Electrical connector receptacle

Electrical connector receptacle of the type used in the telecommunications industry comprises a one-piece molded housing having a plug-receiving end and a plug-receiving opening extending into the plug-receiving end. A plurality of side-by-side conductors mounted in the housing have contact spring portions which extend from an internal sidewall of the plug-receiving opening adjacent to the plug-receiving end. These conductors extend over an external sidewall to the rearward end of the housing and across the rearward end past the other external sidewall, the ends of the conductors being intended to be inserted into holes in a circuit board and soldered to circuit board conductors. The housing has a frame portion which extends completely around the plug-receiving opening and has means at the rearward end for preventing insertion of a human finger into the plug-receiving end in a manner which could cause injury. A backwall is provided at the rearward end which prevents possible short circuiting of the conductors in the housing.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to electrical connector receptacles, or jacks, as 
they are commonly called, of the type used in the telecommunications 
industry and described generally in the Federal Communications Commission 
documents published in the Federal Register on July 12, 1976, pages 
28694-28782. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The Federal Communications Commission documents referred to above set forth 
standards for electrical connector receptacles or jacks and mating 
connector plugs which are to be used in the telecommunications industry to 
achieve standardization of a wide variety of types of equipment used by 
the industry and used in conjunction with communications equipment. These 
documents set forth essential dimensions for the jacks and plugs but they 
leave room for innovation and improvement in the manufacture and 
performance of the plugs and jacks. A widely used type of jack or 
receptacle is described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 3,850,497 and a 
commonly used type of connector plug is described in U.S. Pat. No. 
3,954,320. 
Application Ser. No. 940,536 filed Sept. 8, 1978, discloses and claims a 
connector receptacle which satisfies all of the requirements of the 
Federal Communications Commission documents and which differs from the 
receptacle shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,850,497 in that it has one-piece 
conductors mounted in the housing which have end portions that extend 
beyond one of the external sidewalls of the housing and which can be 
inserted into holes in a circuit board and connected to conductors on the 
circuit board. 
Application Ser. No. 967,441 filed Dec. 12, 1978, discloses and claims an 
improved version of the receptacle shown in the earlier application which 
permits mounting the receptacle on a circuit board in a manner such that 
the latching arm of the plug mated with the receptacle is not immediately 
accessible so that removal of the plug from the receptacle is discouraged. 
Connector receptacles as disclosed in Applications Ser. Nos. 940,536 and 
967,441 are favorably viewed by the industry in that they can be mounted 
on a circuit board more conveniently than previously available jacks or 
receptacles and have other advantageous features. The present invention is 
directed to the achievement of further improvements relating to the 
elimination of a potential hazard in the receptacle, improved reliability, 
and improved means for mounting the receptacle in a panel. Specifically, 
the invention is directed to the achievement of a receptacle which does 
not present a hazard to an infant who might insert its finger into the 
plug-receiving opening of the receptacle. The invention further comprises 
a receptacle housing which will prevent possible shorting of the 
conductors of the receptacle if an improperly dimensioned plug member is 
inserted into the receptacle. 
A connector receptacle in accordance with the invention comprises a 
one-piece housing of insulating material having a mating end and a 
plug-receiving opening extending into the mating end substantially to the 
rearward end of the housing. The plug-receiving opening has a continuous 
frame section therearound and a flange extending from this frame section 
which cooperates with a panel member when the receptacle is mounted on 
electronic equipment having panels surrounding the circuit boards. The 
conductors have spring portions which extend from one of the internal 
sidewalls of the plug-receiving opening diagonally towards the rearward 
end of this opening. These conductors extend through apertures in the 
housing which are spaced from the frame at the plug-receiving end. The 
conductors extend from these apertures across an external sidewall of the 
housing and then over the rearward end of the housing and beyond the other 
external sidewall. Barriers are provided in the plug-receiving opening at 
the rearward end thereof which define stalls that surround the ends of the 
contact springs and these barriers overcome a hazard of previous 
receptacles in that they render it impossible for a small child to insert 
its finger into the plug-receiving opening and injure itself on the ends 
of the contact springs. The barriers and an integral backwall prevent 
shorting of adjacent conductors in the event of abusive use or 
carelessness and misuse.

PRACTICE OF THE INVENTION 
Referring first to FIGS. 1-5, an electrical connector receptacle or jack 2, 
in accordance with the invention, serves to connect conductors in a cable 
4 to conductors 6 on the underside 8 of a circuit board 10. The conductors 
6 extend to holes 7 in the circuit board which receive the end portions of 
conductors in the receptacle 2 so that the connector conductors can be 
soldered to the circuit board conductors 6. The cable 4 has a standard 
plug 12 on its end and the conductors in the cable are in electrical 
contact with contact members 14 which extend to the upper surface 16 of 
the plug. When the plug is inserted into the receptacle, the exposed 
contacts 14 are engaged with contact springs in the receptacle 2 as will 
be described below. 
The receptacle 2 comprises a one-piece molded housing 18 of suitable 
plastic material, such as a filled nylon, having a plug-receiving end 20, 
a rearward end 22, and having a plug-receiving opening 24 extending into 
the plug-receiving end 20. The opening 24 has upper and lower (as viewed 
in the drawing) internal sidewalls 26, 28 and opposed endwalls 30. The 
housing has upper and lower external sidewalls 32, 34 which are proximate 
to the internal sidewalls 26, 28 respectively and oppositely directed 
external endwalls 36. Mounting feet 38 extend from the lower external 
sidewall 34 and are dimensioned to enter spaced apart holes 40 in the 
circuit board 10 and stand-off bosses 42 are provided on the sidewall 34 
to elevate this sidewall above the upper surface of the circuit board when 
the housing is mounted thereon. 
A plurality of side-by-side stamped and formed conductors generally 
indicated at 44 are contained in, and on, the housing. As best shown in 
FIG. 6, each conductor has a contact spring portion 46 having a free end 
66, a reverse bend 48, an intermediate lead section 50 which extends, as 
viewed in FIG. 6, rearwardly from the reverse bend, an additional bend 52, 
and downwardly extending lead portions 54, 54'. The lower ends 56, 56' of 
the portions 54', 54 are intended for insertion into the holes 7 of the 
circuit board and are offset from each other so that they can be received 
in circuit board holes which are arranged in a triangular pattern. 
The portions 50 of the conductors are disposed in parallel side-by-side 
channels 58 in the upper external sidewall 32. These channels extend from 
the rearward end of the housing to spaced-apart apertures 60 which are 
adjacent to, but spaced from the plug-receiving end 20. These apertures 
are completely enclosed and the bent portions 48 of the conductors extend 
through these apertures and around conforming surfaces of the housing, as 
shown in FIG. 2. The internal sidewall 26 has spaced-apart recesses 62 
which are dimensioned to receive the contact spring portions 46 of the 
conductors when the plug is inserted. Upon insertion of the plug the 
springs 46 are flexed upwardly and resiliently engage the exposed contact 
members 14 of the plug. The recesses 62 are enlarged adjacent to the 
aperture 60, as shown at 64, to permit this flexure. 
A plurality of parallel spaced-apart barriers 68 extend downwardly into 
opening 24 from the upper sidewall 26 adjacent to the rearward end 22 and 
these barriers define stalls which receive the free ends 66 of the contact 
springs 46. Additionally, a backwall 70 extends across the plug-receiving 
opening and downwardly, as indicated in FIG. 2, partially enclosing the 
plug-receiving opening at the rearward end. The barrier walls 68 correct a 
pre-existing hazard of receptacles of the type described in the FCC 
documents in that it was discovered that in the absence of some protective 
means, it was possible for a small child to insert its finger into the 
plug-receiving opening of the receptacle to a point beyond the ends 66 of 
the contact springs so that when the finger was withdrawn it tended to 
become impaled on the ends of the springs. As will be apparent from FIG. 
2, it would be impossible to insert a finger beyond the ends 66 of the 
contact springs 46 of the disclosed embodiment. The back wall strengthens 
the barrier walls 68 although it is not essential to removal of the 
hazardous condition. This back wall 70 does prevent the possibility of 
shorting between conductors as described below. 
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, channels 72, 72' are provided in the outwardly 
sloping rearward end of the housing adjacent to the external sidewall 32 
and additional conductor-receiving channels 76, 76' are provided in the 
rearward end adjacent to the lower external sidewall 34. The channels 76' 
are relatively deep while the channels 76 are comparatively shallow. 
The conductors extend from the upper external sidewall 32 into the channels 
72, 72' and downwardly beyond the lower external sidewall 38. The 
downwardly extending portions of the conductors are spread apart in two 
senses; the center-to-center spacing between the conductors (x in FIG. 6) 
is increased and additionally the conductors 56 are offset from the 
conductors 56' so that the ends 56 and 56' will be received in holes 7 
arranged on a triangular pattern. The deep channels 76' receive the 
conductors 56' and these conductors extend across the rearward surface of 
the wall 70 while the conductors 54 extend outwardly from this wall to the 
relatively shallow channels 76. Retaining lances 78 (FIG. 8) are provided 
on the conductors adjacent to their lower ends 56, 56' and these lances 
are received in recesses in the sidewalls of the channels 76, 76' to 
retain the conductors in the channels. 
The FCC documents referred to above specify that the center-to-center 
spacing of the contact spring members in the receptacle be 0.04" (the y 
spacing of FIG. 6). This spacing is relatively close for circuit board 
holes such as the holes shown at 7 and conductors in a circuit board on 
centers this close may give rise to dielectric problems. The provision of 
the channels 76, 76' on centers x, which is greater than the y spacing, 
overcomes this problem and improved dielectric characteristics are 
achieved when the receptacle is put to use. As previously mentioned, the 
back wall 70 prevents possible shorting between the conductors in that the 
ends 66 are separated by an insulating wall from the portions 54 and 54' 
of the conductors. In the absence of the wall 70, it is possible that 
insertion of an improperly dimensioned plug or other abusive treatment of 
the receptacle might cause the end 66 of one conductor to be pushed 
against the intermediate portion 54 or 54' of adjacent conductor. This 
cannot happen with a receptacle in accordance with the invention. 
The plug-receiving end of the housing has a continuous frame 80 which 
totally surrounds the plug-receiving opening 24. A flange 82 extends from 
this frame in all directions so that when the receptacle is mounted as 
shown in FIG. 1, on a circuit board with the intention that a panel 94 be 
located adjacent to the edge of the circuit board, an opening 96 can be 
provided in the panel dimensioned such that the frame portion 80 is 
received in the opening. The flange 82 will then extend beyond the edges 
of opening 96 and present a pleasing and neat appearance from the outside 
of the panel. This arrangement thus facilitates manufacture of equipment 
using standard modular receptacles. 
The plug 12 has a latch arm 86 extending rearwardly from its side 84 and 
shoulders 88 are provided on this latch arm for latching the plug to the 
receptacle. The plug-receiving opening has an upwardly inclined ramp 90 at 
its mating end which extends to spaced-apart shoulders 92 which cooperate 
with the shoulders 88 on the plug to retain the plug in the receptacle. 
In the manufacture of the receptacle, the conductors are produced as a 
continuous strip, as shown in FIG. 8, by stamping the strip and forming it 
as shown. The retention lances 78 are offset from each other because of 
the close spacing of the conductors in the housing and the additional 
barbs 79 are provided to secure the portions 50 of the conductors in the 
channels 58. The strip has a relatively wide carrier strip 98 on its side 
adjacent to the lances 78 and a more narrow carrier strip 100 on its other 
edge. The conductors are assembled to the housings, as shown in FIGS. 9 
and 10, by first removing the carrier strip 100 from a section of the 
strip, forming a right angle bend 48, and positioning the section of strip 
above a housing, as shown in FIG. 9, with the conductors in alignment with 
the apertures 60. The section of strip is then moved downwardly to the 
position of FIG. 10 so that the portions 50 of the conductors are in the 
channels 58. At this stage, the ends of the conductors will be adjacent to 
the shoulders 92 and it should be noted that the opening must be 
dimensioned such that there is sufficient clearance at the sidewall 28 for 
these conductors. The spring portions of the conductors can then be bent 
inwardly by insertion of a suitable gage. The portions of the conductors 
which extend to the left in FIG. 10 are moved downwardly and are moved 
laterally by varying amounts to position them in the channels 72, 72', and 
76, 76' in the rearward end of the housing. The carrier strip 98 must be 
removed before this final stage is carried out. 
As explained above, the disclosed embodiment avoids the hazards of injury 
by insertion of a finger into the plug-receiving opening and avoids the 
possibility of shorting of conductors by careless misuse or intentional 
abuse. An additional advantage is that the apertures 60 are spaced from 
the plug-receiving end of the housing by a distance which is greater than 
that of known receptacles and relatively speaking, the contact spring 
portions of the conductors are shorter, other things being equal, than the 
contact spring portions of previously known receptacles. These shortened 
contact springs produce stiffer springs which means that a thinner gage 
material for the conductors can be used without sacrifice of contact 
force. 
A further advantageous feature of the invention is that, notwithstanding 
the fact that the ends 56 of the conductors are offset from the ends 56', 
the conductors themselves can all be of the same length as shown in FIG. 
8. In previous embodiments of connector plugs, offset conductors were 
achieved by providing conductors in two different lengths. In the present 
embodiment, the slope of the portions 54 of the conductors is relatively 
gentle and while the lower ends of these conductors will not be located in 
the same plains as the lower ends of the conductors 56' (the conductors 56 
will be slightly above the ends of the conductors 56'), the difference is 
very slight and the ends of all of the conductors 56 and 56' will extend 
below the lower surface of the circuit board 10 so that they can soldered 
to the conductors 6. 
Under some circumstances, it may be preferred to use drawn wire conductors 
rather than the stamped conductors shown in the drawing. Drawn wires can 
be used by providing alternately deep and shallow channels of the type 
shown at 102, 102' in FIG. 13. These channels have extremely narrow 
entrance portions and enlarged inner ends 106, 106'. The inner ends should 
be dimensioned to accommodate the wire conductors and the narrow entrance 
portions should have a width such that the conductors must be forced into 
the channels. The channels in the top wall 32 of the housing can be as 
shown in the previous figures if wire conductors are used, although these 
channels and the shape of the apertures 60, may be modified as desired.