Electrical connectors – With indicating or identifying provision – Connection indicating provision
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-13
2002-03-26
Abrams, Neil (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
With indicating or identifying provision
Connection indicating provision
C362S026000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06361357
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electrical connectors. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention relate to an improved electrical connector plug that provides for increased visual recognition of line status.
2. The Prior State of the Art
The demand for laptop personal computers and related equipment continues to expand due to a number of factors. One important factor is the portability and flexibility of laptop computers. Laptop computers allow commercial and non-commercial users to conduct business at remote or mobile locations with performance comparable to desktop workstations. A related factor to the increased demand is the recent affordability of laptop computers in that the prices of computers continue to decline making them readily available for business users. Another factor is the expansion and development of the Internet and related network communications. More and more commercial and non-commercial enterprises are conducting business via the Internet and consumers need personal computers to gain access to the products and information that are available on the Internet. In essence, the laptop computer allows the user to access the resources available on the Internet via remote connections to a communication network.
In addition to being more portable and affordable, advances in computer application software, operating systems, and communications software fuel the development of computers with greater processing speeds and capacities. At the same time, the pressure to at least maintain, or preferably reduce, the physical size of the laptop computer increased as well. Accordingly, downsizing and miniaturization of computer components is an issue of great importance in the industry.
In an effort to reduce the physical dimensional characteristics of the typical personal computer, and yet expand the capabilities of that computer, manufacturers began to develop miniature portable expansion devices having smaller sizes, such as add-on memory cards and modems. The typical expansion device was designed to plug into a port or socket on the main computer; thus the expansion device served to expand the capability of the computer without significantly increasing the size of the laptop computer.
While the development of portable expansion devices represented a significant advance in the capabilities of personal computers, one drawback to many of these devices was that they were designed to fit only one manufacturer's computer, and thus were not interchangeable between platforms. Other devices, such as serial port devices, were often limited by the speed of the underlying communication protocol or the physical limitation imposed by the limited number pins used for each port.
The industry recognized that standardization of these devices would, among other things, greatly increase the demand for them. To this end, several manufacturers collaborated to form the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA). This body developed and promulgated standards for the physical design, dimensions, and electrical interface of expansion devices. Specifically, the PCMCIA PC Card standard identifies three primary card types: Type I, II, and III. These PC Card types correspond to physical dimension restrictions of 85.6 mm (length)×54.0 mm (width). Type I PC Cards have a further dimensional restriction regarding thickness of 3.3 mm. Type II PC Cards allow device thickness of up to 5.0 mm. And Type III PC Cards allow a thickness of 10.5 mm. Now, many computers being manufactured, especially those having a reduced size, are adapted to accommodate these standards. Laptop computers, in particular, are increasingly popular for both business and personal applications due in part to the development of PC Card peripheral devices designed to increase the functionality of the computers. As an example, PC cards are commonly used with portable and desktop computers to provide added features and/or functions. For instance, PC cards are often configured to function as a memory card, a network interface card, a sound card, a modem, or other device supplying add-on functionality.
PC cards have become very popular because of their relatively small size, interchangeability, and capability. However, as a result of the relentless drive for smaller and more capable computers, the industry has developed a new generation of expansion devices with an even smaller “form factor” or physical size than that of PCMCIA cards. The new expansion devices, or cards, are sometimes referred to as “compact flash” or “miniature flash” cards. A typical compact flash card uses about 1550 mm
2
(36 mm long×43 mm wide) of space on a circuit board. In contrast, a typical card built to PCMCIA standards uses almost three times as much circuit board space, or about 4644 mm
2
(86 mm long×54 mm wide). Some examples of the devices developed for the new compact flash cards include modems, local area network (LAN) cards, and compact flash memory cards, which are solid-state storage devices that may have a storage capacity as high as 40 MB.
Clearly, the PC card, compact flash card, and other portable expansion devices represent an important advancement in the art. However, the size of these cards creates some new problems that must be overcome for the maximum performance and reliability. Certain of these problems are particularly acute in connector interfaces between external cables and the portable expansion device. Some of the problems flowing from the use of the new form factor concern the physical and electrical interfaces between the PC card and the various types of media cables used to carry media between the PC card and other devices. For example, it is often difficult to discern whether a cable attached to a connector plug is properly connected to a connector socket on the PC Card. To assist with this and other communication problems many PC Cards place an indicator close to the connector socket to show the presence or lack of data or communications traffic across the connector interface. This indicator may be a LED, light pipe, or other light source that is used to visually depict PC Card device or line status.
Presently, it is awkward and difficult for the laptop user to see the device or line status indicator on a portable expansion device, such as a PC Card product. An interested user is required to look around the edge of the laptop computer or to change the operating position of the computer in order to view the device or line status indicator. Because of the previously mentioned connector interface problems related to the size of the portable expansion device, the user risks damaging or disconnecting the attached power and communication cables if the operating position of the computer is altered. Even worse, the interested user risks losing unsaved data that is being transmitted or received by inadvertently disrupting one of the cables connected to the laptop. The two main problems for the status indicator are the location and the size of the viewing area of the status indicator.
As suggested earlier, some of the problems flowing from the new form factor relate to the type of physical/electrical interface used to connect a communication cable to the card. In particular, the presence of data flowing through the communication cable via the physical/electrical interface and I/O connector plug and socket is not easily observable from the standard operating position of the laptop user. Many of the connectors currently in use with the expansion cards, including the multiple pin connectors used for modem and NIC cards, lack any device or means to reflect the indicator signal produced by the cards to the user. Thus, when a connector plug at the end of the communication cable is inserted into the card connector socket, the indicator signal that is produced as a result of data flow through the connector is not reflected or easily visible to the user. What is needed is a connector interface that is easily visible to a use
Nelson Jon A.
Stillwell Kaylene C.
3Com Corporation
Abrams Neil
Workman & Nydegger & Seeley
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