Abstract: A fiber optic connector includes a plurality of alignment sleeves (50) that each lies in one of the passages (20) of a connector body (12), with each alignment sleeve being easily replaceable. Each alignment sleeve lies in a mount sleeve (80), with each mount sleeve having a front end with an inner flange (84) that prevents forward movement of the alignment sleeve. Each mount sleeve has a more rearward outer flange (90) forming a forwardly-facing shoulder (94). A retainer (100) includes resilient tines (106) that abut the forwardly-facing flange shoulder to prevent forward movement of the mount sleeve, but with the tines being expandable by a special tool (130) so the mount sleeve and alignment sleeve can be removed and replaced.

Abstract: A compact electrical connector can receive two different kinds of circuit cards, of the type that are thin and flat and have contact pads on an active face, such as a MICROSIM card and a MMC card. The connector includes a body (52) with an insulative frame (81) and two sets of contacts (84, 114) on the frame, with each set of the contacts having pad-engaging ends arranged in patterns corresponding to the patterns of contact pads on the two types of circuit cards. A card-holder unit (54) has first and second card-holding compartments lying in horizontal planes that are vertically spaced. The cards can be inserted into the compartments and the unit is then slid into the body until pads of the two cards engage the two sets of contacts on the body.

Abstract: A rocker switch with a shaft (30) that can be pivoted clockwise or counterclockwise from a neutral position, which reliably returns to the same neutral position without “play”, and which is of simple design. A coil spring (25) which extends around the shaft, has front and rear opposite coil end portions (24, 26) with corresponding spring ends (27, 29), and which has a spring middle (28). Arms mounted on the shaft include a first arm (39′) engaged with the front spring end and a second arm (39) positioned to engage the spring middle. When the shaft is turned clockwise from the neutral position, the arms turn the first spring end (27) and spring middle (28) clockwise while loading only the rear coil end portion (26). When the shaft turns counterclockwise, the spring middle (28) is prevented from turning by a spring center support (43), so only the front coil portion (24) is loaded.

Abstract: The specification describes economical lifting devices. A consumer jack comprising a rectangular base; a pair of connecting arms that are pivotally attached to the front end of the base, and a pair of lift arms that are attached to the connecting arms and attached at the rearward ends thereof to a sliding block. A screw-threaded actuator shaft is engaged with the sliding block to raise and lower a lifting pad attached to the forward ends of the lift arms of the device. The components are stamped from steel sheet and plate, and folded into the desired configuration, and assembled without the need for machining or welding. An economical power unit, for use with an economical jack stand and also for use with a lift bridge, comprises an adaptation of the consumer jack. The power unit does not use the lifting pad, but rather utilizes a pair of separated leveling pads pivotally attached to the forward ends of the lift arm for engagement with a lift collar of the jack stand.

Abstract: An electrical switch includes a snap dome tripper (36) whose center portion (37) snaps down when depressed by a predetermined amount, and a contact plate (44) with blades (50) that move down against terminals (26) to close the switch when the tripper snaps down, and to provide tactile feedback when the switch is closed. Instead of the center portion of the contact plate lying under the center portion of the tripper, the contact plate lies above the tripper and the contact blades project horizontally beyond the boundaries of the periphery of the tripper.

Abstract: A connector is described, with a receiver (11) at the rear end that receives and terminates to a cable conductor (12), with a contact (15) at the front end, and with an electrical fuse (16) between the receiver and contact. The fuse has front and rear fuse terminals (42, 43). A threaded connection between a contact threaded stud part (52) and a threaded coupling (23) in the receiver can draw the contact and receiver together and clamp the fuse terminals between contact and receiver. An insulator (24) surrounds the threaded tube to mechanically fix the threaded coupling to the receiver while electrically isolating one from the other. The receiver has a rear end crimped around the cable conductor and a front end crimped around the insulator.

Abstract: A smart card connector includes an insulative support (52) with a horizontal card-engaging face (62) and contacts mounted on the support and having contact ends (102) projecting above the face to engage pads on the active face of a smart card. The pad-engaging ends lie within a contact-holding face part (202) which has a longitudinal length (L1) not greater than half the length of the card, with the card rear portion extending in a cantilevered fashion rearward of the contact-holding face part. The support has a rear edge (84), with the contacts having tails (104) lying at the rear edge, and with the tails protected by side guide extensions (88, 90). A card hold-down includes a sheet metal cover (54) that is soldered to a circuit board P on which the support lies. A switch (150) that detects full card insertion, lies in a polarized region (220) adjacent to the polarized wall (98) of the support.

Abstract: A press that includes a push rod (12) that can be pushed downward to cut and mold miniature components, has a small size and a minimum number of components, and can be easily and precisely controlled. The push rod has a largely upwardly-facing shoulder (140) that lies in a chamber that can receive pressured hydraulic fluid to push down the push rod. A piezoelectric actuator, or piezoactor (18), moves a piston (20) that lies in a pressure cylinder. One end of the pressure cylinder holds hydraulic fluid (130), and when the piezoactor pushes the piston it pressurizes the hydraulic fluid therein. Pressured hydraulic fluid in the pressure cylinder flows through a passage (23) to the rod chamber to press down the push rod. The cross-sectional area of the pressure cylinder is many times greater than the cross-sectional area of the push rod shoulder so slight movement of the piezoactor is magnified many times by the hydraulic fluid to move the push rod with a long stroke.

Abstract: A sealing plug, for a water globe having a lower opening therein with an extended skirt thereon, having a fixed peripheral portion for sealing the container and supporting an object within the container and having a flexible diaphragm adapted to adjust for changes in volume and pressure of the water within the globe. The plug comprises a peripheral wall adapted to sealingly engage the skirt of the globe having an upper end thereof with two or more supports extended upward therefrom for supporting an object within the container; and a flexible diaphragm having an upper surface and a recessed channel around the periphery thereof connected to the wall and extending across the upper end of the wall.

Abstract: Front and rear optical fiber connectors (12, 14) can be mated and unmated from the front, while the rear connector and the rear portion (54) of the front connector can be removed for cleaning and replacement from the rear. A jackscrew (30) with a handle (32) at the front, extends through the connectors and has a threaded rear end (34) for engaging a nut (36) on the rear connector. The jackscrew also can be operated from the rear to remove the rear connector for maintenance. A spring (182) urges the jackscrew forwardly, to allow a person to sense when the jackscrew has not engaged the nut. A front connector frame (50) has a vertical divider (200) forming a pair of cavities (62, 63) that receive shaped body elements (54, 55). U-shaped brackets (164, 166) hold a back plate (52) to each connector. Alignment pins (144, 146) are coupled through springs (320) to the rear connector.

Abstract: A connector with at least two pairs of contacts is provided, wherein crosstalk between first and third contacts, which are separated by a second contact, is reduced by a lateral extension of the third contact. The lateral extension includes a suppressing section extending parallel and adjacent to the first contact, and a pair of connecting sections that each connects one end of the suppressing section to the rest of the third contact. This allows at least some current passing along the third contact, to pass through the suppressing section and induce anti-crosstalk currents in the first contact to counter crosstalk. At least one connecting section has a lengthening portion that increases its length to create a phase shift. The suppressing section has a minimal width compared to its height. For a stamped sheet metal contact, the width is less than twice the height to reduce capacitive coupling while maintaining inductive coupling.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a feeder device. The feeder device receives components end-to-end in a random orientation in a vertical inlet chute and feeds each of the components one-at-time having a desired orientation to an outlet chute. The feeder device includes a rotatable disk having a central chamber therein adapted to receive each of the components, a sensing means for determining the orientation of the component, and includes a releasable gate. The disk and gate function independently, as required, between the inlet chute and the outlet chute, to sequentially release each component having the desired orientation; or to invert each component not having the desired orientation from end-to-end into the desired orientation and then to release the component, whereby each component is released one-at-a-time having a desired orientation for utilization.

Abstract: A PC card for insertion into a slot of a portable computer or other electronic device, has an antenna that allows the electronic device to send and receive data through radio waves. The antenna is moveable from a stowed position wherein most of the antenna lies in the PC card housing, and a first deployed position wherein most of the antenna projects rearwardly through an opening at the rear of the housing so radio waves can be transmitted and received. The antenna can be mounted on a tray that is moveable forwardly and rearwardly into and out of the rear of the housing. The tray can form a smart card-receiving recess that receives a small smart card to enable connection to pads on the smart card so as to provide authorization for communication through a wireless telephone network.

Abstract: A break-away apparatus for electrical and optical connectors (12) includes front and rear fittings (30, 32) with peripheries that have pairs of aligned fastener-receiving holes, and a plurality of fasteners (100) that each lies in a pair of holes and holds the peripheries of the fittings together. Each fastener is a screw with a shank having a threaded front end that engages threads in the hole of the front fitting, and includes a screw head (214) at the rear of the shank which lies against a rearwardly-facing shoulder (172) on the rear fitting, to thereby prevent fitting separation. A bore (142) extends along the axis of the shank, and a rear end portion of the shank has a groove (182), resulting in a break-away portion of the fastener that has a ring-shaped cross-section. The ring-shaped coss-section permits tightening of the screw but results in the screw breaking when a predetermined force is applied to allow separation of the fittings.

Abstract: A filter connector (10) that includes a grounded shell (12) with an axis (14), a plurality of contacts (20) extending parallel to the axis, and a pi filter coupled to the contacts, the pi filter including a pair of planar capacitors (40, 42) with holes (50, 66) through which the contacts pass and ferrite beads (44) with holes through which the contacts pass. The invention provides connections between contact locations (104, 120) and conductive layers (80, 82) that extend around each hole of each planar capacitor. A coil spring (100) extends between a conductive layer on a rearward planar capacitor (42) and a shoulder (120) on a contact to establish an electrical connection there while biasing the contact rearwardly (R). A slideable retainer ring (112) is slid along the front end of the contact until it presses rearwardly against a conductive layer (80) on the front planar capacitor (40) and locks to the front portion of the contact at a location (104) that assures compression of the corresponding coil spring.

Abstract: An electrical switch mounted on a circuit board and providing tactile feedback includes a domed tripper (18) and an elastomeric actuator (16) with a rod having an upper operating end (78) that can be depressed to snap down the tripper and close the switch. The actuator has a lower sealing lip (62) extending in a 360° circle around the tripper and lying against the circuit board upper face, to form a sealed cavity (56) containing the tripper. The 360° sealing lip of the actuator is pressed down against the circuit board by a cap (14) that has a side wall (26) with a lower edge (38) pressing down against the sealing lip. The cap has feet (42) extending down through holes in the circuit board, the feet having latches (48) that hold the cap in place.

Abstract: A miniature electrical switch is closed when a pusher (44) is pushed forwardly (F) to snap down a snap dome tripping member(36) and push a contact blade (50) against a contact part (28). Forward sliding of the actuator is converted into downward movement of the snap dome, by a rigid lever (48) of generally T shape, with a rear branch (51) having laterally spaced trunnions (60) for pivoting and a center section (52) with a cam follower upper surface (76). A ramp (94) at the front of the push member depresses the cam follower as the actuator slides forward. The trunnions are of largely rectangular cross section and pivot on an edge (130).

Abstract: A PC card of standard width and thickness (e.g. 54 mm and 5 mm) is constructed to receive a chip card of smaller width and thickness (e.g. 18 mm and 0.8 mm) so the PC card can used to connect contact pads of the chip card to an electronic device such as laptop computer into which the PC card is inserted. The PC card includes a sheet metal cover with a top cover portion (13) having a flat region that is deep drawn to form a ramp (30) that extends downwardly to an aperture (31). A chip card can be slid down along the ramp and through the aperture, and along an internal path portion in the card to engage contacts on a circuit board. Guides on opposite sides of the internal path portion can be formed by tabs (36, 37) partially punched out of the cover portion, parts fastened to the underside of the top sheet metal cover portion, and/or parts or components mounted on the circuit board.

Abstract: An electrical component includes an initial structure (40) molded of an insulative first material and having a plurality of regions (81, 82, 83) that each forms a passage (42), with the regions being largely separated to leave gaps (90, 92, 94) between them, but with the regions joined by small tabs (44). The initial structure is plated everywhere, including along the passages and on the tabs. A quantity of second insulative material (108) is overmolded to the plated initial structure to fill the gaps between them but not some portions of the passages. The tabs then can be cut away to electrically isolate the platings on the different regions, and to thereby electrically isolated contacts, such as the outer conductors of coaxial connectors, installed in the passages while the regions that form the passages are mechanically held together by the overmolding second material.

Abstract: A connector has an insulative frame (52) and has rows (34, 36) of identical contacts (70) for engaging pads on a smart card, where at least one of the contacts that otherwise could engage a pad, is used to close or open a switch to detect the presence of a smart card.