Assembly for and method of selectively grounding contacts of...

Electrical connectors – With circuit conductors and safety grounding provision – Grounding to connector container or housing

Reexamination Certificate

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Reexamination Certificate

active

06254403

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to electrical grounding devices, and more particularly, to such a device for selectively grounding one or more electrical contacts of an electrical connector.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
There often arises a need to electrically connect one or more electrical contacts of an electrical connector to a ground potential, and more specifically, to connect the one or more electrical contacts to a grounding site near or within the electrical connector. This need can arise during connector assembly or after connector assembly. After connector assembly, the need to ground one or more contacts can arise before connecting any electrical wires to the connector contacts, or after connecting wires to the connector contacts, as for example, in a fielded connector system.
One attempt to meet the described need is described in U.S. Pat. 5,290,191. The '191 patent discloses a device for grounding a contact in a commonly known, standardized type of electrical connector. The electrical connector includes a housing or connector shell and an insulating support fixed to and within the connector shell. A plurality of electrical contacts arranged in a predetermined pattern and in parallel spaced relation to each other extend through respective openings formed in the insulating support. Front ends or portions of the contacts respectively engage opposing contacts of a mating connector.
The device includes a grounding wafer or electrically conductive disc slidably inserted into a front shell portion of the connector, and thus between opposing front shells of mating connectors. An outer periphery of the disc includes conductive fingers engaging an inner surface of the grounded front shell of the connector to thus ground the disc. The disc includes a plurality of holes arranged in the same predetermined pattern as the contacts so as to receive the contact front portions while the disc is installed in the front shell of the connector. The holes and contacts are sized to provide a clearance gap between the contacts and the disc. However, to ground a selected contact, conductive fingers are bonded to the disc around the periphery of the hole corresponding to the selected contact. The fingers extend toward and into grounding contact with the front portion of the selected contact.
The device disclosed in the '191 patent has several disadvantages. Specifically, the disc thickness is limited to approximately {fraction (30/1000)} of an inch to prevent interference between mating connectors. This structural limitation results in increased fragility and decreased reliability of the device. Also, a given disc has a limited application or adaptability because it can only be used with a connector having a matching contact arrangement. Requiring different discs for different contact arrangements drives up the cost and complexity of the disclosed grounding technique because each different disc must be fabricated using expensive, circuit card fabrication techniques. Often, the need arises for a field technician to retrofit or modify the present grounding configuration of a connector. Such field modification using the disclosed disc is extremely difficult without the provision of a suitably modified replacement disc. Also, the disc is so fragile that proper installation/removal of the disc is difficult, disadvantageously requiring specialized equipment.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,169,323 discloses another technique for grounding a contact in an electrical connector. An integrally formed grounding member is sandwiched between a connector shell, a first insulating support and a second insulating support for the contacts. The grounding member includes a grounding clip embedded in the first insulating support and contacting the contact. Installing and/or removing the grounding member disadvantageously requires connector disassembly. Also, the grounding member can only be used in a connector having contacts sized and arranged within the connector shell to coincide with the fixed dimensions of the integrally formed grounding member. Similar to the grounding disc disclosed in the '191 Patent, the integrally formed grounding member is neither adjustable, nor readily adaptable to alternative contact arrangements.
Thus, a need still exists, after connector assembly, for a device and technique to ground the one or more connector contacts without disassembling the electrical connector, using a simple, robust, adaptable, cost effective and easily installed electrical grounding device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to selectively ground one or more electrical contacts of an assembled electrical connector without disassembling the electrical connector and without requiring special modification of the connector.
Another object of the present invention is to selectively ground one or more electrical contacts of an assembled connector either before or after electrical wires are connected to the contacts.
Yet another object of the present invention is to selectively ground contacts of electrical connectors having different contact arrangements but equivalent connector inner rear portion configurations using a grounding assembly of the present invention.
A further object of the present invention is to selectively ground contacts of different connectors having different inner rear portion configurations, including, for example, standardized (i.e., off-the-shelf), circular, rectangular, oval, and other more complicated configurations.
An even further object of the present invention is to selectively ground contacts of a connector without interfering with a mating interface between the connector and a mating connector.
Another object of the present invention is to simply, quickly, and cost effectively selectively ground contacts of an electrical connector.
Yet another object of the present invention is to selectively ground contacts of a connector using a grounding assembly having an improved robustness relative to prior art grounding devices.
Another object of the present invention is to selectively ground contacts of a connector, and to modify the selective grounding of such contacts, using conveniently available, standardized tools, such as a screwdriver.
In accordance with the principles of the present invention, an assembly for selectively grounding one or more electrical contacts of a connector includes an elongate, continuously formed, electrically conductive ground insert configured to be inserted into and fixed within a connector rear portion. The ground insert includes a resilient outer periphery shaped to match an interior periphery of an inner wall of the connector rear portion. The outer periphery is sized and arranged to resiliently and frictionally engage the rear portion inner wall to thereby fix and electrically connect the ground insert to the inner wall. The ground insert includes an inner periphery defining a perimeter around and spaced from all of a plurality of contact back portions partially housed within the connector rear portion. The same ground insert can advantageously be used with different connectors having different contact arrangements but the same rear portion interior shape and size because the different contact arrangements do not interfere with the ground insert. The ground insert, including a rigid metal frame and a resilient metal conductor retained by the frame, is simple, yet robust, in construction. An alternative arrangement of the ground insert includes a split configuration of the ground insert having substantially identical halves that together form the above described ground insert inner and outer peripheries. The split configuration advantageously permits a user to install the ground insert into a rear portion after wires are connected to the contact back portions.
The assembly also includes a simple and sturdy, electrically conductive, grounding bridge or leg having first and second spaced ends respectively fastenable to the ground insert and a contact back portion to establish an ele

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