Cable latch indicator and retainer

• US 10,038,280 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2016
• Issued: 07/31/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Schaefer, Paul W., Shirk/Heath, Sandra J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Tulsidas C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Harcum, Marcus
• Application Number:
  US15/010,047
• Publication Number:
  US 20170222365A1
• Time in Patent Office: 914 Days
• Field of Search: 439350, 439351, 439352, 439353
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/639 Additional means for holding or locking coupling parts together, after engagement, e.g. separate keylock, retainer strap
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/641 by indicating incorrect coupling; by indicating correct or full engagement
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 43/00 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing, assembling, maintaining, or repairing of line connectors or current collectors or for joining electric conductors of trolley lines B60M1/28
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 43/26 for engaging or disengaging the two parts of a coupling device structural association with two-part coupling device H01R13/629

Abstract

A cable seating indication and retention system includes a cable connected to a latch that may be positioned in an engaged position or a disengaged position by a user manipulating a handling tab. To seat the cable to an electronic system, the handling tab is manipulated to position the latch in the disengaged position so that the cable may be seated to the electronic system. Once the cable is initially seated, the handling tab may be manipulated to position the latch in the engaged position to engage and retain the latch to a connector shell of the electronic system. The relative location of the handling tab, whether it be manipulated to position the latch in the engaged position or the disengaged position, provides a visible indication to a user whether the cable is properly seated.

Claims

1. A cable assembly comprising:

an inner backshell that connects a cable that extends from a cable-side of the inner backshell to a connector that extends from a connector-side of the inner backshell, the inner backshell comprising;

a slot recessed from an upper side and between the cable-side and connector side of the inner backshell and a dual-position receptacle comprising dual positions, wherein the dual-position receptacle is recessed from the upper side of the inner backshell and contiguous with the slot;

a handling tab that extends from the cable side of the inner backshell and is positioned within and slideable against the slot in a first direction from the cable-side of the inner backshell to the connector-side of the inner backshell and in a second direction from the connector-side of the inner backshell to the cable-side of the inner backshell, the handling tab comprising;

a projection within the dual-position receptacle and a windowed flange comprising a cutout window through the windowed flange, wherein the windowed flange extends from the connector-side of the inner backshell toward the cable connector;

a latch comprising an upward ramp and a downward ramp, wherein the upward ramp extends upwards from below the cutout window of the windowed flange to a pulling edge portion of the upward ramp that contacts a pulling edge of the cutout window of the windowed flange to a latch vertex above the cutout window of the windowed flange, wherein the downward ramp extends downwards from the latch vertex to below the cutout window of the windowed flange, and wherein the latch further comprises a protrusion at the distal end of the upward ramp relative to the latch vertex; and

a pivot that contacts the latch between the pulling edge portion of the upward ramp and the protrusion.

2. The cable assembly of claim 1, wherein the latch rotates about the pivot.

3. The cable assembly of claim 2, wherein changing positions of the projection within the dual-position receptacle rotates the latch about the pivot.

4. The cable assembly of claim 3, pulling edge of the cutout window of the windowed flange contacts the pulling edge portion of the upward ramp and rotates the latch when the projection is changed from a connector-side position of the dual-position receptacle to a cable-side position of the dual-position receptacle.

5. The cable assembly of claim 1, further comprising:

an outer backshell that surrounds the inner backshell and retains the handling tab within the slot.

6. The cable assembly of claim 5, wherein the pivot is attached to the outer backshell.

7. The cable assembly of claim 1, wherein the dual-position receptacle comprises an interference fit portion that mechanically interferes with but does not prevent the projection slideably moving to and from the dual positions of dual-position receptacle.

11. The cable assembly of claim 3, pulling edge of the cutout window of the windowed flange contacts the pulling edge portion of the upward ramp and rotates the latch when the projection is changed from a connector-side position of the dual-position receptacle to a cable-side position of the dual-position receptacle and resultantly disengages the protrusion from the receiving feature.

8. An electronic system comprising:

an electronic system connector accessible from outside an associated electronic system perimeter;

an electronic system connector shell associated with the electronic system connector, the electronic system connector shell comprising a receiving feature; and

a cable assembly comprising;

an inner backshell that connects a cable that extends from a cable-side of the inner backshell to a cable connector that extends from a connector-side of the inner backshell, the inner backshell comprising;

a slot recessed from an upper side and between the cable-side and connector side of the inner backshell and a dual-position receptacle comprising dual positions, wherein the dual-position receptacle is recessed from the upper side of the inner backshell and contiguous with the slot;

a handling tab that extends from the cable side of the inner backshell and is positioned within and slideable against the slot in a first direction from the cable-side of the inner backshell to the connector-side of the inner backshell and in a second direction from the connector-side of the inner backshell to the cable-side of the inner backshell, the handling tab comprising;

a projection within the dual-position receptacle and a windowed flange comprising a cutout window through the windowed flange, wherein the windowed flange extends from the connector-side of the inner backshell toward the cable connector;

a latch comprising an upward ramp and a downward ramp, wherein the upward ramp extends upwards from below the cutout window of the windowed flange to a pulling edge portion of the upward ramp that contacts a pulling edge of the cutout window of the windowed flange to a latch vertex above the cutout window of the windowed flange, wherein the downward ramp extends downwards from the latch vertex to below the cutout window of the windowed flange, and wherein the latch further comprises a protrusion at the distal end of the upward ramp relative to the latch vertex;

the protrusion configured to engage the receiving feature when the cable connector is seated with the electronic system connector; and

a pivot that contacts the latch between the pulling edge portion of the upward ramp and the protrusion.

9. The electronic system of claim 8, wherein the latch rotates about the pivot.

10. The electronic system of claim 9, wherein changing positions of the projection within the dual-position receptacle rotates the latch about the pivot.

12. The electronic system of claim 8, further comprising:

an outer backshell that surrounds the inner backshell and retains the handling tab within the slot.

13. The electronic system of claim 12, wherein the pivot is attached to the outer backshell.

14. The electronic system of claim 8, wherein the dual-position receptacle comprises an interference fit portion that mechanically interferes with but does not prevent the projection slideably moving to and from the dual positions of dual-position receptacle.

15. A method of fabricating a cable assembly comprising:

attaching a pivot into a lower portion of an outer backshell;

positioning cabling into the lower portion of the outer backshell, the cabling comprising an inner backshell that connects a cable that extends from a cable-side of the inner backshell to a cable connector that extends from a connector-side of the inner backshell, the lower portion of the outer backshell surrounding a lower portion of the inner backshell;

positioning a latch comprising an upward ramp and a downward ramp, wherein the upward ramp extends upwards from below a cutout window of a windowed flange of a handling tab, to a pulling edge portion of the upward ramp that contacts a pulling edge of the cutout window of the windowed flange to a latch vertex above the cutout window of the windowed flange, wherein the downward ramp extends downwards from the latch vertex to below the cutout window of the windowed flange, and the windowed flange extends from the connector-side of the inner backshell toward the cable connector,

positioning the handling tab into a slot that is recessed from an upper side of the inner backshell thereby retaining the latch against the pivot on a lower side of the latch such that the pivot contacts the latch between the ramp portion and a protrusion of the latch at the distal end of the latch relative to the ramp portion and thereby retaining the latch against the window cutout on an upper side of the latch, wherein the handling tab is positioned in the slot such that the handing tab is slideable against the slot in a first direction from the cable-side of the inner backshell to the connector-side of the inner backshell and in a second direction from the connector-side of the inner backshell to the cable-side of the inner backshell; and

attaching an upper portion of the outer backshell to the lower portion of the outer backshell thereby retaining the handling tab within the slot, the upper portion of the outer backshell surrounding a upper portion of the inner backshell.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

attaching a spring to the latch to rotate the latch against the pivot to a default position.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein positioning the handling tab into the slot of the inner backshell comprises:

positioning a projection of the handling tab within a dual-position receptacle comprising dual positions, wherein the dual-position receptacle is recessed from the upper side of the inner backshell and contiguous with the slot.