Virginia Plastics Company, Inc.

Charles E Hall

Stephen B Bogese, Ii

An improved modular plug which permits a normal 6-position plug to accommodate 8 conductors, and a normal 8-position plug to accommodate 10 conductors, without increasing the overall outer width thereby remaining in compliance with FCC regulations. A pair of grooves are formed into the side walls of the cable-receiving cavity to accommodate the extra conductors.

Capacity modular plug

An electrical connector incorporates a ground strap conductor that more efficiently grounds the shield of a multi-conductor shielded cable. The ground strap conductor at one end includes a spring contact portion which is indistinguishable structurally and functionally from the spring contact portions of the normal conductors of the connector. The other end of the ground strap conductor is of greatly increased surface area in order to provide a wide, short path to ground for the high frequency EMI and high voltage spikes. Several different embodiments for terminating the ground strap are disclosed, and the invention is particularly designed, although not limited to, use with telephone-type modular jacks and modular shielded cables terminated in telephone-type modular plugs.

Electrical connector with integral ground strap for shielded cable

A low profile, wide body modular plug and a multi-conductor shielded cable for termination therein and use with a low profile modular jack adapted to be mounted on a printed circuit board in a closely-spaced array. The low profile design of the plug features latching arms mounted on the outer side walls which mate with cooperating shoulders formed on the inner side walls of the jack. The plug preferably includes a flip-top door formed in the bottom wall thereof for permitting greater accessibility to the internal cable-receiving cavity of the plug. The flip-top door preferably includes a plurality of cable-engaging projections for increasing the pull-out or retention force of the cable and plug assembly. The plug is particularly designed to receive a multi-conductor shielded cable which includes three round shielded wire assemblies arranged in a planar array within an outer encapsulating jacket. Each shielded wire assembly includes a central filler surrounded by a single layer of insulated wires which are, in turn, wrapped within an outer conductive shield of foil layers or the like. One of the shielded wire assemblies includes an uninsulated ground wire located in the outer layer which serves to effectively shield each of the wire assemblies. In a preferred embodiment, up to 29 insulated conductors can be effectively shielded by a single uninsulated ground wire.

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Shawsville, VA, United States of America

Charles E Hall