Electrical connectors – Contact separation by snap or quick-break action
Patent
1994-09-23
1995-12-26
Pirlot, David L.
Electrical connectors
Contact separation by snap or quick-break action
439154, H01R 1362
Patent
active
054782520
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention concerns a disconnectable male connector for communications networks.
It applies in particular to transmission networks using multiline cables such as local area networks and other computer data or digital telephone data transmission networks. It is essential to have a simple way to connect one or more computer and/or telephone data processing terminals in parallel or series with each such network, depending on the type of network concerned.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
European patent application No 0 366 556 filed 26 Oct. 1989 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,836) describes a male connector for connecting a computer and/or telephone terminal to a network via the lines of a communications cable by inserting the male connector into a female connector having connecting terminals connected to the network.
That patent application describes a universal connection system for connecting a processor terminal to a data transmission network. That universal system includes a male connector and a female connector. The male connector includes a parallelepiped-shape insulative support having two sides, a top, a bottom, a front and a back, and connecting terminals partly embedded in the support and projecting from its top or bottom. Those terminals are connected to lines of a communications cable surrounded by an insulative jacket and entering the support from behind. The connecting terminals of the male connector enter into sliding contact with respective terminals of a female connector. Those terminals of the female connector are in a casing and connected to respective lines of a communications network. Contact is established between the terminals of the male and female connectors when the male connector is inserted into an opening in the front of the female connector. That opening has edges parallel to respective sides of the insulative support of the male connector. The insulative support described in the above-mentioned patent application also has a rigid elastic tongue for locking the male connector in position.
An essential advantage of that type of male connector is its very compact size and the fact that the male connector is effectively locked in position in the female connector.
Those male connectors are of unitary construction, however, or effectively of unitary construction; this means that in normal use the male connector part is undeformable. Human intervention is essential to separate the male and female connectors. The male connector therefore remains connected to the female connector if the cable is pulled, with all the attendant and potentially very serious consequences: the risk that people can trip over the cable, fall and hurt themselves, pulling over an expensive piece of equipment such as a computer or a measuring instrument.
French patent application No 90 08831 filed 11 Jul. 1990 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,090,916) describes a male connector for computer and/or telephone communications networks of the kind described above having a bolt-like member engaging under the rigid elastic tongue and connected to the cable to release the tongue if the cable is pulled with the male connector inserted into the female connector. With that connector, disconnection is made easier if the cable connecting the male connector to a piece of equipment is pulled accidentally with the male connector inserted into the female connector, but the design of the connector is relatively complicated.
Prior art male connectors make the electrical contact between a contact and a wire corresponding to a line of a communications cable by displacement of the contact and perforation of the insulation of the wire. Accordingly, they have various drawbacks: international standards, such as ISO standard 8877, for example, crimping requires a special tool and this position is not each to check on site, with the result that one cannot be certain that the position and orientation of the contacts conform to these standards. method which cannot assure correct positioning of the contacts
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Laloum Laurent
Lecomte Didier
Demello Jill
Pirlot David L.
Societe Anonyme Dite: Alcatel Cable Interface
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