Patents by Inventor Kent E. Regnier

Kent E. Regnier 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).

  • MODULAR JACK WITH ENHANCED SHIELDING
    Publication number: 20130130561
    Abstract: An electrical connector includes a dielectric housing having a mating face, a plurality of openings therein configured as pairs of aligned openings and a receptacle for receiving a plurality of internal modules therein. A plurality of electrically conductive contacts are positioned within the housing with a portion of each contact extending into one of the openings for engaging contacts of a mateable connector. At least one conductive inter-module shield is located within the receptacle and extends generally towards the mating face to define a plurality of module receiving cavities.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2010
    Publication date: May 23, 2013
    Applicant: MOLEX INCORPORATED
    Inventor: Kent E. Regnier
  • MODULAR JACK WITH ENHANCED PORT ISOLATION
    Publication number: 20130102203
    Abstract: An electrical connector includes a dielectric housing with a plurality of filtering modules therein. Each filtering module has a housing and a magnetics assembly including transformer cores with wires wrapped therearound. An array of pins extend from the module housing for connection to the wires. A plurality of tails extend from the module housing for interconnection to a circuit board upon which the connector may be mounted. An interconnection is provided between the pins and tails that may include filtering or other signal modifying circuitry.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 4, 2010
    Publication date: April 25, 2013
    Applicant: Molex Incorporated
    Inventors: Brian P. O'Malley, Michael R. Kamarauskas, Timothy R. McClelland, Emanuel G. Banakis, Johnny Chen, Kent E. Regnier
  • CIRCUIT BOARD WITH AIR HOLE
    Publication number: 20130077268
    Abstract: A circuit board includes a first and second ground layer and a plurality of signal vias extending between the ground layers but not electrical contact therewith. Ground vias coupled to the first and second ground layers can be positioned adjacent signal vias and can include ground traces that extend between adjacent ground vias. Air holes can be positioned between signal vias and/or adjacent signal vias to modify the electrical performance of the circuit board. Ground wings can be used to help tune common-mode and/or differential-mode impedances.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2010
    Publication date: March 28, 2013
    Applicant: MOLEX INCORPORATED
    Inventors: David L. Brunker, David E. Dunham, Kent E. Regnier, Michael J. Neumann
  • CONNECTOR SHIELD WITH INTEGRATED FASTENING ARRANGEMENT
    Publication number: 20130072062
    Abstract: A shield for a connector that can provide a card-receiving slot is disclosed. The shield includes sides that provide an enclosure. The shield includes a fastener that is held in place by a retaining notch in a bottom of the shield. The retaining notch is configured to support the fastener in place and restrain it from unintended translation or rotation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2012
    Publication date: March 21, 2013
    Applicant: Molex Incorporated
    Inventors: Kent E. Regnier, Harold Keith Lang, Patrick R. Casher
  • Connector system with airflow control
    Patent number: 8393917
    Abstract: A connector assembly includes a cage with a plurality of ports for receiving modules. An air passage is associated with each port and extends from a rear wall of the cage through a front face of the cage. The air passage way is configured to provide relatively consistent airflow regardless of whether or not a module is inserted into the corresponding port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Assignee: Molex Incorporated
    Inventor: Kent E. Regnier
  • Shield with integrated mating connector guides
    Patent number: 8342881
    Abstract: A shield is provided for use with a connector assembly that includes for sides that form an enclosure, one of the sides being a baseplate. The shield can include a plurality of guides positioned on the baseplate and the plurality of guides can be arranged in a pattern. Each guide can be formed by making two slits in the bottom plate so as to define a body portion of the guide and the body portion can be extended in the enclosure. Each guide can be supported by the baseplate at opposite ends of the body portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: Molex Incorporated
    Inventors: Harold Keith Lang, Kent E. Regnier, Jerry A. Long
  • Electrical connector solder terminal
    Patent number: 8328564
    Abstract: A connector is provided for mounting a module to a printed circuit board. The connector includes a housing having end walls defining a slot for receiving a module. Terminals are mounted within the housing on either side of the slot. Each terminal includes a tail. A solder mass is attached to each tail and is used to bond the connector to the printed circuit board. The solder mass is attached to each tail without the use of a reflow process. The solder mass can be attached to the tail of the terminal either through a mechanical attachment or through bonding. A reflow process is then used to attach the connector to the printed circuit board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Molex Incoporated
    Inventors: Kent E. Regnier, Victor Zaderej
  • CIRCUIT MEMBER WITH ENHANCED PERFORMANCE
    Publication number: 20120309233
    Abstract: An electrical connector includes a dielectric housing with a plurality of filtering modules therein. Each filtering module has a housing and a magnetics assembly including transformer cores with wires wrapped therearound. An array of pins extend from the module housing for connection to the wires. A plurality of tails extend from the module housing for interconnection to a circuit board upon which the connector may be mounted. An interconnection is provided between the pins and tails that may include filtering or other signal modifying circuitry. A circuit member having an enhanced layout is also provided for use in or upon which the connector may be mounted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 4, 2010
    Publication date: December 6, 2012
    Applicant: Molex Incorporated
    Inventors: Brian P. O'Malley, Michael R. Kamarauskas, Timothy R. McClelland, Emanuel G. Banakis, Johnny Chen, Kent E. Regnier
  • MULTI-LAYER CIRCUIT MEMBER AND ASSEMBLY THEREFOR
    Publication number: 20120282807
    Abstract: A multi-layer circuit member includes a conductive reference plane with first and second electrically connected regions. A pair of signal conductors are in proximity to the first region and a circuit component is in proximity to the second region. An area of increased impedance exists between the first and second electrically connected regions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 4, 2010
    Publication date: November 8, 2012
    Applicant: Molex Incorporated
    Inventor: Kent E. Regnier
  • MULTI-LAYER CIRCUIT MEMBER WITH REFERENCE CIRCUIT
    Publication number: 20120280766
    Abstract: A multi-layer circuit member includes first and second electrically connected reference regions. At least a portion of a signal conductor is in proximity to the first region and a circuit component is in proximity to the second region. An area of increased impedance exists between the first and second electrically connected regions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 4, 2010
    Publication date: November 8, 2012
    Applicant: MOLEX INCORPORATED
    Inventor: Kent E. Regnier
  • HORIZONTALLY CONFIGURED CONNECTOR
    Publication number: 20120264325
    Abstract: A connector of horizontal construction includes at least a pair of first and second halves that are mated together along a common mating line. A plurality of mating blades are supported in a vertical arrangement within a mating portion of the connector. The connector includes two distinct fasteners for holding the housing halves together. A fastener can be provided as a horizontal attachment member that extends widthwise in the mating portion in a space between the circuit cards. A second fastener can be provided as an exterior retainer that engages at least part of the outer circumference, or perimeter of the connector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2012
    Publication date: October 18, 2012
    Applicant: Molex Incorporated
    Inventors: Bruce Reed, Harold Keith Lang, Kent E. Regnier, Jay Neer
  • Horizontally configured connector
    Patent number: 8241045
    Abstract: A connector of horizontal construction includes at least a pair of first and second halves that are mated together along a common mating line. A plurality of mating blades are supported in a vertical arrangement within a mating portion of the connector. The connector includes two distinct fastenings means for holding the housing halves together. A first fastening means is provided as a horizontal attachment member that extends widthwise in the mating portion in a space between the circuit cards. A second fastening means is provided as an exterior retainer that engages at least part of the outer circumference, or perimeter of the connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: Molex Incorporated
    Inventors: Bruce Reed, Harold Keith Lang, Kent E. Regnier, Jay Neer
  • Connector with improved manufacturability
    Patent number: 8226441
    Abstract: An I/O connector has a housing that contains a plurality of individual terminal wafers containing terminal dedicated to either ground signals or differential signals. The terminals are arranged in widthwise order to define broadside coupled differential signal terminal pairs. The ground terminals are wider than the signal terminals to provide shielding to the differential signal pairs. The body portions of the ground terminals include pairs of opposed notches that provide for increased retention of the ground terminals in the wafer and provide increased flow for molding material during the formation of the wafers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: Molex Incorporated
    Inventors: Kent E. Regnier, Patrick R. Casher
  • HIGH DATA-RATE CONNECTOR
    Publication number: 20120129382
    Abstract: A plug connector is provided that can be electrically coupled to wires provided in a cable. The connector includes a leadframe that supports contacts and insulation displacement terminals in electrical communication. The connector includes a wire module that includes wire channels. A cage is provided to support the leadframe and the wire module. When wires from the cable are inserted into the wire channels, the wire module can be translated so that the insulation displacement terminals engage the wires. In an embodiment, the electrical path between a contact and a corresponding insulation displacement terminal can extend through magnetics and the magnetics can help increase the signal to noise ratio.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 14, 2010
    Publication date: May 24, 2012
    Applicant: Molex Incorporated
    Inventors: Kent E. Regnier, Johnny Chen
  • CONNECTOR SYSTEM WITH AIRFLOW CONTROL
    Publication number: 20120099275
    Abstract: A connector assembly includes a cage with a plurality of ports for receiving modules. An air passage is associated with each port and extends from a rear wall of the cage through a front face of the cage. The air passage way is configured to provide relatively consistent airflow regardless of whether or not a module is inserted into the corresponding port.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2011
    Publication date: April 26, 2012
    Applicant: Molex Incorporated
    Inventor: Kent E. Regnier
  • Connector shield with integrated fastening arrangement
    Patent number: 8162675
    Abstract: A shield for a connector that can provide a card-receiving slot is disclosed. The shield includes sides that provide an enclosure. The shield includes a fastener that is held in place by a retaining notch in a bottom of the shield. The retaining notch is configured to support the fastener in place and restrain it from unintended translation or rotation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Molex Incorporated
    Inventors: Kent E. Regnier, Harold Keith Lang, Patrick R. Casher
  • CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY WITH IMPROVED COOLING CAPABILITY
    Publication number: 20120058670
    Abstract: A connector includes a cage that has two side walls, a top cover and a rear wall that are combined to form a hollow enclosure. The enclosure is separated into two module-receiving bays by at least one spacer with a top and bottom wall that extends between the sidewalls to form a central portion between a top and bottom bay, the central portion acting as an air passage between a front face and the sides of the connectors. Air openings are formed in the sidewalls of the cage assembly and they communicate with the central portion. The bottom wall of the spacer is provided with a large opening that extends a substantial distance of module-receiving bay and provides an air flow path from the air openings to the bottom module-receiving bay.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2010
    Publication date: March 8, 2012
    Inventors: Kent E. Regnier, Harold Keith Lang
  • VERTICAL CONNECTOR FOR A PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD
    Publication number: 20120034820
    Abstract: An connector assembly is provided that may be utilized for vertical applications on a circuit board. The assembly includes a housing that supports a plurality of wafers that in tern support a plurality of terminals. The housing includes a base and a nose and can have two slots in the nose and the terminals extend to both slots. A guide frame can be positioned on the housing to help support the housing. The terminals can be arranged in a row on both sides of the two slots. The tails of the terminals can be configured with respect to the slots so as to provide desirable performance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 18, 2010
    Publication date: February 9, 2012
    Applicant: Molex Incorporated
    Inventors: Harold Keith Lang, Kent E. Regnier, John Jantelezio
  • HIGH DATA RATE CONNECTOR SYSTEM
    Publication number: 20120003848
    Abstract: A connector and circuit board assembly includes terminals in a connector that are mounted to vias in a circuit board. Signal and ground terminals are thus coupled to signal traces and ground planes in the circuit board. Additional pinning vias that are aligned with the ground vias may be provided in a circuit board to help improve electrical performance at the interface between the terminals in the connector and the signal traces in the circuit board. A signal collar may allow pairs of signal traces to be split and routed around two difference sides of a via before rejoining while maintaining close electrical proximity that provides for relatively consistent electrical coupling between the traces in the pair of signal traces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2010
    Publication date: January 5, 2012
    Applicant: Molex Incorporated
    Inventors: Patrick R. Casher, Kent E. Regnier, Harold Keith Lang
  • Circuit board via arrangement for differential signal connector
    Patent number: RE43330
    Abstract: Stacked receptacles in a connector that each provide side-by-side differential signal contacts, are attached to a circuit board without additional width to accommodate multiple layers of differential signals by using connector wafer inserts that rotate the side-by-side positioned differential signal contacts to front-to-back contacts, the circuit board including a substrate having a plurality of openings to make electrical contact with conductive terminal tail portion inserted therein, the openings being divided into first and second groups of openings, the first group of openings receiving differential signal terminal tails therein and the second group of openings receiving ground terminal tail therein, when a connector is mounted to said circuit board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Molex Incorporated
    Inventors: Hazelton P. Avery, Patrick R. Casher, Richard A. Nelson, Kent E. Regnier