Electrical connectors – Coupling part including flexing insulation – Retaining contact within distinct coupling part housing
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-21
2002-08-13
Sircus, Brian (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
Coupling part including flexing insulation
Retaining contact within distinct coupling part housing
C200S051120
Reexamination Certificate
active
06431913
ABSTRACT:
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This patent application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/747,536, entitled Electrically and Environmentally Sealed Mechanical Control Device for an Electronic Device by David Wallis et al., and filed on even date with this patent application.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to broadband communication systems, such as cable television systems, and taps used in such systems, and more specifically to the provision of AC power to subscriber premises in a broadband communication system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A communication system
100
, such as a two-way cable television system, is depicted in FIG.
1
. The communication system
100
includes headend equipment
105
for generating forward signals that are transmitted in the forward, or downstream, direction along a communication medium, such as a fiber optic cable
110
, to an optical node
115
that converts optical signals to radio frequency (RF) signals. The RF signals are further transmitted along another communication medium, such as coaxial cable
120
, and are amplified, as necessary, by one or more distribution amplifiers
125
positioned along the communication medium. Taps
130
included in the cable television system split off portions of the forward signals for provision to subscriber equipment
135
, such as set top terminals, computers, and televisions. In a two-way system, the subscriber equipment
135
can also generate reverse signals that are transmitted upstream, amplified by any distribution amplifiers
125
, converted to optical signals, and provided to the headend equipment
105
.
A cable television tap
130
that splits the forward signal is depicted in FIG.
2
. The tap
130
includes an input port
205
for receiving the signal, an output port
210
for passing the signal through to other portions of the communication system
100
, and subscriber ports
215
, each of which couples a portion of the signal to subscriber equipment. A tap
130
commonly includes four, eight, or sixteen subscriber ports
215
, although an even larger number of subscriber ports
215
can be included if necessary.
AC (alternating current) power can also be provided through the cable television system
100
for powering telephones and other subscriber equipment. In this case, the AC power typically travels through the same distribution system, including the taps
130
, so that it can be provided to the subscriber equipment on the same communication medium that provides the information signal. In operation, the tap
130
, which includes a power distribution unit (PDU)
220
, receives the forward signal, including the AC power, and provides, via AC port device connectors
225
, a plurality of AC power outputs and, via the subscriber ports
215
, a plurality of information signal outputs.
While the conventional multimedia tap
130
, which includes the PDU
220
, meets the objective of providing information signals while also supplying AC power to the subscriber, there are some disadvantages presented by the conventional tap
130
. To activate a conventional PDU
220
, the cover
230
needs to be removed via a number of screws or fasteners. Each connector
225
has an associated internal power jumper (not shown). The power jumpers are positioned in either the pass position, which activates an AC port device connector
225
, or in a block position, which disables any power flow through a particular connector
225
. There are several disadvantages with this method of supplying power to the subscribers. One disadvantage is the necessity of removing the PDU cover
230
to access the internal jumpers. A second disadvantage is the possibility of dropping a jumper as a result of having to physically remove and reposition the jumper to either the pass or block position. Typically, a large proportion of the installed taps
130
are hanging on aerial cable within the cable system
100
. To access a tap
130
that is aerially installed is costly; in addition, if a jumper is dropped to the ground while repositioning, the operator consumes much time in either locating the jumper on the ground or preparing another jumper for its replacement.
In light of the disadvantages to the cable operator, what is needed is a less cumbersome multimedia tap
130
that offers flexibility in the distribution of AC power.
A product is needed that incorporates the required specifications for passing AC power to the subscriber, but also enhances the product with user-friendly features.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2048848 (1936-07-01), De Tar
patent: 3739114 (1973-06-01), Palman
Barnhardt III Hubert J.
Couturier Shelley L.
Dinh Phuong K T
Massaroni Kenneth M.
Scientific-Atlanta, Inc.
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