Patents Examined by Ross Gushi
  • Patent number: 9642398
    Abstract: A wearable connector for an electronic textile includes a shell having an upper ring and a lower ring configured to capture the electronic textile therebetween. The shell provides an interior channel at least partially defined by the upper and lower ring. A conductive interface member is received in the interior channel of the shell and is electrically connected to the shell. The conductive interface member has a compressible interface configured to be electrically connected to a conductor of the electronic textile. The conductive interface member is compressed against the conductor by at least one of the upper ring and the lower ring when the lower ring is coupled to the upper ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: TE Connectivity Corporation
    Inventors: Jeffery W. Mason, Wayne S. Alden, III
  • Patent number: 9647369
    Abstract: An electrical receptacle connector includes a first insulated member and a second insulated member that are received in a metallic shell. A plurality of first receptacle terminals and a plurality of second receptacle terminals are respectively held in the first insulated member and the second insulated member. The first insulated member includes a tongue portion. The second insulated member includes a terminal positioning portion on the surface of the first insulated member. The surface of the terminal positioning portion and the surface of the tongue portion are at the same horizontal plane. A surface texture of the terminal positioning portion is different from a surface texture of the tongue portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: Advanced-Connectek Inc.
    Inventors: Yu-Lun Tsai, Pin-Yuan Hou, Chung-Fu Liao, Long-Fei Chen, Dong Xiang, Da-Wei Zhu
  • Patent number: 9640886
    Abstract: In a fitting confirmation construction, a lock arm is provided in a housing of a first connector. The lock arm includes a lock wall inclined and disposed at a front end of the lock arm in a direction from the first connector toward the second connector; a deflection space formed at a rear of the lock wall in the direction; and an operation plate disposed on the deflection space. A confirmation opening is provided in a rear wall of the housing, and has a height equal to a height of the deflection space. A lock projection is provided on a second connector to be brought into engagement with the lock wall. A rear end face of the operation plate is exposed to a rear outside of the housing of the first connector through the confirmation opening, only in a state where the lock arm is deflected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: YAZAKI CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kouichi Ohyama
  • Patent number: 9640877
    Abstract: Herein disclosed is a connection structure including a waterproof sheet disposed in an inner surface of a wire connection section and has an opening section in a position corresponding to a conductor exposed section, in which the waterproof sheet is configured such that a front end of the waterproof sheet is positioned on a front side from a front end of a conductor crimp section and a rear end of the waterproof sheet is positioned on a rear side from a rear end of the cover crimp section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: YAZAKI CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi Aoki, Kazuto Ohtaka
  • Patent number: 9636959
    Abstract: A wiring connector for connecting the lighting system wiring of a first vehicle to the lighting system wiring of a second vehicle so that lights on the first vehicle are activated when corresponding lights on the second vehicle are activated. The connector includes a plurality of terminals configured for coupling with corresponding terminals on a mating connector on the second vehicle; a plurality of wires each having one end electrically coupled with one of the terminals and another end for electrically connecting to the wiring of the first vehicle lighting system; a wire-retaining ring; and a housing formed around the terminals, the wires, and the wire-retaining ring, the housing including a central opening within the wire-retaining ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: Hopkins Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventor: David Harvey Ihde
  • Patent number: 9634445
    Abstract: A bus bar connector system and an electrical distribution center suitable for use in a motor vehicle including such a bus bar connection system is presented. The bus bar connector system includes a first bus bar, a second bus bar, and a spring clip configured to apply a contact force to the first and second bus bars effective to bring at least a portion the first and second bus bars into intimate contact with one another. The spring clip may comprise two longitudinal spring arms each extending from a lateral spring base interconnecting the spring arms. These spring arms are angled toward one another and end portions of the spring arms may be angled away from one another, thereby forming an hourglass or X-shaped spring clip. The end portions of the spring arms may be configured to retain the spring clip within a slot defined by a connector housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Alan Brandon, Daniel S. Eichorn, Mark Wayne Smith
  • Patent number: 9627795
    Abstract: An assembly for electrically connecting at least two wires is provided. The assembly includes a body configured to receive a connector therein for electrically connecting at least two wires, and a retainer configured to releasably couple to the body. The retainer has at least one arm configured to extend into the body, when the retainer is coupled to the body, and inhibit movement of the connector out of the body after the connector is received in the body. Methods of making an electrical connection using an electrical connecting assembly are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Inventor: Duane K. Smith
  • Patent number: 9627816
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a high speed jack, the method including the steps of forming a housing including a port for accepting a plug, the port including a plurality of pins each connected to a corresponding signal line in the plug, forming a shielding case surrounding the housing, forming a top layer of a substrate, a first shielding layer on a first side of the top layer in the substrate, a second shielding layer adjacent the first shielding layer in the substrate, and forming a bottom layer adjacent to the second shielding layer, forming a plurality of first vias extending through the substrate with each first via being configured to accommodate a pin on the housing, forming a plurality of second vias extending through the substrate with each second via being configured to accommodate a pin on the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: SENTINEL CONNECTOR SYSTEM INC.
    Inventors: Brett D. Robinson, Justin Wagner
  • Patent number: 9627822
    Abstract: In a plug connector including a first connection terminal and a second connection terminal which come into conductive contact with a socket connector and a relay terminal which comes into contact with the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal, the relay terminal includes a switch contact piece which comes into contact with the first connection terminal. Further, the switch contact piece includes a short circuit contact which comes into contact with the first connection terminal and an open contact which is displaced when coming into contact with the socket connector. The short circuit contact is displaced with displacement of the open contact in a direction away from the first connection terminal so as to switch the short circuit connection between the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal and the conductive connection between the first connection terminal and the socket connector in a reliable manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Inventor: Kiichi Hori
  • Patent number: 9627790
    Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment, an electrical contact has a mating end and a mounting end. The electrical contact includes an electrically conductive base, and a multi-layered coating disposed on an outer surface of the base at the mating end. The multi-layered coating can include a metallic layer of a noble metal or alloy thereof, a layer of anti-tarnish material disposed on the metallic layer, and a lubricant layer disposed on the layer of anti-tarnish material, the lubricant effective to seal at least some wear regions created in the layer of anti-tarnish material due to micromotion of the mating end in use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignees: FCI Americas Technology LLC, FCI Asia Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Doyle R. Anderson, John D. Dodds, Antoine Fares-Karam
  • Patent number: 9620900
    Abstract: In a coaxial connector with a floating mechanism, a housing includes a housing base fixed to a support, a housing movable portion that is movable with a center contact relative to the housing base, and a floating spring one end of which is fixed to the housing base and the other end of which is fixed to the housing movable portion. The floating spring includes a support fixing portion fixed to the housing base, a floating fixing portion fixed to the housing movable portion, and an elastically deformable swing spring portion that couples the support fixing portion and the floating fixing portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: SMK Corporation
    Inventors: Tomoyasu Yanase, Kiyoshi Asai
  • Patent number: 9614318
    Abstract: A connector (C) is formed such that a plurality of terminal insertion holes (12), into which terminals crimped to end parts of wires (40) are inserted, are arranged side by side in a width direction of a terminal insertion surface part (11) on the terminal insertion surface part (11) of a connector housing (10), and includes a plurality of guiding portions (25), (26) and (27) provided side by side in the width direction of the terminal insertion surface part (11) in correspondence with the terminal insertion holes (12). The guiding portions (25), (26) and (27) are configured to guide the wires (40) having the terminals inserted into the terminal insertion holes (12) in a perpendicular direction until the wires (40) are separated from the terminal insertion surface part (11) by specified distances.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Assignee: Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd.
    Inventor: Yutaka Matsumura
  • Patent number: 9614305
    Abstract: A connector including a terminal fitting having a wire connecting portion crimped to an end of a wire and configured to be inserted into a terminal accommodating chamber of a housing. A sleeve is mounted on a rear part of the terminal fitting and retains the terminal fitting by engaged the terminal fitting and a wall surface of the terminal accommodating chamber. A heat shrinkable tube is fitted on an outer periphery of the wire connecting portion while being accommodated in the sleeve and held in close contact with an outer periphery of the terminal fitting by being thermally shrunk. The sleeve includes a lift-up portion for holding the heat shrinkable tube in a fitted state so that a clearance is secured between the heat shrinkable tube and an upper surface of the wire connecting portion by lifting up the heat shrinkable tube before thermal shrinkage in a radial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Assignee: Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd.
    Inventor: Masashi Uchida
  • Patent number: 9608385
    Abstract: A connection structure of an electronic component and terminal metal fittings includes a relay in which a plurality of terminals are projected from a relay body having a rectangular parallelepiped shape, terminal metal fittings that are fitted in the respective terminals, and a holding member in which the relay and the terminal metal fittings are accommodated. The holding member has a component body accommodating portion that accommodates the relay body, terminal accommodating portions each accommodating the distal end portion of corresponding one of the terminals and corresponding one of the terminal metal fittings, a groove portion that positions an erroneous-insertion prevention projecting portion therein when the relay is inserted in a normal orientation, and a contact portion that is brought into contact with the erroneous-insertion prevention projecting portion when the relay is inserted in an erroneous orientation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
    Inventor: Yukihiro Kawamura
  • Patent number: 9608379
    Abstract: A communication connector including elongated contacts, and an optional flexible compensation circuit. The elongated contacts include a plurality of contact pairs. Each pair includes first and second contacts configured to transmit a differential signal. The elongated contacts may each have first and second portions with first and second heights, respectively. The first height is greater than the second height. The first portion of the first contact is positioned alongside the first portion of the second contact to capacitively couple the first and second contacts together. The optional flexible compensation circuit includes compensation circuity configured to at least partially reduce crosstalk between the elongated contacts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: LEVITON MANUFACTURING CO., INC.
    Inventors: Jon Clark Riley, Bret Taylor, Charles R. Bragg, Darrell W. Zielke, Tom Sauter, Hua Wang
  • Patent number: 9601856
    Abstract: A connecting-device for a switchgear apparatus, includes: tulip-cluster-portions for electrically engaging with a contact-stud-element; a mounting-end-part for the mechanical connection to a pole-terminal, and conductive-transmitting-portions for transmitting electrical current from the contact-stud-element to the pole-terminal, each of the conductive-transmitting-portions extending from the respective tulip-cluster-portion to a respective base-portion of the mounting-end-part. The tulip-cluster-portions with the respective conductive-transmitting-portions and with the respective base-portions are integral with one other so as to define respective single-piece-portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2017
    Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG
    Inventors: Annunzio Regantini, Stefano Magoni
  • Patent number: 9595784
    Abstract: A connector (10A) includes a housing (20), a seal member (80) to be arranged in a rear part of the housing (20), a holder (60) configured to prevent the seal (80) from coming out backward by being mounted on the housing 20 from behind the seal (80) and a wire cover (50) to be mounted on the housing (20) from behind the holder (60). The housing (20) includes an erroneous mounting preventing portion (39) configured to regulate the mounting of the holder (60) by interfering with the holder (60) when the holder (60) is mounted in an improper posture. The erroneous mounting preventing portion is configured as a cover lock (39) for fixing the wire cover (50) to the housing (20) by locking the wire cover (50).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: SUMITOMO WIRING SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventor: Shigeto Kataoka
  • Patent number: 9590342
    Abstract: A receptacle assembly includes a receptacle housing, a housing opening, a first receptacle connector, and a second receptacle connector. The receptacle housing includes a first cavity that extends from a first end to a central structure. The housing opening is defined at the first end. The first cavity and the housing opening are sized and shaped to enable insertion of a plug assembly constructed to comply with the Society of Automotive Engineers J2863 standard. The first receptacle connector includes a first portion that extends from the central structure into the first cavity. The second receptacle connector includes a second portion that extends from the central structure into the first cavity. The first and the second receptacle connectors are sized and are disposed such that they are configured to both be inserted into a single connector cavity of the plug assembly and such that they are electrically insulated from one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Inventors: Ricky David Shaeffer, Jared Tanner Shaeffer
  • Patent number: 9583876
    Abstract: With leverage of a second arm, in a connector locking mechanism that releases a lock of a first arm that corresponds to a locking arm body, a working face of a supporting portion of the second arm is arranged on an upper surface of an upper wall portion of a fitting hood portion of a second connector housing. The fitting hood portion fits with respect to a first connector housing. The working face of the supporting portion of each of a pair of the second arms is arranged so as to be a plane perpendicular to a pressing-down direction of an operating end of each of the second arms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: YAZAKI CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tetsuya Sekino
  • Patent number: 9583848
    Abstract: An electrical connection box for installation in a space that has a small vertical height. The electrical connection box includes horizontal terminal guide portion, an insertion hole for the tip of the terminal guide portion, a bolt fastening terminal connected to an end of an electrical wire, an electrical wire connection portion and an electrical contact portion. The terminal guide portion includes a side wall that has a step conforming to the shape of a barrel crimped portion of the bolt fastening terminal, a flat plate-shaped side wall that opposes the side wall that has the step, and upper and lower walls. The terminal guide portion is shaped so as to be fitted with and hold the electrical wire connection portion, and does not allow insertion of the bolt fastening terminal into the terminal guide portion in an opposite orientation. Visual check openings are provided in the upper wall of the terminal guide portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd.
    Inventor: Takashi Shiraki