Polarizing adapter sleeves for electrical connectors
First Claim
1. In combination with an electrical connector comprising a pair of mateable components, one of said connector components including a cylindrical shell of one diameter, and the other of said components including a shell of smaller diameter than said one diameter shell, and said other connector component further including a coupling ring of larger diameter than said one diameter shell so that said smaller diameter shell will fit within said one diameter shell and said coupling ring will fit over said one diameter shell, said one diameter shell having a circumferential groove extending therearound and said coupling ring also having a circumferential groove extending therearound, a first sleeve encircling an exterior portion of said one diameter shell having a predetermined keyway pattern, and a second sleeve encircling an exterior portion of said coupling ring having a predetermined key pattern complementing the keyway pattern of said first sleeve, said first sleeve including a cylindrical body freely and rotatably encircling said one diameter shell and having a plurality of resilient fingers extending therefrom with the free ends of said resilient fingers releasably engaging in the circumferential groove of said one diameter shell so that said first sleeve can be manually attached to, and manually removed from, said one diameter shell, and said second sleeve including a cylindrical body freely and rotatably encircling said coupling ring and having a plurality of resilient fingers extending therefrom with the free ends of said last-mentioned resilient fingers releasably engaging in the circumferential groove of said coupling ring so that said second sleeve can be manually attached to, and manually removed from, said coupling ring.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A first adapter sleeve snaps onto an outside portion of the plug component of an electrical connector and a second adapter sleeve snaps over an outside portion of the coupling ring which is part of the receptacle component of the connector. The first adapter sleeve has formed therein a number of keyways having a particular angular spacing. In order for the components to be mated or coupled together, the second sleeve must have formed thereon a number of keys corresponding to the number of keyways formed in the first sleeve and also have the same angular spacing. In this way, a plurality of first and second adapter sleeves having different key and keyway patterns can be provided so as to prevent the mismating of otherwise identical connector components.
323 Citations
16 Claims
- 1. In combination with an electrical connector comprising a pair of mateable components, one of said connector components including a cylindrical shell of one diameter, and the other of said components including a shell of smaller diameter than said one diameter shell, and said other connector component further including a coupling ring of larger diameter than said one diameter shell so that said smaller diameter shell will fit within said one diameter shell and said coupling ring will fit over said one diameter shell, said one diameter shell having a circumferential groove extending therearound and said coupling ring also having a circumferential groove extending therearound, a first sleeve encircling an exterior portion of said one diameter shell having a predetermined keyway pattern, and a second sleeve encircling an exterior portion of said coupling ring having a predetermined key pattern complementing the keyway pattern of said first sleeve, said first sleeve including a cylindrical body freely and rotatably encircling said one diameter shell and having a plurality of resilient fingers extending therefrom with the free ends of said resilient fingers releasably engaging in the circumferential groove of said one diameter shell so that said first sleeve can be manually attached to, and manually removed from, said one diameter shell, and said second sleeve including a cylindrical body freely and rotatably encircling said coupling ring and having a plurality of resilient fingers extending therefrom with the free ends of said last-mentioned resilient fingers releasably engaging in the circumferential groove of said coupling ring so that said second sleeve can be manually attached to, and manually removed from, said coupling ring.
- 4. For use with electrical connectors comprised of two mateable components of conventional construction, a first plastic sleeve adapted to releasably fit over a portion of one of said components and a second plastic sleeve adapted to releasably fit over a portion of the other of said components, said sleeves having telescopically receivable sections and one of said telescopically receivable sections having a number of angularly spaced, longitudinally directed keys thereon and the other of said telescopically receivable sections having a number of angularly spaced, longitudinally directed keyways therein, said keys and keyways corresponding in number and angular spacing so that said one conventional component can be mated with said other conventional component when said first sleeve is on said one component and said second sleeve is on said other component but in which said one component cannot be mated with an otherwise mateable third conventional component when said third component has a third sleeve detachably carried thereon provided with keyways differing in number or angular spacing from those of said second sleeve, and said other conventional component cannot be mated with an otherwise mateable fourth conventional component when said fourth component has a fourth sleeve thereon provided with keys differing in number or angular spacing from those of said first sleeve.
- 10. In combination with an electrical connector comprising a first component including a cylindrical shell having an open end and a plurality of electric contacts contained in said shell, a second component including a cylindrical shell having an open end and a plurality of electrical contacts contained in the shell of said second component which are mateable with the contacts of said first component when said open ends are telescoped together, said second component further including a coupling ring encircling the shell thereof for advancing said second shell with respect to said first shell to cause engagement of the contacts of said second component with those of said first component, said coupling ring having an open end for receiving therein the open end of the shell of said first component, and the shell of said first component having a circumferential groove spaced from its said open end and said coupling ring having a circumferential groove spaced from its said open end, the improvement comprising first and second telescopicable adapter sleeves formed with a plurality of interfitting longitudinal keys and longitudinal keyways providing a specific polarity pattern to prevent the mismating of components physically similar to either of said first and second components, said first adapter sleeve having a plurality of resilient fingers with end portions thereof releasably engageable in the circumferential groove of the shell of said first component, and said second adapter sleeve having a plurality of resilient fingers with end portions releasably engageable in the circumferential groove of said coupling ring.
- 12. A kit containing a number of paired adapter sleeves for preventing the mismating of electrical connector components, the two adapter sleeves of each pair each comprising a cylindrical body with one of the cylindrical bodies of each pair having an internal diameter portion of a size sufficient to telescopically receive therein an external diameter portion of the other sleeve of that pair, each body having a plurality of resilient fingers for releasably engaging a connector component, the paired adapter sleeves having a corresponding or matching key and keyway pattern to prevent the interfitting and mismatching of unpaired adapter sleeves.
Specification