PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-9640885-B2
Application Number: US-201414543748-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Connector receptacle having a tongue

Abstract:
Connector systems may include a connector receptacle and connector plug or insert. The connector receptacle may include a tongue. The tongue may be formed using a printed circuit board. Contacts may be plated on top and bottom surfaces of the tongue. Retention features may also be located on top and bottom surfaces of tongue. These retention features may be speed bumps or other features. The connector insert may include a leading edge portion formed of plastic, a conductive shield around the insert behind the leasing edge portion, a plurality of spring contacts attached to an inside of the conductive shield, a top row of contacts; and a bottom row of contacts. Other connector receptacles may include a tongue having side ground contacts. The side ground contacts may engage an inside of a plug shield and have contacting portion to fit in openings in the plug shield.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An electronic device comprising:
 a connector receptacle comprising: 
 a tongue, the tongue formed using a printed circuit board; 
 a first plurality of contacts formed on a top surface of the tongue; and 
 a first retention feature extending laterally along a majority of a width of the tongue, and located on a top surface of tongue, the first retention feature arranged to retain a connector insert when the connector insert is inserted into the connector receptacle. 
 
     
     
       2. The electronic device of  claim 1  wherein the first retention feature is a speed bump, where the speed bump engages contacts on the connector insert to provide a retention force when the connector insert is inserted into the connector receptacle. 
     
     
       3. The electronic device of  claim 2  further comprising:
 a second retention feature formed on a bottom surface of the tongue, wherein the second retention feature is a speed bump. 
 
     
     
       4. The electronic device of  claim 3  further comprising:
 a second plurality of contacts formed on a bottom surface of the tongue. 
 
     
     
       5. The electronic device of  claim 4  wherein the tongue has notches in each of a left and right side to engage a spring in a connector insert when the connector insert is mated to the connector receptacle. 
     
     
       6. The electronic device of  claim 3  wherein the first retention feature and the second retention feature are located on a ground pad on the tongue. 
     
     
       7. A connector insert comprising:
 a leading edge portion formed using a non-marring material; 
 a conductive shield around the insert behind the leading edge portion; 
 a top row of contacts; 
 a bottom row of contacts; and 
 a plurality of spring contacts attached to an inside of the conductive shield, a first one of the plurality of spring contacts between the top row of contacts the leading edge portion and a second one of the plurality of spring contacts between the bottom row of contacts the leading edge portion, 
 wherein the plurality of spring contacts are spaced to not contact power pins on the tongue of the connector receptacle during insertion. 
 
     
     
       8. The connector insert of  claim 7  wherein the non-marring material is plastic. 
     
     
       9. The connector insert of  claim 7  wherein the spring contacts are attached to the inside of the conductive shield by laser welding. 
     
     
       10. The connector insert of  claim 9  wherein the conductive shield is formed of steel. 
     
     
       11. The connector insert of  claim 7  wherein the plurality of spring contacts are formed separately from and attached to an inside of the conductive shield. 
     
     
       12. The connector insert of  claim 11  further comprising a ground plane between the top row of contacts and the bottom row of contacts. 
     
     
       13. A connector insert comprising:
 a leading edge portion formed using a non-marring material; 
 a conductive shield around the insert behind the leading edge portion; 
 a top row of contacts; 
 a bottom row of contacts; and 
 a plurality of spring contacts attached to an inside of the conductive shield, a first one of the plurality of spring contacts between the top row of contacts the leading edge portion and a second one of the plurality of spring contacts between the bottom row of contacts the leading edge portion, 
 wherein the plurality of spring contacts are arranged to engage retention features on a top and bottom sides of a tongue of the connector receptacle. 
 
     
     
       14. The connector insert of  claim 13  wherein the non-marring material is plastic. 
     
     
       15. The connector insert of  claim 13  wherein the plurality of spring contacts are formed separately from and attached to an inside of the conductive shield. 
     
     
       16. The connector insert of  claim 15  further comprising a ground plane between the top row of contacts and the bottom row of contacts. 
     
     
       17. A connector insert comprising:
 a leading edge portion formed using a non-marring material; 
 a conductive shield around the insert behind the leading edge portion; 
 a plurality of spring contacts attached to an inside of the conductive shield; 
 a top row of contacts; 
 a bottom row of contacts; and 
 a ground plane between the top row of contacts and the bottom row of contacts, 
 wherein the ground plane is located in a housing and between high-speed signal pairs in the top row of contacts and the bottom row of contacts, and is absent in at least one other location to improve the strength of the housing. 
 
     
     
       18. A connector receptacle comprising:
 a tongue, the tongue formed using a printed circuit board; 
 a first plurality of contacts formed on a top surface of the tongue; 
 a second plurality of contacts formed on a bottom surface of the tongue; 
 a first speed-bump extending laterally along a majority of a width of the tongue, and located on a top surface of tongue; and 
 a second speed-bump extending laterally along a majority of the width of the tongue, and located on a bottom surface of tongue, the first speed-bump and the second speed-bump arranged to provide a retention force by engaging contacts on a connector insert when the connector insert is inserted into the connector receptacle. 
 
     
     
       19. The connector receptacle of  claim 18  wherein the tongue has notches in each of a left and right side to engage a spring in a connector insert when the connector insert is mated to the connector receptacle. 
     
     
       20. The connector receptacle of  claim 19  wherein the first speed bump and the second speed bump are located on a ground pad on the tongue. 
     
     
       21. The connector receptacle of  claim 18  wherein the tongue is formed as part of a main logic board for an electronic device. 
     
     
       22. The connector receptacle of  claim 18  wherein a rear and sides of the connector receptacle are formed with a device enclosure, where the device houses the connector receptacle. 
     
     
       23. The connector receptacle of  claim 18  wherein sides of the connector receptacle are formed with a device enclosure, where the device houses the connector receptacle, and a rear of the connector receptacle is formed as a separate piece. 
     
     
       24. A connector receptacle comprising:
 a tongue; 
 a first plurality of contacts formed on a top surface of the tongue; 
 a second plurality of contacts formed on a bottom surface of the tongue; 
 a first side ground contact; and 
 a second side ground contact, 
 wherein the first and second plurality of contacts are formed on a wide front portion of the tongue, the wide front portion in front of a narrower back portion, wherein the first and second side ground contacts are substantially located behind the wide front portion and to the sides of the narrower back portion. 
 
     
     
       25. The connector receptacle of  claim 24  wherein the tongue is formed using a printed circuit board.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent applications No. 61/905,278, filed Nov. 17, 2013, 61/918,608, filed Dec. 19, 2013, 61/922,849, filed Jan. 1, 2014, and 62/003,022, filed May 26, 2014, which are incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     The amount of data transferred between electronic devices has grown tremendously the last several years. Large amounts of audio, streaming video, text, and other types of data content are now regularly transferred among desktop and portable computers, media devices, handheld media devices, displays, storage devices, and other types of electronic devices. Power may be transferred with this data, or power may be transferred separately. 
     Power and data may be conveyed over cables that may include wire conductors, fiber optic cables, or some combination of these or other conductors. Cable assemblies may include a connector insert at each end of a cable, though other cable assemblies may be connected or tethered to an electronic device in a dedicated manner. The connector inserts may be inserted into receptacles in the communicating electronic devices to provide paths for power and data. 
     These receptacles may be visible along a side of a device and may consume internal space inside the device. Accordingly, it may be desirable to provide receptacles having a reduced profile and size, as well as pleasant appearance. Also, the data rates through these connector receptacles may be quite high. To provide these high data rates, it may be desirable that the connector receptacles have a high signal integrity and low insertion loss. 
     These connector inserts may be inserted into a device receptacle once or more each day for multiple years. It may be desirable that these connector inserts and receptacles are reliable and do not break or wear down prematurely, since such failures may lead to user dissatisfaction with both the cable assembly and the electronic devices that they connect to. 
     Electronic devices may be sold in the millions, with an attendant number of cable assemblies and their connector inserts sold alongside. With such volumes, any reduction or simplification in the manufacturing becomes significant. For such reasons, it may be desirable that these connector inserts and receptacles are readily manufactured. 
     Thus, what is needed are connector inserts and receptacles that have an attractive appearance, a low profile, a high signal integrity and low insertion loss, are reliable, and are readily manufactured. 
     SUMMARY 
     Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention may provide connector inserts, receptacles, and other structures that have an attractive appearance, a low profile, a high signal integrity and low insertion loss, are reliable, and are readily manufactured. 
     An illustrative embodiment of the present invention may provide attractive electronic devices by providing a connector receptacle having a reduced complexity and a resulting simplified appearance. This reduced complexity may also improve device manufacturability and reliably, and improve durability as well. 
     An illustrative embodiment of the present invention may provide a connector receptacle having a reduced complexity by providing a connector receptacle having a tongue located in an opening or recess in an enclosure or housing for an electronic device. The opening or recess in the enclosure may be formed as part of the enclosure, where the enclosure itself may form sides of the connector receptacle. That is, the enclosure may form top, bottom, left, and right sides of the enclosure. In various embodiments of the present invention, at least a portion of a back of the connector receptacle may be formed by the housing or enclosure as well. In some embodiments of the present invention, a slot may be formed in the enclosure at a rear of the connector receptacle. A tongue may be inserted through the slot into the opening or recess in the enclosure that forms part of the connector receptacle. Positioned in this way, it may mate with a connector insert when the connector insert is inserted into the connector receptacle. The tongue may be part of a printed circuit board, attached to a printed circuit board, the device enclosure, or other structure associated with or connected to a printed circuit board or device enclosure. In still other embodiments of the present invention, a rear of the connector receptacle may be formed by a bracket, where the bracket at least partially surrounds the tongue. The bracket may be attached to a printed circuit board, to the device enclosure, or other structure associated with or connected to a printed circuit board or device enclosure. In various embodiments of the present invention, the tongue may be inserted through a slot in the bracket, or the bracket may be formed around or otherwise attached to a part of the tongue. 
     An illustrative embodiment of the present invention may provide devices having a low profile by employing a tongue formed of a printed circuit board. Contacts may be printed, plated, or otherwise formed on a surface of the printed circuit board. This may provide a thin tongue, thereby helping to reduce the profile of the connector. Also, this configuration may remove the need for conventional spring-type signal contacts that may increase a profile or height of a receptacle. The removal of these spring-type signal contacts may also improve the reliability and durability of these connectors. Specifically, connector inserts or other items won&#39;t be caught on these contacts, thereby damaging the receptacle and device. Instead, embodiments of the present invention may include these spring-type signal contacts in the connector insert or plug. This way, if a spring-type signal contact is damaged, only a cable may need to be replaced and the device itself may not be damaged. 
     In various embodiments of the present invention, a tongue formed of a printed circuit board may be formed as part of a motherboard, main logic board, or other printed circuit board or appropriate substrate. Contacts on the tongue may electrically connect to circuits, contacts, components, and other electronic components on the printed circuit board using traces, planes, jumpers, cables, and other electrical paths in or associated with the printed circuit board. In various embodiments, a tongue may be formed on an edge of a printed circuit board. The tongue may be inserted in a slot in a back of a receptacle opening formed in a device enclosure in order to form a connector receptacle to mate with a connector insert. 
     An illustrative embodiment of the present invention may provide connector receptacles having good retention properties. For example, a connector receptacle tongue may include notches on each of a left and right side, where the notches accept side ground contacts on a connector insert when the connector insert is inserted into the connector receptacle. In some embodiments of the present invention, the tongue may be very thin, and may show wear along the notches after repeated use. Accordingly, these embodiments may include other retention elements, such as speed bumps, one either or both a top and bottom side. These speed bumps may help to distribute the retention load among multiple structures thereby preventing excessive localized wear. These speed bumps may be connected to ground and may provide a portion of a ground shielding as well as a retention force. The speed bump may be shaped to provide a pleasant tactile feel to a user. For example, the insertion profile may be made to be smooth, while requiring a strong extraction force. Use of these speed bumps may also help to reduce wear on the tongue of the receptacle, thereby improving durability and reliability. 
     Another illustrative embodiment of the present invention may provide connector inserts to mate with these connector receptacles. One specific embodiment may provide a connector insert having a tip formed of plastic or other non-marring material at a front end. This plastic tip may help to reduce wear during repeated insertions. The connector insert may include a grounded metallic shield behind the tip for isolation purposes. One or more spring contacts may be attached to an inside portion of the shield to engage the speed bumps or other retention features on the receptacle tongue. This may provide retention and it may provide a ground path from the shield, through the spring contacts, to the tongue of the connector receptacle. In other embodiments of the present invention, other structures, such as dimples, may be used to form this ground path and to provide retention. 
     In other embodiments of the present invention, ground or electromagnetic interference (EMI) features may be located elsewhere. For example, in various embodiments of the present invention, side contacts may be arranged on each of two sides of a receptacle tongue. The tongue may have a wide front portion to support a number of contacts. The tongue may then have a narrower portion behind the front, wider portion, where the side ground contacts are located. In this way, side ground contacts may be added to a connector receptacle without negatively degrading appearance. 
     Embodiments of the present invention may provide connector inserts or plugs to mate with these receptacles. These inserts may include a shield around a number of contacts. The shield may have one or more cutouts or openings to accept contacting portion of the side ground contacts in the receptacle. That is, when the connector insert is inserted into the receptacle, the side ground contacts may slide along an inside of the insert shield until contacting portions engage openings the insert shield. This may help maintain an attractive appearance for both the connector receptacle and insert. 
     These arrangements may provide a plug and receptacle combination that is self-shielded, that is, the combination does not rely on other features, such as features located in the device enclosure, for shielding. In one example, an outside of the plug may be shielded. Spring contacts may be attached to an inside of the shield. These spring contacts may form an electrical connection with speed bumps and ground pads on a tongue of the connector receptacle. This may form a Faraday cage around contacts on the tongue. In another, side ground contacts on a receptacle tongue may slide along an inside surface of an insert shield during insertion, where contacting portions of the side ground contacts fit in opening in the insert shield. These configurations may form a Faraday cage around contacts on the tongue. 
     Again, in various embodiments of the present invention these shielding arrangements may be further improved. For example, a ground plane may be placed at or near a center of the receptacle tongue. This ground plane may help to isolate signal paths on a top side of the tongue from a bottom side of the tongue. The plug may have a similar ground plane located between a top row of signal contacts and a bottom row of signal contacts. Again, this plug ground plane may help to isolate signals in the top row of signal contacts from the bottom row of signal contacts. This ground plane may be located in a housing and may be between receive and transmit signal contacts. The ground plane may be absent under one or more contacts in order to provide wider housing areas for mechanical support and to prevent the thinning of the housing that may otherwise result. 
     In various embodiments of the present invention, spring contacts for ground in a connector insert may engage signal (non-ground) or power contacts on the receptacle tongue during insertion. To avoid shorting power contacts to ground, the spring contacts may be spaced such that they do not encounter the power contacts, or make other undesirable connections to other contacts, during insertion. 
     As described above, a tongue may be mated to a device enclosure housing these connector receptacles in different ways in different embodiments of the present invention. Again, an opening or recess in a device housing or enclosure may form a receptacle opening, and a rear or back of the receptacle opening may have a slot or opening or passage. The tongue of the receptacle may be slid through the slot and into the connector receptacle opening. Where one or more speed bumps are used, the slot may be wide enough to accept the speed bumps, or the speed bumps may be attached after the tongue is fit through the slot. In other embodiments of the present invention, a back of the connector receptacle may be open or absent. In this case, a bracket piece may be formed around, soldered to, or otherwise connected to the tongue. This piece may then form the back of the connector receptacle. In still other embodiments of the present invention, the tongue of the receptacle may be formed as part of a printed circuit board for an electronic device. The tongue may be fit through a slot in the back of an opening in an enclosure for the device, thereby forming the connector receptacle. 
     An illustrative embodiment of the present invention may provide connector receptacles having a high signal quality by simplifying their physical signal path. In one embodiment, the connector receptacle may be formed primarily of a printed circuit board. Contacts on the connector receptacles may be akin to conventional contacts on a printed circuit board. These contacts may have reduced size to decrease contact-to-contact and other stray capacitance. This reduced size may also help limit reflections that may otherwise occur from stub-effects within the contact. Resistance may also be reduced. These reductions in capacitance, stub-effects, and resistance may help improve signal quality, reduce insertion loss, and help improve impedance matching. 
     Embodiments of the present invention may route traces through the printed circuit board to these contacts. These traces may be matched impedance lines. For example, strip line impedance techniques may be employed in routing signals away from the contacts through the printed circuit board. 
     Again, embodiments of the present invention may provide connector inserts having a plastic tip at a front opening. In other embodiments of the present invention, the front opening may be defined by a metal portion. This metal portion may be separate from a connector insert shield, or it may be formed as part of the connector insert shield. The metal portion may be optionally coated with a material to avoid marring after repeated insertions into a connector receptacle. Forming the tip from metal may increase the strength of the connector insert, making it less likely to be damaged after repeated insertions into a corresponding connector receptacle. 
     In various embodiments of the present invention, it may be desirable to provide a strong retention force between a connector insert and a connector receptacle when a connector insert is inserted into the connector receptacle. In various embodiments of the present invention, it may be desirable to provide this strong retention force without actually providing a locking feature. Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention may provide side ground retention springs that may provide a strong retention force without providing or relying on a locking feature. These retention springs may be tapered in one or more axes along its length in order to increase its effective size without consuming excessive space inside a connector. In one embodiment of the present invention, these retention springs may be located in a connector insert, though in other embodiments of the present invention, they may be located in a connector receptacle. 
     Various embodiments of the present invention may provide connector receptacles where the tongue is formed using a printed circuit board technology. In some of these embodiments of the present invention, the tongue may be a portion of a larger printed circuit board, such as a main logic or motherboard of an electronic device, a daughter board that is attached to such a motherboard, or other type of board. 
     In various embodiments of the present invention, contacts and other conductive portions of connector inserts and receptacles may be formed by stamping, metal-injection molding, machining, micro-machining, 3-D printing, or other manufacturing process. The conductive portions may be formed of stainless steel, steel, copper, copper titanium, phosphor bronze, or other material or combination of materials. They may be plated or coated with nickel, gold, or other material. The nonconductive portions may be formed using injection or other molding, 3-D printing, machining, or other manufacturing process. The nonconductive portions may be formed of silicon or silicone, rubber, hard rubber, plastic, nylon, liquid-crystal polymers (LCPs), or other nonconductive material or combination of materials. The printed circuit boards used may be formed of FR-4, BT or other material. Printed circuit boards may be replaced by other substrates, such as flexible circuit boards, in many embodiments of the present invention. 
     Embodiments of the present invention may provide connector inserts and receptacles that may be located in, and may connect to, various types of devices, such as portable computing devices, tablet computers, desktop computers, laptops, all-in-one computers, wearable computing devices, cell phones, smart phones, media phones, storage devices, portable media players, navigation systems, monitors, power supplies, adapters, remote control devices, chargers, and other devices. These connector inserts and receptacles may provide pathways for signals that are compliant with various standards such as one of the Universal Serial Bus (USB) standards including USB-C, High-Definition Multimedia Interface® (HDMI), Digital Visual Interface (DVI), Ethernet, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt™, Lightning™, Joint Test Action Group (JTAG), test-access-port (TAP), Directed Automated Random Testing (DART), universal asynchronous receiver/transmitters (UARTs), clock signals, power signals, and other types of standard, non-standard, and proprietary interfaces and combinations thereof that have been developed, are being developed, or will be developed in the future. Other embodiments of the present invention may provide connector inserts and receptacles that may be used to provide a reduced set of functions for one or more of these standards. In various embodiments of the present invention, these interconnect paths provided by these connector inserts and receptacles may be used to convey power, ground, signals, test points, and other voltage, current, data, or other information. 
     Various embodiments of the present invention may incorporate one or more of these and the other features described herein. A better understanding of the nature and advantages of the present invention may be gained by reference to the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a tongue for a connector receptacle according to embodiments of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a simplified side view of a connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a connector insert or plug according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a simplified side view of connector system including a connector plug mated to a connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a tongue for a connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 8  illustrates a tongue for a connector receptacle according to embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 9  illustrates a tongue for a connector receptacle according to embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 10  illustrates a connector system according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 11  illustrates a top view of a connector system according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 12  illustrates another tongue for connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 13  illustrates a side view of a connector system according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 14  illustrates a connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 15  illustrates a side view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 14 ; 
         FIG. 16  illustrates another connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 17  illustrates a side view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 16 ; 
         FIG. 18  illustrates additional connector inserts according to embodiments of the present invention; 
         FIG. 19  illustrates a top view of a connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 20  illustrates an oblique view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 19 ; 
         FIG. 21  illustrates a cutaway side view of a connector receptacle  FIG. 19 ; 
         FIG. 22  illustrates the connector receptacle of  FIG. 19  when a connector plug is inserted; 
         FIG. 23  illustrates a variety of connector inserts which may be provided by embodiments of the present invention; 
         FIG. 24  illustrates a front view of the connector insert of  FIG. 23 ; 
         FIG. 25  illustrates a top view of the connector inserts of  FIG. 23 ; 
         FIG. 26  illustrates a connector insert according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 27  illustrates a top cross-section view of a portion of a connector insert according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 28  illustrates a retention spring according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 29  illustrates a top view of a retention spring according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 30  illustrates a cross-section of a retention spring according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 31  illustrates another cross-section of a retention spring according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 32  illustrates a portion of a front of a connector insert according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 33  illustrates a printed circuit board including a tongue portion for a connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 34  illustrates an electronic device that includes the printed circuit board of  FIG. 33 ; 
         FIG. 35  illustrates a pinout for a connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 36  illustrates another pinout for a connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 37  illustrates a mapping of pins for various types of interfaces to pins of a connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention. This figure, as with the other included figures, is shown for illustrative purposes and does not limit either the possible embodiments of the present invention or the claims. Also, while only one surface of the tongue is shown in this in the other included figures, a second, opposite surface of the tongue may be identical or similar to the illustrated top surface and may include identical or similar features and structures. 
     This connector receptacle may be formed in opening  110  in enclosure  100 . Enclosure  100  may include sidewall  102 . That is, sidewall  102  may be around a top, bottom, left, and right sides of the receptacle and may be formed as part of enclosure  100 . In this and similar embodiments of the present invention, sidewalls, such as sidewall  102 , may be formed as a unitary part of enclosure  100 , sidewall  102  may be formed separately then attached to enclosure  100 , sidewall may be molded, printed, or otherwise formed on enclosure  100 , or other manufacturing techniques may be used. Enclosure  100  may be a housing for an electronic device such as a portable computing device, tablet, desktop computer, laptop, all-in-one computer, cell phone, smart phone, media phone, storage device, portable media player, wearable computing device, navigation system, monitor, power supply, adapter, and charger, or other device. 
     This receptacle may further include a rear wall  104 . In this and other similar embodiments of the present invention, rear walls, such as rear wall  104 , may be formed with or as part of sidewall  102  of device enclosure  100 . In these embodiments of the present invention, rear wall  104  may include a slot into which tongue  120  may be inserted. Tongue  120  may be formed as part of a printed circuit board, or tongue  120  may be attached to enclosure  100 , a printed circuit board, or other structure. In other embodiments of the present invention, rear wall  104  may be formed separately. For example, rear wall  104  may be insert molded around tongue  120 , or tongue  120  may be inserted through a slot in rear wall  104 . Tongue  120  may be formed as part of a printed circuit board for an electronic device. The tongue may be inserted through a slot in read wall  104 , or rear wall  104  may be formed around the tongue portion of the printed circuit board. When rear wall  104  is formed separately, for example as a bracket, it may be attached to enclosure  100 , a printed circuit board, or other portion of the electronic device. In other embodiments of the present invention, rear wall  104  may be attached in this way using a bracket or other structure. 
     Connector receptacle may further include tongue  120 . Tongue  120  may include a number of contacts  130  surrounded by insulation area  140 . A ground ring  150  may be formed around ground isolation area  140 . Notches  160  may act as retention features by accepting ground contacts in a connector insert or plug. 
     This arrangement may provide a greatly simplified connector receptacle. This simplified receptacle may provide a streamlined, attractive appearance to a user. Also, this connector receptacle may be free of spring-type signal contacts on tongue  120 , and may also be free of other contacts or alignment features around opening  110  in enclosure  100 , though such features may be added consistent with embodiments of the present invention. This streamlining also may also the reliability of this connector. For example, there are no spring-type signal contacts in the receptacle to be damaged by improper insertion of a plug or by the presence of debris or other manner. Instead, embodiments of the present invention move these spring-type signal contacts to the plug side. In this way, if spring contacts are damaged in one of these or other ways, only a cable may need to be replaced since the electronic device itself is not damaged. This simplified connector may also provide a connector system having a plug that may be rotatable and may be inserted in at least two different orientations into the connector receptacle. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a tongue for a connector receptacle according to embodiments of the present invention. This contact may include a ground area  120  surrounding an isolation area  140 . One or more contacts  130  may be located in the isolation area  140 . 
     Again, embodiments of the present invention may provide tongues, such as this tongue, that may be formed as part of a printed circuit board for an electronic device. Various embodiments of the present invention may provide connector receptacles having other types of tongues. An example is shown in the following figure. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention. An electronic device may be housed in an enclosure  300 . Enclosure  300  may have an opening  310  defined by receptacle sidewall  312 . Tongue  320  may include a number of contacts  330  and isolation region  340 . Ground ring  350  may be formed along sides of tongue  320 . 
       FIG. 4  illustrates a simplified side view of a connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention. Again, enclosure  300  may include opening  310 , defined by inner sidewall  302  and rear sidewall  304 . Tongue  320  may be inserted through opening  410  in rear wall  304 . In other embodiments of the present invention, rear wall  304  may be separate from enclosure  300 . In this case, rear wall  304  may be formed, such as by insert molding, around tongue  320  or otherwise attached to tongue  320 . Again, sidewalls in embodiments of the present invention, such as sidewall  302 , may be formed as part of an enclosure, such as enclosure  300 , it may be attached to an enclosure, such as enclosure  300 , or it may be formed on an enclosure, such as enclosure  300 . Again, these enclosures, such as enclosure  300 , may be a housing for an electronic device such as a portable computing device, tablet, desktop computer, laptop, all-in-one computer, cell phone, smart phone, media phone, storage device, portable media player, wearable computing device, navigation system, monitor, power supply, adapter, and charger, or other device. 
     Embodiments of the present invention may also provide connector inserts or plugs to mate with these connector receptacles. An example is shown in the following figure. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates a connector insert or plug according to an embodiment of the present invention. This connector insert may include a tip portion  520 , which may be located in front of shield portion  510 . Tip portion  520  may be formed of plastic or other non-marring material to reduce wear on the connector receptacle and plug. One or more spring contacts  530  may be located in and attached to an inside surface of shield  510 . Housing  540  may include various electronic circuits located on one or more printed circuit boards. Housing  540  may also provide a structured to be held by a user during insertion. 
     While in this example, tip portion  520  may be formed of plastic or other non-marring material, in other embodiments of the present invention, at least some of tip portion  520  may be formed as a one or more magnets or an attraction plate to be magnetically attracted to a one or more magnets or attraction plate in or behind a rear wall of a connector receptacle. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates a simplified side view of connector system including a connector plug mated to a connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention. A plug may include a shield portion  510  and spring type signal contacts  610 . These spring type signal contacts  610  may mate with contacts printed or otherwise formed on tongue  320 . Tongue  320  may be located in device enclosure  300 . 
     Various types of tongues may be employed by connector receptacles according to embodiments of the present invention. These tongues may be formed as a printed circuit board. These printed circuit boards may be small and purposed for a connector receptacle, or they may be larger and included as part of a motherboard or other logic board for an electronic device. Examples of various tongues provided by embodiments of the present invention are shown in the following figures. 
       FIG. 7  illustrates a tongue for a connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention. This and the other tongues shown may be used in connector receptacles according various embodiments of the present invention. This tongue may include a number of contacts  710  and an isolation area  720 . Isolation area  720  may be surrounded by ground ring or ground plane  730 . Notches  740  may act as retaining features and may mate with ground contacts on a connector insert. Portion  750  may be formed around a tongue and may act as at least part of a rear wall of the connector receptacle. Printed circuit board portion  760  may be part of a larger printed circuit board, such as a motherboard or other printed circuit board in an electronic device. In other embodiments, printed circuit board portion  760  may be a smaller printed circuit board portion and may be joined to other printed circuit boards using wires, flex conductors, or other appropriate structures. 
       FIG. 8  illustrates another tongue for a connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention. This tongue may include a number of contacts  810  surrounded by isolation area  820 . Isolation area  820  may be surrounded by a ground ring or area  830 . Again, portion  840  may be part of a rear wall for a connector receptacle. Rear portion  850  may include ground tabs  860 , contacts  870 , and posts  880  for mounting and signal attachment to a main logic, mother, or other type of printed circuit board. 
       FIG. 9  illustrates a tongue for a connector receptacle according to embodiment of the present invention. This tongue may include a number of contacts  910  surrounded by isolation area  920 . Ground pad  940  may also be surrounded by isolation area  920 . One or more retention features, such as speed bump  950 , may be included or attached to ground pad  940 . Ground ring  930  may be attached around an edge of at least a front portion of the tongue. The edge of the tongue may be chamfered and the ground ring or band  930  may be shaped to mate with it. In other embodiments of the present invention, the edge of the tongue may have a notch or raised portion along a center of the edge. Again, ground ring or band  930  may be shaped to mate with it. Portion  960  may act as a rear wall portion for the connector receptacle. Ground ring or band  930  may be attached to rear portion  960  to be secured in place. Again, printed circuit board portion  970  may be used to form an attachment to a second printed circuit board, or it may be part of a larger printed circuit board such as a main logic or motherboard. 
     Again, embodiments the present invention may provide tongues for connector receptacles were the tongues are quite thin. These tongues may include side notches, such as notches  980  to act as retention features. Specifically, side notches  980  may engage ground contacts in a connector insert or plug. However, since the tongue is so thin, side notches  980  may wear quickly after repeated insertions. 
     Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention may provide other retention features, such as speed bumps  950 . The inclusion of these speed bumps may allow the retention force to be distributed among multiple structures, instead of placing the retention force on notches  980  and corresponding side ground contacts. These speed bumps may have rising and falling edges to produce a desirable tactile response for a user during insertion and extraction of the plug. For example, speed bump  950  may have a smooth sloped leading-edge to provide a smooth tactile response to a user during insertion. A rear edge of speed bump  950  may be steeper to provide a high retention force in order to help prevent accidental extraction of the plug during use. Spring contacts in the plug may engage the speed bumps  950  to provide the tactile response, retention, and ground paths. An example is shown in the following figure. 
       FIG. 10  illustrates a connector system according to an embodiment of the present invention. This connector system may include a receptacle having speed bumps  950  on the receptacle tongue. The connector system may further include a plug, which may include shield  510 . Spring contacts  530  may be attached to an inside wall of shield  510 . Spring contacts  530  may be soldered, or spot or laser welded to the inside of shield  510 . In other embodiments of the present invention, spring contacts  530  may be formed in other ways. 
     The plug may further include spring type signal contacts  1020 . Spring type signal contacts  1020  may mate with contacts  910  on a surface of the receptacle tongue. Kapton tape  1060  may be used to isolate signal contacts  1020  from shield  510 . 
     A center ground plane  1050  may isolate signals on a top row of signal contacts  1020  from a bottom row of signal contacts  1020 . Center ground plane  1050  may be located between high-speed signal pairs on the top and bottom rows of the contacts. Center ground plane  1050  may be notched in other areas or between these or other signals to increase the thickness and stability of housing portion  1055 . A center ground plane may also be located in the receptacle tongue. This ground plane may electrically connect to center ground plane  1050  during insertion or it may be separate from ground plane  1050  during insertion. 
     Rear portion  1040  of signal contacts  1020  may be electrically connected to traces on printed circuit board  1030 . Again, plastic or non-marring material  520  may protect the connector receptacle and connector plug from marring and scratches during insertion. 
       FIG. 11  illustrates a top view of a connector system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this example, a receptacle may include a number of contacts  910  in an isolation area  920 . Ground pad  940  may be surrounded by isolation area  920 . Speed bump  950  may be located on ground pad  940 . Notches  920  may be included on sides of the tongue. 
     The connector plug may include a number of spring type signal contacts  1020 , side ground contacts  1110 , and spring contacts  1010 . Signal contacts  1020  may form signal paths with contacts  910 . Side ground contacts  1110  may engage notches  1120  to retain the plug in the connector receptacle. Similarly, spring contacts  1020  may mate with speed bump  950  to provide further retention force. 
     In this way, retention force is provided by side ground contacts  1110  mating with notches  1120 , as well as spring contacts  1010  mating with speed bump  950 . This distributed retention may prevent excessive wear at any particular location in the connector receptacle, such as notches  1120 . 
     This arrangement also provides shielding for signals on contacts  1020  and  910 . Specifically, shield  510  (not shown in this figure) may surround the plug. Side ground contacts  1110  may mate with grounded notches  940 , while spring contacts  1010  may form another ground path with speed bumps  950  and ground pads  940 . 
     During insertion, spring contacts  1010  may engage contacts  910  on the receptacle tongue. Since spring contacts  1010  may be grounded, it may be undesirable for a spring contacts  1010  to engage a power pin on the receptacle tongue. Accordingly, spring contacts  1010  (which may be the same as spring contacts  530  and the other spring contacts herein) may be spaced apart or otherwise are arranged to avoid such contact. That is, spring contacts  1010  may be spaced or arranged to not make and undesirable connection to a power contact or form other undesirable connections with other contacts during insertion of the plug into the receptacle. 
       FIG. 12  illustrates another tongue for connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this example, a number of contacts  1210  may be surrounded by isolation area  1230 . Ground pad  1220  may also be surrounded by isolation are  1230 . 
     Ground pad  1220  may be used to make contact with spring contacts or other structures in a connector insert. An example is shown in the following figure. 
       FIG. 13  illustrates a side view of a connector system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this example, the connector insert or plug may include one or more dimples  1540  for making electrical connections to ground pads  1220  on the receptacle tongue. Dimples  1540  may be attached to or otherwise associated with shield  1530 . Spring type signal contacts  1520  may make electrical connections to contacts  1210  on the receptacle tongue. 
     In other embodiments of the present invention, connector receptacles may include other types of grounding, shielding, and EMI mechanisms and structures. Examples are shown in the following figures. 
       FIG. 14  illustrates a connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this example, two ground plates  1450  are held in place by collar  1460 . Ground plates  1450  may include leading edge  1452 , which may extend from a front of ground plate  1450  to a ridge  1454 . This connector receptacle may also include tongue  1420  supporting a number of contacts  1440 . This receptacle may be located in an opening  1410  in a device enclosure  1400 . 
     In this as with the other embodiments, tongue  1420  may be inserted through a slot in a back of an opening  1410  in device enclosure  1400 . Tongue  1420  may be formed as part of a printed circuit board for the device enclosed by device enclosure  1400 . 
       FIG. 15  illustrates a side view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 14 . Again, this receptacle may be located in opening  1410  of device enclosure  1400 . The receptacle may include tongue  1420  supporting ground plates  1450 . Ground plates  1450  may be held in place by collar  1460 . Ground plates  1450  may include leading edges  1452 , which may extend from a front of the ground plate  1450  to ridge  1454 . 
       FIG. 16  illustrates another connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this example, a ground shield  1660  may be located on connector receptacle tongue  1620 . Connector receptacle tongue  1620  may support a number of contacts  1640 . Tongue  1620  may also include notches  1630  as before. This connector receptacle may be located in an opening  1610  in a device enclosure  1600 . 
       FIG. 17  illustrates a side view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 16 . Again, this connector receptacle may be located in opening  1610  of device enclosure  1600 . Connector receptacle may include a tongue  1620  attached to and partially surrounded by a ground shield  1660 . 
       FIG. 18  illustrates additional connector inserts according to embodiments of the present invention. Connector insert  1800  may include shield  1810  located behind a front housing portion  1820 . One or more ground contacts  1830  may be located near an opening of the connector insert  1800 . Connector insert  1840  may include shield  1850  behind front housing portion  1860 . Similarly, connector insert  1870  may include a shield portion  1880  behind housing portion  1890 . One or more ground contacts  1895  may be located near an opening of connector insert. 
     In these and other embodiments of the present invention, ground and electromagnetic interference shielding and retention features may be provided by other structures. Examples are shown in the following figures. 
       FIG. 19  illustrates a top view of a connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention. This connector receptacle may include tongue  1920  supporting a number of contacts  1940 . Again, contacts  1940  may be located on a top or bottom of tongue  1920 . Contacts may be located on a relatively wide a front portion  1960 , which may be located in front of a narrower portion  1970 . Side ground contacts  1950  may be located alongside this narrower portion  1970  behind the wider contact portion  1960 . In this way, side ground contacts  1950  may be at least somewhat out of view to a user, thereby allowing the connector receptacle to provide an attractive simplified appearance. In embodiments of the present invention where tongue  1920  is a printed circuit board, the routing to and from contacts  1960  may be angled, curved, bent, or otherwise formed to accommodate the different width along the length of the tongue. 
     When a connector insert is inserted into this connector receptacle, contacting portion  1952  of side ground contacts  1950  may pass along an inside of a shield portion the connector insert. Contacting portion  1952  may then engage or fit in openings in a side of the connector insert shield. In this way, scratches and marring caused by contacting portion  1952  may be limited to an inside of the connector insert shield, thereby preserving the connector insert&#39;s appearance. 
     Side ground contacts  1950  may be formed as part of, or separately from, tongue  1920 . Side ground contacts may be formed using a printed circuit board, a metal such as stainless steel, or other material. Side ground contacts  1950  may be attached to tongue  1920  or other receptacle structures by soldering, laser or spot welding, or by other methods. 
       FIG. 20  illustrates an oblique view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 19 . Again, side ground contacts  1950  may be located to the sides of narrow portion  1970  of tongue  1920 . By placing side ground contacts  1950  along a narrow portion  1970  of tongue  1920 , behind wider portion  1960 , the inclusion of side ground contacts  1950  may not significantly degrade the appearance of a connector receptacle. 
     Side ground contacts  1950  may provide grounding and retention properties. Additional ground contacts  2050  may also be included for extra grounding and retention. These ground contacts  2050  may be located along a top, bottom, or side of an opening  2010  in device enclosure  2000 . 
       FIG. 21  illustrates a cutaway side view of a connector receptacle  FIG. 19 . Again, ground contacts  2050  may be included. These ground contacts may include a substantially flat front edge  2110  leaving to a substantially flat sloping portion  2120 , which may terminate in ridge  2130 . A back sloping portion  2140  may extend from a ridge to a remainder of the ground contacts  2050 . As before, contacts  1940  may be located on tongue  1920 . Contacts  2050  may engage a connector insert shield to provide ground and EMI protection. 
       FIG. 22  illustrates the connector receptacle of  FIG. 19  when a connector plug is inserted. Connector plug  2100  may include shield  2010  having an opening to  2220 . Contacting portion  1952  of side ground contacts  1950  may engage or fit in opening  2220  of shield  2210 . Again, side ground contacts  1950  may be located along a narrow portion  1970  of tongue  1920 . Tongue  1920  may include a wide portion  1960  supporting a number of contacts  1940 . 
       FIG. 23  illustrates a variety of connector inserts which may be provided by embodiments of the present invention. Connector inserts  2300  may include shield portions  2310  having side openings  2320 . Side openings  2320  may be used to engage contacting portions  1952  on side ground contacts  1950 . A number of contacts  2340  may be located in housing  2330 . 
       FIG. 24  illustrates a front view of the connector insert of  FIG. 23 . Connector inserts  2300  may include a number of contacts  2340  for forming electrical connections with contacts  1940  on tongue  1920  in a connector receptacle. 
       FIG. 25  illustrates a top view of connector inserts according to an embodiment of the present invention. Again, connector inserts  2300  may include a shield  2310  having side openings  2320 . Side openings  2320  may correspond to side opening  2220  in  FIG. 22 . 
     Again, embodiments of the present invention may provide connector inserts having a front plastic tip. In other embodiments of the present invention, this tip may be metal for increased strength. An example is shown in the following figure. 
       FIG. 26  illustrates a connector insert according to an embodiment of the present invention. This connector insert may include shield  2610 , front portion  2620 , side retention contact  2700 , ground contact  2630 , signal contacts  2640 , and housing portions  2660  and  2650 . Front portion  2620  may be used a front portion on other connector inserts provided by embodiments of the present invention. 
     Front portion  2620  may be formed integrally with shield  2610 . In other embodiments of the present invention, front portion  2620  may be formed separately from shield  2610 . In these embodiments, front portion  2620  may be attached to shield  2610 , or shield  2610  and front portion  2620  may both be attached to a common structure, such as a housing portion, in the connector insert. 
     In various embodiments of the present invention, it may be desirable to provide a robust retention force between a connector insert and a connector receptacle when the connector insert is inserted into connector receptacle. It may also be desirable that the retention feature providing this force not provide or rely upon a locking feature. An example of one such retention feature is shown in the following figures. 
       FIG. 27  illustrates a top cross-section view of a portion of a connector insert according to an embodiment of the present invention. This connector insert may include retention spring  2700 . Retention spring  2700  may be used as the retention spring in other embodiments of the present invention. In this example, signal contacts  2640  may be located behind ground contact  2630 . Shield  2610  may be formed with front portion  2620 . Retention spring  2700  may include localized points of concentrated force  2712  and  2714 . These localized points may act as inflection points to increase the retention force applied at contact portion  2710  to a notch in a tongue in a connector receptacle. Retention spring  2700  may have a variable shape and thickness along its length to increase its effective retention or holding strength. This is shown further in the following figures. 
       FIG. 28  illustrates a retention spring according to an embodiment of the present invention. Again, retention spring  2700  may include localized points of concentrated force  2712  and  2714 . Retention spring  2700  may further include contacting portion  2710  to engage a notch portion of a tongue in a connector receptacle. Retention spring  2700  may further include connecting portion  2718 , which may be connected to ground. 
       FIG. 29  illustrates a top view of a retention spring according to an embodiment of the present invention. Again, retention spring  2700  may include localized points of concentrated force  2712  and  2714 , as well as contacting portion  2710  and  2718 . 
     As shown, a width of the retention spring may narrow towards contacting end and contacting portion  2710 . Specifically, a width along line A-A may be greater than a width along line B-B. A similar principle may be applied along the cross-section of retention spring  2700 . Examples are shown in the following figures. 
       FIG. 30  illustrates a cross-section of a retention spring according to an embodiment of the present invention. At cross-section A-A, a top of retention spring  2700  may be curved. This curved shape may efficiently increase a holding strength of the retention spring. The use of a variable thickness and a curved surface may efficiently increase a holding strength of retention spring  2700  for a given size. 
       FIG. 31  illustrates another cross-section of a retention spring according to an embodiment of the present invention. At cross-section B-B, retention spring  2700  may be considerably narrower and have a uniform thickness as it approaches a contacting portion. 
       FIG. 32  illustrates a portion of a front of a connector insert according to an embodiment of the present invention. As seen from its end, retention spring  2700  consumes only a limited area and takes advantage of the curved surface of the opening formed by front portion  2620 . This arrangement may allow retention spring  2700  to provide a strong effective retention force while consuming only a small portion of a front profile of a connector insert. 
     Again, embodiments of the present invention may provide receptacle tongues that are formed using one or more printed circuit board technologies. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention may provide receptacle tongues that are formed using printed circuit boards. In various embodiments of the present invention, these printed circuit boards may be a portion of a larger printed circuit board. Examples are shown in the following figures. 
       FIG. 33  illustrates a printed circuit board including a tongue portion for a connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention. Printed circuit board  3330  may include circuits  3340  connected to each other by traces  3550 . A tongue portion  3310  may extend from a side of printed circuit board  3330 . Tongue portion  3310  may include a number of contacts  3320 . Contacts  3320  may connect to traces  3350  on printed circuit board  3330 . 
       FIG. 34  illustrates an electronic device that includes the printed circuit board of  FIG. 33 . This electronic device may be housed an enclosure  3510 . Tongue  3310  may be located in an opening in the device enclosure  3510 . Contacts  3320  may be located on printed circuit board  3310 . 
     Again, embodiments of the present invention may provide connector receptacles having very thin tongues. When a plug is extracted, spring type signal contacts in a top row of the plug may engage spring type signal contacts in a bottom row of the plug. To prevent this from causing damage, power pins in one row may be arranged such that they are not aligned with ground pins in the other row. A pinout providing this is shown in the following figure. 
       FIG. 35  illustrates a pinout for a connector receptacle according to embodiments the present invention. This pinout may support a universal connector that may provide and receive signals for more than one standard or proprietary interface. In this example, P may be power, G may be ground, RX and TX may be differential signal lines, while the LS lines are control lines. 
       FIG. 36  illustrates a pinout for another connector receptacle according to embodiments the present invention. This pinout may support a universal connector that may provide and receive signals for more than one standard or proprietary interface. In this example, G may be ground, HVP may be power, the HS pins may carry differential signal pairs, USB may convey USB signals, while RFU and C signals are control or other similar signals. 
       FIG. 37  illustrates a mapping of pins for various types of interfaces to pins of a connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this example, mappings for DisplayPort and HDMI, for receiving and transmitting (sink and source), power chargers, and USB interfaces are shown. 
     In various embodiments of the present invention, contacts and other conductive portions of connector inserts and receptacles may be formed by stamping, metal-injection molding, machining, micro-machining, 3-D printing, or other manufacturing process. The conductive portions may be formed of stainless steel, steel, copper, copper titanium, phosphor bronze, or other material or combination of materials. They may be plated or coated with nickel, gold, or other material. The nonconductive portions may be formed using injection or other molding, 3-D printing, machining, or other manufacturing process. The nonconductive portions may be formed of silicon or silicone, rubber, hard rubber, plastic, nylon, liquid-crystal polymers (LCPs), or other nonconductive material or combination of materials. The printed circuit boards used may be formed of FR-4, BT or other material. Printed circuit boards may be replaced by other substrates, such as flexible circuit boards, in many embodiments of the present invention. 
     Embodiments of the present invention may provide connector inserts and receptacles that may be located in, and may connect to, various types of devices, such as portable computing devices, tablet computers, desktop computers, laptops, all-in-one computers, wearable computing devices, cell phones, smart phones, media phones, storage devices, portable media players, navigation systems, monitors, power supplies, adapters, remote control devices, chargers, and other devices. These connector inserts and receptacles may provide pathways for signals that are compliant with one or more various standards such as Universal Serial Bus (USB) including USB-C, a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), Digital Visual Interface (DVI), power, Ethernet, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt, Lightning and other types of standard and non-standard interfaces that have been developed, are being developed, or will be developed in the future. Other embodiments of the present invention may provide connector inserts and receptacles that may be used to provide a reduced set of functions for one or more of these standards. In various embodiments of the present invention, these interconnect paths provided by these connector inserts and receptacles may be used to convey power, ground, signals, test points, and other voltage, current, data, or other information. 
     The above description of embodiments of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form described, and many modifications and variations are possible in light of the teaching above. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Thus, it will be appreciated that the invention is intended to cover all modifications and equivalents within the scope of the following claims.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20141117
Publication Date: 20170502
Grant Date: 20170502
Priority Date: 20131117
Inventors: AMINI MAHMOUD R.
GAO ZHENG
NG NATHAN N.
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H05K1/0215", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/6658", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R24/60", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R12/7029", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/117", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R24/60", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/117", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/0215", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R24/66", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/502", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/652", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/6583", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/6581", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R12/7029", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/639", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/6583", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/6658", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/6658", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R12/73", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R24/66", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/02", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/0215", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R12/73", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/6583", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/6658", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R24/60", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/117", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/6583", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/0215", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/117", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R12/73", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R12/7029", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R24/60", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/6658", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R24/66", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R12/7029", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 52463114