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. 03, 1995
Filed:
Dec. 07, 1993
Benjamin T Speiser, San Francisco, CA (US);
Lloyd N Oliver, Milipitas, CA (US);
3COM Corporation, Santa Clara, CA (US);
Abstract
An adapter and control card system for a digital computer is provided for coupling the digital computer to a selectable choice of communications media. The system includes a general-application host card removably insertable into the digital computer, and a communications-medium-specific adapter card removably insertable into the host card, the host card having a cutout conforming to side and end boundaries of said adapter card, the adapter card fitting within the cutout along a substantially common plane in order to minimize surface height of the adapter card and the host card. Mating connectors, particularly between the adapter card and the host card, form transmission lines taking full advantage of ground pins adjacent to signal-carrying differential pairs shielding the signals with a controlled characteristic impedance. In a specific embodiment, the support structure for the connectors also forms the mechanical support for the adapter card and the host card.