Patents Examined by Tho Dac Ta
  • Patent number: 5879188
    Abstract: A subminiature coaxial connector including a matched impedance plug and jack for coupling printed circuit boards, RF modules, coaxial cables and the like, and minimizing RF signal losses and/or degradations. The plug and jack each comprises a coaxial structure including an outer tubular conductor and a center contact held in place by a dielectric sleeve within the outer tubular conductor. The geometries of these elements are such that when the plug and jack are fully joined, the elements are coextensive and butt-mated, without steps, gaps or other discontinuities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 9, 1999
    Assignee: Elco U.S.A. Inc.
    Inventor: Clarence L. Clyatt
  • Patent number: 5876236
    Abstract: A lamp socket with a water sealing and electric leakage preventing structure, including a channel-like rubber gasket fitted into a top wire groove in a socket body to hold an electric wire and having two slots for the passing of a positive metal contact plate and a negative metal contact plate of the socket body, a rubber cover pad covered on the rubber gasket over the electric wire and compressed against the electric wire and the rubber gasket by a socket cap being fastened to the socket body to seal the periphery of the electric wire and to prevent water from passing to the contact areas between the electric wire and the positive and negative metal contact plates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 2, 1999
    Inventor: Ming-Hsiung Chen
  • Patent number: 5876233
    Abstract: An electrical connector system uses two electrical connector housings and two mating electrical connectors. The electrical connector housings are disposed on a support plate in an end to end relation and spaced apart by a distance smaller than twice the distance from the electrical connector housing to the fastener holding the connector to the connector housing. The fasteners are carried by and engaged with a retainer bar that further engages the connectors to pull the connectors into the connector housings and retain them in connection relationship, ensuring reliability of the connection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 2, 1999
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Apurba Choudhury, Quach Hung Huy, Miles Frank Swain
  • Patent number: 5876226
    Abstract: To enable a worker to be able to quickly and correctly verify that a slide-type cam member has moved into a closed position, making it possible for a housing of a mating connector to be moved into a completely engaged position, a resilient latch 40 member, which extends toward a housing 12 from an upper end of a side wall section 33 of a cam member 30, is located on the cam member 30. A latch section 50, which has an aperture 54 that receives a protrusion 42 of the latch member 40, is located on an upper part of the housing 12. As the cam member 30 is moved from a first position to a closed position, the latch member 40 is depressed downward as a result of the protrusion 42 moving along a second surface 55 of the latch section 50. When the cam member 30 has moved into the closed position, the protrusion 42 is received by the aperture 54 and, by virtue of the interrelationship, the latch member 40 resiles to its original shape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 2, 1999
    Assignee: The Whitaker Corporation
    Inventors: Masao Tsukakoshi, Kazuhisa Betsui
  • Patent number: 5876237
    Abstract: An electrical connector includes a dielectric housing having a terminal-receiving passage for insertion thereinto of a terminal in a given insertion direction. The terminal includes a spring contact arm at least in part projecting into the passage for engagement by an appropriate mating contact element. The terminal further includes an engagement arm projecting into the passage behind the spring contact arm at a location to provide an engagement shoulder for an insertion tool which forces the terminal into the terminal-receiving passage of the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 2, 1999
    Assignee: Molex Incorporated
    Inventors: Arvind Patel, William R. Lenz, Ken Grambley, Jack J. Schafer, Daniel M. Prescott, Charles T. Walsh
  • Patent number: 5873745
    Abstract: Device for coupling two electrical connector housing members includes two toothed sectors on one member, each sector including a slot leading to a cam. The cams cooperate with two lugs on the other member. The sectors are rotated to occupy either an open first position or a locked second position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 1996
    Date of Patent: February 23, 1999
    Assignee: Connecteurs Cinch
    Inventors: Jean-Louis Duclos, Jean Ittah, David Rognerud
  • Patent number: 5873751
    Abstract: An electrical connector is provided having a circuitized insulator including a housing having an integrally molded shroud and board having an array of holes molded therein and including conductive traces adhered to the board area in order to connect the holes having electrical contacts mounted therein with components mounted on the board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 23, 1999
    Assignee: Methode Electronics, Inc.
    Inventors: John J. Daly, Mark Sidlow
  • Patent number: 5865650
    Abstract: An ultrasound adapter assembly includes a rectangular zero-insertion-force receptacle, such as the ITT Cannon.RTM. DL-series Zero Insertion Force ("DL-ZIF") receptacle, and a high-density micro-coaxial ("HDMC") connector plug interconnected by micro-coaxial conductors. The adapter assembly includes a frame for supporting the two connectors and a locking mechanism for use in semi-permanently attaching the adapter assembly to an ultrasound imaging system receptacle. The adapter assembly permits old-style ultrasound transducer assemblies having the rectangular zero-insertion-force plug to be used with newer ultrasound imaging systems using the newer HDMC interfacing system. In an alternative embodiment, the two connectors are electrically interconnected using flex-circuit. The HDMC connector plug is formed using a multi-layer printed wiring board having a high density array of electrical contact pads on one surface arranged for compatible mating with the newer system HDMC interfacing receptacle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 1996
    Date of Patent: February 2, 1999
    Assignee: Acuson Corporation
    Inventors: Vaughn R. Marian, Jr., Donald R. Mullen
  • Patent number: 5865641
    Abstract: A solid spring electrical connector includes an elongated metal bar of sufficient cross sectional area to carry high electrical current loads. The bar is contained in a barrel with terminals of the bar projecting from opposite ends of the barrel. The bar is an integral piece which includes a spring section extending most of the length of the bar. The spring section is formed by axially spaced-apart, parallel, linear, narrow-profile notches of generally uniform width having alternating open ends facing toward opposite sides of the bar progressively along its length. Each notch extends across a major portion of the diameter of the bar thereby forming a resilient spring section in which the metal between adjacent notches forms the equivalent of long narrow flexible beams with alternating pivot points. In an alternate embodiment, electrical connectors adapted for mounting to printed circuit boards include a plurality of spring contacts in a row along the length of the connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 2, 1999
    Assignee: Delaware Capital Formation
    Inventors: Mark A. Swart, Charles J. Johnston
  • Patent number: 5863212
    Abstract: A connector apparatus for receiving a card-like data processing medium in a frame element having a rear transverse element and a pair of longitudinal elements. A header is disposed adjacent the rear element of the frame member and an actuator bar for moving the card-like data processing medium out of engagement with the header is provided. An eject plate is moved by a link arm connected to the frame at a pivot point. The actuator bar is positioned below or above one of the longitudinal elements of the frame to significantly reduce the transverse dimension of the connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 26, 1999
    Assignee: Berg Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Scott S. Duesterhoeft
  • Patent number: 5863226
    Abstract: A connector for coaxial cable, including a main body formed with an inner passage in which a pair of insulative sleeves are fitted. Each insulative sleeve is disposed with a small diameter section. A tubular contact member is fitted between the small diameter sections of the two insulative sleeves. The contact member is made of a sheet material by means of curling. Two ends of the contact member are not adjoined together so as to define a narrow slit. An opposite side of the slit is also formed with two slits which are not adjacent to each other so that when a core with 1.2 to 1.3 mm diameter is inserted into the contact member, the contact member is stretched open to achieve greater resilience.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 26, 1999
    Inventors: Cheng Sun Lan, Shen-Chia Wong
  • Patent number: 5857864
    Abstract: A waterproof connector includes a terminal, a housing, a seal member, an inclined guide portion and a slide contact portion. The housing includes an insertion opening provided for receiving the terminal, a terminal lock portion provided inside the housing and a fixing lock portion provided outside the housing, both used for locking the terminal. The inclined guide portion is provided on either the housing or the fixing portion of the seal member, and the slide contact portion is provided on the other of the housing and the fixing portion so as to be slidable relative to the inclined guide portion. The inclined guide portion and the slide contact portion guide the seal member so that it rotates into a proper position and so that the fixing engagement portion engages with the fixing lock portion when the seal member is inserted into the insertion opening of the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 12, 1999
    Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
    Inventor: Masaru Fukuda
  • Patent number: 5855492
    Abstract: A press-connecting joint connector comprises a terminal having a plurality of electrically connected press-connecting blades for electrically connecting a plurality of sheathed wires pressed into the press-connecting blades, a connector body for supporting the terminal therein, the connector body having at least one side wall, a cover, a wire-pressing portion formed on the cover for pressing the wires into the press-connecting blades when the cover is engaged with the connector body, and a notched portion formed in at least one longitudinal end of the at least one side wall of the connector body, wherein at least one of the plurality of wires, when bent, is received by and held against the notched portion to prevent the cover from being disengaged from the connector body by an external force acting on the at least one of the plurality of wires.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 5, 1999
    Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
    Inventors: Kimihiro Abe, Toshiaki Okabe
  • Patent number: 5839913
    Abstract: An edge connector for a plurality of daughter boards has a plurality of adjacent board-receiving openings which are configured to receive the daughter boards first in a common linear insertion direction at respective upstream positions and then in a common pivoting insertion direction to respective downstream positions. A plurality of latch members are operable to retain the daughter boards in their respective downstream positions. The latch members are also releasable to allow reverse pivoting of the daughter boards. The latch members are configured so that releasing the latch members associated with a relatively downstream one of the openings operates to release the latch members associated with relatively upstream ones of the openings, thereby preventing collisions between adjacent ones of the daughter boards.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 24, 1998
    Assignee: The Whitaker Corporation
    Inventor: Tadahiro Fumikura
  • Patent number: 5833487
    Abstract: An electrical connector comprises a housing and IDC terminals having IDC contact sections. The IDC contact section comprises a large wire receiving slot extending into a narrower IDC slot for connection to conducting strands of a insulated conducting wire. The wires are inserted longitudinally into wire receiving cavities extending from a rear face of the connector, whereby the cavities are bent such that they traverse obliquely the terminals, thereby causing the wire to pass through the wire receiving slot of the terminal, aligned with the cavity. The wire is inserted until it abuts a stop and, the terminal can then be further inserted into the housing such that the wire is stuffed into the IDC slot for connection therewith. This design advantageously benefits from IDC technology whilst also providing a very compact wire-to-wire spacing. Additionally, the housing and terminals are relatively simple and cost-effective to manufacture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 10, 1998
    Assignee: The Whitaker Corporation
    Inventor: Jean Claude Joly
  • Patent number: 5833500
    Abstract: A terminal fixture of the present invention comprises an electric wire connection member connected to the terminal of an electric wire; a pair of elastic contact members in which the respective top ends of a pair of side plates opposite to each other and bent in the same direction from a bottom plate are bent inward in a reverse U-shape; and a protective plate member comprising a front protective plate provided integrally with the above-mentioned bottom plate on the front side of the pair of elastic contact members, a pair of side protective plates which surround the outside of the above-mentioned pair of side plates and is formed by bending both the sides of the front protective plate on the above-mentioned electric wire connection member side, and a top plate which is located between the above-mentioned electric wire connection member and the above-mentioned pair of elastic contact members and top end thereof is extendedly provided from the one side protective plate and locked to the other side protective p
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 10, 1998
    Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
    Inventors: Tony Mahon, Masakuni Samejima
  • Patent number: 5833488
    Abstract: A connector is provided having a set of spaced blades that cooperate to penetrate the coating of a wire to make electrical contact with the wire while the connector is bent therearound. The blades are disposed circumferentially about the wire at approximately 120.degree. intervals. The connector may have a plurality of sets of blades. Further, a method of forming a connection between a wire having a coating and a connector is disclosed having the steps of extending a first, a second and a third blade from a connector body, the second blade disposed between the first and third blades, and bending the body about a portion between the first and second blades and about a portion between the second and third blades so that the blades engage the wire through the coating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 10, 1998
    Assignee: UT Automotive Dearborn, Inc.
    Inventors: Dhirendra C. Roy, Richard J. Chutorash
  • Patent number: 5830005
    Abstract: A modular guide plate for a modular plug having an insulation housing with a receiving cavity includes an organizing section having a plurality of organizing apertures in which core wires of a cable are arranged and held closely in parallel and a plurality of terminal slits through which contact terminals are press-connected to the core wires and an introducing section extending rearwardly from the organizing section and having bottom and side walls for introducing the core wires into the organizing apertures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 3, 1998
    Assignee: Hirose Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Toru Watanabe
  • Patent number: 5829999
    Abstract: An electrical pin 230 has an elongate body which is receivable in a complementary socket of an existing electrical outlet, while two electrically conductive pins on the same plug are simultaneously receivable in respective sockets for establishing a power supply path for an electrical appliance. A resilient deformable ring 238 is held captive by the body of the pin 230. Two metal spheres 234 bearing respectively against an inner peripheral region of the ring 238 lie in a transverse passage 233 extending through the body of the pin 230. A screw 236 lying in a threaded passage 231 intersecting the transverse passage 233 bears against the spheres 234. In use the screw 236 urges the spheres radially outwardly, thereby expanding the ring 238 until it bears frictionally against an adjacent portion of an associated electrical socket. The pin 230 is preferably mounted in an insulating body (not shown) having a switch cover 38 projecting from the body in lateral relationship to the pin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 3, 1998
    Assignee: Gregory Jay Whatmore
    Inventor: Stuart Bruce Macleod
  • Patent number: 5823829
    Abstract: In the structure to fit an electric bulb base into its socket and hold it there, the plate springs are provided at plural positions at some interval on the inner circumference of the hollow part of the said socket-shaped connector; each of these plate springs is provided in the direction from the proximity of opening to the recess of the said hollow part; so that the minimum inner circumference of the said hollow part formed by the presence of at least one of the plural plate springs may be smaller than the outer plug circumference of the plug-shaped connector. Further this invention is applicable to the socket structure to hold an electric bulb by using it as the plug-shaped connector, and its socket as the socket-shaped connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 20, 1998
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Suzuki