Patent ID: 7972176

Claim:
A hardline coaxial cable connector for coupling a coaxial cable having a center conductor, an insulative layer, and an outer conductor to an equipment port, the connector comprising: a body subassembly having a first end and a second end, the first end adapted to connect to an equipment port and the second end having internal or external threads; a detachable back nut subassembly having a first end, a second end, and an inner surface, the first end having threads that mate with the internal or external threads on said second end of said body subassembly and the second end adapted to receive a prepared end of a coaxial cable; and a deformable ferrule disposed within said back nut subassembly; wherein the back nut subassembly is rotatable with respect to a coaxial cable inserted therein and the inner surface of the back nut subassembly comprises a tapered portion that decreases from a first diameter between the tapered portion and the first end of the back nut subassembly to a second diameter between the tapered portion and a second end of the back nut subassembly such that as the back nut subassembly is advanced axially toward the body subassembly as a result of the mating of the internal or external threads of the body subassembly with the threads of the back nut subassembly and rotating the back nut subassembly relative to the body subassembly, the tapered portion contacts the deformable ferrule and causes at least a portion of the ferrule to deform radially inwardly establishing a gripping and sealing relationship between the ferrule and the outer conductor thereby providing electrical and mechanical communication between the ferrule and the outer conductor and wherein, upon detachment of the back nut subassembly from the body subassembly, at least a portion of the clamped region between the sleeve and the ferrule is maintained such that back nut subassembly remains rotatably captivated about coaxial cable; and the back nut subassembly is capable of being repeatedly attached and detached from the body subassembly while still maintaining the electrical and mechanical communication and environmental sealing between the ferrule and the outer conductor.