Abstract:
An electrical adapter is provided for engaging a connector plug. The adapter comprises a male end, a female end, and a retention member. The male end is disposed at one end of the adapter for connecting the adapter to a female receptacle corresponding to the connector plug. The female end is disposed at another end of the adapter for engaging the connector plug. The female end comprises a top cap having a button disposed thereon. The retention member comprises a holder section, an energy storage section, and an energy release section. The holder section holds the connector plug. The energy storage section stores energy resulting from when the connector plug engages the retention member. When engaged by the button, the energy release section releases the energy stored in the energy storage section such that the connector plug automatically ejects from the adapter.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to Taiwanese Patent Application No. 97142431 filed Oct. 31, 2008, the entire text of which is specifically incorporated by reference herein. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The various embodiments described herein relate to an apparatus for a connector having a retention latch, including a connector attached to the end of a cord carrying electrical or optical signals, and more particularly to an electrical adaptor for a connector having a damaged retention latch. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Signal transmission lines, such as telephone lines, fiber optic lines, Ethernet lines, and the like are often connected to receiving units (e.g., wall outlets or female receptacles on other devices) via flexible conductors or lines having plug-in type connectors on their ends. RJ11, 8P8C, MT-RJ, and LC fiber-optic connectors are examples of plug-in connectors having retention latches. 
     Modern computers usually are connected to some type of network in order to share resources. Examples of such networks include the Internet, Wide Area Networks (WANs), and Local Area Networks (LANs). In order to access a network such as a LAN, a client computer must be coupled to the LAN either wirelessly or via hard wiring. A popular hard wiring system utilizes connectors known as 8P8C connectors (sometimes referred to as RJ45 connectors). 
       FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional side view of an 8P8C plug of a conventional 8P8C connector. The 8P8C plug is sometimes referred to as a RJ45 plug. The 8P8C plug  100  typically is formed of plastic and comprises a latch base  120  and a flexible retention latch  130 . The retention latch  130  is sometimes referred to as a connector tab or a latching tab and is integrally molded as part of the plastic 8P8C plug  100 . RJ11, MT-RJ, and LC fiber-optic connectors also have flexible retention latches. The retention latch  130  comprises a stem  134  and a finer flexible section  132  coupled to the latch base  120 . A pair of shoulders  136  is disposed on the connection between the stem  134  and the flexible section  132  as lock points. A vacant space  138  exists between the retention latch  130  and the 8P8C plug  100 , and thus the retention latch  130  can be flexed. In addition, the back end of the 8P8C plug  100  is attached to a cable  110 . 
     When the 8P8C plug  100  is inserted into a network port in a machine or a wall outlet, the retention latch  130  of the 8P8C plug  100  flexes as it rides over a pair of spaced apart retention lips  139  inside a female 8P8C receptacle  200  (see  FIG. 2 ) and snaps into a locked attachment with the 8P8C female receptacle  200 . The pair of shoulders  136  of the retention latch  130  engages the pair of retention lips  139 . When a user desires to disconnect the 8P8C plug  100 , the stem  134  of the retention latch  130 , which extends outside of the female 8P8C receptacle  200 , is pressed down to disengage the pair of shoulders  136  from the pair of retention lips  139  so that the 8P8C plug  100  can be removed. 
     The flexible retention latch  130  of the 8P8C plug  100  is usually fragile. If the retention latch  130  is damaged (i.e., broken) within the flexible section  132 , the 8P8C plug  100  cannot be retained in the female 8P8C receptacle  200 . If the retention latch  130  is damaged within the stem  134  (e.g., the stem  134  has broken off), the 8P8C plug  100  can be retained in the female 8P8C receptacle  200 , but the 8P8C plug  100  can be difficult to remove.  FIG. 2  shows a cross-sectional side view of the 8P8C plug  100  with a retention latch  130 , of which the stem  134  is damaged, wherein the 8P8C plug  100  engages the female 8P8C receptacle  200 . As illustrated, the pair of shoulders  136  of the retention latch  130  whose stem  134  is broken off engages the pair of retention lips  139  inside the female 8P8C receptacle  200 . However, to remove the 8P8C plug  100 , it is difficult to disengage the pair of shoulders  136  from the pair of retention lips  139  due to the damaged stem  134 . In such case, an external object such as a thin sticker is often needed to press down the retention latch  130  so that the 8P8C plug  100  can be removed. Often, when the retention latch  130  is damaged or becomes detached from the 8P8C plug  100 , it is necessary to either replace the entire cable with plug combination or replace the damaged plug itself. Replacing the damaged plug is difficult and impractical because it requires tools and skills to process the very fine wire gauge. Thus, the entire cable with plug combination is usually discarded and replaced, but such replacement is not cost effective. 
     A solution is provided in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2006/0046575A1, which discloses an electrical adapter comprising a female end and a male end. The female end of the electrical adapter is provided for electrically receiving a male RJ11 plug with broken latching tab removed, while the male end comprises an unbroken latching tab and is substantially similar in shape to the male plug. The female end comprises a retaining tab for holding the male plug securely in place. However, if a user desires to remove the male plug with broken latching tab from the female end, a releasing device must be manually inserted into the female end of the adapter to release the male plug. In addition, if the broken latching tab is not damaged at the position of the latch base  120  as illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the female end of the adapter will not be able to receive the male RJ11 plug. 
     Another solution is provided by U.S. Pat. No. 7,223,109, which discloses a replacement latch to be added for retention of a damaged male 8P8C plug whose molded flexible latch has been broken off. However, the replacement latch includes multiple parts (at least three) mounted within a tiny space inside the male 8P8C plug, and thus it is difficult to manufacture/assemble the replacement latch. Moreover, if the flexible latch is not damaged at the position of the latch base  120  as illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the replacement latch will not be compatible with a male 8P8C plug due to a lack of free space for inserting any additional parts inside a female 8P8C receptacle. 
     Accordingly, a practical and reliable solution is required for accommodating a plug with any type of damaged retention latch without requiring replacement of the plug itself or an entire cable with plug connected thereto. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The various embodiments described herein provide a novel electrical adapter that can accommodate a connector plug having any type of damaged flexible retention latch. In addition, the novel electrical adapter can accommodate a connector plug having an undamaged flexible retention latch. In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the novel electrical adapter has a male end similar in shape to the conventional 8P8C plug and a female end. A retention member mounted inside of the female end is provided for holding the connector plug. The retention member comprises an energy storage section provided for storing energy resulting from when the connector plug engages the retention member. When the energy storage section releases the energy stored therein, the connector plug is automatically ejected from the adapter. 
     According to one aspect of the various embodiments described herein, an electrical adapter is provided for engaging a connector plug. The connector plug may be an 8P8C plug, a RJ11 plug, a MT-RJ plug, or a LC plug. The adapter comprises a male end, a female end, and a retention member. The male end is disposed at one end of the adapter for connecting the adapter to a female receptacle corresponding to the connector plug. The female receptacle may be a wall outlet or a receptacle on another device. The male end is substantially similar in shape to the connector plug. The female end is disposed at another end of the adapter for engaging the connector plug. The female end comprises a top cap having a push button disposed thereon. The retention member is formed of stainless steel plate and comprises a holder section, an energy storage section, and an energy release section. The holder section is provided for holding the connector plug. The energy storage section is provided for storing energy resulting from when the connector plug engages the retention member. The energy release section is provided for releasing the energy stored in the energy storage section when engaged by the button such that the connector plug automatically ejects from the adapter. 
     The holder section of the retention member comprises a pair of V-shape arms, and each of the pair of V-shape arms comprises a holder. The energy storage section comprises a pair of V-shape springs. The energy release section comprises a spring latch having a latch hole for engagement with a protrusion point on the female end. The latch hole engages the protrusion point when the connector plug engages the retention member. In addition, the retention member comprises a push tab via which the retention member is driven when the connector plug is inserted into the female end. 
     Furthermore, the female end of the adapter comprises a body comprising a first compartment for receiving the connector plug and a second compartment for receiving the energy storage section and the energy release section. 
     According to another aspect of the various embodiments described herein, a female receptacle is provided for engaging a connector plug. The female receptacle comprises a body, a top cap, and a retention member. The body is provided for receiving the connector plug. The top cap is mounted on the body and has a push button disposed thereon. The retention member comprises a holder section, an energy storage section, and an energy release section. The holder section is provided for holding the connector plug. The energy storage section is provided for storing energy resulting from when the connector plug engages the retention member. The energy release section is provided for releasing the energy stored in the energy storage section when engaged by the button such that the connector plug automatically ejects from the adapter. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The various embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the following figures, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  shows a cross-sectional side view of an 8P8C plug of a conventional 8P8C connector; 
         FIG. 2  shows a cross-sectional side view of an 8P8C plug having a damaged retention latch engaging a female 8P8C receptacle; 
         FIG. 3A  and  FIG. 3B  are respectively an assembled perspective view and an exploded perspective view that show an adapter in accordance with an exemplary embodiment; 
         FIGS. 4A-4C  are exploded perspective views that show insertion of an 8P8C plug having a damaged retention latch into the female end of the adapter in accordance with an exemplary embodiment; and 
         FIG. 5  is an exploded perspective view that shows insertion of an 8P8C plug having an undamaged retention latch into the female end of the adapter in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The following describes various exemplary embodiments. The exemplary embodiments are for illustrative purposes only. Thus, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that modifications may be made to the various embodiments described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Throughout the drawings, similar features are identified by similar reference numerals. 
     The various embodiments described herein are designed to make serviceable a plug having a damaged (i.e., broken) retention latch attached to the end of a cable carrying electrical or optical signals. For purposes of simplicity, the various embodiments will be described by using the 8P8C connector as an example. Those skilled in the art will readily realize that the material disclosed in the specification can be applied other connectors, including RJ11, MT-RJ, and LC fiber-optic connectors. 
       FIG. 3A  and  FIG. 3B  are respectively an assembled perspective view and an exploded perspective view that show an adapter  300  in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. As shown in  FIG. 3A , the body of the adapter  300  is typically formed of plastic and comprises a male end  310  similar to the 8P8C plug  100  and a female end  340 . A top cap  380  is mounted on the female end  340 , and a button  382  is disposed on the top cap  380 . Engaging members  384  are respectively disposed on two sides of the top cap  380  for engaging corresponding mated holes  348  inside the female end  340 . Moreover, the female end  340  comprises female end electrical contacts (not shown) for electrical connection with electrical contacts of an inserted 8P8C plug (not shown). The male end  310  is substantially similar in shape to the 8P8C plug  100  and typically comprises an undamaged retention latch  330  and a latch base  320 . The retention latch  330  comprises a stem  334  and a finer flexible section  332  coupled to the latch base  320 . A pair of shoulders  336  is disposed on the connection between the stem  334  and the flexible section  332  as lock points. The pair of shoulders  336  is provided for engaging a pair of spaced apart retention lips (not shown) inside a receiving unit (e.g., female receptacle). The retention latch  330  is thus snapped into a locked attachment when the male end  310  of the adapter  300  is inserted into a wall outlet or the female receptacle on another device (e.g. a computer system, a DSL Modem, etc.). The male end  310  further comprises male end electrical contacts (not shown) for electrically connecting the adapter  300  to a wall outlet or a female receptacle on another device. 
       FIG. 3B  illustrates an exploded perspective view of the female end  340  of the adapter  300  in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. A retention member  360  is mounted inside the female end  340 . The retention member  360  is formed of flexible stainless steel plate and typically comprises a beam  365 , a pair of V-shape arms  362  with holders  363  respectively extending forward from the two ends of the beam  365 , a pair of V-shape springs  366  disposed on the side of the beam  365  opposite to the pair of V-shape arms  362 , a push tab  364  disposed at the middle of the beam  365  and on the same side as the pair of V-shape arms  362 , and a spring latch  369  disposed at the middle of the beam  365  and on the side opposite to the push tab  364 . The spring latch  369  comprises a latch hole  368  formed thereon. 
     Within the body of the female end  340 , a deeper first compartment  341  is located at the entry end for receiving the body of an 8P8C plug (not shown). Moreover, the female end  340  comprises a shallower second compartment  349  for receiving the beam  365 , the spring latch  369 , and the pair of V-shape springs  366  of the retention member  360 . The second compartment  349  comprises a pair of first ledges  347  respectively disposed on the two sides of the body of the female end  340  and extended to the first compartment  341 , a second ledge  345  disposed on the side opposite to the entry end of the female end  340  (i.e., disposed on the side of the female end  340  adjacent to the male end  310 ), and a pair of spaced apart bosses  342  disposed at the two sides of the boundary between the first compartment  341  and the second compartment  349 . A pair of longitudinal recess areas  344  is respectively located at the two sides of the second ledge  345  for receiving the pair of V-shape springs  366  of the retention member  360 . 
     A protrusion point  346  extending downward from the female end  340  is disposed on the upper side of the second ledge  345  of the female end  340  for engaging the latch hole  368  formed on the spring latch  369  of the retention member  360 . A pair of V-shape indents  347 - 1  is formed along the sides of the pair of first ledges  347  to accommodate the pair of V-shape arms  362  of the retention member  360 . 
       FIGS. 4A-4C  are exploded perspective views that show insertion of an 8P8C plug  400  having a damaged retention latch  432  into the female end of the adapter  300  in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. For purposes of clarity, the top cap  380  is not depicted in  FIGS. 4A-4C . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 4A , the retention member  360  is mounted within the female end  340 . Specifically, the beam  365  of the retention member  360  is mounted against the pair of spaced apart bosses  342 , while the spring latch  369  is mounted on the second ledge  345 . The pair of V-shape springs  366  of the retention member  360  is respectively mounted inside of the pair of longitudinal recess areas  344  located at the two sides of the second ledge  345 . The pair of V-shape arms  362  rides over the two sides of the pair of spaced apart bosses  342  and is respectively accommodated inside the pair of V-shape indents  347 - 1  formed along the sides of the pair of first ledges  347 . The push tab  364  of the retention member  360  is mounted between the pair of bosses  342  and extends to the first compartment  341  of the female end  340 . The button  382  disposed on the top cap  380  is mounted directly over the spring latch  369  of the retention member  360 . 
     Moreover, with reference to  FIG. 4A , when a user intends to push the 8P8C plug  400  into locked attachment with the adapter  300 , the 8P8C plug  400  is manually inserted into the female end  340 , and a latch base  420  of the 8P8C plug  400  is pushed forward to engage the push tab  364  of the retention member  360 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 4B , as the 8P8C plug  400  is pushed forward, the latch base  420  presses the push tab  364  of the retention member  360  and drives the entire retention member  360  as indicated by the direction of a corresponding arrow in  FIG. 4B . The pair of V-shape-indents  347 - 1  formed along the pair of first ledges  347  then pushes the pair of V-shape arms  362  closer together, and the holders  363  of the pair of V-shape arms  362  move inwardly (as indicated by corresponding arrows) and enter into the lower vacant space  438  beneath the retention latch  432  in order to hold the latch base  420 . Meanwhile, the pair of V-shape arms  362  is extended such that spring energy is stored. Simultaneously, the pair of V-shape springs  366  is pressed and bent such that spring energy is stored. Finally, as illustrated in  FIG. 4C , the protrusion point  346  extending downward from the female end  340  presses down the spring latch  369  as the push tab  364  is pushed by the latch base  420  such that the protrusion point  346  engages the latch hole  368  on the spring latch  369 . As a result, a locked attachment between the 8P8C plug  400  and the adapter  300  is accomplished. 
     In order to disconnect the 8P8C plug  400  from the adapter  300 , the button  382  on the upper top cap  380  of the female end  340  is manually pushed. As mentioned above, the button  382  is mounted directly over the spring latch  369 . When the button  382  is pushed, the button  382  engages the spring latch  369 , and as a result the spring latch  369  is depressed by the button  382 , thereby enabling the protrusion point  346  to disengage from the latch hole  368 . In the meantime, the depressed V-shape springs  366  drive the entire retention member  360  backward, and the stored spring energy of the V-shape springs  366  is released. Moreover, the push tab  364  pushes the latch base  420  such that the holders  363  of the pair of V-shape arms  362  no longer hold the latch base  420 . Consequently, the stored spring energy of the pair of V-shape arms  362  is released. As a result of the released spring energy, the 8P8C plug  400  is automatically ejected from the female end  340 . 
     As previously discussed in accordance with an exemplary embodiment, during the plug insertion process the holders  363  move inwardly and enter into the lower vacant space  438  beneath the retention latch  432  in order to hold the latch base  420  of the 8P8C plug  400 . Accordingly, the exemplary embodiment may be used for an 8P8C plug with an undamaged retention latch as well as an 8P8C plug with a damaged retention latch of any type.  FIG. 5  is an exploded perspective view that shows insertion of an 8P8C plug  400  having an undamaged retention latch  432  into the female end  340  of the adapter  300  in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. 
     While the various embodiments described herein have been presented with the 8P8C connector as an example, it could be applied to any other type of connector (e.g. RJ11, MT-RJ, and LC fiber-optic connectors). Furthermore, an adapter in accordance with an exemplary embodiment may comprise only the female end  340  as a female receptacle for engaging a connector plug having a flexible retention latch, no matter where the flexible retention latch is damaged. 
     The illustration of the various embodiments described herein with reference to the drawings is provided for a better understanding of the characteristics and spirit of these embodiments. It will be understood that the various embodiments are not limited to the particular exemplary embodiments described herein but rather are capable of various modifications and rearrangements without departing from their scope. Therefore, it is intended that the following claims, accompanied by detailed descriptions giving the broadest explanation, not only define the scope of the various embodiments but also cover all modifications and changes that fall within their true spirit and scope.