Switchcraft, Inc.

Allen-Bradley Company, LLC

Eric L Long

James R Bailey

Gary C Fillus

Michael S Baran

Kenneth L Paape

Keith A Rosborough

Anton Brey

A fiber optic connector comprising a coupling shell encircling a glass end portion of a bushing disposed axially within an encircling ferrule having an end portion extended axially out of the shell and terminating in a dish-shaped end surface provided with a central aperture through which an optical fiber element extending axially through the glass end portion of the bushing and the ferrule protrudes to terminate at a planar end surface spaced axially from the aperture, the dish-shaped end surface being curved concavely and continuously from the aperture radially to a circular rim which is spaced a greater axial distance from the aperture than the planar end surface of the optical fiber element. The method of assembling the fiber optic connector onto the optical fiber element including the steps of securing the glass end portion of the bushing to a body portion thereof with bonding material insensitive to ultraviolet light and securing the optical fiber element to the glass end portion with bonding material sensitive to ultraviolet light. A fiber optic junction assembly comprising two of the fiber optic connectors having the circular rims of their respective dish-shaped end surfaces disposed in abutting relationship and forming a biconvex enclosure wherein the planar end surfaces of the respective optical fiber elements are disposed in axial spaced alignment with one another.

Fiber optic connector and method of assembly

An electrical connector having strain relief and integral means for clamping and manually unclamping an electrical cord. The connector includes a housing having a compartment, disposed within a forward portion of the housing, for receiving an electrical device. An array of ratchet teeth is disposed rearward of the forward portion and is disposed circumferentially about an inner wall portion of the compartment. An inner wall portion of the housing disposed between the array of ratchet teeth and a rear entrance aperture of the housing has formed therein a circumferential groove. A member inserted into the housing has a cord clamping component integrally connected to a strain relief component through a bushing component. The bushing component has a pawl engageable with the array of ratchet teeth to provide a ratchet. The cord clamping component has a distal end rotatably fixed relative to the housing adjacent the compartment; a proximal end connected to the bushing and rotatably disposed within the groove; and, a helical spring-like element disposed between the distal end and the proximal end for providing radially compressive forces to portions of an electrical cord passing therethrough, such cord being electrically connected to the electrical device, passing through the bushing, and exiting the electrical connector while passing through the strain relief component. The bushing includes means for manually releasing the cord clamping component.

Cord strain relief device

An optical fiber cleaving tool comprising a base supporting a sled which is biased to carry an optical fiber clamp thereon away from an inner surface of an orthogonal end wall having extending through it in alignment with the clamp an aperture disposed to receive a fiber optic connector end portion. The connector has a terminal end surface provided with a central aperture through which an optical fiber end portion extends to the clamp on the sled for axial tensioning. Aligned with the aperture in the wall is a recess having an end surface chordally disposed with respect to the aperture for abutting engagement with the terminal end surface of the connector and serving as a reference plane. A cutter rotatably mounted above the recess end surface has a peripheral portion from which protrudes resiliently a diamond-tipped end portion of a wafer-like blade which is slidably disposed in a slot extending diametrically of the disc and having a thickness greater than the thickness of the blade. A leaf spring overlying the slot has a flexible end portion bearing against an underlying ball which presses resiliently on the wafer-like blade in the slot to urge it laterally into resilient contacting relationship with the terminal end surface of the connector for nicking the optical fiber at a transverse plane disposed in predetermined positional relationship with the terminal end surface of the connector.

Tool and method for cleaving optical fibers

A housing for panel mountable modules and comprising a base having dependent therefrom yieldable support pedestals disposed for pressing resiliently against an adjacent surface of a panel and latching projections disposed for engaging an opposing surface of the panel and, in cooperation with the support pedestals, locking the thickness of the panel therebetween.

Panel mountable module housing

A fiber optic connector assembly comprising a tubular coupling device having an end portion disposed for encircling an end portion of a fiber optic cable, and a slidable apertured spacer axially disposed within the coupling device. The spacer has a central aperture disposed for alignment with a polished end surface of a filamentary light conductor in the cable, and has an annular surface encircling the aperture for abutting an end surface of an opaque sheath encircling the light conductor.

Fiber optic connector assembly with slidable spacer

An electrical switch is provided with a switch operator having a resilient pad on its distal end, the operator being mounted for axial movement in an operator housing to actuate contacts deposited in a double spiral pattern on a substrate coupled to the operator housing. The operator tip is moved first to contact the front side of a flexible membrane which is separated from the contacts by a spacer. The operator pad is then moved further to deflect the membrane and close the gap formed between the shorting patch and the switch contacts, the travel of the operator and the action of the pad providing a sensation of feel to the user. The switch is constructed in single units and in arrays.

Industrial membrane switch

An electrical switch is provided with a switch operator having a resilient pad on its distal end, the operator being mounted for axial movement in an operator housing to actuate contacts deposited in a double spiral pattern on a substrate coupled to the operator housing. The operator tip is moved first to contact the front side of a flexible membrane which has a conductive shorting patch on its back side, and which is separated from the contacts by a spacer. The operator pad is then moved further to deflect the membrane and close the gap formed between the shorting patch and the switch contacts, the travel of the operator and the action of the pad providing a sensation of feel to the user. The switch is constructed in single units and in arrays, and a lighting circuit is added by forming a bulb socket in the switch operator with spring tipped contact members that engage lighting terminals in an individual switch on lighting contact areas on the front side of a membrane used in the array.

Illuminated industrial membrane switch

A push button switch has an operator that is mounted for axial movement within a bezel towards its exit end. A contact assembly is disposed across the exit of the bezel. The contact assembly includes a pair of termination areas formed on a substrate and a shorting patch disposed on a flexible membrane, the shorting patch being separated from the termination areas by a spacer to provide a switch air gap. A second spacer is disposed on the other side of the substrate and forms an air reservoir that communicates with the switch air gap through an aperture in the substrate. When the operator is moved against the membrane to close the switch air gap, air is circulated into the air reservoir increasing the pressure therein, and returns to break the contact of the termination areas with the shorting patch when the operator is retracted.

Growing community of inventors

Northbrook, IL, United States of America

Eric L Long