Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US20060286856?ie=ISO-8859-1&dq=5,266,072
Timestamp: 2015-05-22 18:54:30
Document Index: 201051967

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1']

Patent US20060286856 - Connector component and connector assembly - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsA connector component of the present invention includes a first connector part which includes a housing having a first end from which a cable is protruded and a second end which is connectable to a second connector part. At least a part of the first connector part emits light or shines while the first...http://www.google.com/patents/US20060286856?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US20060286856 - Connector component and connector assemblyAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS20060286856 A1Publication typeApplicationApplication numberUS 11/508,160Publication dateDec 21, 2006Filing dateAug 23, 2006Priority dateAug 5, 2003Also published asUS20050032415Publication number11508160, 508160, US 2006/0286856 A1, US 2006/286856 A1, US 20060286856 A1, US 20060286856A1, US 2006286856 A1, US 2006286856A1, US-A1-20060286856, US-A1-2006286856, US2006/0286856A1, US2006/286856A1, US20060286856 A1, US20060286856A1, US2006286856 A1, US2006286856A1InventorsRikio SakamotoOriginal AssigneeNec CorporationExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManReferenced by (4), Classifications (13) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetConnector component and connector assembly
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This is a divisional under 37 C.F.R. � 1.53(b) of prior application Ser. No. 10/911,486, filed Aug. 5, 2004, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other features and advantages of the invention will be made more apparent by the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein: FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a first embodiment of the present invention in which a modular cable and a modular jack are separated; FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the first embodiment of the present invention in which the modular cable and the modular jack are connected to each other; FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a second embodiment of the present invention in which a modular cable and a modular jack are connected to each other; FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a third embodiment of the present invention in which a D -Subminiature (DSUB) plug and a DSUB receptacle are separated; FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the third embodiment of the present invention in which the DSUB plug and the DSUB receptacle are connected to each other; and FIG. 6 is a perspective vie w showing the fourth embodiment of the present invention in which a DSUB plug and the DSUB receptacle are connected to each other;
In the drawings, the same reference numerals represent the same structural elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The preferred embodiment of the present invention has an arrangement in which light for use in confirming the connection between a modular cable and a modular jack is emitted from the modular cable. Such an arrangement overcomes a problem that the light emitted from a light source at the modular jack is hardly seen when the modular jack is arranged at a deep location of a chassis of a device. As the light source, for example, a light emitting diode (LED) can be used. A connector assembly of the preferred embodiment includes the modular jack provided with an opening and the modular cable provided with a connector component at its tip. The connector component is connectable to the modular jack by inserting the connector component into the opening of the modular jack. The inside part of the modular jack is provided with the light source for radiating light toward the opening. The connector component is provided with a lock part for preventing the housing from being pulled off the modular jack. The lock part is formed in such a way that light incidence from one end thereof is outputted from the other end. Upon insertion of the connector component into the modular jack, the light output from the light source enters one end of the lock part and is output from the other end of the lock part. It is preferable that the light source is attached at a position opposing against one end of the lock part when the housing is inserted into the modular jack. With such an arrangement, it is possible to confirm the connection of the modular cable in reference to the state of light emitted from the lock part. More preferably, the lock part is formed by, for example, an optical pipe. With such an arrangement, when the modular cable is inserted into the modular jack, the light emitted from the light source enters one end of the lock part, passes through the lock part to cause the light to be emitted at the other end of the lock part. As a result, an operator can easily recognize the light originated from the light source. Now, the present invention will be described in more detail below. Referring to FIG. 1 showing a first embodiment of the present invention, a connector component 11 includes a lock part 1 and a housing 2. The connector component 11 and a cable 10 compose a modular cable 8. The connector component 11 is arranged at the end of the modular cable 8 and can be inserted into a modular jack 9. The modular cable 8 is formed by the connector component 11 and the cable 10 integrally or separately. Referring now to FIG. 2, a connector assembly 12 of the preferred embodiment is formed by the modular cable 8 and a modular jack 9. The modular cable 8 and the modular jack 9 are connected while the housing 2 of the modular cable 8 is inserted in the modular jack9. Additionally, referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the connector component 11 is provided with the lock part 1 acting as a lock mechanism for preventing the housing 2 from being pulled off when it is inserted into the modular jack 9. In this embodiment, the lock part 1 is formed by an optical transparent type pipe which is a molded member formed by transparent resin and has a function for guiding light incidence at one end to the other end. The modular jack 9 is provided with an opening part. An LED 3 acting as a light source is attached above the inner central part of the opening part. It is preferable that the LED 3 is fixed inside wall of the opening and faces one end of the lock part 1 at an opposing position when the connector component 11 is inserted in the modular jack 9. With this arrangement, light emitted from the LED 3 can efficiently enter the lock part 1. More preferably, the lock part 1 may be arranged at a position where the light emitted from the light source can efficiently enter, for example, a central position of the housing 2. The LED 3 is mounted on a substrate 4. A circuit such as a pulse transformer or the like is assembled on the substrate 4 and an LED control circuit 5, which controls the LED 3, is connected to the substrate 4. A modular jack main body 6 is formed toward the opening from the LED 3. The housing 2 of the inserted modular cable 8 is held in the modular jack main body 6. Next, the operation of the embodiment will be described. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the housing 2 of the modular cable 8 is inserted into the modular jack main body 6 of the modular jack 9. At this time, the light is emitted in advance by the LED 3 attached inside the modular jack 9. With this arrangement, when the modular cable 8 and the modular jack 9 are connected to each other, the light emitted from the LED 3 enters from one end of the lock part 1, which is inserted into the modular jack main body 6, passes through the lock part 1 and is output from the other end of the lock part 1. As a result, even if the modular jack 9 is arranged at a deep position of the device chassis, an operator can easily confirm the light emitted from the LED 3. While the modular jack 9 has the LED 3 in the above embodiment, a plurality of LEDs emitting different colors, respectively, may be provided with the modular jack 9. In this case, the LEDs can emit light of multi-color by controlling the LED control circuit 5. Further, various kinds of message can be transmitted to the operator by changing either color or manner of illumination of the LEDs. For example, it is possible to represent various states such as a communication state between the electronic devices in addition to a connection state of the modular cable 8 and the modular jack 9 by changing either color of the LEDs. It is also possible to represent various states by a manner of emitting light in reference to one state in which an electrical signal is transmitted or received and the other state in which an electrical signal is not transmitted or received after the modular cable 8 and the modular jack 9 are electrically connected to each other. In addition, it is also applicable that no light emission is produced in advance at the LED 3, but the LED 3 is set at the LED control circuit 5 in such a way that the light is emitted by the LED 3 when the modular cable 8 and the modular jack 9 are electrically connected to each other. In the connector assembly 12, the LED 3 is attached at a position opposing against one end of the lock part 1. Due to this arrangement, when the connector component 11 is not completely inserted into the device or when its inserted position is displaced, an intensity of light emitted out of the other end of the lock part 1 varies. Thus, it is possible to confirm that the housing 2 is completely inserted into the modular jack 9, and the modular jack 9 and the modular cable 8 are correctly or stably connected to each other by recognizing the light emitted out of the other end of the lock part 1. The connector component 11 and the connector assembly 12 are used for performing signal transmission through the cable. It is practical that the RJ-45 type modular jack and modular cable are used as the connector component and the connector assembly for signal transmission for personal computers or servers. Next, the second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. A connector component and a connector assembly of the second embodiment are provided with a housing which emits light or shines when it is connected to the modular jack. In the second embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same structural elements as in the first embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 3, the connecter assembly 12 has a housing 102 which emits light when the housing 102 is inserted and held in the modular jack 9. As the light source, a LED 3 is used. In this embodiment, no light emission is produced in advance by the LED 3, but the LED 3 is driven by the LED 3 control circuit 5 in such a way that light is emitted when the modular cable 8 and the modular jack 9 are electrically connected to each other. When the LED is used for the light source, what is necessary is to make the surface of the housing 102 to reacts to or reflect the light of a light source. Thus, the housing 102 emits the light or shines. When the ultraviolet LED is used as the light source, a part or the whole of the housing 102 is made from luminescent resin or coated by fluorescence material or fluorescent paint. At least a part of the housing 102 reacts to the light from the ultraviolet LED and shines. In the first and second embodiment s, either the lock part or the housing emits the light when the connector component is inserted in the modular jack. The present invention, however, is not limited to such a configuration. Both the lock part and the housing may emit the light simultaneously. Next, the third embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. Referring to FIG. 4 , a connector component 211 is formed at the tip part of a plug 208. The connector component 211 can be connected to a receptacle 209 with screws 204. The plug 208 includes the connector component 211 and a cable 210. While any type of connector is applicable to the present invention, the plug 208 is a D-Subminiature (DSUB) plug and the receptacle 209 is a DSUB receptacle in this embodiment. A light source 203 such as LED for checking a connection state, is attached in the receptacle 209. As shown in FIG. 5, a connector assembly 212 of the embodiment includes the receptacle 209 for connecting the connector component 211 and the plug 208. A light path is formed in a housing 202 which constitutes th e connector component 211. In this embodiment, the light path is formed by an optical transparent type pipe 213. The connection state of the connector can be checked because the light enters the optical pipe 213 from the LED 203, passes through the optical pipe 213 and emerges from a window 214. Referring to FIG. 6 which shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention, a connector assembly 216 includes a plug 215. The plug 215 has a housing 302. The housing 302 is formed or coated by the material which emits light or shines in response to the light of the LED 203 of the receptacle 209. A part or the whole housing 302 shines when the housing 302 is in the state where the receptacle 209 was connected with the plug 215. In this embodiment, no light emission is performed in advance by the LED 203, but the LED 203 is driven by an LED control circuit in such a way that light is emitted when the plug 215 and the receptacle are electrically connected to each other. As the same as the second embodiment, the surface of the housing 302 reacts to or reflects the light of a light source. When the ultraviolet LED is used as the light source, a part or the whole of the housing 302 is made from the luminescent resin or coated by fluorescence material or fluorescent paint. While this invention has been described in conjunction with the preferred embodiments described above, it will now be possible for those skilled in the art to put this invention into practice in various other manners. Referenced byCiting PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS7708586 *Jan 27, 2009May 4, 2010Tyco Electronics CorporationIlluminated panel-mount connector receptacleUS8100712 *Jun 28, 2010Jan 24, 2012Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.RJ-45 connectorUS8981961Jan 21, 2013Mar 17, 2015International Business Machines CorporationValidation of mechanical connectionsUS20110256757 *Jun 28, 2010Oct 20, 2011Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.Rj-45 connector* Cited by examinerClassifications U.S. Classification439/490International ClassificationH01R13/66, H01R3/00, H01R13/717, H01R13/641Cooperative ClassificationH01R13/7172, H01R13/641, H01R13/6641, H01R13/7175European ClassificationH01R13/717L, H01R13/66B8, H01R13/641, H01R13/717CRotateOriginal ImageGoogle Home - Sitemap - USPTO Bulk Downloads - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - About Google Patents - Send FeedbackData provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services