Patent Abstract:
An adapter with a dust shutter also provides eye protection and an even seal around the connector opening. The adapter includes a main body, a cover, and a resilient member to bias the cover in a closed position. The adapter also includes a flexible member to assist in sealing the adapter. The resilient member contacts the cover in a center portion and the cover floats relative to the main body to ensure a good seal.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to and incorporates by reference herein in its entirety the following: U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/021,862, filed Jan. 17, 2008. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates generally to an adapter with a shutter, and particularly to an adapter with a shutter that protects the adapter from accumulating dust and to protect an end user from potential eye-damage if a connector is removed from the adapter. 
         [0004]    2. Technical Background 
         [0005]    Fiber optic cables are widely used today to transmit a large amount of data rapidly and efficiently. Systems using fiber optic cables typically have multiple connection points, or interfaces, where the light signals must be transmitted from one set of optical fibers to another set of optical fibers. These connection points or interfaces usually involve two connectors that are mechanically and optically aligned to allow the light to traverse the connection points. These connection points typically occur within adapters that mechanically and optically align the fiber optic connectors. Usually, there are many such adapters that are used in a system and not all adapters are used when installed. 
         [0006]    The end user of systems typically move connectors on one side of the system to connect or reconnect connectors with one another. Open adapters and the moving of connectors from one adapter to another presents at least two issues for the system and the user. First, if the adapters are open, or even if they are moved, dust may enter the adapter and interfere with the light transmission between two connectors by contaminating the adapter or the connectors. Second, when moving connectors, the connector on the opposite side of the adapter may still be connected to a light source, presenting a potential source of eye damage. There are dust caps for connectors, but they are essentially useless in this situation since the connectors are moved from one adapter to another and they cannot be used to prevent the light from exiting the connector on the back side of the system. 
         [0007]    It would be desirable therefore to provide an adapter that has a shutter that remains in place, prevents dust from entering the adapter when a connector is not installed, and prevents eye damage by blocking the light from the connector on the back side of the system. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    Disclosed herein is a fiber optic connector adapter that includes a main body having an opening for receiving a fiber optic connector, a cover for sealing the opening in the main body when a connector is not inserted into the opening, the cover being rotatedly connected to the main body, and a resilient member engaging the main body and the cover to bias the cover in a closed position, the resilient member engaging the cover only at a location that generally corresponds to a center portion of the cover. 
         [0009]    In some embodiments, the main body has an end face with a radial projection extending around the opening. 
         [0010]    In some embodiments, the cover has a recessed area corresponding to the readial projection. 
         [0011]    In some embodiments, the cover has an opening in the cover to receive the resilient member. 
         [0012]    In another aspect, a fiber optic connector adapter is disclosed that includes a main body having an opening for receiving a fiber optic connector, the main body having an end face and a radial projection on the end face extending around the opening, a cover for sealing the opening in the main body when a connector is not inserted into the opening, the cover being rotatedly connected to the main body, and a resilient member engaging the main body and the cover to bias the cover in a closed position. 
         [0013]    In yet another aspect, a fiber optic connector adapter is disclosed that includes a main body having an opening for receiving a fiber optic connector, the main body having an end face and a radial projection on the end face extending around the opening, a cover for sealing the opening in the main body when a connector is not inserted into the opening, the cover being rotatably connected to the main body and having a recessed area corresponding to the radial projection on the end face of the main body, the recessed area having a flexible member to engage the radial projection and seal the opening, and a resilient member engaging the main body and the cover to bias the cover in a closed position, the resilient member engaging the cover only at a location that generally corresponds to a center portion of the cover. 
         [0014]    In yet another aspect, a fiber optic connector adapter is disclosed that includes a main body having an opening for receiving a fiber optic connector, a cover for covering the opening in the main body when a connector is not inserted into the opening, the cover being rotatably connected to the main body, a flexible member engaging the main body and the cover when the connector is not inserted into the opening to thereby seal the opening, and a resilient member engaging the main body and the cover to bias the cover in a closed position. 
         [0015]    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, as well as the appended drawings. 
         [0016]    It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present embodiments of the invention, 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 
         [0017]      FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of one embodiment of an adapter according to the present invention; 
           [0018]      FIG. 2  is a front perspective view of the adapter of  FIG. 1  in a closed position; 
           [0019]      FIG. 3  is cross section view of the adapter of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0020]      FIG. 4  is an exploded view of the adapter of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0021]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the adapter of  FIG. 1  with a connector inserted therein; 
           [0022]      FIG. 6  is a front perspective view of a second embodiment of an adapter according to the present invention; 
           [0023]      FIG. 7  is a cross section view of the adapter of  FIG. 6 ; 
           [0024]      FIG. 8  is an exploded view of the adapter of  FIG. 6 ; 
           [0025]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a third embodiment of an adapter according to the present invention; 
           [0026]      FIG. 10  is a top view of the cover and clip of the adapter of  FIG. 9 ; 
           [0027]      FIG. 11  is a side view of the cover and clip of  FIG. 9 ; and 
           [0028]      FIG. 12  is a front view of the cover and clip of  FIG. 9 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0029]    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. 
         [0030]    Referring to  FIGS. 1-5 , adapter  10  has a main body  12  that has a front end  14  and a rear end  16 . The main body also has an opening  18  that extends between the front end  14  and the rear end  16  to receive a connector (not illustrated). Adapter  10  is illustrated in the figures is one portion of a complete adapter. As is known in the art, a second adapter portion (not illustrated) is attached to the rear end  16  to allow another connector to be received for optical and mechanical alignment with the connector inserted into opening  18 . The second adapter portion may have any configuration or format, and may even be the same as illustrated in  FIGS. 1-4 . 
         [0031]    The adapter  10 , and particularly opening  18 , as illustrated in the figures is configured to receive an MTP type connector, but could be configured to accept any appropriate connector form. 
         [0032]    The front end  14  of the adapter  10  has a front face  20  that has a radial projection  22  that preferably encircles the opening  18 . The radial projection  22  is illustrated as a rib that has a cross section that approximates a triangle. The radial projection  22  also preferably encircles the opening  18  in a form that approximates the opening  18 . The radial projection  22  may take any cross section shape or configuration on the front face  20  of the adapter  10  and still be within the scope of the present invention. The projection  22  may also be resilient, such as a gasket or O-ring. 
         [0033]    The adapter  10  also includes a cover  30 , that is rotatably connected to the main body  12  by a pin  32 . The pin preferably passes through two openings  34 , 36  in the main body  12  adjacent one edge of the front end  14 . The openings  34 , 36  are preferably sized to receive the pin  32  with only minimal clearance. 
         [0034]    The cover  30  that is preferably sized to correspond to the main body  12 , although it may be larger or smaller. The cover  30  has a recessed portion  42  that is configured to correspond to the radial projection  22  on the front face  20  of main body  12 . The recessed portion  42  also preferably includes a flexible member  44  that engages the radial projection  22  to provide a tight junction therebetween and keep out any dirt and/or debris. As best illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the flexible member  44  is an O-ring seal. The flexible member  44  is preferably recessed relative to the inside surface  40  of the cover  30  so that a connector being inserted or removed from the adapter  10  will not catch on the flexible member  44 . The presence of the radial projection  22  on the front face  20  allows for a tight seal even with the flexible member  44  being recessed relative to the cover  30 . The flexible member  44  and the recessed portion  42  are preferably sized to one another such that the flexible member  44  is frictionally engaged within the recessed portion and need not be epoxied into the recessed portion  42 , although it may be. 
         [0035]    As noted above, the projection  22  may be resilient or it may be hard. It is also possible that the cover  30  has the projection and the main body  12  has a corresponding recessed portion with a resilient member therein. 
         [0036]    The cover  30  also has two pin openings  46 , 48 , through which the pin  32  passes to rotatably attach the cover  30  to the main body  12 . The pin openings  46 , 48  are not circular as are pin openings  34 , 36  on main body  12 . Rather, the pin openings  46 , 48  are elongated to allow the cover  30  to move relative to the pin  32  to ensure a tight fit with the main body  12 , as described in more detail below. 
         [0037]    The adapter  10  also includes a resilient member  60 , which is illustrated as an arm spring. One end  62  of the arm spring  60  engages the main body  12 , while the other end  64  engages the cover  30 . A central portion of the resilient member  60  is wrapped around the pin  32 . As noted above, the end  64  of resilient member  60  engages a center portion  50  of the cover  30 . By contacting a center portion  50 , and in conjunction with the non-circular pin openings that allow the cover  30  to float on the pin  32 , the cover  30  maintains an even pressure on the radial projection  22 , keeping the opening  18  sealed. Preferably the resilient member  60  passes into an opening  52  that extends from a top edge  54  of cover  40  toward a bottom end  56 . While the opening  52  has a cover  58 , the opening need not have a cover and could simply be a groove or depression in the cover  30 . 
         [0038]    The cover  30  also preferably has a rounded bottom edge  70  such that the connector will not catch on the cover  30  during insertion or removal of the connector from the opening  18 . A perspective view of a connector  90  inserted into the adapter  10  is illustrated in  FIG. 5 , showing the relative placement of the cover and the connector  90  once inserted into the adapter  10 . 
         [0039]    A second embodiment of an adapter  100  according to the present invention is illustrated in  FIGS. 6-8  and has a main body  112  that has a front end  114  and a rear end  116 . The main body also has an opening  118  that extends between the front end  114  and the rear end  116  to receive a connector (not illustrated). Adapter  100  is illustrated in the figures as one portion of a complete adapter. As is known in the art, a second adapter portion (not illustrated) is attached to the rear end  116  to allow another connector to be received for optical and mechanical alignment with the connector inserted into opening  118 . The second adapter portion for adapter  100  may have any configuration or format, and may even be the same as illustrated in  FIGS. 1-5  or in  FIGS. 6-8 . 
         [0040]    The adapter  100 , and particularly opening  118 , as illustrated in the figures is configured to receive an MTP type connector, but could be configured to accept any appropriate connector form. 
         [0041]    The adapter  100  also includes a cover  130 , that is rotatably connected to the main body  112  by a pin  132 . The pin preferably passes through two openings  134 , 136  in the main body  112  adjacent one edge of the front end  114 . The openings  134 , 136  are preferably sized to receive the pin  132  with only minimal clearance. 
         [0042]    The cover  130  that is preferably sized to correspond to the main body  112 , although it may be larger or smaller. The cover  130  has a flat front face  140  to engage a flexible member  144 , described in detail below. 
         [0043]    The cover  130  also has two pin openings  146 , 148 , through which the pin  132  passes to rotatably attach the cover  130  to the main body  112 . The pin openings  146 , 148  are not circular as are pin openings  134 , 136  on main body  112 . Rather, the pin openings  146 , 148  are elongated to allow the cover  130  to move relative to the pin  132  to ensure a tight fit with the main body  112 , as described in more detail below. 
         [0044]    The main body  112  has a flexible member  144  inserted therein to engage the front face  140  of cover  130 . Rather than have a flexible member in the cover  130  as in the prior embodiment, a flexible member  144  is inserted into the main body  112  of the adapter  100 . The flexible member  144 , as best seen in  FIG. 7 , is configured along with the remaining interior of the main body  112  so as to accept an appropriate connector. While the flexible member  144  extends about ⅓ of the way from the front end  114  toward the rear end  116 , it need not. It could extend more or less from the front end  114 . However, the front end  145  of the flexible member  114  preferably extends above the front end  114  of the main body  112  so that it engages the front face  140  of the cover  130  when a connector is not inserted into the opening  118 . 
         [0045]    The adapter  100  also includes a resilient member  160 , which is illustrated as an arm spring. One end  162  of the arm spring  160  engages the main body  120 , while the other end  164  engages the cover  130  in opening  152 . A central portion of the resilient member  160  is wrapped around the pin  132 . The end  164  of resilient member  160  engages cover  130  near an edge. However, the opening  152  and end  164  could both be longer so that end  164  of resilient member  160  engages the center of cover  130  as in the first embodiment. While the opening  152  has a cover  158 , the opening  152  need not have a cover and could simply be a groove or depression in the cover  130 . 
         [0046]    An alternative embodiment of an adapter  200  is illustrated in  FIGS. 9-12 . In this embodiment, the main body  202  is a standard connector adapter, but the cover  240  is connected to the main body  202  by a clip  250 . The clip  250  and the cover  240  are rotatably coupled to one another by a pin  232 , with a resilient member  260  biasing the cover  240  toward the main body  202 . In this manner, the adapter  200  may be added to already installed adapters, preventing the need to reinstall adapters and connectors in already existing systems. The adapter  200  also includes a gasket  242  that assists in maintaining a seal for the adapter  200 . The gasket  232  is preferably sized to correspond to the configuration of the main body  202  of the adapter  200  (as well as the cover  240 ). 
         [0047]    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.

Technology Classification (CPC): 6