Abstract:
A clip is attachable to a flange of a connector terminating an electrical cable, and is configured to mechanically couple one side of the flange to an edge of a connector-installation aperture of a chassis, such that a distal end of the connector may engage a receptacle within the chassis. When the connector, with the clip attached, is placed in the chassis&#39; connector-installation aperture, a notch region of the clip engages the chassis at an edge of its connector-installation aperture, causing a bore on a second side of the flange to be coaxial with a bore in the chassis, so that a hardware fitting therethrough may secure the connector to the chassis.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates in general to electronics (e.g., telecommunications) equipment and components thereof, and is particularly directed to a clip-based fastening arrangement for facilitating aligned ‘blind’ insertion and attachment of a multi-pin communication cable connector, such as, but not limited to a ‘telco’-type multi-pin connector, into a connector-installation aperture of a (rear) panel of an equipment chassis, so that the pins of the connector may readily electrically and mechanically engage corresponding sockets of an associated multi-socket receptacle of a printed circuit board installed in a card slot adjacent to the rear panel of the chassis. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   A variety of electronics systems, such as telecommunication systems, commonly employ multi-conductor cables to provide electrical connections to system components, such as, but not limited, to circuit components mounted on printed circuit cards installed within respective card slots of an electronics equipment bay. As shown in the diagrammatic side view of  FIG. 1 , the respective conductors of such a multi-conductor cable  10  are customarily terminated at pins of a multi-pin connector, such as a ‘telco’-type multi-pin connector, shown generally at  20 , and in detail in the respective front, side, front perspective and rear perspective views of  FIGS. 2 ,  3 ,  4  and  5 , respectively. This type of multi-pin connector is configured to (mechanically and electrically) mate with an associated multi-socket receptacle  30 , such as may be mounted adjacent to a rear edge  42  of a printed circuit card  40 , installed in a respective equipment chassis card slot. 
   Stable mechanical support for the multi-pin connector  20  is typically provided by way of a rear panel  50 , upper and lower portions of which are affixed to (generally horizontally extending) frame members  60  of the equipment rack proper. The rear panel  50  may have one or more connector-receiving apertures  51 . Such an aperture is sized to allow passage therethrough of a distal end  21  of multi-pin connector  20 , so that the connector&#39;s pins may engage corresponding sockets in the distal end  31  of multi-socket receptacle  30 . Where the rear panel contains a plurality of multi-pin connector-receiving apertures, the apertures are normally positioned so as to be alignable with corresponding multi-socket receptacles supported on multiple printed circuit cards, such as a pair of printed circuit cards installed in adjacent card slots, or a motherboard and an adjacent daughterboard mounted thereon by way of associated stand-offs. 
   In order to enable the multi-pin connector  20  to be stably retained by the rear panel  50 , the rear panel customarily includes a pair of bores  52  and  53  adjacent to opposite (e.g., upper and lower) edges of the connector-receiving aperture  51 . These bores are sized to receive hardware fittings, e.g., screws, that pass through associated bores  22  and  23  in a flange portion  24  of the multi-pin connector  20  on either side of its distal end  21 , and affix the connector  20  to the rear panel  50 . 
   A shortcoming of this type of connector attachment architecture is the fact that the connector&#39;s cable attachment interface  25  that joins the cable  10  with the connector proper overlaps and projects beyond the (lower) connector bore  23 . This is particularly problematic as cable and circuit densities have increased, making access to attachment fittings difficult and cumbersome. As a consequence, in order to attach a fitting to each of the connector bore  23  and its associated rear panel bore  53 , it is often necessary to remove the rear panel from the equipment chassis, so that the fitting can be inserted from the interior or card side of the rear panel through the bore  53  and into the bore  23  of the connector  20 . Then, once the connector  20  has been attached to the rear panel (by way of fittings through each bore pair), the rear panel itself is reaffixed to the equipment rack. Unfortunately, removing the rear panel in order to attach such a connector means that any other printed circuit card, to which another respective connector supported by that rear panel is connected, will necessarily be taken off-line, and thereby disrupt service to its associated telecommunication circuit. 
   Proposals to avoid removing the rear panel in order to provide attachment to the lower portion of the connector (where the bore  23  is located), have included the use of wire ties, lacing cords, loop-and-hook strap attachments, and the like. Drawbacks of these approaches include their inherent lack of structural rigidity, their inability to ensure blind alignment between the multi-pin connector and its associated multi-socket receptacle on the printed circuit card, and the fact that they are labor intensive, which increases the cost of manufacture. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   In accordance with the present invention, these and other shortcomings of conventional arrangements for attaching a multi-pin connector of a multi-conductor cable, such as but not limited to a multi-conductor telecommunication cable, to an associated multi-socket receptacle on a printed circuit card are effectively obviated by attaching a relatively physically robust (solid, e.g., metallic (aluminum)), rear panel-attachment clip member, or clip, to the multi-pin connector. The attachment clip is configured to allow aligned, ‘blind’ insertion of a standard multi-pin connector, from which the multi-conductor cable extends, into the bottom of a connector-installation aperture of the rear panel. 
   To this end, the clip includes a notch, or trough-like, region, that allows the lower side of a standard multi-pin connector to be stably captured in the rear panel, simply by placing the notch of the clip onto the bottom edge of the connector installation aperture, thereby confining opposite sides of the rear panel adjacent to the bottom edge of the aperture within the notch. As a result, no hardware fitting attachment bore adjacent to the lower edge of the connector-installation aperture is required. Since a physical connection between the multi-pin connector and such a bore is unnecessary, removal of the rear panel from the equipment chassis (in order to insert a fitting into the lower side of the connector from the interior or card side of the rear panel) is avoided, so that a circuit card in a different card slot terminated by that rear panel will not be taken off-line. 
   Moreover, being made of a relatively rugged, solid material (e.g., aluminum), in contrast to relatively flimsy prior art attachment devices, such as wire ties, lacing cords, loop-and-hook strap attachments, and the like, referenced above, the connector attachment clip of the invention is structurally robust. As a consequence, when inserted onto the bottom edge of the connector installation aperture, the clip, and thereby the lower portion of the multi-pin connector to which the clip is attached, will be stably and firmly retained within the rear panel. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a diagrammatic side view of the manner of attachment of a multi-pin connector of a multi-conductor telecommunication cable with a multi-socket receptacle mounted on a printed circuit card installed in a card slot of a telecommunication equipment bay; 
       FIGS. 2 ,  3 ,  4  and  5  are respective diagrammatic front, side, front perspective and rear perspective views of a standard multi-pin telco-type connector; 
       FIGS. 6 ,  7  and  8  are respective front, front perspective and rear perspective diagrammatic views of the configuration of a rear panel of the multi-pin connector attachment arrangement of the present invention; 
       FIGS. 9 ,  10 ,  11  and  12  are respective side, rear, front perspective and rear perspective diagrammatic views of the configuration of a rear panel-attachment clip of the multi-pin connector attachment arrangement of the present invention; and 
       FIG. 13  is a partially exploded, diagrammatic perspective view of the manner of attachment of a pair of multi-pin connectors and associated rear panel-attachment clips of the invention to respective connector-installation apertures of a rear panel of a telecommunication equipment chassis. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   Attention is now directed to  FIGS. 6 ,  7  and  8 , which are respective front, front perspective and rear perspective diagrammatic views of the configuration of a rear panel employed in the multi-pin connector attachment arrangement of the present invention. As shown therein, the rear panel  100  includes a generally planar or flat, rectangular faceplate  110 , from parallel side edges of which extend respective sidewalls  111  and  112 . Upper ends of the sidewalls terminate at respective flange portions  113  and  114 . Extending from a lower edge of the faceplate  110  is a generally L-shaped lower bend portion  115 , having a lower lip portion  116  that is generally coplanar with the longitudinal edges of sidewalls  111  and  112  and includes a slot  117 , that is sized to receive a fitting, such as a screw and the like, for attaching the lower bend portion  115  of the rear panel  100  to a corresponding bore in a generally horizontally extending frame member of a telecommunication equipment rack (such as the frame member  60  of  FIG. 1 ). 
   In a like manner, extending from an upper edge of the faceplate  110  is a generally L-shaped upper bend portion  118 , having an upper lip portion  119 , that is also generally coplanar with the longitudinal edges of sidewalls  111  and  112 . The upper lip portion  119  includes one or more slots or bores  120  (two being shown in the Figures), that are sized to receive fittings, such as screws and the like, for fixedly attaching the upper bend portion  118  of the rear panel  100  to corresponding bores in a generally horizontally extending frame member of a telecommunication equipment rack. The upper lip  119  of the rear panel cooperates with notches  123  and  124  in the respective flange portions  113  and  114  of the rear panels sidewalls  111  and  112 , so that the rear panel may engage and capture therebetween a lower edge portion of a (generally horizontally extending) frame member of the equipment rack, and thereby be rigidly secured thereto. For this purpose, upper distal ends  125  and  126  of the respective flange portions  113  and  114  of the rear panels sidewalls  111  and  112  of the rear panel preferably have generally curvilinear surfaces, as shown, so as to facilitate pivotal engagement of the rear panel with (and disengagement from) a lower edge portion of equipment rack frame member. 
   For the non-limiting application of providing a protective closure and cable attachment location for a pair of printed circuit cards installed in mutually adjacent card slots of an equipment rack, the front panel&#39;s faceplate  110  is shown as being provided with a pair of parallel, generally rectangularly shaped, multi-pin connector-installation apertures  131  and  132 . Each connector-installation aperture  131 ,  132  is sized to accommodate the insertion therein of the distal end of a multi-pin connector of the type shown in  FIGS. 2-5 , so that the connector&#39;s pins may engage corresponding sockets in the distal end of a multi-socket receptacle mounted on a printed circuit card installed in a respective one of the two mutually adjacent card slots that are closed by the rear panel  100 . Namely, for the illustrated example of a rear panel faceplate  110  having two connector-installation apertures  131  and  132 , these apertures are spaced apart from one another by a distance that provides alignment between multi-pin connectors retained therein with corresponding multi-socket receptacles of a pair of printed circuit cards installed in mutually adjacent card slots of the equipment rack. 
   Similar to the conventional rear panel  50  shown in  FIG. 1 , the rear panel  100  of  FIGS. 6 ,  7  and  8  includes upper (threaded) bores  141  and  142  adjacent to upper edges  133  and  134  of the connector-receiving apertures  131  and  132 . As in conventional rear panel, these apertures are sized and located to receive hardware fittings, e.g., screws, that pass through associated upper bores  22  in a standard multi-pin connector, such as that shown in  FIGS. 2-5 , when a multi-pin connector is inserted into a respective aperture  131 ,  132 . However, unlike the conventional rear panel, there are no similar lower bores adjacent lower edges of the apertures for receiving hardware fittings that pass through the lower bores  23  in the multi-pin connector, when that connector is inserted into a respective aperture  131 ,  132 . 
   Instead, the depths of the lower portions of the connector-installation apertures  131  and  132  are increased or extended by means of respective, generally rectangular, connector installation-aperture extension slots  151  and  152 , that terminate at respective lower edges  153  and  154  thereof. Each of these aperture extension slots is sized and shaped to accommodate the insertion therein of a respective rear panel-attachment clip, illustrated diagrammatically in  FIGS. 9 ,  10 ,  11  and  12 . Preferably, the width of each aperture extension slot is slightly wider than the width of a clip, so as to allow for a slight amount of (horizontal) play between the clip and the slot, and thereby accommodate minor offsets in the position of the printed circuit card installed in the card slot that is terminated by the rear panel, and facilitate ‘blind’ engagement of the pins of the multi-pin connector with the sockets of the multi-socket receptacle mounted on the printed circuit card. 
   As shown in  FIGS. 9-12 , a respective rear panel-attachment clip  200  is configured as a generally rectangularly shaped, solid element, made of a relative rugged, robust material such as aluminum, having an upper wall  201 , which has a slightly inclined surface that generally conforms with the inclined shape of the lower edge  26  of the distal end  21  of the multi-pin connector shown in  FIGS. 2-5 . This inclination of the surface of upper wall  201  serves as a physical ‘key’, to ensure that the clip  200  will be properly oriented with its rear surface abutting against the multi-pin connector and its tab end down for engagement with a lower edge  153 ,  154  of a respective aperture extension slot  151 ,  152 , when the clip  200  is installed on the connector  20 , as will be described. 
   Other than the slightly inclined shape of its upper wall  201 , the remainder of the generally solid, rear panel-attachment clip is generally rectangularly shaped, having a pair of parallel sidewalls  202  and  203 , that extend from upper wall  201  and adjoin a bottom wall  204 . Each of the upper wall  201 , sidewalls  202  and  203 , and bottom wall  204  extends between a generally planar rear surface  205 , that is directly abutable against the multi-pin connector, and a generally planar front surface  206 , that faces the interior of the card slot when the connector, with the clip attached, is inserted into a connector-installation aperture. A hardware fitting bore  207  is formed in the clip&#39;s rear surface  205  and passes through a boss region  208  that extends between and is solid with the upper wall  201  and the lower wall  204 . The clip  200  is attached to the multi-pin connector  20  by means of a hardware fitting, such as a screw, inserted through bore  207  in boss regions  208  of clip  200  and into bore  23  of the connector. 
   The height of the rear surface  205  of the clip is slightly less than the height of its front surface  206 , so as to provide a vertical offset  209  between a lower, generally rectilinear edge  210  of the rear surface  205 , which conforms with the generally rectilinear bottom edge  153 ,  154  of a respective connector installation-aperture extension slot  151 ,  152  of rear panel  100 , and the bottom wall  204  of the clip. This offset allows one or more tabs, such as the two tabs shown at  211  and  212 , that are solid with the lower portion of the rear surface  205  of the clip, to define a rear panel capture region or notch  213  to be formed between the tabs  211  and  212  and a front face  214  of a lower portion  216  the clip adjacent to its bottom wall  204 . (The generally rectangular holes in the lower position  216  of the clip serve to reduce material only and are otherwise non-directional.) The width of the notch  213  generally corresponds to, but is just slightly wider than, the thickness of the rear panel&#39;s faceplate  110 . As a result, as shown in the side view of  FIG. 9  a lower edge  153 ,  154  of the rear panel faceplate  110  at the bottom of an aperture extension slot  151 ,  152  is allowed to enter and be captured by the notch  213 , and thereby stably secure the clip  200 , and thereby the lower portion of the multi-pin connector to which the clip has been attached, to the rear panel. 
   To this end, the distance between the bore  207  in the boss region  208  and the lower edge  210  of the rear surface  205  of the clip is such that, when the clip  200  is attached to the connector, by means of a hardware fitting passing through the bore  207  in the clip that is coaxial with the bore  23  in the connector, the lower edge  210  of the rear surface  205  of the clip  200  will rest upon or be very slightly vertically offset from a bottom edge  153 ,  154  of an aperture extension slot  151 ,  152 . In addition, this distance is such that the upper bore  22  of the connector will be aligned with an upper one of the bores  141  and  142  of the rear panel faceplate  110 , so that the connector  20  may be readily affixed to the faceplate  110  by means of a hardware fitting that passes through the upper bore  22  in the connector  20  and its associated aligned bore (one of bores  141  and  142 ) in the faceplate  110 . 
   This connectivity alignment relationship, that is provided by the configurations and geometries of the panel-attachment clip  200  and a respective aperture extension slot in the rear panel faceplate, is diagrammatically illustrated in the perspective, partially exploded view of  FIG. 13 . In particular,  FIG. 13  shows a pair of multi-pin connectors  20 - 1  and  20 - 2 , which have respectively associated rear panel-attachment clips  200 - 1  and  200 - 2 . Connector  20 - 1  and its associated rear panel-attachment clip  200 - 1  attached thereto are shown in their installed positions in the connector-installation aperture  132  of the rear panel  100 ; connector  20 - 2 , its associated clip  200 - 2 , and a hardware fitting (screw)  215 - 2  that joins the clip  200 - 2  to the connector  20 - 2  are shown in spaced apart, but aligned relationship with respect to each other and with respect to the connector-installation aperture  131  of rear panel  100 . 
   As can be seen from  FIG. 13 , when a respective clip  200  is placed upon a multi-pin connector  20  in its proper orientation (namely, ‘keyed’ by the inclination of the surface of its upper wall  201 , as described above), and attached to that connector by means of a fitting (e.g., screw) that passes through the clip&#39;s bore  207  into an associated lower connector bore (corresponding to the connector bore  23 , described above, but not shown in  FIG. 13 ), the lower edge  210  of the rear surface  205  of the clip may be readily placed directly upon, or just slightly vertically offset from, the bottom edge  153 ,  154  of the faceplate&#39;s aperture extension slot  151 ,  152 . In this aperture-inserted position of the clip, the lower edge  153 ,  154  of the rear panel faceplate  110  at the bottom of a respective aperture extension slot  151 ,  152  is captured within the clip&#39;s notch  213  formed between the tabs  211  and  212  and the front face  214  of the lower portion the clip adjacent to its bottom wall  204 , so as to stably secure the clip  200 , and thereby the lower portion of the multi-pin connector to which the clip has been attached, to the rear panel. 
   With the notch  213  at the bottom of the clip  200  captured at the bottom edge  153 ,  154  of the connector installation aperture-extension slot  151 ,  152 , the upper bore  22  of the connector  20  will be aligned with an upper bore  141 / 142  of the faceplate  110 , allowing the pins of the multi-pin connector  20  to be inserted into and engage the sockets of a multi-socket receptacle at the rear of the printed circuit card. The connector  20  may now be securely attached to the rear panel by means of a hardware fitting (e.g. screw), that passes through the upper bore  22  and its associated aligned bore  141 / 142  in the rear panel faceplate  110 . Removal of the multi-pin connector from the rear panel is straightforward, requiring only a disengagement of the hardware fitting in the upper bore  22  of the connector from the upper bore  141 / 142  of the faceplate, followed by lifting the connector and its attached clip off the bottom edge of the extension slot. 
   As pointed out previously, and as will be appreciated from the foregoing description, the rear panel-attachment clip of the invention allows the lower side of a standard multi-pin connector, from which the multi-conductor cable extends, to be readily and stably captured in the rear panel, simply by placing the notch of the clip into engagement with the bottom edge of the connector installation aperture. As a result, the undesirable task of removing the rear panel from the equipment chassis (in order to insert a fitting into the lower side of the connector from the interior or card side of the rear panel) is avoided, so that a circuit card in a different card slot terminated by that rear panel will not be taken off-line. Moreover, because it is made of a relatively rugged, solid material, in contrast to relatively flimsy prior art attachment devices, such as wire ties, lacing cords, loop-and-hook strap attachments, and the like, the attachment clip of the invention is structurally robust, so that, when inserted onto the bottom edge of the connector installation aperture, the clip, and thereby the lower portion of the multi-pin connector to which the clip is attached, will stably engage the rear panel. 
   While I have shown and described a non-limiting, but preferred, embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the same is not limited thereto but is susceptible to numerous changes and modifications as known to a person skilled in the art, and I therefore do not wish to be limited to the details shown and described herein, but intend to cover all such changes and modifications as are obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art.