Switchcraft, Inc.

Other

James R Bailey

Eric L Long

Vernon W Lavigne

Kurt Lutzenberger

John R Herron

Emma Basov

James M Hybl

A phone jack assembly comprising a piggy-back array of two phone jack housings made of moldable dielectric material and having integral walls defining respective axial cavities wherein a phone jack plug may be inserted; and a plurality of pairs of wire terminals extending downwardly from the lower housing of the array for insertion into respective apertures in a connecting device. Each of the wire terminals is recessed within a respective groove molded into the outer side surfaces of the housings and one of each pair has a portion extended into a cavity of one of the housing for electrical engagement with a portion of a phone jack plug inserted into the cavity. Also each of the wire terminals is provided with a laterally bent portion for pressingly engaging side wall surfaces of the respective groove to support the wire terminal when being inserted into or withdrawn from said respective aperture in the connecting device. The lower housing of the array may have an upper surface provided with a ridge which fits snugly into a channel in the lower surface of the overlying housing in the array; and some of the wire terminals recessed in said groove extend over the top surface of the upper housing in the array to aid in holding the housings of the array together as an assembly when being mated to or disconnected from said connector device.

Stacked electrical jacks

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

A support member for apertured supporting surfaces having at least three aligned equally spaced holes or apertures penetrating through said supporting surfaces is provided with means for locking said support member with respect to said supporting surfaces so that the support member will not become disengaged from the supporting surface in ordinary usage.

Support member for apertured supporting surfaces

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 jack having a housing of insulating material with integral walls thereof forming a cavity. A front wall of the housing has an axially extending hollow collar member with a passageway for guiding a stem of a jack plug into the cavity. A plurality of spring contactor electrodes are disposed within the housing cavity and are adapted to engage predetermined portions of the jack plug stem when such stem is inserted into the cavity to establish electrically conductive paths between the contactor electrodes and the portions of the jack plug. An additional electrical contactor, having an aperture formed in a mounting portion thereof, is disposed around the collar member, such mounting portion being disposed outside the housing cavity. The additional electrical contactor has a finger electrode protruding across the front wall into the cavity to electrically contact a portion of the inserted jack stem. With such arrangement, in applications where it is desired to have such contacted portion of the jack plug electrically connected to a conductive mounting panel disposed orthogonal to the axis of the plug, the mounting portion of the electrical contactor is placed in contact with the panel and where such electrical contact to the panel is not desired an insulated washer is used to insulate the contactor from the panel. The additional electrical contactor also has integrally formed spring members for clamping a cover for such cavity to the housing and an electrode adapted for electrically connecting the contactor to a horizontally disposed printed circuit board.

Electrical jack

An audio connector having a stationary member adapted to be mounted on a chassis or panel and a detachable member adapted to be interfitted with said stationary member. The stationary member has a post-like conductive housing disposed within a hollow collar member. The hollow collar member has an intermediate escutcheon plate for mounting the collar member to the chassis or panel. The stationary member has a plurality of female conductive pin receptacles for mating with male pins of the detachable member. The stationary member includes a unitary resilient latch having an elongated tongue-like conductive portion and a pair of conductive wing-like members offset from the elongated conductive portion. The detachable member has a sleeve-like conductive housing with a polarization groove for receiving the elongated conductive portion of the resilient latch and a lip cut through the polarization groove for engaging the conductive wing-like members when the detachable member is interfitted with the stationary member to lock the detachable and stationary members together. The stationary member includes a spring-loaded release mechanism having an elongated conductive lever. When it is desired to separate the detachable and stationary members the spring-loaded release mechanism slides to disengage the wing-like members from the lip. The stationary member is grounded through the mounting means to the chassis or panel and the tongue-like conductive portion is in electrical contact with the detachable member to provide electrical continuity between the detachable and stationary members. The latching system also reduces mechanical vibrations between the interfitted connector members and provides positive latching for the audio connector.

Miniature audio connector

An audio connector comprising the combination of a pair of detachable members, one of such members including a hollow sleeve-like conductive housing and a plurality of male conductive contact pins, the other one of such members having a post-like conductive housing and a plurality of female conductive pin receptacles adapted to mate with the male contact pins. A mechanical latching system including a unitary resilient latch having an elongated tongue-like conductive portion and a pair of conductive wing-like members offset from the elongated conductive portion is mounted on one of the pair of conductive housings. A manually actuated release means is mounted on the latch. The elongated tongue-like portion of the latch is adapted to slide within a polarization groove formed within the other one of the pair of conductive housings, such groove being cut through a lip formed on the inner periphery of the hollow sleeve-like conductive housing. The wing-like members engage the lip to lock the members together until the release means is actuated to disengage the wing-like members from the lip. The tongue-like conductive portion provides electrical continuity between the conductive housings, reduces mechanical vibrations between the pair of members, and provides a keying mechanism for the connector.

An improved electrical slide switch having a housing portion, a slidable actuator within the housing, and a resiliently engageable and removable cap which may itself be the actuator, the actuator having a pair of precisely spaced integral leaflike elements which form a trackway of predetermined length which slide over an integral centrally disposed fixed pin carried by the base, with the pin being adapted to repose at opposite ends of the trackway when terminals within the housing are properly engaged with selected slider elements carried by the actuator.

Slide switch

Pushbuttons which are especially useful in illuminating pushbutton electrical switches are provided which have a hollow housing with an open face and sides extending inwardly from said face to an open rear end wherein said face constitutes a frame in which one or more separate resilient flat sheet-like display inserts or colored filters are mounted.

Pushbutton electrical switches and pushbuttons therefor

Time indicating devices are provided involving a unique arrangement of the structural parts including the housing and the time indicating mechanism, and also in a time indicating device having one or more endless belts carrying indicating means thereon, the provision of a unique structure involving guide members for the belts and the mounting of the time indicating mechanism including guide members on a single rigid base member which is readily removed and re-inserted into the housing.

Time indicating device

An electrical coupler and adapter is provided which is simple to make and can be used for coupling electrical plugs of the tip and ring type and of different sizes either for two-conductor circuits or three-conductor circuits.

Electrical coupler and adapter

The invention provides a modular structure for electrical connections with an integral molded frame wherein a forward portion of the frame has holes to receive electrical conductors and a rearward portion carries one or more electrical contact assemblies, said frame being adapted to fit into the rear of a panel, with or without elimination of screws previously used for panel mounting, and with the elimination of separate sleeves that have to be brazed on the jack frame, thereby reducing manual operations and simplifying manufacture while providing versatile modular components especially useful in telephone switchboards and apparatus, multiplex and microwave systems, television and broadcast equipment and other control panel applications where small size and reliability are prime engineering and operating parameters. Other features are the provision of a new extruded panel, and the provision of a special type of jack sleeve made from a wrapped up stamping.

Structure for electrical connections and panel assembly

The invention provides a time indicating device which contains an endless indicating belt carrying indicating means thereon that define three or more equally spaced segments of said belt, the belt passing beneath a face plate with an elongated opening therein mounted adjacent the belt so that from time to time said indicating means carried by said belt are visible through said opening, the length of said opening substantially corresponding to the length of one of said segments so that when said belt is moved past said opening there will be a moment when one of said segments will appear over the entire length of said opening. The device is especially useful in clocks where a plurality of belts are employed which are driven at different speeds to indicate seconds, minutes, hours or, if desired, additional belts can be used to indicate days, weeks, months or other time periods.

Growing community of inventors

Chicago, IL, United States of America

James R Bailey