Communication Jack Having Layered Plug Interface Contacts

• US 20080146093A1
• Filed: 12/13/2007
• Published: 06/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panduit Corporation
• Original Assignee: Panduit Corporation
• Inventors: Caveney, Jack E., Patel, Satish I.
• Granted Patent: US 7,874,877 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 439/890
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/08 Resiliently-mounted rigid pins or blades
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/46 Bases; Cases
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6464 by adding capacitive elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/665 with built-in electronic circuit H01R13/70, H01R13/719 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6658 on printed circuit board H01R13/6666 - H01R13/6691 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2107/00 Four or more poles
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/28 Coupling parts carrying pins, blades or analogous contacts and secured only to wire or cable
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/64 for high frequency, e.g. RJ 45
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0228 Compensation of cross-talk by a mutually correlated lay-out of printed circuit traces, e.g. for compensation of cross-talk in mounted connectors balanced signal pairs H05K1/0245
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/147 at least one of the printed circuits being bent or folded, e.g. by using a flexible printed circuit H05K1/148 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10189 Non-printed connector
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 439/941 Crosstalk suppression

Abstract

A communication jack, system using the jack, and method of fabricating the jack are disclosed. The jack includes a cavity configured to accept a communication plug to form a communication connector. The jack includes a plurality of plug interface contacts that extend into the cavity such that a plug inserted into the cavity makes electrical contact with the plug interface contacts at plug/jack interfaces of the plug interface contacts. One or more of the plug interface contacts is formed from multiple conductive layers. The conductive layers are movable relative to each other at least one end. A dielectric layer or flexible printed circuit board may be disposed between the conductive layers.

Claims

1. A communications jack configured to accept a communication plug to create a communications connector, the jack comprising:

a cavity configured to accept the communication plug; and

a plurality of plug interface contacts that extend into the cavity such that the plug in the cavity makes electrical contact with the plug interface contacts at plug/jack interfaces of the plug interface contacts, at least one of the plug interface contacts comprising individual layered conductive strips that are formed of the same material.

2. The communications jack of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the plug interface contacts consists of the plug interface contacts most proximate to sides of the jack.

3. The communications jack of claim 1, wherein at least one of the conductive strips is constrained in a lateral direction by a constraint to form a constrained layer.

4. The communications jack of claim 3, wherein the constraint comprises at least one other of the conductive strips adjacent to at least one side of the constrained layer.

5. The communications jack of claim 4, wherein the constraint comprises a tab and the constrained layer comprises a notch in which the tab is disposed.

6. The communications jack of claim 3, further comprising insulating separators that laterally separate the plug interface contacts from each other proximate to an end of the plug interface contacts, the constraint disposed in the cavity more proximate to the plug/jack interface than the insulating separators.

7. A communications jack configured to accept a communication plug to create a communications connector, the jack comprising:

a cavity configured to accept the communication plug; and

a plurality of plug interface contacts that extend into the cavity such that the plug in the cavity makes electrical contact with the plug interface contacts at plug/jack interfaces of the plug interface contacts, at least one of the plug interface contacts comprising a plurality of conductive layers that are able to move longitudinally relative to each other at least one end of the metal layers.

8. The communications jack of claim 7, wherein at least one of the conductive layers is connected to another of the conductive layers proximate to an end of the conductive layers.

9. The communications jack of claim 7, wherein none of the conductive layers are attached to each other.

10. The communications jack of claim 7, wherein the at least one of the plug interface contacts consists of the plug interface contacts most proximate to sides of the jack.

11. The communications jack of claim 7, wherein at least one of the conductive layers is constrained in a lateral direction by a constraint to form a constrained layer.

12. The communications jack of claim 11, wherein the constraint comprises at least one other of the conductive layers adjacent to at least one side of the constrained layer.

13. The communications jack of claim 12, wherein the constraint comprises a tab and the constrained layer comprises a notch in which the tab is disposed.

14. The communications jack of claim 11, further comprising insulating separators that laterally separate the plug interface contacts from each other proximate to an end of the plug interface contacts, the constraint disposed in the cavity more proximate to the plug/jack interface than the insulating separators.

15. A communications jack configured to accept a communication plug to create a communications connector, the jack comprising:

a cavity configured to accept the communication plug; and

a plurality of plug interface contacts that extend into the cavity such that the plug in the cavity makes electrical contact with the plug interface contacts at plug/jack interfaces of the plug interface contacts, at least one of the plug interface contacts comprising a plurality of conductive layers restrained in a thickness direction of the conductive layers but are able to move longitudinally relative to each other at least one end of the conductive layers.

16. The communications jack of claim 15, wherein the conductive layers are restrained by a restraint disposed proximate to an end of the conductive layers.

17. The communications jack of claim 15, wherein the at least one of the plug interface contacts consists of the plug interface contacts most proximate to the sides of the jack.

18. The communications jack of claim 15, wherein at least one of the conductive layers is constrained in a lateral direction by a constraint to form a constrained layer.

19. The communications jack of claim 18, wherein the constraint comprises at least one other of the conductive layers adjacent to at least one side of the constrained layer.

20. The communications jack of claim 19, wherein the constraint comprises a tab and the constrained layer comprises a notch in which the tab is disposed

21. The communications jack of claim 18, further comprising insulating separators that laterally separate the plug interface contacts from each other proximate to an end of the plug interface contacts, the constraint disposed in the cavity more proximate to the plug/jack interface than the insulating separators.

22. The communications jack of claim 15, wherein the at least one of the plug interface contacts further comprises a dielectric layer disposed at the plug/jack interface between the conductive layers.