Electric connector with a light penetrable socket shell

Details Electric connector with a light penetrable socket shell Electric connector with a light penetrable socket shell

2000-10-13

2001-11-20

Sircus, Brian (Department: 2839)

Electrical connectors

With indicating or identifying provision

Connection indicating provision

C439S488000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06319051

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to electric connectors and, more particularly, to such an electric connector, which comprises a socket shell mounted inside a housing to hold a terminal holder and a set of terminals in the terminal holder, and light emitting means installed in the rear side of the socket shell and adapted to emit light through the visible front side of the socket shell to indicate operation of the electric connector.
Various electric connectors for data transmission between a computer and the telephone line are well known. However, regular electric connectors for this purpose have no indicator means to indicate normal function during operation. There are also known electric connectors with indicator lights. These electric connectors with indicator lights include three types, namely, the first type in which light emitting diodes are directly installed in the visible front side of the shell; the second type in which light emitting diodes are mounted on the inside and light guide means is provided to guide light from the light emitting diodes to the visible front side (see FIGS.
5
and
6
); the third type in which light emitting diodes are directly welded to a circuit board at the bottom of the housing and light guide means is provided to guide light from the light emitting diodes to the visible front side of the electric connector (see FIGS.
7
and
8
). These three types of electric connectors still have drawbacks.
1. According to the first type, the installation procedure of the light emitting diodes is complicated. When mounted in the housing, the pins of the light emitting diodes must be welded to respective contacts of the circuit board. Because there is a distance between the light emitting diodes and the circuit board, the pins of the light emitting diodes must be extended.
2. According to the second type, the use of light guide means greatly increases the manufacturing cost, and much light energy is lost when transmitted through the light guide means to the visible front side.
3. According to the third type, the use light guide means greatly increases the manufacturing cost, and much light energy is lost when transmitted through the light guide means to the visible front side.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention has been accomplished to provide an electric connector, which eliminates the aforesaid drawbacks. According to the present invention, the electric connector comprises an electrically insulative housing, and a socket shell installed in a housing to hold a terminal holder inside the housing and a set of terminals in the terminal holder and adapted to receive an electric plug. The socket shell is made of light penetrable material, having a visible front side adapted to receive an electric plug and electric light emitting means, for example, LEDs installed in a rear side thereof and adapted to emit light through the visible front side to indicate operation of the electric connector. Because the socket shell admits light, light energy is directly transmitted from the LEDs to the visible front side of the socket shell during operation of the electric connector.


REFERENCES:
patent: 4099159 (1978-07-01), Windisch
patent: 5727965 (1998-03-01), Yagi
patent: 5741152 (1998-04-01), Boutros
patent: 5989069 (1999-11-01), Tan
patent: 6012936 (2000-01-01), Siemon et al.
patent: 6120318 (2000-09-01), Reed et al.
patent: 6132260 (2000-10-01), Wu
patent: 6174198 (2001-01-01), Wu et al.

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