Communications connectors

A communications connector sub-assembly comprises a body (10) defining a plurality of parallel grooves (37) each receiving a jack contact (30). The body includes one or more insulation displacement connectors (14, 16) which have insulation displacement contacts (12) anchored therein. The insulation displacement contacts are connected to the jack contacts through a printed circuit board (24). The anchoring of the insulation displacement contacts in the body secures the PCB to the body to give a complete sub-assembly. Side walls (44) are provided to surround and protect free ends (36) of the jack contacts from mechanical damage.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to communications connectors and in particular to 
connectors suitable for use in voice and data communications systems. 
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION 
In the communications wiring of a building it is necessary to have socket 
connectors which may easily be connected to fixed building wiring, and 
into which devices (such as computers) may easily be plugged. 
Many different ways of achieving this have been devised. In the case of the 
telephone socket used by British Telecom PLC of London, England, for 
example, the socket connector is attached to a printed circuit board, and 
insulation displacement connectors (IDCs) are mounted on the circuit board 
to enable the wires to be connected. This product is not complete in 
itself, and cannot be used except if permanently attached to a wallplate, 
and is unsuitable for other applications. 
In designs produced by AT & T Corporation of New Jersey, USA and Panduit 
Corporation of Tinley Park, Ill., USA and Krone GmbH of Berlin, Germany, 
"lead frame" technology is used to manufacture a contact for the socket 
connection, with an integral insulation displacement contact being 
produced at the other extremity of this contact. These socket contacts are 
arranged to extend from the socket to a cavity where they connect directly 
to the insulation displacement contacts. They can be connected to each 
other either by virtue of being produced from the same piece of metal 
(Panduit & AT & T), or by welding two separate contacts together to 
simplify production of tile stamped parts (Krone). Due to the nature of 
their manufacturing process, they are only generally available in a single 
standard wiring configuration, as the process is not capable of producing 
different connection configurations without significant additional 
expense. In attempting to use lead-frame or similar technology to 
manufacture these connectors, illogical or undesirable connection 
sequences are necessary for the termination of the building wiring. 
Leadframe devices typically require eleven different parts. An example of 
the AT & T type connector is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,096,442 and U.S. 
Pat. No. 4,865,564. An example of the Krone type connector is disclosed in 
U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,804. 
In designs produced by AMP Incorporated of Harrisburg, and subsequently 
adopted by many other manufacturers, a printed circuit board is used to 
connect an assembly of socket contacts to two or more assemblies of 
insulation displacement contacts. The printed-circuit assembly is then 
mounted into an overall plastic body which includes the necessary features 
to mate with the plug connector, and to fit onto a mounting plate. Such 
designs can easily be produced in a variety of different wiring sequences, 
but require many more assembly steps to make a finished product than the 
leadframe devices. The AMP designs typically use seven different parts to 
manufacture a connector capable of termination using industry standard 
wire termination tools. 
The Prior Art devices described, as well as requiring a large number of 
parts, have the disadvantage that they can only be made available as 
complete usable assemblies in their own right, to be removably mounted to 
a variety of simple wallplates or patch panels, by the provision of 
suitable mounting features on the panels. They cannot be provided as 
partial assemblies for incorporation into devices already including the 
necessary jack body features, which is a very effective way to reduce 
product cost; nor can they be readily produced with different profiles to 
allow their fitment to devices with alternative mounting features. There 
is a proliferation of products around the world using different mounting 
features to clip the connector assemblies to wallplates or patch panels, 
and these are not generally compatible between manufacturers. 
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a 
communications connector which can be provided as a partial assembly for 
incorporation into devices which already include the necessary jack body 
features. 
It is a further Object of the invention to provide a communications 
connector which can be produced with different profiles to allow fitment 
to devices with different mounting features. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention is defined by the independent claims to which 
reference should be made. 
More particularly the invention provides a communications connector 
sub-assembly comprising: a body defining locations for receiving Jack 
contacts, locations for insulation displacement contacts and a location 
for a printed circuit board; a set of insulation displacement contacts 
arranged in said insulation displacement contact locations on said body; a 
set of jack contacts, each jack contact being arranged in said jack 
contact receiving locations on said body; and a printed circuit board 
retained in said printed circuit board location on said body; wherein the 
set of jack contacts and the set of insulation displacement contacts are 
connected to the printed circuit board. 
Embodiments of the invention have the advantage that an incomplete 
sub-assembly may be provided for incorporation into communication 
assemblies. This enables, for example, a front body to be added when 
needed although in the case of wall sockets not requiring a shutter, the 
front body and wallplane can all be one moulding. As the majority of 
telecommunications wall sockets are duplex outlets, a single front 
moulding can be used even where shuttered outlets are specified, this one 
moulding having two connector bodies incorporated. In the case of patch 
panels the connector front body can be moulded either as part of the 
panel, or integral to the retainer mechanism if the panel is made of 
metal. 
A distributor can assemble the appropriate front body to the rear connector 
assembly for his customer's application, where for example a specific 
style of wallplate is preferred by the user. 
Less parts are used in the sub-assembly embodying the invention than in 
prior art printed circuit assemblies (including the British Telecom Phone 
Socket design), due to the incorporation of the IDC connector and the jack 
socket contact assembly into a single moulding. (Only five different parts 
are needed to make a complete connector assembly). Moreover, contact 
shapes may be kept simple, and complex mechanical handling, plating or 
welding of the intricate shapes required for the prior art designs is 
eliminated. This overcomes in particular a disadvantage of the Krone 
system described in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,804. 
Connector sub-assemblies embodying the invention have the further advantage 
that various contact connection configurations are possible simply by 
using an alternative printed circuit board. 
The sub-assembly can be fitted with "front ends" having alternative 
mounting features gives a degree of flexibility not possible with prior 
art designs.

DESCRIPTION OF BEST MODE 
The connector illustrated comprises a main body 10 which acts as a support 
member for a set of insulation displacement contacts 12. These contacts 
are received in parallel insulation displacement connector housings 14, 16 
which form a part of the main body 10. As can be seen from the figure, the 
housings have slots 18 in the bottom face 20 through which the insulation 
displacement contacts can be inserted. These slots provide locations for 
receiving the insulation displacement contacts. In the embodiment 
illustrated each insulation displacement connector can receive four 
contacts although this number may be varied as required. The contact tails 
22 only can be seen extending from the housings 14, 16 with one whole 
contact shown prior to insertion for ease of understanding. The contacts 
12 are preferably retained in the IDC housings in the manner described in 
our co-pending application GB 9324274.1. 
Other conventional methods may be used if space is not at a premium. FIG. 2 
shows the insulation displacement contact which is disclosed in the 
aforementioned GB 9324274. For the purposes of this disclosure the salient 
point is the provision of one or more barb 15 on the sides of the contact 
by which the contacts are retained in the IDC housing. Other contact 
configurations retained in the same way may be used. 
Preferably, although not essentially the contact shape and configuration is 
of the type disclosed in our International application WO/92/22941. 
A printed circuit board (PCB) 24 is provided. The PCB has a first set of 
eight apertures 26 each of which receives a contact tail 22, and a second 
set of apertures 28 each of which receives a first end of one of a set of 
jack contacts. The jack contacts 30 correspond to each insulation 
displacement contact, eight in all in this embodiment. Each jack contact 
con, rises a wire having a first end 32 bent at right angles to a middle 
portion 34 and a second longer end 36 bent at approximately 45.degree. in 
the opposite direction but in the same plane as the first end. The middle 
portions are received in a jack contact locating means formed as a series 
of parallel grooves 37 in the bottom face 20 of the main body and arranged 
such that the first ends are positioned to engage in the second set of 
apertures in the PCB 24 as described. Prior to fitting the PCB the Jack 
contacts are temporarily retained by mechanical interference in the 
grooves. The PCB is received in a receiving location on the underside of 
the body defined by the end wall 25 of the body and the bases of side 
walls 42. Laterally the receiving location is constrained by a set of tabs 
27. 
The main body also includes location sloes 38 which enable wires to be 
engaged into the insulation displacement connector (IDC) contacts 12. This 
may be by means of a stuffer cap 40 which is illustrated for convenience 
but does not form a part of the invention. 
The main body also comprises an end section 42 comprising a pair of 
parallel walls 44 which provide a protective shield for the free ends 36 
of the jack contacts during handling. 
The walls 44 of the end section each have a resilient tooth 45 for snap 
engagement with a jack body. 
The printed circuit board when in position and with all sixteen contacts 
received in their respective apertures is secured by soldering the tails 
of the contacts. Tracks on the circuit board provide the connects between 
individual jack contacts and IDC contacts so that any desired wiring 
configuration can be achieved by use of a suitably configured PCB. 
Once the PCB has been soldered into position a sub-assembly is formed which 
is held together by the retention of the IDC contacts in the connector 
body in the manner described. 
Thus, the sub-assembly can be handled or used at this stage in 
contradistinction to prior art connectors in which the contacts will fall 
out of the moulding or the free ends 36 of the jack contacts will be too 
vulnerable to mechanical damage to allow the sub-assembly to be stored or 
handled without a receptacle body assembled to the device. 
In an alternative construction a further aperture is provided in the PCB 24 
and a post is provided on the underside 20 of the main body 10. The PCB 
may then be heat staked or fastened by some other convenient means such as 
a snap bead to the main body. Alternatively, or in addition, the tabs 27 
and the end wall 25 may be provided with snap teeth to retain the PCB 
which would dispense with the need for an extra post and aperture. In 
these arrangements it is not essential to use the method of securing the 
IDC contacts 12 in the housing 14 described in our aforementioned patent 
application GB 9324274.1. However, this is still preferred. 
In the embodiment illustrated the sub-assembly comprising the main body 10, 
IDC contacts 12, PCB 24 and jack contacts 30 may be secured to a front 
body 46. The front body illustrated can receive two sub-assemblies one for 
each of two socket housings 48 and 50. The front body 46 has side walls 52 
each of which carry a recess 54 which receives the corresponding tooth 45 
on the walls 44 of the main body. The rear of the socket portions 56 of 
the front body carry a set of parallel grooves 58 which receive the free 
angled ends 36 of the jack contacts, presenting them for contact with a 
jack plug inserted through one of the apertures 60 on the front face 62 of 
the front body. In the embodiment shown, shield continuity contacts 64 may 
be inserted in channels 64 at the side of the socket housings. The tails 
66 of these contacts, which are optional, extend through apertures (not 
shown) in the rear of the front body sockets. 
To assist in assembly, the main body 10 includes a pair of guides 68 at the 
free ends of the side walls 44. The undersides of the side walls 52 of the 
front body slide along these guides until the teeth 45 engage in the 
recesses 54. 
It is to be understood that the front body described is only one example of 
the type of mounting to which the sub-assembly comprising the main body, 
IDC contacts, PCB and jack contacts can be fitted. 
The provision of the sub-assembly described has the advantage that 
incomplete connector sub-assembly may be incorporated into 
telecommunications assemblies.