Abstract:
A wire containment has a strain relief clip with a flexible member. The flexible member extends from the strain relief clip and is interposed between an inserted cable and the remainder of the stain relief clip.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/633,950, filed Feb. 27, 2015, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/745,017, filed Jan. 18, 2013, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,968,024 on Mar. 3, 2015, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/589,889, filed Jan. 24, 2012, the subject matter of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates generally to communication jacks and more specifically to communications jacks with wire containment caps capable of providing strain relief to cables of various diameters. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    In the field of network connectivity, market interest in smaller diameter network cabling has been increasing. Smaller diameter cabling reduces manufacture cost and the amount of resources used for the cabling. In some markets, 28 and 30 AWG conductor network cable is being used. Consequently, interest in communication jacks which are compatible with four twisted pair (CAT5E, CAT6, CAT6A, for examples) network cabling using 28 and 30 AWG wire has been increasing as such jacks can provide an end user with a complete channel solution using the 28 or 30 AWG conductor cable. 
         [0004]    For some applications, a 100 meter channel is not needed and consequently the insertion loss budget available for a 100 meter channel can be used for a shorter channel length with a cable having smaller conductors (and therefore higher insertion loss). One of the challenges of providing a jack compatible with 28 and 30 AWG conductor cable is that, although the smaller cable conductors provide the advantages of having smaller diameter and being more flexible, there can be difficulty in obtaining appropriate strain relief between the jack and cable. 
         [0005]    During the installation of a structured cabling system, strain may be applied to horizontal cable runs that are terminated to mounted modular jacks. One cause of strain on a horizontal cable run may be a technician pulling new horizontal cable runs in close proximity to the existing horizontal cable runs. Another cause of strain on a horizontal cable run may be a technician placing existing horizontal cable runs routed in similar locations into cable bundles. These cable bundles may increase the strain applied to each individual horizontal cable run. Yet another cause of strain on a horizontal cable run may be a technician installing a horizontal cable run with insufficient slack. The horizontal cable run may then need to be pulled taut to reach the mounting location of the modular jacks and this may introduce a constant strain onto the horizontal cable run. 
         [0006]    Strain may also be applied to horizontal cable runs that are terminated to mounted modular jacks after the structured cabling system has been installed. A major cause of this strain on a horizontal cable run may be a network administrator rearranging the location of particular modular jacks or cables in the structured cabling system. After removing a modular jack from its mounted position, the network administrator may apply strain on the horizontal cable run by pulling the modular jack and the terminated horizontal cable run to its new location. The network administrator may also place the modular jack in a new mounting location where the terminated horizontal cable run does not have sufficient slack, which may introduce a constant strain onto the horizontal cable run. 
         [0007]    Applying strain to a terminated horizontal cable run may introduce problems in the termination area of a modular jack. One problem with applying strain to a horizontal cable run is that the wire pairs of the cable may be partially or fully pulled out of the insulation displacement contact (“IDC”) terminals of the modular jack, which may result in wire containment cap failures or variability in modular jack performance. Another problem with applying strain to a horizontal cable run is that the strain may damage the IDC terminals of the modular jack. Yet another problem with applying strain to a horizontal cable run, and particularly constant strain, is that over time the strain may cause the horizontal cable insulation near the termination area of the modular jack to pull back, rip or tear apart and expose live wire pairs. Any exposure of live wire pairs may present a safety hazard, result in a short circuit, or change the electrical performance of the modular jack. 
         [0008]    U.S. Pat. No. 7,452,245 (Doory et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 7,476,120 (Patel et al.), which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety, disclose communication jacks having wire containment caps with strain relief clips which can prevent the wire pairs of the cable from pulling out of the jack terminals due to horizontal strain by providing pressure on the cable to hold the cable in place relative to the jack housing. These designs are versatile and can easily accommodate network cabling with stranded or solid conductors in the range of 22-26 AWG (corresponding to a 0.0253-0.0159 inch conductor diameter range, respectively) which is typical of ANSI/TIA 568 standard compliant cable. Although the &#39;245 and &#39;120 inventions can be used with network cable using 28 and 30 AWG conductors (corresponding to 0.0126 and 0.0100 inch conductor diameters, respectively), special considerations need to be taken into account when applying strain relief to the smaller conductor cable. 
         [0009]    Generally, network cable using 22-26 AWG conductors are: 1) relatively easy to terminate to jack IDCs with good conductor/IDC retention; 2) relatively stiff; 3) relatively large; and 4) and due in part to the aforementioned 2) and 3) characteristics, have a relatively small deformation for a given compression (gripping) to provide strain relief with adequate retention. Relatively small cable deformation can be advantageous because the twisted pair conductors can maintain their relative positioning. Deformation of the twisted pairs can result in degradation of electrical performance of the channel, particularly return loss, and also possibly NEXT degradation. Network cabling using 28 and 30 AWG conductors which has the advantages of small cable size, improved cable flexibility, lower cost, and relatively small conductor diameters, is generally more challenging to terminate to jack IDCs with good conductor/IDC retention and has a relatively large deformation for a given compression (gripping) to provide strain relief with adequate retention. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    In one embodiment, a wire containment cap with a flexible seat is presented. The seat sits below an opening in the rear of the wire containment cap. The seat has a seat base with a pair of flexible members initially extending upwards from opposite sides of the base and then curve towards each other. In one embodiment the ends of the flexible members can curve down and towards each other in order to better conform to the shape of a cable. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a isometric view of a patch panel with communications jacks. 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a isometric view of one of the communications jacks of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is an exploded isometric view of one of the communications jack of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is a isometric view of a wire containment cap with a flexible seat to be used with one of the communications jack of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0015]      FIGS. 5 and 6  are rear views of the wire containment cap of  FIG. 4  demonstrating how the flexible members of the flexible seat adapt to cables of differing diameters. 
           [0016]      FIG. 7  is a isometric view of the IDCs of the communications jack of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0017]      FIGS. 8 and 9  are isometric views of a second embodiment of a wire containment cap of a communications jack. 
           [0018]      FIGS. 10 and 11  are isometric views of a shielded jack with a wire containment cap with flexible members relocated from the seat to the clip. 
           [0019]      FIGS. 12 and 13  are exploded isometric views of the shielded jacks of  FIGS. 10 and 11 . 
           [0020]      FIGS. 14 and 15  are rear views of the wire containment caps of  FIGS. 10 and 11  showing strain relief being applied to two cables with differing gauges. 
           [0021]      FIG. 16  is a top view of a cable terminated to the wire containment cap of  FIGS. 10 and 11 . 
           [0022]      FIG. 17  is a top view of a cable terminated to an alternate wire containment cap with straight wire slots. 
           [0023]      FIG. 18  is a top view of a cable terminated to yet another alternate wire cap with straight slots and added detents. 
           [0024]      FIGS. 19 and 20  are isometric views of an alternate jack with a wire containment cap and the wire containment cap itself, respectively, to the one shown in  FIGS. 10 and 11  using a wrapped shield and plated strain relief clip in lieu of solid conductive components. 
           [0025]      FIGS. 21 and 22  are isometric views of a jack with a wire containment cap similar to the one of  FIGS. 19 and 20  but wherein the flexible members have been modified to form a single flexible member. 
           [0026]      FIGS. 23 and 24  are exploded isometric views of the jack with a wire containment cap of  FIGS. 21 and 22 . 
           [0027]      FIG. 25  is a rear view of the wire containment cap of  FIGS. 21 and 22 . 
           [0028]      FIG. 26  is a top view of the wire containment cap of  FIGS. 21 and 22 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0029]    The present invention can be used in a communication system  50  as shown in  FIG. 1 . The communication system  50  can include at least one communication patch cord  52  connected to equipment  54  containing jacks  62  and a communication zone cord  64 . 
         [0030]      FIGS. 2 and 3  (which are rotated 180° along the axis of cable  64  with respect to  FIG. 1 ) show a jack assembly  62 . The jack assembly  62  has a jack housing  76 , a front sled assembly  78 , a printed circuit board (PCB)  84 , a rear sled  74 , short insulation displacement contacts (IDCs)  86 , long IDCs  87 , an IDC guide  80 , a wire containment cap  70 , and a strain relief clip  72 . The PCB  84  can include compensation and other circuitry necessary to meet NEXT, FEXT, return loss, and other electrical requirements as defined by the appropriate ANSI/TIA 568 standard. 
         [0031]    The jack assembly  62  contains a wire containment cap  70  specifically designed for 28 AWG and 30 AWG cable. 28 AWG and 30 AWG cable jacket diameters can typically vary from 0.120 inches to as large as 0.180 inches, although other diameters are possible. As shown in  FIG. 4 , the wire containment cap  70  includes a flexible seat  90  and ratcheting serrations  92 . The flexible seat  90  sits below a cable opening  96  at the rear of the wire containment cap  70 . The flexible seat  90  has a seat base  98  with flexible members  100  extending initially upwards from opposite ends of the seat base  98  and then curving towards each other. In some embodiments, the ends of the flexible members  100  can further curve down and towards each other in order to better conform to the shape of a cable and increase the surface area of contact with the cable to enhance strain relief. 
         [0032]    The wire containment cap  70  also has conductor slots  94  to allow individual conducts with varying diameters temporary alignment and retention during the assembly process prior to the engagement of the wire containment cap  70  into the rear sled  74  (see  FIG. 3 ), allowing both the short IDCs  86  and long IDCs  87  to pierce individual conductors. 
         [0033]      FIGS. 5 and 6  illustrate the cable constraint of the wire containment cap  70  with cables  64 ,  65  of varying diameters.  FIGS. 5 and 6  shows that as the strain relief clip  72  is vertically displaced down the ratcheting serrations  92 , the cable  64 ,  65  is compressed between the flexible seat  90  and the strain relief clip  72 . The larger diameter cable  64  causes the flexible members  100  of the flexible seat  90  to displace more that they do for the smaller diameter cable  65 . The greater displacement for the larger diameter cable  64  (as shown in  FIG. 6 ) helps to promote greater surface contact between the cable jacket of the cable  64  and the flexible seat  90 . The flexible seat  90  maintains a spring force in the direction of the strain relief clip  72  while allowing cables  64 ,  65  of varying diameters to maintain a larger percent of their original round geometry, helping to ensure that electrical performance of the cable is not compromised. The greater surface contact of the flexible seat  90  and the strain relief clip  72  with the outer circumference of the cable  64 ,  65 , along with the spring force of the flexible members  100 , creates an improved cable clamping retention force and strain relief. 
         [0034]    The 28 AWG and 30 AWG cables  64 ,  65  have smaller diameter conductors  67 ,  69 . Termination of these cable conductors  67 , 69  with the IDCs  86 ,  87  requires a narrow IDC conductor wire gap  98  to ensure the proper contact force and contact resistance is maintained between the cable copper conductors and the IDCs  86  and  87 . The conductor slots  94  shown in  FIG. 4  allow varying individual conductors temporary alignment and retention during the assembly process prior to the engagement of the wire containment cap  70  to the rear sled assembly  74 . This allows the short IDCs  86  and the longs IDC  87  to align the IDC conductor wire gap  98  with the center of the cable copper conductors prior to piercing individual conductors. The wire gap  98  can be approximately 0.006 inches to accommodate 28 AWG and 30 AWG conductors, and can be in the range of 0.003-0.009 inches. 
         [0035]    Other aspects of the wire containment cap  70  can be as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,452,245 (Doory et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 7,476,120 (Patel et al.), incorporated by reference as if fully setforth herein, including wire retainers, support ribs, pair separators and spline, for examples.  FIGS. 8 and 9  show an alternate embodiment for a wire containment cap  170 . This embodiment replaces the flexible seat  90  with a saddle or seat  190 , with flexible arms  199 , which is supported by a post  198 . This design allows the saddle  190  to have a smaller curvature and be moved closer to the center of the opening  196  in order to provide better strain relief for cables with smaller diameters. A jack according to the present invention can include wire containment cap  170  along with other jack elements as previously described. 
         [0036]    At least one embodiment of the present invention provides the advantage of good IDC/cable conductor retention with network cables of varying diameters, particularly cable with smaller gauge conductors such as 28 AWG and 30 AWG. The smaller diameter network cable provides improved air flow (due to smaller cable volume) in the equipment rack thereby improving thermal management in the data center or equipment room. A jack according to the present invention allows the use 28 AWG and 30 AWG network cables which is easier to manage where space is at a premium cost, and the smaller diameter cable is easier to handle and manipulate for installers and end users. 
         [0037]    A communication system such as the one shown in  FIG. 1  can include passive equipment or active equipment. Examples of passive equipment can be, but are not limited to, modular patch panels, punch-down patch panels, coupler patch panels, wall jacks, etc. Examples of active equipment can be, but are not limited to, Ethernet switches, routers, servers, physical layer management systems, and power-over-Ethernet equipment as can be found in data centers/telecommunications rooms; security devices (cameras and other sensors, etc.) and door access equipment; and telephones, computers, fax machines, printers and other peripherals as can be found in workstation areas. The communication system can further include cabinets, racks, cable management and overhead routing systems, and other such equipment. 
         [0038]    The present invention can be applied to and/or implemented in a variety of communications cables, shielded or unshielded, any of CAT5E, CAT6, CAT6A, CAT7, CAT7A, and other twisted pair Ethernet cable, as well as other types of cables. The cables can be terminated in a variety of plugs or jack modules such as RJ45 type, jack module cassettes, and many other connector types, such as face plates, surface mount boxes and combinations thereof. 
         [0039]    A variety of structured cabling applications can be used including patch cords, zone cords, backbone cabling, and horizontal cabling, although the present invention is not limited to such applications. In general, the present invention can be used in military, industrial, telecommunications, computer, data communications, marine and other cabling applications. 
         [0040]      FIG. 10  is a front isometric view of a shielded 28/30 AWG RJ45 jack  224  installed with a shielded cable  223 .  FIG. 11  is a rear isometric view of the shielded 28/30 AWG RJ45 jack  224  installed with the cable  223 .  FIG. 12  is a front exploded view of the shielded 28/30 AWG RJ45 jack  224  (which includes a front housing  226 , a jack shield  228 , contacts  230 , a top nose  232 , a bottom nose  234 , a flexible circuit board  236 , a rigid PCB  238 , an IDC guide  240 , long IDCs  242 , short IDCs  244 , a rear sled  246 , a conductive cap  248 , a containment cap  249 , a plated small diameter strain relief clip  250 , and a wire mapping label  252 ).  FIG. 13  is a rear exploded view of the shielded 28/30 AWG RJ45 jack  224 . 
         [0041]      FIG. 14  is a rear view of the shielded 28/30 AWG RJ45 jack  224  installed with a cable  223 .  FIG. 15  is a rear view of the shielded 28/30 AWG RJ45 jack  224  installed with a different cable  254 . The first cable  223  is smaller in diameter than that of the second cable  254 . When the plated small diameter strain relief clip  250  terminates to larger cables, the flexible members  256  flex upwards and provide added strain relief. On smaller cables, the plated small diameter strain relief clip  250  bottoms out first on the conductive cap  248  and then the flexible members  256  flex less than they would on a larger cable. The flexible members  256  are similar to those of  FIGS. 1-7 , except that in the present invention the flexible members  56  have been moved to the plated small diameter strain relief clip  50 . The plating on the plated small diameter strain relief clip  50  is relatively thin with the total thickness being typically less than that of 0.001″ so as to still allow for flexing. 
         [0042]      FIG. 16  shows a top view of the conductive cap  248 , the containment cap  249 , and the plated small diameter strain relief clip  250 . The containment cap  249  is the same as shown in  FIGS. 1-7 , except for conductor slots  258 , and corresponding retention hooks  260 , which keep the conductors  262  installed during installation and termination. 
         [0043]    The shielded 28/30 AWG RJ45 jack  224  has been shown, using a CAT6A construction. It can also be used for CAT5E and CAT6, with the removal of the flexible circuit board  236  and the replacement of the rigid PCB  238 , with a corresponding PCB used in respective in CAT5E and CAT6 jacks. 
         [0044]    The shielded 28/30 AWG RJ45 jack  224  was shown utilizing a containment cap  249  with conductor slots  258 , and corresponding retention hooks  260 . Alternate non-limiting means of installing conductors  62  are shown in  FIG. 17  and  FIG. 18 .  FIG. 17  shows a containment cap  264  with straight slots  266  similar  FIGS. 1-7 .  FIG. 18  shows a containment cap  268  with straight slots  270  and detents  272  that have been added to improve the retention of conductors  272 . 
         [0045]    The shielded 28/30 AWG RJ45 jack  224  was shown with a conductive cap  248  and a containment cap  249 . However an alternate wire cap assembly with a wire containment adapter  274  and a wrapped shield  276 , with the addition of a plated small diameter strain relief clip  250 , is shown in  FIGS. 19 and 20 .  FIG. 19  is a rear isometric view of the shielded 28/30 AWG RJ45 jack  278  installed with a cable  223 .  FIG. 220  is a rear isometric view of the shielded wire cap assembly  279  (which includes a wire containment adapter  274 , a wrapped shield  276 , and a plated small diameter strain relief clip  250 ) installed with the cable  223 . The wire containment adapter  274  was shown with conductor slots  280 , and corresponding retention hooks  282  similar to that of the containment cap  249 . Alternative non-limiting embodiments of the wire containment adapter  274 , can include the same variants of conductor slots as shown in  FIG. 17  and  FIG. 18 . 
         [0046]    The plated small diameter strain relief clip  250  is shown utilized in jack constructions for 28 and 30 AWG in the present embodiment. However, the plated small diameter strain relief clip  250 , can also be utilized in any other existing TG shielded jack. An un-plated version, may also be used in any currently sold TG UTP jack in embodiments that require added strain relief. 
         [0047]      FIG. 21  is a front isometric view of a shielded 28/30 AWG RJ45 jack  324  installed with a shielded cable  323 .  FIG. 22  is a rear isometric view of the shielded 28/30 AWG RJ45 jack  324  installed with the cable  323 .  FIG. 23  is a front exploded view of the shielded 28/30 AWG RJ45 jack  324  (which includes a front housing  326 , a jack shield  328 , contacts  330 , a top nose  332 , a bottom nose  334 , a flexible circuit board  336 , a rigid PCB  338 , an IDC guide  340 , long IDCs  342 , short IDCs  344 , a rear sled  346 , a shield  348 , a containment cap  349 , a plated small diameter strain relief clip  350 , and a wire mapping label  352 ).  FIG. 24  is a rear exploded view of the shielded 28/30 AWG RJ45 jack  324   
         [0048]      FIG. 25  is a rear view of the shielded 28/30 AWG RJ45 jack  324  installed with the cable  323 . The strain relief clip  350  includes a solid cable seat  351 , and barbs  354  have been added to the cable seat  351  to constrain a drain wire if there is a drain wire in the construction of the cable  323 . 
         [0049]      FIG. 26  shows a top view of the shield  348 , the containment cap  349 , and the plated small diameter strain relief clip  350 . The containment cap  349  is the same as shown in  FIG. 16 , except for the conductor slots  358  have been reduced in diameter and detents  60  have been added to secure the conductors  362 , instead of the hooks. Pair divider posts  364  have been kept similar to that of  FIG. 16 . 
         [0050]    The present invention can also be used for CAT5E and CAT6, with the removal of the flexible circuit board  336  and the replacement of the rigid PCB  38 , with a corresponding PCB used in respective CAT5E and CAT6 jacks. 
         [0051]    A plated small diameter strain relief clip  350  is shown utilized in jack constructions for 28 and 30 AWG in the present embodiment. However, the plated small diameter strain relief clip  350 , can also be utilized in any other existing TG shielded jack. An un-plated version may also be used in any currently sold TG UTP jack in embodiments that require added strain relief. 
         [0052]    While particular embodiments and applications of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction and compositions disclosed herein and that various modifications, changes, and variations may be apparent from the foregoing without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as described.