Northern Telecom Limited

Nortel Networks Corporation

Northern Electric Company Limited

Pak-Jong Chu

Mark J Sonderegger

Michael Brown

John S Moss

Geoffrey A Collar

Jacques Marcel Audette

Bruce Irwin Dolan

Paul Douglas McDonald

Anthony J Langenberg

Stanley A Croft

Brian E Voss

Cornelis Wilfred Reedyk

Lightpipe

The present invention relates to an improved faceplate used in a connector assembly for electrical, electronic and optical applications. The faceplate has a staggered profile from the leading end to the trailing end, thereby providing a row of mating surfaces. Each successive mating surface being lower than the preceding one. At least one internal connector is disposed on each mating surface. The rear of each internal connector is connected to electrical, electronic or optical equipment. Respective external mating connectors mate with the front of each respective internal connector in a mating direction towards the faceplate. A cable is secured to each external mating connector and extends generally perpendicular with respect to the mating direction and towards the trailing end of the faceplate. The staggered profile accommodates or at least partly accommodates the cables secured to the external mating connectors.

Staggered Faceplate

An electronic device is formed with a casing which houses a printed circuit board carrying a surface mounted switch. The casing has a hole through which a push-button portion of a switch actuator projects for operation by the thumb of a user. Because of design considerations the push-button portion has to be located approximately on the same plane as the printed circuit board. Accordingly the actuator has to be designed to convert inward motion of the push-button to motion in a direction perpendicular to the push-button motion so as to operate the switch. This is achieved by forming the actuator as a hook having a free end for engaging the switch and another end joined to the push-button and formed as a pivot.

Side operated key actuator

A cabinet for holding modules containing printed circuit boards and components within a module casing so that the modules are easily installed and removed. The cabinet, which is intended for mounting on a vertical surface, has a base with a transversely extending hinge pin mounted thereto, spaced outwardly from the base. Each module has on its lower end edge, adjacent its inner edge, a hinge pin receiving slot. A plurality of vertically oriented guiding walls extend outwardly from the base, and adjacent walls are spaced apart by a distance slightly greater than the thickness of a module to position a module being installed in a transverse direction. A guiding rib is located between each adjacent pair of guiding walls and extends outwardly from the base by a distance slightly less than the distance the hinge pin is spaced from the base whereby a module being installed is placed between appropriate guiding walls with the module corner defined by the inner edge and the lower end edge against the respective guiding rib. The module is then moved downwardly until the hinge pin receiving slot receives the hinge pin. The module is then rotated about the hinge pin like a lever until contacts on the module inner edge, which are connected with the circuitry on the printed circuit board therein, engage with contact members mounted on the base, which may be connected to external circuitry.

Expandable modular switching unit

A telephone hook switch uses an elastomeric member as the contact making member. A hook switch has a pivotally mounted actuating member having two levers extending in opposite directions, one on each side of the pivot axis. One lever is moved by the positioning, and removal, of a handset, the actuating member being biased to a particular pivotal direction. The other lever presses on a deformable projection in the elastomeric member. Depression of the projection causes an electrically conducting layer to move into contact with contact areas of a switch position on a printed circuit board.

Telephone hook switch with elastomeric contact member

A circuit pattern on a circuit board, as used in telecommunications systems and other electrical apparatus, often has contact positions for switches, such as pushbutton switches, and for other purposes. The normal copper circuit pattern is covered at the contact positions to give improved contact conditions. Carbon ink has been proposed by obtaining the necessary high level of alignment of carbon ink with the copper pattern at contact positions is difficult as such contact positions have very close members. The invention proposes contact positions having closely spaced inter-digital contact members, in which the circuit pattern extends to and stops at the peripheral region of a contact position, the contact members being of carbon ink and overlapping conductors of the circuit pattern at the peripheral region.

Circuit board with contact positions, as used for telecommunications

A switch using one or more flexible circuit members provides for rolling contact between circuit members. One circuit member is attached to and wraps round a roller, and the other circuit member, which may be flexible or rigid is supported so that as the roller rotates it rolls, the circuit member attached to the roller changing its contact position with the other circuit member. Conductive patterns on the circuit members are moved into contact and out of contact with each other and can provide varying forms of switching arrangements, for example, normally made to break, normally broken to make, and transfer. Electronic devices can be mounted on either or both circuit members.

Rotary switch using a flexible circuit member

A latching lever for aiding insertion, retention and removal of PCB's is pivoted on a PCB and has an operating handle, a pair of arms which straddle the PCB and latch the PCB within the frame when fully inserted, and a camming piece which pivotably engages the frame to permit the PCB to be levered into and out of the frame. An effective, simple latch mechanism is provided by domed pips on the legs which engage in a hole through the PCB.

Latching lever for printed circuit boards

A multiple cantilever spring contact switch has contact members stacked both vertically and side-by-side. The contact members are gripped at one end between surfaces which impose a predetermined inclination of the contact members relative to a base. A pivotally mounted lever on the contact assembly actuates the contact members and can also serve as a member which is actuated by a telephone handset. No specific spring is provided for the lever, the lever being biased by the spring contact members.

Multiple cantilever spring contact switch

A multiple cantilever spring contact switch has a plurality of cantilever spring contacts, arranged in one or more series with the spring contacts of a series each clamped at one end in grooves which have base surfaces inclined relative to each other. By this means, predetermined angular inclinations are imposed on the spring contacts, urging the contacts into a correct positional relationship. Particularly the individual contact members are positioned side-by-side at their clamping positions, the free ends of one or more contact members extended laterally to overlie each other. In another arrangement two or more contacts can be stacked, with a spacer member between adjacent contacts, the spacer member having one or more of said grooves.

Two rigid bodies are hinged together by a pair of elastomer hinge elements each of which is fixed within one body and rotatably mounted relative to the other body. At the rotary mounting, the elastomer material is stressed by interengagement with the other body to produce reproducible bearing friction. Properties of the elastomer material are selected to adapt the material for the hinge function; the elastomer element is readily replaceable without the need to replace the rigid bodies.

Hinge having reproducible bearing friction

A multiple contact switch has a plurality of contact areas spaced across a base member, a plurality of cantilevered spring contact members mounted side-by-side on the base member with contact portions overlying the contact areas, and a rotary cam member extending over the spring contact members to push the contact members down to make contact. A cam surface is provided for each contact member. The cam member is actuated by a remove actuating member and in a line switch for a telephone set, the switch can be mounted on the base of the telephone set with the cam actuated by a flexible cable which in turn is actuated by means depressed when a hand set is replaced.

Multiple contact switch

A pushbutton dial has a cover, a back member and a circuit member assembled in a sandwich formation, the cover supporting a plurality of pushbuttons arranged in columns and rows. Longitudinal and transverse shafts are mounted between, the cover and back member, actuation of a pushbutton rotating a unique pair of longitudinal and transverse shafts. Frequency contacts are mounted on the back surface of the circuit member - usually a printed circuit board - and are actuated by pins passing through the back member and the circuit member one end of each pin in engagement with one set of frequency contacts and the other end of each pin in contact with a lever on one of the longitudinal shafts or one of the transverse shafts. The dial can also be provided with a new form of common switch comprising a series of cantilevered spring contacts mounted side by side and actuated by a cam member in a predetermined sequence.

Pushbutton dials

A push button switch has a spring contact plate and a circuit board in superposed position. The spring contact plate has one or more switch positions, each switch position comprising a prestressed domed portion surrounded by a flat sheet portion. The domed portion includes a central portion and radial webs connecting the central portion to the flat sheet portion. Spring contacts extend radially from the central portion, each contact between a pair of webs. The domed portion is prestressed to assume a stable position offset upwards from a plane coincident with the flat sheet portion, and the webs each have an upwardly bent portion at the junction with the flat sheet portion. A push button acts on the central portion and pressure on the push button causes the central portion to snap through the plane of the flat sheet portion, with the spring contacts contacting contact areas on the circuit board. Release of the push button enables the domed portion to snap back to the stable position.

Multi-contact push-button switch and plural embodiment for keyboard

A push-button switch has a spring contact plate and a circuit board in superposed position. The spring contact plate has one or more switch positions, each switch position comprising a prestressed domed portion surrounded by a common flat sheet portion. The spring contacts of each prestressed dome portion selectively engage peripheral contact areas on the circuit board followed by the central contact portion engaging subsequently with a further fixed central contact area on the circuit board. Accordingly, plural inputs of electronic logic circuits may be preselected prior to simultaneous activation upon subsequent closure of the central contacts at a given switch position. Release of the push button enables the domed portion to snap back to the stable position.

Growing community of inventors

Ottawa, Canada

Pak-Jong Chu