Communication jack having a flexible printed circuit board with jackwire contacts mounted thereon

• US 9,368,914 B2
• Filed: 01/08/2015
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommScope Inc. (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CommScope Inc. (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Fitzpatrick, Brian J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Prasad, Chandrika
• Application Number:
  US14/591,978
• Publication Number:
  US 20150126073A1
• Time in Patent Office: 523 Days
• Field of Search: 439/676, 439/941
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6461 Means for preventing cross-talk
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6464 by adding capacitive elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6466 on substrates, e.g. printed circuit boards [PCB]
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6467 by cross-over of signal conductors
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6469 on substrates
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/00 Two-part coupling devices, or either of their cooperating parts, characterised by their overall structure contact members H01R13/02; securing contact members in or to a base or case or insulating of contact members H01R13/40; bases or cases H01R13/46; means for supporting coupling part when not engaged H01R13/60; means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts or for holding them in engagement H01R13/62; means for preventing, inhibiting or avoiding incorrect coupling H01R13/64
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/64 for high frequency, e.g. RJ 45
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0228 Compensation of cross-talk by a mutually correlated lay-out of printed circuit traces, e.g. for compensation of cross-talk in mounted connectors balanced signal pairs H05K1/0245
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0239 Signal transmission by AC coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/147 at least one of the printed circuits being bent or folded, e.g. by using a flexible printed circuit H05K1/148 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/162 incorporating printed capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10189 Non-printed connector
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 999/99 dummy group

Abstract

Communications jacks include at least first through third jackwire contacts and a flexible substrate that has a first finger and a second finger. The first jackwire contact and the third jackwire contact are each mounted on the first finger and the second jackwire contact is mounted on the second finger.

Claims

1. A communications jack, comprising:

a housing having a plug aperture in a front portion thereof;

a flexible printed circuit board that is at least partly within the housing;

a plurality of jackwire contacts that each extend from and are electrically connected to the flexible printed circuit board; and

wherein a first subset of the jackwire contacts are substantially aligned in a first row across the plug aperture and a second subset of the jackwire contacts are substantially aligned in a second row across the plug aperture, the second row being offset from the first row.

2. The communications jack of claim 1, wherein the flexible printed circuit board is configured to move within the jack housing in response to movement of the jackwire contacts.

3. The communications jack of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of dielectric contact carriers, wherein each of the jackwire contacts is mounted in a respective one of the dielectric contact carriers, and wherein each of the dielectric contact carriers are configured to move substantially independently of the other dielectric contact carriers within the housing in response to a plug being inserted within the plug aperture.

4. The communications jack of claim 1, wherein middle portions of at least some of the jackwire contacts are positioned above a cutout area in the flexible printed circuit board.

5. The communications jack of claim 2, wherein the flexible printed circuit board includes a plurality of cantilevered fingers, and wherein at least one end of each of the jackwire contacts is mounted on a respective one of the fingers.

6. The communications jack of claim 5, wherein a first subset of the plurality of fingers extend in a generally longitudinal direction of the jack, and wherein at least one other of the plurality of fingers extends in a generally lateral direction of the jack.

7. The communications jack of claim 5, wherein a first of the jackwire contacts crosses over a finger that has a second of the jackwire contacts mounted thereon.

8. The communications jack of claim 1, further comprising a spring that spring biases at least one of the jackwire contacts, the spring being electrically isolated from the at least one of the jackwire contacts.

9. The communications jack of claim 1, wherein each jackwire contact has a first end and a second end, wherein the first end of each jackwire contact is mounted through the flexible printed circuit board, and wherein the second end of at least a subset of the jackwire contacts is also a mounted end.

10. The communications jack of claim 9, wherein the second end of each of the subset of the jackwire contacts is also mounted in the flexible printed circuit board.

11. The communications jack of claim 9, wherein the second end of each of the subset of the jackwire contacts is mounted in a second printed circuit board.

12. The communications jack of claim 1, further comprising at least one spring that spring biases at least one of the jackwire contacts, wherein portions of the flexible printed circuit board are cantilevered and move in response to movement of the jackwire contacts.

13. A communications jack, comprising:

a housing having a plug aperture in a front portion thereof;

a flexible printed circuit board having at least a first finger, a second finger, a third finger, a fourth finger, a fifth finger and a sixth finger, the flexible printed circuit board being at least partly within the housing; and

at least a first jackwire contact, a second jackwire contact, a third jackwire contact, a fourth jackwire contact, a fifth jackwire contact, a sixth jackwire contact, a seventh jackwire contact and an eighth jackwire contact, wherein each of the first through eighth jackwire contacts has a first end that is mounted in one of the first through sixth fingers.

14. The communications jack of claim 13, wherein the first and second jackwire contacts are each part of a first differential communications path through the jack and the third jackwire contact is part of a second differential communications path through the jack, and wherein the first and third jackwire contacts are mounted on the first finger.

15. The communications jack of claim 14, wherein the jackwire contacts are generally aligned in a lateral direction of the jack, and wherein the second jackwire contact is between the first jackwire contact and the third jackwire contact.

16. A communications jack, comprising:

a housing having a plug aperture in a front portion thereof;

a flexible printed circuit board that is at least partly within the housing;

a plurality of jackwire contacts that each have a first end that is mounted through and electrically connected to the flexible printed circuit board; and

a spring system that is separate from the jackwire contacts that spring biases the jackwire contacts,

wherein portions of the flexible printed circuit board move in response to movement of the jackwire contacts.

17. The communications jack of claim 16, further comprising a plurality of dielectric contact carriers that are interposed between the jackwire contacts and the spring system.

18. The communications jack of claim 16, wherein at least some of the jackwire contacts are mounted on respective ones of a plurality of cantilevered fingers that are formed in the flexible printed circuit board.

19. The communications jack of claim 16, wherein at least some of the jackwire contacts are not mounted as cantilevered jackwire contacts.

20. The communications jack of claim 16, wherein the spring system is electrically isolated from the jackwire contacts.