CA1144269A - Electrical connectors and assemblies therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT

This invention relates generally to electrical connectors and more particularly to improved modular inter-face connectors and connector assemblies incorporating such modular connectors. A continuing problem with present con-nectars and connector assemblies is that a wide variety of assembly component parts are necessary to meet different connection requirements inasmuch as different connector assemblies, such as adapters, bridging assemblies, data sets, junction assemblies, and the like, having non-inter-changeable components are required for various different connection purposes. The present invention is designed to provide a slidingly mountable modular connector capable of easy installation and replacement coupled with reliable operation. The modular connectors of the invention include improved mounting structures which permit each connector to be slidably mounted on a support member in at least two alternate orientations and to be retained at any position between two spaced shoulders of the support member. In addition, the modular connector is preferably an integrally molded plastic unit configured to permit its fabrication in a single-action mold. In one embodiment, the interface con-nector further includes a removable comb member which separates and aligns the active portions of the connector contact elements and prevents access through the entrance aperture of the connector to the free ends of the contact elements. In another embodiment, the interface connector includes an integral comb structure and embossments disposed on the connector housing for engaging and mounting at least one bus bar member to the housing adjacent the comb structure.

Description

1~42fd9 IMPROVED ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS
AND ASSEMæ,LIES THEREFOR
TECHNICAL FIELD
This inventlon relates generally tc electrlcal connectors and more particularly to lmproved modular inter-face connectors and connector assemblies inaorporatlng such modular connectors. Speclfically, the present lnvention relates to lmproved modular Jac~ connectors whlch are slldably mountable in varlous orientatlona in a support . . . 19..member whlch likewise.iæ.mountable in varlous orlentations and con~igurations withln connector assembly enclosures.
These variable arrangements permit use of easlly assem-blable and interchangeable connector assembly component ,~. - .. -.parts.to facilltate-efficient interconnectlon of remote signal Btations, such as indlvldual telephone receivers, to central slgnal proce~slng systems, such as telephone signal equipment -- - ~ACKGROUND OF TH~ PRIOR ART
Historically, telephone installatiOn and repair 20 has required the services of a skilled telephone technlcian to perform customized on-site wiring, splicing, and assembly, -- - as well as interc-on,~e¢tio,n of non-mating components through the exercise of personal ingenuity. Moreover, the prolifer-ation of different specles of telephone connector hardware 25 has required that technlcians be familiar with the pecu--r~ llarltiesri~ w~iring requlrements ror a wlde variety of connectors, adapters, and various other connector assemblies, and that the telephone companles malntaln correspondlngly large part inventories. In an.attempt to reduce rlslng labor and part inventory costs, considerable emphaais ha~
been fooused on the development o~ s~andardized or modu-larlzed telephone cables, connectors, adapters and other connector assemblies 80 that installation~ may readily be made by a less ~kllled technician and ln some cases by the customer himself.
One form of modular connector that has been de-veloped ln respon~e to thl~ need i8 disclosed ln U.S. Patent No. 4,o70,548. This particular connector ls ln the form of a modular Jack and may be slldably mountable to a support platform or the llke. Slmllar modular ~ack connectlons are becomlng standard telephone system components and are dls-closed ln the Federal Communicatlons Commission Regulations ; publlshed in the Federal Reglster, Monday, July 12, 1~76.
Whlle such slldlngly mountable modular ~acks have proven useful, their mountlng features llmlt the orlentatlon and arrangement capabilltles of a plurallty of such modular .~acks wlthln a slngle connector assembly, thereby llmiting the range of flexlbillty a~ordable to connector assemblles incorporatlng such prlor connectors. In an attempt to over-come such llmltations, a snap-in modular ~ack connector ~ was developed as well as a varlety of adapter and brldglng : connector assemblles incorporatlng such snap-ln connectors for interconnectlng at least one multi-conductor cable en-gaged to a remote signal statlon, such as a single telephone unit, to a central signal processing system, such as tele-phone signal equipmçnt or a telephone central office. In : addition, such connector assemblles can take the form of modem~ and data sets wherein impedance networks are included withln the connector assembly for controlling the attenua-tlon levels between the remote signal stations and the central signal processing system A distinct problem with the above referenced snap-in modular connectors, however, is that either the assembly enclosure components whlch receive the connectors must be .preclsely modified., or the sidewalls o~ the modular connectors ~ must be flexible, both of whlch are hlghly undesirable.
Furthermore, to provlde flexibllity in the connector slde-walls, the snap-in connector module must be undesirably ,., ~q~
_3,_~ , lengthened.
A~ is clear ~rom th~ above, then, a ¢ontlnuing problem with present connectors and connector assemblle~ 1 that a wlde varlety o~ assembly component part~ are still necessary to meet different conne¢tlon~requirements inas-much as dlrferent connector assembiie~, such as adapters, bridglng assemblies, data sets, ~un¢tlon assemblles, and the llke, havlng non-interchangeable component~ are required for v~riou~ dirferent connection purposes. The present inventlon 1~ designed to achleve the goal o~ provldlng a slidlngly mountable modular connector capable o~ fabrication in a single-action mold as well a~ easy lnstallatlon and replacement coupled wlth reliable operatlon. Furthermore, the modular connector Or the lnventlon and the associated connector assemblies lncorporating the same may be creatively arranged to provide a wlde range of flexibility in the inter-facing connections with existlng telephone system equipment and suitabllity for new installations, whlle simultaneously ; retainlng simplicity in lnstallation and a relatively modest lnitial manufacturing cost. Specifically, the present in-vention is designed to provide a universal connector mount-lng arrangement whereby the improved modular connectors o~
the invention may be arranged and mounted within a variety o~ ¢onnector assembly arrangements so as to lnterconnect any number of remote signal atations to a plurality of con-ductors leading to a central signal processing system while providlng the capability of including impedance networks in such lnterconnection~.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
3 Therefore, the present invention 1~ directed to an improved modular interface connector which meets the a~ore-mentioned requirements and overcomes the above-described de~iciencies and problems o~ prior modular ~ack connectors, and to novel connector assemblie~ incorporating such im-proved interface connectors to provide a wide variety of system applications for interconnecting one or more multi-conductor cables leading to remote signal stations with a plurality o~ conductor electrically coupled to telephone signal equipment.

It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide an improved modular interface connector and associated connector assemblies incorporating one or more of the modular connectors in unique arrays that facilitate simplified and highly flexible interconnection to varied configurations of telephone system equipment.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved modular interface connector hav-ing a universal mounting structure which permitsslidable mounting of the connector to a support member in a variety of orientations and configurations to enable use of interchangeable and easily assemblable connector assembly parts, thereby facilitating effi-cient interconnection of one or more multiconductorcables coupled to remote signal stations to a plurality of conductors connected to a central signal processing system.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved interface connector having a removable barrier structure whereby the contact ele-ments of the conductor may be mounted in the connector followed by insertion of the barrier structure to pro-hibit access to the free ends of the contact elements from the connector housing aperture.
It is yet another object of the present inven-tion to provide an improved modular interface connector wherein each connector is slidably mountable along any position between two spaced shoulders of a support member and may be retained in any such selected position by means integral with the connector, and wherein the connector housing, mounting structure and retention means all comprise an integral molded plastic unit configured to permit fabrication thereof in a single-action mold.
Still another object of the present inventionis to provide an improved modular interface connector having means for readily press-mounting a bus bar member against the connector housing for engagement with selec-tive contact elements of the connector.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a connector assembly for electrically connecting at least one first multi-conductor cable to a plurality of conductors electrically coupled to telephone signal equipment, each such cable terminating on a first modular connector component having a first plurality of contact elements, the connector assembly having an enclosure defined by a plurality of wall members, a removable support member disposed within the enclosure and including spaced mounting shoulders, and having at least one second modular connector component slidably mounted in the support member at any selected position between the shoulders, each said second connector component including a housing having an aperture therein and sidewall means defining a cavity, for receiving one said first connector component, and having a second plurality of contact elements, including active contact portions, projecting into the cavity for engagement with the first plurality of contact elements when the first connector component is inserted into the cavity through the aperture. The connector assembly further includes first mounting means disposed on opposite sidewalls of the housing for mounting the housing on the support member between the shoulders, such that the central axis of the cavity normal to the aperature is aligned in a first direction relative to the plane defined by the shoulders, and includes second mounting means disposed on opposite sidewalls of the housing for mounting the housing on the support ~embers between the shoulders such that the central axis is aligned in a second direction relative to the plane and at an angle to the first direction. The connector assembly also includes circuit means for electrically connecting each second plurality of contact elements to selected ones of the plurality of conductors coupled to telephone signal equipment.

-5a-The connector housing of the invention includes an improved mounting structure which permits the connector to be slidaply mounted between spaced shoulders of a support member. The mounting structure includes a first mounting means disposed on one pair of oppositely facing sidewalls for slidably mounting the connector housing in the support member at any selected position between the shoulders. The first mounting means are configured such that when the connector is mounted therewith, the central axis of the connector cavity which is normal to the plug entrance aperture is aligned in a first direction relative to the plane defined by the shoulders, which is also generally the plane defined by the support member. Second mounting means are also disposed on a pair of oppositely facing connector sidewalls for slidably mounting the housing in the support member at any selected position between the shoulders. The second mounting means are configured such that when the connector is mounted therewith, the central axis of the connector cavity is aligned in a second direction relative to the plane of the shoulders which is substantially perpendicular to the first direction. In addition, each of the first and second mounting means includes integral retention means for firmly maintaining the housing in any selected position between the pair of shoulders.
In preferred form, the first and second mounting means each include mounting channels disposed opposite each other on oppositely facing sidewalls and are adapted to slidably receive the shoulders of the support member f~

therein, the support member pre~erably being a printed clr-cult board or the like. The ~irst mounting direction ls preferably substantially parallel to the plane of the shoulders while the second direc~ion is substantlally per-pendicular to the plane. The retentlon means pre~erablylnclude integral pro~ectlon members dlsposed within the mounting channels and are adapted to blasly engage and flrmly maintain the shoulders withln the channels. The connector housing, mounting means and retention means all preferably comprlse an integral plastlc molded unlt con~lgured to permlt fabricatlon of the unlt ln a slngle-actlon mold.
The modular lnterface connector of the present inventlon may also include a removable barrler member whlch is preferably in the ~orm Or a comb member havlng a plur-ality of teeth for separatlng and allgning the actlve con-tact portlons Or the contact elements within the connector cavity and ~or preventing access through the entrance aper-ture Or the cavlty to the free ends of the active contact portlons. The comb member is adapted to be releasably en-,~ -20 -gageable wlth -the-houslng to-permlt prior mountlng of the contact elements withln the connector housing.
In another embodlment, the modular lnterface con-nector of the invention may include an integral comb member - - and a removable lnsert member for mounting the contact 25 elements to the connector housing. In addltion, a plurality of embossments are disposed on the connector housing for engaging and mountlng a palr o~ bus bar members to the - -- houslng ad~acent-t-he-lntegral comb member ror--electrically shortlng selective contact ~lements to create electrical 30 clrcuits therebetween.
The invention further provides a connector assembly =--- - --incorporating the-a-bove-descr~ed modular interface con- -nector for electrlcally connectlng at least one multl-conductor cable to selected ones Or a pl~rallty of con-35 ductors electrically coupled to telephone signal equipment;
- - eaeh-multi-conductor cable having a modular connector com-ponent on one end thereof. The connector assembly includes an enclosure defined by a plurality of wall members, and a removable support member is supported within the enclosure and includes at least one palr of spaced mounting shoulders.
In one ~orm of the invention, the removable support member ls a printed clrcuit board having at least one recessed portion-thereln, the oppos-ing slde edges of the recessed portlon ~ormlng the ~paced mountlng shoulders.
The connector assembly also lncludes at least one of the lmproved modular lnterface connectors slldably mounted ln the support member at any selected posltlon between the shoulders of one of the palr of mountlng shoulders, the cen-tral axls of the lnterface connector's cavity belng eltherperpendlcular to or parallel with the plane of the support member. Each modular connector ls adapted to recelve the modular connector component whlch termlnates one multl-conductor cable. The assembly ~inally includes circuit means for electrically connecting each of the contact ele-ments of each interface connector to seleeted ones of the plurallty of conductors coupled to telephone signal equip-ment. In one form of the invention~ the ~upport member ls a printed circuit board with the circuit thereof forming a - -20 portion of the circult means.
me plurality of enclosure wall members preferably include a bottom wall member and a plurallty of sldewall members supported substantially perpendicular thereto. In one form of the lnventionJ means are provlded ~or mounting the support member substantlally parallel to and spaced from the bottom wall member with the central axis of the inter~ace connector cavlties being aligned either perpendicu-lar to-or paral-lel with the--support member.- When the cavi-ties are aligned parallel with the support member, at least one enclosure wall member includes at least one aperture for alignment with each connector cavity to provide access - thereto for engagement with the modular connector component of one multi-conductor cable.
In one form of the above connector assemblyJ the circuit means include multlple contact menas which are electrically èngageable wlth the plurallty ~of conductors coupled to telephone signal equipment and selectively con-nected to the contact elements of each of the interface connectors. The multiple contact means may take the form of , ~l~Z~

a terminal contact strip mounted to the inner surface o~
the enclosure bottom wall, of a plurality of termlnal contact elements disposed on a prlnted circuit board support member, : . .......... or of.a modular multiple contact connector component mounted to the support member and which is engageable with a mating connector component which termlnates the plurality o~ con-ductors connected to telephone slgnal equlpment.
.: ~ The.. present invention also provldes yet another electrlcal connector assembly embodiment for selectlvely lnterconnecting at least one remote slgnal station havlng a - predetermlned slgnal characteri~tic to a central signal . . .. processing system... mi8 connector assembly embodiment in-cludes an enclosure defined by a plurality of wall members lncluding a bott~m wall member and a plurality of sidewall members. Disposed withln the enclosure are first multiple . -. contact means which include a first plurality of contact elements electrically engageable wlth the central signal ,~ processing system. A support member i9 releasably mounted wlthln the enclosure spaced from and substantially parallel . ; ... .. 20.~ to the inner surrace Or one- of the sidewall-members, whlch sidewall member includes an opening to provlde access to the 8upport member. Second multiple contact means are mounted to the support member within the enclosure and include a second plurality-of-contact-elements which are eleotrically engageable with the remote signal station, access to the aecond multlple contact means being provided by the opening ln the one sidewall member. In one form of this embodiment, r1r~ the-second multiple-eontact means include a plurality o~
the modular lnterface connectors of the present invention.
A plurality of intermediate multiple contact means are also dlsposed wlthin the enclosure with each of the intermediate - ~ multiple contact means including a third plurality of con-tact elements. At least one impedance network i8 provlded, each being adapted ror selectlve and independent connection to the third plurality o~ contact elements Or one of the -~- - - intermediate-multiple contact means. Finally, circuit means are disposed within the enclosure for interconnecting selected ones of the first, second and third plurality Or contact elements for interconnecting a respective given one . .

` ~4~

of the remote signal station~ to the central signal pro~es8-lng system as a respective glven one of the thlrd plurality of contact elements i~ coupled to one o~ the lmpedance net-works .
RIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The novel feakure~ which are belleved to be charac-teristlc of the present invention are set forth in the - appended claims-, The lnvention itself, however~ together with further ob~ects and attendant advantages thereofJ wlll become apparent and best understood by reference to the following detailed description taken ~n connection with the accompanylng drawings, setting forth by way of illustratlon and example certain embodiments of the invention in the several figures of which like reference numerals identify llke elements, and in which:
Figure l,is a--front perspectlve view of one embodi-ment o~ a modular interface connector of the present inven-tion and illustrating a typical mating connector component there~or;
Figure 2 is a rear perspective view of the modular interface connector illustrated in Figure l;
Figure 3 is a rear elevation view Or the modular lnterface connector illustrated in Figure 2;
Figure 4 is a front elevation view of the ~interface connector lllustrated ln Flgure 2;
Figure 5 i~ a cross-sectlonal view taken substan-tlally along line 5-5 of Figure 4;
Figure 6 is a rear perspective view similar to Figure 2 but illustrating the removable comb member of the 3 connector ln a disengaged position;
Figure 6A is a rear elevation view of the removable comb member illustrated in Figure 6;
Figure 7 is a front perspective view illustrating the interface connector embodiment of Figure 1 slldably mounted to a support member in a first position;
Figure 8 is a view similar to F~gure 7 b-ut illus-trating the interrace connector mounted to a support member in a second position;
Figure 9 is a front perspective view similar to -" i~44Z~

Flgure 8 but illu~tratlng the inter~ace oonnector mounted to a support member ln a third po~ltlon;
Figure 10 is a front perspective vlew o~ another embodiment of a modular lnterface connector of the present lnventlon and lllustratlng a typlcal matlng connector com-ponent therefor;
Flgure 11 i8 a rear perspective vlew o~ the ~n~er-face connector lllustrated in Figure 10;
Figure 12 is a rear perspective view similar to Figure 11 bu~ illustrating a bus bar member engaged to the rear wall of the interface connector;
Figure 13 i8 a front perspective view o~ the inter-face connector of Figure 10 slidably mounted to a support member in a first position;
15Figure 14 is a view similar to Figure 13 but illus-trating the interface conneotor mounted to a support member ln a second position;
Flgure 15 is a perspective view ~ one embodiment of a connector assembly of the present invention incorporat-ing the slidingly mountable lnterface connector of Flgure 1 therein and illustrating a cover in spaced relatlon thereto;
Flgure 16 is an exploded perspective view of the connector assembly of Figure 15 lllustrating the assembllng .relationshlps -of the component parts thereof;
25Figure 17 ls a top plan view of a second embodiment of a connector assembly of the present invention and illus-trating termlnal strlps mounted to the bottom wall thereof;
Flgure 17A is a-front-perspective vlew of the con-nector assembly embodiment illustrated in Flgure 17 without the termlnal strlps and showing a cover in spaced relation thereto;
- - - Figure 18 is an e~ploded front perspective view of the connector assembly embodiment of Figure 17 without the terminal strips;
3~Figure 19 is a top plan view of yet another con-nector assembly embodiment of the present invention similar to the embodlment illustrated in Figure 17 but including three modular interface connectors incorporated therein;
Figure 20 is an exploded front perspective view of the embodiment lllustrated in Figure l9 but without the terminal strips;
Figure 21 is a top plan view ~ another connector assembly embodiment of the present inventlon illustrating an impedance network havlng a slngle impedance ¢ircuit as a support member for the modular connector;
Figure 22 is a top plan view of another connector assembly embodiment of the present invention similar to Figure 21 but illustrating an impedance network having selectlvely alternate impedance circuits as the support member for the modular connector;
Figure 23 is a perspective view of still another connector assembly of the present invention incorporating a plurality of the ~odular interface connectors of Figure 10 : 15 and lllustrating a cover in spaced relation thereto;
Figure 24 is a front elevation view of the connec-tor assembly of Figure 23;
Figure 25 is a front elevation view similar to Figure 24 and illustrating the cover mounted to the connector ~ssembly; and Figure 26 is a front elevation viaw similar to Figure 25 but illustrating an alternate form of the connec-tor assembly.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to an improved modular interface connector and connector assemblies there-for. Referring now to Flgures 1-5, a modular interface conne¢tor-10-is ~wn -in--bhe-~orm of a modulaP~ack and is : ~ adapted for mating engagement with a modular connector 3 component 12 constructed in the form of a plug and terminat-ing a multi-conductor cable 13. me plug 12 and the basic structure of the ~ack 10 are known in the art and are described in the previously referenced patents, ana Fèderal Communications Commission's Regulations. Specifically, the connector 10 includes a housing ll having a front wall - 14, a back wall 16, and a plurality of sldewalls 18, 20, 22 and 24. In the illustrated embodiment, the sidewall 20 forms a top wall while the sidewall 24 forms a bottom wall.
The plurality of walls 14-24 define an interior cavity 26 whlch is accessible through an aperture 28 disposed in the front wall 14. The cavity 26 ls slzed and shaped to recelve and mate wlth the plug 12 along a central axis 30 whlch i~
normal to the aperture 28. As described in greater detall below, the housing 11 and lts component parts are preferably an integral ~olded plastic structure whlch i8 conflgured in ~uch a manner as to permit its fabrication in a single-action mold as opposed to a double, side action mold of the prior art.
The connector 10 includes a plurallty of contact elements 32 with each contact element 32 including a terminal portlon 34 and an actlve contact portion 36 having a free end 37. In the illustrated form of Figures 1-5, there are preferably æix contact elements 32. Each terminal portion 34 is supported within a longitudinal socket 38 dlsposed in the top wall 20, and each active contact portion 36 projects into the cavity 26 in the manner des~ribed below. A plural-; ity of grooves 40 are formed at the forward end o~ each top wall 20 along a portion of the front wall 14. Each groo~e 40-originates a~ the forward end of-one socket 38 and extends downwardly toward the bottom wall 24 to communi-cate with the cavity 26. Each groove 40 functions as a gulde for a contact element 32 as well as forms a ledge 41 i - which is utilized as a fulcrum when bending the contact element 32 as described below.
Referring more particularly to Figure 5, the con-tact elements 32 are mounted in the connector 10 by first -- terminatlng the conductors-42 to the terminal portions 34 and then inserting the straight elongated active contact portions 36a through the sockets 38 until they pro~ect out-wardly from the front wall 14. The free end 37 of each active con~act portion 36a is then bent downwardly and rearwardly against the ledge 41 toward the back wall 16, as illustrated at 36b, until the active contact portlon 36 pro~ects angularly into the cavity 26 tow~rd the baclc wall -16. This procedure -is followed for all six contact elements 32 with the grooves 40 providing initial guidance of and separation between the plurality of contact elements 32 A comb structure, to be described in greater detail below, provides additional separation of the active contact por-tlons 36 withln the cavlty 26.
Referring more partlcularly to Flgures 2, 3, 6 and 6A, the back wall 24 of the connector 10 includes an aper-ture 44 whereln a barrler member in the form of a removablecomb member 46 is disposed. The comb member 46 ~s releasably engageable with the housing 11 and functions to separate and align the free ends of the active contact portions 36 withln the cavity 26 as well as to prevent adcess to the free end~ 37 of the active contact portions 36 through the aperture 28. More partlcularly, the back wall 16 lncludes a pair of depending side elements 48, 50 which include at thelr lower ends a pair of inwardly pro~ecting knobs 52, 54.
An inner surface S6 is formed withln the cavity 26 spaced from the back wall 16. The back wall 16, the knobs 52, 54 and the inner surface 56 define a pair of channels 58, 60 which slldably receive the comb member 46.
The comb member 46 preferably includes two elon-gated side elements 62, 64 which are interconnected by a oomb 66. The lower portlons of the side elements 62, 64 are sufficient,ly resilient for biased movement toward each other and lnclude a pair of outwardly pro~ecting knobs 68, 70 dlsposed toward the lower ends thereof. The elongated - slde elements 62, 64 are sized and shaped for insertion into the channels 58, 60. A~ the side elements 62 64 move longi-tudinally within the channels 58, 60, the knobs 52, 54 engage the knobs 68, 70 and bias the side elements toward each other until the knobs 68, 70 slide over and nest above the knob~ 52, 54. The comb member is thus maintained in an engaged position within the housing 11 by the nested engage-ment of the knobs 68, with the knobs 52, 54. To disengage the comb member 46 from the housing 11, the lower portions of the ~ide elements 62, 64 are biased toward each other until the knobs 68, 70 are moved past the knobs 52, 54 while the comb member 46 i9 slidably moved out of engagement with the channels 58, 60.
The comb 66 includes a base member 72 and a plur-ality of teeth 74 pro~ecting upwardly therefrom substan-tially parallel with the s~de elements 62, 64. The teeth 74 are ~paced a suf~lcient dl8tance ~o that each actlve contact portlon 36 pas~e~ lnto a slot 76 between the teeth 74 as the comb member 46 i8 in~erted into the hou~lng 11, - the-teeth 74 separating and aligning the actlve portlon 36.
The comb member 46 is sized and shaped ~uch that the free end portion 37 of each actlve contact element 36 is blasly engaged against the base member 72 in a slot 76 when the comb member 46 is fully engaged within the housing ll. Thls results in the free end 37 of the actlve contact portlon 36 belng dlsposed rearwardly of the comb member 46. In thls manner, the teeth 74 prevent access to the free ends of the active contact portions 36 from the direction of the aperture 28. Thls feature of the lnventlon not only insures against lnadvertent shorting of the contact elements 32 by separating and aligning the active contact portions 36, but also pro-vides a signi~icant safety factor by preventlng the insertion of a finger or other foreign ob~ect into the cavity 26 beyond the free ends 37 of the active contact portions 36, wherein lodging or withdrawal o~ the ob~ect would cause in~ury thereto as well-as di~stort or otherwise damage the contact elements.
Prior known comb arrangements for~modular ~ack connectors have generally been lntegral structures. The ¢omb member-46~ h~owever, is releasably engageable with the 25 hou~lng ll to facilitate easy and efficient installatlon o~
the conta¢t elements 32 ln the housing 11 as well as forma-tion of the bent active contact portions 36. If the comb structure is integral with-the housing ll, ea~y insert-i-on and formation of the contact elements 32 is extremely dif~i-- 30 cult unless an alternate connector structure is utillzed wherein the contact element3 32 may be mounted to and ~ormed - within a separate structural member which in turn is sub-sequently mounted to the housing 11, such as in the embodi-ment described below. However, the removable comb structure ; 35 as illustrated in Figures 1-5 has been found to be less expensive to manufacture as well as providlng an easy method of constructing the modular ~ack lO and overcomes the prior problem of interfer~nce by an integral comb member during formation of the contact elements 32 in the cavity 26 :

, Referrlng more partlcularly to Flgures 1-4 and 7-9, the connector lO ls slidably mountable to a support member 78 ln a varlety o~ positlons and in at least two orlentations relative to the plane of the support member. This provides a universal mountin~ structure whereby a number of mounting arrangements may be achieved between the connector 10 and the support member 78, thereby permltting a wlde varlety of connector assemblles to be constructed in accordance wlth desired functional requirements as described in greater detail below. To achieve such a universal mounting arrange-ment, the connector lO includes a first mounting Rtructure 80 disposed on a pair of oppositely facing connector side-walls, and a second mounting structure 82 also disposed on a pair of oppositely facing connector sldewalls. Depending upon the deslred overall construction and size of the con-nector lO, the first and second mounting structures 80 and 82 may be disposed on the same or different pairs of oppo-~itely facing sidewalls.
In the illustrated embodiment of ~igures 1-~ and 6-9, the first and second mounting means 80, 82 are disposed on the same pair of oppositely facing sidewalls 18 and 22 and are adapted to permit connector 10 to be slidably mounted at any selected position between a pair of shoulders 84 and 86 disposed in the support member 78. In the preferred form, the support member 78 consists of a flat board member having at least one and preferably a plurality of recessed portions or notche~ 88, each recessed portion 88 havlng a pair of opposed side edges forming the shoulders 84 and 86.
The ~upport member 78 may be in the form of a simple support board member, a printed circuit board, or an impedance net-work having one or more circuits thereon. In addition, the recessed portion 88 may be sized so as to receive one or a plurality of the connectors lO.
The first mounting structure 80 preferably includes a pair of channels 90 and 92 disposed, respectively, on the oppositely facing sidewalls 18 and 22. Each channel 90, 92 is preferably in the form of a groove in its respective sidewall 18, 22 extending between the respective front and back walls 14 and 16, the width of each groove being ~ust ,, ~ ~;oes ' sllghtly greater than the thickness of the ~upport member 78. However, the channels 90, 92 may al80 be ~ormed in other manners, ~uch as by a plurality of pro~ectlons or the like.
The bottom surface of each channel 90, 92 includes a raised embossment 94 having incllned sides 95 and 96. Each embossment 94 pro~ects outwardly from the bottom of the channels 90 and 92 for bias engagement against the shoulders 84 and 86 when the first mountlng structure 80 ls engaged with the recessed portion 88 of the support member 78. The embossments 94 are preferably slightly pliable and capable of cold flowing when sub~ected to bias engagement between the shoulders 84 and 86. In this manner, the connector 10 may be ~lidably adjusted to any positlon between the shoulder members 84 and 86 and be retained at that position by the bias engagement between the embossment~ 94 and the shoulders 84, 86. It should be noted that the channels 90, 92 of the first mounting means 80 are preferably aligned along a line substantiall~J parallel wlth the central axis 30 of the cavity 20 26. Therefore, when the connector 10 is mounted to the support member 78 utilizing the first mounting structure 80, i the central axis 30 is substantially parallel with the plane deflned by the shoulders 84 and 86, which in the illustrated form iB also the plane of the support member 78.
The second mounting structure 82 also includes a pair of channels 98 and 99 disposed on the oppositely facing sidewalls 18 and 22, respectlvely. The channels 98 and 99 are preferably aligned along lines substantlally perpendicu-lar to the central axis 30 of the cavity 26 and extend the entire width of sidewalls 18, 22 between the top wall 20 and the bottom wall 24. Unlike the channels 90 and 92, each - channel 98 and 99 is preferably defined by a plurality of pro~ections 100, 102 and 104. The pro~ections 100 and 102 are spaced along the rear portion of the sidewalls 18 and 22, while the projectlon 104 is aligned with the space between the pro~ections 100 and 102 along the forward portion of the sidewalls 18, 22. In this manner, the pro~ections 100, 102 and 104 may all be formed on the sidewalls 18 and 22 by a single-action mold.

_17_ A spa¢er member 106 ls di~posed on the forward channel-~ormlng surrace of the pro~ectlon 100 and is pro-vided to permit tWo signlricantly dlfferent widths of support - members 78 to-be disposed between the channel-for~ing sur-faces of the proJectlon 100 and the pro~ection 104. In addltion, the spacer 106 i9 also slightly pllable to accommo-date support members 78 of sllghtly variable thicknesses.
: A pliable tab 108 is dlsposed on the forward channel-rormlng surrace o~ the pro~ection 102 and is adapted to biasly en-gage the support member 78 when the channel3 98 and 99 receive a pair Or shoulders 84 and 86, as lllustrated ln Flgure 8.
To retaln the connector 10 in its mounted posltion, the bottom of each channel 98, 99, whlch is formed by the outer surface of the respectlve sldewalls 18, 22, biasly engages the support member 78. To achleve such bias engage-ment, the surfaces 110 and 112 of each channel 98, 99 are incllned to form a land surface 114 which is disposed immedi-ately ad~acent the pro~ection 104. The distance between respective land surfaces 114 of the directly opposite chan-nels 98 and 99 is sufficient to create a bias engagement between the land surfaces 114 and the shoulders 116, 118 Or the recessed portion 120 in the support member 78. Each land surface 114 ls preferably sllghtly pllable and capable o~ cold flowlng to accept the shoulders 116 and 118. The land surfaces 114 function ln the same manner as the emboss-ments 94 Or the flrst mountlng structure 80 and thereby constitute retention means ~or ~lrmly malntalning the con-.
nector lO ln its selected posltion between the shoulders 116 and 118.
As seen in Figure 8, the channels 98 and 99 are formed to accept a pair Or shoulders 116, 118 wherein the connector 10 is inserted entirely withln the support member 78. As seen in Figure 9, however, the connector lO may be raadily inserted into a recessed portlon 120' which includes shoulders 116' and lI8i s-ubstantially shorter in length than the shoulders of the embodiment of Figure 8. Nonethe-less, the connector 10 may be readily inserted therewithin and maintained in place by the bias engagement between the shoulders 116' and 118' and the land surface~ 114 a9 well as the bias engagement created by the pro~ections 100 and 104 agalnst the ~upport member 78. It should be noted that a mounting bar 122 1~ also provided on the bottom 3ur~ace 24 of the connector 10 and is adapted for engagement with the support member 78 between the shoulders 116 and 118.
The mounting bar 122 stabllizea the houslng 11 relative to the support member 78 to lnsure proper ~upport of the con-nector 10 within the support member 78. In addltlon, the recessed portion 120 may be of sufficlent length to mount a plurality o~ connectors 10 thereln along their second - mountlng structures 82, one atop the other (see Figures 23 and 24).
Referring now to Figures 10-12, a second embodlment o~ the present lnventlon is illustrated in the form of a modular interface connector 10'. The connector 10' lncludes a houslng 11' having a front wall 14', a back wall 16', and a plurality of sidewalls 18~, 20', 22' and 24', all of which deflne an lnterior cavity 26' having a central axis 30'.
Access to the cavity 26' is provided through an aperture 28' ln the front wall 14'. The cavity 26' is sized and shaped to recelve and matlngly engage a standard plug connector component 12' which terminates a multi-conductor -~ - cable 13. In the illustrated form, the cavity 26l lncludes a keyway 124 which is adapted to receive a key member 126 disposed on the plug 12'. The keyway 124 and key member 126 prevent improper alignment and engagement of the plug 12' wlth the cavity 26'.
The modular connector 10' includes a plurality of and preferably eight contact elements 32' which are sub-stantially identical in size and shape to the contact elements 32 of the previously descrlbed connector 10. Each of the contact elements 32' lncludes a terminal portion (not lllustrated) and an active contact portion havin~ a ~ree end 37'. In this particular embodiment~ the top wall 20' - includes a removable insert 128 which is releasably engage-able wlthin a chamber 130 located in the wall 20'. The insert 128 includes a plurality of longitudinal cavities 38', the terminal portion of each contact element 32' being mounted within one such cavity 38'. In this manner, the contact elements 32 ~ are removable from the housing 11' as a unlt, the active contact portions of the elements 32 ' pro-~ectlng angularly lnto the cavity 26 ' when the lnsert 128 ls disposed wlthln the chamber 130.
The housing 11' also lncludes an lntegral comb member 132 dlsposed in the back wall 16'. The comb member 132 runctlonB ln the same manner as the comb member 46 Or the previous embodlment and thus separates and allgns the ~ 10 actlve contact portlons Or the contact elements 32 ' within ; the cavlty 26 ' while preventing access to the free ends 37' from the aperture 28'. In preferred ~orm, the comb member 132 lncludes a base portion 134 and a plurality o~ spaced teeth 136 pro~ecting upwardly therefrom. me contact 15 elements 32 ' are shaped whereby the free end portlons 37' thereof extend between the teeth 136 and are biased against the base 134. This arrangement permits the contact elements 32 ~ to be mounted within the removed insert member 128, the active portions thereof being angularly formed in the 20 same manner as illustrated ln the previous embodiment.
A~ter mounting and formatlon of the contact elements 32 l, ; the in~ert member 128 is inserted into the chamber 130 with the a¢tlve portions of the contact elements 32' being allgned ~between the teeth 136. By this arrangement, the contact 25 elément~ 32' may be easily formed and mounted in the con-nector 10' wlthout interference by the integral comb member 132.
Disposed along the back wall 16 ' are a plurality of bosses 138, 140 and 142 pro~ecting outwardly therefrom.
30 In the illustrated form, the boss 142 includes an upward ;~ extension 144. The bosses 138-142 permit quick locking engagement of the bus bar members 146 and 148 with the housing 11' by the mere pressing of the members 146, 148 against the respective bosses 138-142, the extension 144 35 insuring proper separation of the bus bar members 146 and 148. When the bus bar members 146 and 148 are to be used, two of the rour contact end portions 37a' on each side of the extension 144 are lengthened relative to the free end portions 37' a sufficient amount to permit biased engagement ~4*~

of the len~sthened ~ree end portlons 37a ' wlth a bus bar member 146 or 148. Thus, two o~ the free end portions 37a ' on each slde of the extension 144 are shorted thereby com-pletlng an electrlcal clrcult wlthout the presence of the 5 plug 12' ln the cavlty 26'. ~hls operatlng mode of the connector 10' ls utlllzed when a connector 10' ls electrl-cally connected ln serles wlth a telephone unlt or the llke 80 that a contlnuous circult ls avallable through the con-nector 10 ' by way of the bus bar members 146 and 148 regard-10 less of the matlng condltlon of the plug 12' wlth theconnector 10 '.
Prior mountlng arrangements for bus bar or shorting bar members are of sufficlent complexity or size so that only those modula~ connectors wherein lt ls specifically 15 lntended to utillze such bus bars would be molded to include locklng members therefor. The bosses 138, 140, 142 and 144 are Or su~ficlently small size so that their addition to the connector 10' is of minor expense. In addition, the bosses 138-14LI permit easy and rapld engagement and mounting 20 of the bus bar members 146 and 148 to the housing 11' at the face of the comb member 132. Thus, conslderable expense ls ellmlnated by requlring the moldlng of only one type of houslng for the connector 10 ' wherein the bosses 138-144 ~- are lncluded, whereas prlor modular connectors required the 25 moldln~; capability for two types of connector housings.
Each connector 10' also includes a flrst mountlng structure 80 ' and a second mounting structure 82' disposed on respective opposlng sldewalls for mountin-g the connector 10 ' in a variety of posltions and in at least two orienta-30 tlons relatlve to a support member 150. me first mountingstructure 80' is preferably substantially identical to the first mounting structure 80 of the prevlous embodlment and preferably lncludes a palr of mounting channels 90 ' and 92' disposed, respectively, on the oppositely facing sldewalls 35 18' and 22'. Each channel 90 ', 92' is preferably in the - form of- a groove ln its respective sidewall 18', 22 ' extend-ing between the respective front and back walls 14' and 16', the width of each groove being slightly greater than the thickness of the support member 150. However, the channels .
.

~~ ll44a;s 90l, 92' may also be formed in other manners, su¢h as by a plurality of proJeotlans or the llke.
The bottom surface Or each channel 90', 92' also lncludes a raised embossment 94' having incllned slde por-tlons 95', 96'. Each embossment 94' 1~ adapted for blas engagement agalnst the shoulders 84', 86' of the support member 150 when the flrst mountlng structure 80' i8 engaged wlthln the recessed portion 88'. The embossments 94' are preferably slightly pliable and capable of cold flow when sub~ect to such bias engagement. As a result, the connector 10' may be slidably ad~usted to any position between the shoulder members 84', 86 ' and be retained at the selected posltion by the bias engagement between the embossments 94' and shoulders 84', 86'. Furthermore, the channels 90', 92' are 15 preferably aligned along a line substantially parallel wlth the central axis 30' of the cavity 26'. Therefore, when the connector 10' is mounted to the support member 150 using the flrst mountlng means 80', the central axis 30' is substan-tlally parallel with the plane defined by the shoulders 84 ' 20 and 86 ', which ln the illustrated ~orm is also the plane of ; the support member 150.
me second mountlng structure 82 ' of this particular connector embodiment lncludes a pair of channels 152 and 154 allgned directly opposite each other along the opposing 25 sldewalls 20 ' and 24', respectively. The channels 152 and 154 are preferably aligned along lines substantially per-pendicular to the central axis 30' of the cavity 26 l and extend the entire width of the sldewalls 20 l and 24' between the sidewall~ 18' and 22'. Slmilar to the previously de-30 scribed embodl~ent, each channel 152, 154 is formed from aplurality of projections 156, 158 and 160 disposed on the outer surface of the respective sidewall 20', 2~'. The pro~ections 156 and 158 are disposed in a spaced relation along the central portion of each sidewall 20' and 24', 35 while each pro~ection 160 is aligned with the space between the pro~ections 156 and 158 toward the forward portlon of each sidewall 20', 24'. In this manner, the pro~ections 156, 158 and 160 may all be formed on the sidewalls 20' and 24' by a single-action mold as described below. Further-~` ~44:Z69 more, each pro~ection 160 i~ spaced ~rom lts as~o¢lated proJections 156, 158 a dlstance slightly greater than the thickness Or the support member 150 to deflne the channel~
152 and 154 whlch ~nugly recelve the shoulders 84' and 86' to mount the connector 10' wlthin the support member 150.
The bottom Or each channel 152, 154, whlch i8 formed by the outer surrace Or the respective sidewalls 20', 24 ', is adapted to biasly engage the support member 150. ~o achieve such bias engagement, the surfaces 162 and 164 Or each channel 152, 154 are incllned to form a land sur~ace 166 relative thereto, the land surface 166 being an exten-sion Or the outer ~urface of the respective sidewall 20 ~, 24l and being disposed lmmediately ad~acent the pro~ectlon 160. me land surfaces 166 Or the dlrectly opposing channels 15 152 and 154 are spaced a suff~ient distance to create a bias engagement between the surfaces 166 and the shoulders 84 l, 86 ~ when the connector lO' is inserted in the recessed portion 88 ' . me land surfaces 166 are preferably slightly pliable and capable of cold flow when engaging the shoulders 20 84 l, 86 l . The land surraces 166 function in the same . manner as the embossments 94 ~ of the first mounting structure 80l and thereby constitute retentlon means ~or firmly maln-talnl~g the connector 10' at any longltudinal position be-tween the shoulders 84 ' and 86 ' .
Referrlng now to Figures 13 and 14, the palr Or channels 90' and 92' and the palr Or channels 152 and 154 ~ are each adapted to readlly accept a pair of shoulders 84', i 86' when the connector 10 is inserted entirely wlthin the support member 150. As seen in Flgure 13, the connector lO may be readily inserted lnto the reces~ 88' utllizlng the : rirst mountlng structure 80' so that the central axis 30' Or the cavity 26' is substantially parallel to the support - member 150. Referring to Figure lJI, the connector lO' may also be inserted wlthin the support member 150 utilizing the second mounting structure 82' so that the central axis 30' Or the cavity 26' is substantially perpendicular to the . plane of support member 150. In additlon, the recess portion 88 ~ may be o~ su~ficient length (see Figures 23-25) to accept a plurality o~ the conductors lO' utillzing their , second mountlng means 82', one adJacent the other. As c~n be appreclated rrom the descrlptlon glven below, the varlety of orientatlons and posltlons of the connectors lO and lO' relatlve to thelr respectlve support members permlts the connectors lO and lO' to be utillzed in a wide varlety o~
dlrferi~g connector assemblies.
An important feature o~ the above-descrlbed modular interface connectors lO and 10' i9 that each connector housing ll and ll', lncluding its component parts exceptlng the contact elements 32J 32' and the removable comb member 46, 18 pre~erably an integrally molded unlt conflgured to allow the ~abrication thereof ln a single-action mold.
Prlor molded connectors generally included projectlons or other component parts arranged such that a double-actlon mold which includés a separate ~ide actlon mold portion was required to mold the integral unit. HoweverJ all the integral component parts of each housing 11 and 11' are arranged to permit a single-action, split mold to be uti-lized in the fabrication of the housings 11, ll', This ~ea-ture simplifies both the constructlon and operation of themold and increases the total productlon capabillty of each moldJ since the amount of time required to mold one unlt is less for the slngle-actlon mold than ls required for a double-action mold. ThereforeJ the connectors 10 and lO' can be fabricated more rapidly and at less cost than the prlor slidable modular interface connectors.
Furthermore, the above-described unique mounting constructlons 80, 80', 82 and 82' provlde a diversifled mountlng eapability in con~unction with a support member 78 150. This mounting capability permlts a wlde varlety o~
connector as~emblies having dlfferent functlons to be con-~tructed from the same baslc component parts, and this feature minimizes the manufacturlng and assembly C08t9 0 such assemblles utilizing the modular connector of the invention, as described in detail below.
Referring now to Figures 15 and 16J a connector assembly 170 is illustrated incorporating the modular lnterface connector of the present inventlon. The connector assembly 170 ls utilized for electrically interconnecting one and preferably a plurallty of multl-conductor cables coupled to remote slgnal statlons, ~uch as lndlvldual telephone unlts, to a plurality of conductors wh~lch are electrlcally coupled to a slgnal processlng ~ystem such as 5 telephone ~lgnal equipment or a central telephone of~ice.
In the lllustrated embodlment, the connector assem-:~ bly 170 includes an enclosure 172 whlch 18 defined by a pIurallty of wall members lncluding sldewall members 174, 176, 178 and 180 pro~ectlng substantlally perpendlcularly 10 from a bottom wall member 182. A removable support member ~ 184 ls releasably mountable wlthln the enclosure 172. To } flrmly support the member 184 wlthln the enclosure 172, ledges 186 are provlded along the lnner surfaces of the ; sldewall members 176 and 180, and a plurallty of posts 188, 189, 190 and 191 project upwardly from the bottom wall member 182 to engage the bottom sùrface of the support member 184. In this partlcular embodiment, the support member 184 is adapted to be mounted subs-tantlally parallel I to the bottom wall member 182 and is slzed and shaped to :;J . 20 abut all four sldewall members 174-180. me support member i 184 preferably includes a plurallty of apertures 192 and 194 whioh are allgned wlth apertures in the posts 189 and 190 when the support member 184 ls posltloned within the enclo-sure 172. Any known means such as bolts or screws (not lllustrated) may be utlllzed to flrmly connect the support : member 184 to the posts 189 and l90 through the apertures 192, 194.
.~ me support member 184 includes a plurality of notches or recessed portions 196 disposed along two slde 3 edge8 198 and 200 thereof for mountlng a plurality of modular lnterface connectors constructed in accordance wlth the present lnventlon. While the recess portlon 196 may be formed ln any manner, it is preferred that the portlons 196 be punched from a solid support member 184. Each recess : 35 portion 196 functions ln the same manner as the recessed portion 88 of the prevlously descrlbed connector embodiment and includes a palr of spaced shoulders 202 and 204 for slldably engaging the selected modular connector, whlch ln the illustrated embodiment is a modular connector 10. Each ~ , .

`` ~4~;~

modular connector 10 i8 pre~erably mounted withln the support member 184 utllizlng the second mounting structure 82 so that the central axls of the cavity 26 thereof is substantlally perpendicular to the plane defined by the shoulders 202 and 204 and the plane of the support member 184, the second mounting structure 82 belng engaged with the shoulders 202 and 204.
Disposed on the central portlon of the support member 184 is a multi-contact connector component 206, which ln thls particular embodiment is preferably an Amphenol 57 or 157 Series connector component manufactured by Amphenol North America Division.of Bunker Ramo Corporation. The con-nector component 206 is securely mounted to the upper surface of the support member 184 and includes a plurality of contact elements 208. In preferred form, each contact element 208 is electrically connected by conductor or clrcuit means (not illustrated) to a single contact element 32 (Figure 5) of a connector 10. In this manner, all of the contact elements 32 of the connectors 10 mounted to the support member 184 are selectively electrically connected to the contact elements 208 of the connector component 206.
; The plurality of conductors coupled to a central aignal processing system ln the form of telephone signal equipment or a central telephone offlce (not illustrated) are termlnated to another multi-contact connector component whlch is mateably engageable with the connector component 206. Thus, by engaging the two mateable multi-contact connector compor.ents, the conductors coupled to telephone slgnal equipment are selectively electrically connected to the contact elements 32 (Flgure 5) of the modular con-nectors 10. As illustrated in ~igure 1, a plurality of mating connector components 12 may be selectably engaged with the modular connectors 10, each connector component 12 terminating an electrical conductor 13 which is coupled 3~ to a remote signal station such as an individual telephone unit. Thus, the connector assembly 170 enables the selective interconnection of indivldual telephone units or remote signal stations having predetermined signal characteristics to a central signal processing system by selectively interconnecting the connector 10 with the multlple-contact connector 206 and by selectively engaglng the plugs 12 with the connectors 10. It should be noted that the connector assembly 170 is particularly suitable for use as a brldglng adapter assembly, although multlple contact connector means other than connector 206 may be utilized ln assembly 170.
As illustrated in Figure 15, a cover 210 iB provlded for engagement with the upper edges of the sidewall members 174-180. The cover 210 preferably lncludes a lower lip 211 to permit firm interengagement of the cover 210 with the enclosure 172. Apertures 212, 213 and 214 are provided in a front wall 215 to permit access by the various conductors to the connector component 206 and the modular connectors 10. Two elongated screws 216 pass through two apertures 217 disposed in the top portion of the cover 210 and pass through two apertures 218 in the support member 184 for engagement with the posts 189 and 190 to firmly secure the cover 210 to the enclosure 172. Key slots 219 are also provided in the bottom wall member 182 for mountlng the assembly 170 on a,vertical support such as a wall or the like through the use of properly spaced screws or the like.
Referrlng now to Figures 17, 17A and 18, another embodlment ¢ the connector assembly of the present inven-tlon is illustrated therein. In this embodiment, a connector assembly 220 includes an enclosure 222 substantially similar to the enclosure 172 of the previous embodlment. The enclosure 222 is defined by a plurality of wall members lncluding sidewall members 224, 226J 228 and 230 mounted substantially perpendicular to a bottom wall member 232.
3 Support ledges 234 are provided on the inner surfaces of the sidewall members 226 and 230J and a plurality of support posts 236, 237J 238 and 239 pro~ect upwardly from the bottom wall member 232. The structural differences between the enclosures 222 and 172 (Figure 16) are that the sid~wall member 224 of the enclosure 222 includes two spaced slots 240 aligned substantially perpend cular to the bottom surface 232J and that the sidewall member 228 includes a substantially square viewing aperture 242 disposed centrally therein. The slots 240 and the aperture 242 are preferably ``" ~4*~9 4 ~7_ S ~
centrally thereln. The slots 240 and the aperture 242 are pre~erably formed by punching the solld sidewall members 224 and 228J respectively.
The enclosure 222 further includes a support member 244 which lncludes one recessed portion 246 havlng a palr of apaced shoulders 248 and 250. The support member 244 is sized and shaped to be removablg engageable wlth the ledges 234 and the post 239 to be posltloned in the forward portlon of the enclosure 222 ad~acent the sidewall 228.
: 10 An aperture 252 i8 provided in the support member 244 and is allgned with an aperture ln the post 239, and a screw or bolt 254 passes through the aperture 252 lnto the post 239 to flrmly secure the æupport member 244 wlthin the enclosure 222. A modular interrace connector constructed in accor-dance with the present lnvention is mounted within the recessed portion 246 and is preferably in the form of an ~- interface connector 10. In this particular embodiment, the first mounting structure 80 of the connector 10 is engaged wlth the shoulders 248 and 250 to slidably mount the connector 10 within the recessed portion 246, the central axis of the cavity 26 being substantially parallel to the plane of the support member 244. As.can be.~seen from Figures 17A and 18, the aperture 242 is positioned in the sidewall member 228 such that when the support member 244 and the mounted connector 10 are positioned within the enclosure 222, the aperture 28 of the connector 10 is aligned with the aperture 242 so that the central axis 30 Or the connector cavity 26 is substantially coaxial with the central axis Or the aperture 242. In this manner, the cavity 26 is acces-sible from the exterior Or the enclosure 222 therebypermitting a matlng plug 12 to be inæerted into the cavity 26 through the apertures 242 and 28 from outside the con-- nector assembly 220.
The cont~ct eleme~ts ~f the connecto~ 10 mounted-35 ln ~e enclosure 222 are selectably engaged with a plurality . Or conductors (not illustrated) coupled to a central signal . processing system, such as telephone signal equipment or a central telephone office. These conductors are provided acoess to the lnterlor of the enclo~:ure 22 through the slots .
, ~14 240. Any known means may be utilized for electrically inter-connecting s~ch conductors (not illustrated)with the con-tact elements of the connector 10. In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 17, two terminal strips 256 and dis-5 posed alon~ the bottom wall member 232, each terminal strip256 including a pluralit~ of terminal contacts 258. ~he incoming conductors~(not illustrated) are selectively inter-connected with the terminal contacts 258, and circuit means (not illustrated) are utilized to interconnect selected terminal contacts 258 with the contact ele~ents of the connector 10, as described in more detail in the heretofore referenced patent applications.
The connector assembly 220 also includes a cover member 260 for interengagement with the enclosure 222 to protect the enclosure components from the environment. In this embodiment (Figure 17A), the cover 260 includes a top member 261 having a plurality of short wall members 262 projecting downwardly from the front and sides thereof.
- Each wall member 262 includes a lower lip portion 263 for engagement with the sidewall members 226, 228 and 230, respectively. Disposed at the rear of the cover 260 is a back wall member 264 which depends downwardly from a rear extension of the top member 261 and is spaced outwardly from and aligned substantiall~ parallel with the sidewall member 224 of the enclosure 222. The back wall member 264 includes forwardly projecting edge mem~ers 265 on the parallel depending edges thereof which extend between the back wall member 264 and the outer surface of the sidewall member 224.
Notches 266 and 268 are provided along the bottom portions of the edge members 265 and the ~ottom outermost sections of the back wall member 264 to provide access to the slots 240 and the interior of the enclosure 222 for the con-ductors (not illustrated) coupled to telephone signal equip-ment. In addition, two apertures 270 are disposed in the top member 261 and are aligned with the posts 237 and 238 when the cover 260 is positioned on the enclosure 222.
Screws 272 are provided for securing the cover 260 to the posts 237 and 238 to maintain the cover firmly in place on the enclosure 222.
B

The particular connector assembly 220 lllustrated ln Figures 17, 17A and 18 ls especially sultable a~ an adapter for connecting a single multl-conductor cable secured to a telephone unit and having a modular connector at the end thereof to non-modular telephone equlpment.
However, lt should be noted that circuit means other than the terminal strips 256 may be utilized wlth the connector assembly 220 as illustrated below.
Referring to Figures 19 and 20, a connector assem-bly 280 is illustrated and constitutes a slight variation of : the connector assembly 220. In the connector assembly 280, ; an enclosure 222' is provided having the same basic structure of the enclosure 222 of Figure 18. However~ in the enclosure 222'~ a plurality of the apertures 242 are provided in the sidewall member 228'. Other than this one modification, theenclosure 222' is identical to the enclosure 222 described above. A support member 244' is removably mountable within the enclosure 222' and includes a plurality of the recesses 246 disposed along one side edge 282 ad~acent the sidewall member 228'. Each recess 24~ as in the previous embodiment, includes a pair of spaced shoulders 248 and 250 for receiv-ing a connector 10. Thus, in this particular embodiment the support member 244' includes three modular interface connectors 10 slidably mounted thereto, the apertures 28 of the connectors 10 being aligned and facing the sidewall member 228'. The apertures 242 are positioned in the side-wall member 228' such that the apertures 28 of the connectors 10 are aligned with the apertures 242 when the support mem-ber 244' is mounted within the enclosure 222', the central 30 axis 30 of the cavities 26 being coaxial with the apertures 242. This arrangement provides access tothe ca~itles 26 of the connectors 10 through the apertures 242 for inter-connection with a plurality of plug connectors 12 (Figure 1) .
In this particular embodiment, the contact elements 32 (Figure 5) of the three connectors 10 are electrically engaged by any known circuit means to a plurality of con~
ductors (not illustrated) coupled to telephone signal equipment, slots 240 providing access to the enclosure 222'.

,~,~g4z~ ' ' -3o-Figure 19 illustrates one embodiment of such circuit means wherein two terminal strips 256 are dlsposed on the bottom wall member 232 as ln the previously described connector assembly 220. In Figure 19J the con~act element~ 32 of the connectors connectors 10 are selectively engaged by any desired circuit means to the terminal contact~ 258, while the incoming conductors (not illustrated) are also selectively engaged to the terminal contacts 258.
The connector assembly 280 of Figures 19 and 20 permlts the interconnectlon of a plurality of multi-conductor cables which are coupled to individual telephone units havlng predetermlned signal characteristics to a central signal processing system. Tnus, the connector assembly 280 is particularly adapted to function as a bridging adapter wherein any desired multi-conductor cable may be readily interconnected with any selected incoming conductor simply , by modifying the interengagement of the plugs 12 with the connectors 10.
Figure 21 illustrates yet another embodiment of a connector assembly constructed in accordance with the present invention. In this particular embodiment, a connec-tor assembly 290 is provided having a removable support member 292 in the form of an impedance network with one , network circuit. The impQdance network 292 includes a 25 recessed p.0~tion 294 at one end ~hereof having a pair o~
spaced shoulders 296 and 298 adapted for interengaging the firæt connector structure 80 of a connector 10. It should be noted that the connector 10' may also be utilized in the assembly 290 as well as in all the other described connec-30 tor assemblies of the present invention.
The connector-assembly 290 includes an enclosure 300 having a plurality of sidewall members 301, 302, 303 and 304 similar to the sidewall members of the previously described connector assembly embodiments. The ~idewall 35 member 304 includes an aperture (not illustrated) disposed therein for alignment with the connector 10 in the support member 292 for engagement of a plug 12 with the connector 10. me conductor 13 terminated to the plug 12 (Fi~ure 1) is coupled to an individual telephone unit and the contact ~ S~M~

elements 32 (Flgure 5) o~ the connector 10 are selecti~ely electrically coupled to the clrcuit 293 of the i~pedance network 292 which is ln turn electrlcally coupled to at least one incoming conductcr (not lllustrated) leadlng to a central signal processlng system vla the terminal~ 305, 306, 307 and 308 provlded on the support member Z92. The connector assembly 290 achieves the same baslc functlon as the connector assembly 220 except that the clrcult means Or the assembly 290 includes an impedance network in the form Or the support member 292.
Referring to Figure 22, yet another connector assembly 310 is illustrated and is substantially simllar to ; the connector assembly 290. However, the assembly 310 lncludes a support member 312 which is in the form of an impedance network fully mounted between the sidewalls 301, 303 and 304 and which includes two network clrcuits. The two available circuits of the support member 312 are coupled to the connector 10 and alternately available for use, and to the incoming conductors (not lllustrated) coupled to telephone signal equlpment through the termlnals 314, 316, 318 and 320. A switch 322 ls provided and extends outwardly through the sidewall member 304 for selecting the deslred network circuit.
Referring to Figures 23-26, still another connector assembly embodiment of the present invention is lllustrated.
In thi~ partlcular embodiment, a connector assembly 330 is pr~vided for selectively receiving a plurality of impedance networks to permit selective interconnection of a plurality of remote signal ætations having predetermined signal characteristics to a central signal processing system.
The connector assembly 330 includes an enclosure 332 structured to selectively receive a plurality of dual circult lmpedance networks 334, which are functionally the same as t~e impedance networks 312 of Figure 22, and/or a plurallty of single circuit lmpedance networks 336, which are functionally the same as the impedance networks 292 of Figure 21. The enclosure 332 is also struc~ured to receiYe suitable electrical connectors for interconnecting a plur-ality of remote signal stations to a central signal processin~

11442f;~

system.
Brie~ly, each dùal circuit impedance network 334 18 of the type whlch includes a flrst network circuit in-cluding a single impedance element 400 which may be utilized for lnterconnecting a telephone remote signal station to a central signal processing system, and a second network cir-cuit taking the form of an impedance pad circuit having a plurality of impedance elements and which is suitable for interconnecting a modem or data set to a central signal processing system. The first network clrcuit's single impedance element 400 preferably consists of a one-quarter watt resistor. The second network circuit elements prefer-ably includes four~two-watt resistors 402, 404, 406, 408, a one-watt resistor 410, and a capacitor 412. The components of the first and second network circuits are mounted on a substrate comprising a printed circuit board 414 which includes on its underside a deposited lead pattern (not shown) interconnecting the component parts to form the second network circuit or pad circuit and interconnecting the first 20 network circuit single impedance element 400 in circuit.
The impedance network also includes a switch 416 mounted on the board 414. The switch 416 is provided to selectively actuate the second network circuit or pad circuit should that mode of operation be desired. The switch 416 prefer-ably lncludes a control arm 418 which extends beyond theperlphery of the board 414.
The board 414 also carries external contacts (not illustrated) wh~h are coupled to portions of the impedance network circuits by the deposited lead pattern on the underside of the board 414. The external contacts are utilized for interconnecting a remote signal station to a central signal processlng system in a manner to be more fully described hereinafter.
Each single clrcuit impedance network 336 is the equivalent o~ the first network circuit of the lmpedance network 334. More speclfically, the impedance network 336 includes a single resistor 420 mounted on a substrate consisting of a printed circuit board 422. The circuit board 422 includes a deposited lead pattern 424 inter-connectlng the resistor 420 to external contact~ (not illu~trated) dlsposed on the board 422 for interconnectlng a remote signal Rtatlon to a central signal processlng sy~tem as described below.
The enclosure 332 ls preferably deflned by a plur-ality of sidewall members 338, 340, 342 and 344 and a bottom wall member 346. Flrst multlple contact meanR 348 include a first plurallty of contact elements and are disposed wlthin the enclosure 332 for termlnating a multl-conductor cable 350 whlch ls coupled to a central slgnal processing system, such as telephone signal equlpment or a telephone central office.. In preferred form9 the first contact~means 348 include two mateaple.multiple-contact connector components 352 and 354, each having a plurality of contaet elements 15 - (not illustrated) engageable with;the contact elements of its mating connector component. Preferably, the contact means 348 constitute Amphenol 57 or 157 Series connector components or the like. The connector component 352 is mounted to the bottom wall member 346, and the connector component 354 is adapted to terminate-the conductors of the cable 350-and to be mounted to and engage.d with--the connector component 352.
The-enclosure 332 also includes a second multiple-, contact means 356 having a second plurality of contact 25- elements (not illustrated), and an intermediate multiple-contact means 358 having-at.least one third plurality of-contact elements (not illustrated). .~he intermediate con-tact means 358 includes a plurality.o~ intermedlate.multiple-contact connectors 360 mounted~to-the bottom wall member 346 3 ad~acent the sidewall member 342. Each.of.the ,intermediate connectors 360 preferably,includes a rectangular body portion 361 and a base-portion 362 which-ls'secured to the bottom wall member 346 by screws-363 or Eivet. Each-body portion 361 is adapted tc re¢eive an impedance network 334 or 336 and contains a third plurality of contact elements for electrical engagement-~with the appropriate external contacts (not illustrated) of the engaged impedance network 334, 336. Circuit means (not illustrated) are also provided in the enclosure 332 for selectively interconnecting each .

thlrd plurality o~ contact elements ln sald connectors 358 with the ~irst plurallty of contact elements in the connec-tor component 352. It should be noted that the switch arm 418 of each impedance network 334 pro~ects through a slot 5 366 in the ~idewall member 338 ~or access outslde the enclo-.
sure 332.
To mount the second connector contact means 356 to : the enclosure 332, a palr of channel members 368 are disposed ~long the inslde edges o~ the sldewall member 340 and are : 10 adapted to slldlngly recelve a support member 370 thereln : The channel members 368 are arranged to mount the support member 370 spaced from and parallel with the lnner surface :~ of the sidewall member 340. The second contact means 356 are disposed on the support member 370 as described below, 15 and an opening 372 is located in the sidewall member 340 to provide access to the second contact means 356 from out-: side the enclosure 332.
In one form of this embodlment~ as illustrated inFigures 23-25, the second contact means 356 consists of a plurality o~ the modular interface connectors 10', although the connector 10 may also be readily utillzed. The support member 370 includes a plurality of recessed portions 374 each having a pair of spaced shoulders 376, 378 for slidably receiving the second mounting structure 82 ' of each connec-tor 10'. Each reces~ed portion 374 is preferably adapted to receive at least two connectors 10' mounted ad~acent each other with their cavities 26 ' facing the opening 372. Thus, . each connector 10' is accessible from outside the enclosure 332 for engagement with a plug 12 ' terminating a conductor 13 (Figure 10) coupled to a remote signal station such as an individual telephone unit. Circult means (not illustrated) are provided in the enclosure 332 to e}ectrically engage the second contact elements (not illustrated) of each connector : 10' to the plurality of third contact elements of one 35 intermediate connector 360 to thereby electrically couple each connector 10' to the central signal processing system by way of an intermediate connector 360 and the first con-.~ tact means 348. It should be noted that the support member 370 is removably engageable with the channels 368 to permit .

substitutlon Or alternate forms o~ second contact means 356 as descrlbed below.
The above embodlment is particularly useful when interconnecting indivldual telephone unit conductors direct-ly to the cable 350. However, in certain instances theindividual telephone unit conductors 13 (Figures 1 and 10) have already been interconnected to a single multl-conductor cable 375 through use of adapters such as those illustrated in Figures 15 and 20, although the signals there~rom have not yet been attenuated. To attenuate the slgnals from individual telephone units and to interconnect such units with a central signal processlng system, an alternate form of the second co~tact means 356 is lllustrated in Figure 26.
In this form Or the inventlon, the contact means , includes a multi-contact element connector component 377 mounted to a support member 379. The connector oomponent 377 is pre~erably an Amphenol 57 or 157 Series connector component which is mateable with another connector component (not illustrated) which terminates the cable 375 carrying the conductors coupled to the individual telephone units.
The support member 379 is slidably mountable in the channels 368 similar to the support member 370, the contact elements 380 of the component 377 being accessible for mating engage-ment through the opening 372 Circult means are also pro-; 25 vided in the enclosure 332 ~or electrically interconnecting selected contact elements 380 with appropriate third plural-; ities of contact elements o~ the intermediate connectors 360 to interconnect the connector component 377 with the ~irst -~ contact means 348 and a central signal processing system.
Re~erring to Figures 23, 25 and 26J a cover 382 is provided for engaging the enclosure 332 to protect the components thereof rrom environmental contamination and the like. m e cover 382 preferably includes a top member 384 and a plurality o~ depending sidewalls 386, 388, 390 and 392.
35 m e sidewall 386 includes a notched opening 393 to provide an exit port ~rom the enclosure 332 for the cable 350. The sidewall 388 includes an opening 394 which cooperates with the opening 372 when the cover 382 is engaged with the enclosure 332 to provide access to the s~cond contact means , 356. In addition, an outwardly protrudlng lip member 395 is disposed on the lowermost edges of the sidewalls 386-392 to engage the enclosure sldewall members 338-344, re~pective-ly. Flnally, to removably lock the cover 382 in poslti~n 5 on the enclosure 332, a pair of resillent latch members 396, 397 are disposed, respectively, on the sidewalls 386 and 390 for latching engagement with a palr of catches 398 and 399 dlsposed on the sidewall members 338 and 342, respectively.
The connector assembly 330 is pre-wlred as dis-cussed above and with the conductive lead pattern of the prlnted circuit board ~14 interconnecting the varlous ele-ments thereon, all of the requirements found in the rules and regulations, Appendix A-59, appearing in the Federal re~ister, Vol. 41, No. 134, dated Monday, July 12, 1976, will be satisfied. Also, those requirements are satisfied at the instant the circuit board 414 or ~22 is interconnected with an intermediate connector 360. Therefore, the inter-connections between a remote signal station and a central signal processing system can be achieved with the present invention without on-site installation wiring.
The presentinvention, therefore, provides lmproved modular interface connector~ and unique connector assemblies incorporating such improved connectors. The modular con-nectors of the invention include universal mounting struc-tures which permit the connectors to be slidably mounted in various configurations, orientations and arrangements to satisfy a number of diverse connection requirements. In addition, the connectors of the invention and their mounting structures can be molded in a single-action mold to thereby reduce the costs of manufacture. Furthermore, a unique ; comb structure and a simplified bus bar mounting structure are provided which simplify the fabrication of the con-nectors and thereby further reduce the cost of manufacture.
The improved connector of the invention also permits the construction of a wide variety of improved connector assemblies utilizing a limited number of interchangeable - component parts for interconnecting remote signal statlons to a central signal processing system. Prior connector assemblies were generally individually unlque ~or each speclflc interconnection requirement with very ~ew inter-changeable components. HoweverJ the connector assemblies of the present invention have the same basic components whlch can be rearranged in different combinations to meet a multlplicity o~ interconnection needs including adapters, bridglng assemblies, modem or data ~acks, ~unction assemblies and various combinations thereof. Therefore, the present invention simpli~ies the construction of such connector asse~
blies by reducing on-site wiring requirements as well as significantly reduces the requirement of large, diverse inventorles of assembly component parts It will be understood that the invention may be embod~ed in other speci~ic forms without departing from the spirit or central characte~istics thereo~. The present examples and embodiments, there~ore, are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein but may be modified within the scope o~ the appended claims.

!

Claims (16)

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A connector assembly for electrically connecting at least one first multi-conductor cable to a plurality of con-ductors electrically coupled to telephone signal equipment, each said cable terminating in a first modular connector com-ponent having a first plurality of contact elements, said assembly comprising: an enclosure defined by a plurality of wall members; a removable support member disposed within said enclosure and including spaced mounting shoulders; at least one second modular connector component slidably mountable in said support member at any selected position between said shoulders, each said second connector component including a housing having an aperture therein and side wall means defining a cavity for receiving one said first connector component and a second plurality of contact elements having active contact portions projecting into said cavity for engagement with said first plurality of contact elements when said first connector com-ponent is inserted into said cavity through said aperture, first mounting means disposed on opposite side walls of said housing for mounting said housing on said support member between said shoulders wherein the central axis of said cavity normal to said aperture is aligned in a first direction relative to the plane defined by said shoulders, and second mounting means dis-posed on opposite side walls of said housing for mounting said housing on said support member between said shoulders wherein said central axis is aligned in a second direction relative to said plane and at an angle to said first direction; and circuit means for electrically connecting each said second plurality of contact elements to selected ones of said plurality of con-ductors coupled to telephone signal equipment.

2. The connector assembly as claimed in Claim 1, wherein each said second connector component comprises a housing including a front wall having an aperture therein, a back wall and a plurality of sidewalls defining said cavity, one said first connector component being insertable into said cavity through said aperture, first mounting means disposed on oppositely facing sidewalls for slidably mounting said housing between the shoulders of one said pair of shoulders wherein the central axis of said cavity normal to said aper-ture is aligned in a first direction relative to the plane defined by said pair of shoulders, and second mounting means disposed on oppositely facing sidewalls for slidably mounting said housing between the shoulders of one said pair of shoulders wherein said central axis is aligned in a second direction relative to said plane and substantially perpendicular to said first direction, said first and second mounting means each including retention means for firmly maintaining said housing in said selected position between said shoulders.

3. The connector assembly as claimed in Claim 2, wherein said retention means comprise embossments integral with said housing to biasly engage said shoulders to firmly maintain said shoulders within said mounting means.

4. The connector assembly as claimed in Claim 2, wherein each said first and second mounting means include mounting channels disposed along the outer surfaces of respec-tive oppositely facing housing sidewalls, said channels slidab-ly receiving said shoulders therein to mount said housing within said support member.

5. The connector assembly as claimed in Claim 4, wherein said retention means comprise integral embossments disposed within said mounting channels to biasly engage and firmly maintain said shoulders within said channels at any said selected position.

6. The connector assembly as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the channels of at least one said mounting means are defined by a plurality of projections disposed on the oppositely facing housing sidewalls of said at least one mounting means, said retention means being disposed on the channel-forming surfaces of the projections forming each said channel and comprising at least one pliable tab member disposed on said channel-forming surfaces for bias engagement against the shoulder inserted within said channel.

7. The connector assembly as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said support member includes at least one recessed portion, each said portion having opposing side edges forming said shoulders.

8. The connector assembly as claimed in Claim 7, wherein said support member comprises a printed circuit board, and wherein said circuit means includes the printed circuit of said board.

9. The connector assembly as claimed in Claim 1, wherein at least one said wall member includes at least one aperture therein, each said aperture being aligned substantially coaxial with the cavity of one said second connector component to provide access thereto for engagement with one said first connector component.

10. The connector assembly as claimed in Claim 2, wherein said plurality of enclosure wall members comprises a bottom wall member and a plurality of sidewall members disposed substantially perpendicular to said bottom wall member, and wherein said assembly further comprises a removable cover mountable on said sidewall members and means for mounting said support member substantially parallel to and spaced from said bottom wall member, said first and second mounting means of each second connector component being adapted to align the central axis of said second connector component cavity sub-stantially perpendicular and substantially parallel, respect-ively, to the plane of said support member.

11. The connector assembly as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said circuit means comprises multiple contact means disposed within said enclosure electrically engageable with said plurality of conductors coupled to telephone signal equipment and selectively connected to each said second plural-ity of contact elements.

12. The connector assembly as claimed in Claim 11, wherein said multiple contact means comprises a third modular connector component mounted to said support member and includ-ing a plurality of contacts selectively electrically connected to each said second plurality of contact elements, said plural-ity of conductors being terminated in a fourth modular con-nector component adapted for mating engagement with said third modular connector component.

13. The connector assembly as claimed in Claim 11, wherein said multiple contact means comprises at least one terminal contact strip mounted to the inner surface of said bottom wall and including a plurality of terminal contact elements, said terminal contact elements being electrically coupled to said second plurality of contact elements and electrically engageable with said plurality of conductors.

14. The connector assembly as claimed in Claim 11, wherein said support member comprises a printed circuit board having a printed circuit disposed thereon electrically con-nected to the second plurality of contact elements of said second connector components, and wherein said multiple contact means comprises said printed circuit and a plurality of ter-minal contact elements disposed on said board electrically connected to said printed circuit, said terminal contact ele-ments being selectively electrically engageable with said plurality of conductors.

15. The connector assembly as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said circuit means comprises a third modular connector component disposed within said enclosure and including a third plurality of contact elements adapted for connection to said plurality of conductors, a plurality of intermediate multiple contact means disposed within said enclosure with each said intermediate contact means including a fourth plurality of contact elements adapted for selective and independent con-nection to an impedance network, integral circuit means within said enclosure for interconnecting selected ones of said sec-ond, third and fourth plurality of contact elements and for interconnecting respective first multi-conductor cables to said plurality of conductors as each fourth plurality of con-tact elements is coupled to an impedance network.

16. The connector assembly as claimed in Claim 15, wherein said enclosure includes means for slidably mounting said support member therein spaced substantially parallel from the inner surface of one said wall member, said support member including a plurality of pairs of spaced shoulders with each said pair of shoulders being adapted to receive at least two said second connector components, said one said wall member having an opening therein for providing access to the cavities of said second connector components for interengagement of said first and second modular components.