The Whitaker Corporation

Nathan Ross Fritts

Bret Allen Matz

William John Schnoor

An expansion module for connecting additional communication ports (64) to a hub (10) of a communications network, an enclosure containing additional communication ports (64) on a motherboard (43), a hub receiving portion on an exterior of the enclosure, the hub receiving portion being adapted for mounting to a hub (10) of a communications network, a hub receiving opening (37) in the enclosure, a mating interconnection board (121) connected to the motherboard (43) and facing the hub receiving opening (37), the mating interconnection board (121) being adapted for electrical connection with a card edge connector (45) on the hub (10).

Expansion module for a communcations network

An interconnection mechanism for a communications network is described with communication ports (64) and active circuitry (62) on a motherboard (43), a second motherboard (43) without the active circuitry (62) and on which are mounted additional communication ports (64), and the two motherboards (43) being disconnectedly mated to each other through an interconnect board (42) in a base hub (10) and a mating interconnect board (121) in an expansion module (20) that mates with a card edge connector (45) on the interconnect board (42).

Growing community of inventors

Wake Forest, NC, United States of America

Nathan Ross Fritts