Patents Examined by Thanh-Tâm Lê
  • Patent number: 9929507
    Abstract: A self-aligning RF connector interface comprises an electrical feed-trough with a connector body and an internal connector. The connector body defines a longitudinal axis. The connector interface further comprises a centering collar, a connector guide and an outer housing. The centering collar is spring loaded by a second axial spring and retractable with respect to the connector body. The connector body is spring loaded by a first axial spring and retractable and tiltable with respect to the connector guide. The connector guide is movable in a plane transverse to the longitudinal axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: SPINNER GMBH
    Inventors: Augustin Pickel, Thomas Binder
  • Patent number: 9929485
    Abstract: Disclosed aspects include an apparatus having a card edge connector which has first and second positions. The apparatus may include a set of contacts to connect with a set of card edges in the second position. To adjust the set of contacts between the first position and the second position, the apparatus may include a set of electroactive polymers. Disclosed aspects include card edge connector management. It may be detected that a card edge connector is in a first position. A request for the card edge connector to be in a second position can be received. It is determined to adjust the card edge connector. The card edge connector is adjusted using a set of electroactive polymers. In embodiments, such adjustment can include introducing a voltage which causes the set of electroactive polymers to adjust a set of contacts between the first and second positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Tyler Jandt, Phillip V. Mann, Mark D. Plucinski, Sandra J. Shirk/Heath
  • Patent number: 9923298
    Abstract: A connector (F) includes an inner housing (11). Terminal fittings (72) fixed to front end parts of wires (71) are inserted into the inner housing (11) from behind. An outer housing (37) is mounted relatively displaceably with respect to the inner housing (11) and is held out of contact with the terminal fittings (72). Two resilient positioning members (55) are configured to position the inner housing (11) and the outer housing (37) and spaced apart in a circumferential direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: SUMITOMO WIRING SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Youjirou Hashimoto, Kazuo Nakai
  • Patent number: 9917384
    Abstract: An interface card fastening module is provided for assembling an interface card to a housing and electrically connecting the interface card with a main board having an insertion slot corresponding to the interface card, and the opening of the insertion slot is substantially parallel to the main board. The interface card fastening module includes a stopping member and an engaging member rotatably disposed on the housing so as to be movable between a release position and an engage position. Therefore, upon assembling the interface card to the main board, additional riser card would be not required. As a result, the space for installing an adapting member can be saved, and more components may be received in the housing or the size of the housing may become smaller. In addition, since the adapting member is no more needed, the manufacturing cost and assembling hours for the adapting member can be saved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: WISTRON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Li Liu
  • Patent number: 9911551
    Abstract: An electronic device has a concealed external electrical connector that may be activated by a pin of a mating connector. When the pin applies a force to an electrically conductive and flexible region of an exterior housing of an electronic device the electrically conductive region deflects inwards coupling to a contact within the electronic device. A bi-directional communications path is then established from the pin of the connector, through the conductive portion of the housing, to the contact and to circuitry within the housing of the electronic device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Tyler S. Bushnell, David I. Nazzaro, Benjamin J. Kallman
  • Patent number: 9905955
    Abstract: The terminal comprises a conductive contact plate, a conductive body, an extended part, and a lance. The conductive contact plate is elastic and makes contact with a counterpart terminal. The conductive body supports the conductive contact plate and comprises a side plate. The extended part comprises a folded part extending from the +Z-side end of the side plate and folded outward from the conductive body and an overlapped part extending from the leading end of the folded part and overlapping with the side plate. The lance is a member protruding from the overlapped part and having the shape of a cantilever beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: DAI-ICHI SEIKO CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takayoshi Endo, Sakai Yagi, Hiroyuki Kurita, Shuji Touno
  • Patent number: 9905967
    Abstract: A socket outlet includes a main module and an expansion module. An expansion socket formed with a through hole, an inner annual groove, and an outer annual groove is disposed on the main module. Three electrodes are disposed on the expansion socket, respectively extended into the through hole, the inner annual groove, and the outer annual groove. An expansion plug including a conductive pin, an inner conductive ring, and an outer conductive ring is disposed on the expansion module. The expansion plug is plugged in the expansion socket, the conductive pin is plugged in the through hole, the inner conductive ring is plugged in the inner annual groove, and the outer conductive ring is plugged in the outer annual groove. The expansion module is connected to the main module by plugging the expansion plug into the expansion socket. The expansion module and the main module can be relatively rotated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Inventors: Pei-Lun Wang, Xinping Luo
  • Patent number: 9893483
    Abstract: A card connector assembly includes: an electrical connector including an insulative housing, plural terminals secured to the insulative housing, and a shell covering the insulative housing to form a receiving cavity; and a card tray removably received in the receiving cavity, the card tray including an insulative frame and a metallic plate, the metallic plate has a recessed portion for engaging the electrical connector and an opening bordering the recessed portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: FOXCONN INTERCONNECT TECHNOLOGY LIMITED
    Inventors: Chin-Yu Chen, Shun-Jung Chuang
  • Patent number: 9893478
    Abstract: A slide connector has a garment-side connector portion and a module-side connector portion to be fitted with the garment-side connector portion in a fitting plane. The garment-side connector portion includes first contact portions each having a contact surface parallel to the fitting plane and at least one locking portion having a locking surface parallel to the fitting plane. The module-side connector portion includes second contact portions each elastically movable and at least one portion to be locked extending in parallel to the fitting plane. As the module-side connector portion is superimposed on the garment-side connector portion and slid along the fitting plane, each second contact portion comes into contact with the contact surface of a corresponding first contact portion to establish electrical connection, and the at least one portion to be locked comes into contact with the locking surface of the at least one locking portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: Japan Aviation Electronics Industry, Limited
    Inventors: Tetsuya Komoto, Keisuke Nakamura, Akihiro Matsunaga
  • Patent number: 9887480
    Abstract: A contact for connecting a first object and a second object. The contact includes a base to be connected to the first object, a connector to be brought into contact with the second object, a support that supports the connector such that the connector is disposed away from the base, and a deformation preventer that prevents deformation of the support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: FUJITSU COMPONENT LIMITED
    Inventors: Tetsugaku Tanaka, Yasuyuki Miki, Koki Sato, Mitsuru Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 9887472
    Abstract: A multimedia interface connector includes a connection terminal in electrical connection with a printed circuit board (PCB); a main ground partially enclosing a first end of the connection terminal; and an auxiliary ground arranged between the main ground and the PCB to form a return path for a signal received through the connection terminal, wherein a second end of the connection terminal and the main ground are connected to the PCB.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jin-Yong Park, Joon Mok Han, Jae Woong Jung
  • Patent number: 9877505
    Abstract: A method is disclosed comprising receiving, at a central server, via a transient data session characterized by a session limit, usage data related to an anonymous electronic vapor device, determining, by the central server, a usage profile based on the usage data, transmitting, by the central server, the usage profile to the anonymous electronic vapor device, determining the session limit has been reached, destroying the usage data, and providing a notification to the anonymous electronic vapor device that the usage data has been destroyed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: LUNATECH, LLC
    Inventors: John Cameron, Dean Becker, Gene Fein
  • Patent number: 9876295
    Abstract: A socket connector includes a first connection terminal and a second connection terminal that come into electrical contact with a plug connector, and a socket housing having an insertion opening for the plug connector. The first connection terminal is provided with a switch contact piece and a terminal body that comes into electrical contact with the plug connector. The switch contact piece has an opening contact point portion that comes into pressure contact with the plug connector, a short-circuit contact point portion, and an elastic arm that elastically supports the opening contact point portion and the short-circuit contact point portion and that is elastically deformed when the opening contact point portion is pressed by the plug connector, and thereby brings the short-circuit contact point portion out of contact with the second connection terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Inventor: Kiichi Hori
  • Patent number: 9871315
    Abstract: An electrical connector includes a housing internally defining a receiving passage having a front installation hole and a rear stop hole; an inner cap assembled to an inner side of the stop hole and internally defining a mounting passage; a pad assembled to an inner side of the installation hole and internally defining a holding passage; a conductor extended through and held in the holding passage with a forward exposed conducting pin section; and a flat spring member having a rear abutting end mounted in the mounting passage and a front clamping end riveted to a rear end of the conductor and forward pressed against a rear end surface of the pad, such that a spacing chamber is defined between an inner wall surface of the housing and the flat spring member. Therefore, the electrical conductor has fewer parts than conventional electrical connectors to enable reduced assembling complexity and time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: Din Yi Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Ching Kun Huang
  • Patent number: 9865971
    Abstract: Reconfigurable electrical and electronic communication receptacle boxes are in an assembly that has a face or plurality of faces having electrical and electronic communication receptacles. The faces are recessed from flanges which are mounted on a wall into which the assembly is inserted. The boxes in the assembly are secured to the wall by rotatable clips having a bent or kick to position correctly the clip when rotated. The assembly can be augmented after initial installation with minimal intrusion and destruction of the wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Inventor: Manuel Jose Garcia
  • Patent number: 9859657
    Abstract: A connector apparatus includes first and second connectors. The first connector includes a first latching part, a second latching part, and an arm supporting the second latching part, and visible from an exterior. The second connector includes a first latched part to be latched with the first latching part, and a second latched part to be latched with the second latching part. The second connector is to be engaged with the first connector. In accordance with an advancement of the engagement between the first connector and the second connector, as the first latched part is latched by the first latching part, the second latching part is guided by the second latched part and the arm is deflected, and after the latching between the first latching part and the first latched part, as the second latched part is latched by the second latching part, the deflection of the arm is canceled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: DAI-ICHI SEIKO CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takayoshi Endo, Takuya Takeda
  • Patent number: 9853366
    Abstract: A crimp contact is disclosed. The crimp contact has a receptacle extending in a longitudinal direction up to a receptacle end, a crimp section extending along the receptacle and beyond the receptacle end to a front end, and a wing extending from the crimp section between the receptacle end and the front end transversely to the longitudinal direction, the wing having a conductor displacing member overlapping the receptacle in the longitudinal direction. The receptacle receives a conductor in the longitudinal direction. The crimp section encloses the conductor subsequent to crimping.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: TE Connectivity Germany GmbH
    Inventors: Jens Nickel, Uwe Blummel, Helge Schmidt, Volker Seipel
  • Patent number: 9853400
    Abstract: A plug comprises power contacts and a trip jumper having jumper contacts configured to make a trip connection, during a plugging action with the plug and a receptacle, with mating trip contacts in the receptacle. When the receptacle is connected to electrical power during the plugging action, a current over the trip connection can cause disconnection of a receptacle power contact from the power. A receptacle comprises receptacle power contacts and a trip circuit having receptacle trip contacts configured to make a trip connection, during a plugging action with the receptacle and plug, with mating trip contacts in the plug. When the receptacle is connected to electrical power during the plugging action, a current over the trip connection can cause disconnection of power to a receptacle power contact. A system can have an electrical device with a line cord connected to the plug.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: William L. Brodsky, Byron S. Green, Robert K. Mullady, Jeffrey A. Newcomer, Arkadiy O. Tsfasman, John S. Werner
  • Patent number: 9847607
    Abstract: A shield cap is mounted to an electrical connector for reducing crosstalk between adjoining electrical connectors. The shield cap includes a body portion and opposite shield plates. The body portion is configured to engage the electrical connector and is formed from a non-conductive material. The opposite shield plates are connected to opposite sides of the body portion and configured to at least partially cover one or more insulation displacement contacts exposed from the electrical connector. The electrical connector includes a wire termination conductor configured to be connected to a wire conductor of a cable. The wire termination conductor is at least partially coated with a shielding layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: CommScope Technologies LLC
    Inventors: Steven Richard Bopp, Paul John Pepe
  • Patent number: 9843133
    Abstract: Connector inserts having latches, bayonets, or similar structures as retention features. The connector inserts may include these bayonets on one or more sides or other portions of the connector insert. The bayonets may be located inside of a connector insert while the connector insert is being inserted into a receptacle, thereby reducing wear and marring of the receptacle. The bayonets may extend out of a connector insert when the connector insert is inserted into the connector receptacle and may engage corresponding retention features in the connector receptacle, thereby reducing the chances of an inadvertent disconnection. When the bayonets are located inside the connector insert, the connector insert may be in a first state, while when the bayonets are extended, the connector insert may be in a second state. The connector insert may retain state in either the first or second state in the absence of a user applied force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Mani Razaghi Kashani, Paul J. Hack, Zheng Gao