Modular jack panel

Claim 2

A modular jack panel comprising a group of uniformly-sized rectangular-shaped modules of molded resin and a supporting channel frame therefor, each said modules having front and rear faces and two pairs of opposed side faces, one pair of side faces being longer than and disposed at generally right angles to the other pair and to said front and rear surfaces, each said modules further having designate openings to receive the bushing of an electrical jack supporting mount when secured to the rear face of said module and provide access for insertion and removal of a jack plug with respect to a jack centered by said mount with the opening, at least one electrical jack supporting mount secured to the rear face of each of said modules and having a bushing disposed in one of said openings, an electrical jack secured to each of said mounts and centered thereby with the adjacent opening, the supporting frame having opposed generally parallel side walls and an intermediate connecting wall with end portions adapted for mounting to a supporting structure, said connecting wall further having a rectangular shaped opening of a length to receive said group of modules when arranged lengthwise of said rectangular opening with their longer sides in juxtaposed relation, the spacing of said sidewalls of the frame being at least as great as the length of said longer sides of the modules and the width of said rectangular opening being less than the said longer sides of the modules, a portion of the intermediate connecting wall of the supporting frame on each side of the rectangular opening therein overhanging a peripheral portion of the modules, each said modules having a peripheral recess along their front face to receive said overhanging portion, said overhanging portions and recessed front faces of the modules having aligned openings through which threaded connector means extend for securing the modules in an aligned side-by-side relation.

Claim 3

A modular jack panel as claimed in claim 1 wherein the designate openings of said modules are rectangularly related pairs, the center-to-center spacing of each said pairs of openings being a constant.

Claim 4

A modular jack panel as claimed in claim 2 wherein the spacing of the center of each opening from the nearest side edge of the front face of the modules is equal to one-half the center-to-center spacing of said paired openings.

Claim 5

A modular jack panel comprising a group of uniformly-sized, rectangular-shaped modules of molded resin and a channel-shaped supporting frame therefor, each said modules having generally parallel flat front and rear faces and two pairs of opposed generally parallel side faces disposed at right angles to each other and to said front and rear surfaces, each said modules further having at least one pair of designate openings therethrough which open through said front and rear faces of the modules to receive a bushing of an electrical connector supporting mount secured to the rear face of said modules and provide access for insertion and removal of a jack plug with respect to an electrical connector centered by said mount with the opening, at least one electrical connector supporting mount secured to the rear face of each of said modules and having a bushing disposed in one of said openings, an electrical coNnector secured to each of said mounts and centered thereby with the adjacent opening, each said pairs of designate openings having a center-to-center spacing corresponding to the center-to-center spacing of every other pair of designate openings of said group of modules, each said designate openings being spaced at a constant distance from the nearest one of the paired side faces of its module, the supporting frame having a pair of opposed parallel side walls and an intermediate connecting wall with end portions adapted for mounting to a supporting structure, said connecting wall having a rectangular shaped opening between said end portions of a length to receive said group of modules when arranged lengthwise of said rectangular opening in juxtaposed relation, the width of said rectangular opening being less than the length of the side faces of the modules which extend transversely thereof and centered between the sidewalls of the frame such that a longitudinal portion of the frame connecting wall overlies opposite edge portions of the front face of the modules, said overlying portions of the frame and portions of the front face of the modules having aligned openings through which threaded connector means extend for securing the modules to said frame in an aligned side-by-side relation.

Claim 6

A modular jack panel comprising a group of uniformly-sized, rectangular-shaped modules of molded resin and a channel-shaped supporting frame therefor, each said modules having generally parallel flat front and rear faces and two pairs of opposed generally parallel side faces disposed at right angles to each other and to said front and rear surfaces, each said modules further having at least one pair of designate openings therethrough which open through said front and rear faces of the modules to receive a bushing of an electrical connector supporting mount secured to the rear face of said modules and provide access for insertion and removal of a jack plug with respect to an electrical connector centered by said mount with the opening, at least one electrical connector supporting mount secured to the rear face of each of said modules and having a bushing disposed in one of said openings, an electrical coNnector secured to each of said mounts and centered thereby with the adjacent opening, each said pairs of designate openings having a center-to-center spacing corresponding to the center-to-center spacing of every other pair of designate openings of said group of modules, each said designate openings being spaced at a constant distance from the nearest one of the paired side faces of its module, the supporting frame having a pair of opposed parallel side walls and an intermediate connecting wall with end portions adapted for mounting to a supporting structure, said connecting wall having a rectangular shaped opening between said end portions of a length to receive said group of modules when arranged lengthwise of said rectangular opening in juxtaposed relation, the width of said rectangular opening being less than the length of the side faces of the modules which extend transversely thereof and centered between the sidewalls of the frame such that a longitudinal portion of the frame connecting wall overlies opposite edge portions of the front face of the modules, said overlying portions of the frame and portions of the front face of the modules having aligned openings through which threaded connector means extend for securing the modules to said frame in an aligned side-by-side relation.

Claim 7

A modular jack panel as claimed in claim 4 wherein the constant distance at which each said designate opening is spaced from the nearest side wall of its module is equal to one-half the center-to-center spacing of the paired openings.

Claim 8

A modular jack panel as claimed in claim 4 wherein the portions of the modules underlying said overlying portions of the frame connecting wall are recessed to receive said portions of the frame, the front face of the modules being approximately flush with the outer surfaces of the frame connecting wall.

Claim 9

A modular jack panel as claimed in claim 4 wherein said frame has a narrow connecting web between each module of the group.

Claim 10

A modular jack panel as claimed in claim 4 having more than one group of modules and the frame has a number of rectangular openings in its connecting wall equal to at least the number of groups of modules.

Claim 11

A modular jack panel as claimed in claim 4 wherein selected ones of said modules have a different number of openings than other modules.

Claim 12

A modular jack panel as claimed in claim 4 wherein selected ones of said modules are differently colored than other modules.

Claim 13

A modular jack panel as claimed in claim 4 wherein the openings in the modules are rectangularly paired.

Claim 14

A modular jack panel comprising a plurality of uniformly-sized rectangular-shaped modules of molded resin and a supporting U-channel frame therefor, each said modules having front and rear faces and rectangularly related side walls, each said modules further having designate openings with which electrical jacks are aligned by their supporting mount when secured to the rear face of said modules and provide access for insertion and removal of a jack plug to contact said jacks, at least one electrical connector supporting mount secured to the rear face of each of said modules, an electrical jack secured to each of said mounts and aligned thereby with the adjacent opening, the supporting frame having spaced depending side walls and an intermediate connecting wall with end portions adapted for mounting to a supporting structure, said connecting wall further having a rectangular shaped opening between its end portions with which the front faces of the modules are aligned when arranged in side-by-side relation within said channel frame between the depending side walls thereof, a portion of the intermediate connecting wall of the supporting frame on each side of said rectangular opening overlying a peripheral portion of the modules, and said overhanging portions and modules having aligned openings into which threaded connector means extend for securing the modules within said channel frames.

Claim 15

A modular jack panel comprising a plurality of uniformly-sized rectangular-shaped modules of molded resin and a supporting U-channel frame therefor, each said modules having front and rear faces and rectangularly related side walls, each said modules further having designate openings with which electrical jacks are aligned by their supporting mount when secured to the rear face of said modules and provide access for insertion and removal of a jack plug to contact said jacks, at least one electrical connector supporting mount secured to the rear face of each of said modules, an electrical jack secured to each of said mounts and aligned thereby with the adjacent opening, the supporting frame having spaced depending side walls and an intermediate connecting wall with end portions adapted for mounting to a supporting structure, said connecting wall further having a rectangular shaped opening between its end portions with which the front faces of the modules are aligned when arranged in side-by-side relation within said channel frame between the depending side walls thereof, a portion of the intermediate connecting wall of the supporting frame on each side of said rectangular opening overlying a peripheral portion of the modules, and said overhanging portions and modules having aligned openings into which threaded connector means extend for securing the modules within said channel frames.

Claim 16

For assembling jacks to the sUpporting U-channel frame of a jack panel having a rectangular shaped opening in the connecting wall thereof, a series of uniformly sized, rectangular shaped modules each having generally parallel flat front and rear faces and two pairs of generally parallel side faces disposed at right angles to each other and to said front and rear faces, one of said pairs of side walls being longer than the other pair, each said modules having at least one pair of designate openings which open through said front and rear faces of the modules to receive a bushing of an electrical jack supporting mount secured to the rear face of said modules and provide access for insertion and removal of a jack plug with respect to an electrical jack centered by said mount with the opening, at least one electrical jack supporting mount secured to the rear face of each of said modules and having a bushing disposed in one of said openings, an electrical jack secured to each of said mounts and centered thereby with the adjacent opening, said pair of designate openings having a center-to-center spacing corresponding to the center-to-center spacing of every other pair of designate openings of said modules, each said designate openings being spaced at a constant distance from the nearest one of the paired shorter side walls of said modules, said modules being adapted for arrangement in side-by-side relation within said frame so as to align said designate openings in a row, the length of said longer sides of the modules approximating the spacing of the side walls of the frame and the length of their shorter sides being equal to twice the center-to-center spacing of the designate openings, each said modules further having a peripheral recess along each of their two shorter sides such that their front face may extend into said rectangular opening of the channel frame when assembled therewith, and said modules further having aligned openings into which threaded connector means extend for securing the modules to said frame.

Claim 17

For assembling jacks to the sUpporting U-channel frame of a jack panel having a rectangular shaped opening in the connecting wall thereof, a series of uniformly sized, rectangular shaped modules each having generally parallel flat front and rear faces and two pairs of generally parallel side faces disposed at right angles to each other and to said front and rear faces, one of said pairs of side walls being longer than the other pair, each said modules having at least one pair of designate openings which open through said front and rear faces of the modules to receive a bushing of an electrical jack supporting mount secured to the rear face of said modules and provide access for insertion and removal of a jack plug with respect to an electrical jack centered by said mount with the opening, at least one electrical jack supporting mount secured to the rear face of each of said modules and having a bushing disposed in one of said openings, an electrical jack secured to each of said mounts and centered thereby with the adjacent opening, said pair of designate openings having a center-to-center spacing corresponding to the center-to-center spacing of every other pair of designate openings of said modules, each said designate openings being spaced at a constant distance from the nearest one of the paired shorter side walls of said modules, said modules being adapted for arrangement in side-by-side relation within said frame so as to align said designate openings in a row, the length of said longer sides of the modules approximating the spacing of the side walls of the frame and the length of their shorter sides being equal to twice the center-to-center spacing of the designate openings, each said modules further having a peripheral recess along each of their two shorter sides such that their front face may extend into said rectangular opening of the channel frame when assembled therewith, and said modules further having aligned openings into which threaded connector means extend for securing the modules to said frame.