged with the housing and making electrical connection with the plug contacts, and a flexible conductor engaged with the housing and making electrical connection with the plug contacts.Type: GrantFiled: February 11, 1993Date of Patent: May 2, 1995Assignee: Thomas & Betts CorporationInventors: Hideki Okuyama, Masahiro Yamamoto, Toshimitsu Sonobe
-
Patent number: 5405268Abstract: An electrical connector component assembly terminates discrete conductors of a multiconductor data cable. The component assembly includes an insulative component housing having a mating end for engagement with a mating electrical connection device and a cable receiving end for terminating the multiconductor cable. A plurality of electrical contacts are supported by the component housing. Each of the contacts has a conductor terminating end and a mating connection end. The contacts are supported in the component housing in a pair of horizontally extending, vertically spaced rows with each contact of one row being aligned with a respective contact of the other row. The contacts of one row are directly electrically shunted to the aligned contacts of the other row.Type: GrantFiled: February 4, 1993Date of Patent: April 11, 1995Assignee: Thomas & Betts CorporationInventors: Paul Gazzara, Julio Rodrigues, Richard Marowski, George Wojtan
-
Patent number: D366866Type: GrantFiled: October 27, 1994Date of Patent: February 6, 1996Assignee: Thomas & Betts CorporationInventors: James H. Whitehead, Francis X. Lynch