Optic fiber connector secondary latch

• US 6,752,538 B1
• Filed: 02/24/2003
• Issued: 06/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ITT Manufacturing Enterprises, Inc. (ITT, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ITT Manufacturing Enterprises, Inc. (ITT, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bates, Charles Lindsay III
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Chau N.
• Application Number:
  US10/373,521
• Time in Patent Office: 484 Days
• Field of Search: 385/60, 385/76, 385/78, 385/136, 385/139, 385/92, 385/56
• US Class Current: 385/78
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3893 Push-pull type, e.g. snap-in, push-on

Abstract

A secondary lach (50) is provided for an optic fiber connector (12) that has a housing (22) with a housing body (24) and with a primary latch (26) with a front end (30) merging with the housing body and a rear end forming a handle (42) that can be depressed to release the latch and allow the connector to be withdrawn from a terminus coupling (16), the secondary latch preventing unintentional unlatching of the primary latch. The secondary latch includes a sleeve (60) that extends around the housing body and that can slide forward and rearward thereon, and a wedge part (52) that is wedged between a lower surface (56) of the handle and a top surface (54) of the housing body.

Claims

1. An optic fiber connector for insertion into a terminus coupling, wherein the connector includes a housing with a housing body having a through passage, an optic fiber terminus lying in said passage and urged rearward when lying in said coupling and mated to a second terminus device, and an optic fiber extending through said terminus and trailing rearwardly therefrom, said housing including a primary latch with a front end merging with a front portion of said housing body and with a latch middle forming a pair of largely rearwardly-facing latch shoulders and with a latch rear end forming a latch handle that can be resiliently depressed to move down said latch shoulders to positions out of line with a pair of largely forwardly-facing coupling shoulders of said terminus coupling, comprising:

a secondary latch which has a secondary latch frame that is slideably mounted on said housing between forward and rearward positions, said secondary latch having a wedge part that is mounted on said secondary latch frame and that lies against a lower surface of said latch handle in said forward position, to thereby prevent said latch handle from moving downward.

2. The connector described in claim 1 wherein:

said housing body has an upper housing surface and said wedge part has an upper wedge part surface with a portion that lies directly under said latch handle and has a lower wedge surface that lies adjacent to said upper housing surface to press directly against said upper housing surface, to thereby use the housing to support the wedge that prevents downward movement of the latch handle.

3. The connector described in claim 1 wherein:

said frame of said secondary latch includes a sleeve that extends around said housing body and that has a sleeve top, and a beam that has a beam middle that lies on said sleeve top and that has a front beam portion that projects forward of said sleeve top and that forms said wedge part.

4. The connector described in claim 3 wherein:

said beam has a rear beam part with a largely forwardly-facing shoulder for engaging a person'"'"'s finger tip to move the secondary latch rearwardly.

5. The connector described in claim 1 wherein:

said primary latch lies at a top of said housing and said housing has laterally opposite sides with recesses therein, said recesses having inner walls, and said housing has outwardly-projecting detents projecting outward from said recess inner walls and forming largely forwardly and rearwardly facing detent shoulders;

said secondary latch frame includes a sleeve that extends around said housing body, said sleeve having laterally opposite sides with latch lugs projecting inwardly therefrom and having lug shoulders lying in line with said detents;

a plurality of said detent shoulders and of said lug shoulders are inclined from the lateral direction, so the secondary latch frame must be pushed forcefully to move between said forward and rearward portions, to thereby avoid substantially increasing the connector width.

6. Apparatus for use with an optic fiber connector that includes a housing having a housing body that is elongated in front and rear longitudinal directions and that has a housing body top, said housing body having a passageway that holds an optic fiber terminus, said housing also having a primary latch that is integrally molded with said housing body and that has a pair of largely rearwardly-facing latch shoulders and a handle that can be depressed to move down said latch shoulders, the handle having a lower handle surface that is spaced above said housing body top, wherein said apparatus prevents inadvertent downward movement of the primary latch handle, comprising:

a secondary latch that forms a sleeve constructed to extend closely around said housing body and to slide forward and rearward therealong, said sleeve having a top, and said secondary latch includes a wedge part coupled to said sleeve to slide forward and rearward with said sleeve;

said wedge part extends to a position forward of said sleeve top and has upper and lower wedge surfaces that simultaneously substantially contact said handle lower surface and said housing body top when said handle slides to a forward position.

7. The apparatus described in claim 6 wherein:

said secondary latch includes a beam with a middle fixed to said sleeve, a beam front forming said wedge part, and a beam rear forming an upward projection that is higher than the rest of the beam and that receives a person'"'"'s fingertip to slide the secondary latch rearwardly.

8. The apparatus described in claim 7 wherein:

said beam has an upper surface with a convex front at said wedge part and with a concave middle extending between said convex front and said upward projection.

9. The apparatus described in claim 6 including said optic fiber connector, said sleeve encircling said housing body and wherein:

said housing body top is horizontal and said housing body has vertical opposite sides, each side having an inwardly-extending recess and an outwardly-projecting detent in each recess;

said sleeve has a pair of latch lugs each projecting into one of said recesses and lying in line with one of detents, said lugs and detents form shoulders that resist sleeve sliding of said sleeve in said forward and rearward directions.