Abstract:
An Electromagnetic Interference/Radio Frequency Interference (EMI/RFI) shielding plug insert for a modular connector jack is disclosed. The modular connector jack can be shielded with electrically conductive walls. It has metal contacts for transmitting or receiving data. One or more spring contacts protrude inside the modular connector jack from the walls and outside the modular connector jack. A shielded plug made of electrically conductive material is inserted into the connector jack such that the shielded plug comes into contact with the spring contact. Thus, the shielding plug and the connector jack are electrically connected and at the same electrical potential. Thus, the shielded plug provides interference shielding for unused connector jacks.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The invention generally relates to modular connector jacks.  
           [0002]    Connectors, including modular connector jacks, are used extensively in electronic equipment. In many cases, it is desirable to use modular connector jacks primarily due to the economy, convenience and standard features they offer. Modular connector jacks, however, generally have a plurality of electrical data conductors, and those conductors are exposed through an aperture in the conductor jack. These exposed electrical data conductors leave electronic systems in which the modular connector jacks are employed susceptible to conducted and radiated electromagnetic interference (EMI) and other interference problems.  
           [0003]    These interference problems have resulted in the generation of conducted and radiated emission specifications. These specifications are applicable to most commercial electronic equipment, and they exist in most countries. For example, in the United States there are FCC regulations, in Europe there are EC and VDE regulations to comply with, and in Japan there are VCCI regulations to comply with. All are based on CISPR 22, and there is very little variation on the emission limits that equipment manufacturers must meet. Consequently, conducted and radiated emissions and the resulting EMI are problems that most electronic equipment manufacturers must contend with.  
           [0004]    Modern telecommunications equipment frequently use shielded modular connector jacks. These shielded modular connector jacks have an electrically conductive skin, usually made of a thin metal, that helps shield the connector from EMI and other interference. Many times only some of the modular connector jacks provided on the telecommunications equipment are used in a particular application, leaving the shielded modular connector jacks with an open aperture, and susceptible to the previously described interference problems.  
           [0005]    Thus, new apparatus and methods to protect unused modular connector jacks from interference problems are needed.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    In one aspect of the present invention, a connector apparatus includes a receptacle having an opening and a plug that fits into the opening so as to cover the opening. The plug is preferably constructed from an electrically conductive material, and also has no data connections, and therefore no interface with the data connectors in the receptacle. Further, the plug has no cables extending from it.  
           [0007]    The plug is preferably constructed with an electrically conductive face and two electrically conductive side walls extending from the face of the plug. The side walls of the plug preferably fit just inside the opening of the connector receptacle, and the face of the plug preferably covers the opening of the connector receptacle, thereby sealing the opening of the connector receptacle from electromagnetic interference and other sources of interference.  
           [0008]    A latch is preferably provided on the plug, and a ledge is preferably provided inside the receptacle. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the plug is inserted into the opening of the receptacle, the latch engages the ledge to hold the plug in place. When it is desired to remove the plug from the receptacle, the latch is depressed with the finger, and the plug easily slides out of the connector receptacle. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]    A more complete appreciation of the present invention and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a shielded modular connector jack with a shielded plug in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 2 is a side view of the shielded modular connector plug;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 3 is a top view of the shielded modular connector plug;  
         [0013]    FIGS.  4  to  10  are front views of standard modular connector jack mechanical keying options; and  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 11 is a computing or telecommunications device having plugs installed in unused modular connector jacks in accordance with one aspect of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0015]    In FIG. 1, a shielded modular connector jack  100  is illustrated. Modular connector jacks are used in many applications. They are generally constructed with plastic bodies that house electrical connectors for providing an electrical data interface. When used to provide a data connection, a male-end connector having internal electrical data connectors and a cable that is connected to the data connectors is inserted into the modular connector jack  100 .  
         [0016]    The plastic bodies of the modular connector jacks  100  have an opening that provides a connector receptacle for the male-end connector. Internal electrical data connectors are provided inside the opening. Modular connector jacks  100  are available in shielded and unshielded configurations. When unshielded, the modular connector jack  100  is used without anything surrounding its plastic body. In some cases, however, it is desired to shield the modular connector jack  100  to provide some protection from interference problems. In the shielded configuration, generally a thin sheet of metal is provided around the plastic body of the modular connector jack  101 .  
         [0017]    Today, there are many modular connector jacks available, both in the shielded and unshielded configurations. See, for example, the Series 63, 64, 70 and 65 PC-Mount, modular jacks available from Stewart Connector Systems, Inc., and currently viewable at www.stewartconnector.com.  
         [0018]    In the shielded configuration, the modular connector jack  100  generally includes some type of grounding contacts. Referring to FIG. 1, a plurality of spring contacts  102  to  105  extend outward from the surface of the shielded modular connector jack  100 . These spring contacts  102  to  105  are generally simply cutouts from the thin metal skin that surrounds the modular connector jack  100 , and which are biased outward. There can be other spring contacts extending outward from other walls of the modular connector jack  100  that are not illustrated in FIG. 1. As will be discussed later and as known in the art, these spring contacts  102  to  105  are meant to provide electrical contact with the electronic box in which the modular connector jack  100  is configured. This typically provides a grounding of the modular connector jack  100  to the electronic box, and thereby improves interference protection.  
         [0019]    It is also preferred to have spring contacts that protrude inside the opening in the modular connector jack  100 . In FIG. 1, a spring contact  106  is illustrated extending inward into a cavity inside the modular connector jack  100 . Generally, there is another spring contact extending into the cavity inside the modular connector jack  100  on the opposite inner wall. These internal spring contacts  106  can be formed by a tab from the thin metal skin that surrounds the modular connector jack  100 , where the tab is folded inside the cavity. These internal spring contacts  106  engage shields provided on cabled, shielded male-end connectors when they are inserted into the shielded modular connector jack  100  to provide a data interface over the cable that is connected to the modular plug. An example of such a shielded modular connector is the 36 Series modular plugs available from Stewart Connector Systems, Inc.  
         [0020]    In accordance with the present invention, a shielded plug  120  is provided to be inserted into the modular connector jack  100  when the modular connector jack  100  is not being used to provide an electrical data connection. The plug  120  is preferably sized to substantially cover the opening in the modular connector jack  100 . In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the plug  120  has an external face member  122 , a side wall member  124 , and another side wall member  126 . The plug  120 , including the face member  122 , the side wall  124 , and the second side wall  126  are preferably made from an electrically conductive material. Alternately, the plug  120  can be manufactured with a material such as plastic, and covered with an electrically conductive material. For example, without limiting the generality of the previous statements, the face member  122  and the side walls  124  and  126  can be made from or covered with any of the following materials: metals, electrically conductive plastics, electrically conductive plated or clad plastics, electrically conductive elastomers and elastomeric materials with an electrically conductive surface or mesh. The shielded plug  120  has no electrical data connectors, and provides no electrical data connection to anything. Also, there are no cables extending from the plug  120 .  
         [0021]    When the shielded modular connector jack  100  is not in use, it is preferred to install or insert the plug  120  into the receptacle. When doing so, the side walls  124  and  126  of the plug  120  preferably fit snugly inside the inner walls of the modular connector jack  100 . The side walls  124  and  126 , therefore, come into contact with the spring contacts from the modular connector jack  100  that extend into the connector receptacle portion of the jack  100 . This contact between the inwardly biased spring contacts  106  and the side walls  124  and  126  of the plug  120 , place the plug  120  and the shielded modular connector jack  100  at the same potential, which is usually ground. This grounding configuration provides improved protection from interference.  
         [0022]    The face member  122  is preferably sized to cover substantially all of the opening in the modular connector jack  100 . It is preferred that the fit between the face member  122  and the opening be very close and tight so that the opening is covered. In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the face member  122  can be configured to completely cover the opening in the modular connector jack  100 . For example, this can be accomplished by extending the face member  122  in all directions so that a lip is provided. The lip, which would overlap the sidewalls  124  and  126 , would entirely cover the opening in the jack  100  when the sidewalls  124  and  126  of the shielded plug  120  are inserted into the receptacle of the jack  100 .  
         [0023]    In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a latching mechanism  130  is provided. The latching mechanism  130  on the plug  120  engages a ledge  132  on the modular connector jack  100  when the plug  120  is inserted into the jack  100 .  
         [0024]    The latching mechanism  130  is illustrated in greater detail in FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 2 is a side view of the shielded plug  120  with the latching mechanism  130 . FIG. 3 shows the shielded plug  120  in a folded-out flat representation. The latching mechanism  130  includes a tab  131  which is designed to allow a user&#39;s finger to manipulate the latching mechanism when it is desired to pull a plug  120  out of a jack  100 . A portion  134  of the latching mechanism  130  extends below the bottom of the sidewall  126 , and a tab section  136  is provided on the portion  134 . The tab section  136 , which is on the bottom of the u-shaped latching mechanism, engages the ledge  132  when the plug  120  is inserted into the jack  100 . These latching mechanisms are known in the art. See, for example, the 36 Series modular connectors available from Stewart Connector Systems, Inc.  
         [0025]    A variety of industry standard keying options for modular connector jacks are illustrated in FIGS.  4 - 10 . FIG. 4 depicts the standard modular connector. FIG. 5 depicts a modular connector jack with K1 keying. FIG. 6 depicts K2 keying. FIG. 7 depicts K4 keying. FIG. 8 depicts RMK keying and FIG. 9 depicts a modular connector jack with RMK4R keying. FIG. 10 depicts a modular connector jack with the OST (MMJ) keying option. In each of the FIGS.  4  to  10 , the darkened area represents a filled area, and the cross-hatched area represents a cut out. The present invention can be fabricated to fit any of these standard keying options simply by shaping or keying the plug  120  to fit any key that is provided in the shape of the modular connector jack  100 .  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 11 illustrates an electronic box  300 . The electronic box  300  has a plurality of circuit boards  302  to  304  installed in it. The box  300  also has a fan  306  to create air circulation for cooling purposes, and vents  308  to  316 . The electronic box  300  is representative of boxes used in computing applications and in telecommunications applications, and other electronic applications.  
         [0027]    The electronic box  300  also has a plurality of modular connector jacks  318  to  321  mounted in it. The modular connector jacks  318  and  319  each have male-end connectors  322  and  323 , respectively, plugged into it to provide a data connection to the circuitry inside the box  300 . Each of these connectors  322  and  323  has a cable  324  and  325 , respectively, extending from the connector to provide the data connection.  
         [0028]    The modular connector jacks  320  and  321  are unused, and in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, each of the unused modular connector jacks  320  and  321  have shielded plugs  326  and  327 , respectively, inserted into their receptacles. As previously discussed, the plugs  326  and  327  have no cables extending from them, have no internal data connectors and provide no electrical data connections to any circuit inside the box  300 . The purpose of the shielded plugs  326  and  327  is to protect the box  300  from unwanted and undesirable interference.  
         [0029]    As previously explained, the plugs  326  and  327  are preferably grounded to the modular connector jacks  320  and  321 , respectively, due to the contact between the spring contacts  106  and the electrically conductive side walls  124  and  126 . It is also well known that the modular connector jacks  318  and  321  are preferably grounded to the electronic box  300  generally by the contact between the outwardly biased spring contact on the jack  100  and the frame of the box  300 . This grounding arrangement, coupled with the manufacture of the shielded plug  120  with electrically conductive materials, provides maximum shielding from interference.  
         [0030]    Although the invention herein has been described with reference to particular embodiments, it is to be understood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and applications of the present invention. It is therefore to be understood that numerous modifications may be made to the illustrative embodiments and that other arrangements may be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.