Patents by Inventor Dean Marlin Harmon, III

Dean Marlin Harmon, III 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).

  • Publication number: 20240088587
    Abstract: An electrical connector includes a conductive housing having a mating end and a mounting end mounted to a circuit board. The conductive housing provides electrical shielding around pockets and includes ground pads at the mounting end configured to be terminated to the circuit board. The electrical connector includes contact assemblies held by the conductive housing each having a contact holder holding at least one contact. The contact holder is received in the corresponding pocket of the conductive housing to position the at least one contact relative to the conductive housing. Each contact includes a mating end and a terminating end coupled to a signal pad of the circuit board. The conductive housing provides circumferential shielding around each contact assembly between the contact holder and the circuit board.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2022
    Publication date: March 14, 2024
    Inventors: Dean Marlin Harmon, III, Dustin Grant Rowe, Linda Ellen Shields, Michael Streckewald, Zachary Galbraith, Nitish Balakrishnan
  • Publication number: 20220082771
    Abstract: A pluggable module includes a housing having a top wall including an opening above a module cavity. The pluggable module includes a heat exchange assembly separate and discrete from the housing extending into the module cavity through the opening. The heat exchange assembly includes a thermal bridge having an upper thermal interface and a lower thermal interface. The thermal bridge includes a plurality of interleaved plates arranged in a plate stack with the plates being movable relative to each other in the plate stack. The lower thermal interface is in thermal communication with the electrical component to dissipate heat from the electrical component. The thermal bridge extends through the opening with the upper thermal interface exposed from above for dissipating heat from the heat exchange assembly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 17, 2020
    Publication date: March 17, 2022
    Inventors: Zachary Galbraith, Christopher David Ritter, Alex Michael Sharf, Dean Marlin Harmon, III
  • Patent number: 11211743
    Abstract: A communication system includes a plug module having a plug housing and a plug latch and a receptacle module having a receptacle housing and a receptacle latch. The receptacle module includes a receptacle connector with a card slot receiving a plug module circuit board. The receptacle connector includes cables terminated to contacts and extending from the receptacle connector. A receptacle cage includes a front cage interface receiving the plug module and a rear cage interface receiving the receptacle module. The front cage interface matches the rear cage interface including a front latching feature and a rear latching feature interfacing with the plug and receptacle latches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: TE CONNECTIVITY SERVICES GmbH
    Inventors: Eric David Briant, Dean Marlin Harmon, III, Randall Robert Henry, Michael John Phillips, Christopher David Ritter, Lucas Arthur Benson
  • Publication number: 20210296818
    Abstract: A communication system includes a plug module having a plug housing and a plug latch and a receptacle module having a receptacle housing and a receptacle latch. The receptacle module includes a receptacle connector with a card slot receiving a plug module circuit board. The receptacle connector includes cables terminated to contacts and extending from the receptacle connector. A receptacle cage includes a front cage interface receiving the plug module and a rear cage interface receiving the receptacle module. The front cage interface matches the rear cage interface including a front latching feature and a rear latching feature interfacing with the plug and receptacle latches.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2020
    Publication date: September 23, 2021
    Inventors: Eric David Briant, Dean Marlin Harmon, III, Randall Robert Henry, Michael John Phillips, Christopher David Ritter, Lucas Arthur Benson
  • Patent number: 10367282
    Abstract: A dual connector system includes a host circuit board and first and second electrical connectors for electrically connecting to a module circuit board of a dual connector module. The dual connector module has a latch at a front wall movable between a latched position and an unlatched position. The latch engages a latching feature of the first electrical connector in the latched position. The dual connector module has an ejector at the front wall operably coupled to the latch. The ejector is actuated in an actuation direction to release the latch and eject the dual connector module from the mated position to the unmated position after the latch is moved from the latched position to the unlatched position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2019
    Assignee: TE CONNECTIVITY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Dean Marlin Harmon, III, Michael David Herring
  • Patent number: 10312633
    Abstract: A dual connector system includes a host circuit board and first and second electrical connectors mounted to the host circuit board. The first electrical connector has a housing having a card slot for a module circuit board and the second electrical connector has a housing having an upper mating surface for the module circuit board. The housing has a first side and an opposite second side with connector latching features and holding second contacts at the upper mating surface between the first and second sides. A dual connector module is mated to the first and second electrical connectors. A securing strap is secured to the dual connector module and has a first strap latching feature being latchably coupled to the corresponding connector latching feature to secure the dual connector module to the second electrical connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: TE CONNECTIVITY
    Inventors: Michael Joseph Tryson, Nathan Lincoln Tracy, Michael David Herring, Dean Marlin Harmon, III
  • Patent number: 10290962
    Abstract: A dual connector system includes a host circuit board with first and second electrical connectors. The first electrical connector has a housing with a card slot, first contacts and a latching feature. The second electrical connector has a housing with second contacts. The dual connector system includes a dual connector module having a module circuit board having contact pads. The dual connector module has a latch movable between a latched position and an unlatched position. The latch engages the latching feature of the first electrical connector in the latched position to hold the dual connector module in a mated position. A release mechanism is operably coupled between the dual connector module and at least one of the first electrical connector and the second electrical connector. The release mechanism forces the dual connector module to an unmated position after the latch is moved from the latched position to the unlatched position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: TE CONNECTIVITY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Dean Marlin Harmon, III
  • Patent number: 10276976
    Abstract: A card guide module includes first and second rail assemblies mounted to a host circuit board proximate to a card edge connector. The rail assemblies each include a rail body having a base mounted to the host circuit board and a track extending from the base receiving a circuit card. The rail assemblies each include a positioning member held in the track having a side positioning arm engaging a corresponding side of the circuit card to position the circuit card relative to the card edge connector. The first and second side positioning arms are configured to locate the circuit card therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: TE CONNECTIVITY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael John Phillips, Randall Robert Henry, Dean Marlin Harmon, III
  • Publication number: 20190103707
    Abstract: A dual connector system includes a host circuit board and first and second electrical connectors mounted to the host circuit board. The first electrical connector has a housing having a card slot for a module circuit board and the second electrical connector has a housing having an upper mating surface for the module circuit board. The housing has a first side and an opposite second side with connector latching features and holding second contacts at the upper mating surface between the first and second sides. A dual connector module is mated to the first and second electrical connectors. A securing strap is secured to the dual connector module and has a first strap latching feature being latchably coupled to the corresponding connector latching feature to secure the dual connector module to the second electrical connector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 3, 2017
    Publication date: April 4, 2019
    Inventors: Michael Joseph Tryson, Nathan Lincoln Tracy, Michael David Herring, Dean Marlin Harmon, III
  • Publication number: 20180309213
    Abstract: A dual connector system includes a host circuit board with first and second electrical connectors. The first electrical connector has a housing with a card slot, first contacts and a latching feature. The second electrical connector has a housing with second contacts. The dual connector system includes a dual connector module having a module circuit board having contact pads. The dual connector module has a latch movable between a latched position and an unlatched position. The latch engages the latching feature of the first electrical connector in the latched position to hold the dual connector module in a mated position. A release mechanism is operably coupled between the dual connector module and at least one of the first electrical connector and the second electrical connector. The release mechanism forces the dual connector module to an unmated position after the latch is moved from the latched position to the unlatched position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 20, 2017
    Publication date: October 25, 2018
    Inventor: Dean Marlin Harmon, III
  • Publication number: 20180309215
    Abstract: A dual connector system includes a host circuit board and first and second electrical connectors for electrically connecting to a module circuit board of a dual connector module. The dual connector module has a latch at a front wall movable between a latched position and an unlatched position. The latch engages a latching feature of the first electrical connector in the latched position. The dual connector module has an ejector at the front wall operably coupled to the latch. The ejector is actuated in an actuation direction to release the latch and eject the dual connector module from the mated position to the unmated position after the latch is moved from the latched position to the unlatched position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 20, 2017
    Publication date: October 25, 2018
    Inventors: Dean Marlin Harmon, III, Michael David Herring
  • Patent number: 9991615
    Abstract: A dual connector system includes a host circuit board and first and second electrical connectors mounted to the host circuit board. The first electrical connector has a housing having a card slot for a module circuit board and the second electrical connector has a housing having an upper mating surface for the module circuit board. The housing has a hold down ledge having a hold down surface located below the upper mating surface. A dual connector module is mated to the first and second electrical connectors. The dual connector module includes a securing anchor extending below a module circuit board that engages the hold down surface and being captured below the hold down ledge to secure the dual connector module to the second electrical connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: TE CONNECTIVITY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael David Herring, Dean Marlin Harmon, III