Connector with removable socket elements

Claim 2

A connector (10), characterised by a shell (16) with a hollow end portion (20) and an end (18); an insulator (22) lying within said shell (16) and having a first face (28) lying closest to said shell hollow end portion (20); a plurality of elongated pin contacts (30) fixed in place in said insulator (22), each pin contact (30) having an end (34) that projects from said insulator face (28) and into laid shell hollow end portion (20); a plurality of socket modules (42), each having first and second opposite ends (44, 46) each end forming a pin-receivable socket contact, the first end (44) of each socket module (42) receiving and contacting the end (34) of a corresponding one of said plurality of pin contacts (30), and the second end (46) of each socket module (42) facing away from the first end (44) to receive in use of said connector a pin contact (82) of another connector, both ends (44, 46) of each socket module (42) lying substantially within said shell hollow end portion (20) to form part of the connector (10); and retaining means (52) fastened in said shell (16) for retaining said socket modules (42) securely in said shell hollow end portion (20) so they are not pulled out therefrom in use of said connector (10).

Claim 3

A connector as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that said retaining means (52) is removably fastened in said hollow shell end portion (20) so it can be removed from the shell (16) to enable removal of said socket modules (42).

Claim 4

A connector as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, characterised in that said retaining means (52) includes a retainer insulator (52) having an inner end (56) facing said first face (28) of said insulator (22) and a second outer end (58), said retainer insulator (52) having a plurality of through holes (60) extending between its ends (56, 58), said through holes (60) being of greater diameter than said socket modules (42) at locations extending from said inner ends (56) of said through holes (60) and along most of their length to receive said socket modules (42), but said through holes being narrower than said socket modules near said outer ends (58) of said retainer insulator (52), whereby the socket modules (42) can be loaded in the retainer insulator holes and pressed all together onto the ends (34) of the pin contacts.

Claim 5

A connector as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that said retaining means (52) holds the second ends (46) of said socket modules (42) so they can move in lateral directions that are perpendicular to the lengths of the pin contacts (34) by at least about 3% of their outside width.

Claim 6

A connector as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that each socket module (42) includes an elongated t body (70) extending along a predetermined axis (72), said body (70) having a largely cylindrical middle (74) of a first outside radius, opposite intermediate largely cylindrical portions (102, 104) extending in opposite directions from the middle (74) and having a second outside radius that is less than said first radius, and opposite end portions (76, 78) extending from said intermediate portions (102, 104), each end portion (76, 78) having a smaller outside radius than said second radius and each end portion being of arcuate shape but extending by less than a full circle about said axis (72); a pair of springs (84), each extending outside a respective one of said end portions (76, 78) and having at least one pin-engaging region (88, 90) lying on a side of said axis (72) that is generally opposite a body end portion (76, 78) to press a pin contact (72, 82) towards the inside surface (80) of the end portion (76, 78); and a pair of largely cylindrical hoods (92) surrounding said end portions (76, 78) of said body (70) and said springs (84), each hood (92) having an inner end (94) surrounding and in interference fit with the respective intermediate portion (102, 104) of the body (70) and an outer end (96) that is of reduced inside diameter to prevent the loss of the respective spring (84) therethrough.

Claim 7

A connector as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said shell end (18) comprises a respective shell hollow end portion, the connector (10) including a pin holding assembly (21) which includes said insulator (22) and a pair of metal end plates (25, 27) which each have a face (26, 28) that lies at a respective hollow end portion (18, 20) of the shell (16); and each socket module (42) has an internal abutting surface (112) that abuts a tip of the respective projecting pin contact end (30T), each pin contact end (30T) projects a distance P from a corresponding face (28) of the respective metal end plate, where P is greater than the distance D between the abutting surface (112) of the socket module (42) and the first end (44) of the socket module (42), whereby to maintain the first end (44) of the socket module away from the face (28) of the metal end plate (27).

Claim 8

A connector (10) characterised by a largely cylindrical shell (16) having hollow first and second opposite end portions (20, 18); a plurality of parallel pin contacts (30) extending between said end portions (18, 20), said pin contacts (30) arranged in a predetermined pattern as seen from an end of said shell (16); pin holding means (22) fixing said pins (30) in position in said shell (16) and electrically isolating them from each other, each pin contact (30) having an end (32) extending into said hollow first end portion (20) of said shell (16); a plurality of socket modules (42), each having opposite ends (44, 46) forming pin-receiving holes, each module (42) having means for connecting a pair of pins (30, 82) received in its opposite holes; and a retainer (52) constructed of insulative material and formed to fit into said first end portion (20) of said shell, said retainer (52) having a plurality of through holes (60) with inner and outer ends (56, 58) arranged in the same pattern as said pin contacts (30), each hole (60) having a greater inside width than the outside of said socket modules (42) - to receive them therein from the inner end (56) of the hole (60) and along most of the hole length, but each retainer hole having a constriction (64) near its outer end (58) which prevents the passage of a socket module (42) whilst allowing passing a pin contact (82) of another connector; each socket module (42) lying in a retainer hole (60), said retainer (52) lying in said first end portion (20) of said shell, and each socket module (42) receiving an end (34) of one of said pin contacts (30).

Claim 9

A connector (10) characterised by a largely cylindrical shell (16) having hollow first and second opposite end portions (20, 18); a plurality of parallel pin contacts (30) extending between said end portions (18, 20), said pin contacts (30) arranged in a predetermined pattern as seen from an end of said shell (16); pin holding means (22) fixing said pins (30) in position in said shell (16) and electrically isolating them from each other, each pin contact (30) having an end (32) extending into said hollow first end portion (20) of said shell (16); a plurality of socket modules (42), each having opposite ends (44, 46) forming pin-receiving holes, each module (42) having means for connecting a pair of pins (30, 82) received in its opposite holes; and a retainer (52) constructed of insulative material and formed to fit into said first end portion (20) of said shell, said retainer (52) having a plurality of through holes (60) with inner and outer ends (56, 58) arranged in the same pattern as said pin contacts (30), each hole (60) having a greater inside width than the outside of said socket modules (42) - to receive them therein from the inner end (56) of the hole (60) and along most of the hole length, but each retainer hole having a constriction (64) near its outer end (58) which prevents the passage of a socket module (42) whilst allowing passing a pin contact (82) of another connector; each socket module (42) lying in a retainer hole (60), said retainer (52) lying in said first end portion (20) of said shell, and each socket module (42) receiving an end (34) of one of said pin contacts (30).

Claim 10

A connector as claimed in claim 7, characterised in that said retainer (52) lies substantially completely within said first shell end portion (20) and has substantially no protrusion therefrom.

Claim 11

A socket module apparatus (42), characterised by a body (70) extending along a predetermined axis (72), said body having a middle (74), and said body having a pair of opposite end portions (76, 78) of arcuate shape and extending by less than a circle around said axis (72), said body middle (74) having a pair of intermediate surface portions (102, 104) each having a largely cylindrical outside surface; a pair of largely cylindrical hollow hoods (92), each having an inner end surrounding one of said intermediate surface portions (102, 104) of said body (70), and each hood (92) having an outer end (96) of reduced inside diameter and lying beyond the end of a body end portion (76, 78); and a pair of springs (84), each spring (84) having a first side (86) trapped between a respective one of said arcuate end portions (76, 78) and the respective hood (92), and each spring (84) having a second side (88, 90) spaced from and lying largely opposite said arcuate end portion and serving in use to press a pin contact (30, 82) against the arcuate end portion (76, 78), said reduced inside diameter end (96) of each hood (92) being small enough to prevent passage of a corresponding spring (84) but large enough to pass the pin contact (30, 82) in use of the socket module.

Claim 12

A socket module apparatus (42), characterised by a body (70) extending along a predetermined axis (72), said body having a middle (74), and said body having a pair of opposite end portions (76, 78) of arcuate shape and extending by less than a circle around said axis (72), said body middle (74) having a pair of intermediate surface portions (102, 104) each having a largely cylindrical outside surface; a pair of largely cylindrical hollow hoods (92), each having an inner end surrounding one of said intermediate surface portions (102, 104) of said body (70), and each hood (92) having an outer end (96) of reduced inside diameter and lying beyond the end of a body end portion (76, 78); and a pair of springs (84), each spring (84) having a first side (86) trapped between a respective one of said arcuate end portions (76, 78) and the respective hood (92), and each spring (84) having a second side (88, 90) spaced from and lying largely opposite said arcuate end portion and serving in use to press a pin contact (30, 82) against the arcuate end portion (76, 78), said reduced inside diameter end (96) of each hood (92) being small enough to prevent passage of a corresponding spring (84) but large enough to pass the pin contact (30, 82) in use of the socket module.

Claim 13

A socket module apparatus as claimed in claim 9 in combination with a connector characterised by a shell (16) with a middle (22) and a hollow end portion (20), and a plurality of pin contacts (30) projecting from said middle (22) into said end portion (20); a retainer (52) which can fit into said hollow end portion (20), said retainer (20) having inner and outer opposite faces (56, 58) and having a plurality of elongated holes (60) extending between said inner and outer faces (56, 58); a plurality of additional socket modules (42) which are substantially the same as the first mentioned socket module, each of said socket modules (42) being formed to receive a respective one of said pin contacts (30) at a first end of the body thereof; said holes in said retainer (60) being wide enough along most of their length, from said inner face (56) to a location spaced from said outer face (58), to receive said socket modules (42), but said holes being of reduced width (64) near said outer face (58) to prevent the passage of said socket modules (42); said socket modules (42) lying in said retainer holes (60), said retainer (52) lying in said hollow end portion (20) of said shell (16), and said pin contacts (30) lying in one end of each socket module (42).

Claim 14

A socket module apparatus as claimed in claim 9, characterised in that the inner end (94) of each hood (92) is in interference fit with the outside of a corresponding intermediate surface portion (102, 104), but is free of welding,thereto, so the hood (92) can be removed to remove the corresponding spring.

Claim 15

A socket module apparatus as claimed in claim 9, characterised in that said body (70) has a greatest diameter portion (74) of greater diameter than said intermediate portion (102, 104) and lying between them, and the inner end (94) of each hood (92) substantially abuts (106) said greatest diameter portion (74), whereby to limit the insertion distance of the hood (92).