Patents Examined by Travis Chambers
  • Patent number: 9178316
    Abstract: An electronic connector includes a base, a tapered extension protruding from the base, and a nose forming a terminal end of the tapered extension. The tapered extension includes first and second connection faces tapering toward each other from the base to the nose symmetrically about a first symmetry plane. The tapered extension further includes first and second flank surfaces that form respective opposing sides of the tapered extension between the first and second connection faces. The first and second flank surfaces may taper toward each other from the base to the nose symmetrically about a second symmetry plane. The tapered extension further includes power and ground electrical contacts located along the first and second connection faces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
    Inventors: Ivan Andrew McCracken, Duane Martin Evans, Brett Tomky
  • Patent number: 9147951
    Abstract: A card connector includes a body, multiple terminals accommodated and positioned in the body, a housing covering the body, and a containing space is defined by the housing and the body and extending along a length direction of the body, a card holder with a cooperating portion positioned in the containing space, and the card holder is capable of moving forward and backward in the containing space, and an adjusting element located at the front of the card connector, including a positioning portion arranged for positioning the adjusting element to the card connector, an actuating portion corresponding with the cooperating portion, and an operation portion. When the operation portion is driven, the actuating portion actuates the cooperating portion, thereby the card holder exiting from the containing space. The structure is simple, and takes up less space, which improves miniaturization progress of the card connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2015
    Assignee: DONGGUAN JITS INDUSTRIAL LIMITED
    Inventor: Huanyi Chen
  • Patent number: 9147981
    Abstract: An electrical connector includes a housing having a receptacle, and an electrically conductive insert held by the housing within the receptacle. The electrically conductive insert includes a plurality of module openings. The electrically conductive insert includes electrically conductive segments that extend between adjacent module openings. A plurality of signal modules are held by the electrically conductive insert. Each signal module has two differential pairs of electrical contacts. The signal modules are held by the electrically conductive insert such that the electrical contacts of each signal module extend within a corresponding module opening. The electrically conducive segments of the electrically conductive insert extend between adjacent signal modules to electrically isolate the electrical contacts of the adjacent signal modules from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2015
    Assignee: TYCO ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Lawrence Se-Jun Oh, Kevin Michael Dalbey
  • Patent number: 9142895
    Abstract: A coaxial connector assembly includes an outer housing holding an outer contact, a dielectric holder received in the outer contact, and a center contact received in the dielectric holder. The dielectric holder has a front and a cavity extending axially along the dielectric holder bounded by a cavity wall. The dielectric holder has an expansion slot formed in the cavity wall offset from, and proximate to, the front. The center contact has a socket at a mating end configured to receive a pin contact of a mating connector assembly. The center contact has deflectable beams at the mating end configured to deflect outward when mated with the pin contact. The center contact has flared tip ends at the distal ends of the beams. The flared tip ends are received in the expansion slot when the deflectable beams are deflected outward during mating with the pin contact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignee: TYCO ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Douglas John Hardy, John Wesley Hall
  • Patent number: 9142919
    Abstract: An incomplete fitting prevention connector includes a first connector, a second connector that is fitted to the first connector, and a connector position assurance lock that is slidably mounted to an outer side of the second connector. The first connector includes a male beak, a short spring and a terminal. The second connector includes a female lock passing over the male beak and a short-circuit removal plate part inserted between the short spring and the terminal. A draw-in slanted surface is formed at a leading end of the male beak, a restoring force for returning the female lock to its original position serves as a driving force for fitting the connector when the female lock reaches the draw-in slanted surface, and the insertion force of the short-circuit removal plate part applied between the short spring and the terminal is reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Osada, Akihiro Tsuruta, Nobuyuki Mukoujima
  • Patent number: 9136626
    Abstract: A photovoltaic module lead foil connection system includes a wire having a fastener. The system can include a cord plate on a surface of the photovoltaic module where a conductive lead is adjacent to the module at the cord plate. The conductive lead provides external electrical access to the photovoltaic module. The system can include a fastener configured to electrically connect an end of a wire to the conductive lead at a junction mount within the cord plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: FIRST SOLAR, INC
    Inventors: Brian Cohen, Raymond Domsic
  • Patent number: 9130327
    Abstract: A clip connector is configured to cooperate with a power strip for providing power to an LED display such that the clip connector is insertable into the power strip by a user compressing the first and second legs towards one another and first inserting the first leg into the first channel of the power strip and then inserting the second leg into the second channel of the power strip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: TRINITY, LLC
    Inventors: Michael Flynn, George Cox, Saket Gohil
  • Patent number: 9130326
    Abstract: A device for supplying electrical energy to a load. A supporting element made of electrically insulating material is provided, which has at least one electrical strip conductor formed from an electrically conductive layer. At least one electrically conductive contact face per strip conductor is provided on the source side, via which the strip conductor is contactable with the voltage source. A flat plug that includes the load-side ends of the strip conductors is provided on the supporting element and effects the electrical connection to the load. A system for electrification of an electrical load on a furniture item is provided. At least one device, a support and at least one vertical profile are provided. The device is mounted on the support and the strip conductors of the support are electrified by inserting the support into the profile. For that purpose, the profile has at least one vertically arranged conductor rail.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: DULA-WERKE DUSTMANN & CO. GMBH
    Inventor: Alfons Meis
  • Patent number: 9124017
    Abstract: A terminal fitting is mounted on a terminal accommodation chamber formed in a connector housing by being engaged with an elastically deformable lance provided in the terminal accommodation chamber. The terminal fitting includes a bite resistance increasing part that is formed only at an upper portion of a hole edge engagement end face of an engaging hole to be engaged with the lance and increases a bite resistance to the lance. An lower portion of the hole edge engagement end face is flat. The bite resistance increasing part has a wave-shaped part that is formed by partially pressing the hole edge engagement end face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2015
    Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
    Inventors: Daisuke Shinkawa, Shogo Suzuki
  • Patent number: 9118129
    Abstract: A mold structure includes a fixed mold and a movable mold to bury a bus bar having a main body circuit unit with a tuning-fork terminal along with molding of a resin molded product. The fixed mold and the movable mold being joined together are configured to nip a terminal base of the tuning-fork terminal between a terminal base receiving portion of the fixed mold and a terminal base abut portion of the movable mold in a state where the tuning-fork terminal is protruded outside a cavity which is formed by mold main body portions of the fixed mold and the movable mold being joined together and into which resin is injected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2015
    Assignee: YAZAKI CORPORATION
    Inventor: Shinya Onoda
  • Patent number: 9088100
    Abstract: A connector comprising a first module (1) on which a lever (6) is mounted so as to be able to rotate, and a second module (2), the first and second modules having complementary engagement profiles and receiving complementary contact elements, the lever (6) and the second module (2) comprising complementary means (8, 9) for driving the second module (2) in translation in a coupling direction of the first and second modules (1, 2), under the action of the rotation of the lever (6), the driving means (8, 9) being suitable for abutting to block the coupling before the contact between the complementary contact elements is established upon the introduction of the second module (2) into the first module (1) as long as the lever (6) does not occupy a rotation-stroke starting position for the purpose of the driving in translation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2015
    Assignee: Tyco Electronics France SAS
    Inventor: Christian Volantin
  • Patent number: 9083112
    Abstract: The magnetic coupling connector includes: first and second connector main bodies to be coupled with each other; a magnet member disposed in a coupling portion of the first connector main body and a mate-side magnetic material disposed in a coupling portion of the second connector main body, the magnet member in the first connector main body adsorbing onto the mate-side magnetic material in the second connector main body, thereby coupling the connector main bodies together; and a contact terminal disposed in the coupling portion of the first connector main body and a contact terminal disposed in the coupling portion of the second connector main body, the contact terminals being pressed against each other when coupled. In the magnetic coupling connector, the magnet member is held by the first connector main body so as to be allowed to swing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2015
    Assignee: SMK Corporation
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Asai, Toshihiko Kato, Koichi Izawa, Shintaro Nonaka, Yutaka Nakaone
  • Patent number: 9083123
    Abstract: A visually evident connection system for a plug-in power/data cable including a power/data cable connector securable to a power/data cable. The connector is configured to be received by a power/data receptacle having an illumination region. In response to an interconnection between the connector and the receptacle, the connector is configured to provide visual evidence of the interconnection by illumination of a component other than the illumination region of the receptacle. The source of illumination of the component is provided by the illumination region of the receptacle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2015
    Assignee: Tait Towers Manufacturing, LLC
    Inventor: Rob Homan
  • Patent number: 9077123
    Abstract: An electrical connector assembly mounted on a printed circuit board, includes a socket and a connector. The socket mounted on the printed circuit board, has an insulative housing with upper body and lower body formed with a receiving room. A number of contacts respectively received in the upper body and lower body with a same structure. The contacts have spring portions extending into the receiving room and soldering portions extending beyond the upper body and the lower body. The connector is mounted on the printed circuit board. A linking element mechanically and electrically connects the socket and the connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2015
    Assignee: FOXCONN INTERCONNECT TECHNOLOGY LIMITED
    Inventor: Hao-Yun Ma
  • Patent number: 9077094
    Abstract: An electrical connector includes a dielectric housing and a plurality of electrical contacts carried by the dielectric housing. The electrical contacts can each define a mating portion that is configured to mate with a complementary mating portion of a complementary electrical connector. When the electrical connector is mated with a complementary electrical connector, a plurality of contact surfaces of the mating portions can contact a complementary mating portion, so as to establish an electrical connection between the electrical connector and the complementary electrical connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2015
    Assignee: FCI AMERICAS TECHNOLOGY LLC
    Inventor: Steven E. Minich
  • Patent number: 9070998
    Abstract: A contact assembly that comprises a conductive outer body that defines an outer perimeter and an insulative insert body that is receivable in that outer body. The insert body supports first and second contacts in a spaced arrangement. The insert body includes an area that surrounds the conductors between the conductors and the outer perimeter of the outer body, wherein the distance between the conductors and the outer perimeter of the outer body defined by the area of the insert body is substantially constant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignee: Amphenol Corporation
    Inventors: David A. Phillips, Eric P. Hickey
  • Patent number: 9071018
    Abstract: A removable case is provided with a latch that allows users to remove the case from a memory card slot or peripheral interface slot of an electronic device. The removable case can be used to enclose removable media or peripheral devices, such as wireless network interface controllers. When inserted into the memory card slot or peripheral interface slot, the removable case is designed to sit flush with the surface the electronic device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Inventors: Sang Moon Suh, Kyu Bae Lee
  • Patent number: 9071001
    Abstract: An electrical connector includes a plurality of electrical cable terminations for mating with a corresponding plurality of contact pins and a planar insulative connector body. Each of the electrical cable terminations includes a tubular housing, an inner housing, and at least one electrical contact. The tubular housing is of electrically conductive material and has inner walls defining an opening and first and second opposed open ends. The inner housing is of electrically insulating material and is inserted into the tubular housing from at least one of the open ends thereof. The inner housing comprises at least one inner space configured to receive an electrical contact in a fixed relative position. The electrical contact is positioned in the inner housing and configured to be connected to an electrical cable. The planar insulative connector body has an upper surface and an opposing lower surface. The upper and lower surfaces are defined by a front edge, a back edge, and two longitudinal side edges.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Richard J. Scherer, Joseph N. Castiglione, Abhay R. Joshi, Jesse A. Mann, James G. Vana, Jr.
  • Patent number: 9071009
    Abstract: Aesthetically pleasing strain-relief members for cables and methods for making the same are disclosed. The strain-relief members are constructed to have one or more tuning members that provide selective strain relief for the cable. Each tuning member can vary the wall thickness of the strain relief member, and depending on several factors such as how many tuning members are present, their shape, and their positions within the strain-relief member, the strain-relief member can be specifically tailored to meet desired strain relief characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: John B. Ardisana, Edward Sihaan, Eric Jol
  • Patent number: 9065186
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a novel microwave coaxial connector that allows for a board-to-board connection over a very short distance, typically less than or equal to 2 mm, with relatively high tolerances in relative value terms but low tolerances in absolute value terms, typically equal to 0.2 mm, and at the same time ensuring a good electrical contact between all the tracks of the printed circuits to be connected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2015
    Assignee: RADIALL
    Inventor: Yves Perrin