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:
Jan. 08, 2002
Filed:
Dec. 17, 1998
James L. Kraft, York, PA (US);
Steelcase Development Corporation, Caledonia, MI (US);
Abstract
A modular communications cable assembly comprises first and second connectors, each having an elongated array of electrical contacts, and high-speed (e.g., data) and low-speed (e.g., voice) twisted wire pairs extending between the first and second connectors and terminated to the electrical contacts. Electrical contacts are skipped (or left empty) between the high-speed wire pairs to reduce cross-talk., but no electrical contacts are skipped between the low-speed wire pairs. An electrically conductive member with pins may be used to electrically couple the skipped contacts together to further reduce cross-talk. In another aspect, a modular communications cable assembly provides a plurality of communication circuits to a cluster of workstations. The cable assembly comprises an upstream connector and at least one downstream connector, with a plurality of high-speed cable segments and at least one low-speed cable segment extending between the upstream and downstream connectors. Each high-speed cable segment contains a set of twisted wire pairs for high-speed communication, and the at least one low-speed cable segment provides a plurality of sets of twisted wire pairs for low-speed communication. Each communication circuit comprises one set of twisted pairs from the high-speed cable segments and one set of twisted pairs from the at least one low-speed cable segment. Colors are used to facilitate the proper joining of cable assemblies, e.g., black connectors are joined to red connectors. A circuit breakout assembly (FIG. 13) is used and includes a body, an in-feed connector and a plurality of breakout connectors for providing communication circuits to a cluster of workstations.