Abstract: A printed circuit board assembly including a connector comprised of an elongated dielectric body and an elongated dielectric cap having aligned portions provided with respective cooperating latching devices for removably securing the cap to a rear surface of the body. The body and the cap are provided with aligned through-holes wherein respective electrical contact members are disposed and have protruding end portions extended from the rear surface of the cap. The cap has extending integrally from its rear surface a wall with a surface which is orthogonal to the rear surface of the cap for forming a right-angle support structure wherein an end portion of a printed circuit board may be disposed. Also, the wall has an opposing surface which is disposed adjacent the protruding end portions of the contact members and which may be provided with a mandrel-like structure comprising a linear array of juxtaposed troughs formed in said opposing surface.

Abstract: An electrical cable assembly comprising a multi-conductor cable having an end portion terminating in a multi-contact connector which includes a rigid shielding shell of electrically conductive material disposed to receive therein a dielectric insert for supporting a plurality of terminal contact members secured to respective conductors in the cable. The dielectric insert comprises a trough-like body and a cover for disposing over the opening of the body, the cover and an opposing bottom wall of the body being provided with respective similar pluralities of mutually spaced holes wherein the terminal contact members are installed. The cover is provided with a plurality of flexible tabs which engage respective ramp portions of the body for locking the cover on the body to form a unitary terminal-supporting structure prior to assembly in the rigid shielding shell of the connector.

Abstract: A jack module with a lamp assembly that is interconnected at the top front of a printed circuit board and has a bottom guide channel for slidably receiving a tri-jack. The printed circuit board has top and bottom forwardly extending necks which define a notch therebetween. The lamp assembly has a lamp housing with a hollow trunk and tow legs that provide upwardly and downwardly facing channels that slide onto the bottom and top edges of the top neck. The housing, which has a longitudinal bore holding a lamp, encases conductive strips which engage the lamp. The housing is locked to the neck by a retainer that has a boss that snaps into an aperture in the housing. A guide housing is similarly connected to the bottom neck. The lamp housing and bottom guide housing have facing guide channels which respectively receive top and bottom guide rails of the tri-jack in slidable engagement back to a printed circuit board connector in the notch.

Abstract: A jackfield with a split front panel so that it can be removed to provide access to jack modules without breaking patch cord interconnections between jacks. Each jack module includes a printed circuit board having a lamp assembly and a tri-jack connected to the front and extending forwardly. The printed circuit boards are hard wired at the back of the jackfield and the printed circuit boards route the circuits to the tri-jack and the lamp assembly. To remove just a tri-jack, it is pulled forwardly after the split front panel is removed. A lateral bracket retains the printed circuit board to prevent it from being pulled forwardly. To remove the entire jack module, the wire wraps are disconnected from the back of the printed circuit board and the retaining bracket is removed. Then, the entire module can be slid forwardly in its guide slot.

Abstract: An optical system including a symmetrical beamsplitter comprised of a semi-transparent film of light reflective material sandwiched between two optical plates of transparent materials having respective thicknesses and indices of refraction suitable for providing equivalent optical paths on either side of the film. The beamsplitter may be positioned in optical alignment with an image source and oriented to have one of its surfaces at an angle to said source. Thus, a light ray emanating from the source will have a fractional component transmitted through the film along one optical path and a fractional component will be reflected from the film along an equivalent optical path disposed at an angle to said one optical path.

Abstract: A channelized jackfield assembly comprising a housing having an input portion wherein electrical jack modules are insertably disposed for forming a linear array of laterally spaced modules. Each of the modules has a slab-like body disposed with a narrow side uppermost and a thickness defining an aligned feedthrough channel wherein a printed circuit board is disposed on edge. The printed circuit board has a connector with a plurality of contact members disposed for insertable engagement with respective terminals extended from the adjacent end portion of the aligned module. The contact members of the connector are electrically connected through the printed circuit board to respective terminal conductors extended from an edge portion of the board and outwardly of the output portion of the housing. The printed circuit board may be slidably inserted into the output portion of the housing and between opposing wafer guides having in adjacent surfaces thereof respective linear arrays of laterally spaced channels.

Abstract: An electrical cable assembly comprising a round cable having an end portion provided with an adaptor for terminating the round cable in a flat cable connector. The adaptor has a cylindrical end portion disposed for receiving therein a jacketed end portion of the round cable, an intermediate transitional portion wherein a plurality of conductors extending from the cable end portion are permitted to cross over one another and be formed with an array of juxtaposed conductor end portions, and a rectangular end portion out of which the array of juxtaposed conductor end portions extends. The rectangular end portion is provided with outer dimension and resilient properties similar to an equivalent flat cable for insertion and latching into a flat cable connector where the conductor end portions terminating at respective distances from a mating surface of the adaptor extend into respective grooves and are electrically connected to respective contacts of the connector in a predetermined manner.

Abstract: A jackfield with front removable jack modules having lamp assemblies. Each jack module includes a printed circuit board having a lamp assembly and a tri-jack extending forwardly therefrom. Conductor pads at the rear of the printed circuit board removably engage contact spring terminals interconnected to lateral busses. One bus provides a voltage and the other provides ground for the lamp assembly. One of the circuit leads is routed through the jack so that when a plug is inserted into the jack, the lamp is lit. The module also has wire wrap lugs extending from the rear, and the wire wraps are disconnected before the module is removed to the front. Apparatus is also provided for retaining the module from forward movement when only the tri-jack is to be removed.

Abstract: A control device comprising an electrical switch having an actuator disposed for reciprocal movement in a housing and provided with a substantially planar surface whereon a pawl is mounted for rotation in a plane adjacent the planar surface. The pawl includes a plurality of cam surface portions disposed for engagement with projections within the housing to convert reciprocal movement of the actuator into controlled rotary movement of the pawl in a uniform direction and thereby determine the sequence of operating conditions produced by the actuator. At least one pair of resilient arms extend from respective opposing portions of the pawl and into resilient pressure engagement with the substantially planar surface for exerting respective balanced tensile forces on the opposing portions of the pawl and enabling the pawl to resist free rotary movements and permit controlled rotary movements thereof.

Abstract: A phone jack assembly comprising a piggy-back array of two phone jack housings made of moldable dielectric material and having integral walls defining respective axial cavities wherein a phone jack plug may be inserted; and a plurality of pairs of wire terminals extending downwardly from the lower housing of the array for insertion into respective apertures in a connecting device. Each of the wire terminals is recessed within a respective groove molded into the outer side surfaces of the housings and one of each pair has a portion extended into a cavity of one of the housing for electrical engagement with a portion of a phone jack plug inserted into the cavity. Also each of the wire terminals is provided with a laterally bent portion for pressingly engaging side wall surfaces of the respective groove to support the wire terminal when being inserted into or withdrawn from said respective aperture in the connecting device.

Abstract: An electrical jack module comprising a vertically stacked series of electrical jacks having respective housings provided with respective open-ended axial bores wherein an electrical jack plug may be inserted for interference engagement with a protruding portion of a moveable contact member biased resiliently into electrical engagement with a fixed contact member disposed in grooves in the longitudinal side surfaces of the housings. A pair of the fixed contact members comprise integral end portions of a pre-shaped shunt wire press-fitted into plurality of communicating grooves provided in aligned side surfaces of adjacent housings in the vertically stacked series. The moveable contact members are integrally connected through respective preshaped spring wires disposed in grooves in the sides surfaces of the housing to respective wire terminals protruding in a common array from a proximal supporting surface of the vertically stacked series of housings.

Abstract: A fiber optic connector comprising a coupling shell encircling a glass end portion of a bushing disposed axially within an encircling ferrule having an end portion extended axially out of the shell and terminating in a dish-shaped end surface provided with a central aperture through which an optical fiber element extending axially through the glass end portion of the bushing and the ferrule protrudes to terminate at a planar end surface spaced axially from the aperture, the dish-shaped end surface being curved concavely and continuously from the aperture radially to a circular rim which is spaced a greater axial distance from the aperture than the planar end surface of the optical fiber element.

Abstract: A jackfield assembly comprising a linear array of electrical jack modules disposed along a longitudinal marginal portion of a printed circuit having a conforming array of apertured areas, each of which includes a predetermined pattern of through-apertures disposed for receiving therein respective wire terminals protruding from a proximal supporting surface of a respective one of the modules for electrical connection to a printed circuit conductor provided on the board. Also, each of the apertured areas includes a through-hole suitably located for receiving a snug-fitting post also extending from the proximal supporting surface of a respective one of the module. Each of the modules has a distal surface provided with a plurality of protruding stubs over which are press-fitted respective through-holes in a rigid interlocking strip which prevents rotational or racking movement of one of the modules relative to the other modules in the array.

Abstract: A male plug connector having terminals coupled to the signal leads of an electrical circuit for switching the signal leads dependent upon interfitting or separating the male connector with a mating female connector. First, second and third electrodes longitudinally extend through a post-like insulating base thereby defining three respective male pins protruding from the mating face of the base and three respective terminals protruding from the opposing face of the base. A fourth electrode protrudes only from the opposing face to define a fourth terminal. A spring loaded plunger is slidably positioned in the base and protrudes from the mating face of the base. The plunger is mechanically linked to an axially sliding switch which has three interconnected contact arms aligned with the second, third and fourth electrodes. During interfittment of the connectors, the plunger is inwardly deflected by the face of the female connector thereby electrically interconnecting the third and fourth terminals.

Abstract: An electrical connector having strain relief and integral means for clamping and manually unclamping an electrical cord. The connector includes a housing having a compartment, disposed within a forward portion of the housing, for receiving an electrical device. An array of ratchet teeth is disposed rearward of the forward portion and is disposed circumferentially about an inner wall portion of the compartment. An inner wall portion of the housing disposed between the array of ratchet teeth and a rear entrance aperture of the housing has formed therein a circumferential groove. A member inserted into the housing has a cord clamping component integrally connected to a strain relief component through a bushing component. The bushing component has a pawl engageable with the array of ratchet teeth to provide a ratchet.

Abstract: An optical fiber cleaving tool comprising a base supporting a sled which is biased to carry an optical fiber clamp thereon away from an inner surface of an orthogonal end wall having extending through it in alignment with the clamp an aperture disposed to receive a fiber optic connector end portion. The connector has a terminal end surface provided with a central aperture through which an optical fiber end portion extends to the clamp on the sled for axial tensioning. Aligned with the aperture in the wall is a recess having an end surface chordally disposed with respect to the aperture for abutting engagement with the terminal end surface of the connector and serving as a reference plane. A cutter rotatably mounted above the recess end surface has a peripheral portion from which protrudes resiliently a diamond-tipped end portion of a wafer-like blade which is slidably disposed in a slot extending diametrically of the disc and having a thickness greater than the thickness of the blade.

Abstract: An electrical switch comprising a moveable contact member resiliently biased to have an electrical contact portion thereof urged into spaced relationship with an electrical contact portion of a fixed member to open the switch and to have another protruding portion thereof disposed for pressure engagement with a cam surface of a reciprocally moveable actuator to urge the electrical contact portions of the contact member into electrical engagement with one another for closing the switch, and a dielectric barrier member carried on the actuator in predetermined positional relationship with the cam surface for movement out of a position between the electrical contact portions, before the switch is closed, to permit the electrical engagement of the contact portions with one another and for movement back into the position between the electrical contact portions, after the switch is open, to prevent the undesired effects of contact bounce.

Abstract: A housing for panel mountable modules and comprising a base having dependent therefrom yieldable support pedestals disposed for pressing resiliently against an adjacent surface of a panel and latching projections disposed for engaging an opposing surface of the panel and, in cooperation with the support pedestals, locking the thickness of the panel therebetween.

Abstract: A fiber optic connector assembly comprising a tubular coupling device having an end portion disposed for encircling an end portion of a fiber optic cable, and a slidable apertured spacer axially disposed within the coupling device. The spacer has a central aperture disposed for alignment with a polished end surface of a filamentary light conductor in the cable, and has an annular surface encircling the aperture for abutting an end surface of an opaque sheath encircling the light conductor.

Abstract: An electrical jack having a housing of insulating material with integral walls thereof forming a cavity. A front wall of the housing has an axially extending hollow collar member with a passageway for guiding a stem of a jack plug into the cavity. A plurality of spring contactor electrodes are disposed within the housing cavity and are adapted to engage predetermined portions of the jack plug stem when such stem is inserted into the cavity to establish electrically conductive paths between the contactor electrodes and the portions of the jack plug. An additional electrical contactor, having an aperture formed in a mounting portion thereof, is disposed around the collar member, such mounting portion being disposed outside the housing cavity. The additional electrical contactor has a finger electrode protruding across the front wall into the cavity to electrically contact a portion of the inserted jack stem.