Optical communication connector
First Claim
1. An optical communication connector, comprising a ferrule having retractable alignment pins that are actuable between an extended position and a retracted position,wherein in the extended position, the alignment pins are extended a first displacement from a front face of the ferrule, thereby causing the connector to be in a male gender configuration, andwherein in the retracted position, the alignment pins are retracted into alignment pin cavities in the ferrule by a distance greater than or equal to the first displacement, thereby causing the connector to be in a female gender configuration.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In accordance with the following description, an optical communication connector includes a ferrule having retractable alignment pins that are actuable between an extended position and a retracted position. For example, the connector may include an inner housing assembly having optical fibers and an outer housing positioned over the inner housing assembly. The outer housing is shaped to be removable from the inner housing assembly, which has a movable pin clamp mechanically coupled to alignment pins for aligning the connector with another connector. The pin clamp may be slid from a first position (corresponding to a male gender) to a second position (corresponding to a female gender). Separately or in combination with changing gender, the polarity of a communication connector may be changed due to its inclusion of an asymmetric polarity-changing feature that is actuable by an installer to change a polarity of the communication connector. Such a feature may actuated by being moved from a first position to a second position relative to the communication connector.
116 Citations
69 Claims
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1. An optical communication connector, comprising a ferrule having retractable alignment pins that are actuable between an extended position and a retracted position,
wherein in the extended position, the alignment pins are extended a first displacement from a front face of the ferrule, thereby causing the connector to be in a male gender configuration, and wherein in the retracted position, the alignment pins are retracted into alignment pin cavities in the ferrule by a distance greater than or equal to the first displacement, thereby causing the connector to be in a female gender configuration.
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16. An optical communication connector, comprising:
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an inner housing assembly having optical fibers disposed therein; a ferrule through which the optical fibers and alignment pins pass; and an outer housing disposed over the inner housing assembly, the outer housing shaped to be removable from the inner housing assembly; wherein the inner housing assembly comprises a movable pin clamp mechanically coupled to alignment pins for aligning the connector with another connector, wherein the pin clamp may be slid from a first position to a second position, and wherein the first position corresponds to a male gender and the second position corresponds to a female gender, wherein in the first position, the alignment pins are extended a first displacement along a z-axis orthogonal to a front face of the ferrule, and wherein in the second position, the alignment pins are retracted into alignment pin cavities in the ferrule by a distance greater than or equal to the first displacement along the z-axis orthogonal to the front face of the ferrule. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. An optical communication connector, comprising:
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an inner housing assembly having a ferrule with optical fibers disposed therein; and an outer housing shaped to slide over the inner housing assembly; wherein the outer housing has a polarity key disposed thereon, and wherein the outer housing may be rotated 180-degrees along an axis orthogonal to a front face of the ferrule to cause the polarity key to be rotated from a first position to a second position, wherein the first position corresponds to a first polarity and the second position corresponds to a second polarity, and wherein the inner housing assembly has at least two recessed features, each being shaped to accept the polarity key when the outer housing is slid over the inner housing assembly.
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33. An optical communication connector, comprising a ferrule having retractable alignment pins that are actuable between an extended position and a retracted position,
wherein actuation of the alignment pins between the extended position and the retracted position is effected using a pin clamp that is mechanically coupled to the alignment pins, and wherein the pin clamp is coupled to the alignment pins through a mechanical linkage that causes the alignment pins to move by a larger displacement than that of the pin clamp, when the pin clamp is displaced.
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45. An optical communication connector, comprising:
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a ferrule having retractable alignment pins that are actuable between an extended position and a retracted position; and a polarity key having a configuration that can be altered to change a polarity of the connector, wherein the polarity key is located on an outer housing of the connector, and wherein the outer housing can be rotated around an axial length of the connector to effect the change in polarity, and wherein the polarity key includes a polarity key tab and a blank tab 180-degrees opposite the polarity key tab on the outer housing, wherein the polarity key tab and the blank tab mechanically interface with features on the connector, and wherein rotation of the housing relative to the axial length effects the change in polarity. - View Dependent Claims (46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55)
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56. An optical communication connector, comprising:
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an inner housing assembly having optical fibers disposed therein; and an outer housing disposed over the inner housing assembly, the outer housing shaped to be removable from the inner housing assembly; wherein the inner housing assembly comprises a movable pin clamp mechanically coupled to alignment pins for aligning the connector with another connector, wherein the pin clamp may be slid from a first position to a second position, and wherein the first position corresponds to a male gender and the second position corresponds to a female gender, and wherein the pin clamp is coupled to the alignment pins through a mechanical linkage that causes the alignment pins to move by a larger displacement than that of the pin clamp, when the pin clamp is displaced. - View Dependent Claims (57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69)
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Specification