US6450697B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Optical connector having a combined guide pin lock and grounding contact
Assignee: FCI Americas Technology LLC
•
Filing: 2000-08-24
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Granted: 2002-09-17
•
Expires: 2020-08-24
Abstract
Abstract An optical connector comprising a housing; a shield member located in the housing; a ferrule and optical member assembly located, at least partially, in the housing; at least one locating pin connected to the ferrule and optical member assembly; and at least one combined pin lock and grounding member. The locating pin extends from a front end of the ferrule and optical member assembly. The combined pin lock and grounding member connects the locating pin to the housing and is adapted to electrically connect a mating member, in which the optical connector is inserted, to the shield member.
Inventors
- 👤 Hung Viet Ngo
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 07:11
CPC Classifications
G; G02; G02B; G02B6/00; G02B6/24; G02B6/36; G02B6/38; G02B6/3807; G02B6/381; G02B6/3817; G02B6/3873; G02B6/3885; G02B6/42; G02B6/4201; G02B6/4274; G02B6/4277; G02B6/4292; G02B6/4249
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 27
Claim 1
Independent Claim
103 words
An optical connector comprising: a housing; a shield member located in the housing; a ferrule and optical conductor cable assembly located, at least partially, in the housing; at least one locating pin connected to the ferrule and optical conductor cable assembly, the at least one locating pin extending from a front end of the ferrule and optical conductor cable assembly; and at least one combined pin lock and grounding member, the combined lock and grounding member connecting the locating pin to the housing and being adapted to electrically connect a mating member, in which the optical connector is inserted, to the shield member.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
103 words
An optical connector comprising: a housing; a shield member located in the housing; a ferrule and optical conductor cable assembly located, at least partially, in the housing; at least one locating pin connected to the ferrule and optical conductor cable assembly, the at least one locating pin extending from a front end of the ferrule and optical conductor cable assembly; and at least one combined pin lock and grounding member, the combined lock and grounding member connecting the locating pin to the housing and being adapted to electrically connect a mating member, in which the optical connector is inserted, to the shield member.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
45 words
An optical connector as in claim 1 wherein the connector comprises two of the locating pins located on opposite sides of the ferrule and optical conductor cable assembly and two of the combined lock and grounding members connected to respective ones of the locating pins.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
33 words
An optical connector as in claim 1 wherein the locating pin comprises at least one recess and the combined lock and grounding member comprises at least one projection which extends into the recess.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
38 words
An optical connector as in claim 3 wherein the locating pin comprises two of the recesses and the combined lock and grounding member comprises at least two of the projections which extend into respective ones of the recesses.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
33 words
An optical connector as in claim 3 wherein the combined lock and grounding member comprises a resiliently deflectable section having a first portion extending out of the housing for contacting the mating member.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
35 words
An optical connector as in claim 5 wherein the resiliently deflectable section comprises a second portion adapted to contact the shield member when the first portion is deflected into the housing by the mating member.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
30 words
An optical connector as in claim 6 wherein the shield member is slidable in the housing and slidable relative to the second portion of the combined lock and grounding member.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
26 words
An optical connector as in claim 1 further comprising a spring biasing the ferrule and optical conductor cable assembly in a forward position on the housing.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
24 words
An optical connector as in claim 8 wherein the shield member is biased by the spring against the ferrule and optical conductor cable assembly.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
33 words
An optical connector as in claim 1 wherein the shield member comprises a center section with a through-hole which the optical conductor cable of the ferrule and optical conductor cable assembly passes through.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
32 words
An optical connector as in claim 10 wherein the shield member comprises a side section extending from the center section which is slidable generally parallel to the combined lock and contact member.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
56 words
An optical connector comprising: a housing; a shield member movably mounted in the housing; a ferrule and optical conductor cable assembly movably mounted in the housing; and a grounding contact connected to the housing and adapted to electrically connect the shield member to a mating member in which the optical connector is intended to be inserted.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
56 words
An optical connector comprising: a housing; a shield member movably mounted in the housing; a ferrule and optical conductor cable assembly movably mounted in the housing; and a grounding contact connected to the housing and adapted to electrically connect the shield member to a mating member in which the optical connector is intended to be inserted.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
30 words
An optical connector as in claim 12 further comprising a spring biasing the shield member and the ferrule and optical conductor cable assembly at a forward position on the housing.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
33 words
An optical connector as in claim 13 wherein the shield member comprises a leading substantially planar section located against a rear end of a ferrule of the ferrule and optical conductor cable assembly.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
34 words
An optical connector as in claim 14 wherein the shield member comprises a through-hole in the planar section, and an optical cable of the ferrule and optical conductor cable assembly extends through the through-hole.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
46 words
An optical connector as in claim 12 wherein the shield member comprises a substantially planar center section behind a ferrule of the ferrule and optical conductor cable assembly, and a side section adapted to be contacted by the grounding contact and slide along the grounding contact.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
23 words
An optical connector as in claim 12 further comprising at least one locating pin stationarily connected to the housing by the grounding contact.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
47 words
An optical connector as in claim 17 wherein the connector comprises two of the locating pins located against opposite sides of the ferrule and optical conductor cable assembly and two of the grounding contacts, each grounding contact being connected to a respective one of the locating pins.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
54 words
An optical connector comprising: a housing; a ferrule and optical conductor cable assembly movably mounted in the housing; a shield member movably mounted in the housing and contacting the ferrule and optical conductor cable assembly; and a spring located in the housing and biasing the shield member against the ferrule and optical member assembly.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
54 words
An optical connector comprising: a housing; a ferrule and optical conductor cable assembly movably mounted in the housing; a shield member movably mounted in the housing and contacting the ferrule and optical conductor cable assembly; and a spring located in the housing and biasing the shield member against the ferrule and optical member assembly.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
32 words
An optical connector as in claim 19 wherein the shield member comprises a through-hole slit, and an optical cable of the ferrule and optical conductor cable assembly extends through the through-hole slit.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
40 words
An optical connector as in claim 19 wherein the shield member comprises a substantially planar center section behind a ferrule of the ferrule and optical conductor cable assembly, and a side section extending along an outside portion of the spring.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
60 words
An optical connector as in claim 19 further comprising at least one grounding contact connected to the housing, the grounding contact being connectable to the shield member and extending along a side of a ferrule of the ferrule and optical conductor cable assembly, a locating pin receiving area being formed between the side of the ferrule and the grounding contact.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
33 words
An optical connector as in claim 22 further comprising at least one locating pin located in the pin receiving area, the locating pin being stationarily connected to the housing by the grounding contact.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
17 words
An optical connector as in claim 22 wherein the shield member is slidable along the grounding contact.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2005-09-16 | 2006-03-18 | 2006-09-17 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2009-09-16 | 2010-03-18 | 2010-09-17 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2013-09-16 | 2014-03-18 | 2014-09-17 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |