Tyco Electronics Corporation

Eric James Hopkins

David Donald Erdman

Michael Lawrence Gurreri

Douglas Harold Rohde

David Robert Baechtle

Bryan T Edwards

Jeffrey Dean Shipe

Daniel Daems

Robert C Briggs

Jacob Arie Elenbaas

Antonius Hultermans

Stephen James Miller

Joen Verweyen

Koen Verweyen

Ronald Allan Hileman

Robert Carl Briggs

A method of terminating a fiber in a connector having a front and rear orientation, a housing, a clamping mechanism in the housing, and a ferrule assembly forward of the clamping mechanism and comprising a holder and a ferrule extending from the holder, the method comprising covering the ferrule with a cap, inserting a fiber into the clamping mechanism from the rear of the connector, and while the cap is on the ferrule, actuating the clamping mechanism to secure the fiber to the connector by urging the cap rearward relative to the clamping mechanism.

Protective cover for field-installable connector

A cap for a field-installable optical connector having a front and rear orientation, a housing, an axially-actuated clamping mechanism in the housing, and a ferrule assembly forward of the clamping mechanism and forwardly biased in the housing, the ferrule assembly comprising a holder and a ferrule extending from the holder, the cap comprising a front end defining a cavity for receiving the ferrule and having an outer surface defining at least part of a front-end geometry, a back end defining an opening through which the ferrule is received and a perimeter around the opening, the perimeter configured to contact the holder when the cap is pushed rearward in the housing, the front and back ends being unitary such that any rearward force on the front end is transferred to the back end and through the perimeter to the holder and a retention portion for contacting the housing to secure the cap to the housing.

A connector having a front and back orientation and comprising: (a) a cable having at least a jacket and an optical fiber; (b) a ferrule assembly comprising a rear portion for attachment to said jacket, and a ferrule defining a bore hole for containing said optical fiber; (c) a housing having a front portion configured for mating with a mating structure and a back portion configured for attachment to a boot; (d) a spring biasing said ferrule assembly forward in said housing; and (e) a boot secured to said back portion of said housing and extending rearward around said tight-jacketed cable, said boot having an internal channel large enough to allow axial movement of said ferrule assembly relative to said boot.

Bend limiting boot

A field-installable optical connector for terminating an optical cable, said connector comprising: (a) a housing having a front and back orientation; (b) a rear body attached to the back of said connector housing; (c) a ferrule assembly disposed in said connector housing, said ferrule assembly comprising at least a ferrule adapted for receiving a fiber of said cable, and a clamping mechanism to the rear of said ferrule, said clamping mechanism comprising at least a platform defining a fiber-receiving channel for receiving said fiber, a first member adjacent to the fiber-receiving channel and having at least one cam surface, and a second member having a second cam surface, said first and second cam surfaces cooperating such that relative movement between said first and second members causes said first member to move toward said fiber-receiving channel; (d) an actuator operatively connected to said second member to cause said second member to move relative said first member upon axial movement of said actuator, said actuator having an exposed portion extending rearward from said rear body, said exposed portion adapted to be inserted within a jacket of said cable to secure said jacket to said exposed portion, wherein said actuator and said ferrule assembly move as one unit once said clamping mechanism is actuated by said actuator to secure said fiber therein; and (e) a resilient member disposed between said ferrule and said rear body to urge said ferrule assembly forward.

Connector for tight-jacketed optical fiber cable

A latch protection clip for a connector mounted at an end of a cable and having a latch extending from a connector housing to a distal end includes a clip body having fingers configured to engage the cable directly behind the connector housing to secure the clip body to the cable. The latch protection clip also includes a trigger extending from the clip body. The trigger has a lever arm extending from the clip body and a trigger handle at an end of the lever arm opposite the clip body. The trigger handle has an outer surface and at least one pocket recessed inward from the outer surface. Each pocket is configured to receive the distal end of a corresponding latch. The trigger is configured to actuate the latch in an actuation direction when the trigger handle is deflected toward the connector housing. The pocket restricts lateral movement of the latch in a direction transverse to the actuation direction of the latch.

Latch protection clip for a connector

A network comprising: (a) a plurality of different receptacles for facilitating an optical connection to different information networks requiring different access authorization, each different receptacle coupled to one and only one different information network, each receptacle having an inner surface with a first geometry, the first geometry comprising at least a slot, a certain number of receptacles having different first geometries in which the slots are in different positions; and (b) a plurality of different plugs for coupling with the different receptacles, each plug having a second geometry, the second geometry comprising at least a key in a certain position, the certain number of plugs having different second geometries in which the keys are in different positions, each different first geometry corresponding to one and only one second geometry such that the plugs and receptacles of corresponding first and second geometries are mating pairs.

Connector and receptacle containing a physical security feature

An optical connector which is suitable for connection to jacketed cable includes a housing and a ferrule assembly. The ferrule assembly includes a front portion having a first geometry, and the housing includes a receiving portion having a second geometry that mates with the first geometry to prevent rotation of the ferrule assembly relative to the housing. A spring biases the ferrule assembly forward to assist mating of the first and second geometries.

Connector for jacketed optical fiber cable

An adapter using an electrically-conductive wall within the adapter to channel EMI emissions to ground. In a preferred embodiment, the adapter comprises: (a) an elongated housing having a first and second end and defining a first passageway extending axially from the first end toward the second end, and a second passageway extending axially from the second end toward the first end, each passageway configured to receive an optical connector plug; (b) an electrically-conductive wall traversing the adapter between the first and second passageways, the wall being sized to cover a substantial portion of the opening when the adapter is mounted to the chassis; and (c) at least one portion of the wall extending outside of the housing to electrically couple with the chassis of the computer system when the adapter is mounted to the chassis forming an electrically-conductive path between a point on the wall and the chassis.

EMI shielded adapter for fiber optic connector systems

A modular fiber management system that comprises: (a) a tray defining a set of first ports, a set of second ports, and paths interconnecting at least a portion of the first and second ports, the paths being configured to limit the bend radius of one or more fibers contained therein to no less than the minimum bend radius of the fibers; (b) one or more first connectors and one or more second connectors, each first connector being disposed in a first port, and each second connector being disposed in a second port, each connector having an x, y and z orientation such that the z axis is along the optical axis of the connector; (c) a plurality of fibers interconnecting at least a portion of the first and second connectors and lying in the paths, each fiber having a certain amount of slack between the first connector and the second connector; and (d) wherein each connector is limited in movement along its x y and z axes relative to the tray, each connector being limited in movement along its x and y axes by the port in which it is contained, and each connector being limited in movement along its z axis by the amount of slack in the fiber terminated in the connector.

Growing community of inventors

Liverpool, PA, United States of America

Eric James Hopkins