Patents by Inventor Bruce Allen Champion

Bruce Allen Champion has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11924970
    Abstract: A cable assembly includes a cable having an insulator holding a first signal conductor and a second signal conductor and a cable shield surrounding the insulator. Exposed portions of the signal conductors extend forward of an end of the insulator for termination to a circuit card. The cable assembly includes a ground clip coupled to the end of the cable. The ground clip includes a bottom ground rake below the cable and a top ground hood above the cable. The bottom ground rake includes a window that receives the exposed portions of the first and second signal conductors therethrough. The bottom ground rake includes a lower grounding tab electrically connected to a lower portion of the cable shield and the top ground hood includes an upper grounding tab electrically connected to an upper portion of the cable shield. The bottom ground rake is coupled to the circuit card to support the cable relative to the circuit card.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: TE CONNECTIVITY SOLUTIONS GmbH
    Inventors: Chad William Morgan, Bruce Allen Champion, John Joseph Consoli
  • Publication number: 20240049394
    Abstract: A cable assembly includes a cable having an insulator holding a first signal conductor and a second signal conductor and a cable shield surrounding the insulator. Exposed portions of the signal conductors extend forward of an end of the insulator for termination to a circuit card. The cable assembly includes a ground clip coupled to the end of the cable. The ground clip includes a bottom ground rake below the cable and a top ground hood above the cable. The bottom ground rake includes a window that receives the exposed portions of the first and second signal conductors therethrough. The bottom ground rake includes a lower grounding tab electrically connected to a lower portion of the cable shield and the top ground hood includes an upper grounding tab electrically connected to an upper portion of the cable shield. The bottom ground rake is coupled to the circuit card to support the cable relative to the circuit card.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2022
    Publication date: February 8, 2024
    Inventors: Chad William Morgan, Bruce Allen Champion, John Joseph Consoli
  • Publication number: 20240047907
    Abstract: A cable assembly includes a cable having signal conductors and a cable shield surrounding an insulator. The cable assembly includes a ground clip coupled to the end of the cable having a support wall supporting the end of the cable. Exposed portions of the signal conductors extend through a window in the support wall. The ground clip includes connecting tines extending from the support wall to interface with upper and lower portions of the cable shield. The ground clip includes a mounting tab configured to be mounted to a circuit card to fix the ground clip relative to the circuit card and electrically connect the ground clip to the circuit card. The ground clip supports the cable such that the cable extends from the support wall in a cable exit direction angled transverse relative to a mounting surface of the circuit card.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2022
    Publication date: February 8, 2024
    Inventors: Bruce Allen Champion, John Joseph Consoli, Chad William Morgan
  • Publication number: 20240047910
    Abstract: A cable assembly includes a cable having signal conductors and a cable shield. The cable may have drain wires at sides of the cable. A ground clip is coupled to the end of the cable having a window that receives the exposed portions of the signal conductors therethrough. The ground clip is coupled to the circuit card to support the cable relative to the circuit card. The ground clip includes a lower grounding tab electrically connected to a lower portion of the cable shield and an upper grounding tab electrically connected to an upper portion of the cable shield. The ground clip includes connecting tines electrically connected to sides of the cable shield, such as via the drain wires.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2022
    Publication date: February 8, 2024
    Inventors: Chad William Morgan, Bruce Allen Champion, John Joseph Consoli
  • Publication number: 20240047908
    Abstract: An electronic assembly includes a socket assembly including a cage mounted to a circuit board and a socket connector received in a cavity of the cage. The socket connector includes a substrate holding interposer contacts with compressible upper and lower contact portions. The electronic assembly includes a cable connector module received in the cavity of the cage and coupled to the socket connector. The cable connector module includes a housing coupled to the cage, a circuit card received in the cavity of the housing, and cable assemblies coupled to the circuit card. The circuit card is coupled to the socket connector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2022
    Publication date: February 8, 2024
    Inventors: Chad William Morgan, Bruce Allen Champion, John Joseph Consoli
  • Publication number: 20240047909
    Abstract: A cable connector module includes a circuit card having signal contact pads on an upper surface and signal mating pads on a lower surface configured to be mated with interposer contacts of a socket connector. Signal vias extend directly through the circuit card electrically connecting the signal contact pads and the corresponding signal mating pads in the shortest path possible. The cable connector module includes cable assemblies terminated to the upper surface having a cable and a ground structure coupled to an end of the cable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2022
    Publication date: February 8, 2024
    Inventors: Chad William Morgan, Bruce Allen Champion, John Joseph Consoli, Hirotate Kadobayashi
  • Publication number: 20230369784
    Abstract: A cable card assembly includes a circuit card having mating conductors at a mating end for mating with a mating electrical connector and circuit conductors at s cable end. The cable card assembly includes cables having signal conductors and cable shields. The cable card assembly includes a contact assembly coupled to the circuit card and coupled to the cables and a contact holder holding signal contacts. Each signal contact includes a base tab terminated to the corresponding circuit conductor and a mating tab terminated to the corresponding signal conductor. The cable card assembly includes a ground bus separate and discrete from the contact assembly and coupled to the contact assembly. The ground bus is electrically connected to the cable shields to electrically connect the cable shields of the cables.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 10, 2022
    Publication date: November 16, 2023
    Inventors: Richard Elof Hamner, Tracy Lee Smith, Bruce Allen Champion, Matthew Jeffrey Sypolt, Jared Evan Rossman
  • Patent number: 11811171
    Abstract: A cable card assembly includes a circuit card and cables terminated to the circuit card. Each cable has signal conductors, an insulator, and a cable shield. The cable card includes conductor holders forward of the insulators manufactured from a dielectric material and having conductor channels that receive the signal conductors. The cable card assembly includes ground shields coupled to the circuit card providing electrical shielding for the cables. Each ground shield includes a side walls and an end wall. The end wall has an end wall connecting portion coupled to the cable shield. The first side wall has a first side wall connecting portion coupled to the cable shield. The second side wall has a second side wall connecting portion coupled to the cable shield.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: TE CONNECTIVITY SOLUTIONS GmbH
    Inventors: Bruce Allen Champion, Jeffrey Stewart Simpson, Chad William Morgan
  • Patent number: 11785731
    Abstract: A cable connector module includes a housing having a cavity and a cable connector module received in the cavity. The cable connector module includes a circuit card having rows of signal contact pads on a mounting surface. The cable connector module includes cable assemblies terminated to the circuit card arranged in rows each having a cable and a ground clip coupled to an end of the cable. The cable connector module includes a cable holder coupled to the housing that holds the cables assemblies relative to each other within the cavity of the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: TE CONNECTIVITY SOLUTIONS GmbH
    Inventors: Chad William Morgan, Bruce Allen Champion, John Joseph Consoli, Leo Joseph Graham
  • Publication number: 20230299544
    Abstract: A cable card assembly includes a circuit card and cables terminated to the circuit card. Each cable has signal conductors, an insulator, and a cable shield. The cable card includes conductor holders forward of the insulators manufactured from a dielectric material and having conductor channels that receive the signal conductors. The cable card assembly includes ground shields coupled to the circuit card providing electrical shielding for the cables. Each ground shield includes a side walls and an end wall. The end wall has an end wall connecting portion coupled to the cable shield. The first side wall has a first side wall connecting portion coupled to the cable shield. The second side wall has a second side wall connecting portion coupled to the cable shield.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2022
    Publication date: September 21, 2023
    Inventors: Bruce Allen Champion, Jeffrey Stewart Simpson, Chad William Morgan
  • Patent number: 11688963
    Abstract: A cable shield tunnel for an electrical device includes a ground bus and a floor shim, discrete from the ground bus, and coupled to a circuit card and forming a cable tunnel that receives an end of a cable. The ground bus includes an end wall extending along a first end of the cable tunnel, a first side wall extending from the end wall along a first side of the cable tunnel, and a second side wall extending from the end wall along a second side of the cable tunnel opposite the first side. The first and second side walls are configured to be coupled to the circuit card. The floor shim is provided at a second end of the cable tunnel opposite the first end and is positioned between the cable and the circuit card.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignees: TE CONNECTIVITY BELGIUM, TE CONNECTIVITY SOLUTIONS GmbH
    Inventors: Michael David Herring, Bruce Allen Champion, Megha Shanbhag, Lieven Decrock
  • Patent number: 11545786
    Abstract: A cable card assembly includes a circuit card having a substrate including mating pads at a mating end and cable pads at a cable end. The circuit card has a ground plane. Cables are terminated to the circuit card at the cable end each having signal conductors, an insulator surrounding the signal conductors, and a ground conductor surrounding the insulator. Cable shields are terminated to the ground plane providing electrical shielding for the corresponding cables. Each cable shield includes an end wall between first and second side walls to form a cable cavity. The end wall has a connecting portion between the first and second side walls and a shroud portion extending from the connecting portion covering a portion of the ground conductor. The shroud portion is curved to follow a curvature of the ground conductor and extend along opposite sides of the ground conductor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: TE CONNECTIVITY SOLUTIONS GmbH
    Inventors: Yujie He, Bruce Allen Champion, Jeff Swartzbaugh, James Charles Shiffer
  • Publication number: 20220384971
    Abstract: A cable shield tunnel for an electrical device includes a ground bus and a floor shim, discrete from the ground bus, and coupled to a circuit card and forming a cable tunnel that receives an end of a cable. The ground bus includes an end wall extending along a first end of the cable tunnel, a first side wall extending from the end wall along a first side of the cable tunnel, and a second side wall extending from the end wall along a second side of the cable tunnel opposite the first side. The first and second side walls are configured to be coupled to the circuit card. The floor shim is provided at a second end of the cable tunnel opposite the first end and is positioned between the cable and the circuit card.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2021
    Publication date: December 1, 2022
    Inventors: Michael David Herring, Bruce Allen Champion, Megha Shanbhag, Lieven Decrock
  • Publication number: 20220376441
    Abstract: A cable card assembly includes a circuit card having a substrate including mating pads at a mating end and cable pads at a cable end. The circuit card has a ground plane. Cables are terminated to the circuit card at the cable end each having signal conductors, an insulator surrounding the signal conductors, and a ground conductor surrounding the insulator. Cable shields are terminated to the ground plane providing electrical shielding for the corresponding cables. Each cable shield includes an end wall between first and second side walls to form a cable cavity. The end wall has a connecting portion between the first and second side walls and a shroud portion extending from the connecting portion covering a portion of the ground conductor. The shroud portion is curved to follow a curvature of the ground conductor and extend along opposite sides of the ground conductor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2021
    Publication date: November 24, 2022
    Inventors: Yujie He, Bruce Allen Champion, Jeff Swartzbaugh, James Charles Shiffer
  • Patent number: 11217921
    Abstract: A contact assembly for an electrical connector includes a contact positioner having contact support walls holding a contact array. The contact array includes signal contacts and ground contacts interspersed with the signal contacts. The signal contacts include mating ends configured to be mated with a mating electrical connector and mounting ends configured to be terminated to a host circuit board. The signal contacts include transition portions between the mating ends and the mounting ends. The ground contacts include mating ends, mounting ends, and transition portions between the mating ends and the mounting ends. The contract assembly includes a ground bus wire extending transversely across the contact array. The ground bus wire is electrically connected to each of the ground contacts. The ground bus wire is electrically isolated from each of the signal contacts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: TE CONNECTIVITY SERVICES GmbH
    Inventors: Michael John Phillips, Randall Robert Henry, Bruce Allen Champion
  • Publication number: 20210367364
    Abstract: A contact assembly for an electrical connector includes a contact positioner having contact support walls holding a contact array. The contact array includes signal contacts and ground contacts interspersed with the signal contacts. The signal contacts include mating ends configured to be mated with a mating electrical connector and mounting ends configured to be terminated to a host circuit board. The signal contacts include transition portions between the mating ends and the mounting ends. The ground contacts include mating ends, mounting ends, and transition portions between the mating ends and the mounting ends. The contract assembly includes a ground bus wire extending transversely across the contact array. The ground bus wire is electrically connected to each of the ground contacts. The ground bus wire is electrically isolated from each of the signal contacts.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 19, 2020
    Publication date: November 25, 2021
    Inventors: Michael John Phillips, Randall Robert Henry, Bruce Allen Champion
  • Patent number: 11125958
    Abstract: A communication system includes a host circuit board and an interposer assembly coupled to the host circuit board having an interposer substrate including an host circuit board contacts at a lower surface and module contacts at an upper surface. The communication system includes an optical pluggable module having a mating interface along a bottom of the optical pluggable module facing the interposer assembly. The optical pluggable module includes a module substrate and optical engines coupled to the module substrate with optical fiber cables extending from the optical engines to the cable end. The module substrate has module substrate contacts at a lower surface of the module substrate being electrically connected to corresponding module contacts of the interposer assembly at the upper surface of the interposer substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: TE CONNECTIVITY SERVICES GmbH
    Inventors: Bruce Allen Champion, Christopher William Blackburn, Michael David Herring, Eric David Briant
  • Patent number: 11095075
    Abstract: An electrical device including a plug connector. The plug connector includes a first flexible substrate having a plurality of signal contacts, the first flexible substrate extending from a terminating end to a mating end and configured to be flexible between the terminating end and mating end. A second flexible substrate extends in parallel spaced relation to the first flexible substrate to form a cavity between the first flexible substrate and second flexible substrate. The second flexible substrate having a plurality of signal contacts. The second flexible substrate extends from a terminating end to a mating end and configured to be flexible between the terminating end and mating end. The plug connector includes a rigid section disposed in the cavity at the mating end, the first flexible substrate moves in relation to the rigid section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: TE CONNECTIVITY SERVICES GmbH
    Inventors: Sandeep Patel, Dustin Grant Rowe, Bruce Allen Champion, Alex Michael Sharf
  • Patent number: 11081821
    Abstract: A communication system includes a circuit board having circuit board signal and ground contacts on the upper surface. The communication system includes a cable assembly having a housing holding a cable module with cables. A ground shield and signal contacts are electrically connected to the cables. The ground shield includes ground beams with ground mating interfaces coupled to corresponding circuit board ground contacts. Each signal contact has a terminating pad terminated to the cable conductor and a signal beam with a signal mating interface coupled to the circuit board signal contact. The housing includes contact channels receiving the signal and ground beams with the mating interfaces exposed for interfacing with the circuit board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2021
    Assignee: TE CONNECTIVITY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Christopher William Blackburn, Jeffery Walter Mason, Bruce Allen Champion, Nathan Lincoln Tracy
  • Publication number: 20200366017
    Abstract: A communication system includes a circuit board having circuit board signal and ground contacts on the upper surface. The communication system includes a cable assembly having a housing holding a cable module with cables. A ground shield and signal contacts are electrically connected to the cables. The ground shield includes ground beams with ground mating interfaces coupled to corresponding circuit board ground contacts. Each signal contact has a terminating pad terminated to the cable conductor and a signal beam with a signal mating interface coupled to the circuit board signal contact. The housing includes contact channels receiving the signal and ground beams with the mating interfaces exposed for interfacing with the circuit board.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 15, 2020
    Publication date: November 19, 2020
    Inventors: Christopher William Blackburn, Jeffery Walter Mason, Bruce Allen Champion, Nathan Lincoln Tracy