Electrical connectors – With indicating or identifying provision – Connection indicating provision
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-29
2001-06-05
Ta, Tho D. (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With indicating or identifying provision
Connection indicating provision
C439S676000, C439S910000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06241550
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Area of the Art
The present invention relates to indicators for displaying the status and/or activity of an electronic device such as a communications PC card providing phone line and/or LAN connections.
2. Description of the Prior Art
PC cards are devices inserted into slots in host electronic systems. Such cards conform to various physical and electrical standards according to the type of slot in the host system. One such communications card conforming to the Type III PCMCIA PC card standard is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,773,332 issued Jun. 30, 1998. See, in particular, FIG. 21 and column 15, line 53 through column 16, line 11 of the '332 patent, which patent is incorporated herein by reference. The communications card of the '332 patent is sold by Xircom, Inc., Thousand Oaks, Calif., under the trademark “RealPort.”
PCMCIA cards used as communication links generally comprise a housing, a substrate or printed circuit board within the housing, a 68-pin connector at the front end of the housing for connecting the card to the host system and at least one receptacle at the rear end of the card for connecting the card to an information transfer system such as a phone line or LAN. A representation of such a prior art card
10
is shown in attached FIG.
1
. In accordance with the prior art, mounted on the substrate or PCB are a plurality of status or activity light emitting diodes (LEDs) (for example, four in number) having different colors. A light pipe is associated with each LED and extends from one end of the light pipe adjacent to the LED to another, outer end
12
of the light pipe disposed in a longitudinal slot
14
along the top exterior surface of the card adjacent to the rear end thereof. The LEDs indicate the status and/or activity of the card
10
and when illuminated, the light from these LEDs is visible to the user via the associated light pipes. The light pipe indicators
12
may be used to show Ethernet link and data flow as well as modem carrier and data transmit/receive activity that occur via the electrical connections provided using an electrical connector plug
16
received by to a receptacle
18
in the rear portion of the card
10
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to an improved status and/or activity light arrangement for use with a PC card. An illumination source, preferably an LED, is mounted on the PC card's printed circuit board and connected to appropriate electrical circuit elements thereon so as to be energized and thereby illuminated in response to electrical signals indicative of the status/activity of the card. A light pipe provides an optical coupling between the LED and at least one of the receptacles for receiving a standard RJ-xx type communications plug, for example, an RJ-11 or RJ-45 plug. The RJ-xx plug preferably includes an acrylic, translucent, e.g., transparent, body that transmits or conducts light from the receptacle end of the light pipe so as to become illuminated. So illuminated by the LED via the light pipe, the body of the RJ-xx plug thereby provides status and/or activity information. Multiple LEDs having different colors together with a corresponding number of light pipes may be provided.
A connection system in conformance with the present invention for providing electrical connections between an electronic device and an external system and visual indications of the status/activity of the device may comprise: (1) a detachable electrical connector plug having one or more electrical contacts within a translucent body, (2) a light source driven by the electronic device, the light source being illuminated to indicate a status of the electronic device, (3) a light pipe having first and second ends for directing illumination from its first end to its second end, the first end of the light pipe being proximate to the light source so as to be optically coupled thereto, (4) an electrical receptacle for providing one or more electrical signals from the electronic device to the detachable electrical connector plug when the connector plug is mated to the receptacle, and wherein the second end of the light pipe is coupled to the electrical receptacle to provide illumination from the light pipe to the translucent body of the electrical connector when the connector plug is mated to the receptacle.
In accordance with an alternative embodiment of the invention, the light pipe(s) may be eliminated and one or more light sources may be mounted directly within corresponding openings in a contact block associated with each receptacle.
In a further aspect of the present invention, the connectors and receptacles conform to standards for an RJ-11 or RJ-45 connector. In a still further aspect of the present invention, a plurality of light sources and light pipes are used to provide multiple indications of status or activity in the electronic device which drives the light sources. Still further, the light sources are preferably in the form of LEDs.
The novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention will be best understood from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
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patent: 5773332 (1998-06-01), Glad
patent: 5775946 (1998-07-01), Briones
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patent: 5876239 (1999-03-01), Morin et al.
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PCT International Search Report mailed on Jan. 12, 2000 re International Application No. PCT/US/99/08354, international filing date Apr. 16, 1999.
Advertisement,PC Magazine,Jun. 8, 1998.
Article, “Road Worrier No More,”PC Magazine,Jul. 1998, p. 73.
Ahlstrom Joakim
Laity Ian A.
Hogan & Hartson LLP
Ta Tho D.
Xircom, Inc.
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