The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 16, 1984
Filed:
Nov. 19, 1982
Edwin C Hardesty, Perry Hall, MD (US);
AT&T Technologies, Inc., New York, NY (US);
Abstract
A modular tricoupler (30) is provided for interconnecting lengths of inside wiring in series within walls, for example, of customer premises and to a network interface device (42, see FIG. 3B). The tricoupler also includes provisions for receiving a modular plug (31) which terminates a cord (36) that is connected to customer station equipment. The tricoupler includes a housing (80) having first and second generally opposed plug-receiving cavities (82, 83) and a third cavity (87). A plurality of metallic wire-like contact elements (90-90) are disposed in the housing of the tricoupler and maintained spaced apart by partitions (96-96). One end portion of each contact element extends into the second cavity and the other end portion into the third cavity. Blade-like terminals (60-60) of a modular plug which is inserted into the first cavity engage loop portions (131-131) of the contact elements. The loop portion of each is designed and is supported so that the entire loop shifts when engaged by the terminal. This arrangement allows sufficient deflection of the loop portions to develop suitable contact pressure with terminals of plugs inserted into the cavities without causing a permanent deformation of the wire-like contact elements.