Patent US2849387A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US6685362B2
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Shielded adapter assembly
Assignee: TE Connectivity Corp
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Filing: 2001-03-26
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Granted: 2004-02-03
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Expires: 2021-03-26
Abstract
Abstract An adapter comprising: (a) a housing having a front and a rear orientation and walls to define a port configured for receiving a mating plug assembly and an opening through the rear of the port, the walls comprising at least two opposing walls; and (b) two shutters, each shutter having a proximate end and a distal end, each shutter being attached at its proximate end to one of the opposing walls with its distal end extending rearwardly, the shutters being biased inwardly toward the interior of the port such that, when the adapter is unmated, the shutters meet at an angle α to at least partially shield the opening and, when the adapter is mated with a plug, the plug contacts the shutters and pivots them outwardly.
Inventors
- 👤 Matthew Burkholder
- 👤 David Erdman
- 👤 Michael Gurreri
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 10:47
CPC Classifications
G; G02; G02B; G02B6/00; G02B6/24; G02B6/36; G02B6/38; G02B6/3807; G02B6/3833; G02B6/3847; G02B6/3849; G02B6/381; G02B6/3825
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 28
Claim 1
Independent Claim
184 words
An adapter in combination with a plug having a plug housing and a ferrule, which, in its unmated state, protrudes from said plug housing, said adapter comprising: a housing having a front and a rear orientation and defining a port configured for receiving a mating plug assembly, said port having an opening through the rear thereof said port, said housing comprising at least two opposing walls; connector retaining latches in said port for interengaging said plug to secure said plug to said housing; and two shutters, each shutter having a proximate end and a distal end, each shutter being attached at its proximate end to one of said opposing walls with its distal end extending rearwardly such that its distal end is between said connector retaining latches when said adapter is unmated, said shutters being biased inwardly toward the interior of said port such that, when said adapter is unmated, said shutters meet at an angle α to at least partially shield said opening, during mating, said plug housing contacts said shutters and pivots them outwardly such that they avoid contact with said ferrule.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
184 words
An adapter in combination with a plug having a plug housing and a ferrule, which, in its unmated state, protrudes from said plug housing, said adapter comprising: a housing having a front and a rear orientation and defining a port configured for receiving a mating plug assembly, said port having an opening through the rear thereof said port, said housing comprising at least two opposing walls; connector retaining latches in said port for interengaging said plug to secure said plug to said housing; and two shutters, each shutter having a proximate end and a distal end, each shutter being attached at its proximate end to one of said opposing walls with its distal end extending rearwardly such that its distal end is between said connector retaining latches when said adapter is unmated, said shutters being biased inwardly toward the interior of said port such that, when said adapter is unmated, said shutters meet at an angle α to at least partially shield said opening, during mating, said plug housing contacts said shutters and pivots them outwardly such that they avoid contact with said ferrule.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
43 words
The adapter of claim 1 , wherein said angle α is less than twice the angle formed from the axis of the plug to the line from the outermost forward edge of the plug's ferrule to the outermost forward edge of the housing.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
17 words
The adapter of claim 2 , wherein said angle α is between about 60° and about 120°.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
15 words
The adapter of claim 3 , wherein said angle α is less than about 100°.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
29 words
The adapter of claim 1 , wherein each shutter has a length from said proximate end to said distal end which is less than a distance across said port.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
23 words
The adapter of claim 5 , wherein the length of each shutter is less than about 90% of the distance across said port.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
23 words
The adapter of claim 1 , wherein each shutter is conductive and said adapter comprises a conductive path from said shutters to ground.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
13 words
The adapter of claim 7 , wherein each shutter comprises a die-cast metal.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
16 words
The adapter of claim 7 , wherein each shutter comprises a plastic having a metalized coating.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
20 words
The adapter of claim 1 , wherein each shutter is biased inwardly by a resilient member connected to said housing.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
14 words
The adapter of claim 10 , wherein said resilient member is a leaf spring.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
41 words
The adapter of claim 11 , wherein said housing defines a slot and said leaf spring comprises an upturned end and wherein said leaf spring is connected to said housing by an interference fit between said upturned end and said slot.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
18 words
The adapter of claim 1 , wherein each shutter is attached to said housing by a hinge pin.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
37 words
The adapter of claim 13 , wherein each shutter defines one or more slots and comprises an outwardly extending pin-like structure adjacent a slot, and wherein said pin-like structures are received in apertures defined by said housing.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
35 words
The adapter of claim 1 , wherein one of said shutters comprises a planar portion and sections protruding from said planar portion to define a notch therebetween for receiving a key portion of a plug.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
29 words
The adapter of claim 1 , further comprising a flange encircling said housing for overlapping with a cutout of a panel through which the adapter is to be mounted.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
179 words
An adapter assembly comprising: a plug having a plug housing and a ferrule, which, in its unmated state protrudes from said plug housing; a housing having a front and a rear orientation and defining a port configured for receiving a mating plug assembly, said port defining an opening through the rear thereof, said housing comprising at least two opposing walls; connector retaining latches in said port for interengaging said plug to secure said plug to said housing; and two shutters, each shutter having a proximate end and a distal end, each shutter being pivotally connected to one of said opposing walls at its proximate end with its distal end extending rearwardly such that its distal end is between said connector retaining latches when said adapter is unmated, said shutters being biased inwardly toward the interior of said port such that, when said adapter is unmated, said shutters meet at an angle α to at least partially shield said opening, during mating, said plug housing contacts said shutters and pivots them outwardly such that they avoid contact with said ferrule.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
179 words
An adapter assembly comprising: a plug having a plug housing and a ferrule, which, in its unmated state protrudes from said plug housing; a housing having a front and a rear orientation and defining a port configured for receiving a mating plug assembly, said port defining an opening through the rear thereof, said housing comprising at least two opposing walls; connector retaining latches in said port for interengaging said plug to secure said plug to said housing; and two shutters, each shutter having a proximate end and a distal end, each shutter being pivotally connected to one of said opposing walls at its proximate end with its distal end extending rearwardly such that its distal end is between said connector retaining latches when said adapter is unmated, said shutters being biased inwardly toward the interior of said port such that, when said adapter is unmated, said shutters meet at an angle α to at least partially shield said opening, during mating, said plug housing contacts said shutters and pivots them outwardly such that they avoid contact with said ferrule.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
48 words
The adapter of claim 17 , wherein said shutters meet at an angle α which is less than twice the angle formed from the axis of the plug to the line from the outermost forward edge of the plug's ferrule to the outermost forward edge of the housing.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
23 words
The adapter of claim 17 , wherein the length of each shutter is less than about 90% of the distance across said port.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
16 words
The adapter of claim 1 , wherein said shutters are orthogonal to said connector retaining latches.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
16 words
The adapter of claim 17 , wherein said shutters are orthogonal to said connector retaining latches.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
170 words
An adapter in combination with a multiplug assembly, each plug having a plug housing and a ferrule, which, in its unmated state, protrudes from said plug housing, said adapter comprising: a housing having a front and a rear orientation and defining a plurality of ports, each port configured for receiving a plug of said multiplug assembly, each port having an opening through the rear thereof, said housing comprising at least two opposing walls; and two shutters for each port, each shutter having a proximate end and a distal end, each shutter being attached at its proximate end to one of said opposing walls with its distal end extending rearwardly, the shutters of each port being biased inwardly toward the interior of the port such that, when said adapter is unmated, the shutters meet at an angle α to at least partially shield the opening in the port, during mating, a plug housing contacts the shutters and pivots them outwardly such that they avoid contact with the ferrule of the plug.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
170 words
An adapter in combination with a multiplug assembly, each plug having a plug housing and a ferrule, which, in its unmated state, protrudes from said plug housing, said adapter comprising: a housing having a front and a rear orientation and defining a plurality of ports, each port configured for receiving a plug of said multiplug assembly, each port having an opening through the rear thereof, said housing comprising at least two opposing walls; and two shutters for each port, each shutter having a proximate end and a distal end, each shutter being attached at its proximate end to one of said opposing walls with its distal end extending rearwardly, the shutters of each port being biased inwardly toward the interior of the port such that, when said adapter is unmated, the shutters meet at an angle α to at least partially shield the opening in the port, during mating, a plug housing contacts the shutters and pivots them outwardly such that they avoid contact with the ferrule of the plug.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
18 words
The adapter of claim 22 , wherein said adapter is a duplex adapter for receiving a duplex plug.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
34 words
The adapter of claim 22 , further comprising connector retaining latches disposed in said port, wherein the distal end of each shutter is disposed between said connector retaining latches when said adapter is unmated.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
16 words
The adapter of claim 24 , wherein said shutters are orthogonal to said connector retaining latches.
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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) | 2007-02-02 | 2007-08-04 | 2008-02-03 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2011-02-02 | 2011-08-04 | 2012-02-03 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2015-02-02 | 2015-08-04 | 2016-02-03 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |