Abstract:
A coaxial cable connector is provided with an external clip that can be installed on location rather than in a factory. An adapter is also provided that can be shipped with connector for securing the external clip on the coaxial cable connector and the connector on a coaxial cable. A method for assembling the connector, the clip and the cable is also disclosed.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
   The present invention relates generally to a coaxial cable connector with an external clip and an optional adapter used in axial compression. 
   Coaxial cable connectors such as Type F, RCA or BNC connectors are used to attach a coaxial cable to another object such as an appliance or junction having a terminal adapted to engage the connector. Such connectors must be attached to a coaxial cable using various cable preparation techniques and installation tools. Cable preparation typically requires removal of portion of the cable jacket, braid, outer conductor and core to expose the cable center conductor. Another portion of the cable jacket is removed to expose the cable braid. Cable preparation is completed by folding of the cable braid structure back against the remaining cable jacket. The cable is then inserted into the connector, after which the connector is activated to secure it to the coaxial cable. 
   In some known applications coaxial connectors are adapted to work in conjunction with a modular connector, or external clip, that is designed to engage a wall plate by means of a snap fit. Use of the modular clip provides a means to attach a coaxial cable connector installed on a cable to a wall plate to ensure both an attractive and convenient junction for corresponding equipment connectors and cables. 
   Known connectors are pre-assembled to the modular clip during factory assembly processes wherein an unassembled component, in particular the main body component, is inserted through a bore in a plastic colored clip and is pressed or snap fit into place. The remaining connector components are then assembled accordingly. Once assembled, a given connector and colored clip combination is permanently joined together thereby limiting the connector/clip color product offerings to one choice. If other color options are desired, it becomes necessary to build up a large number of connector/clip assembly combinations in various colors with various connector interfaces, resulting in large inventories that need to be kept on hand. 
   Once deployed into the field for assembly to cable, the known connector/clip offerings require the use of tooling adaptors to accommodate various connector interfaces such as Type F, RCA, BNC and the like, further complicating the tooling selection and assembly process for the technician. 
   Therefore, an adapter, a corresponding coaxial cable connector and modular external clips are needed that provide the users with a connector and clips that are easy to install and allows the user to chose the clips on the spot. 
   SUMMARY 
   Disclosed herein is a coaxial cable connector for attachment to a coaxial cable, the coaxial cable comprising a center conductor, a dielectric layer surrounding the center conductor, and an outer conductor surrounding the dielectric layer, the coaxial cable connector including a body having a front end, a back end, an external gripping portion, and a longitudinal opening extending between the front end and the back end along a longitudinal axis, a post fixedly mounted within the longitudinal opening in the body from the back end of the body, a contact assembly movably mounted to the post and capable of moving longitudinally relative to the body, the contact assembly capable of receiving the center conductor of the coaxial cable, and an external clip engaging at least a forward portion of the external gripping portion of the body and extending over the external gripping portion and toward the back end of the body. 
   In another aspect, a method of assembling a coaxial cable connector is disclosed, the method including the steps of providing a coaxial cable connector having a body with a front end, a back end, an external gripping portion, and a longitudinal opening extending between the front end and the back end along a longitudinal axis, inserting a post into the body from the back end of the body, inserting a contact assembly into the post so that the contact assembly is capable of moving longitudinally relative to the body, inserting a coaxial cable into the contact assembly of the coaxial cable connector, disposing an external clip over the front of the body of the coaxial cable connector, disposing an adapter over the front of the body of the coaxial, and axially compressing the adapter and the connector relative to one another thereby forcing the external clip into an annular groove in the body of the coaxial cable connector and axially compressing the coaxial cable connector to secure the coaxial cable in the coaxial cable connector. 
   Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the detailed description which follows and, in part, will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from that description or recognized by practicing the invention as described herein, including the detailed description which follows, the claims, and the appended drawings. 
   It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present embodiments of the invention are exemplary and explanatory, and are intended to provide an overview or framework for understanding the nature and character of the invention as it is claimed. The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated into and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate various embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles and operations of the invention. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is cross-sectional view of a known connector and external clip; 
       FIG. 2A  is a top view of a known external clip; 
       FIG. 2B  is a front view of a known external clip; 
       FIG. 2C  is a partial cross-sectional side view of a known external clip; 
       FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of the connector of  FIG. 1  prior to assembly; 
       FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the connector of  FIG. 1  after a first stage of factory assembly; 
       FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of the connector of  FIG. 1  after a second stage of factory assembly; 
       FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of the connector of  FIG. 1  after a third stage of factory assembly; 
       FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of an assembled coaxial cable connector with an external clip and an adapter according to the present invention; 
       FIG. 8A  is a top view of an external clip according to the present invention; 
       FIG. 8B  is a front view thereof; 
       FIG. 8C  is a partial cross-sectional side view thereof; 
       FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional view of the connector of  FIG. 7  prior to assembly; 
       FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional view of the connector of  FIG. 7  in ready-to-ship state; 
       FIG. 11  is cross-sectional view of the connector of  FIG. 7  with a coaxial cable field installed and prior to installation of an external clip; 
       FIG. 12  is a cross-sectional view of the connector of  FIG. 7  just prior to compression; 
       FIG. 13  is a cross-sectional view of the connector of  FIG. 7  with a coaxial cable field installed and prior to compression; 
       FIG. 14  is a cross-sectional view of the connector of  FIG. 7  after compression and ready for installation; and 
       FIG. 15  is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a connector according to the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiment(s) of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Whenever possible, the same reference numerals will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 1-6 , an axially-compressible connector  100  according to the prior art is illustrated.  FIG. 1  shows the connector  100  with a prior art external clip  200  and a coaxial cable installed. As illustrated in  FIGS. 2A-C , the clip  200  has a front face  202 , a top flange  204 , and a bottom flange  206 . The front face  202  includes partially recessed hex  210 , through-bore  212  disposed radially inward from the partially recessed hex  210  and extends completely through the front face  202 , and a rear surface  214  opposite the front face  202 . The partially recessed hex  210  also has a forward facing surface  216 . The clip  200  is made of a resilient plastic. 
   Referring to  FIG. 3 , the prior art connector  100  includes a front insulator  102 , contact  104 , rear insulator  106 , body  108 , clip  200 , member  110 , compression ring  112 , and sleeve  114 . In order to assemble the connector  100 , the front insulator  102 , contact  104 , and rear insulator  106  are inserted into body  108  at the factory. As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the front end of the connector  100  is processed with special tools and procedures to seal the front insulator  102 , contact  104 , and rear insulator  106  in the body  108  with a roll over  116  at front end of the body  108 . 
   The clip  200  is disposed over the rear portion of the connector  100  prior to the attachment of member  110 , compression ring  112 , and sleeve  114  to the already assembled portion of connector  100  since the outer diameter of those components is larger than the through-bore  212  of the clip  200 . The clip  200 , which is resilient, is pushed over a lip  118  on body  108  of connector  100 . The through-bore  212  then constricts around the annular groove  120  and the forward facing surface  216  and partially recessed hex  210  engage a rearward facing surface  122  of external hex  124  and external hex  124  itself, respectively, of the body  108 . See  FIG. 5 . The remaining components, member  110 , compression ring  112 , and sleeve  114 , are then installed on body  108  in a factory using specialized tools and methods. The prior art connector  100  of  FIG. 6  is then ready to be shipped out to the field. In this configuration, the clip  200  is determined in the factory and if the clip is not the right color for the application, the installer cannot change it, but must carry a number of connectors with different colors and also different connector configurations (e.g., Type F, RCA or BNC). 
   An embodiment of a connector  300  according to the present invention is illustrated in  FIG. 7 . In connector  300 , the internal components are inserted from the rear of the connector  300  while the clip  400  is inserted on the front portion of the connector  300 . 
   An embodiment of an external clip  400  according to the present invention is illustrated in  FIGS. 8A-C . The clip  400  has a front face  402 , a top flange  404 , a bottom flange  406 , and a rear face  408 . The rear face  408  includes partially recessed engagement portion  410 , through-bore  412  disposed radially inward from the partially recessed engagement portion  410  and extends completely through to the front face  402 . The partially recessed engagement portion  410  also has a rearward facing surface  416 . The partially recessed engagement portion  410  is illustrated as a partially recessed hex portion to engage a corresponding hex portion of the connector  300 , but the recessed engagement portion  410  is preferably configured so that engages the corresponding structure of the external gripping portion on the connector  300 , as discussed below. The clip  400  is also made of a resilient plastic. As indicated in  FIG. 7 , the clip  400  is attached to the connector  300  from the front end, thus the partially recessed engagement portion  410  must be on the rear face  408  in order to engage the external gripping portion as described in more detail below. 
     FIG. 9  illustrates an exploded view of the axially-compressible connector  300  along with the clip  400 , which in this embodiment of the invention takes the form of an RCA connector. The connector  300  preferably includes adapter  302 , clip  400 , body  304 , front insulator  306 , contact  308 , inner contact  310 , rear insulator  312 , post  314 , shell  316 , and compression ring  318 . All of the connector  300  components, except for the adapter  302  and the clip  400  are installed into the rear of the body  304 , rather than from the front and the rear as in the prior art connector  100 . In fact, the connector  300  is illustrated in  FIG. 10  prior to use, such as during transport or shipment, in storage, or in a ready-to-be-shipped state. The connector  300  has a front end  370 , a back end  372 , and a central longitudinal axis  374 . The front end  370  is configured to be removably attached to a terminal (not shown) having a male conductor and, as illustrated, may include an adapter  302  that allows the use of a single tool for multiple connectors to axially compress the connector, as discussed in more detail below. The back end  372  is for attachment to coaxial cable  300 . The connector  300  also has a compression ring  318  that has a generally tubular shape and is preferably made from plastic. A tubular shaped shell  316  is mounted on the outside of the compression ring  318  and is preferably made of metal. The compression ring  318  is mounted onto a body  304 , preferably by a press-fit and is preferably also made of metal. A generally tubular shaped post  314  is mounted within the body  304  and is also preferably made of metal. A generally tubular shaped rear insulator  312 , which is preferably a dielectric, is mounted within the post  314 . The compression ring  318 , shell  316 , body  304 , post  314  and rear insulator  312  share the same longitudinal axis  374 . A small opening in the rear insulator  312  near the back end  372  of the connector  300  at the longitudinal axis  374  forms a target  376  that is near the back end  372 . 
   The connector  300  also includes a contact  308  that is an integral part of the connector  300  when shipped. The contact  308  does not extend beyond the front end  370  of the connector  300  when in the “as shipped” state. As a result, the body  304  of the connector  300  protects the contact  308  from damage during shipment. The connector  300  also includes an insulator body  306  that supports a front portion of the contact  308  and maintains the contact  308  along the longitudinal axis  374  of the connector  300 . The insulator body  306  is a generally tubular support made of electrically insulative material. The contact  308  has an inner surface  378  defining a cylindrical bore  380  along the longitudinal axis  374  of the contact  308 . The cylindrical bore  380  includes a narrower portion  382  nearest the back end of the contact  308 , and a wider portion  384  closer to the front end  370  of the contact  308 . The connector  300  includes spring clip, or clip  310  mounted within the narrower portion  382  of the bore  380 . The clip  310  is described in more detail in U.S. Pat. No. 7,153,159, assigned to the same assignee as the current assignee, the contents of which are expressly incorporated by reference herein. 
   The rear insulator  312 , the contact  308  and the clip  310  together make up a contact assembly. The contact assembly is capable of moving longitudinally as a unit relative to the body  304 . The components of the connector  300 , except for the clip  400 , the reasons for which are discussed below, are pre-assembled in the factory. While the adapter  302  is shown attached to the connector  300 , it can be easily removed from the connector  300  during installation of the coaxial cable and then easily replaced by the craftsman. 
     FIG. 11  illustrates the connector  300  with the coaxial cable  500  installed in the connector, and ready for the connector  300  to be axially compressed. The clip  400  is also ready to be attached to the connector  300 , and since the clip  400  can be installed in the field based on the construction of the connector  300 , the craftsman can choose the color and appropriate configuration of the partially recessed engagement portion (if necessary) of the clip  400 . Therefore, the craftsman need only carry a limited number of clips  400  and connectors  300  to ensure a sufficient supply at the job site. The adapter  302  has a main body  320 , an annular projection  322  at a back end  324 , and a plurality of slits  326  extending from the front end  328  toward the back end  324 . The annular projection  322  allows for engagement with an installation tool, not shown, but it may not be needed with certain installation tools. The adapter  302  has an inner surface  330  that defines an opening  332  in a first portion of the adapter  302  that is sized to the appropriate connector. For example, the opening  332  for an adapter  302  for a BNC connector will be larger than that for an RCA connector. The adapter  302  also preferably has a second portion  334 , wherein the inner surface  330  defines a second opening with a diameter that is larger than the first portion. A first forward facing surface or shoulder  336  is defined by the junction of the first and second portions of the inner surface  330  of the adapter  302 . A second forward facing surface  338  is formed by the front end  328  of the adapter  302 . 
     FIG. 12  is a partial cross-sectional illustration of the connector  300  partially installed on cable  500  in the field and fitted into an industry standard compression tooling  700  ready for finally assembly with clip  400  and compression onto cable  500 . Clip  400  is installed about body  304  and adaptor  302  has been replaced onto connector body  304  and placed in position in preparation for final assembly by compressing, or bringing towards each other, tool jaws  700 . Use of adaptor  302  permits various connector interfaces to be utilized with standard compression tooling and eliminates the need for extraneous loose tooling pieces often required in the field which are lost and subsequently must be replaced at considerable cost. 
   As previously mentioned and as illustrated in  FIG. 12 , the body  304  of connector  300  includes an external gripping portion  350  having a forward facing surface  352  and a annular groove  354  between the gripping portion  350  and an annular projection  356 . The annular projection  356  also has a chamfered or tapered area  358  and a rearward facing surface  360 . The external gripping portion  350  is illustrated as being hexagonal in configuration, but may be of any appropriate shape or configuration, including hexagonal, polygonal, square, or even knurled. The partially recessed engagement portion  410  of the clip  400  engages the external gripping portion  350  of the body  304  thereby preventing the clip  400  from rotating relative to the body  304 . Thus, the partially recessed engagement portion  410  of the clip  400  and the external gripping portion  350  preferably have the same configuration. In the event that the external gripping portion  350  has a knurled configuration but is otherwise round, the partially recessed engagement portion  410  should similarly be round and sharp points on the knurled portion will engage the partially recessed engagement portion  410  of the clip  400 . 
   When the tool  700  is activated as illustrated in  FIG. 13 , the forward facing surface  338  formed by the front end  328  of the adapter  302  pushes on the front face  402  of the clip  400 , where the tapered area  358  of the annular projection  356  guides through-bore  412  of clip  400  toward the annular groove  354 . Through-bore  412  of clip  400  is smaller in diameter than annular projection  356  on body  304 . Clip  400  is made from a plastic material that is resilient enough to allow annular projection  356  to be forced through through-bore  412  then constrict about annular groove  354 . As noted above, the external gripping portion  350  of body  304  (illustrated as a hexagonal configuration) is aligned within partially recessed engagement portion  410  of clip  400  preventing body  302  from rotating within through-bore  412  of clip  400 . Rearward motion of body  304  is prevented by the engagement of rearward facing surface  360  of body  304  and front face  402  of clip  400 . Forward motion of body  304  is prevented by the engagement of forward facing surface  352  and the rear face  408  of clip  400 . 
   Once the clip  400  has been moved in the annular groove  354  by the second forward facing surface  338  of the front end  328  of the adapter  302 , the first forward facing surface or shoulder  336  of adapter  302  makes contact with the front facing surface of the annular projection  356  (and the second forward facing surface  338  is still in contact with the clip  400 ). At this point, continued activation of the tool  700  causes the axial movement of the connector  300  components to secure the coaxial cable  500  in the connector  300 . As an alternative, the adapter  302  may have only one forward facing surface that moves the clip  400  into the annular groove  354  and continues to press on clip  400  and body  304  to axially compress the connector  300 . 
     FIG. 14  illustrates the connector  300  in a final state and the tool  700  and adapter  302  removed. The adapter  302  can be made of plastic, so that the adapter  302  can be discarded after use. The connector  300  is ready to be installed or snapped onto a wall plate. 
     FIG. 15  illustrates another connector  600  according to the present invention. The connector  600  is a female Type F connector with the clip  400  being installed from the front and the connector  600  components having been installed from the rear of the connector  600 . The attachment of the clip  400  and the compression of the connector  600  work in same manner as described above with respect to connector  300 . The details of the internal components of connector  600  are similar to those described above for connector  300 . 
   It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.