US5470244A — Electrical connector having reduced cross-talk

Claim 1

Independent Claim 102 words

An electrical connector comprising: an insulative housing; a plurality of elongate electrical contacts supported on said housing, said contacts being disposed in a mutually spaced side-by-side arrangement; a dielectric substrate overlying said contacts; a conductive trace supported by said dielectric substrate, said trace having an extent being disposed in spatial registry with a longitudinal portion of one of said contacts and being of configuration to define with said one contact and with the permeability and the dielectric constant of said dielectric substrate a predetermined mutual inductance and capacitance; and a conductive element connecting said conductive trace to another one of said contacts.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 102 words

An electrical connector comprising: an insulative housing; a plurality of elongate electrical contacts supported on said housing, said contacts being disposed in a mutually spaced side-by-side arrangement; a dielectric substrate overlying said contacts; a conductive trace supported by said dielectric substrate, said trace having an extent being disposed in spatial registry with a longitudinal portion of one of said contacts and being of configuration to define with said one contact and with the permeability and the dielectric constant of said dielectric substrate a predetermined mutual inductance and capacitance; and a conductive element connecting said conductive trace to another one of said contacts.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 22 words

An electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein said conductive element comprises a further conductive trace portion connected to said conductive trace.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 30 words

An electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein there is another conductive trace on said dielectric substrate, having a portion disposed in spatial registry with another contact of said connector.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 27 words

An electric connector according to claim 3, wherein said contacts are of generally rectangular cross-sections each having a substantially flat surface over which said conductive traces overlie.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 118 words

An electrical connector comprising: an insulative housing; a plurality of electrical contacts supported on said housing in a mutually spaced side-by-side arrangement, at least first and second of said contacts being severed, thereby defining discontinuous forward and rearward portions of the first contact and discontinuous forward and rearward portions of the second contact; insulative circuitry on said housing, including a pair of circuit elements, one of said circuit elements connecting a forward portion of the first contact to a rearward portion of the second contact, and the other of said circuit elements connecting a rearward portion of said first contact to a forward portion of said second contact, thereby re-routing the signal paths of said two electrical contacts.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 118 words

An electrical connector comprising: an insulative housing; a plurality of electrical contacts supported on said housing in a mutually spaced side-by-side arrangement, at least first and second of said contacts being severed, thereby defining discontinuous forward and rearward portions of the first contact and discontinuous forward and rearward portions of the second contact; insulative circuitry on said housing, including a pair of circuit elements, one of said circuit elements connecting a forward portion of the first contact to a rearward portion of the second contact, and the other of said circuit elements connecting a rearward portion of said first contact to a forward portion of said second contact, thereby re-routing the signal paths of said two electrical contacts.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 35 words

An electrical connector according to claim 5, wherein said insulative circuitry comprises a dielectric substrate overlying said contacts, each pair of circuit elements being supported by said dielectric substrate and being insulated from each other.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 63 words

An electrical connector according to claim 6, wherein contacts other than said first and second contacts are unsevered and wherein each circuit element comprises a conductive trace disposed in spatial registry with a selected one of said non-severed contacts, each said trace being of configuration to define with said selected non-severed contact and the dielectric constant of said dielectric substrate inductance and capacitance.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 56 words

An electrical connector according to claim 7, wherein each circuit element further comprises a connecting trace connected to each said conductive trace, one of said connecting traces being connected to a rearward portion of said severed first contact and the other of said connecting traces being connected to a rearward portion of said severed second contact.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 78 words

An electrical connector according to claim 8, wherein each circuit element further comprises a re-routing trace connected to each said connecting trace, each said re-routing trace having an extent lying for a given length in spatial registry over another one of said non-severed contacts, one of said re-routing traces being connected to a forward portion of said severed first contact and the other of said re-routing traces being connected to a forward portion of said severed second contact.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 52 words

An electrical connector according to claim 9, wherein said conductive traces and said re-routing traces of each circuit element overlie non-severed contacts immediately adjacent to and on opposite sides of said first and second severed contacts with each connecting trace being connected to and bridging said rearward portions of such severed contacts.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 35 words

An electrical connector according to claim 10, wherein said electrical contacts each define a forward terminal and a rearward terminal and a transition portion therebetween, said dielectric substrate overlying said transition portion of said contacts.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 31 words

An electrical connector according to claim 11, wherein said transition portions of said contacts are of generally rectangular cross-section, each having a substantially flat surface over which said dielectric substrate lies.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 23 words

An electrical connector according to claim 10, wherein said dielectric substrate comprises a pair of dielectric films sandwiching said pair of circuit elements.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 18 words

An electrical connector according to claim 10, wherein said re-routing traces spatially and insulatively mutually cross-over each other.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 37 words

An electrical connector according to claim 14, wherein said dielectric substrate comprises a pair of dielectric films sandwiching said pair of circuit elements, a middle layer of insulation disposed between and insulating said pair of circuit elements.

Claim 18

Independent Claim 100 words

A method of reducing crosstalk between electrical contacts in a multicontact electrical connector, comprising the steps of: re-routing the signal path of one of said contacts to continue along a second one of said contacts; and balancing mutual inductance in said re-routed signal path, wherein said re-routing is effected by severing first and second of said contacts and laying insulated circuit elements thereover, connecting a first portion of said first severed contact with a second portion of said second severed contact, and connecting a second portion of said first severed contact with a first portion of said second severed contact.

Claim 19

Independent Claim 100 words

A method of reducing crosstalk between electrical contacts in a multicontact electrical connector, comprising the steps of: re-routing the signal path of one of said contacts to continue along a second one of said contacts; and balancing mutual inductance in said re-routed signal path, wherein said re-routing is effected by severing first and second of said contacts and laying insulated circuit elements thereover, connecting a first portion of said first severed contact with a second portion of said second severed contact, and connecting a second portion of said first severed contact with a first portion of said second severed contact.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 65 words

The method according to claim 16, wherein contacts other than said first and second contacts are unsevered and wherein said mutual inductance is balanced by locating conductive traces over said non-severed contacts inclusive of a conductive trace being placed in spatial registry with one of said non-severed contacts and being of configuration to define with said one non-severed contact a predetermined capacitance and mutual inductance.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1998-11-27	1999-05-29	1999-11-28	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	2002-11-27	2003-05-29	2003-11-28	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	2006-11-27	2007-05-29	2007-11-28	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Electrical connector having reduced cross-talk

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