Patents Represented by Attorney Stephen L. Sheldon
  • Patent number: 8348696
    Abstract: An electrical connector comprises a housing and one or more light pipes. The housing includes oppositely disposed first and second end portions and is configured for electrically and mechanically connecting a circuit board adjacent a status indicator. Light pipes can be supported adjacent to the respective first and second end portions and may be disposed proximate to the status indicators. Each light pipe includes an elongated main body configured to optically couple with the status indicator and to guide light emitted from the status indicator, a supporting member disposed on the main body and configured to engage the first end portion and a clip member disposed on the main body and configured to engage the first end of the housing, the supporting member and the clip member helping support and secure the main body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Molex Incorporated
    Inventor: Chin Guan Tan
  • Patent number: 8342881
    Abstract: A shield is provided for use with a connector assembly that includes for sides that form an enclosure, one of the sides being a baseplate. The shield can include a plurality of guides positioned on the baseplate and the plurality of guides can be arranged in a pattern. Each guide can be formed by making two slits in the bottom plate so as to define a body portion of the guide and the body portion can be extended in the enclosure. Each guide can be supported by the baseplate at opposite ends of the body portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: Molex Incorporated
    Inventors: Harold Keith Lang, Kent E. Regnier, Jerry A. Long
  • Patent number: 8342888
    Abstract: A high speed connector (106) with reduced crosstalk utilizes individual connector support frames (121, 122) that are assembled together to form a block of connector units (112). Each such unit supports a column of conductive terminals (113) in two spaced-apart columns. The columns have differential signal terminal pairs separated from each other by larger intervening ground shields that serve as ground terminals. The ground shields are arranged in alternating fashion within the pair of columns and they are closely spaced together so as to define within the pair of columns, a serpentine pattern of ground shields that cooperate to act as a single “pseudo” shield within each pair of columns. The ground shields are substantially larger in width (GW) than the differential signal terminal pairs (SPW) to provide more effective signal isolation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: Molex Incorporated
    Inventors: Peerouz Amleshi, John C. Laurx
  • Patent number: 8328567
    Abstract: A card edge connector includes a dielectric housing having an end portion configured to receive a latch/eject member for ejecting and latching a card module in a pivot manner. The latch/eject member includes a lower end surface, which is located outside the dielectric housing when the latch/eject member is in the locking position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Molex Incorporated
    Inventor: Yong Teck Yang
  • Patent number: 8328564
    Abstract: A connector is provided for mounting a module to a printed circuit board. The connector includes a housing having end walls defining a slot for receiving a module. Terminals are mounted within the housing on either side of the slot. Each terminal includes a tail. A solder mass is attached to each tail and is used to bond the connector to the printed circuit board. The solder mass is attached to each tail without the use of a reflow process. The solder mass can be attached to the tail of the terminal either through a mechanical attachment or through bonding. A reflow process is then used to attach the connector to the printed circuit board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Molex Incoporated
    Inventors: Kent E. Regnier, Victor Zaderej
  • Patent number: 8323057
    Abstract: A receptacle connector, comprising a housing, a tongue unit, a first terminal set, a second terminal set, a third terminal set and a shield. The housing comprises a base and an assembly slot on the base. The tongue unit is assembled in the assembly slot and includes a main body and an enhanced wall. The main body has a plug in part placed on the front and back and an assembly part combined with the assembly slot. The enhanced wall is located between the plug in part and the assembly part. Each of the first terminals may have a first contact part that exposes the upper surface of the main body and a first fixed part that extends backward from the first contact part and whose front section is disposed within the main body and whose rear section bends and is disposed within the enhanced wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: Molex Incorporated
    Inventor: Yi-Tse Ho
  • Patent number: 8241045
    Abstract: A connector of horizontal construction includes at least a pair of first and second halves that are mated together along a common mating line. A plurality of mating blades are supported in a vertical arrangement within a mating portion of the connector. The connector includes two distinct fastenings means for holding the housing halves together. A first fastening means is provided as a horizontal attachment member that extends widthwise in the mating portion in a space between the circuit cards. A second fastening means is provided as an exterior retainer that engages at least part of the outer circumference, or perimeter of the connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: Molex Incorporated
    Inventors: Bruce Reed, Harold Keith Lang, Kent E. Regnier, Jay Neer
  • Patent number: 8226441
    Abstract: An I/O connector has a housing that contains a plurality of individual terminal wafers containing terminal dedicated to either ground signals or differential signals. The terminals are arranged in widthwise order to define broadside coupled differential signal terminal pairs. The ground terminals are wider than the signal terminals to provide shielding to the differential signal pairs. The body portions of the ground terminals include pairs of opposed notches that provide for increased retention of the ground terminals in the wafer and provide increased flow for molding material during the formation of the wafers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: Molex Incorporated
    Inventors: Kent E. Regnier, Patrick R. Casher
  • Patent number: 8215990
    Abstract: An electrical connector comprises a housing, a plurality of first terminals, a plurality of second terminals, a plurality of third terminals and a cage provided on the exterior of the housing. The housing comprises a base and a tongue. The base is provided with a base wall and an assembly slot provided on the base wall to which the mated tongue mates. The tongue is provided with a body and a plurality of terminal installation slots recessed downward at intervals from the top surface of the body, the rear end of the terminal installation slots being defined by a boss part. A yield notch is provided at each location where each terminal passageway corresponds to the boss part. Because the boss parts increase the strength of the tongue, and by utilizing the yield notches, the contacts are able to prevent the boss parts from entering the terminal installation slots.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignee: Molex Incorporated
    Inventor: Yi-Tse Ho
  • Patent number: 8187019
    Abstract: A connector utilizes a latching assembly that has a structure that connects horizontal movement of an actuator to vertical movement of a latching arm. A latching member is provided that grips the exterior of the connector and has a cantilevered latching arm that extends from the member over a mating portion for connection. In its simplest form the latching member includes a continuous retaining collar that fits over the exterior of the connector and exerts a clamping force on the connector so as to retain the latching member in place.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: Molex Incorporated
    Inventors: Bruce Reed, Harold Keith Lang, Jay Neer
  • Patent number: 8162687
    Abstract: A connector guide mounted in front of a receptacle connector is provided. The guide may include a press arm that helps urge a mating connector into a desired alignment. The guide is separate from the receptacle connector and serves to align contact surfaces and provide strain relief to the receptacle connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Molex Incorporated
    Inventors: Daniel L. Dawiedczyk, Jamie Duran, Jay H. Neer, Cleaver Brinkerhoff
  • Patent number: 8162675
    Abstract: A shield for a connector that can provide a card-receiving slot is disclosed. The shield includes sides that provide an enclosure. The shield includes a fastener that is held in place by a retaining notch in a bottom of the shield. The retaining notch is configured to support the fastener in place and restrain it from unintended translation or rotation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Molex Incorporated
    Inventors: Kent E. Regnier, Harold Keith Lang, Patrick R. Casher
  • Patent number: 8157599
    Abstract: An electrical connector includes an insulating housing with a tongue plate protruding forwards from a front portion thereof and a plurality of conductive terminals comprising an upper row of conductive terminals and a lower row of conductive terminals which are mounted on upper and lower sides of the tongue plate respectively. The terminals include a butting portion, a soldering portion, and a bending portion connected between the butting portion and the soldering portion. At least one positioning modules is mounted into the accommodating chamber of the insulating housing so that it envelopes a periphery of the bending portions of the plurality of conductive terminals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: Molex Incorporated
    Inventor: Ke Chang Wei
  • Patent number: 8147266
    Abstract: A fastener for a socket connector includes a frame and a pressing assembly. The frame has an opening and a plurality of protrusions. The protrusions extend from inner edges of the frame toward the opening. The pressing assembly has a cover and a buckling piece. The cover is pivotally connected to the frame. The buckling piece locks the cover on the frame. Using the above arrangement, the protrusions are used to accurately align the socket connector within the opening, thus the inter edge surface of the frame is aligned with the outer peripheral surface of the socket connector. In this way, the pressing assembly of the frame can be operated accurately to lock and press a chip module on the socket connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Molex Incorporated
    Inventor: Yi-Tse Ho
  • Patent number: 8128433
    Abstract: The present invention is direct to a modular jack (10) having improved cross talk compensation performances. A printed circuit board (30) is inserted into the housing (20) of the modular jack (10). Robust receptacle terminals (11 to 18) and a multi-stage time delay and cross talk compensation circuitry are disposed on the circuit board (30) to reduce cross talk induced between receptacle terminals. Each robust receptacle terminal (11-18) comprises first and second legs (11a, lib; lid) located over one another with one end of each leg joined to the other leg by a bent portion (lie). The first leg (11a, lib) ends in a free end and the second leg (lid) extends from the base end (11f) to the bent portion (lie) to form an acute angle with the circuit board (30). The bent portion (lie) of each receptacle terminal is cantilevered to engage the circuit board at least when one or more of the receptacle terminals (11-18) is contacted by the terminal of a modular plug.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Molex Incorporated
    Inventors: Otto Schempp, Karl Heinz Noller
  • Patent number: 8123561
    Abstract: An electrical connector having a shielding shell, an insulation body clad with the shielding shell, and signal terminals received in the insulation body. The shielding shell has a first wall, and ground terminals extend towards the insertion interface and are bent towards the interior of the shielding shell from a mating side of the first wall close to the mating surface. A protection body corresponding to each ground terminal is disposed on the rust wall, and each protection body includes a guide portion located on one side of each protection body close to the insertion interface and a stopping portion extended from the guide portion. The guide portion is closer to the insertion interface than the contact portion of the ground terminal, and the height of the stopping portion is lower than that of the contact portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Molex Incorporated
    Inventor: Xue-Hai Zhang
  • Patent number: 8123538
    Abstract: The present invention provides an electronic card connector, and intends to arrange one single testing terminal which forms a testing circuit together with an inherent conductive terminal of the electronic card connector, thereby obtaining a testing function which must be done by using two insertion pins in the prior art. Due to omitting one testing terminal, the volume of the electronic card connector is further reduced, and product assembly becomes more simply and opera table, thereby improving product efficiency, and greatly lowing manufacturing cost.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Molex Incorporated
    Inventors: Xiang Xu, Hwa-Li Wang
  • Patent number: D651567
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2012
    Assignee: Molex Incorporated
    Inventor: Ronald C. Hodge
  • Patent number: RE43330
    Abstract: Stacked receptacles in a connector that each provide side-by-side differential signal contacts, are attached to a circuit board without additional width to accommodate multiple layers of differential signals by using connector wafer inserts that rotate the side-by-side positioned differential signal contacts to front-to-back contacts, the circuit board including a substrate having a plurality of openings to make electrical contact with conductive terminal tail portion inserted therein, the openings being divided into first and second groups of openings, the first group of openings receiving differential signal terminal tails therein and the second group of openings receiving ground terminal tail therein, when a connector is mounted to said circuit board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Molex Incorporated
    Inventors: Hazelton P. Avery, Patrick R. Casher, Richard A. Nelson, Kent E. Regnier
  • Patent number: RE43427
    Abstract: A plug connector is disclosed that has a body portion and a circuit card extending forwardly of a mating face of the connector. The circuit card is protected in place by a protective flanges that extends forwardly from the body portion above the circuit card to protect it from stubbing and to provide a means for aligning the plug connector with a receptacle connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: Molex Incorporated
    Inventors: Daniel L. Dawiedczyk, James Duran, Jay H. Neer, Cleaver Brinkeroff