Modular jack connector with a flexible laminate capacitor mounted on a

Abstract

A modular jack connector mounted on a main printed circuit board and having a receptacle into which a modular plug of an electronic component is inserted. The connector includes a housing, a first set of contacts arranged in the housing each adapted to engage one of the contacts of the plug, a second set of contacts at least partially arranged in the housing and adapted to engaging the main printed circuit board, contact coupling circuit means for electrically coupling the first and second sets of contacts, a capacitor for providing impedance to high frequency noise and interference and a metallic shield at least partially surrounding the housing and connected to a grounding region on the main printed circuit board. In one embodiment, the capacitor is a flexible laminate assembly including first and second conductive sheet members and an intermediate insulative material. Further, the capacitor has a plurality of folded pleats including a first pleat arranged at one end of the laminate assembly and a second pleat arranged at an opposite end of the laminate assembly. The first conductive sheet member is electrically coupled at the first pleat to the contact coupling circuit means, and the second conductive sheet member is electrically coupled at the second pleat to the metallic shield to thereby ground the first set of contacts through the capacitor. The contact coupling circuit means may include toroidal coil pairs which function separately as either a differential mode filter or a common mode filter.