Patents Assigned to The Whitaker Corporation
  • Patent number: 6160706
    Abstract: A module retention system including a pair of retention assemblies (32) at ends of a board-mounted receptacle connector (36) for securing a processor module (10) thereto, where the module includes a massive heat sink (12) mounted along one side thereof. Each retention assembly (32) includes a resilient member (50) secured along the base of a rigid retention member (38) and against the circuit board (20) that has portions (62,66) engageable by the module leading end (22) and by the heat sink distal end (16) to stabilize the module and to absorb looseness in the arrangement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2000
    Assignee: The Whitaker Corporation
    Inventors: Wayne Samuel Davis, Robert Neil Whiteman, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6159021
    Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector which makes it possible for the contacts to electrically contact each other with a high contact pressure even when the contacts are made smaller and shorter. Contacts (40) and (80) which electrically contact each other are respectively secured in housings of a plug connector (20) and a cap connector (60), with the contacts being positioned in two rows in each connector. When the plug connector (20) and cap connector (60) are connected, first and second spring members (42) and (44) of the contacts (40) are clamped between wall surfaces (38a) and (38b) of the housing (30) and contact section (82) of the contacts (80), so that the contacts (40) and (80) are springably pressed strongly against each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2000
    Assignee: The Whitaker Corporation
    Inventor: Toshitaka Kusuhara
  • Patent number: 6159041
    Abstract: An electrical connector assembly (10) for mounting to a panel (80) includes a connector (12) having a housing (14) divided into forward and rearward portions (16, 22) by a peripheral flange (20), a plurality of electrical terminals (78), each terminated to a respective wire (76) and disposed in respective terminal-receiving passageways (40), each wire (76) extending to a wire-receiving face (24) on the rearward portion (22); and a cover (50) configured to be disposed over and surround the rearward housing portion (22) in a closely fitting relationship. A side wall (26) of the rearward housing portion (22) includes a wire-receiving recess 28) extending from the wire-receiving face (24) to the flange (20) and the cover (50) includes a cooperating a wire-receiving recess (60) that together define a wire-receiving passageway (62) proximate the housing flange (20) when the cover (50) is disposed over the rearward portion (22).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2000
    Assignee: The Whitaker Corporation
    Inventors: Wayne Samuel Davis, Robert Neil Whiteman, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6155850
    Abstract: An electrical connector assembly includes a plug connector 2 and a mating connector or printed circuit board header 94 that are mated with the assistance of a cam slide 4. Channels in which the cam slide 4 shifts are formed by top rails 26 that are staggered relative to bottom rails 30 so that the rails can be formed by straight pull mold tooling without side pulls. The cam slide 4 can be inserted from opposite ends of the plug connector housing 20. At least some of the power terminals 86 are located separately from signal terminals 88 so that they can be separately sealed. A combined terminal position assurance member and seal retainer 74 is latched to the plug connector housing on the inside of power terminal cavities 52 so as not to interrupt the sealing integrity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2000
    Assignee: The Whitaker Corporation
    Inventors: Galen Martin, Anthony Robert Hirko, Forrest Irving Kinsey, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6152763
    Abstract: Electrical contact (1) having a terminating section (20) that terminates a foil-form conductive member (60), and an elastic contact part (30) that elastically contacts the conductive member (60). The elastic contact part (30) has: [a] a spring arm (33) that has an embossment (34) with a substantially spherical surface that presses against the conductive member (60); and [b] a substantially circular hole (38) that faces the embossment (34) of the spring arm (33), and that has a rim that is contacted in a substantially circumferential state of contact by the conductive part (62) of the conductive member (60) pressed by the embossment (34).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2000
    Assignee: The Whitaker Corporation
    Inventor: Noriaki Sai
  • Patent number: 6152760
    Abstract: Connector (10) including a wire carrier (14) for terminating a wire (18) to a terminal (60) affixed in housing (12) through insulation displacement. Terminal (60) includes reinforced beam portions (64) along either side of IDC slot (62) for stiffening the beam portions for use with 18.5 AWG Aerial drop wire. Wire carrier (14) is pivotable from an open position to a closed position after an insulated wire (18) has been inserted fully into wire-receiving passageway (20), and is locked in the closed position by locking section (54) of the housing (12).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2000
    Assignee: The Whitaker Corporation
    Inventor: Nancy Lee Reeser
  • Patent number: 6152786
    Abstract: An electrical connector assembly having one-piece intermediate member (24, 24') and method of forming thereof are disclosed. In one embodiment, the one-piece intermediate member (24, 24') includes insulation-piercing serrations that provide for electrical conductivity between two electrical conductors. In another embodiment, the one-piece intermediate member (24, 24') provides for electrical conductivity between an insulated conductor and an uninsulated conductor. Intermediate member (24) includes movable sections (41) located inwardly from cable-engaging sections (40), with piercing serrations (46) extendable outward through slots (48) of the cable-engaging sections so as to penetrate the cables' insulation. In another embodiment, the electrical conductivity between the two electrical conductors is provided by a C-shaped receptacle element of the connector assembly. In all embodiments, the piercing serrations rigidly fix the electrical connection of the electrical conductors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2000
    Assignee: The Whitaker Corporation
    Inventors: Albert Renaud Perrin, Roland Sion Timsit
  • Patent number: 6152777
    Abstract: Connector 10 mountable to a mother board for mating with a daughter card (80,90) at a card-receiving slot (14). Connector (10) includes at least two key-receiving sites (30a,30b) along the length of the card-receiving slot (14), and a pair of switching contacts (40) at each site that are normally in engagement with each other, completing an indicator circuit of the mother board. A key member (50) is affixable to the connector at a selected one of the key-receiving sites (30a,30b) and includes an actuator arm (58) that disengages the switching contacts (40), breaking the circuit. The key member (50) prevents insertion of a daughter card (90) that is not programmed by having a notch (82) at the corresponding location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2000
    Assignee: The Whitaker Corporation
    Inventors: Scott Stuart Smith, Robert Thomas Hirsbrunner, Karen Elizabeth Benjamin
  • Patent number: 6150611
    Abstract: The present invention provides a sealed cable-terminating structure in which a braided-shielding member is fastened to supporting members with high strength, and in which an optimum shielding effect can be ensured, and a simple termination method for realizing such a terminating structure. An end portion of a shielding member (50) on a clamped side has a folded-back section (55a), which is formed by being turned inward. A portion of the folded-back section (55a) is fastened by clamping to socket (20) by a clamping member (31), and it is extended by a prescribed length in a direction away from the fastened portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2000
    Assignee: The Whitaker Corporation
    Inventor: Koji Imai
  • Patent number: 6149473
    Abstract: A connector assembly having a secondary locking member and a slide coupling member includes interengaging features between the slide coupling member and secondary locking member whereby the slide coupling member cannot be activated unless the secondary locking member is in its fully locked position and the secondary locking member further comprises extensions extending beyond a terminal receiving end wall of the connector housing to enable the secondary locking member to be manually depressed from the fully locked to the preassembly position so that it is particularly simple to repair the connector, for example when removal and reinsertion of terminals is required.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2000
    Assignee: The Whitaker Corporation
    Inventors: Jacques Lalange, Olivier Pamart
  • Patent number: 6146438
    Abstract: An apparatus and method of forming balls includes a metering device 2, a melting device 14 and a cooling device 20. The metering device 14 stamps a desired volume of solid material in the form of a slug 12 which passes through the melting device 14 where it is caused to levitate and transform state from a solid to a molten liquid. The molten liquid material 13 is released from the melting device 14 and descends through the cooling device 20 where it transforms state once again from a molten material to a solid material while maintaining a ball shape. A forming gas is passed over the molten material 13 in a direction opposite to the falling molten material 13. The balls 15 are finally cooled in a cooling bath 32.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2000
    Assignee: The Whitaker Corporation
    Inventors: Dimitry Grabbe, Iosif Korsunksy
  • Patent number: 6146058
    Abstract: A seal processing station for gathering loose and transmitting properly oriented seals to an insertion station where the seals are to be placed on a wire, the seal processing station having a seal sorting unit and a seal feeding unit that has a feed track going between the seal sorting unit and the insertion station where the seal sorting unit has a container where the loose seals are placed and a seal propulsion device with a seal feed channel extending from a lower end of the container to an upper end where the channel includes an air inlet for blowing air up the channel to feed seals from the lower end to the upper end and unto the feed track.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2000
    Assignee: The Whitaker Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Gerst, Jorg Herzog, Hans-Peter Hoffmann, Horst Knapp, Hans Quiring, Wolfgang Zimmer
  • Patent number: 6142798
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a cap housing for carrying electrical connectors to be mounted onto solder pads or through-holes on a printed circuit board or other circuitry. The cap housing has a plurality of electrical connector receiving cavities profiled to be relatively complementary in shape and of slightly larger dimension to the exterior profile of the electrical connector received within the cap housing. A floating arrangement of the electrical connector within the cap housing is thereby created which prevents coplanarity problems which contribute to non-filled or partially filled solder joints.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2000
    Assignee: The Whitaker Corporation
    Inventors: Mai Loan Thi Tran, Richard Allen Kile, Yoji Yoshimura, Ikuo Enomoto
  • Patent number: 6142826
    Abstract: An electrical connector with coupling assist member and secondary locking member is provided with a seal mounted to the secondary locking member. The secondary locking member has camming protrusions that are cammed below a camming surface of the coupling assist member during transverse sliding thereof, such that the seal is partially compressed prior to full mating with a complementary connector. This also simplifies assembly of the seal in the connector and reduces the number of separate parts to be handled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2000
    Assignee: The Whitaker Corporation
    Inventor: Philippe Bourillon
  • Patent number: 6142828
    Abstract: A shielded electrical connector for use with a cable (2) having a wire conductor (4) within a ground sheath (6) includes an interconnection device (10) having a front mating end (12) and a rear cable-connecting end (14). A conductive shield (20) is disposed on the interconnection device. The shield is manufactured as a one-piece metallic member having multiple panels (40, 50, 60, 70, 80) disposed in respective different planes around the interconnection device. The shield also has fingers (90) disposed at the cable-connecting end of the interconnection device. The fingers are circumferentially spaced-apart to define a cable exit (25) between the fingers. The fingers extend rearwardly to respective finger contact portions (92) which are arranged for engaging the ground sheath (6) when the cable is disposed in the cable exit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2000
    Assignee: The Whitaker Corporation
    Inventor: Paul J. Pepe
  • Patent number: 6142815
    Abstract: A plurality of interface modules (200,300,400,500) having identical first mating interfaces (202,302) for mating with the mating face (100) of a cable tap connector (10), to enable interconnection therewith at second mating interfaces by different types of electrical conductors. A set of contacts in each module have identical first contact sections (212,318) along the first mating interface, and the contacts are secured in the module housing (206,306) under an insulative retention plate (210,360) that assuredly secures the contacts in proper position for accurate positioning of the first contact sections. The insulative plate (210,360) also protects the first contact sections during handling of the module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2000
    Assignee: The Whitaker Corporation
    Inventors: Robert Neil Whiteman, Jr., Earl William McCleerey, Michael Eugene Shirk, Douglas Morgan Walburn, Robert Wayne Walker
  • Patent number: 6142803
    Abstract: A mobile phone coaxial connector assembly comprises a switching coaxial connector for connection to an external antenna, and a second coaxial connector for connection to an internal antenna. The switching connector and internal antenna connector are provided with a common dielectric housing such that the connectors form a single assembly. The internal antenna connector comprises a resiliently mounted center contact having a large dome-shaped contact surface for positional tolerance absorption.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2000
    Assignee: The Whitaker Corporation
    Inventors: Dieter Bozzer, Sebastien Kempter, Blaise Rithener, Lionel Thomas
  • Patent number: 6139355
    Abstract: A cover (8) and strain relief for an electrical cable assembly (1) has a clamping member (11) adjustable in position to clamp against a cable (3) in an opening (9) through the cover (8), an expansible portion (13) of the cover (8) being expansible to fit substantially around an electrical connector (2) terminated to the cable (3), and the clamping member (11) holding onto the expansible portion (13) to resist its expansion away from being substantially around the connector (2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2000
    Assignee: The Whitaker Corporation
    Inventor: Dean Arnold Puerner
  • Patent number: 6141557
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a millimeter-wave communication system for one-way and/or two-way video, voice and data services that leverages cell-site diversity, subscriber-unit adaptability and a reflection dominated propagation model. To this end, a variety of omni-directional and directional antenna plans, cell-site structures and adaptive reception/transmission plans are envisioned in the present invention. Cell-site diversity is employed and permits shadowed subscriber units to be serviced from the best choice of the surrounding cell-sites based upon millimeter-wave propagation efficiency and not geometric convenience. Cell-site diversity is used to mitigate the ill-effects of environmental and atmospheric factors. Finally, the present plan reduces the reliance on repeaters by using statistically optimal conditions for cell-site selection with reflection based models rather than line-of-sight models, as relied upon in the prior art.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2000
    Assignee: The Whitaker Corporation
    Inventor: Gerald C. Dipiazza
  • Patent number: 6139333
    Abstract: Module (10) including a circuit board (30) having a first power-receiving connector (20) and a second power-receiving connector (42) and a power output connector (also 20). A shunt switch (60) is removably matable with posts (74) of the circuit board (30) in either of two orientations by simply being reversed in orientation, to interconnect circuits of the power output connector (20) with either the first power-receiving connector (20) or the second power-receiving connector (42). The module (10) is useful in an NIU and provides for an alternate source of power to the electronics elsewhere in the NIU as well as for voltage test probing of the power circuits (46,48) and testing of the electronics at test port connector (40), while the module also includes connectors (14) for connection of telephony distribution cable to subscriber premise wiring and test ports (16) for testing thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2000
    Assignee: The Whitaker Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Patrick Green, Sam Denovich