Abstract:
An RJ-45 insertion and extraction tool is disclosed that allows a user to plug and unplug an RJ-45 connector from an RJ-45 socket in a quick and easy way that does not disturb other cables plugged into adjacent sockets.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     This invention is in the field of telecommunication tools and, in particular, a tool to plug and unplug RJ-45 connectors from RJ-45 sockets in Ethernet switches or other devices. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     With the increased popularity of Internet applications there has been a marked increase in the Information Technology (IT) infrastructure needed to support distributed computing, including an increase in the number of Ethernet-based switches and routers. Corporations and commercial computing service providers typically have special areas, typically large, dedicated climate-controlled areas, designated as datacenters where large numbers of computer and network communication equipment is installed and maintained. Within these data centers, devices typically communicate through direct, hardwired Ethernet connections upon which data and commands are communicated using Ethernet protocols. The most common Ethernet connections between devices use CAT5e cable with an RJ-45 connector. 
     Physical configurations of computer and networking equipment within a datacenter are typically based on rack mounts that allow a large number of components to be compactly stacked on top of each other, in order to maximize the amount of computing power and minimize the amount of floor space taken up with equipment. Equipment designed for use in rack mounts typically has connection sockets for data communication cables at the back of the equipment. This configuration allows an IT professional to have ready access to connection sockets required across multiple equipment to properly connect the computer and networking devices into an operable configuration. 
     Some of the data communication devices, in particular Ethernet-based switches and routers, have a large number of connection sockets spaced tightly together into which a large number of Ethernet cables must be plugged. In some devices there are over 50 sockets. In addition, as computer and network configurations change, these cables are frequently disconnected and reconnected to different sockets to make the new computer and network configurations operable. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     An RJ-45 insertion and extraction tool is disclosed that enables a user to plug and unplug an RJ-45 connector from an RJ-45 socket in a quick and easy way that does not disturb other cables plugged into adjacent sockets. 
     During use, the RJ-45 tool allows a user to quickly and easily identify the cable to be inserted or removed. The tool includes a housing with an attached handle. In one embodiment, the housing is an open-ended rectangular housing, with an interior dimension approximately the size of the exterior of an RJ-45 connector. A channel is cut in one of the sides of the housing, other than the top side, to allow the cable attached to the RJ-45 connector to be placed inside the rectangular housing. A tine is cut into the middle third of the distal end of the top of the rectangular housing and is bent slightly upwards. During operation, this tine causes the tab on the RJ-45 plug to be pushed down when the RJ-45 connector is inside the tool housing, unlocking the connector from the socket so that the connector may be removed. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a rear view of two network switches with a series of Ethernet connections in the back that are mounted in a rack mount configuration. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of one embodiment of the insertion and extraction tool. 
         FIG. 3  is a straight-on view of one embodiment of the insertion and extraction tool. 
         FIG. 4  is a side view of a schematic of one embodiment of the insertion and extraction tool. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of one embodiment of an insertion and extraction tool prior to seating an Ethernet cable with an RJ-45 connector. 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of one embodiment of an insertion and extraction tool after an Ethernet cable with an RJ-45 connector is seated into the tool. 
         FIG. 7  is a side view of one embodiment of an insertion and extraction tool prior to seating the tool into the RJ-45 connector that is plugged into an RJ-45 socket. 
         FIG. 8  is a side view of one embodiment of an insertion and extraction tool just as a tool comes into contact with the RJ-45 connector. 
         FIG. 9  is a side view of one embodiment of an insertion and extraction tool after the RJ-45 connector is seated into the tool. 
         FIG. 10  is a side view of one embodiment of an insertion and extraction tool with an RJ-45 connector seated into the tool, after extraction from an RJ-45 socket. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  shows picture  500  of the back of two Ethernet-based routers, a first router  21  and a second router  22  that are stacked one on top of the other using rack mount system  20 . The backs of the routers contain numerous RJ-45 sockets  27  into which RJ-45 connectors  24  can be inserted. Ethernet cables  26  with RJ-45 connectors  24  are plugged into each of the many sockets  27 . The sockets are closely spaced in one or more rows in the back of the router  22 . As seen in the first router  21  and the second router  22 , when Ethernet cables  26  are plugged into these routers  21 ,  22 , these Ethernet cables  26  are spaced very closely together and can be difficult and cumbersome to access using fingers. To release an RJ-45 connector that is plugged into a socket, it may be necessary to press down on a lever  18  that is attached to a portion of the RJ-45 connector. In this embodiment, the lever  18  pushes down on a tab  30  (not shown) on the RJ-45 connector  24 , which releases the connector  24  from the RJ-45 socket  27 . 
       FIG. 2  shows one embodiment of a perspective view of the RJ-45 insertion and extraction tool. A handle  42 , which is gripped by the hand of a user (not shown), is connected to a long neck  34 . In some embodiments, this neck may be of varying lengths, depending upon the ease of accessibility of RJ-45 sockets to the user. In some embodiments, the neck  34  may be a straight rigid rod, or may have various bends or turns in it. In other embodiments, the neck may be articulated at discrete points, or made of a flexible material able to be bent in multiple directions to allow easier access to Ethernet sockets in order to get around obstacles such as rack mount hardware (see  FIG. 1 , callout  20 ). 
     The neck  34  is attached to a housing  32  that has a top side  31  and a bottom side  36  that, when in operation, surrounds the RJ-45 connector  24  within the housing  32 . The top face  31  of the housing  32  is also attached to a tine  38  that depresses a lever  31  on the RJ-45 connector  24 . Depressing the lever  31  unlocks the RJ-45 connector  24  from the slot  27  and allows the connector to be removed from the socket  27 . In some embodiments, the tine  38  is adjustable, either before using the insertion and extraction tool, or during tool use. 
     In addition, the RJ-45 tool housing  32  includes a channel  40  cut into the side of the housing  32  to allow the Ethernet cable  26  to be inserted into the housing  32 . Once this is done, the housing can be slid down the cable and over the RJ-45 connector  24 . In other embodiments, the channel  40  may take a number of different forms. For example, the channel may be cut into the sides of the housing, such as the bottom side  36 . In other embodiments, the channel may not go completely through a side of the housing, but may, for example, be long enough to allow just enough of cable  26  into the interior of the housing in order to properly seat the RJ-45 connector  24  into the housing  32 . 
       FIG. 3  shows a straight-on view of one embodiment of the insertion and extraction tool, looking into the handle  42  and the attached neck  34 . Tine  38  is lifted away from the housing  32  and, in one embodiment, cut directly from face  31  and bent slightly away from the housing. 
       FIG. 4  shows a side view of the schematic of one embodiment of the insertion and extraction tool, with handle  42  connected to neck  34 , which in turn is connected to housing  32 . A side view of the tine  38  that is cut from the housing face  31  and bent slightly outward is shown. 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of one embodiment of an insertion and extraction tool prior to seating an Ethernet cable having an RJ-45 jack.  FIGS. 5 and 6  together show the seating of an RJ-45 jack  24  into the insertion and extraction tool housing  32 . In this embodiment, Ethernet cable  26  would lay into the channel  40  within the housing  32 . Once this is done, the user brings the Ethernet jack  24  into housing  32  by either pushing the housing  32  toward the RJ-45 jack  24 , or pulling the cable  26  toward the user. 
     In the shown embodiment, RJ-45 jack  24  is connected to tab  30  which lifts slightly off of the main body of the jack  24  in a spring-like fashion. This tab has two wings  28   a,    28   b  that, when the jack  24  is inserted into a socket  27 , snap into a catch in the socket  27  in such a way that the jack  24  cannot be removed unless the tab  30  is pressed, releasing the wings  28   a,    28   b  from the catch in the socket so that the RJ-45 jack  24  may be removed. In some embodiments, with one example shown, the RJ-45 jack includes a boot  19  that provides additional support for cable  26  where it attaches to connector  24 . In this embodiment, there is a lever  18  attached to the boot  19 . When the lever  18  is pressed, it presses against tab  30  which depresses the wings  28   a,    28   b  and allows the RJ-45 jack  24  to be removed from the socket  27 . In other embodiments, for example, there is no boot  19  or associated lever  18 , and instead tab  30  is depressed directly to remove the connector  24  from the socket  27 . 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of one embodiment of an Ethernet cable having an RJ-45 jack seated into an insertion and extraction tool. The RJ-45 connector  24 , along with the boot  19 , both attached to Ethernet cable  26 , is placed all the way inside the housing  32 . Tine  38  has pressed lever  18  (not shown) which has, in turn, pressed tab  30  which has depressed the wings  28   a,    28   b  on the tab, allowing the RJ-45 jack  24  to be removed from a socket  27 . Note that the orientation of the tool is such that the tine  38  and either the lever  18  or the tab  30  will be adjacent and touching when the RJ-45 jack is seated in the housing. 
     As can be readily seen from the figure, in alternative embodiments the tine  38  can depress the tab  30  directly when the RJ-45 jack  24  is completely seated in the housing  32 , when there is no boot  19 . 
       FIGS. 7-10  show an example of extracting an RJ-45 jack  24  from a socket  27  using one embodiment of the insertion and extraction tool through a sequence of side views. 
       FIG. 7  is a side view of one embodiment of an insertion and extraction tool prior to seating the tool into an RJ-45  24  connector is plugged into RJ-45 socket  27 . The insertion and extraction tool housing  32  is being pushed along Ethernet cable  26  towards the housing  19  and the RJ-45 connector  24  that is securely plugged into socket  27 . 
       FIG. 8  is a side view of the same embodiment as described in  FIG. 7 , where the insertion and extraction tool housing  32  is pushed over the housing  19 , such that the tine  28  is barely in contact with the lever  18 , which itself is in contact with the tab  30  of connector  24 . Here, the wings  28   a,    28   b  are still in contact with the socket housing  27   a,  such that the jack  24  cannot be removed from the socket  27  and is “locked in” to it. 
       FIG. 9  is a side view of the same embodiment as described in  FIG. 8 , where the insertion and extraction tool housing  32  is pushed further over the boot  19  and jack  27 . In this figure, the tine  28  has depressed the lever  18  sufficiently to depress tab  30 , depressing the wings  28   a,    28   b  so that they no longer catch on socket housing  27   a.    
       FIG. 10  is a side view of the same embodiment as described in  FIG. 9 , where the RJ-45 connector  24  is now easily removed by simply drawing back housing  32 . 
     The various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. All of the U.S. patents, U.S. patent application publications, U.S. patent applications, foreign patents, foreign patent applications and non-patent publications referred to in this specification and/or listed in the Application Data Sheet are incorporated herein by reference, in their entirety. Aspects of the embodiments can be modified, if necessary to employ concepts of the various patents, applications and publications to provide yet further embodiments. 
     These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of the above-detailed description. In general, in the following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should be construed to include all possible embodiments along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. Accordingly, the claims are not limited by the disclosure.