Patent ID: 8616785

Claim:
A coupler for releasably coupling a light source to a single fiber optic bundle, comprising: an adapter having a front face and a cavity for receiving the fiber optic bundle with an input face positioned relative to said front face, said adapter including at least two pins extending outwardly therefrom in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the fiber optic bundle; a coupler body having a central aperture for receiving the adapter, said aperture including a pair of through slots for receiving the pins of the adapter, said body further including a pair of interior pin sockets radially offset from the slots; a substantially flat plate mounted within the coupler body and having a central aperture aligned with the central aperture of the coupler body, the plate central aperture having a diameter less than the outer diameter of the adapter; and biasing means urging said plate towards the aperture in the coupling body wherein when the adapter is inserted into the aperture of the coupler body, the adapter initially urges the plate in a direction away from the aperture, whereupon the adapter is rotated until the pins become aligned with and captured within the pin sockets allowing the plate to be urged in a direction back towards the aperture locking the coupler in place, wherein said received adapter front face presses against the plate so an interface between said input face and the light source is positioned substantially within said coupler body.