Abstract:
A compression tool having a connector engagement design that improves the quality of the installation of a cable connector onto a cable. The compression tool provides at least one chamfered mating surface that is configured to engage a middle portion of a connector. Engagement of a mating surface with the middle portion of a connector enables each of various embodiments of the tool to interoperate with at least one of a plurality of other types of connectors having differently shaped and sized terminal ends. The chamfered mating Surface provides improved alignment and proper seating of the connector while it is disposed within the compression tool during the period of time before, during and after its compression and installation onto a cable by the compression tool.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO APPLICATIONS INCLUDING SUBJECT MATTER  
       [0001]     The U.S. non-provisional patent application Ser. No. 10/892,645 filed Jul. 16, 2004 (attorney docket 205 — 181) has common inventorship and includes related subject matter and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     This invention relates generally to a tool for installing a connector onto a cable, and specifically to a compression tool having a connector engagement design that improves the quality of the installation of a connector onto a cable.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     The process of installing a connector onto a coax cable generally involves the skill and effort of a crafts person. Typically, the crafts person uses one or more tools to install a particular type of connector onto a cable. Some tools may be specifically designed for use with a particular type of connector. The installation of some types of connectors are characterized as “craft sensitive”, meaning that the quality of the installation is substantially dependent upon (sensitive to) the amount of care and skill applied by the crafts person to a particular installation of a connector onto a cable.  
         [0004]     In some circumstances, a crafts person may not apply sufficient care and/or “rush” the installation of one or more connectors. As a consequence, some or all of these connector installations may be of poor quality. For example, while using a compression tool, a crafts person may force the closure (compression) of a coax connector that is not properly seated and aligned within the compression tool.  
         [0005]     This type of installation can result in a compressible portion of the connector, referred to as a compression sleeve, to be forced onto a remaining portion of the connector, referred to as a connector body, in a mis-aligned (cocked) manner. In this state, the improperly compressed and installed connector can lack an effective weather seal and/or lack an effective mechanical attachment to the cable. A defective weather seal can allow moisture to enter and corrode the connector. A defective attachment to the cable can result in the detachment of the connector from the cable or result in a defective (unreliable) electrical connection to the cable.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     The invention provides a compression tool having a connector engagement design that improves the quality of the installation of a cable connector onto a cable. In some embodiments, the compression tool provides at least one mating surface that is configured to engage a middle portion of a cable connector. Engagement of a mating surface with the middle portion of a connector enables various embodiments of the tool to interoperate with other types of connectors having differently shaped and sized terminal ends.  
         [0007]     Preferably, the mating surface that is configured to engage a middle portion of a cable connector is a chamfered mating surface. A chamfered mating surface provides improved alignment and proper seating of the connector while it is disposed within the compression tool during the period of time before, during and after its compression and installation onto a cable by the compression tool.  
         [0008]     In some embodiments, the compression tool is configured to install a 50 Ohm coax cable connector onto a coax cable. In other embodiments, the compression tool is configured to install at least one of a plurality of other types of connectors having a variety of shapes and sizes. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]     For a further understanding of these and objects of the invention, reference will be made to the following detailed description of the invention which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:  
         [0010]      FIG. 1  illustrates an embodiment of a compression tool used for installing a cable connector onto a cable.  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  illustrates a cable connector that is disposed within the embodiment of the compression tool of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  illustrates a top view of a cable connector that lacks a chamfered mating surface and that is disposed within an embodiment of a compression tool.  
         [0013]      FIG. 4  illustrates a side view of the compression tool shown in  FIG. 2 .  
         [0014]      FIG. 5  illustrates a side cross-sectional view of a cable connector that is disposed within the embodiment of the compression tool of  FIG. 2 .  
         [0015]      FIG. 6  illustrates a side cross-sectional view of the compression tool where the lever is positioned closest to the outer housing and is in a fully compressed position.  
         [0016]      FIG. 7  illustrates separated components of the compression tool.  
         [0017]      FIG. 8  illustrates a chamfered mating surface disposed within the second opening of the second pusher plate.  
         [0018]      FIG. 9  illustrates a top view of the cable connector including the chamfered surface that is disposed within the compression tool.  
         [0019]      FIG. 10A  illustrates an alternative embodiment of the compression tool that employs a pulling shaft as opposed to a pushing shaft.  
         [0020]      FIG. 10B  illustrates a cable connector that is disposed within the alternative embodiment of the compression tool of  FIG. 10A .  
         [0021]      FIG. 10C  illustrates a cable connector that is disposed within the alternative embodiment of the compression tool of  FIG. 10A  that includes an external housing.  
         [0022]      FIG. 11  illustrates separated components of the alternative embodiment of the compression tool of  FIG. 10A .  
         [0023]      FIG. 12  illustrates a top view of the cable connector that is disposed within the alternative embodiment of the compression tool of  FIG. 10B . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0024]      FIG. 1  illustrates an embodiment of a compression tool  100  used for installing a cable connector onto a cable. The compression tool includes a first pusher plate  110  and a second pusher plate  120 . The first pusher plate  110  includes a first opening  112  and a first inner surface  110   a.  The second pusher plate  120  includes a second opening  122  and a second inner surface  120   a.  The first opening  112  is configured to accommodate the engagement of the first pusher plate  110  with a first mating surface of a cable connector. The second opening  122  is configured to accommodate the engagement of a portion of the second pusher plate  120  with a second mating surface of a cable connector.  
         [0025]     The first pusher plate  110  and the second pusher plate  120  bound a distal cavity  130  that is configured to accommodate a compressible portion of the cable connector. The second pusher plate  120  and a perimeter wall  142  bound a second cavity  140 . The second cavity  140  is configured to accommodate a remaining portion of the cable connector.  
         [0026]     As shown, an outer housing  150  substantially surrounds the compression tool  100  including the distal cavity  130  and the second cavity  140 . The outer housing  150  includes an opening  160 . A lever  162  is configured to surround and pivot around a pivot shaft (not shown) that is configured to be disposed within the opening  160  within the outer housing  150 .  
         [0027]      FIG. 2  illustrates a cable connector  210  that is disposed within the embodiment  100  of the compression tool of  FIG. 1 . As shown, the cable connector is a 50 Ohm cable connector having a longitudinal axis  220  and a distal end portion  212  and a proximal end portion  214 . The distal end portion  212  is tapered (narrower) relative to the proximal end portion  214  of the cable connector  210 , is disposed within the distal cavity  130  and is physically and electrically connected to a coax cable  260 .  
         [0028]     The distal end portion  212  of the cable connector  210 , included within the compression sleeve  216 , is compressible and is configured to be axially compressed between the first pusher plate  110  and the second pusher plate  120 . As shown, the longitudinal axis  220  of the connector  210  intersects the coax cable  260  at the distal end  212  of the connector  210 . The coax cable  260  is typically spliced (not shown) in preparation for physical connection to the cable connector  210 .  
         [0029]     The remaining portion of the connector  210  that excludes the compressible portion  216  is referred to as a connector body. As shown, the connector body is partially disposed within the proximal cavity  140  and partially disposed between and outside of the distal cavity  130  and the proximal cavity  140  and includes the proximal end portion  214  of the cable connector  210 . The proximal end portion  214  is configured to connect (mate) with another complementary connector interface (not shown).  
         [0030]     Other embodiments of the invention are configured to accommodate other types of connectors. For example, as shown in this embodiment, the second pusher plate  120  engages a chamfered mating surface  520  that is disposed onto a shoulder of the compressible portion (compression sleeve)  216  of the cable connector  210 . The shoulder is disposed on the proximal edge of the compression sleeve  216 . Other embodiments of the compression tool are configured to instead engage a shoulder having a different location and/or different dimensions with respect to another particular connector design and/or engage a flange (protruding rim) or slot disposed onto another particular connector design.  
         [0031]      FIG. 3  illustrates a top view of the cable connector  210  and that lacks a chamfered mating surface and that is disposed within an embodiment of a compression tool. Accordingly, the embodiment of the compression tool shown also lacks a chamfered mating surface. As shown, there is engagement between a first pusher plate  110  and a mating surface of the connector  210  at locations  310   a  and  310   b.  Likewise, there is engagement between a second pusher plate  120  and a mating surface of the connector  210  at locations  320   a  and  320   b.  The mating surfaces  310   a ,  310   b  and  320   a ,  320   b  are substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cable connector  210 .  
         [0032]     A pushing shaft  330  is attached to a rigid perimeter wall  142  bounding the second cavity  140 . The pushing shaft  330  is configured to push the perimeter wall  142  of the cavity  140  and the second pusher plate  120  in a direction towards the first pusher plate  110  in response to movement of the lever  162  in order to compress the compressible portion  216  of the cable connector  210 .  
         [0033]      FIG. 4  illustrates a side view of the compression tool  100  shown in  FIG. 2 . As shown, the lever  162  is disposed on the lower side of the compression tool  100 . The lever  162  is configured to be hand operated and is positioned closest to the outer housing  150  of the compression tool  100 . The lever  162  is configured to pivot around a pivot shaft (not shown) that is disposed within the opening  160  of the outer housing  150 . The lever  162  is shown in the closed and fully compressed position.  
         [0034]      FIG. 5  illustrates a side cross-sectional view of a cable connector  210  that is disposed within the embodiment  100  of the compression tool of  FIG. 2 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , the cable connector  210  includes a chamfered mating surface  520 . Like the mating surface  310   a ,  310   b  shown in  FIG. 3 , the mating surface  510  that is disposed on the cable connector  210  is angled approximately 90 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis  220  of the cable connector  210 . But unlike the mating surface  320   a ,  320   b  shown in  FIG. 3 , the chamfered mating surface  520  that is disposed on the cable connector  210  is angled approximately 45 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis  220  of the cable connector  210 . Some of the advantages of incorporating a chamfered mating surface  520  into the compression tool  100  are best described in the discussion of  FIG. 8 .  
         [0035]     Unlike that shown in  FIG. 4 , the lever  162  is positioned away from a position closest to the outer housing  150  of the compression tool  100 . Movement of the lever  162  towards the enclosure  150  of the compression tool causes the pushing shaft  330  to press against the rigid perimeter wall  142  of the second cavity  140  and to move the second pusher plate  120  towards the first pusher plate  110  in order to compress the compressible portion  216  of the cable connector  210 . When the lever  162  is disposed closest to the outer housing  150  of the compression tool  100 , the compression tool  100  is in a fully compressed position and the cable connector  210  disposed within the compression tool  100  is fully compressed by the compression tool  100 .  
         [0036]      FIG. 6  illustrates a side cross-sectional view of the compression tool  100  where the lever  162  is positioned closest to the outer housing  150  and is in a fully compressed position. When the lever  162  is disposed closest to the outer housing  150 , the components of the compression tool  100  are in their fully compressed positions. As shown, the compressible portion  216  of the cable connector  210  that is disposed within the distal cavity  130  is fully compressed by the compression tool  100 .  
         [0037]     Movement of the lever  162  to a position closer to the outer housing  150  causes the pushing shaft  330  to apply a force to the perimeter wall  142  in a direction towards the first pusher plate  110 . The force applied by the pushing shaft  330  moves the perimeter wall  142  and the second pusher plate  120  towards the first pusher plate  110  in order to further compress the compressible portion  216  of the cable connector  210  disposed within the compression tool  100 .  
         [0038]      FIG. 7  illustrates separated components of the compression tool  100 . As shown, the separated components include the lever  162 , the outer housing  150 , the pushing shaft  330 , the first pusher plate  110  and a rigid enclosure  744  including the second pusher plate  120  and the rigid perimeter wall  142  that bound the proximal cavity  140 .  
         [0039]      FIG. 8  illustrates a chamfered mating surface  720  disposed within the second opening  122  of the second pusher plate  120 . The chamfered mating surface  720  of the compression tool  210  is configured to make flush engagement with the chamfered mating surface  520  of the cable connector  210  (See  FIG. 5 ). Like the chamfered mating surface  520  of the cable connector  210 , the chamfered mating surface  720  of the second opening  122  of the second pusher plate  120  is angled approximately 45 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis  220  of the cable connector  210 , as it is disposed within the compression tool  210  (See  FIG. 5 ).  
         [0040]     An axis of compression  820  of the compression tool  100  is a line disposed through space that indicates an ideal location of the longitudinal axis  220  of a cable connector  210  when it is disposed within the compression tool  100 . Accordingly, the chamfered mating surface  720  of the compression tool  100  and the chamfered mating surface  520  of the cable connector  210  are both angled approximately 45 degrees relative to the axis of compression  820  of the compression tool  100 .  
         [0041]     Engagement of the chamfered mating surface  720  of the compression tool  210  with the chamfered surface  520  of the cable connector  210  centers the longitudinal axis of the cable connector  210  along the axis of compression  820  of the compression tool  210  without using other types of retaining mechanisms which can interfere with the ease of use of a compression tool.  
         [0042]     Other types of retaining mechanisms include, for example, spring loaded and/or movable mechanisms built into a compression tool to align (center) a cable connector along an axis of compression within the compression tool and to prevent the cable connector from moving off center and away from the axis of compression. A retention mechanism can obstruct the loading of a connector into a compression tool and cause the compression tool to be more difficult and less efficient to use.  
         [0043]     Alignment of a cable connector is important to the correct operation of a compression tool. If the cable connector is not aligned (not properly seated) with respect to the axis of compression while being compressed by the compression tool, an unbalanced (lopsided) compression of the cable connector typically results, constituting an installation of poor quality.  
         [0044]     As described within the background section of this document, this type of installation can result in a compressible portion of the connector (compression sleeve)  216  to be forced onto a connector body in a mis-aligned (cocked) manner. In this circumstance, the improperly compressed and installed connector can lack an effective weather seal and/or lack an effective mechanical attachment to the cable. A defective weather seal can allow moisture to enter and corrode the connector. A defective attachment to the cable can result in the detachment of the connector from the cable or result in a defective (unreliable) electrical connection to the cable.  
         [0045]     As an alternative to use of other types of retaining mechanisms, the invention employs the chamfered mating surface  720  of the compression tool  100  to engage and align the cable connector  210  via the chamfered mating surface  520  of the compression tool  100 .  
         [0046]     Furthermore, the chamfered mating surface  720  of the compression tool is configured to mostly surround (by more than 180 degrees) the circumference of the cable connector  210  to prevent the cable connector  210  from sliding upward and/or sliding in any direction along a plane perpendicular to the axis of compression  820  of the compression tool  100 . As shown, the chamfered mating surface  720  surrounds the circumference of the cable connector by more than 180 degrees.  
         [0047]     The chamfered mating surface  520  of the cable connector  210  is located away from the distal terminal end and proximate to the middle portion of the cable connector  210 . Accordingly, the chamfered mating surface  720  of the second pusher plate  120  is located and dimensioned to engage the chamfered mating surface  520  located proximate to the middle portion of the cable connector  210 .  
         [0048]     By locating the chamfered mating surface  520  of the cable connector  210  proximate to the middle portion of the cable connector  210 , the distal terminal end  212  and the proximal end  214  of the cable connector  210  are free to be of a variety of shapes and dimensions necessary to serve the functional requirements of the cable connector  210  without affecting the location, shape and dimension of the chamfered tool engagement surface  520 . This aspect of the invention enables the compression tool  100  to accommodate the engagement and compression of multiple types of connectors having a variety of shapes and sizes.  
         [0049]     In some embodiments (See  FIG. 12 ), the first inner surface  1910  of said first opening  1112  is also chamfered and configured to engage the first mating surface  1310  of the cable connector  1210  at a location proximate to the distal end  1212  of the compression member. As shown, the first mating surface  1310  of the cable connector  1210  is also chamfered in order to engage the first inner surface  1910  of the first opening  1112  of the first pusher plate  1110 . Also, the second mating surface  1520  of the cable connector  1210  is also chamfered in order to engage the second inner surface  1720  of the second opening  1122  of the first pusher plate  1120 .  
         [0050]     Referring to  FIGS. 8 and 9 , in some embodiments, the chamfering of both the first and second inner surfaces is also applied to the embodiment  100  of the compression tool shown in  FIGS. 1-9 . In this type of embodiment, the first inner surface (referenced as  910  of  FIG. 9 ) of said first opening  112  of the compression tool  100  and/or the second inner surface (referenced as  720  of  FIG. 8 ) of the second opening  122  of the compression tool  100  are chamfered in order to engage respective mating surfaces of cable connector.  
         [0051]     Note that in some circumstances, disposing a chamfered surface towards the distal end  212  of the cable connector  210  can interfere with other functional requirements of the cable connector  210 . Such functional requirements include, for example, the engagement of the connector  210  with a cable (not shown) at the distal end  212 , or engagement with another connector (not shown) at the proximal end  214 , of the cable connector.  
         [0052]     Although the chamfered mating surface  720  is shown to be angled approximately 45 degrees relative to the axis of compression  820 , other angles that are not perpendicular to the axis of compression  820  are also effective to align and secure the position of the cable connector  210  before and during compression by the compression tool  100 . For example, other angles include, but are not limited to, angles of 30 degrees or 60 degrees.  
         [0053]      FIG. 9  illustrates a top view of the cable connector  210  including the chamfered surface  520  that is disposed within the compression tool  100 . The mating Surface  310  proximate to the distal terminal end of the cable connector  210  makes flush engagement with a mating surface  910  adjacent to the first opening  112  on the inner side  110   a  of the first pusher plate  110 . As shown, the longitudinal axis  220  of the cable connector  210  and the axis of compression  820  of the compression tool  100  are co-linear. Both mating surfaces  310  and  910  proximate to the first pusher plate  110  are angled approximately 90 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis of the cable connector  210  and the axis of compression of the compression tool  100 .  
         [0054]     As described with respect to  FIGS. 8 and 9 , in other embodiments, the mating Surfaces  310  and  910  are chamfered in the same manner as the mating Surfaces  520  and  720 . In this type of embodiment, additional centering forces are applied by the engagement of chamfered mating surfaces  310  and  910  to supplement those of the engagement of the chamfered mating surfaces  520  and  720 , to better secure the position of the cable connector  210  within the compression tool  100 .  
         [0055]      FIG. 10A  illustrates an alternative embodiment  1000  of the compression tool that employs a pulling shaft as opposed to a pushing shaft  330 . This embodiment is also referred to as a transverse compression tool. Like the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , the compression tool includes a first pusher plate  1110  and a second pusher plate  1120 . The first pusher plate  110  includes a first opening  1112  and a first inner surface  1110   a.  The second pusher plate  1120  includes a second opening  1122  and a second inner surface  1120   a.    
         [0056]     This embodiment is configured to compress and install a splice type of cable connector which is physically attached to a separate segment of cable at each of its terminal ends during compression and installation by the compression tool  1100 .  
         [0057]     A pulling shaft  1330  is pivotably attached two pivoting appendages  1340   a ,  1340   ba.  A first pivoting appendage  1340   a  is attached to a lower portion of a first pusher plate  1110  and a second pivoting appendage  1340   a  is attached a lower portion of a second pusher plate  1120 . The pulling shaft  1330  is configured to pull the pivoting appendages  1340   a ,  1340   ba  which are configured to pull the first pusher plate  1110  and the second pusher plate  1120  closer to each other, in response to the lever  1162  being positioned closest to the main body of the compression tool, in order to compress a compressible portion of a cable connector (not shown).  
         [0058]     The lever  1162  is configured to be hand operated and is disposed on the right side of the compression tool  1100 . The lever  1162  is configured to pivot around a pivot shaft (not shown) that is configured to be disposed within the opening  1160 . As shown, the lever  1162  is positioned closest to the main body  1140  of the compression tool  1100 . In this position, the compression tool  1100  is in a closed and fully compressed position. If the lever  1162  is positioned away from the main body  1140 , the pulling bar  1330  moves towards the first pivoting appendage  1340   a  and the second pivoting appendage  1340   b  and causes the first pushing plate  1110  and the second  1120  pushing plate to move farther from each other.  
         [0059]      FIG. 10B  illustrates a cable connector  1210  that is disposed within the alternative embodiment  1100  of  FIG. 10A . The distal end portion  1212  of the cable connector  1210  is compressible and disposed within a distal cavity  1130  bounded by the first pusher plate  1110  and the second pusher plate  1120 . A remaining portion  1214  of the cable connector  1210  is disposed outside of the distal cavity  1130 .  
         [0060]     As shown, the compression tool  1100  in a closed and fully compressed position. Accordingly, the cable connector  1210  that is disposed within the compression tool  1100  is fully compressed. Movement of the lever  1162  away from the main body  1140 , moves the first pushing plate  1110  and the second  1120  pushing plate farther from each other and allows easy removal of the cable connector  1210  from the compression tool  1100 .  
         [0061]      FIG. 10C  illustrates a cable connector  1210  that is disposed within the alternative embodiment  1100  of the compression tool of  FIG. 10A  that includes an external housing  1150 . The external housing  1150  surrounds the main body  1140  of he compression tool  1100 . The distal end portion  1212  of the cable connector  1210  is compressible and disposed within the distal cavity  1130 . The remaining portion of the cable connector  1210  is disposed outside of the distal cavity  1130  and outside of the external housing  1150 . As shown, the compression tool  1100  is in a closed and fully compressed position. Accordingly, the cable connector  1210  that is disposed within the compression tool  1100  is fully compressed.  
         [0062]      FIG. 11  illustrates separated components of the alternative embodiment  1100  of the compression tool of  FIG. 10A . The separated components shown include the lever  1162 , the pulling shaft  1330 , the external housing  1150  including an opening  1160  configured to accommodate a pivotable shaft (not shown), the first pusher plate  1110  and the second pusher plate  1120  plate.  
         [0063]      FIG. 12  illustrates a top view of the cable connector  1210  that is disposed within an embodiment  1100  of the compression tool of  FIG. 10B . The first inner surface  1910  that is disposed within the first opening  1112  of the first pusher plate  1110  is configured to engage a first mating surface  1310  of a cable connector  1210 . The second inner surface  1720  that is disposed within the second opening  1122  of the second pusher plate  1120  is configured to engage a second mating surface  1520  of the cable connector  1210 . As shown, the first inner surface  1910  and the second inner surface  1720  bound a distal cavity  1130  that is configured to accommodate and compress a compressible portion  1216  of the cable connector  1210 .  
         [0064]     Other variations of the embodiments  100 ,  1100  of the compression device include other than a hand operated force applying mechanism. For example, in some embodiments, a screw mechanism that applies a compressing force when turned in a clockwise direction and an un-compressing force when turned in a counter clockwise direction. The screw mechanism can be actuated manually via a hand grip or activated automatically using a pneumatic, hydraulic or electrical mechanism.  
         [0065]     While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to the preferred mode as illustrated in the drawing, it will be understood by one skilled in the art that various changes in detail may be effected therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims.