Electrical connectors – Connector movable between accessible and inaccessible positions
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-16
2001-04-17
Sircus, Brian (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
Connector movable between accessible and inaccessible positions
C439S946000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06217351
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to electrical connectors and, in particular, to connectors for electrically coupling electrical devices and/or communication equipment to a computer.
2. Description of Related Art
Computers are widely used to perform a variety of different tasks and functions, and computers are frequently connected to other computers via communication systems and computer networks to allow information to be easily obtained and transmitted. In addition, portable computers are becoming more widely used because of their small size and easy portability. For example, portable computers are often used in the office and from airplanes, automobiles, hotels, home offices, etc. Therefore, there is a demand for reliable devices that allow portable computers to be connected to various computer systems and communication networks. Accordingly, a variety of different types of known electrical couplers have been developed to connect computers to various communication systems and computer networks. In general, these electrical couplers include a plug that is inserted into a corresponding jack. The jack typically includes an aperture or socket and an electrical connection is established when the plug is inserted into the jack.
Known electrical couplers are frequently designed for use with cards made according to specifications set forth by the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA). These cards made in accordance with the PCMCIA specifications, often referred to as PC cards, provide compatibility between different types of computers and compute r manufacturers. As known, PC cards are typically inserted into corresponding slots or openings in a computer and the cards are electrically connected to the computer by a connector. Additionally, PC cards can be designed to perform various functions and a circuit board located within each card provides the necessary circuitry to perform the intended function.
Conventional PC cards have a thin, elongated rectangular body that is inserted into a corresponding slot in the computer. In particular, PC cards have a width of 54.0 mm, a length of 85.6 mm and a height that is dependant upon the type of card. For example, a Type I PC card has a height of 3.3 mm, a Type II PC card has a height of 5.0 mm and a Type III PC card has a height of 10.5 mm. Because PC cards only differ in height, a thinner card can be used in a thicker slot, but a thicker card cannot be used in a thinner slot. Additionally, PC cards have a 68-pin connector located at one end of the body and the connector is configured to be electrically coupled to the computer. The other end of the PC card typically includes an I/O connector configured to be coupled to communication system.
PC cards are frequently used because they allow a user to quickly and easily link a computer to a telephone system. For example, as shown in
FIG. 1
, a conventional adaptor assembly
10
is used to connect a telephone line
12
to a portable computer
14
. The adaptor assembly
10
includes an electrical connector plug
16
that is inserted into an I/O connector of a PC card
20
and a line
22
connects an external module
24
to the connector plug
16
. The external module
24
includes a housing
26
with an aperture
28
configured to receive an RJ-11 telephone jack
30
connected to an end of the telephone line
12
. Disposed within the PC card
20
is a printed circuit board (PCB) that provides the necessary circuitry to perform the intended function of the PC card.
Disadvantageously, the conventional adaptor assembly
10
is awkward to use because it requires the use of both the PC card
20
and the separate external structure including the plug
16
, line
22
and module
24
(frequently referred to as the “dongle”). If the dongle is lost or damaged, connection to the telephone line cannot be established. Thus, a new dongle must be purchased or the damaged dongle repaired, and this results in unnecessary delay and expense. Additionally, because the dongle is separate from the PC card, it requires additional space and it is susceptible to being dislodged from the computer. Further, the dongle is aesthetically displeasing and it is frequently damaged or broken because it extends outwardly from the body of the computer.
As shown in
FIG. 2
, another conventional device used for connecting a PC card to a telephone line is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,183,404 issued to Aldous, et al. and assigned to the same assignee as the present application. The Aldous patent, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, discloses a PC card
32
with a slidable thin plate
34
. The plate
34
includes an aperture
36
adapted to receive a telephone jack and a plurality of contact pins
38
. Each contact pin
38
has a first end that is freely exposed within the aperture and an opposed second end that is mounted to the thin plate
34
. A first end of a flexible wire ribbon is connected to the second end of the contact pins and an opposing second end of the wire ribbon is connected to a circuit board within the PC card
32
. The thin plate
34
is movable between an extended position and a retracted position. In the extended position, as shown in accompanying
FIG. 2
, the aperture
36
is exposed such that an RJ-11 telephone plug can be inserted. The plug (not shown) pushes against the contact pins
38
to establish electrical communication between the plug, contact pins, flexible wire ribbon and the PC card. When not in use, the plug is removed from the aperture
36
and thin plate
34
is retracted within the PC card
32
.
As shown in
FIG. 3
, another known device used to attach a standard telephone jack to a PC card is disclosed in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/271,620, filed Mar. 17, 1999, listing Oliphant, et al. as inventors and assigned to the same assignee as the present application. The Oliphant application, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, discloses a PC card
40
with a physical/electrical modular connector
42
that is configured to physically and electrically couple an RJ-11 telephone jack to the PC card. More specifically, the physical/electrical modular connector
42
includes a jack
44
that is mounted to a slide plate
46
which is movable between an extended position wherein an aperture
48
is configured to receive a telephone plug and a retracted position wherein the slide plate is positioned within the PC card
40
. The jack
44
includes a number of contact pins
50
that are configured to be electrically connected to a telephone plug inserted into the aperture
48
. The contact pins
50
are electrically connected to the PC card
40
when the jack is in the extended position and the pins are insulated from electrical connection with the PC card when the jack is in the retracted position.
A conventional device used to connect a PC card to a telephone line is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,811 issued to Homic. The Homic patent discloses an RJ-11 telephone socket that is physically and electrically connected to a PCMCIA modem card which is recessed a predetermined distance “X” within the computer housing. The telephone socket and the modem card are mechanically and physically connected by a connector block. The connector block includes a body portion that is mounted flush to the exterior surface of the computer enclosure and an end cap which protrudes downwardly and outwardly from the body portion. The end cap has a thickness “X” that is the same as the predetermined distance “X” that the modem card is recessed into the computer so that the exterior surface of the modem card is flush with the outer surface of the computer housing. Disadvantageously, this device requires that the modem card be recessed a predetermined distance “X” inside the body of the computer and it allows only a single RJ-11 telephone jack to be connected to the modem card. Thus, the modem assembly cannot be coupled to other type of connectors or communication systems. Add
Fung Jason
Wang Gary
3Com Corporation
Hyeon Hae Moon
Sircus Brian
Workman & Nydegger & Seeley
LandOfFree
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