Abstract: An electrical connector (10) for electrical connection to a complementary electrical connector (20) comprises a housing (10a) having electrical contacts (13) secured in passageways (11) by housing lances (14); a movable contact guide member (40) is positioned in the housing (10a) and includes a guide plate (41) having holes (43) through which ends of contact sections (132) of contacts (13) extend when the contact guide member is an outer position so that holes (43) serve to align and guide the contact sections (132) for electrical engagement with complementary contact sections (231) of electrical contacts (23) secured in housing (20a) when contact guide member (40) moves to an inner position during the engagement between connectors (10, 20); and the movable contact guide member has an inner section (42) that extends along and maintains the housing lances (14) in latching engagement with the contacts (13).

Abstract: Wire holder for holding discrete wires in side-by-side parallel coplanar aligned relationship comprises a rectangular frame having oppositely-facing major surfaces and oppositely-facing minor surfaces. Side-by-side wire-receiving cavities extend into one of the major surfaces and through the frame and between the minor surfaces, a removable wire guard is connected to the frame and extends beside one of the minor surfaces. Wires inserted into the cavities will have projecting tip portions which will be located in the clearance space between the guard and the adjacent minor surface. Use of the wire holder has the effect of conferring on discrete wires many of the desirable features of flat conductor cable.

Abstract: A stamped and formed ring tongue terminal having a latch initially in the plane of the ring tongue, especially adapted to retain the ring tongue terminal to a stud or binding post received within a hole in the ring tongue. The inner end of the latch extends into the hole in the ring tongue and is deflected out of the plane of the ring tongue by engagement with the periphery of the stud or post. The hole in the ring tongue is offset from the wire barrel so that a plurality of terminals can be positioned on the same post with the wires and crimp barrels being side-by-side while the latches will nest.

Abstract: A multi-contact electrical connector employing a plurality of terminals mounted in aligned compartments in an insulating housing is especially suited for establishing interconnection between flat conductors in a flat cable and closely spaced free standing pins or posts. This invention is especially suited for use in interconnecting pins and flat conductors on centerline spacings no greater than 0.050 inch. A conductor engaging portion having a horizontal base is joined to a pin engaging portion having resilient arms and a vertical base. The horizontal base is joined directly to the vertical base by an axial bend line and horizontal arms joined to the bend line are not connected directly to the horizontal base of the cable conductor interconnection portion.

Abstract: An electrical connector comprises a dielectric housing member having contact receiving passages in which electrical contact members are disposed. The resilient latching arms extend from walls of the contact receiving passages in engagement with contact members thereby retaining the contact members in position in the contact receiving passages with spaces being located between the latching arms and the walls of the contact receiving passages. A retaining member is located in the housing member and has projections disposed in the spaces between the passage walls and the latching arms thereby maintaining the latching arms in engagement with the contact members. Housing member includes a cavity along which retaining member extends. Retaining member has an inner wall including positioning holes through which contact sections of contact members extend into and along cavity with positioning holes serving to align contact sections when retaining member is positioned in cavity.

Abstract: Socket for receiving edge of a substrate of a single in-line memory module comprises a dielectric housing having an elongate channel. Contact terminals are received within cavities located in the channels. One embodiment of contact comprises a pair of opposed arms formed upward to a bend where each is formed through an obtuse angle toward the other arm of the pair, one arm being stamped from a continuous carrier strip leaving an aperture, each contact being attached to the carrier by a pair of straps. One embodiment of the socket housing includes support brackets on either end of the elongate channel. Guide slots in the support bracket align and support the module. An integral resilient flange engages holes in the module substrate to hold the module in position.

Abstract: An extension cord of flat cable, particularly for undercarpet use, comprising a strip of insulated conductors located in a stiffly flexible sleeve-form shield strip mounted at opposite ends in rigid outlet supporting housings with the conductors terminated to leads of the outlets. At one end of the cable, both the shield strip and the conductor strip are fixed to the housing preventing relative longitudinal movement, while, at the other end, only one of the strips is fixed to the housing, the other strip being free to move relatively longitudinally during a change in the extension cord from reeled to flat condition, Thereby avoiding straining the terminations or buckling the cable. In one example, the shield strip is fixed to the housing and the individual conductors of the conductor strip are connected to leads of the associated outlet by flexible metal bands bowed perpendicularly to the plane of the strip.

Abstract: A twisted pair flat cable suitable for use in undercarpet environments is disclosed. A plurality of twisted pairs are positioned side-by-side, each in separate compartments formed within a hollow envelope of an extruded outer sheath. Separator ribs which do not extend across the entire height of the sheath prevent lateral movement of twisted pairs out of their respective compartments. By cutting the outer sheath at only one location, the outer sheath can be folded back to deploy the twisted pairs for termination. Laterally adjacent solid members suitable for withstanding compressive loads can be employed with a centrally disposed sheath.

Abstract: An apparatus for use in thermally testing electrical components, especially microelectronic components, such as dual in-line integrated circuit packages is disclosed. The apparatus is for use in testing the electrical performance of components when subjected to elevated temperature. Heat is applied through resistive heating elements disposed adjacent the electrical components which are mounted in electrical connectors, such as DIP sockets. Separate test and heater printed circuit boards attachable to conventional edge connectors can be employed. Insulation completely surrounds the sockets and the electrical components. Heating elements having a ferromagnetic-nonferromagnetic layer construction and exhibiting constant temperature regulation at a characteristic Curie point can be employed.

Abstract: A premise distribution system employing a number of separate interconnection modules to selectively join communications equipment throughout a building to incoming communication circuits located at an entrance location is disclosed. Each interconnection module is mounted on a rigid board. Interconnection modules employing cross connect members and circuit interconnection members are mounted on a printed circuit board with the traces joining the cross connect and circuit interconnection members. Single line assignment miniature ribbon connector cross connect means can be employed with either modular telephone jacks or barrel terminal contact elements. Selective interconnections can be made in a primary closets or in satellite closets within a facility. The modular interconnection modules can be inserted on mounting plates for attachment to conventional brackets to facilitate installation of the interconnection modules used to form this premise distribution system.

Abstract: An electrical connector assembly permitting interconnection of signal and ground conductors in a shielded flat cable to a standard connector member having a different signal ground configuration is disclosed. An adapter member having an insulative housing base and cover can be secured to the connector member. A plurality of signal terminals can be disposed in the base member to form insulation displacement terminations to the signal conductors. Separate ground shields surrounding associated pairs of conductors can be commoned using a ground terminal having a single transverse bus strip which is deployed over the cable in the insulative base. The assembled adapter base is received within an outer conductive shell which interconnects an outer cable shield to the outer conductive shell of the standard electrical connector to form a continuous shield.

Abstract: An electrical terminal has two arms which define a receptacle for a pin or post. At least one of the arms comprises a web extending to the pin-receiving end of the receptacle and which has sidewalls extending from its marginal side edge portions. A slot extends inwardly in the web from the pin-receiving end of the receptacle and divides the web into two sections, each of which consists of one of the sidewalls and the portion of the web extending from the sidewall to the slot. The opposed internal surfaces of the sidewalls are spaced apart by a distance less than the width of the pin so that when the pin is inserted, the two sections are each deflected and bear against the pin with contact forces. Each of the sections is elastically deformed by planar deformation of the sections away from each other in the plane of the web and also by torsional deformation. The resultant contact forces exerted on the pin are produced by the two modes of deflection and relatively high contact forces are achieved as a result.

Abstract: A sealed electrical connector having a dual molded sealed construction with a rigid body portion and integral wire seals and an integral interfacial seal formed of a material more flexible than the rigid body. The mating connectors each receive a plurality of terminals at least partially within separate passages and one connector housing has a common cavity with which the passages communicate. A retention and keying insert received within the cavity both retains the terminals and provides modular keying to segregate otherwise identical connectors. A matable cap attached to the other member engages the retention insert. The insert and cap are formed from a material less susceptible to plastic flow than the rigid body and plastic flow of the rigid body captures the insert and the cap.

Abstract: A conductive gel interconnection apparatus forming either a permanent or disconnectable electrical interconnection between multiple components is disclosed. Conductive particles are dispersed within a dielectric gelatinous medium and a concentration exceeding the percolation threshold to impart conductivity to the gel. Discrete electrical components or a plurality of components located on a substrate, such as a printed circuit board, can be interconnected by positioning the components in registration with the conductive gel located in cavities within an insulative body. The conductive gel forms a coherent mass and does not adhere to the electrical components upon withdrawal.

Abstract: A continuous strip of connector housing material is described which comprises a succession of housing segments that are latched together at their ends. Each segment contains a plurality of individual housing cells that are connected to each other by severable webs. The latches between juxtaposed segments are also severable. A connector housing of a desired size, as the regards the number of terminals therein, is obtained by severing from the end of the strip the desired number of housing cells. The connectors thus produced may be of the type which require a closure member which is fitted into the wire receiving ends of the cells. A continuous strip of closure members are also provided. The housings may by of either the feed-through type which are installed on wires intermediate the wire ends, or they may be of a wire end type, which are installed on the ends of wires.

Abstract: A connector formed of mating connector halves for interconnecting corresponding conductive traces of opposed printed circuit boards. Each connector half is formed of an insulative housing with electrical elements. The electrical elements include terminals of separable signal contacts arranged in rows and a central blade-like bus functioning as a reference ground plane or as a power member. When the connector halves are mechanically joined, they will electrically interconnect conductive traces of one printed circuit board with conductive traces of the other printed circuit board.

Abstract: An infrared touch input system is taught. Briefly stated, the system comprises a four-sided frame having an infrared transparent bezel along the inside thereof and having infrared emitters along the top and one side of the frame with infrared detectors along the sides opposite the emitters. Darlington transitor arrays are used as source and sink drivers for driving the LED's in an array. The I/O lines of a microprocessor in conjunction with the source and sink drivers are used to selectively energize each LED. Additional I/O lines of the microprocessor in conjunction with BCD decoders are used to selectively energize corresponding infrared detecting phototransistors before, during and after LED turn-on. A host computer supplies a clocking signal for the microprocessor with programming in the microprocessor thereby automatically performing the selection and deselection of emitters and detectors.

Abstract: An electrical connector comprises a dielectric housing having contact-receiving passages in which electrical contacts terminated to ends of electrical wires are disposed. Movable locking members are hingedly mounted on the housing and they permit the contacts while in a first position to be positioned in the passages and the locking members are movable to a latched second position maintaining the contacts in the passages. A cover member is mounted on the housing and is latched onto projections of the locking members only when the locking members are in the latched second position.

Abstract: Apparatus for bending or deploying selected, individual, stripped, electrical wires at the stripped free end of a ribbon cable. The apparatus comprises a base having a box-like recess with fixed components or plate-like members or shims to individually position the wires to be bent. The fixed components include tall positioning shims with notches extending downwardly to contact the insulating web of a ribbon cable between its stripped wires and to properly position the web and the wires. The fixed components also include short ground wire shims located between some of the tall positioning shims for receiving, thereadjacent, ground wires of the received ribbon cable. The fixed components also include short signal wire shims located between others of the tall positioning shims for receiving, thereadjacent, signal wires of the received ribbon cable. Also included within the apparatus are bending fingers operatively associated with the fixed components for reciprocal movement with respect thereto.

Abstract: An electrical connector housing (10) for maintaining an electrical contact (2,6) in position in a contact-retaining passage (12,16) therein comprises locking members (20,30) hingedly mounted onto sides of the housing for closing locking openings (13a,13b,17a,17b) in the sides of the housing, the locking openings being in communication with the contact-retaining passage. Locking projections (21,22,31,32) are located on the locking members (20,30) for engagement with the contact (2,6) when the locking members (20,30) close the locking openings thereby maintaining the contact (2,6) in position in the passage (12,16). Resilient latching members (23,33) are provided on the locking members (20,30) and they include latching sections (23a,33a) that latchably engage with one another in the housing (10) when the locking members (20,30) are in a closed position thereby maintaining the locking members (20,30) in the closed position.