Jack assembly

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a jack assembly including a jack mount having a front side and a rear side. The jack mount has top and bottom supports defining a jack receiving region that opens outward toward the front side of the jack mount. A jack of the assembly is adapted to be slidably mounted in the jack receiving region defined between the top and bottom supports of the jack mount. The jack includes a jack body formed of a dielectric material, and a plurality of electrically conductive tip and ring springs. The jack body defines a plurality of bores sized to receive plugs having tip and ring contacts. The tip springs are adapted to make electrical contact with the tip contacts of the plugs when the plugs are inserted within the bores, and the ring springs are adapted to make electrical contact with the ring contacts of the plugs when the plugs are inserted within the bores. When plugs are not mounted within the bores, the tip and ring springs make electrical contact with normal contacts mounted within the jack. The jack assembly also includes a plurality of cross-connect contacts, and a rear interface assembly. The rear interface assembly includes a dielectric support having a first side that faces the jack mount and a second side that faces away from the jack mount. A plurality of rear connectors project outward from the second side of the dielectric support, and a circuit board is positioned between the jack mount and the dielectric support. The circuit board is configured to provide electrical connections between the rear connectors and the tip and ring springs. The circuit board also is configured to provide electrical connections between the cross-connect contacts and the normal contacts. The jack assembly further includes a resilient retaining member connected to one of the jack and the jack mount for securing the jack within the jack mount. The resilient retaining member is moveable between a first position in which the retaining member is adapted to retain the jack within the jack mount, and a second position in which the jack can be inserted into or removed from the jack mount. An electrical interface between the jack and the circuit board is configured such that when the jack is removed from the jack mount, the jack is electrically disconnected from the circuit board.