Abstract: A terminal housing for a communication jack assembly is disclosed. A representative embodiment of a terminal housing body for receiving a wire pair, the terminal housing body having a front end and a rear end, includes a base wall having a top portion. The terminal housing body also includes a channel formed in the top portion of the base wall for receiving the wire pair. The channel is adapted to guide the direction of the wire pair. The body further includes a plurality of wire guide posts extending from the top portion and joined by the base wall and running along opposing sides of the top portion of the base wall of the terminal housing body. Grooves separated by adjacent ones of the wire guide posts have openings into the channel for receiving the wires of the wire pair are also included in the body.

Abstract: An electrical connector terminal includes a planar wire connecting portion formed to connect with an outside wire lead, the connecting portion defining a first plane. A shoulder portion of the terminal has a planar first section extending from a first side of the connecting portion, and the first section defines a second plane that is normal to the first plane of the connecting portion so that the terminal is held stable when mounted on a wiring board and the first section of the shoulder portion is restrained by an outside part located out of the first plane of the wire connecting portion. An elongated mounting portion or tail is formed to fit axially in a terminal opening in the wiring board. The tail is joined to a free end of the first section of the shoulder portion remote from the wire connecting portion, and the second plane of the first section includes the axis of the mounting portion.

Abstract: A terminal housing for a communication jack assembly is disclosed. A representative embodiment of a terminal housing body for receiving a wire pair, the terminal housing body having a front end and a rear end, includes a base wall having a top portion. The terminal housing body also includes a channel formed in the top portion of the base wall for receiving the wire pair. The channel is adapted to guide the direction of the wire pair. The body further includes a plurality of wire guide posts extending from the top portion and joined by the base wall and running along opposing sides of the top portion of the base wall of the terminal housing body. Grooves separated by adjacent ones of the wire guide posts have openings into the channel for receiving the wires of the wire pair are also included in the body.

Abstract: A communication jack connector includes a wiring board having a front region, and a number of contact wires for engaging and making electrical connections with corresponding terminals of a conforming plug connector. The contact wires have free ends formed to be deflected resiliently in a direction toward the front region of the wiring board when engaging the plug connector. At least one clearance opening is formed in the wiring board at a location where the free end of a corresponding contact wire would otherwise contact an upper surface of the board when deflected by the plug connector. The clearance opening is dimensioned so that part of the free end of the contact wire deflects into the opening a certain distance from the upper surface of wiring board while the contact wire maintains sufficient resilient force to connect electrically with the corresponding terminal of the plug connector.

Abstract: A communication jack connector includes a wiring board having a front region, and a number of contact wires for engaging and making electrical connections with corresponding terminals of a conforming plug connector. The contact wires have free ends formed to be deflected resiliently in a direction toward the front region of the wiring board when engaging the plug connector. At least one clearance opening is formed in the wiring board at a location where the free end of a corresponding contact wire would otherwise contact an upper surface of the board when deflected by the plug connector. The clearance opening is dimensioned so that part of the free end of the contact wire deflects into the opening a certain distance from the upper surface of wiring board while the contact wire maintains sufficient resilient force to connect electrically with the corresponding terminal of the plug connector.

Abstract: An electrical connector terminal includes a planar wire connecting portion formed to connect with an outside wire lead, the connecting portion defining a first plane. A shoulder portion of the terminal has a planar first section extending from a first side of the connecting portion, and the first section defines a second plane that is normal to the first plane of the connecting portion so that the terminal is held stable when mounted on a wiring board and the first section of the shoulder portion is restrained by an outside part located out of the first plane of the wire connecting portion. An elongated mounting portion or tail is formed to fit axially in a terminal opening in the wiring board. The tail is joined to a free end of the first section of the shoulder portion remote from the wire connecting portion, and the second plane of the first section includes the axis of the mounting portion.

Abstract: A wire board connector has a connector body of generally rectangular form. The body has a pair of side walls and first locating members extending from the side walls. The members are arranged to adjoin a first surface of a wire board having a mounting slot cut into an edge of the board, within which slot the connector body is to be mounted. Second locating members extending from the side walls of the body are arranged to adjoin a second surface of the board opposite the first surface when the connector body is mounted in the mounting slot. The connector body is restrained from movement by the locating members in directions normal to the wire board. Terminals supported by the connector body are provided for establishing contact between a mating connector and components of the wire board.

Abstract: An outlet assembly for use with optical fibers and, where called for, electrical cables has a hinged wall plate adapted to be mounted to an outlet box. The wall plate is adapted to receive couplers therein for receiving both optical fiber and electrical connectors. A storage spool is mountable to the rear of the wall plate for storing the required amounts of fiber slack and includes wall members and guide members for maintaining separation among at least some of the fibers. The wall plate has an upper portion which is pivotally connected to a lower portion and which can be swung away from the outlet box to provide access to the rear of the wall plate. A protective hood is movably mountable to the front of the wall plate to protect the various connections thereto.

Abstract: A patch panel having an array of openings therein and an adapter collar for mounting an optical fiber coupler in an opening. The collar has two body portions, one of which fits within the opening and the other of which buts against the front face of the panel. A coupler receiving opening extends through the body portions and has webs therein providing locking surfaces for the coupler. The collar is mounted and locked in the opening by means of cantilevered arms biased outward from the body portions, and a locking member is insertable between the arms and the body portions to prevent accidental or inadvertent release of the collar from the panel.

Abstract: A wire guide and optical fiber storage spool assembly of this invention is adapted to engage with a patch panel housing optical fiber or conductive wire connectors. The wire guide has a substantially C-shaped pan with a gap through which can be laterally passed conductive wires attached to connectors of the patch panel. The first side of the C-shaped part has a locking member for releasably engaging the patch panel, while the second side of the C-shaped part has a slide for connecting the storage spool to the wire guide. Slide receptacles on the storage spool base releasably lock into engagement with the wire guides so that the storage spool cannot inadvertently be released from its supporting wire guides. The optical fiber storage spool base supports a spool about which can be wound optical fibers connected by connectors in the patch panel. To confine the optical fibers in near proximity to an outside surface of the spool, substantially L-shaped members are supported by the base and curve toward the spool.

Abstract: A curved guide for filamentary signal transmission media such as optical fibers has a curved surface with a radius of curvature greater than a critical radius. Fingers extending from the surface are designed to trap and hold fibers in close proximity to the surface, thus preventing too sharp bending of the fiber. At one end of the guide is a mounting member for mounting the guide to any one of a number of different fiber bearing components such as connectors and coupler holding adapter collars.

Abstract: An insertion cap for inserting and connecting wires in an insulation displacement type of connector has a roof-shaped upper member and depending side walls. Slotted ribs extend between the sidewalls for driving the wires being connected down into the slots formed by bifurcated fingers in the connector. The upper surface of the upper member has slots or other impact tool locating means for holding the impact tool in place while it delivers an impact to the cap, driving it and the ribs downward into the connector. The slot or slots are so positioned that the cap does not cant or flip when the impact is delivered thereto.

Abstract: A patch panel which includes an array of connectors includes a panel plate (22) having an array of openings (24,24) formed therein. Each opening is capable of receiving an adapter (30) which may be made of a plastic material and which includes opposed depressible cantilevered beams. Each adapter on opposed top and bottom surfaces of the arms includes two wedge-shaped tabs which cooperate with depending portions of sidewalls of the adapter to secure the adapter to the panel plate. Opposed grooves (55,55) open to internal sidewall surfaces and terminate in bridge portions (58,58) adjacent to a rear of the adapter. Each groove is adapted to receive a resilient tab (68) formed in a sidewall of a connector (60) or detent member (97) of a collar (80) to be received in the adapter.

Abstract: A wall plate comprises a generally flat surface having an opening therein, extending between its front and back sides, for receiving a communications jack. The back side of the wall plate includes apparatus for engaging the jack and holding it together with the wall plate. A pair of slots are positioned on opposite sides of the opening which provide access, from the front side of the wall plate, to the jack engaging apparatus so that the jack can be easily removed from the wall plate. The slots comprise grooves within a pair of sidewalls that are positioned on opposite sides of the opening. Each groove extends from the front surface of the wall plate toward the back surface thereof, but terminates in a ledge before reaching the back edge of the sidewall. The sidewalls are connected by top and bottom walls and, together, form a collar around the back side of the wall plate.

Abstract: A compact electrical connector is formed from a metallic lead frame and a spring block. The lead frame comprises a number of flat elongated conductors, each terminating in a spring contact at one end and in an insulation-displacing connector at the other. The insulation-displacing connectors are folded around opposite side walls of the spring block to achieve compactness, and the spring contacts are folded around its front surface for insertion into a modular jack. The front surface of the spring block includes a tongue-like projection which fits into one end of a jack frame and interlocks therewith. A dielectric cover surrounds the spring block and lead frame assembly to assist in supporting the lead frame and electrically insulating it from external. Together, the spring block and jack frame comprise a standard modular jack of the type specified in the FCC Registration Rules. Up to six (6) such modular jacks can be mounted onto a single wall plate having conventional dimensions.

Abstract: A printed wiring board connector comprises a rigid, dielectric surface with an opening therein. Mounted on the rigid surface are various components and conductive paths; the components include jumper wires that span the opening and are mechanically attached to the rigid surface on opposite sides of the opening. The jumper wires are electrically connected to the conductive paths. The printed wiring board connector is joined with a base unit which comprises a rigid, dielectric structure having connector housing molded therein that extends through the opening in the printed wiring board and includes wire-receiving slots for supporting the jumper wires. In one assembly, the connector housing includes metallic connectors positioned between a lead frame associated with the base unit and the jumper wires. In another assembly, the connector housing includes pairs of slots for facilitating electrical connections. Insulation-displacement connectors are used for easy attachment to the printed wiring board connector.

Abstract: An electrical connector receptacle, of the telephone jack type, includes a housing of dielectric material having an opening into a plug-receiving cavity in its front end. The receptacle further includes cantilever flexible mounting members on opposite side surfaces thereof which are adapted to deflect into the plug-receiving cavity when the receptacle is inserted or removed from an appropriately-dimensioned opening in an associated coverplate. In one embodiment, the flexible mounting members include wedge-shaped protrusions that interact with the coverplate to deflect the flexible mounting members into the cavity. In this embodiment, the receptacle further includes a stop member that prevents it from being pushed completely through the opening in the coverplate. In another embodiment, the flexible mounting members include holes that mate with protrusions in the coverplate. In this embodiment, a stop member is not required.

Abstract: A technique for permanently joining thermoplastic parts in a single stroke converts kinetic energy into thermal energy. In this technique, one of the thermoplastic parts includes a linear shaft while the other includes a cavity having the same general shape but being slightly smaller in its cross-section. The thermoplastic parts are permanently joined when the shaft is thrust into the cavity at a velocity that exceeds a predetermined minimum value which is a function of the thermoplastic materials used and the relative dimensions of the shaft and cavity. An interference fit between the shaft and cavity causes frictional heat to be generated which melts the contacting surfaces and thus welds the parts together after a brief cooling period.