The Whitaker Corporation

Gary D Balon

Keith S Koegel

Reuben E Ney

William E Zelko

Charles A Miller

Mark A Wojcicki

Ira J Wells

A docking connector unit for connecting portable personal computers to various peripheral input/output (I/O) devices such as keyboard, monitor, printer, modem and mouse, comprises, in a first mode, two docking unit assemblies, one of which connects to the I/O ports of a computer, and comprises matching I/O ports and one component of a two-component consolidated electrical connector; the other of which comprises the other component of a two-component consolidated electrical connector, and I/O ports which duplicate the I/O ports of the computer. In a second mode, the first docking unit assembly is in effect permanently installed in the computer, so that the I/O ports of the computer are consolidated as one component of a two-component consolidated electrical connector. In the second mode, the docking connector unit of the invention comprises a component of a two-component consolidated electrical connector to match the component permanently installed in the computer, and I/O ports which substitute for the I/O ports of the computer. In either event, a high-density (at least about 25 conductors per square centimeter) consolidated electrical connector is preferred for use. The device provides for ease of disconnecting a collection of peripheral I/O equipment from a computer, and reconnecting either the same or another similarly configured computer to the same collection of peripheral I/O equipment.

Docking connector unit

A wire organizer (16) comprises, signal wire receiving passages (22), fingers (19) receiving electrical contacts (9) of an electrical connector assembly (6), and each of the passages (22) that receives a signal wire (2) superposes the signal wire (2) over one of the contacts (9) for joined connection of the signal wire (2) to the contact (9).

Connector with wire guiding fixture

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Hershey, PA, United States of America

Gary D Balon