PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-11437747-B2
Application Number: US-202017033514-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Spring-loaded contacts having capsule intermediate object

Abstract:
Reliable contacts for connectors, connector receptacles that can be easily aligned to an opening in an electronic device, and connector inserts and connector receptacles that are readily manufactured. One example can provide a spring-biased contact having plunger extending through an opening in a barrel and biased by a spring. An intermediate object can be positioned between the plunger and the spring. The intermediate object can contact a barrel in at least two locations on the barrel.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A spring-loaded contact comprising:
 a barrel having a front opening; 
 a plunger having a tip extending through the front opening and a body housed in the barrel; 
 a spring housed in the barrel; and 
 an intermediate object between a backside of the plunger and the spring, wherein the intermediate object simultaneously contacts an inside surface of barrel at a first location a first distance from the front opening and a second location a second distance from the front opening, the first location and the second location on opposite sides of the intermediate object, and wherein the intermediate object is shaped such that the first distance is different than the second distance. 
 
     
     
       2. The spring-loaded contact of  claim 1  wherein the intermediate object has a capsule shape. 
     
     
       3. The spring-loaded contact of  claim 1  wherein the intermediate object has a stadium-of-rotation shape. 
     
     
       4. The spring-loaded contact of  claim 1  wherein the intermediate object has a spherocylinder shape. 
     
     
       5. The spring-loaded contact of  claim 1  wherein the intermediate object has a shape defined by two hemispheres separated by a cylinder. 
     
     
       6. The spring-loaded contact of  claim 1  wherein the inside surface of the barrel provides a first force along a first force vector against the intermediate object at the first location and the inside surface of the barrel provides a second force along a second force vector against the intermediate object at the second location, and wherein the first force vector and the second force vector are parallel and non-overlapping. 
     
     
       7. The spring-loaded contact of  claim 1  wherein the intermediate object has a first length and the barrel has a first diameter, and wherein the first length is greater than the first diameter. 
     
     
       8. The spring-loaded contact of  claim 1  wherein the backside of the plunger has a sloped off-center conical surface. 
     
     
       9. A spring-loaded contact comprising:
 a barrel having a front opening; 
 a plunger having a tip extending through the front opening and a body housed in the barrel; 
 a spring housed in the barrel; and 
 an intermediate object between a backside of the plunger and the spring, wherein the intermediate object has a shape defined by two hemispheres separated by a cylinder. 
 
     
     
       10. The spring-loaded contact of  claim 9  wherein the intermediate object simultaneously contacts an inside surface of barrel at a first location and a second location, the first location and the second location on opposite sides of the intermediate object. 
     
     
       11. The spring-loaded contact of  claim 10  wherein the first location is a first distance from the front opening and the second location is a second distance from the front opening, the first distance different than the second distance. 
     
     
       12. The spring-loaded contact of  claim 11  wherein the inside surface of the barrel provides a first force along a first force vector against the intermediate object at the first location and the inside surface of the barrel provides a second force along a second force vector against the intermediate object at the second location, and wherein the first force vector and the second force vector are parallel and non-overlapping. 
     
     
       13. The spring-loaded contact of  claim 12  wherein the intermediate object is conductive. 
     
     
       14. The spring-loaded contact of  claim 12  wherein the backside of the plunger has a sloped off-center conical surface. 
     
     
       15. The spring-loaded contact of  claim 14  wherein the spring-loaded contact is in a connector insert. 
     
     
       16. A spring-loaded contact comprising:
 a barrel having a front opening; 
 a plunger having a tip extending through the front opening and a body housed in the barrel; 
 a spring housed in the barrel; and 
 an intermediate object between a backside of the plunger and the spring, wherein the intermediate object simultaneously contacts an inside surface of barrel at a first location and a second location, the first location and the second location on opposite sides of the intermediate object, and 
 wherein the inside surface of the barrel simultaneously provides a first force along a first force vector against the intermediate object at the first location and the inside surface of the barrel provides a second force along a second force vector against the intermediate object at the second location, and wherein the intermediate object is shaped such that the first force vector and the second force vector are parallel and non-overlapping. 
 
     
     
       17. The spring-loaded contact of  claim 16  wherein the intermediate object has a shape defined by two hemispheres separated by a cylinder. 
     
     
       18. The spring-loaded contact of  claim 17  wherein the intermediate object is conductive. 
     
     
       19. The spring-loaded contact of  claim 18  wherein the backside of the plunger has a sloped off-center conical surface. 
     
     
       20. The spring-loaded contact of  claim 18  wherein the spring-loaded contact is in a connector insert.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     The number of types of electronic devices that are commercially available has increased tremendously the past few years and the rate of introduction of new devices shows no signs of abating. Devices such as tablet computers, laptop computers, desktop computers, all-in-one computers, cell phones, storage devices, wearable-computing devices, portable media players, navigation systems, monitors, adapters, and others, have become ubiquitous. 
     Electronic devices can share power and data over cables that can include one or more wires, fiber optic cables, or other conductors. Connector inserts can be located at each end of these cables and can be inserted into connector receptacles in the communicating electronic devices to form pathways for power and data. 
     A connector insert can have contacts that mate with corresponding contacts in a connector receptacle. These contacts can form portions of electrical paths for data, power, or other types of signals. One type of contact, a spring-loaded contact, can be used in either a connector insert or a connector receptacle. But a spring-loaded contact can have a reduced reliability, particularly if currents for a power supply flow through the spring. 
     A connector receptacle can be positioned in an opening in an electronic device. Specifically, the connector receptacle can be mounted on a surface of an enclosure or other substrate in the electronic device and then aligned to the opening. But there can be manufacturing tolerances in the positioning of connector receptacle in the electronic device. Accordingly, it can be desirable to provide connector receptacles that can easily be aligned to an opening in an electronic device. 
     Also, some of these electronic devices become tremendously popular. As a result, connector receptacles on the electronic devices and connector inserts on cables can be sold in very large quantities. Therefore, it can be desirable that these connectors be readily manufactured such that customer demand for them can be met. 
     Thus, what is needed are reliable contacts for connectors, connector receptacles that can be easily aligned to an opening in an electronic device, and connector inserts and connector receptacles that are readily manufactured. 
     SUMMARY 
     Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention can provide reliable contacts for connectors, connector receptacles that can be easily aligned to an opening in an electronic device, and connector inserts and connector receptacles that are readily manufactured. 
     An illustrative embodiment of the present invention can provide contacts for connector inserts and connector receptacles that are highly reliable. These contacts can be spring-loaded contacts having a contacting portion or plunger biased by a spring or other biasing structure. As contact is made between a spring-loaded contact and a corresponding contact, the biased plunger can be depressed. The spring can thereby apply a force between the plunger and the corresponding contact to form an electrical connection. Typically, current in the electrical connection can flow through the plunger and a barrel or other housing for the plunger that is in contact with the plunger. But in some configurations, as the plunger is depressed, contact between the plunger and the barrel can be broken. In this circumstance, current can flow through the spring. If the contact is a power supply contact, such as a contact providing a power supply voltage or ground, the current can damage or destroy the spring thereby rendering the contact inoperable. 
     Accordingly, an illustrative embodiment of the present invention can provide spring-biased contacts that include an intermediate object between a plunger and a spring or other biasing structure. The intermediate object can have a first length that is greater than a diameter of a barrel that houses the plunger, spring and intermediate object. The intermediate object can be between a backside of the plunger and the spring, where the intermediate object simultaneously contacts an inside surface of barrel at a first location and a second location. The first location and the second location can be on opposite sides of the intermediate object. The first location can be a first distance from a front opening of the barrel and the second location can be a second distance from the front opening, where the first distance is different than the second distance. 
     In these and other embodiments of the present invention, an inside surface of the barrel can provide a first force along a first vector against the intermediate object at the first location and the inside surface of the barrel can provide a second force along a second vector against the intermediate object at the second location. The first force vector and the second force vector can be parallel and non-overlapping. 
     The intermediate object can have various shapes. For example, the intermediate object can have a capsule shape. The intermediate object can have a stadium-of-rotation shape. The intermediate object can have a spherocylinder shape. The intermediate object can have a shape defined by two hemispheres separated by a cylinder. 
     In these and other embodiments of the present invention, an interface between the plunger and the spring can be arranged to provide a force between the intermediate object and the barrel. For example, a backside of the plunger can have a sloped surface. The backside of the plunger can have a conical surface. The backside of the plunger can have an off-center conical surface. The backside of the plunger can have a sloped off-center conical surface. The contact can be one of several contacts in a connector receptacle or connector insert. 
     An illustrative embodiment of the present invention can provide a connector receptacle that can be easily aligned with an opening in a device enclosure for an electronic device. The electronic device can include a printed circuit board or other substrate, and can be at least partially housed in a device enclosure. The device enclosure can have an opening. A connector receptacle can be mounted on a portion of the device enclosure, the board, or other substrate. The connector receptacle can be attached to the enclosure or board using brackets. The brackets can be positionable within a housing of the connector receptacle such that the connector receptacle can be positionable within the electronic device in at least one dimension. This can allow the connector receptacle to be aligned with the opening in the device enclosure of the electronic device. 
     While embodiments of the present invention can provide connector inserts and connector receptacles for delivering power, these and other embodiments of the present invention can be used as connector receptacles in other types of connector systems, such as connector systems that can be used to convey power, data, or both. 
     In various embodiments of the present invention, contacts, shields, plungers, springs, isolation objects, pistons, barrels, and other conductive portions of a connector receptacle or connector insert can be formed by stamping, metal-injection molding, machining, CNC machining, micro-machining, 3-D printing, or other manufacturing process. The conductive portions can be formed of stainless steel, steel, copper, copper titanium, phosphor bronze, or other material or combination of materials. They can be plated or coated with nickel, gold, or other material. The nonconductive portions, such as housings, locks, pistons, and other structures can be formed using injection or other molding, 3-D printing, machining, or other manufacturing process. The nonconductive portions can be formed of silicon or silicone, rubber, hard rubber, plastic, nylon, liquid-crystal polymers (LCPs), ceramics, or other nonconductive material or combination of materials. The printed circuit boards or other boards used can be formed of FR-4 or other material. 
     Embodiments of the present invention can provide connector receptacles and connector inserts that can be located in, and can connect to, various types of devices such as portable computing devices, tablet computers, desktop computers, laptops, all-in-one computers, wearable computing devices, smart phones, storage devices, portable media players, navigation systems, monitors, power supplies, video delivery systems, adapters, remote control devices, chargers, and other devices. These connector receptacles and connector inserts can provide interconnect pathways for signals that are compliant with various standards such as one of the Universal Serial Bus (USB) standards including USB Type-C, High-Definition Multimedia Interface® (HDMI), Digital Visual Interface (DVI), Ethernet, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt™, Lightning™ Joint Test Action Group (JTAG), test-access-port (TAP), Peripheral Component Interconnect express, 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 can provide connector receptacles and connector inserts that can 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 receptacles and connector inserts can be used to convey power, ground, signals, test points, and other voltage, current, data, or other information. 
     Various embodiments of the present invention can incorporate one or more of these and the other features described herein. A better understanding of the nature and advantages of the present invention can be gained by reference to the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates an electronic system that can be improved by the incorporation of embodiments of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates the connector receptacle of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a cutaway side view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a side view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 2  in a device enclosure according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 7A  and  FIG. 7B  illustrate portions of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 8  illustrates a connector insert according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 9  illustrates a spring-loaded contact according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 10  illustrates a transparent side view of the spring-loaded contact of  FIG. 9 ; 
         FIG. 11  illustrates a cutaway side view of the spring-loaded contact of  FIG. 9 ; 
         FIG. 12  is a more detailed view of an intermediate object that can be used in the spring-loaded contact of  FIG. 9 ; 
         FIGS. 13A and 13B  illustrate an intermediate object according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 14  is a more detailed view of a plunger for the spring-loaded contact of  FIG. 9 ; 
         FIG. 15  illustrates another spring-loaded contact according to an embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 16  is a more detailed view of the spring-loaded contact of  FIG. 15 . 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG. 1  illustrates an electronic system that can be improved by the incorporation of 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. 
     This figure illustrates an electronic device  300  including connector receptacle  100 . Electronic device  300  can include bottom enclosure  301  encasing connector receptacle  100 . Electronic device  300  can further include top enclosure  302  over bottom enclosure  301 . Top enclosure  302  can house a screen or monitor, or other electronic components (not shown.) Bottom enclosure  301  can house a keyboard, processor, battery, or other electronic components (not shown.) The electronic components in top enclosure  302  and bottom enclosure  301  can receive and provide power and data using connector receptacle  100 . In one example, the electronic components in top enclosure  302  and bottom enclosure  301  can receive power via connector receptacle  100  and can provide data regarding a charging status of a battery of electronic device  300  via connector receptacle  100 . 
     Connector receptacle  100  can include shield  170  having tabs  172 . Tabs  172  can be inserted into and soldered to openings (not shown) in a printed circuit board (not shown) in bottom enclosure  301  of electronic device  300 . Connector insert  200  can be plugged into or mated with connector receptacle  100 . Connector insert  200  can include passage  202  for a cable (not shown.) 
     In this example, electronic device  300  can be a laptop or portable computer. In these and other embodiments of the present invention, electronic device  300  can instead be another portable computing device, tablet computer, desktop computer, all-in-one computer, wearable-computing device, smart phone, storage device, portable media player, navigation system, monitor, power supply, video delivery system, adapter, remote control device, charger, or other device. 
     Power supplies, ground, and data signals can be conveyed by connector insert  200  and connector receptacle  100 . These power supplies, ground, and signals can be compliant with and form pathways for signals that are compliant with various standards such as one of the Universal Serial Bus (USB) standards including USB Type-C, High-Definition Multimedia Interface® (HDMI), Digital Visual Interface (DVI), Ethernet, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt™, Lightning™ Joint Test Action Group (JTAG), test-access-port (TAP), Peripheral Component Interconnect express, 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 can provide connector receptacles and connector inserts that can 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 receptacles and connector inserts can be used to convey power, ground, signals, test points, and other voltage, current, data, or other information. 
     Examples of connector receptacles  100  and connector inserts  200  are shown in the following figures. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention. Connector receptacle  100  can include mesa  112  supporting contacting surfaces  122  of contacts  120  (shown in  FIG. 4 .) Mesa  112  can emerge through opening  182  in face plate  180 . Contacts  120  can terminate in through-hole contacting portions  124 . In these and other embodiments of the present invention, contacts  120  can terminate in surface-mount contacting portions (not shown.) Housing  130  can include posts  136 . Shield  170  can include tabs  172 . Through-hole contacting portions  124 , posts  136 , and tabs  172  can be inserted into corresponding openings in a printed circuit board, flexible circuit board, or other appropriate substrate. Housing  130  can further include tab  132  that can fit an opening  192  of shield  190 . Shield  170  can be attached to shield  190  at points  191  by spot or laser-welding or other technique. Bracket  160  can be used to secure connector receptacle  100  in place in electronic device  300  (shown in  FIG. 1 ) as shown further below. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates the connector receptacle of  FIG. 2 . Brackets  160  can emerge through the openings  194  in shield  190 . Shield  170  can include tabs  172 . Contacts  120  (shown in  FIG. 4 ) can terminate in through-hole contacting portions  124 . Housing  130  can include posts  136 . Through-hole contacting portions  124 , posts  136 , and tabs  172  can be fit in corresponding openings in a printed circuit board, flexible circuit board, or other appropriate substrate. Brackets  160  can be used secure connector receptacle  100  in place in electronic device  300 , as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 4  is an exploded view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 2 . Contacts  120  can be supported by contact housing  110 . Contact housing  110  can terminate in mesa  112 . Contacts  120  can include contacting surfaces  122  on mesa  112  and through-hole contacting portions  124 . Mesa  112  can emerge from opening  182  in face plate  180 . 
     Magnet array  150  can be positioned around contact housing  110 . Contact housing  110  can pass through an opening  159  in magnet array  150 . Magnet array  150  can include pole piece  152 , pole pieces  154 , pole pieces  156 , and pole piece  158 . Each of these pole pieces can be formed of a ferro-magnetic, ferri-magnetic, or other type of material. Each of these pole pieces can be abutted by two or more magnets. For example, pole piece  152  can be abutted by magnet  151 , magnet  153 , and magnets  155 . Pole piece  152  can guide a magnet polarity, such as a north magnetic polarity. Accordingly, magnet  151 , magnet  153 , and magnets  155  can have their north pole adjacent to pole piece  152  and their south pole away from pole piece  152 . Pole piece  152 , pole pieces  154 , pole pieces  156 , and pole piece  158  be formed of magnetically conductive material, such as stainless steel, or other ferro or ferri-magnetic material, and can have alternating polarities. For example, pole piece  152  and pole pieces  156  can pass field lines of a first polarity and pole pieces  154  and pole piece  158  can pass field lines of a second polarity. For example, pole piece  152  and pole pieces  156  can have a north polarity and pole pieces  154  and pole piece  158  can have a south polarity. Alternatively, pole piece  152  and pole pieces  156  can have a south polarity and pole pieces  154  and pole piece  158  can have a north polarity. 
     Contact housing  110  can further be supported by housing  130  and lock  140 . Contact housing  110  can be positioned between housing  130  and lock  140 . Housing  130  can include post  136 , tabs  132 , and tabs  134 . Tab  132  can fit in opening  192  of shield  190 . Tab  134  can fit in opening  174  of shield  170 . Shield  170  can further include tabs  172 . Brackets  160  can fit in openings  194  of shield  190 . 
     It can be desirable to accurately align mesa  112  and contacting surfaces  122  to an opening in device enclosure  301  of electronic device  300  (shown in  FIG. 1 .) Connector receptacle  100  can be positioned on a surface of or associated with device enclosure  301 . This can help to provide an accurate alignment. However, various manufacturing tolerances can remain. Accordingly, it can be desirable to be able to adjust a connection between connector receptacle  100  and device enclosure  301  in at least one direction. An example is shown in the following figure. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates a cutaway side view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 2 . A bottom surface  101  of connector receptacle  100  can be placed on a printed circuit board, enclosure surface, or other appropriate substrate  620  (shown in  FIG. 6 .) Brackets  160  can be used to secure connector receptacle  100  to substrate  620 . To improve alignment of connector receptacle  100  to an opening in enclosure  301  (shown in  FIG. 1 ), it can be desirable that bracket  160  be able to move in at least one direction relative to the other portions of connector receptacle  100 . Accordingly, bracket  160  can be positioned in slot  135  in housing  130 . In this way, tab  162  of bracket  160  can slide vertically in slot  135 . This can allow bracket  160  to move relative to the remainder of connector receptacle  100  and can allow connector receptacle  100  to be accurately positioned in device enclosure  301 . 
     In this example bracket  160  can be capable of moving up board until tab  162  hits a top  137  of slot  135 . Also or instead, the upward travel can be limited by an edge  197  at a top of opening  194  in shield  190 . Also or instead, the upward travel can be limited by edge  139  of housing  130  engaging bracket  160 . Bracket  160  can be capable of moving downward until bracket  160  hits bottom edge  195  of opening  194 . This arrangement can allow bracket  160  to move vertically relative to a remaining portion of connector receptacle  100 . 
       FIG. 6  illustrates a side view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 2  in a device enclosure according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this example, connector receptacle  100  can be mounted on substrate  620 . Substrate  620  can be a printed circuit board, portion of device enclosure  301  (shown in  FIG. 1 ), or other appropriate substrate. Substrate  620  can include fastener opening  630  to accept fastener  610 . Fastener  610  can pass through opening  164  in bracket  160  to secure bracket  160  and connector receptacle  100  to substrate  620 . Again, tab  162  of bracket  160  can move vertically in slot  135  of housing  130 . Bracket  160  can pass through opening  194  in shield  190 . 
       FIG. 7A  and  FIG. 7B  illustrate portions of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 2 . Housing  130  can include slot  135  for accepting bracket  160 . Bracket  160  can include tab  162  and opening  164 . 
       FIG. 8  illustrates a connector insert according to an embodiment of the present invention. Connector insert  200  can be arranged to mate with connector receptacle  100 , as shown in  FIG. 1 . Connector insert  200  can be at a first end of cable  290 . Connector insert  200  can include an attraction plate  250  that can be magnetically attracted to magnet array  150  (shown in  FIG. 4 .) Attraction plate  250  can include opening  251  for accepting mesa  112  (shown in  FIG. 2 ) of connector receptacle  100 . Contacting surfaces  122  of contacts  120  (shown in  FIG. 2 ) can form electrical connections at contacting surfaces  812  of spring-loaded contacts  800  (shown in  FIG. 9 .) 
       FIG. 9  illustrates a spring-loaded contact according to an embodiment of the present invention. Spring-loaded contact  800  can include plunger  810 . Plunger  810  can include contacting surface  812 . Plunger  810  can emerge from opening  822  in barrel  820 . 
     As contact is made between spring-loaded contact  800  and a corresponding contact, such as contacting surface  122  of contact  120  (shown in  FIG. 4 ), the biased plunger  810  can be depressed. Spring  860  (shown in  FIG. 10 ) in spring-loaded contact  800  can thereby apply a force between plunger  810  and the corresponding contact thereby forming an electrical connection. Typically, current in the electrical connection can flow through the plunger and barrel  820 . But in some configurations, as plunger  810  is depressed, contact between plunger  810  and the barrel  820  can be broken. In this circumstance, current can flow through spring  860 . If spring-loaded contact  800  is a power supply contact, such as a contact providing a power supply voltage or ground, the current can damage or destroy spring  860  thereby rendering the contact inoperable. 
     Accordingly, an illustrative embodiment of the present invention can provide spring-biased contacts that include an intermediate object between plunger  810  and spring  860  or other biasing structure. Examples are shown in the following figures. 
       FIG. 10  illustrates a transparent side view of the spring-loaded contact of  FIG. 9 . Plunger  810  can include contacting surface  812 . Plunger  810  can further include neck  816  leading to body  818 . Body  818  can be retained inside barrel  820  by opening  822 . Plunger  810  can include backside  814 . Backside  814  can contact intermediate object  850 . Intermediate object  850  can be positioned between plunger  810  and spring  860 . Spring  860  can act to push plunger  810  out of barrel  820  and can be compliant such that plunger  810  can be depressed into barrel  820  of spring-loaded contact  800  when mated with a corresponding contact contacting surface  122  (shown in  FIG. 2 .) 
       FIG. 11  illustrates a cutaway side view of the spring-loaded contact of  FIG. 9 . Spring-loaded contact  800  can include intermediate object  850  in barrel  820 . Intermediate object  850  can be positioned between plunger  810  and spring  860 . Intermediate object  850  can contact backside  814  of plunger  810 . Plunger  810  can further have contacting surface  812 . Spring  860  can push intermediate object  850  against backside  814  of plunger  810 . 
       FIG. 12  is a more detailed view of an intermediate object that can be used in the spring-loaded contact of  FIG. 9 . Intermediate object  850  can be positioned between plunger  810  and spring  860 . Intermediate object  850  can encounter backside  814  of plunger  810  as well as spring  860 . Intermediate object  850  can provide multiple paths for currents in spring-loaded contact  800 . For example, current can flow though plunger  810  into intermediate object  850  and through first location  852  to barrel  820 . Current can also flow though plunger  810  into intermediate object  850  and through second location  854  to barrel  820 . These current paths can help to limit current through spring  860 . The currents in barrel  820  can then flow through other conduits that are connected to barrel  820 , such as wires, board traces, or others (not shown.) 
     Intermediate object  850  can have a first length L 1  that is greater than a diameter D 1  of barrel  820 . Intermediate object  850  can be between a backside  814  of plunger  810  and spring  860 , where intermediate object  850  simultaneously contacts an inside surface of barrel at first location  852  and second location  854 . First location  852  and second location  854  can be on opposite sides of intermediate object  850 . First location  852  can be a first distance (not shown) from front opening  822  of barrel  820  and second location  854  can be a second distance (not shown) from front opening  822 , the first distance different than the second distance. 
     In these and other embodiments of the present invention, an inside surface of barrel  820  can provide a first force along a first force vector F 1  against intermediate object  850  at first location  852 . The inside surface of barrel  820  can provide a second force along a second force vector F 2  against intermediate object  850  at second location  854 . The first force vector F 1  and the second force vector F 2  can be parallel and non-overlapping. Backside  814  of plunger  810  can provide third force vector F 3  to intermediate object  850 . Spring  860  can provide fourth force vector F 4  to intermediate object  850 . 
       FIG. 13  illustrates an intermediate object according to an embodiment of the present invention. Intermediate object  850  can have various shapes. For example, intermediate object  850  can have a capsule shape. Intermediate object  850  can have a stadium-of-rotation shape. Intermediate object  850  can have a spherocylinder shape. Intermediate object  850  can have a shape defined by two hemispheres  1310  and  1312  separated by cylinder  1314 . 
       FIG. 14  is a more detailed view of a plunger for the spring-loaded contact of  FIG. 9 . Plunger  810  can include contacting surface  812 . Plunger  18  can further include neck  816  leading to body  818 . Plunger  810  can include backside  814 . Backside  814  can be sloped. Backside  814  can have a conical indentation. Backside  814  can have a conical surface. Backside  814  can have an off-center conical surface. Backside  814  can have a sloped off-center conical surface. The conical indention can have an apex at point  815 . 
       FIG. 15  illustrates another spring-loaded contact according to an embodiment of the present invention. Spring-loaded contact  1500  can include plunger  1510 , intermediate object  1570 , piston  1580 , and spring  1560 . At least a portion of plunger  1510 , intermediate object  1570 , piston  1580 , and spring  1560  can be housed in barrel  1520 . Piston  1580  can include head  1582  and tail  1584 . Some of spring  1560  can encircle tail  1584  of piston  1580 , thereby keeping piston  1580  aligned to spring  1560 . Spring  1560  can apply force against head  1582  of piston  1580 , thereby pushing ahead  1582  of piston  1580  into intermediate object  1570 . Intermediate object  1570  can push against a backside of piston  1580 . As spring-loaded contact  1500  engages a corresponding contact, such as contacting surface  122  of contacts  120  (shown in  FIG. 4 ), plunger  1510  can be depressed into barrel  1520 . This can compress spring  1560 . In this way, spring  1560  can continue to apply a force pushing plunger  1510  against contacting surface  122  when the contacts are mated. 
       FIG. 16  illustrates a close-up view of a portion of the spring-loaded contact  FIG. 15 . Spring  1560  can push against head  1582  of piston  1580 . Some of spring  1560  can encircle tail  1584  of piston  1580 . Spring  1560  can provide force F 1  to intermediate object  1570  through head  1582  of piston  1580 . This force can be resisted by force F 2  applied to location  1572  of intermediate object  1570  by backside  1514  of plunger  1510 . These forces can push intermediate object  1570  into barrel  1520  at location  1576  with force F 3 . 
     In these and other embodiments of the present invention, intermediate object  1570  can be formed of a conductive material, while piston  1580  can be formed of a nonconductive or insulating material. This arrangement can provide current flow through spring-loaded contact  1500  while protecting spring  1560  from excessive currents. Plunger  1510  can contact intermediate object  1570  at location  1572 . Currents can flow through this location through intermediate object  1570  and to barrel  1520  at location  1576 . When piston  1580  is nonconductive, current does not flow through intermediate object  1570  to piston  1580  via location  1574 . This can protect spring  1560  from seeing excessive current. When piston  1580  is conductive, currents can flow through intermediate object  1570  to piston  1580  via location  1574 . Piston  1580  can be can then contact inside surface of barrel  1520  providing and other current path to protect spring  1560 . 
     While embodiments of the present invention can provide connector inserts and connector receptacles for delivering power, these and other embodiments of the present invention can be used as connector receptacles in other types of connector systems, such as connector systems that can be used to convey power, data, or both. 
     In various embodiments of the present invention, contacts, shields, plungers, springs, pistons, isolation objects, barrels, and other conductive portions of a connector receptacle or connector insert can be formed by stamping, metal-injection molding, machining, micro-machining, CNC machining, 3-D printing, or other manufacturing process. The conductive portions can be formed of stainless steel, steel, copper, copper titanium, phosphor bronze, or other material or combination of materials. They can be plated or coated with nickel, gold, or other material. The nonconductive portions, such as housings, locks, pistons, and other structures can be formed using injection or other molding, 3-D printing, machining, or other manufacturing process. The nonconductive portions can be formed of silicon or silicone, rubber, hard rubber, plastic, nylon, liquid-crystal polymers (LCPs), ceramics, or other nonconductive material or combination of materials. The printed circuit boards or other boards used can be formed of FR-4 or other material. 
     Embodiments of the present invention can provide connector receptacles and connector inserts that can be located in, and can connect to, various types of devices such as portable computing devices, tablet computers, desktop computers, laptops, all-in-one computers, wearable computing devices, smart phones, storage devices, portable media players, navigation systems, monitors, power supplies, video delivery systems, adapters, remote control devices, chargers, and other devices. These connector receptacles and connector inserts can provide interconnect pathways for signals that are compliant with various standards such as one of the Universal Serial Bus (USB) standards including USB Type-C, High-Definition Multimedia Interface® (HDMI), Digital Visual Interface (DVI), Ethernet, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt™, Lightning™ Joint Test Action Group (JTAG), test-access-port (TAP), Peripheral Component Interconnect express, 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 can provide connector receptacles and connector inserts that can 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 receptacles and connector inserts can be used to convey power, ground, signals, test points, and other voltage, current, data, or other information. 
     It is well understood that the use of personally identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining the privacy of users. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled so as to minimize risks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly indicated to users. 
     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: 20200925
Publication Date: 20220906
Grant Date: 20220906
Priority Date: 20200925
Inventors: TZIVISKOS, GEORGE
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H01R2201/06", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R12/7047", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R2201/06", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/17", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R12/722", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/2421", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/6205", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/6205", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/17", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R2201/06", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/6205", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 80821505