Modular wiring system

• US 20040222008A1
• Filed: 05/09/2003
• Published: 11/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electric Limited
• Original Assignee: Electric Limited
• Inventors: Hyde, Douglas
• Granted Patent: US 6,974,911 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 174/72A
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/00 Installations of electric cables or lines or protective tubing therefor in or on buildings, equivalent structures or vehicles installations of bus-bars H02G5/00; overhead installations H02G7/00; installations in or on the ground H02G9/00

Abstract

A modular terminal connector system for zone wiring systems. A patch panel, a zone box, and a cubicle are connected to each other with cables. Each cable carries a single data channel comprising voice and data communications signals, and has one end coupled to a male compound connector and another end coupled to a female compound connector. The male compound connector includes three plugs and the female compound connector includes three outlets, where the plugs and the outlets are arranged in the same configuration such that the male compound connector can be plugged into the female compound connector. The zone box houses a number of female compound connectors, while the patch panel includes a number of ganged zone boxes. The cubicle or workstation can include a cable grommet for securing a female compound connector therein.

Claims

1. A building zone wiring system for providing a data connection between a patch panel having a data channel and a workstation, comprising:

P1 a first cable for connecting the data channel with a node, the cable having a first male compound connector for plugging into the patch panel and a first female compound connector for location at the node; and

a second cable for continuing the data channel from the node to the workstation, the cable having a second male compound connector configured identically to the first male compound connector and for plugging into the first female compound connector, and a second female compound connector identically configured to the first female compound connector for location at the workstation.

2. The building wiring system of claim 1, wherein the second female compound connector is housed in a cable grommet for securing the second female compound connector in a structure.

3. The building wiring system of claim 1, wherein the data channel includes three communication signals.

4. The building wiring system of claim 1, wherein the first male compound connector and the second male compound connector include three plugs, each plug receiving a respective communication signal.

5. The building wiring system of claim 4, wherein the first female compound connector and the second female compound connector include three outlets, each outlet being coupled to a corresponding plug.

6. The building wiring system of claim 5, wherein the plugs of the first male compound connector and the second male compound connector, and the outlets of the first female compound connector and the second female compound connector are arranged in a predefined configuration.

7. The building wiring system of claim 6, wherein each plug is removably connectable to each outlet.

8. The building wiring system of claim 1, wherein the zone box is shaped to house a predetermined number of second female compound connectors.

9. The building wiring system of claim 8, wherein the patch panel includes a plurality of zone boxes.

10. A building wiring system comprising:

a patch panel having a predetermined number identical female compound receptacles for providing respective data channels therefrom;

a cable bundle having identically configured male compound connectors, each pluggable into one of the female compound receptacles, for coupling the data channels to corresponding identically configured female compound connectors;

a zone box for housing the female compound connectors; and

,

a cable having a modular male compound connector identically configured to each male compound connector and pluggable into one of the female compound connectors, for coupling one of the data channels to a corresponding modular female compound connector identically configured to each female compound connector.

11. The building wiring system of claim 10, wherein the modular female compound connector is housed in a cable grommet for securing the modular female compound connector in a structure.

12. A wiring cable comprising:

a male compound connector removably pluggable into a complementary shaped outlet;

a female compound connector complementary to the male compound connector for receiving;

a plurality of wires housed in the wiring cable for electrically coupling the male compound connector to the female compound connector.

13. The wiring cable of claim 12, wherein the male compound connector includes three plugs, the female compound connector includes three outlets, and each plug is electrically coupled to a corresponding outlet.

14. The wiring cable of claim 12, wherein the three plugs and the three outlets are arranged in a row configuration.

15. A patch cable having a sheath for transmission of a plurality of data channels, comprising:

a predetermined number of zone cables bundled within the sheath, each zone cable housing a plurality of communication lines; and

,

a predetermined number of communication cables bundled within each zone cable, each communication cable housing the communication lines associated with one of the plurality of data channels.

16. The patch cable of claim 15, wherein four zone cables are bundled within the sheath.

17. The patch cable of claim 16, wherein three communication cables are bundled within each zone cable.

18. The patch cable of claim 15, wherein one end of each communication cable is connected to an outlet and the other end of each communication cable is connected to a plug.

19. The patch cable of claim 18, wherein the outlet and the plug are complementary in shape.