Stacked electrical jacks

• US 4,695,116 A
• Filed: 05/21/1986
• Issued: 09/22/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Switchcraft Incorporated (Heico Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Switchcraft Incorporated (Heico Corporation)
• Inventors: Basov, Emma, Bailey, James R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Weidenfeld, Gil
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pirlot, David
• Application Number:
  US06/870,284
• Time in Patent Office: 489 Days
• Field of Search: 339/182, 339/183, 339/17 C, 339/17 LC, 339/17 N, 339/17 LM, 339/198 R, 339/6, 339/6 A, 339/19, 200/51.1, 200/51.12
• US Class Current: 439/188
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2107/00 Four or more poles
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/58 Contacts spaced along longitudinal axis of engagement

Abstract

A phone jack assembly comprising a piggy-back array of two phone jack housings made of moldable dielectric material and having integral walls defining respective axial cavities wherein a phone jack plug may be inserted; and a plurality of pairs of wire terminals extending downwardly from the lower housing of the array for insertion into respective apertures in a connecting device. Each of the wire terminals is recessed within a respective groove molded into the outer side surfaces of the housings and one of each pair has a portion extended into a cavity of one of the housing for electrical engagement with a portion of a phone jack plug inserted into the cavity. Also each of the wire terminals is provided with a laterally bent portion for pressingly engaging side wall surfaces of the respective groove to support the wire terminal when being inserted into or withdrawn from said respective aperture in the connecting device. The lower housing of the array may have an upper surface provided with a ridge which fits snugly into a channel in the lower surface of the overlying housing in the array; and some of the wire terminals recessed in said groove extend over the top surface of the upper housing in the array to aid in holding the housings of the array together as an assembly when being mated to or disconnected from said connector device.

Claims

1. An electrical jack assembly comprising:

a first electrical jack including an external surface having therein first recess means disposed for receiving electrical conductors and including a pair of first electrical conductors having contact means comprised of respective switch component end portions of the first electrical conductors disposed in electrically contactable relationship with one another in said first recess means for forming therein a first electrical switch, at least one of said switch component end portions of the first electrical conductors being engageable by a jack plug extended in a first direction relative to said first electrical switch, said switch component end portions of the first electrical conductors being electrically connected to respective terminal end portions thereof extending from a base portion of the first electrical jack in a second direction substantially orthogonal to said first direction; and

a second electrical jack including an external surface having therein second recess means disposed for receiving electrical conductors and including a pair of second electrical conductors having contact means comprised of respective switch component end portions of said second electrical conductors disposed in electrically contactable relationship with one another in said second recess means for forming therein a second electrical switch, at least one said switch component end portions of the second electrical conductors being engageable by a jack plug extended in a direction substantially parallel with said first direction, a proximal portion of the second electrical jack overlying a distal portion of the first electrical jack, said switch component end portions of the second electrical conductors being electrically connected to respective terminal end portions thereof said terminal end portions of the second electrical conductors extending from said base portion of the first electrical jack in said second direction substantially orthogonal to said first direction.

2. An electrical jack assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first and second electrical conductors comprise respective wires, each having the switch component end portion thereof integrally connected to the terminal end portion thereof through a respective intermediate portion of the wire.

3. An electrical jack assembly as set forth in claim 2 wherein the first recess means includes a plurality of open grooves formed in said external surface of the first electrical jack and said intermediate portions of the wires comprising the second electrical conductors pass through said open grooves in the external surface of said first electrical jack.

4. An electrical jack assembly comprising:

(a) a first module having first wall means defining an open-ended bore along a first axis for receiving an axially inserted first jack plug, said wall means including a first external surface extended along said first axis and having disposed therein first recess means for receiving electrical contact members, said first module including a plurality of first electrical switches disposed in said first recess means in axially spaced relationship along said first axis, each of said first electrical switches having a respective pair of first electrical contact members, one of said contact members in each pair thereof being engaged by said first jack plug for actuating said switch, the first electrical contact members having respective terminating end portions protruding from a base wall portion of said first wall means in a direction substantially orthogonal to said first axis; and

(b) a second module mounted on the first module and having second wall means defining an open-ended bore along a second axis substantially parallel with said first axis for receiving an axially inserted second jack plug, said second wall means including a second external surface extended along said second axis and having disposed therein second recess means for receiving electrical contact members, said second module including a plurality of second electrical switches disposed in said second recess means in axially spaced relationship along said second axis, each of said second electrical switches having a respective pair of second electrical contact members, one of said contact members in each pair thereof being engaged by said second jack plug for actuating said switch, the second electrical contact members having respective terminating end portions extending past a proximal wall portion of said second wall means and protruding from said base wall portion of the first wall means in said direction substantially orthogonal to said first axis.

5. The assembly recited in claim 4 wherein the respective terminating end portions of the first electrical contact members are interspersed among the respective terminating end portions of the second electrical contact members protruding from said base wall portion of the first wall means.

6. The assembly recited in claim 5 wherein the portions of the second electrical contact members extending past the proximal wall portion of the second wall means are disposed within said first recess means in said external surface of the first wall means.

7. The assembly recited in claim 6 wherein the first and second recess means comprise respective pluralities of open grooves disposed in said external surfaces of the respective first and second wall means;

and the first and second electrical contact members are comprised of respective lengths of resilient wire.

8. The assembly recited in claim 7 wherein said respective lengths of wire have bends therein for fitting into respective preselected portions of said open grooves formed in said external surface of the first wall means.

9. An electrical jack assembly comprising:

first housing means including a first dielectric body having therein an open-ended first bore for receiving an electrical jack plug and having a plurality of first external surfaces extended substantially parallel with said first bore, said first external surfaces including a pair of opposing side surfaces orthogonally disposed with respect to proximal and distal surfaces of said first dielectric body, the opposing side surfaces and the distal surface of said first dielectric body having disposed therein respective first recess means for receiving electrical conductors, the respective first recess means in said opposing side surfaces having portions communicating with said first bore;

first electrical switch means disposed in said first recess means and including a plurality of first electrical switches axially spaced apart along said first bore for actuation by said jack plug, each of said first electrical switches including a pair of first electrical conductors operatively disposed in the first recess means in one of said opposing side surfaces of the first dielectric body, one of said first electrical conductors in each of said pairs being moveable with respect to the other one of said first electrical conductors, each of said moveable first electrical conductors being extended transversely through a portion of said first bore, through said first recess means in said distal surface and into said first recess means in the opposing side surface of said first dielectric body;

second housing means including a second dielectric body having therein an open-ended second bore for receiving said jack plug, said second dielectric body having an external proximal surface disposed on said distal surface of the first dielectric body and having said second bore aligned substantially parallel with said first bore, the second dielectric body having a plurality of second external surfaces including a pair of opposing side surfaces and an orthogonaly disposed distal surface extending along said second bore and provided with respective second recess means for having disposed therein electrical conductors, the respective second recess means provided in said opposing side surfaces of the second dielectric body having portions communicating with said second bore; and

second electrical switch means including a plurality of second electrical switches disposed within said second recess means in said opposing side surfaces of the second dielectric body and axially spaced apart along said second bore, each of said second electrical switches having a moveable member extended transversely through a respective portion of said second bore, through said second recess means in said distal surface and into said second recess means in the opposing side surface of said second dielectric body.

10. An electrical jack assembly as set forth in claim 9 wherein each of said respective first and second recess means comprises a plurality of open grooves disposed in said external surface of the dielectric body, and each of said first and second electrical switches comprises a pair of moveable and stationary wire members having respective switch component end portions disposed in electrically contactable relationship with one another and connected integrally through respective intermediate portions press-fitted into said open grooves to respective terminal end portions of the wire members extending in a common array from said proximal surface of the first dielectric body, the intermediate portions of the wire members comprising said electrical switches being press-fitted into open grooves in said opposing side surfaces of the first dielectric body as well as being press-fitted into open grooves in said opposing side surfaces of the second dielectric body for releaseably securing said second dielectric body to said first dielectric body of the housing means.

11. An electrical jack assembly comprising:

a first electric jack module including a body having therein a plug-receiving bore and having a plurality of external surfaces disposed substantially parallel with said bore, said external surfaces including a pair of opposing side surfaces disposed orthogonally between respective opposing proximal and distal surfaces of said body, the first electrical jack module also including first plurality of terminal end portions extended from said proximal surface of said body; and

a second electrical jack module mounted on said distal surface of said body and having a second plurality of terminal end portions interposed in mutually spaced relationship with the terminal end portions of said first plurality in a common array of terminal end portions extended from said proximal surface of the body,

said opposing side surfaces of the body being provided with open grooves and said terminal end portions being press-fitted into respective ones of said open grooves,

at least one of said grooves and said terminal end portion press-fitted therein having respective comforming laterally directed portions, and

said side surface having said one groove therein being provided with cam surface means disposed for directing said laterally directed portion of said terminal end portion into said laterally directed portion of said one groove.

12. An electrical jack assembly comprising:

first housing means including a first dielectric body having therein an open-ended first bore for receiving an electrical jack plug and having a plurality of first external surfaces extended substantially parallel with said first bore, said first external surfaces including a pair of opposing side surfaces orthogonally disposed with respect to proximal and distal surfaces of the first dielectric body, the opposing side surfaces of said first dielectric body having disposed therein respective first recess means for receiving electrical conductors;

first electrical switch means disposed in said first recess means and including a plurality of first electrical switches spaced apart along said first bore for actuation by said jack plug, each of said first electrical switches including a pair of first electrical conductors extended through said first recess means to said proximal surface of the first dielectric body;

second housing means including a second dielectric body having therein an open-ended second bore for receiving said jack plug, said second dielectric body having a plurality of second external surfaces extended substantially parallel with said second bore, said second external surfaces including a pair of opposing side surfaces orthogonally disposed with respect to proximal and distal surfaces of the second dielectric body, the proximal surface of said second dielectric body being disposed on said distal surface of the first dielectric body and the opposing side surfaces of said second dielectric body being substantially aligned with respective opposing side surfaces of said first dielectric body, the opposing side surfaces of said second dielectric body having therein respective second recess means disposed in communication with said first recess means; and

second electrical switch means disposed in said second recess means and including a plurality of second electrical switches spaced apart along said second bore for actuation by said jack plug, each of said second electrical switches including a pair of second electrical conductors extended through said second recess means and through said first recess means to said proximal surface of the first dielectric body.

13. An electrical jack assembly as set forth in claim 12 wherein said pair of first electrical conductors in each of said first electrical switches have respective switch component end portions disposed in operative relationship with one another in said first recess means;

and said pair of second electrical conductors in each of said second electrical switches have respective switch component end portions disposed in operative relationship with one another in said second recess means.

14. An electrical jack assembly as set forth in claim 12 wherein each of said first electrical conductors and each of said second electrical conductors have respective terminal end portions extended from said proximal surface of the first dielectric body in a common array.

15. An electrical jack assembly as set forth in claim 14 wherein a plurality of said second electrical conductors are provided with housing interlocking means for holding said second dielectric body on said first dielectric body and comprising each of said second electrical conductors of said plurality having a respective intermediate portion extended from said proximal surface of the first dielectric body, through said first and second recess means in respective aligned side surfaces of the first and second dielectric bodies, over the distal surface of the second dielectric body and into said second recess means in the opposing side surface of the second dielectric body.

16. An electrical jack assembly as set forth in claim 14 wherein a plurality of said first electrical conductors have respective intermediate portions extended from said proximal surface of the first dielectric body, through said first recess means in one of the opposing side surfaces, over said distal surface of the first dielectric body and into said first recess means in the other of said opposing side surfaces of the first dielectric body.