Patent ID: 11967788
Assignee: RHEEM MANUFACTURING COMPANY
Field: Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H  G | IPC H

Claim 15:
16. A plug-in connector for a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, the plug-in connector comprising:
a housing comprising a first terminal receiving cavity, a second terminal receiving cavity, a third terminal receiving cavity, and a fourth terminal receiving cavity, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth terminal receiving cavities are disposed in a linear arrangement;
a first contact terminal disposed in the first terminal receiving cavity;
a second contact terminal disposed in the second terminal receiving cavity;
a third contact terminal disposed in the third terminal receiving cavity;
a fourth contact terminal disposed in the fourth terminal receiving cavity;
an identification device disposed in the housing, wherein the identification device is in contact with the first contact terminal and the second contact terminal, and wherein the identification device comprises a unique identifier;
wherein one of the first contact terminal or the second contact terminal is an output terminal of the identification device;
wherein the unique identifier of the identification device is configured to be determined via the output terminal for authenticating the plug-in connector; and
wherein authentication of the plug-in connector, by a control unit, facilitates establishment of a power and data path through a mating connector or electric device.