GB2350945A

GB2350945A - Telephone adapter

Info

Publication number: GB2350945A
Application number: GB0013445A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Richard Drewnicki
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1999-06-04
Filing date: 2000-06-03
Publication date: 2000-12-13
Also published as: CN1284771A; GB9912878D0; GB0013445D0

Abstract

An adapter for connecting a plug to an incompatible socket comprises a housing (2, Fig 2), a carrier 6 in the housing and wires (12, Fig 6). The carrier 6 is made of several parts 8, 9, 10 which have separate insulated grooves 19, 22 for the wires. The ends of the wires form the contacts of the plug and the socket. The adapter may include additional circuitry (7, Fig 2).

Description

2350945 1 TITLE: ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR

DESCRIPTION

The invention relates to electrical connectors and 15 more particularly, but not exclusively, to electrical connectors for interconnecting telephone apparatus or the like. It is known, e.g. from GB-B-2,301,953 to provide an electrical double adapter comprising:20 a housing electrically insulating material having a first part defining a plug portion and a second part defining a pair of socket portions, a generally L-shaped carrier member of electrically insulating material mounted in the housing to extend into the first and second parts and comprising an arm which partly defines the plug portion, and an arm which partly defines the socket portions, and having opposed sets of grooves on the respective arms, and 2 a plurality of generally U-shaped unitary wire members, each of which comprises opposed limb portions, an adjacently disposed pair of free end portions and an intermediate portion, the intermediate portions of the said unitary wire members defining electrical contacts on the plug portion, the said end portions defining a plurality of corresponding electrical contacts in each socket portion, and the said unitary wire members defining electrical conductors joining respective contacts on the plug portion and in each socket portion, and wherein the said unitary wire members are mounted on the carrier member with the opposed limb portions embracing the arms of the carrier member and disposed in the said grooves whereby the unitary wire members are is maintained in spaced relationship and with the said opposite end portions disposed mutually adjacent and overhanging the carrier member to form resiliently displaceable contacts, and with the intermediate portions of the unitary wire members surrounding and supported by one of the said arms.

It is an object of the invention to provide an electrical connector in the form of an adapter, e.g. for converting from one standard to another and which can cater for a situation where the sequence of the connections at one position (e.g. the plug end) of the adapter is different from the sequence of the connections at another position (e.g. the socket end) of the adapter, i.e. where the electrical conductors between the plug and socket ends 3 of the adapter must be crossed-over. At present this problem is dealt- with by employing adapters incorporating printed circuit boards and hard wiring which is connected, usually by solder joints, to the printed circuit board and to contacts in the respective plug and socket ends of the adapter. Such a situation arises in data adapters such as that known by the standard RJ45 which is used to connect between an 8-wire standard and the conventional U.K. telephone 6wire standard. The known connector is expensive to make, labour intensive and is prone to failure and ageing due to the need for many individual wire joints in its make-up.

It is accordingly a specific object of the invention to overcome or at least to mitigate these problems.

is According to the invention there is provided an electrical connector in the form of an adapter, e.g. for converting between different stands, comprising a housing of electrically insulating material having a first part defining a plug portion and a second part defining a socket portion, a carrier member of electrically insulating material mounted in the housing to extend into the first and second parts and comprising a plurality of carrier portions each of which is formed with separator(s) for maintaining electrical conductors in spaced relation, and a plurality of unitary wire members, each of which comprises a pair of free end portions defining electrical contacts in the plug and socket portions and an 4 intermediate portion arranged to be maintained separated by the separators, the said unitary wire members defining electrical conductors the joining respective contacts in the plug portion and in the socket portion. 5 The free end portions of the wire members may form resiliently displaceable contacts. The carrier member may comprise a pair of carrier portions adapted to be juxtaposed face to face and to define between them a conduit or channel for one of the wire members to form a said separator. The conduit may be arranged so that the conductor housed therein crosses-over to alter the sequence of the contacts in the plug as compared to those in the socket. The arrangement may be such that the opposed outer faces of the carrier portions are formed with separators. The separators may be formed as a series of grooves.

The pair of carrier portions may be adapted for reception in a hollow carrier portion which may, if desired, be formed with further separators for the wire members. A part of the carrier member may at least partly define the plug portion and a part of the carrier member may at least partly define the socket portion. If desired electrical components, if required which may be mounted on a printed circuit board if desired, may be crimped onto or otherwise connected to, the wire members.

The pair of carrier portions may be formed with location means, e.g. dowels and corresponding holes whereby the two portions may be accurately fitted together. The two portions may be formed as a single part separated by an integral hinge. At least one of the two portions may be formed with a snap-action fastener for locating in a corresponding recess in the hollow carrier portion. The hollow carrier portion may be formed with snap-action fasteners for fixing the carrier in the adapter.

The invention is diagrammatically illustrated, by way of example, in the accompanying drawings in relation to a telephone data adapter, and in which:- Figure 1 is an end view of a telephone data adapter; of Figure 1; Figure 2 is a cross-section on the line A-A of Figure 1; Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of an insert for the adapter of Figure 1 and showing one end of the insert; Figure 4 is a view of the other end of the insert of Figure 3; Figure 5 is an underneath view of the insert of Figure 3; Figure 6 is a side view of the insert of Figure 3 with conductor wires in place; Figure 7 is an exploded perspective view of the insert of Figure 8 and showing the other end, and Figure 8 is a side view of the adapter, corresponding to the cross-section of Figure 2.

In the drawings an electrical connector in the form of a telephone data adapter (1) for converting between 6 different telephone standards. The adapter (1) comprises a moulded plastics housing (2) formed with a plug portion (3) conforming to one telephone standard and a socket portion (4) conforming to another telephone standard. The housing (2) has a hollow interior (5) in which is mounted a carrier member (6) of moulded plastics and which partly defines both the plug and socket portions (3,4). The housing (2) is formed in two parts (2a, 2b) respectively which fit together at joint (7) to permit the carrier member to be inserted and held in the housing. The housing is also formed with an extension (2c) in which electrical components such as are indicated at (7) can be located, the electrical components being connected into the adapter as required. These components (7) may if desired be mounted on a circuit board (not shown) located in the housing extension (2c).

The carrier member (6) comprises a hollow carrier portion (8) in which are received a pair of carrier parts (9,10). The carrier member (6) is formed on its outer surface with separators (11) which define between them grooves for receiving electrical conductors (12) in the form of lengths of wire which are wrapped around the carrier member as shown in Figure 6 so as to extend f rom the socket portion to the plug portion and to define resilient electrical contacts in the plug and socket portions. It will be appreciated that although Figure 6 shows the entire length of a wire conductor (12), in practice the illustrated wire has its intermediate portion 7 located within the carrier member as described below. Also as shown in Figure 6, one end (13) of some of the wires (12) may be extended for connection to the electrical components (7) e.g. by crimping of the like.

The carrier parts (9, 10) are arranged to fit together face to face and to be snugly received in the hollow interior (14) of the hollow carrier portion (8) in the direction indicated by the arrow A in Figure 3. The parts (9, 10) are located together by integral pegs or dowels (15) and corresponding peg or dowel holes (16) provided on the mating faces (17,18) of the parts. The mating faces are also formed with corresponding grooves (19) which together define a conduit or channel for receiving one of the wire conductors (12), the conduit or channel extending along the parts (9,10) from end to end and crossing over from one side or edge of the parts to the other. In this way wire conductors in the socket portion can be in a different order in the plug portion to allow for conversion between different telephone standards.

The exterior faces (20,21) of the parts (9,10) can also be formed with additional grooves (22) for receiving further wire conductors (12), which can also crossover from one side of the carrier to the other to allow the order of the conductors in the plug and socket portions to be different. The part 9 is formed with a snap-action latch (23) for reception in a corresponding detent (24) in the hollow carrier portion (8) to hold the parts (9,10) in position in the portion (8). The portion (8) is formed 8 with snap-action latches (25) for reception in corresponding detents (27) in the housing (2), to hold the carrier member (6) in the housing. The housing (2) is formed with a latch (26) to hold the adapter in place in a socket (not shown) during use.

The invention thus provides an electrical adapter which is simple in construction and thus cheap to make and which permits conversion between telephone standards without the need for expensive components. 10 9

Claims

1. An electrical connector comprising a housing of electrically insulating material having a first part defining a plug portion and a second part defining a socket portion, a carrier member of electrically insulating material mounted in the housing to extend into the first and second parts and comprising a plurality of carrier parts each of which is formed with separator(s) for maintaining electrical conductors in spaced relation, and a plurality of unitary wire members, each of which comprises a pair of free end portions defining electrical contacts in the plug and socket portions and an intermediate portion arranged to be maintained separated by the separators, the said unitary wire members defining electrical conductors the joining respective contacts in the plug portion and in the socket portion.

2. A connector according to claim 1, wherein the free end portions of the wire members form resiliently displaceable contacts.

3. A connector according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the carrier member comprises a pair of carrier parts adapted to be juxtaposed face to face and to define between them a conduit or channel for one of the wire members to form a said separator.

4. A connector according to claim 3, wherein the conduit or channel is arranged so that the conductor housed therein crosses-over to alter the sequence of the contacts in the plug as compared to those in the socket.

5. A connector according to claim 3 or claim 4, wherein opposed outer faces of the carrier parts are formed with 5 separators.

6. A connector according to claim 5, wherein the separators are formed as a series of grooves.

7. A connector according to any preceding claim, wherein the plurality of carrier parts are adapted for reception in a hollow carrier portion

8. A connector according to claim 7, wherein the hollow carrier portion is formed with further separators for the wire members.

9. A connector according to any preceding claim, wherein is the carrier member at least partly defines the plug portion and at least partly defines the socket portion.

10. A connector according to any preceding claim, comprising electrical components, crimped onto the unitary wire members.

11. A connector according to any preceding claim, wherein the plurality of carrier parts are formed with location means whereby the two parts may be accurately fitted together.

12. A connector according to any preceding claim, wherein the plurality of carrier parts are separated by an integral hinge.

13. A connector according to any one of claims 7 to 12 when dependant on claim 7, wherein at least one of the 11 plurality of carrier parts is formed with a snap-action fastener for locating in a corresponding recess in the hollow carrier portion.

14. A connector according to claim 18, wherein the hollow carrier portion is formed with snap-action fastener for fixing the carrier in the housing.

is