Connector security cover assembly

• US 4,219,693 A
• Filed: 08/10/1978
• Issued: 08/26/1980
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Midwest, LLC
• Original Assignee: Cablevision Products Corp.
• Inventors: French, Terry W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Reynolds, Bruce A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Borchelt, E. F.
• Application Number:
  US05/932,529
• Time in Patent Office: 747 Days
• Field of Search: 174/92, 174/138 F, 174/135, 339/37, 339/39, 339/75 P, 339/80, 339/82, 339/141, 339/208, 138/162, 138/166, 220/4 E, 200/303, 285/419
• US Class Current: 174/135
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4447 with divided shells G02B6/4448 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 15/10 protected by boxes, e.g. by distribution, connection or junction boxes
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 15/113 Boxes split longitudinally in main cable direction
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/081 Bases, casings or covers

Abstract

A pair of identical, semicylindrical shells, each having a latch and a socket, are snapped together around a coaxial cable and connector assembly. The shells are made of comparatively brittle plastic material so that, once snapped together, they cannot be separated without fracture thereof, whereupon the fact of tampering with them is readily apparent.

Claims

1. A connector security cover assembly comprising:

first and second shells, each shell having a socket portion and a latch portion, with the latch portion of the first shell being received and latched in the socket portion of the second shell, and the latch portion of the second shell being received and latched in the socket portion of the first shell, whereby said shells are latched together, said shells having matching edges such that, when latched together, they form a substantially closed chamber;

said cover assembly having at least two apertures at locations on said shell edges at opposite boundaries of said chamber to accomodate conductor means having an axis of symmetry extending through said apertures and in said chamber;

said latch portions having lugs with lug abutments, and said socket portions having retainer abutments abuttingly engaging said lug abutments to latch said shells together;

said lug abutments projecting generally radially inward toward a line extending through said apertures;

said retainer abutments being on retainer bars, there being one such retainer bar in each socket portion, there being an entrance slot between said retainer bar and a wall of said shell at said socket portion,

said lug having a maximum thickness at said abutment thereof sufficient to interfere with said socket portion wall and said bar during insertion of said lug through said slot,

said lug abutments and retainer abutments of said latch and socket portions being entirely inside said chamber after latching, and wall thickness of said shells at said latch and socket portions being greater than elsewhere to preclude resilient deformation sufficient to unlatch said shells whereby said latch portions are immune to unlatching from outside said chamber after said shells are latched together, without destruction of at least part of said cover assembly.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein:

said first and second shells are identical; and

said apertures are formed by notches on opposite walls of each shell, the notch on one wall being smaller than the notch on the other wall thereof, whereby the aperture at one boundary of the chamber is smaller than the aperture at the other boundary, whereby the smaller aperture is adapted to fittingly receive a coaxial electrical cable, and the larger aperture is adapted to fittingly receive part of a coaxial cable connector therein.

3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein:

the material of said shells is such that deformation necessary to effect unlatching is sufficient to break the material.

4. The assembly of claim 3 wherein:

the material is general purpose styrene.

5. The assembly of claim 1 wherein:

the said maximum thickness is greater than the width of said entrance slot.

6. The assembly of claim 5 wherein:

said retainer bar is thinner in a radial direction than in a direction tangent to a circle about said line at said bar, to permit limited resilient widening of said slot to admit said lug, but return to normal position and slot width upon latching, whereupon the lug abutment and retainer bar abutment are in face-to-face abutting relationship.