American Telephone and Telegraph, Co.

At&t Information Systems Inc.

Lucent Technologies Inc.

Avaya Technology LLC

At&t Bell Laboratories

Avaya Technologies Corp

Leonard H Drexler

Ronald Lee Wild

Theodore Alan Conorich

William Tracy Spitz

W John Denkmann

Ronald H Guelden

Michael Gregory German

Golam Mabud Choudhury

David Louis Reed

Robert J O'Connor

Reed Scott Brown

Jeffrey Dale Nielson

Frank Phillips Baker, Iii

George R Fox

Richard M Flynn

Herbert C Illium, Jr

William C Hubner, Jr

Dennis W J Curtis

Randall L Blackwood

Deanna S Benedict

An arrangement for retaining wires or cables inside a trough having base wall, and first and second side walls extending generally parallel to one another from the base wall. The arrangement includes one or more pairs of trapezoidal retainer plates supported on the side walls so that each pair of plates are in confronting relation to one another above the trough. Each retainer plate has a base portion, and an end portion forming an outside edge which defines an approximately 45-degree angle with respect to parallel side edges of the plate. The outside edges of each pair of confronting plates form a gap through which wires or cables can be inserted into or withdrawn from the trough. The gap forms an acute angle with respect to the side walls of the trough, so that inserted wires or cables will be retained by each pair of confronting retainer plates.

Cable trough arrangement

A patch panel with reverse cordage exit patch cord incorporates a plurality of jacks, with each of the jacks having a plug-receiving cavity formed therein. The jacks are mounted to the patch panel so that their respective plug-receiving cavities are oriented away from the mounting surface to which the panel is mounted. In a preferred embodiment, the patch panel incorporates patch cords with cordage extending from their respective patch cord plugs in a first direction. Each patch cord plug is adapted to matingly engage a plug-receiving cavity of a patch panel jack when the patch cord plug is inserted into the plug-receiving cavity in the first direction. Thus configured, the cordage of the patch cord is directed toward the mounting surface when the plug of the patch cord engages the plug-receiving cavity of the patch panel.

Patch panel with reverse cordage exit patch cord

A patch panel with patch cord plug keyway incorporates at least one jack. The jack communicates with a transmission medium, such as a cable, with the jack including a plug-receiving cavity and a keyway. The plug-receiving cavity is configured to receive and securely mount the plug of a patch cord so that the transmission medium cooperating with the jack electrically communicates with the patch cord when the plug is in an engaged position. The keyway is formed through the jack and communicates with the plug-receiving cavity. Additionally, the patch cord plug incorporates a key which engages the keyway of the jack. So configured, the key assists a technician in aligning the patch cord plug with the plug-receiving cavity of a jack during patching operations. In a preferred arrangement, they key is formed on a rotatable lever which places the plug in a locking and unlocking orientation.

Patch panel with patch cord plug keyway

A faceplate or console unit for electrical or fiber optic cable connectors. The unit has a base wall with at least one connector opening for mounting a first connector in the opening so that, when mounted, the first connector is accessible to an outside mating connector. A protective hood surrounds a portion of the base wall. The hood extends a determined height above the base wall, and the first connector can be accessed by a mating connector from a direction that is clear of the hood. The hood is arranged to prevent objects near the unit from striking the outside connector and thus causing its connection with the first connector to be interrupted.

Protective console unit for electrical or optical connectors

Disclosed is a patch cord connector and connector block combination which results in low insertion forces and enhanced side-to-side stability for the patch cord connectors. The patch cord connector includes a latch member formed in a portion of one surface of the connector housing, and the connector block includes a series of grooves formed in its housing for receiving the latch.

Connecting block and patch cord combination

An easily assembled connecting block provides interconnection between modular plugs and insulated telephone wires or the like. The connecting block includes: (i) a metallic lead frame comprising a number of flat elongated conductive elements that terminate in closely spaced flat wires at one end thereof, each conductive element terminating in two pairs of insulation-displacing contact fingers at the other end; and (ii) a dielectric block for receiving the closely spaced wires within a jack housing contained therein and for supporting the metallic lead frame. In one embodiment the connectors are an integral part of the lead frame itself and are 'sandwiched' between a pair of dielectric blocks, each block having a plurality of corresponding slots for guiding wires into the region between opposing contact fingers of the connectors.

Wall mounted connecting block

An easily assembled connecting block provides interconnection between modular plugs and insulated telephone wires or the like. The connecting block includes: (i) a metallic lead frame comprising a number of flat elongated conductive elements that terminate in closely spaced flat wires at one end thereof, (ii) an equal number of metallic connectors that electrically couple to the conductive elements of the lead frame and further provide at least two pairs of opposing contact fingers for insulation displacement; and (iii) a dielectric block for receiving the closely spaced wires within a jack housing contained therein and for supporting the metallic lead frame. In one embodiment the connectors are an integral part of the lead frame itself and are 'sandwiched' between a pair of dielectric blocks, each block having a plurality of corresponding slots for guiding wires into the region between opposing contact fingers of the connectors.

Connecting block construction

The connector assembly includes (1) a pair of connectors (300,300') for respectively terminating the individual conductors of a pair of multiconductor cables (200,200') and (2) a pair of adapters (500,600) that are respectively electrically connected to the connectors. The adapters come in different configurations and are user interchangeable to permit connection to external connectors having particular configurations.

Connector assembly

An armored cord has flexibility and tensile strength for securing a telephone handset to a telephone housing. The cord includes an outer armored sheath which is designed for increased flexibility in that it allows the cord to bend readily over small radii. Tensile strength between the handset and housing is provided by an internal cable which absorbs the stress applied to the cord when subjected to unusually large longitudinal forces. The service life of the cord is lengthened, and the number of incidents causing out-of-service conditions is thereby reduced.

Growing community of inventors

Carmel, IN, United States of America

Leonard H Drexler