Abstract: A plastic ferrule including a centering section having a tubular body. The tubular body is provided with an outer-circumferential centering reference surface and a center axis of the centering reference surface. The centering section includes a resinous outer tube part having the outer-circumferential centering reference surface and provided, along the center axis, with a coated-fiber holding bore for securely accommodating a coated optical fiber and a fixing bore extending from the coated-fiber holding bore, the outer tube part forming a tubular wall with a generally uniform thickness as a whole. The centering section also includes an inner tube part fixed to the fixing bore of the outer tube part and provided along the center axis with an uncoated-fiber holding bore, communicating with the coated-fiber holding bore, for securely accommodating an uncoated optical fiber.

Abstract: A plastic ferrule including a centering section having a tubular body. The tubular body is provided with an outer-circumferential centering reference surface and a center axis of the centering reference surface. The centering section includes a resinous outer tube part having the outer-circumferential centering reference surface and provided, along the center axis, with a coated-fiber holding bore for securely accommodating a coated optical fiber and a fixing bore extending from the coated-fiber holding bore, the outer tube part forming a tubular wall with a generally uniform thickness as a whole. The centering section also includes an inner tube part fixed to the fixing bore of the outer tube part and provided along the center axis with an uncoated-fiber holding bore, communicating with the coated-fiber holding bore, for securely accommodating an uncoated optical fiber.

Abstract: A card-type peripheral device with a connector element, the device comprising the function of shielding contacts when the device is not in use. The device comprises a circuit board, a connector element including a plurality of contacts for connecting a circuit board to an intended apparatus, and a hollow card-type housing having openings for exposing an contact portion on the intended apparatus side of each contact. The housing contains the circuit board fixedly, and the connector element movably, therein. The connector element has a slide knob, and by moving the slide knob within a slide knob opening, can assume two states including an open state in which the contact portions are exposed from the openings and connectable with the terminals of the intended apparatus and a closed state in which the contact portions are contained in the housing and protected from external dust and dirt, etc.