Selectable compatibility electrical connector jack

• US 6,079,996 A
• Filed: 04/15/1999
• Issued: 06/27/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: CommScope Inc. (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Arnett, Jaime Ray
• Primary Examiner(s): Abrams, Neil
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hyeon, Hae Moon
• Application Number:
  US09/292,526
• Time in Patent Office: 439 Days
• Field of Search: 439/676, 439/955, 439/188, 200/51.03, 200/51.05, 200/51.06, 200/51.09
• US Class Current: 439/188
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6466 on substrates, e.g. printed circuit boards [PCB]
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/64 for high frequency, e.g. RJ 45
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 29/00 Coupling parts for selective co-operation with a counterpart in different ways to establish different circuits, e.g. for voltage selection, for series-parallel selection, programmable connectors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 439/955 including electronic identifier or coding means

Abstract

A selectable compatibility jack has at least a partially hollow housing member or jack frame and a plurality of spring contact members or leads extending from the rear portion thereof to the connector end. The housing has a front face with an opening therein configured to receive a plug. A circuit member, such as a printed wiring board is mounted and affixed within the housing and has circuit components on a surface thereof. Actuator means responds to the insertion of a low performance plug into the jack to cause the leads to contact certain ones of the circuit elements, such as capacitance pads, to alter the crosstalk and transmission loss characteristics of the jack. Clearance means within the jack prevent the actuator means from being actuated when a high performance plug is inserted in the jack.

Claims

1. A selectable compatibility connector jack having a high performance mode and a low performance mode for compatibility with high and low performance connector plugs comprising:

a housing member, at least a portion of which is hollow and having a front face and a rear portion, said front face having a connector plug receiving opening therein;

a plurality of spring contact leads extending from said rear portion toward said opening;

a circuit member disposed within said housing and affixed thereto, said circuit member having a first surface having circuit components thereon;

said spring contact leads being spaced from said surface of said circuit member in the high performance mode;

an actuating spacer member for moving at least some of said spring contact leads into contact with said circuit components; and

said connector plug receiving opening being shaped to receive the plug therewithin and insure said jack'"'"'s adaptibility to the performance characteristic of the plug.

2. A connector jack as claimed in claim 1 wherein said at least some of said spring contact leads each have a second bend portion therein for contacting a circuit component.

3. A connector jack as claimed in claim 1 wherein said at least some of said spring contact leads each have a first bend portion therein adapted to be engaged by said actuating spacer member.

4. A connector jack as claimed in claim 3 wherein said actuating spacer member is adapted to be moved into engagement with said first bend portion upon introduction of a low performance plug into said connector jack.

5. A connector jack as claimed in claim 4 and further comprising a spring member for returning said actuating spacer member to a position where it is out of engagement with said first bend portion.

6. A connector jack as claimed in claim 5 wherein said spring member is a bar spring within and extending transversely of said plug receiving opening in said front face.

7. A connector jack as claimed in claim 6 wherein said actuating spacer member has engaging members for engaging said spring member.

8. A connector jack as claimed in claim 7 wherein said engaging members are first and second engaging arms extending from said actuating spacer member toward the interior front of said jack, each of said arms having a distal end.

9. A connector jack as claimed in claim 8 wherein each of said distal ends has a spring engaging hook thereon for engaging said bar spring.

10. A selectable compatibility connector jack having a high performance mode and a low performance mode for compatibility with high and low performance connector plugs comprising:

a housing member, at least a portion of which is hollow and having a front face and a rear portion, said front face having a connector plug receiving opening therein having clearance notches therein for receiving a high performance connector plug;

a plurality of spring contact leads extending from said rear portion toward said opening, each of said leads having an S-shaped configuration along a portion of its length comprising a first bend portion and a second oppositely oriented bend portion;

a substantially planar circuit member mounted in and affixed to the interior of said housing, said circuit member having a first surface having circuit components thereon and spaced from said second bend portions of said leads;

an actuating spacer member extending transversely of said planar member, said actuating spacer member being adapted to be moved longitudinally within said housing and having actuator projections thereon; and

said actuating spacer member being adapted to engage said first bends in said leads to force said second bends into electrical contact with said circuit components when said actuator projections are engaged by a low performance connector plug.

11. A connector jack as claimed in claim 10 wherein said circuit member is a printed wiring board.

12. A connector jack as claimed in claim 10 wherein said circuit components are an array of capacitance pads.

13. A connector jack as claimed in claim 10 and further comprising a restoring force member for restoring said actuating spacer member to a non-engaging position when a low performance plug is removed from said jack.

14. A connector jack as claimed in claim 13 wherein said restoring force member is a bar spring extending transversely of the interior of said housing.

15. A connector jack as claimed in claim 14 wherein said actuating spacer member has spring engaging arms extending therefrom.

16. A connector jack as claimed in claim 15 wherein each of said spring engaging arms has a distal end having a hook thereon for engaging said bar spring.

17. A selectable compatibility connector jack for compatibility with high and low performance connector plugs, said jack comprising:

a housing member, at least a portion of which is hollow and having a front face and a rear portion;

said front face having a connector plug receiving opening therein;

a plurality of spring contact members extending from said rear portion toward said opening;

a fixed circuit member comprising a printed wiring board disposed within said housing and having a first surface having circuit components thereon;

actuator means having first and second positions responsive to insertion of a low performance plug in said plug receiving openings to move from said first position to said second position, thereby forcing said spring contact member into contact with at least some of said circuit components to place said jack in a low performance mode; and

said front face having means therein for causing said actuator means to remain in said first position upon insertion of a high performance plug in said opening.

18. A selectable compatibility connector jack as claimed in claim 17 wherein said means for causing said actuator means to remain in said first position are clearance notches in said plug receiving opening.