Abstract:
A structure for the connection between a hub and its transceivers for installing a transceiver in a connection port of the hub is provided. The connection structure includes a fastener installed in a transceiver, a stopper installed in the hub for coupling with the fastener, and a releaser for separating the fastener and stopper. There is a button-style releaser with an applied end that reaches the front of the hub for separating the transceiver from the hub when the applied end is pressed.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention is related to a structure for a hub, and more particularly to a structure for the connection between the hub and its transceivers. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In a Local Area Network (LAN) characterized by asteroid topology, a twisted-pair cable usually links up the nodes for information transmission, while a hub connects each computer to the server or generates new signals. Most of the known hubs includes several connection ports for receiving the communication module, such as transceivers of RJ-45 connectors or transceivers composed of photoelectric reception and emission components. 
     All known combinations of transceivers and a hub are based on an assembly-disassembly design. FIG. 1 shows a conventional transceiver. While taking this transceiver from a hub, a user has to press a slider  10  located at the top of the front of the transceiver for separating the transceiver from the hub. However, once it is pushed and moved forward, the slider  10  will not return to the previous locking position by itself. A drawback of the design is that, if the transceiver is pushed into the connection port of the hub again, the slider  10  will not lock the transceiver in the connection port of the hub properly. 
     The above-described design still has another drawback. The aforesaid known slider  10  is disposed on the lateral side near the front end of the transceiver, but not extended out of the front of the transceiver. If the transceivers are arranged in pairs and aligned in two rows, that is, each pair of transceivers are put together in a mirror-like (or back-to-back) manner before being pushed into the hub, then the slider will not work. Alternatively, increasing the gap between a pair of transceiver might solve this problem, but it will increase the volume of the hub. 
     THE OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The primary object of the invention is to improve the structure for the connection between a hub and its communication modules (such as transceiver), and provide a connection structure for easy assembly and disassembly. 
     The solution put forth by the invention involves re-designing the releaser. In the first embodiment, the releaser is slidably installed in the transceiver. The releaser has an applied end protruding from one end of the transceiver. After the transceiver has been inserted into the connection port of the hub, the applied end is still positioned out of the front of the hub. A user may remove the transceiver from the hub easily by pressing the releaser in front of the hub. 
     In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the lever-style releaser has applied end exposed out of the front of the transceiver. To remove the transceiver from the hub, a user can press the applied end, so as to move a fastener for disassembling the transceiver from the hub. 
     Another object of the invention is to reduce the size of hub. Since the releaser is not positioned on the side of the transceiver, the size of hub will be reduced and the transceivers can be easily installed or removed, whereas pairs of transceivers may be inserted into a hub in a mirror-like (or back-to-back) manner and be aligned in two rows. 
     The explanations and illustrations of the preferred embodiments and a detailed description of the technique for the invention are as follows: 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 depicts a conventional transceiver; 
     FIG. 2 depicts the first embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 3 depicts the structure of a transceiver for the first embodiment of the invention; 
     FIGS. 4 &amp; 5 illustrate how a releaser works; 
     FIGS. 6A &amp; 6B are the cross-sectional diagrams for the structure of the transceiver in the first embodiment; 
     FIG. 7 depicts the second embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 8 is a rear view of the transceiver shown in FIG. 7; 
     FIGS. 9A &amp; 9B are the cross-sectional diagrams for the structure of the transceiver in the second embodiment; 
     FIG. 10 is a front view of the third embodiment of the invention; and 
     FIG. 11 is a rear view of the third embodiment of the invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The First Embodiment 
     FIG. 2 depicts the structure of the hub  20  and its communication module (exemplified by a transceiver  30  in the figure) for the first embodiment of the invention. The hub  20  has several connection ports  21  arranged in two rows. This kind of transceiver  30  is, basically, a transceiver having a receiver  35   a  and a transmitter  35   b  for connecting an input optical fiber and an output optical fiber, respectively. 
     The connection structure put forth by the invention includes a stopper  40  installed inside the connection port  21  of the hub  20  (see FIG.  6 A), wherein one end of the stopper  40  is fixed in the hub  20  and the other free end  41  is flexible and extends obliquely toward the transceiver  30 ; a fastener  50  fixed in the transceiver  30  for being engaged with the free end  41  of the stopper  40  after the transceiver  30  has been inserted into the connection port  21  (see FIG.  6 A), so that the transceiver  30  will be fixed in the connection port  21  of the hub  20 ; and a releaser  60  installed on the external side of the transceiver  30 . The releaser  60  can slide between the assembling position (see FIG. 6A) and the disassembling position (see FIG.  6 B). The releaser  60  includes an applied end  61  and a pair of flexible wings  62   a  and  62   b  (see FIGS.  3  &amp;  4 ). The ends of the pair of wings (see FIG. 6A) extend obliquely along the direction opposite to the insertion direction of the transceiver  30  into the connection port  21 . The ends of the pair of wings  62   a  and  62   b  can be coupled with the notches  31   a  and  31   b  on the surface of the transceiver  30 , respectively. Owing to the elasticity of the pair of wings  62   a  and  62   b , the releaser  60  is kept in the assembling position in a normal state. There is a surface  63  on the side of the head of the releaser  60  facing the stopper  40 . The surface  63  can contribute to detach the free applied end  41  of the stopper  40  from the fastener  50  (see FIG.  6 B). As a result, a user may remove the transceiver  30  from the connection port  21  of the hub  20 . 
     In the embodiments disclosed by the invention, the aforesaid stopper  40  is, in fact, a part of a metallic housing  4 A that encloses the transceiver  30  (see FIG.  6 A). This metallic housing  4 A not only has the functions of electrical grounding and shielding from electromagnetic interface, but also contributes to the combination of a hub  20  and its transceiver  30 . Hence, a metallic resilient element can be formed on the metallic housing  4 A and extend outwards from the transceiver  30  as the aforesaid stopper  40 . In the preferred embodiment, a hook is formed on the free end  41 , and a hole  411  is made on the surface of the stopper  40  for locking the fastener  50 . 
     The releaser  60  is a flat component. It is inserted into a groove  32  found on the surface of the transceiver  30  and restricted by a cover  33  fixed to the top of the groove  32  so that it can only slide along the groove  32 . As shown in FIG. 4, the ends of the wings  62   a  and  62   b  can be coupled with the notches  31   a  and  31   b , respectively, formed on the surface of the transceiver  30 . In the normal state, the releaser  60  is not pushed against, and there is a gap between the surface  63  on the head of the releaser  60  and the fastener  50 . However, once the transceiver  30  is inserted into the connection port  21  of the hub  20 , the free end  41  of the stopper  40  will urge against the fastener  50  from the gap (see FIG.  6 A). While disassembling the transceiver  30  from the connection port  21  of the hub  20 , the user may apply a force on the applied end  61  of the releaser  60 , and push the surface  63  toward the fastener  50  until it reaches the disassembling position (see FIG.  5 ). As shown in FIG. 5, when the releaser  60  reaches the assembling position, the wings  62   a  and  62   b  deform under the squeeze of the groove  32 . With the resilient force generated by the deformity of the wings  62   a  and  62   b , the releaser  60  returns to the normal position. 
     In the first embodiment, the fastener  50  is a kind of protuberance fixed on the external surface of the transceiver  30 . There is an oblique surface  51  on the side of the fastener  50  facing the stopper  40 . The oblique surface  51  can slide beneath the stopper  40  when the fastener  50  is inserted into the hub  20  along with the transceiver  30 . 
     The Second Embodiment 
     The second embodiment of the invention is characterized by a modification of the fastener  50  put forth in the first embodiment. The second embodiment involves a movable fastener  70 . FIGS. 7 &amp; 8 depict the structure of the movable fastener  70 . 
     The movable fastener  70  includes an elongated body  71  that may be inserted into or stuck out from the transceiver  30 , as well as a spring  72 . In the normal state, the spring  72  can raise the head  710  of the elongated body  71  so that the free end  41  of the stopper  40  stops it after the transceiver  30  has been inserted into the connection port  21 . 
     There is an oblique surface  711  (or an arc-shaped surface) on the side of the head  710  of the elongated body  71  facing the stopper. The oblique surface  711  is slidable beneath the stopper  40  when the fastener  70  is inserted into the hub  20  along with the transceiver  30 , as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B. 
     A through hole  34  is pierced in the transceiver  30 . By increasing the size of the head  710 , the head  710  of the elongated body  71  can only be inserted into or stick out from a relatively bigger recess  341  at one end of the through hole  34 . Protuberances  73   a  and  73   b  are formed on both sides of the other end of the elongated body  71 . The spring  72  is telescoped on the elongated body  71  and positioned between the head  710  and the protuberances  73   a  &amp;  73   b . As shown in FIG. 8, there is a slit  342  on the inner wall of the other end of the through hole  34 . The slit  342  is characterized by radial widening. As a result, protuberances  73   a  &amp;  73   b  can only pass through the slit  342 , if aligned. By rotating the elongated body  71 , the protuberances  73   a  &amp;  73   b  can engage with the slit  342  such that the elongated body  71  and the spring  72  can be installed in the transceiver  30 . With the elasticity of the spring  72 , the head  710  of the elongated body  71  may be lifted in the normal state. 
     As shown in FIGS. 9A &amp; 9B, the oblique surface  63   a  of the releaser  60  is formed on the side facing the elongated body  71 . When the releaser  60  is pushed to the assembling position, the oblique surface  63   a  may push the head  710  of the elongated body  71  into the transceiver  30  so as to separate the head  710  of the elongated body  71  from the stopper  40  for the removal of the transceiver  30 . 
     The Third Embodiment 
     The third embodiment is similar to the second embodiment except that the aforesaid releaser  60  is replaced by a lever. As shown in FIGS. 10 &amp; 11, an extended lever  80  is installed in the housing  36  of the transceiver  30 . One end of the lever  80  is connected to the housing  36  of the transceiver  30 , while its other end extends toward the direction of the output/input ends  35   a  and  35   b  of the transceiver  30  to provide an applied end  81 . The aforesaid through hole  34  pierces through the lever  80 . Hence, by pressing the applied end  81  of the lever  80  along the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 11, the head  710  of the elongated body  71  can be separated from the stopper  40  for the removal of the transceiver  30 . 
     While the invention is described by way of example and in terms of the aforesaid preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description. Therefore the scope of protection for the invention should conform to the claims attached below.