Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

3M Innovative Properties Company

3M Innovative Properties

George J Knox

William D McKittrick

Martin G Afflerbaugh

James Francis Brennan, Iii

Kenneth D Rebers

Daniel F Cronch

Lazlo Markos

Franklin S Sanders, Jr

A temperature stabilization package comprises a hollow external housing of a thermally insulating material. The hollow external housing includes a holder and a lid to cover the holder. The holder includes a floor having at least one projection and a separating wall around the projection. An internal surface of the lid has at least one post formed therein. The housing surrounds a container that includes a base and a cover over the base to form an internal cavity inside the container. An outer face of the base has at least one lower socket. The cover includes at least one upper collar so that the container may be coupled inside the hollow external housing by engagement of a lower socket with a projection and an upper collar with a post to hold the container substantially surrounded by, but spaced from, the wall and the hollow external housing. The internal cavity maintains a substantially uniform region of temperature therein, shielded from unstable thermal conditions outside the hollow external housing of the temperature stabilization package.

Temperature stabilized optical fiber package

A threaded fastener retention device includes a housing having a retainer aperture formed therein and tab retainers adjacent the aperture. A resilient retainer is movably mounted in the aperture. The retainer includes a body having tabs for engaging the tab retainers and fastener gripping members for engaging the threads of the fastener and retaining the fastener in the housing.

Movable retention device for a threaded fastener

A cross connect system for telecommunication wires reduces the required time to install and effect cross connections if the wire connections are made by hand and changes are made between circuits by unplugging a modular plug and plugging it in at a different position. The connector of the present invention has a terminal block accepting a plurality of plugs connected each to a pair of wires and the plugs fit onto the terminal block or can be stacked on each other for half tapping, testing or transferring. Protected plugs may be provided having overvoltage protection circuits, and jumper plugs may be stacked onto such protected plugs.

Cross connect system for telecommunications systems

A cross-connect connector for telecommunication systems reduces the required time to install and effect cross-connections if the wire connections are made by hand and changes are made between circuits by unplugging a modular plug and pluggng it in at a different position. The connector of the present invention has a terminal block accepting a plurality of plugs connected each to a pair of wires and the plugs fit onto the terminal block or can be stacked on each other for half tapping, testing or transferring.

A wire connector having a base and cap, and the base and cap are provided with interfitting tapered keys and keyways to retain the cap in place on the base member and help maintain the cap on the base by the interfit between the walls of keys with the converging walls of the keyways.

Solderless electrical connector

An electrical connector formed of a polyolefin is more compliant than the connectors formed of polycarbonate and therefor the cap and base are formed with interlocking wedging elements to resist separation of the cap from the base prior to closing the connector onto a plurality of wires for making a connection therebetween.

A solderless electrical connector formed of a polyolefin is formed with the same integrity as with harder polymeric materials when used with a connecting member of ductile material having a clearance slot between the wire receiving grooves and when formed to force the supporting cap into tight engagement with the inside surfaces of walls forming the base cap receiving cavity. The connecting member includes a passage for encapsulant to pass through the plate members.

Growing community of inventors

Austin, TX, United States of America

George J Knox