Optical fibre contact assembly

Claim 1

An optic fiber contact assembly, which can be installed in a connector housing(2)that hascontact holes(14)with each hole having a front end, and each hole being capable of instead holding an electrical contact, the connector housing including a front release retaining clip which can be released from the front of the connector housing to release the contact, the contact holes having front end portions that are substantially free of undercuts, comprising: an outer sleeve(60)with forward and rearward ends which lie within said contact hole(14), and which has a retaining-clip(56) engaging portion which engages the retaining clip to hold the outer sleeve in place, said outer sleeve also having a forward-facing spring abutting surface spaced rearward of the forward end of the sleeve; an optic fiber tube(64)lying within said outer sleeve, and an optic fiber lying within the tube, said optic fiber(66)having a forward end for abutting another optic fiber, said tube having a forward end (68) lying near the forward end of the outer sleeve, said tube having a first reduced diameter portion spaced rearward from its forward end and forming a rearwardly-facing shoulder thereof, and said tube forming a second forwardly facing shoulder spaced rearward of said rearwardly-facing shoulder; a guide sleeve(7 2 ) having a forward portion(74) extending forward of the forward end of said optic fiber tube, said guide sleeve having a plurality of fingers(79)at its rearward end which can spread apart to pass across the forward end of the tube, the rearward ends of said fingers having portions that abut the rearwardly-facing shoulder ( M -) of said tube; a coil spring(86)which lies within said outer sleeve and around said tube, said spring having a rearward end which lies adjacent to said spring-abutting surface(88)of said outer sleeve, and said spring having a forward end which lies adjacent to the rearward end (80) of said guide sleeve and a sprin pre-loading clip (90)which lies about said tube and abuts said second forwardly-facing shouder(92)of said tube and the rearward end(96)of said outer sleeve, said pre-loading clip having a sufficient length to push said outer sleeve far enough forward to compress said spring along its length.

Claim 6

A method for assemblying an optic fiber contact assembly in a contact hole a connector housing, where the housing can be used to hold a front release electrical contact by use of a front release retaining clip in the contact hole, comprising: sliding a tube with an optic fiber therein, forwardly into an outer sleeve, until a forward facing shoulder on the rear portion of the tube substantially abuts a rearward-facing shoulder at the rear portion of the outer sleeve, the tube being long enough so that its forward end, which has a recess, then lies forward of the forward end of the outer sleeve, there being a radial clearance between the sleeve and the tube; installing a coil spring through the forward end of the inner sleeve and around the tube to lie in the clearance space; installing a guide sleeve, which has a rearward end portion forming a plurality of fingers, on the forward end of said tube, including expanding the rearward end portion of the sleeve to pass around the forward end of the tube and snap into the recess therein, the rear end of guide sleeve being positioned to abut the front of the coil spring; moving the tube and guide sleeve rearwardly with respect to the outer sleeve by a predetermined amount that compresses said coil spring; installing a pre-load clip around said tube at a location between said forward-facing shoulder on the tube and said rearward-facing shoulder of said outer sleeve, said clip being long enough tc keep said spring under compression; and installing the outer sleeve, with the tube and optic fiber, guide sleeve, and clip into the rear end of said contact hole and deep into said contact hole until the front release clip engages the outer sleeve.

Claim 7

A method for assemblying an optic fiber contact assembly in a contact hole a connector housing, where the housing can be used to hold a front release electrical contact by use of a front release retaining clip in the contact hole, comprising: sliding a tube with an optic fiber therein, forwardly into an outer sleeve, until a forward facing shoulder on the rear portion of the tube substantially abuts a rearward-facing shoulder at the rear portion of the outer sleeve, the tube being long enough so that its forward end, which has a recess, then lies forward of the forward end of the outer sleeve, there being a radial clearance between the sleeve and the tube; installing a coil spring through the forward end of the inner sleeve and around the tube to lie in the clearance space; installing a guide sleeve, which has a rearward end portion forming a plurality of fingers, on the forward end of said tube, including expanding the rearward end portion of the sleeve to pass around the forward end of the tube and snap into the recess therein, the rear end of guide sleeve being positioned to abut the front of the coil spring; moving the tube and guide sleeve rearwardly with respect to the outer sleeve by a predetermined amount that compresses said coil spring; installing a pre-load clip around said tube at a location between said forward-facing shoulder on the tube and said rearward-facing shoulder of said outer sleeve, said clip being long enough tc keep said spring under compression; and installing the outer sleeve, with the tube and optic fiber, guide sleeve, and clip into the rear end of said contact hole and deep into said contact hole until the front release clip engages the outer sleeve.