Lockable electrical connector
First Claim
1. A lockable electrical connector comprising:
- a connector shell extending along a longitudinal axis, said connector shell including a contact capture section proximate a front end and a body section, said body section having an outer diameter that is different from and smaller than an outer diameter of said contact capture section;
an outer contact held in said contact capture section of said connector shell, said outer contact having a mating end formed with retention beams that are deflectable radially outward from said longitudinal axis, said retention beams being configured to receive a mating jack;
a collar mounted over said outer contact and said connector shell, said collar being slidable along said longitudinal axis relative to said outer contact between locked and unlocked positions, said collar having a blocking surface positioned to surround and block outward radial deflection of said retention beams from said longitudinal axis when said collar is in said locked position, said blocking surface being moved, when said collar is in said unlocked position, to a position at which said collar permits outward radial deflection of said retention beams thereby being adapted to receive a mating jack; and
a spring mounted within a chamber in said collar, said spring surrounding said body section of said connector shell, said spring biasing said collar in said locked position relative to said outer contact, said spring being loaded onto said body section over a rear end of said connector shell, said rear end being located opposite to said front end.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A locking electrical connector is provided including a connector shell extending along a longitudinal axis, an outer contact held in the connector shell and having a mating end formed with retention beams that are deflectable radially outward from the longitudinal axis, and a collar located about the outer contact and the connector shell being slidable along the longitudinal axis relative to the connector shell between locked and unlocked positions. The collar has a blocking surface that is positioned to align with and block radially outward deflection of the retention beams when the collar is in the locked position. The blocking surface is moved, when the collar is in the unlocked position, to a position at which the collar permits radial outward deflection of the retention beams.
69 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A lockable electrical connector comprising:
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a connector shell extending along a longitudinal axis, said connector shell including a contact capture section proximate a front end and a body section, said body section having an outer diameter that is different from and smaller than an outer diameter of said contact capture section;
an outer contact held in said contact capture section of said connector shell, said outer contact having a mating end formed with retention beams that are deflectable radially outward from said longitudinal axis, said retention beams being configured to receive a mating jack;
a collar mounted over said outer contact and said connector shell, said collar being slidable along said longitudinal axis relative to said outer contact between locked and unlocked positions, said collar having a blocking surface positioned to surround and block outward radial deflection of said retention beams from said longitudinal axis when said collar is in said locked position, said blocking surface being moved, when said collar is in said unlocked position, to a position at which said collar permits outward radial deflection of said retention beams thereby being adapted to receive a mating jack; and
a spring mounted within a chamber in said collar, said spring surrounding said body section of said connector shell, said spring biasing said collar in said locked position relative to said outer contact, said spring being loaded onto said body section over a rear end of said connector shell, said rear end being located opposite to said front end. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A locking connector matable in a coaxial cable jack comprising:
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a shell extending along a longitudinal axis, said shell including a contact capture section proximate a front end and a body section, said body section having an outer diameter that is different from and smaller than an outer diameter of said contact capture section;
inner and outer contacts held by said shell to align concentric with one another along said longitudinal axis;
a dielectric core held by said shell between said inner and outer contacts;
a collar located about said outer contact, said collar being movable relative to said outer contact along said longitudinal axis between locked and unlocked positions, said outer contact being movable in a transverse direction to said longitudinal axis, said collar enclosing said outer contact when in said locked position to prevent movement of said outer contact, in said transverse direction wherein at least a portion of said outer contact is exposed beyond an end of said collar, when said collar is in said unlocked position, to permit radial outward movement of said outer contact; and
a spring mounted between said shell and said collar, said spring surrounding said body section of said shell, said spring biasing said collar and said shell into said locked position, said spring being loaded onto said body section over a rear end of said connector shell, said rear end being located opposite to said front end. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A locking electrical connector comprising:
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a connector shell extending along a longitudinal axis, said connector shell including a contact capture section proximate a front end and a body section, said body section having an outer diameter that is different from and smaller than an outer diameter of said contact capture section;
an outer contact held in said connector shell, said outer contact having a mating end formed with retention beams that are deflectable outward radially from said longitudinal axis;
a collar located about said outer contact and said connector shell, said collar being slidable along said longitudinal axis relative to said connector shell between locked and unlocked positions, said collar having a blocking surface that is positioned to align with and block radially outward deflection of said retention beams when said collar is in said locked position, said blocking surface being moved, when said collar is in said unlocked position, to a position at which said collar permits radial outward deflection of said retention beams; and
a spring retention assembly mounted between said collar and said connector shell, said spring retention assembly surrounding said body section of said connector shell, said spring retention assembly biasing said collar into said locked position relative to said connector shell, said spring retention assembly being loaded onto said body section over a rear end of said connector shell, said rear end being located opposite to said front end. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification