Abstract:
A connector boot for a connector having a connector housing with a cantilevered lock tab protruding rearward from an upper surface of the connector housing, comprising a boot main body connected to a rear side of the connector housing, the boot main body comprising an activator that is pivotal about a hinge, wherein the activator comprises an upper activator tab for engaging the lock tab from above and the upper activator tab being configured for a push-down operation, and wherein the activator comprises a rear activator tab located opposite the upper activator tab so that the hinge is between the upper activator tab and the rear activator tab and the rear activator tab being configured for a push-up operation is disclosed.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION DATA 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of the earlier filed parent international application number PCT/JP2005/024108 having an international filing date of Dec. 28, 2005 that claims the benefit of JP2005-053567 having a filing date of Feb. 28, 2005. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to a connector boot and a connector assembly that are used to connect a cable for a telephone, LAN, or the like. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    In cases where a cable for a telephone or LAN is connected, a modular plug such as RJ11 (for telephone use) and RJ45 (for LAN use) is generally employed. Such a modular plug is designed to be connected to a modular jack installed in a LAN port, patch panel, rosette, or the like of a network device such as a telephone or HUB. 
         [0004]    For example, the modular plug and modular jack described in JP-A-2002-305061 are known as a conventional modular plug and modular jack. As is shown in  FIGS. 11 and 12 , the modular plug  101  is connected to the front end portion (left end portion in  FIG. 11 ) of a plug cable  113  such as a LAN cable, and comprises a substantially rectangular plug main body  110  and a plurality of plug contacts  120  attached in a single row to the plug main body  110 . Furthermore, a plurality of guide grooves  111  that are formed so that the respective plug contacts  120  are exposed are formed in the undersurface of the plug main body  110 . Moreover, a cantilevered lock arm  112  that extends rearward at an inclination toward the top from the front-end corner portion of the plug main body  110  is formed so as to protrude from the upper surface of the plug main body  110 . In addition, the plug conductors  114  of the plug cable  113  are connected to the respective plug contacts  120 . 
         [0005]    Furthermore, as is shown in  FIGS. 13 and 14 , the modular jack  201  comprises a substantially rectangular jack housing  210  that has on the inside a jack recess  211  for mating with the modular plug  101 , and a plurality of jack contacts  220  attached in a single row to the jack housing  210 . The respective jack contacts  220  are disposed so as to extend rearward at an inclination toward the top from the front end (right end in  FIG. 13 ) of the bottom portion of the jack recess  211 , and the rear end portions of the jack contacts  220  are connected to the jack conductors  231  of a jack cable  230 . 
         [0006]    Moreover, as is shown in  FIG. 15 , when the modular plug  101  is inserted into the jack recess  211  of the modular jack  201 , the lock arm  112  of the modular plug  101  is locked with a locking part  212  provided on the jack recess  211 , so that the modular plug  101  and modular jack  201  are locked together. In this case, the jack contacts  220  provided on the modular jack  201  are guided by the guide grooves  111  of the modular plug  101 , and make contact with the plug contacts  120  of the modular plug  101 , so that the plug cable  113  and jack cable  230  are electrically connected to each other, allowing the mutual exchange of data. In addition, when the mating between the modular plug  101  and modular jack  201  is to be released, the locked state of the lock arm  112  with the locking part  212  may be released by pushing the portion of the lock arm  112  of the modular plug  101  that protrudes from the jack housing  210  of the modular jack  201  downward with a finger, so that the modular plug  101  can simply be pulled out of the jack recess  211  of the modular jack  201 . 
         [0007]    However, the following problems have been encountered in the conventional modular plug  101  shown in  FIGS. 11 and 12 . 
         [0008]    Specifically, when the mating between the modular plug  101  and modular jack  201  is to be released, there are cases in which the operation of the lock arm  112  by the finger is difficult. Due to a trend toward high-density mounting of the modular jack  201 , in particular, there are cases in which the finger cannot reach the lock arm  112  because of the presence of the plug cable  113  attached to the modular plug  101  that mates with the modular jack  201 , and in such cases, the operation of the lock arm  112  by the finger is impossible. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0009]    The present invention was devised in light of the problems described above and it is an object of the present invention to provide a connector boot and a connector assembly that make it possible to perform the release operation of the lock tab easily and reliably when the mating between the connector and mating connector is released. 
         [0010]    The present invention relates to a connector boot for a connector having a connector housing with a cantilevered lock tab protruding rearward from an upper surface of the connector housing, comprising a boot main body connected to a rear side of the connector housing, the boot main body comprising an activator that is pivotal about a hinge, wherein the activator comprises an upper activator tab for engaging the lock tab from above and the upper activator tab being configured for a push-down operation, and wherein the activator comprises a rear activator tab located opposite the upper activator tab so that the hinge is between the upper activator tab and the rear activator tab and the rear activator tab being configured for a push-up operation. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]    The invention will now be described in greater detail, by way of illustration only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0012]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view an embodiment of the connector boot of the present invention as seen from the front at an inclination from above; the connector and cable are also shown by broken lines; 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the connector boot shown in  FIG. 1  as seen from the rear at an inclination from above; the connector and cable are also shown by broken lines; 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the connector boot shown in  FIG. 1  as seen from the rear at an inclination from below; the connector and cable are also shown by broken lines; 
           [0015]      FIGS. 4A and 4B  show the connector boot of  FIG. 1 , with  FIG. 4A  being a front view, and  FIG. 4B  being a back view; 
           [0016]      FIGS. 5A through 5C  show the connector boot of  FIG. 1 , with  FIG. 5A  being a plan view,  FIG. 5B  being a bottom view, and  FIG. 5C  being a left side view; the connector and cable are also shown by broken lines; 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  is a model diagram for illustrating a method for attaching the connector boot shown in  FIG. 1  to the connector; 
           [0018]      FIG. 7  is a model diagram of a modified example of a connector assembly in which the connector boot is formed integrally with the connector; 
           [0019]      FIG. 8  is a model diagram of another embodiment of a connector boot; 
           [0020]      FIG. 9  is a model diagram of another embodiment of a connector boot; 
           [0021]      FIG. 10  is an explanatory diagram for illustrating the action of the operating tab of the connector boot; 
           [0022]      FIG. 11  is a schematic sectional right side view of the modular plug of the prior art; 
           [0023]      FIG. 12  is a front view of the modular plug of  FIG. 11 ; 
           [0024]      FIG. 13  is a schematic sectional left side view of the modular jack described in the prior art; 
           [0025]      FIG. 14  is a front view of the modular jack of  FIG. 13 ; and 
           [0026]      FIG. 15  is a schematic sectional side view showing a state of connection between the modular plug of  FIG. 11  and the modular jack of  FIG. 13 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
       [0027]    Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the figures. In  FIGS. 1 through 3 ,  4 A and  4 B, and  5 A through  5 C, the connector boot  1  is designed to be disposed on the rear side of a connector  50  that is connected to the front end portion (right end portion in  FIG. 5C ) of a cable C such as a LAN cable or telephone cable. The connector boot  1  and connector  50  make up the connector assembly of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the connector  50  is a modular plug, and is designed to mate with a modular jack constituting a mating connector. 
         [0028]    Here, the connector  50  comprises a substantially rectangular connector housing  51  connected to the front end portion of the cable C, and a plurality of contacts (not shown in the figures) attached in a single row to the housing along the direction of width (direction perpendicular to the plane of page in  FIG. 5C ). The connector housing  51  is formed by molding an insulating resin, and a plurality of guide grooves (not shown in the figures) that are formed so as to expose the respective contacts are formed in the undersurface of the connector housing  51 . Furthermore, the connector housing  51  is provided with a cantilevered lock tab  52  that extends rearward at an inclination toward the top from the upper surface of the front portion of the connector housing  51 . When the connector (modular plug)  50  mates with a mating connector recess of a mating connector (modular jack; not shown in the figures) similar to the modular jack  201  shown in  FIGS. 13 through 15 , this lock tab  52  is locked with a locking part formed on the mating connector recess, thus locking the connector  50  and mating connector. Moreover, a connector recess  53  is formed in the undersurface of the rear portion of the connector housing  51 . Furthermore, the contacts provided on the connector  50  are connected to the conductors (not shown in the figures) of the cable C. 
         [0029]    In addition, the connector boot  1  has a boot main body  2  which is attached in a detachable manner to the rear portion of the connector housing  51  that is connected to the front end portion of the cable C. The connector boot  1  is formed by molding an electrically insulating resin (e.g., polycarbonate). Here, the boot main body  2  is formed in a substantially rectangular shape having a boot recess  2   a  that receives the rear portion of the connector housing  51 . Furthermore, a pair of left and right locking projections  2   c  are provided on the bottom portion of the boot recess  2   a . The locking projections  2   c  are locked with the connector recess  53  formed in the connector housing  51  when the rear portion of the connector housing  51  is received, so that the boot main body  2  is attached to the connector housing  51 . Moreover, a cable passageway  2   b  that is formed so as to correspond to the external shape of the cable C connected to the connector  50  is formed in the rear end portion of the boot recess  2   a.    
         [0030]    Furthermore, the connector boot  1  has an activator  3  that is provided so as to be pivotable about a hinge (or fulcrum)  4  provided on the rear-end upper corner portion of the boot main body  2 . The hinge  4  extends with the same width as the boot main body  2  in the direction of width of the boot main body  2  in the rear-end upper corner portion of the boot main body  2 . Moreover, the activator  3  comprises an activator base  3   a  that extends in the direction of width in a pivotable manner about the hinge  4 , an upper activator tab  3   b  that extends forward at an inclination toward the top from the activator base  3   a , that engages with the lock tab  52  of the connector  50  from above in a free state, and that is capable of a push-down operation, and a pair of rear activator tabs  3   c  that extend rearward from either end in the direction of width of the activator base  3   a  so as to be positioned on the opposite side of the hinge  4  from the upper activator tab  3   b  and that are capable of a push-up operation. The upper activator tab  3   b  has the same width as the boot main body  2  at the root portion thereof, and the width becomes gradually smaller toward the tip end. In addition, a stopper  5  that contacts the upper surface of the boot main body  2  is formed so as to protrude from the center in the direction of width of the undersurface of the upper activator tab  3   b.    
         [0031]    As is shown in  FIG. 6 , the connector boot  1  is attached to the rear portion of the connector housing  51  of the connector  50  by moving this connector boot  1  in the direction of arrow A from the rear side of the connector  50  in a state in which the connector  50  is attached to the front end portion of the cable C. At this point, the locking projections  2   c  are locked with the connector recess  53  formed in the connector housing  51  although the locking projections  2   c  and connector recess  53  are not shown in  FIG. 6 . Then, when the attachment of the connector boot  1  is completed, the undersurface on the tip end side of the upper activator tab  3   b  of the connector boot  1  engages with the tip end of the lock tab  52  of the connector  50  from above as shown in  FIGS. 1 through 3  and  5 A through  5 C. 
         [0032]    Furthermore, when the connector  50  to which the connector boot  1  is attached is inserted into the mating connector recess of the mating connector, the lock tab  52  of the connector  50  is locked with the locking part provided on the mating connector recess, so that the connector  50  and mating connector are locked together. Then, the cable C connected to the connector  50  and the cable (not shown in the figures) connected to the mating connector are electrically connected, so that the mutual exchange of data becomes possible. When the mating of the connector  50  with the interior of the mating connector recess of the mating connector is completed, the lock tab  52  of the connector  50  is in a state in which the lock tab  52  protrudes slightly rearward from the end surface of the mating connector. 
         [0033]    Moreover, when the mating between the connector  50  and mating connector is to be released, the activator  3  is caused to pivot about the hinge  4  by the push-down operation of the upper activator tab  3   b  of the activator  3  of the connector boot  1  in the direction of solid arrow B or by the push-up operation of the rear activator tabs  3   c  in the direction of solid arrow C as shown in  FIG. 10 . As a result, the lock tab  52  of the connector  50  is pushed down in the direction of arrow B′, and the locked state of the lock tab  52  is released, so that the connector  50  can be pulled out of the mating connector together with the connector boot  1 . Consequently, the mating between the connector  50  and mating connector is released. Therefore, the release operation of the lock tab  52  becomes possible not only by operation by means of the upper activator tab  3   b  on the side where the lock tab  52  is located, but also by operating the rear activator tabs  3   c  on the side opposite from the side where the lock tab  52  is located, so that the release operation of the lock tab  52  can be accomplished easily and reliably. Accordingly, in cases where the mating connector is a modular jack and the connector is a modular plug, it is possible to eliminate the problem of the finger not reaching the lock tab because of the presence of the cable attached to the modular plug that mates with the modular jack, which is caused by the high-density mounting of the modular jack. Furthermore, in the push-down operation of the upper activator tab  3   b  of the activator  3  and the push-up operation of the rear activation tabs  3   c , the upper activator tab  3   b  can be pushed down until the stopper  5  provided on the undersurface of the upper activator tab  3   b  contacts the upper surface of the boot main body  2 , and excessive deformation of the activator  3  is prevented as a result of the stopper  5  contacting the upper surface of the boot main body  2 . 
         [0034]    Moreover, because the operating position of the rear activation tabs  3   c  of the activator  3  can be separated from the mating position with the mating connector, the degree of freedom in operability can be increased. Specifically, because the cantilevered lock tab  52  and the parts to be operated can be separated, the degree of freedom is increased. 
         [0035]    In addition, because the upper activator tab  3   b  of the activator  3  is designed to engage with the lock tab  52  from above, the lock tab  52  can be covered by the upper activator tab  3   b , so that it is possible to avoid the problem of damage caused by bending the lock tab  52  upward by a considerable amount during the mating and mating release of the connector  50  and during storage of the cable. 
         [0036]    Furthermore, because the boot main body  2  of the connector boot  1  can be attached to the connector housing  51  of the connector  50  in a detachable manner, the connector boot  1  can be attached to the connector  50  even after the connector  50  is attached to the cable C. Moreover, it is possible to replace only the connector boot  1  in cases where the connector boot  1  is damaged. 
         [0037]    An embodiment of the present invention has been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and various alterations and modifications can be made. 
         [0038]    For example, the connector  50  can be applied not only to a modular plug attached to the end portion of the cable C but also to a different connector. 
         [0039]    Furthermore, as is shown in  FIG. 7 , the connector boot  1  may also be formed integrally with the connector  50  in a connector assembly. By doing so, the trouble of attaching the connector boot  1  to the connector  50  can be eliminated. Where connector boot  1  and connector  50  are formed integrally, they will not inadvertently become separated. 
         [0040]    Moreover, as is shown in  FIG. 8 , it would also be possible to form the shape of the boot main body  2  of the connector boot  1  in a shape different from that of the boot main body  2  of the connector boot  1  shown in  FIG. 1 , and to attach this boot main body  2  having a different shape to the rear portion of the connector housing  51  of the connector  50 . 
         [0041]    In addition, as is shown in  FIG. 9 , it would also be possible to connect the connector  50  to the front end portion of the cable C, to dispose an already existing and separate connector boot  1  on the rear side of the connector  50 , and then to provide an activator  3  to the boot main body  2  of this connector boot  1  in a detachable manner. Furthermore, in the connector boot  1  shown in  FIG. 1 , the activator  3  may also be provided to the boot main body  2  in a detachable manner, allowing application of the connector boot  1  to a connector  50  only when a connector boot  1  is needed.