Modular jack for flat flexible cable

An electrical receptacle (2) is disclosed which includes resilient contact portions (72) for interconnection to a plug, and includes cantilever beam portions (74) which are interconnectable with conductors (124) of flat flexible cable (120). The receptacle (2) also includes an insulating block (90) which has ratchet teeth (96) which are complementary with ratchet teeth (16) on the housing sidewalls (14). The insulating block is movable towards the terminal support platform (10) of the housing (4) for maintaining the electrical connection between the conductors (124) and the centilever beam portions (74).

The subject invention relates to a modular connector receptacle which is 
matable with a modular plug and with the conductors of flat flexible 
cable. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,261,633 shows a modular receptacle, typically known as a 
modular jack, which is matable with a modular plug. The modular jack shown 
in U.S. Pat. No. 4,261,633 has an insulative housing and a plurality of 
electrical terminals therein where the electrical terminals have resilient 
contact portions and conductor connecting portions. An insulating block is 
included which is movable towards the conductor connecting portions of the 
terminals to move conductors into electrical engagement therewith. The 
conductors, which are movable into electrical engagement with the 
terminals, are discrete insulated conductors. 
The subject invention is an electrical connector and more particularly an 
electrical receptacle and is characterized by a housing which includes a 
terminal support platform which houses the terminals in side-by-side 
arrangement and the housing includes two side walls which upstand from the 
platform and flank the terminal support platform. The side walls and the 
insulating block each include complementary ratchet teeth for progressive 
locking arrangement of the conductors with the conductor connecting 
portions. 
An electrical connector is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,367,006 which 
electrically interconnects conductors of flat flexible cable to a 
plurality of second conductors. The connector includes an insulative 
housing having a terminal receiving platform with a plurality of terminals 
aligned side-by-side along the platform for contact with the conductors of 
the flat flexible cable. 
The instant invention, however is characterized by the terminal receiving 
platform of the insulative housing which is profiled for receiving the 
conductors of the flat flexible cable towards the surface of the platform 
and includes side-by-side grooves for receiving the terminals. Each of the 
terminals has a cantilever beam portion which projects above a surface of 
the platform for interconnection to respective facing conductors of the 
flat flexible cable. The connector also includes means to move the flat 
flexible cable into fixed registration with the cantilever beam portions 
of the terminals.

Referring first to FIG. 1, the jack 2 of the instant invention generally 
includes an insulative housing 4 having a plurality of electrical 
terminals, such as 70, and an insulating block 90 which latchably 
maintains the conductors of a flat flexible cable 120 in electrical 
interconnection with the terminals 70. 
The insulative housing 4 generally includes two side walls 6 with a front 
mating face 8. A top wall or terminal support platform 10 is included 
which extends from a position forward of the front face 8 rearward towards 
the plug receiving face 34. The top surface 12 of the platform 10 includes 
a plurality of grooves 24, as shown in FIG. 3, having a top surface 26 
and, as shown in FIG. 2, includes a front radiused portion 28 and a rear 
radiused portion 30. An inner surface 32 of the top wall 10 is coplanar 
with recessed walls 46. Two lower walls 40 extend at least partially 
between the sidewalls 6 and include an upper shoulder 42 and a latching 
member, such as 48, having a rear latching surface 50. 
The housing 4 further includes a pair of sidewalls 14 which upstand from 
the terminal support platform 10 and flank the grooves 24 which receive 
the terminals 70. Each of the side walls 14 includes on their inner 
surfaces ratchet teeth 16 which are complementary and latchable with 
ratchet teeth 96 on an insulating block 90. Insulating block 90 further 
includes side walls 92 and stop blocks 98, 100. Side walls 14 include 
recessed stop surfaces 18, 20. 
Advantageously then, the housing 4 as described above, can be molded from a 
single draw mold which simplifies the molding procedures and improves 
production capabilities, as more mold cavities can be included per mold 
machine. 
A plurality of terminals, such as 70, are included which include cantilever 
beam portions 74 and reversely bent contact portions 72. Each of the 
terminals 70 is disposed within the insulative housing 4 in a side-by-side 
relation on the terminal support platform 10 and aligned in one of the 
grooves 24. At the forward end, the terminal 70 is curled around the 
radiused portion 28 and the end of the electrical terminal is reversely 
bent around the second radiused portion 30 to define the reversely bent 
contact portion 72. As shown in FIG. 2, the ends of the reversely bent 
contact portions project into the windows 22 which retain the reversely 
bent contact portions in lateral alignment for receipt of the electrical 
plug member. It should be noted that the upper extent of the cantilever 
beam portion projects above the top surface 12 of the terminal support 
platform 10 for mating engagement with the conductors of the flat flexible 
cable. 
As shown in FIG. 3, the plug receiving opening is defined by the inner 
surfaces 44 of the side walls 6, the upper surfaces 42 of the lower walls 
40 and by the upper surface 32. This defines a rectangular opening for 
receiving the modular plug while the latching means 48 is included for 
engagement with the resilient latch of the modular plug. 
As shown in FIG. 1, the flat flexible cable has conductors 124 applied to 
the insulating material 122, and is insertable into the front of the 
connector 2 with the conductors 124 facing the terminal support platform 
10. When the conductors are laterally aligned with the cantilever beam 
portions 74 of the terminals 70, the insulating block 90 can be pushed 
downwardly and the complementary ratchet teeth can latchably engage the 
insulating block 90 to the insulative housing 4. Stop blocks 98, 100 are 
included on the insulating block 90 which provide a positive stop with the 
recessed shoulders 18, 20 on the insulative housing. The stop blocks 98, 
100 further prevent movement of the insulating block, ensuring that the 
insulating block 90 does not slide along the ratchet teeth 16, 96 to 
disengage the flat flexible cable from the modular jack. 
With reference to FIG. 4 an alternate embodiment is shown where the 
connector 202 includes a housing 204 and an insulating block 290. The 
housing 204 includes sidewalls 206, a front wall 208, and upstanding walls 
214 having ratchet teeth 216. The insulating cap includes two openings 296 
which are interior of the insulating cap 290. This allows edges 294 to 
contact the exterior surfaces of the sidewalls 214 to retain the 
sidewalls. This allows the sidewalls 214 to be of a thinner material and 
prevents the overstressing or plastic deformation of the sidewalls 214. 
The invention was described by way of the preferred embodiments and should 
not be taken to limit the claims which follow.