Patent ID: 6589062
Filing Date: 2003-07-08
Classification: H01R,H04Q,Y10S

Abstract:
A switching coax jack module comprising:A. a housing containing a single digital signal inter-connect or cross-connect (DSX) circuit, said housing having: (a) a front end, a rear end, a side wall and top and bottom walls cooperating to define a housing interior and with said housing having a longitudinal dimension X from said front end to said rear end and with said housing having a first transverse dimension Y extending between said top and bottom walls and a second transverse dimension Z orthogonal to said first transverse dimension Y and said longitudinal dimension X and with said second transverse dimension Z being smaller than either of said first transverse dimension Y and said longitudinal dimension X; (b) said interior of said housing defining first and second recesses linearly aligned along said first transverse dimension Y at said front end and with an unobstructed access through said front end to said recesses; (c) said circuit including circuit components contained within said housing and completely within said second transverse dimension Z, said circuit components including: (1) first and second pairs of first and second coax cable connectors secured to said rear end for connection to coax cables external of said housing, said first and second pairs of first and second coax cable connectors disposed linearly aligned along said first transverse dimension Y at said rear end; (2) first and second pairs of first and second sliding coax connectors mounted within said interior; (3) first and second pairs of first and second coax conductors disposed within said interior and connecting said first and second coax cable connectors with respective ones of said first and second sliding coax connectors; (4) each of said sliding coax connectors having a sliding surface corresponding to a sliding portion of an individual one of a mating connector moving along a path of travel toward mating ends of said sliding coax connectors, said path of travel being parallel to said longitudinal dimension X; (5) said first and second pairs of said sliding coax connectors mounted within said first and second recesses, respectively, in a linear array along said first transverse dimension Y and with each of said sliding coax connectors mounted with said mating ends spaced from said front end by a recessed distance and positioned and exposed to said first and second recesses to slidably receive one of said mating connectors moving in said path of travel from said front end and parallel to said longitudinal dimension X direction; (6) said sliding connectors of each of said first and second pairs of said sliding coax connectors spaced apart by a transverse distance parallel to said first transverse dimension Y; B. said circuit further including first and second jacks cach having: (a) a jack body sized to be received within an individual one of said recesses, said body having a front wall and a rear wall, said body further having a top and a bottom; (b) first and second ones of said mating connectors disposed on said rear wall of said jack body and spaced apart by said transverse distance for said mating connectors to slidably mate with said sliding coax connectors as said jack body is inserted into said recess, with an axis between said top and bottom parallel with said first transverse dimension Y; (c) said jack body including at least a first forward port on said front wall for receiving a jack plug; (d) a switching circuit within said body for normally electrically connecting said mating connectors in the absence of a plug in said first forward port and for opening said connection upon insertion of a plug into said first forward port; (e) wherein said rear wall defines a planar surface parallel to the first and second transverse dimensions Y and Z, said mating connectors of said jack body configured as ports recessed into said planar surface of said rear wall and wherein said sliding coax connectors are configured as plugs for receipt in said ports of said rear wall; C. said interior of said housing and said jack bodies having cooperating guides for guiding said jacks into said recesses with said jacks moving in the path of travel and with the mating connectors aligned with the sliding connectors.