Electrical adapter

Details Electrical adapter Electrical adapter

2001-05-09

2002-02-05

Ta, Tho D. (Department: 2833)

Electrical connectors

With insulation other than conductor sheath

Plural-contact coupling part

C439S362000, C439S076100, C439S654000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06343957

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical adapter, and particularly to a Digital Visual Interface (DVI) electrical adapter which can be used for electrically connecting together two different types of DVI electrical connectors.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The Digital Visual Interface (DVI) specification is a recently developed monitor interface specification for the PC industry. It provides specification for connectors used to connecting a monitor to a host computer. DVI technology has many advantages over conventional technology, such as video graphics array (VGA) technology. The DVI of specification covers both digital-only connector and combined digital & analog connector. An adapter is required to connect a monitor to a host computer when the monitor and the host computer have different DVI connectors.
Referring to
FIG. 6
, a conventional DVI electrical adapter
1
includes an insulative housing
10
, a digital-only plug connector
11
and a combined digital & analog receptacle connector
12
. The digital-only plug connector
11
comprises a pair of screws
13
for fixing to nuts of a complementary receptacle connector mounted in a host computer (not shown), thereby ensuring a firm and reliably connection between the digital-only plug connector
11
and the complementary receptacle connector. The combined digital & analog receptacle connector
12
comprises a pair of nuts
14
for engaging with a pair of screws in a complementary plug connector of a cable assembly connecting to a monitor (not shown) for establishing firm and reliable connection therebetween.
However, since the screws
13
and the nuts
14
of the conventional DVI electrical adapter
1
are separate from each other, a pair of lateral recesses is required in the housing to accommodate heads of the pair of screws so that the screws can be rotated to threadedly engage the nuts of the complementary receptacle connector. This arrangement requires the conventional adapter to be long and bulky which is disadvantageous in view of the minimization trend in computer technology. Furthermore, the adapter
1
requires two separate screws
13
and two separate nuts
14
. This is disadvantageous from the standpoints of the increased cost of the components, increased inventory requirement and added assembly cost.
Hence, an improved DVI electrical adapter is desired to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art adapter.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a DVI electrical adapter which can be used for electrically connecting two different types of electrical connectors, the adapter having a compact configuration.
A DVI electrical adapter in accordance with the present invention comprises a digital-only plug connector, a combined digital & analog receptacle connector, a printed circuit boards (PCBs) joined between the plug connector and the receptacle connector, an insulative housing insert molded over a center of the DVI adapter and a pair of elongated fasteners. The digital-only plug connector can connect a second complementary receptacle connector in a host computer and the combined digital & analog receptacle connector can connect a first complementary plug connector to a monitor. The elongated fasteners are projecting through two sides of the insulative housing and include a first fixing end and a second fixing end. The second fixing end engages with nuts of a complementary receptacle connector mounted on the host computer. The first fixing end has a threaded recess accepting screws from a cable plug connector attached to the monitor. When the first fixing end moves, it can bring the second fixing end move synchronously so that fixes the elongated fasteners reliably when the second fixing end engages with nuts of a complementary receptacle connector mounted on the host computer.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present embodiment when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.


REFERENCES:
patent: 4236779 (1980-12-01), Tang
patent: 4398780 (1983-08-01), Novotny et al.
patent: 5859766 (1999-01-01), Van Scyoc et al.
patent: 6176743 (2001-01-01), Kuo

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