US3692966A

US3692966A - Multi-circuit patch plug and jack

Info

Publication number: US3692966A
Application number: US57050A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jesse F Lancaster
Original assignee: Cooke Engineering Co
Current assignee: Cooke Engineering Co
Priority date: 1970-07-22
Filing date: 1970-07-22
Publication date: 1972-09-19
Anticipated expiration: 1989-09-19

Abstract

A shielded multi-circuit, self normalling, patch plug and jack for developing test boards or patch fields for testing, rerouting, and maintaining multi-circuit electrical systems and substituting equipment in circuits in event of circuit or equipment failure by connecting various multi-lead electrical components of the system, particularly television and like communication systems by circuit patching. Substitution of components can be effected by connection in series with the system or in other commonly known circuitry patterns such as double series, double parallel, normal through, looping, holding loop, or set jack arrangements. The jack provides multiple paired movable contacts spanning respective slot-like plug sockets to engage stationary intermediate stationary contacts and provide a normal through connection of the multiple circuits between a transmitter and receiver. Respective plugs are provided for each socket and comprise multi-circuit cables terminated within the plug in a printed circuit board composed of an elongated generally rectangular body of insulating material the opposite faces of which are provided with respective paired and interconbected strip-like contacts.

Description

PATENTED SEP 19 I972 SHEET 2 OF 2 INVENTOR' 63 JESSE F. LANCASTER ATTORNEYS MULTI-CIRCUIT PATCH PLUG AND JACK BACKGROUND OF INVENTION Shielded multi-circuit patch plug and jack assemblies of the prior art operative for the purpose of this invention comprise insulated bodies elongated in a direction axially of the cables to which they are connected and providing jack elements defining either (1) a side-byside pair of axially directed, generally cylindrical sockets intersected at axially spaced intervals by diametrically opposed pairs of contacts the ends of which are bent oppositely to form opposed semi-cylindrical separable contact portions the free ends of which normally contact to form respective normal through circuits or (2) side-by-side pairs of axially directed, generally cylindrical sockets slotted longitudinally through one side face to expose the protruding, longitudinally slotted portions of plug receiving barrels to the underface of laterally opposed, paired leaf spring type contacts fixedly supported at one end to the marginal longitudinal portions of the one side face with their respective free ends normally contacting respective laterally directed conductor strips disposed between the spaced slots to form respective normal through circuits. These leaf spring type contacts in overlying relation to their respective slots are each provided with protuberant pick up contact elements designed to extend radially into the barrel slots and form plug engaging contacts.

In both types of jacks, the cooperating plug comprises an axially elongated cylindrical member having at least one longitudinally directed row of axially spaced, radially protuberant contacts which are disposed as to freely pass the jack contacts upon axial entry of the plug into the jack and then, upon full entry and rotation of the plug inthe entered jack barrel, to bring the plug contacts into engagement with the jack contacts and separate the jack contacts from each other or their respective conductor strips thereby breaking the normal through circuit through the jack and coupling at least one of the separated jack contacts to the plug and its patch cord conductors to incorporate a further component in a predetermined circuit pattern with the separated jack contact or contacts. The barrel type jack and plug construction is exemplified by applicants copending application Ser. No. 377,270 filed June 23, 1964, and entitled Multi-Circuit Switching Connector.

The present invention provides a simplified, more rugged, and longer life multi-circuit patch plug and jack for accomplishing the purposes heretofore mentioned and in addition provides a structure which may be fabricated more readily than those of the prior art described above.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION It, accordingly, is a primary object of this invention to provide a simplified, more rugged and longer life multi-circuit patch plug and jack for testing and maintaining multi-circuit electrical systems by interrupting the normal through circuit of the jack and selectively switching various multi-lead electrical components of the system into and out of the system.

Another object of the present invention resides in constructing a multi-circuit patch plug and jack according to the preceding object of separable components which are constructed to simplify the connection of the multi-circuit cables of the electrical system to the jack and the multi-circuit patch cord to the plug.

A further object of the present invention resides in providing a jack for a multi-circuit patch plug and jack composed of a main insulating body of generally rectangular configuration defining a rectangular recess opening through one face and intersected by a pair of slot-like, laterally spaced, passages opening through its opposite face, respective channel-shaped contact banks comprising a body of insulating material mounting respective spring contacts in longitudinally spaced relation along the channels of the body disposed in the main body recess in side-by-side spaced relation opposite each slot-like passage, contact pins spanning the space between the contact banks to maintain the spaced relation of the contact banks and normally through connecting the opposed spaced spring contacts of the respective contact bank, and a metallic shielding cover of rectangular configuration defining an open well for receiving the main insulating body with its opposite slotted face disposed to close the open side of the well.

A further object of the present invention resides in providing a patch cord plug for a multi-circuit patch plug and jack composed of a thin, main insulating body of generally rectangular configuration having strip-like contacts fixedly spaced longitudinally along the opposite faces of the insulating body adjacent one edge and provided along the opposite edge with through screw passages, and a pair of mating metallic shield plates having respective side face edge opening recesses shaped and dimensioned to enclosingly receive the inner ends of the contact bearing portions of the insulating body and formed inwardly beyond the inner contact ends with spaced apertured lands disposed to grippingly engage the screw passage defining portions of the main insulating body when clamp screws entered through the apertured lands of one shield plate and the screw passages of the main insulating body are threaded home in the through apertures of the other shield plate.

Still another object of the present invention resides in providing the jack slots adjacent one end of said main insulating body with respective enlarged passageways and the plug main body at one end with an enlarged end fitting matingly shaped to interfit in the enlarged passageways to predetermine the relative orientation of the plug for entry into the jack.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Further objects of the invention will appear from the following specification and appended claims when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a multi-circuit patch plug and jack made in accord with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear end view of the jack of FIG. 1 with the lower portion of the jack shield back wall broken away to expose the lower end of the retainer plate, screw fastened at its opposite ends to the main insulating body of the jack, to overlap the adjacently related edges of the bottom faces of the channel shaped contact banks and firmly clamp the contact banks in place;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the jack taken substantially on line 3-3 of FIG. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows and illustrating the details of the jack spring contacts showing a plug according to FIG. I inserted in the upper plug slot cooperating with one of the spring contacts to disrupt the normal through circuit;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged elevational view of one of the plugs of FIG. 1 with the uppermost shield plate removed to illustrate the plug contact structure and the manner of connecting the individual leads of the multiconductor patch cable to the plug contacts;

FIG. 5 is an end view of the plug as seen from the right of FIG. 4 with the omitted shield plate in place;

FIG. 6 is an edge elevational view of one of the channel shaped jack contact banks as seen when looking into the channel with certain of the contact pins provided to establish the normal through circuit between the two contact banks in place; and

FIG. 7 is an elevation view of the main insulating body of the jack of FIG. I removed from its shield and omitting the jack contact banks as seen from the right of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION With continued reference to the drawings wherein the same reference numerals are employed throughout the several views to indicate the same parts, numeral designates generally a multi-circuit patch plug and jack made in accord with the present invention. The multicircuit patch plug and jack 20 comprises a jack assembly 21 designed to be fixedly secured to a jack panel (not shown) of conventional construction provided to mount a plurality of jacks in juxtaposition at a switching or test station by means of suitable attachment screws (not shown) entered through screw passages provided in the jack panel and threaded into the tapped screw openings 22 of jack 21 and a pair of patch cord plug assemblies 23.

Referring for the moment to jack assembly 21, this assembly includes an outer metallic shield member 24 of generally rectangular box-like configuration the back wall 25 (FIGS. 2 and 3) of which midway between its ends is provided with through drilled cable passages 26 disposed in laterally spaced side-by-side relation. As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, each cable passage 26 is provided with a cable clamp assembly 27 made up of an L-shaped clamp pad 28 the short leg 29 of which is fixedly secured to the portion of back wall 25 which defines the respective through cable passages 26 by rivetting, butt welding, or other suitable fastening means and a clamp plate 30 removably secured to pad 28. Pad 28 is drilled, preferably after attachment to wall 25 and at the time passages 26 are drilled from the inside of wall 25, to form an arcuate recess 31 forming a continuation of the respective passages 26 throughout the entire length of the inner face of the long leg 32. Clamp plate 30, suitably provided with an arcuate recess 33 disposed to matingly cooperate with arcuate recess 31, is removably screw fastened to pad leg 29 by means of clamp screws 34 (FIGS. 1 and 3). When clamp screws 34 are loosened, plates 30 may be shifted away from legs 29 so that multi-conductor cables 35 and 36 respectively extending from source" equipment (for example a transmitter not shown) and load equipment (for example a receiver not shown) may be inserted into member 24 through the respective recesses 31-33 and their associated passages 26 and terminated, as will be presently pointed out, at the contacts of a pair of respective contact banks 37 (FIGS. 3 and 6). Once cables 35 and 36 are terminated and jack assembly 21 is assembled the cables may be clamped to shield 24 by threading screws 34 home into suitably tapped appertures in pad leg 29 to draw clamp plates 30 toward legs 29 to grippingly engage the arcuate recesses 31 and 33 around the cables.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 6, the contact banks 37 each comprise an elongated channel shaped body 38 of insulating material, for example a phenolic thermosetting plastic, molded to provide inner, opposed side wall faces having opposing paired ribs 39 (FIG. 3) extending upwardly from the connecting base wall 41 and terminating at their outer ends in divergent, planar end faces 42 (FIG. 6). The space between adjacently related ribs 39 of each side wall face is spanned by a somewhat shallower rib 43 (FIG. 3) terminating at its outer end in a thin, wall segment 44 spaced inwardly from the base wall face to form shallow, rectangularly I shaped pockets or recess 45 (FIG. 6) and the connecting base wall 41 inwardly from the base of each shallow rib 43 is formed with a rectangularly shaped, through slot 46 (FIGS. 3 and 6). Pockets 45 and slots 46 are respectively dimensioned to closely receive the elongated stripJike body 47 and return bent tab 48 of the jack contacts of the respective contact banks 37. As best seen in FIG. 3, each of the jack contacts comprises a single strip of metal, preferably beryllium copper, with body 47 extending in opposite directions from slot 46 and return bent upon itself opposite wall segment 44 to form tab 48 and dispose its free end 49 at an inward inclination across the channel of body 38 to terminate short of base wall 41 in a contact tip 51 directed generally parallel to base wall 41. The elongated body 47 lies within the groove-like recess defined by the opposing side walls of adjacent ribs 39 with its back face abuttingly engaging the opposing face of shallow rib 43 due to the hooking of tab 48 around the wall segment 44 to fixedly connect the return bent section of the contact to the inner face of the channel defining wall of insulating bodv 38. As a consequence, the respective contacts are fixedly supported in predetermined spaced relation along one wall of channel shaped insulating body 38 with their free ends directed toward the opposite channel wall forming movable contact sections the tips 51 of which are disposed to normally engage the protruding reduced diameter ends of normal through pin contacts 52 supported by their oppositely directed reduced diameter ends in passages 54 (FIG. 3) formed in the opposed channel walls of the respective insulating bodies 38. The midportion of each contact 52 is enlarged to form spacers 53 the opposite ends of which abut the opposed channel walls of the respective bodies 38 to maintain the respective contact banks 37 in predetermined spaced relation so as to be snugly inserted, channel face forwardly, into the rectangular recess 55 (FIG. 7) provided in the main phenolic thermosetting plastic jack body 56. Body 56 is fixedly supported at the open end of metallic shield member 24 by mounting screws 57 (FIG. I) entered through screw passages (not shown) formed in the end walls of member 24 and threaded into tapped openings 58 (FIG. 7) in the ends of the base 59 of body 56.

As best seen in FIG. 1, the exposed or front face of base 59 of jack body 56 inwardly of tapped openings 22 has integrally formed thereon a forwardly projecting rectangular body section 61 the opposite ends and side walls of which are adapted to snugly fit in and protrude outwardly from suitable rectangular through openings formed in the jack panel board (not shown). As a consequence, the jack panel board will conceal the major portion of the jack assembly 21 at the switching or test station contemplated by this invention. The face of body section 61 is intersected by laterally spaced through receptacle slots 62 (FIGS. 1 and 7) terminating at adjacently related ends in intersecting generally cylindrical passages 63. These slots and passages extend completely through the jack body 56 intersecting the bottom wall of recess 55 opposite the respective forwardly facing channels of contact banks 37 and are provided with flared entrance mouths 64 at their intersection with the front face of body section 61. These slots and passages are dimensioned to closely but freely pass the protruding printed circuit board portions 65 of the respective patch cord plug assemblies 23, the flared mouths 64 serving to guide the plug assemblies into the slots 62.

As will be apparent from an inspection of FIGS. 2 and 3, a clamp bar 66 having wing shaped ends 67 is provided to overlie the adjacent marginal portions of the back faces of base wall 41 of the respective contact banks 37 to retain the contact banks against retrograde movement relative to recess 55 upon insertion of the printed circuit board portions 65 of the patch cord plug assemblies 23 into the channels of the contact banks 37. To this end, the back face of base wall 41 is provided with upstanding, laterally directed ribs 68 (FIGS. 2 and 3) of a height to abuttingly contact the center bar portion of clamp bar 66 as the clamp bar securing screws 69 engaging the wing shaped ends 67 are threaded home in the tapped through passages 71 formed in main jack body 56 on the opposite sides of tapped passages 22.

Referring again to FIG. 3, the respective spring contacts of contact banks 37 are connected in conventional paired relation to the individual conductors of the respective multi-conductor cables 35 and 36 by so]- dering the conductors to the rearwardly protruding ends of contact body portions 47. In order to lock the individual jack contacts against axial movement in their respective rib defined slots in body 38, the protruding portion of each contact body 47 is dimpled in well known manner after insertion through its respective mounting slot 46 to form a locking protuberance 72 (FIG. 3). To assure electrical isolation of the rearwardly protruding ends of the jack contacts, respective insulating sleeves 73 are provided to enclose the soldered connections and protruding contact ends.

It will be appreciated from the preceding description that the present invention provides a self normalling jack terminating the multiple conductors of cables 35 and 36 wherein the respective jack contacts are disposed in side-by-side spaced rows extending at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the cables. As a consequence of this relation, entry of a suitably constructed plug in either or both of the jack slots is effective to reroute the circuits of either the source equipment or load equipment for test purposes or the substitution of equipment in the event of circuit or equipment failure.

A suitable plug as contemplated by the present invention comprises the printed circuit board plug 23 of FIGS. 1, 4 and 5, two of which are conventionally provided on the opposite ends of a common multi-conductor cable 75 for breaking the normalling circuit path inside the jack. The plugs 23 are identical in construction and comprise a main insulator body 76 (FIG. 4) having respective contact strips 77 disposed in opposing sideby-side spaced relation along one marginal edge of the opposite faces of insulator body 76 formed in conventional printed circuit board practice. One end of the insulator body, the lower end as viewed in FIGS. 1, 4 and 5, is provided with opposed metal contact strips 78 which extend from the rear edge 79 of insulator'body 76 (FIG. 4) forwardly to terminate just short of the forward edge along the line of termination of contact strips 77 the opposite ends of which terminate along a line slightly rearwardly of the longitudinal center line of insulator body 76. The opposed strips 78 and the adjacently related end of insulator body 76 are inserted in a longitudinally directed slot 81 opening through the peripheral face of a cylindrical metal, bullet nosed, orientation guide member 82 of a diameter to freely enter the cylindrical passages 63 of jack body 61. Guide member 82 protrudes beyond the lower end and forward edge of body 76, extends rearwardly along the lower end to a point short of the aligned rear ends of contacts 77, and is fixedly secured to strips 78 by solder or the like to provide a means assuring proper orientation of plug 23 for entry into the jack slots 62.

Insulating body 76 adjacent its opposite rear corners and midway between its opposite ends in longitudinal alignment is through drilled as shown at 83 to form screw passages for a purpose to be presently pointed. The respective paired contacts 77 adjacent their rear ends and'the intervening portions of insulator body 76 are also through drilled at 84 (see uppermost contact 77 FIG. 4) so the individual conductor wires of the multi-conductor cable leads 85 may be passed through and solder connected as indicated at 86 to the paired contacts 77 adapting the printedcircuit board portions 65 to pick up the spring contact portions 49 of jack 21 irrespective of the particular slot into which the plugs 23 are inserted.

As best seen in FIG. 4, the cable 75 inwardly from its opposite ends immediately adjacent the circular cut made to remove the insulating cable covering and expose the respective leads 85 for connection to contacts 77 is provided with an encircling, gripping metal sleeve member 86. Sleeve member 86 has a reduced diameter end 87 which is provided midway of its length with an enlarged annular body portion 88 flattened over board and anchoring sleeve 86 are sandwiched between the mating sections 92 of cover shield 91. These mating sections are identical in construction. They each comprise a metal plate of generally rectangular configuration having an irregularly contoured recess 93 in one face of a depth exceeding one half the thickness of the printed circuit board plug portions 65 and delimited along the rear edge and opposed ends by

marginal abutment ribs

94 and 95 and along the forward edge by an upstanding rib 96 of less than half the depth of recess 93. The rib 94 at its opposite ends is widened at 97 and the planar surface formed by the upper surfaces of

ribs

94 and 95 provide respective surfaces of abutment when the mated sections 92 are assembled as in FIGS. 1 and 5. The upper and lower corners of recess 93 adjacent the intersection of ribs 95 and the widened areas 97 of rib 94 and the recess area midway therebetween are formed with planar faced lands 98 the upper planar faces of which define a plane lying below the abutment faces of ribs 94 and 95 a distance equal to about one half the thickness of insular body 76 of the printed circuit board. The lands 98 are adapted to supportingly grip the rear corners and rear midportion of insulator body 76 therebetween when the mating cover sections 92 are assembled and drawn into clamping engagement by clamp screws 99 passed through suitable screw passages in one cover section, the passages 83 of insulator body 76 and threaded into tapped passages 101 (FIGS. 4 and 5) of the other cover section 92. As will be apparent from an inspection of FIG. 5, the relative dimensions of printed circuit board insulating body 76 and its contacts 77 and the recess 93 and rib 96 are such that the forwardly projecting portions 65 of the printed circuit board plug will freely pass between the opposed ribs 96 with adequate clearance to avoid arcing or short circuiting between rigs 96 and the opposed contact strips 77. Furthermore, the depth of recesses 93 inwardly from rib 94 and adjacent lands 98 is sufficient to clear the solder connections 86 of leads 85 and to house the insulated section of the respective leads 85.

The respective ribs 94 of the cover sections 92 are formed midway of rib 94 with opposed longitudinally elongated recesses 102 (FIG. 4) of a depth slightly less than the radius of annular rib 88 of the associated sleeve member 86 and a width to closely abut the opposite ends of the laterally opposed arcuate portions of annular rib 88 resulting from the flattened.'areas 89. The recesses 102 are intersected along their transverse centerlines by an arcuate recess having a radius equal to the reduced diameter end 87 of sleeve member 86 and forming laterally spaced arcuate lands 103 closely receiving the spaced reduced diameter portions of sleeve end 87. When assembled, the flat bottom walls of recesses 102 of the mating cover sections abuttingly engage the flats 89 preventing relative rotation of sleeve 86 and cover 91 and the abutting engagement of the side walls of recess 102 with the opposite ends of the arcuate portions of the flattened annular rib 88 lock the sleeve member against relative axial movement relative to the cover 91. It follows, therefore, that cable 75 is positively retained through sleeve member 86 between the mating sections 92 of cover 91 so that angular twisting of cable 75 around its axis and axial pull forces applied to cable 75 can in no way be transmitted to the respective leads 85 with resulting breakage of their soldered connections 86. As a consequence, the patch cord of the present invention assures that the plugs can be inserted and pulled by grasping cable as well as shielded cover 91 without damaging the patch plug assembly.

In normal usage, one of the patch cord plugs is inserted into a selected jack slot or receptacle and picks up the jack spring contacts 49 of the selected jack receptacle as shown in the upper slot of FIG. 3 breaking the normalling path through the jack and transferring the circuits associated with the selected receptacle to the plug contacts at the opposite end of the patch cord assembly. The contacts of the other slot or receptacle are thereby open circuited back to the equipment associated with the other circuit, in the illustration of FIG. 3 the source equipment. This open circuited source equipment can then be patched to load equipment located elsewhere or to a test jack on the jack panel board by insertion of one of the plugs of a second patch cord assembly or momentarily left open circuited while the load equipment of the selected receptacle can be connected to other selected source equipment by plugging the other plug of the inserted patch cord into the source equipment receptacle of another jack on the panel board. Alternatively the picked up load equipment can be patched to a test jack of the jack panel board in conventional manner for testing the outgoing circuits to the load equipment. It will be appreciated, therefore, that by appropriate patch cord wiring and usage the present invention provides jack and patch cord equipment of simple, compact and rugged construction for disrupting the normalling path through any selected jack at either the source equipment contacts or the load equipment contacts for the purposes of rerouting, testing, or transferring the source or load equipment as may be required.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters patent is:

1. A multi-circuit plug-in switching connector comprising a jack defining at least one slot-like socket having a first set of mutually insulated contact elements each disposed in a fixed relation in a single row along one side of said socket, means adapting a portion at least of each of said contact elements of said first set of contact elements for limited movement transversely of said slot-like socket between aligned normal positions cross-wise of said slot-like socket and aligned shifted positions spaced from said normal positions toward said one side of said socket, said jack having a second set of contact elements disposed in a fixed relation in a single row along the other side of said socket opposite each contact of said first set of contact elements and engaged by its opposed contact element of said first set of contact elements when said movable portions of said first set of contacts are in their aligned normal positions; and a patch cord plug in the form of a printed circuit board having a third set of mutually insulated, fixed contact elements arranged in a single row along a face of said printed board in spaced relation similar to and opposed to said first set of contact elements; and coacting means on said plug and socket limiting insertion of said plug into said slot-like socket in a predetermined endwise orientation to effect engagement of the third set of contact elements with said portions of said first set of contact elements to shift them from their nonnal to their shifted positions and engage each of said first set of contact elements with an aligned one of the contact elements of the third set of contact elements.

2. The switch connector of claim 1 wherein said jack comprises a main insulating body of generally rectangular configuration having at least one longitudinally directed slot-like through opening in its front face intersecting a rectangular recess opening through its rear face; said first and second set of contact elements are supported respectively by the opposite side walls of an insulating channel body disposed in said rectangular recess with the channel opening facing and longitudinally aligned with said slot-like through opening; and clamp means, overlying a marginal back wall edge of said channel body, is removably fixed to the recess defining end portions of said main insulating body for clampingly retaining said insulating channel body in its longitudinally aligned position relative to said slot-like through opening.

3. The switch connector of claim 2 wherein said first set of contact elements comprise respective strip-like, spring metal, contact elements having an elongated body return bent upon itself inwardly from one end to form an attachment tab spaced from one face and extending toward said one body end and having its other end oppositely return bent around the bend of said attachment tab to an inclined position relative to said other face to form the limited movement portions of said first set of contact elements and wherein at least one side wall of said insulating channel body is provided with spaced ribs extending from its connecting base wall toward its free edge todefine respective spaced inwardly opening passages for receiving the portion of said contact body adjacent said attachment tab, said respective spaced passages adjacent said free edge of said one side wall are provided with axially directed pockets receiving said attachment tabs the base wall adjacent the opposite ends of said inwardly opening, spaced passages are provided with through slots dimensioned to freely pass said one end of the respective contact bodies to a protruding position beyond said base wall as said attachment tabs are entered into said pockets, and said protruding portion of said contact body adjacent said base wall is deformed by dimpling to provide a locking protuberance to prevent axial retrograde movement of said contact body through said slot and secure said first set of contact elements to said one side wall of said insulating channel body whereby a multi-conduit equipment cable associated with said jack may have its conductor leads at the jack solder connected to said protruding ends of said first set of contact elements.

4. The switch connector of claim 2 wherein said recess defining end portions of said main insulating body are respectively provided with tapped bores adapting said jack for threadedly receiving mounting screws provided to mount the jack on a jack panel board.

5. The switch connector of claim 2 wherein said printed circuit board patch cord, plug comprises an insulating body of generally rectangular plate-like configuration the opposing marginal faces of which adjacent one edge are provided with lateral directed, longitudinal spaced contact strips disposed to pick up and engage the movable portions of said first set of contacts upon insertion of said plug in a socket of said jack and the opposite comers and midportion of said insulating body adjacent said opposite edge are provided with through passages; a pair of mating, plate-like, metal shielding covers the opposing faces of which are provided with respective generally rectangular recesses defined along their opposite ends and along one side by upstanding abutment ribs of a height greater than the thickness of said insulating body and along the opposite edge by a rib of sufficiently lesser height to provide when assembled an edge opening passage dimensioned to freely pass the major contact bearing area of said insulating body and form a protruding multi-contact bearing plug portion for cooperating insertion and contacting engagement with said jack first set of contact elements, said recesses in opposed relation to said insulating body through passages being formed with respective through apertured lands of a height to grippingly engage thethrough passage defining areas of said insulating body when matingly assembled to support said printed circuit board plug with its protruding multicontact bearing plug portion out of contact with said ribs of lesser height; and respective clamp screws entered through the apertures in the lands of one cover plate, the through passages of said insulated body, and threaded into the apertures of the lands in the other cover plate to secure said printed circuit board in clamped sandwiched relation between said cover plates.

6. The switch connector of claim 5 wherein said upstanding abutment ribs along said one side of said respective cover plates is provided midway of its ends with a longitudinally directed recess intersected midway of its length by a crosswise directed arcuate recess of lesser depth and the patch cord cable, a multi-conductor cable associated with said plug and having its conductor leads at one end exposed and solder connected to respective paired contacts of said printed circuit board plug, is provided inwardly of its exposed conductor leads with an encircling clamp sleeve having a reduced diameter end formed to closely fit said crosswise directed recesses, and provided intermediate its end with an enlarged diameter section having flattened opposite sides to abuttingly contact the bottom walls of said longitudinally directed recess and of a length to dispose its opposite end faces in abutting contact with the side walls of said longitudinally directed recess thereby directly fixedly connecting said patch cord cable to said cover plates so as to relieve said soldered connections of disruptive stresses resulting from pulling and twisting forces applied to the patch cord cable.

7. The switch connector of claim 3 wherein said jack is provided with an open ended shielding cover the open end of which is of generally rectangular cross section dimensioned to closely enclose said main insulating jack body and the opposite closed end is provided with through aperture means, including a clamp pad fixedly secured thereto and having a clamp face arcuately recessed midway of its ends to form a continuation of the closed end cover aperture, for passing the jack terminating end of at least one multi-conductor equipment cable, a matingly arcuately recessed clamp plate, said clamp face of said pad and said clamp plate respectively having screw passages and tapped screw openings disposed at opposite sides of said arcuate recesses, and clamp screws entered through said passages and threaded into said openings to clampingly fix said multi-conductor equipment cable to said shielding cover so as to relieve said soldered connections of disruptive stresses resulting from pulling and twisting forces applied to said equipment cable.

8. The switch connector of claim 1 wherein said jack comprises a main insulating body of generally rectangular configuration having a pair of side-by-side longitudinally directed slot-like through openings in its front face intersecting a common rectangular recess opening through its rear face; said respective first and second sets of contact elements are supported respectively by the opposite side walls of respective insulating channel bodies disposed in side-by-side spaced relation in said rectangular recess with their respective channel openings facing and longitudinally aligned with a respective one of said slot-like through openings, said second set of contacts comprise the opposite reduced diameter ends of a series of contact pins spanning the space between said respective insulating channel bodies to establish a normal through circuit within the jack between the respective first sets of contacts; and clamp means, overlying the adjacently related marginal back wall edges of said channel bodies, removably fixed to the recess defining end portions of said main insulation body for clampingly retaining said insulating channel bodies in their longitudinally aligned positions relative to said slot-like through openings.

9. The switch connector of claim 8 wherein said first sets of contact elements comprise respective strip-like, spring metal, contact elements having an elongated body return bent upon itself inwardly from one end to form an attachment tab spaced from one face and extending toward said one end and having its other end oppositely return bent around the bend of said attachment tab to an inclined position relative to said other face to fonn the limited movement portions of said first sets of contact elements and wherein the remotely related respective side walls of said insulating channel bodies are provided with spaced ribs extending from their respective connecting base walls toward their free edges to define respective inwardly opening passages for receiving the portion of said contact body adjacent said attachment tab, said respective spaced passages adjacent said free edge of said remotely related side walls are provided with axially directed pockets receiving saidattachment tabs, the base walls adjacent the opposite ends of said inwardly opening spaced passages are provided with through slots dimensioned to freely pass said one end of the respective contact bodies to a protruding position beyond said base wall as said attachment tabs are entered into said oc ets, nd said, r trudin ortio f said contact odi es ad j acent sat?! ase W5]? are deformed by dimjacently related side walls, are provided adjacent said base walls and opposite the free ends of said limited movement portions of said first sets of contact elements with through passages for receiving said reduced diameter ends of said pin contacts thereby mounting said pin contacts in spanning relation to the space between said respective insulating channel bodies.

Claims

1. A multi-circuit plug-in switching connector comprising a jack defining at least one slot-like socket having a first set of mutually insulated contact elements each disposed in a fixed relation in a single row along one side of said socket, means adapting a portion at least of each of said contact elements of said first set of contact elements for limited movement transversely of said slot-like socket between aligned normal positions cross-wise of said slot-like socket and aligned shifted positions spaced from said normal positions toward said one side of said socket, said jack having a second set of contact elements disposed in a fixed relation in a single row along the other side of said socket opposite each contact of said first set of contact elements and engaged by its opposed contact element of said first set of contact elements when said movable portions of said first set of contacts are in their aligned normal positions; and a patch cord plug in the form of a printed circuit board having a third set of mutually insulated, fixed contact elements arranged in a single row along a face of said printed board in spaced relation similar to and opposed to said first set of contact elements; and coacting means on said plug and socket limiting insertion of said plug into said slot-like socket in a predetermined endwise orientation to effect engagement of the third set of contact elements with said portions of said first set of contact elements to shift them from their normal to their shifted positions and engage each of said first set of contact elements with an aligned one of the contact elements of the third set of contact elements.

3. The switch connector of claim 2 wherein said first set of contact elements comprise respective strip-like, spring metal, contact elements having an elongated body return bent upon itself inwardly from one end to form an attachment tab spaced from one face and extending toward said one body end and having its other end oppositely return bent around the bend of said attachment tab to an inclined position relative to said other face to form the limited movement portions of said first set of contact elements and wherein at least one side wall of said insulating channel body is provided with spaced ribs extending from its connecting base wall toward its free edge to define respective spaced inwardly opening passages for receiving the portion of said contact body adjacent said attachment tab, said respective spaced passages adjacent said free edge of said one side wall are provided with axially directed pockets receiving said attachment tabs, the base wall adjacent the opposite ends of said inwardly opening, spaced passages are provided with through slots dimensioned to freely pass said one end of the respective contact bodies to a protruding position beyond said base wall as said attachment tabs are entered into said pockets, and said protruding portion of said contact body adjacent said base wall is deformed by dimpling to provide a locking protuberance to prevent axial retrograde movement of said contact body through said slot and secure said first set of contact elements to said oNe side wall of said insulating channel body whereby a multi-conduit equipment cable associated with said jack may have its conductor leads at the jack solder connected to said protruding ends of said first set of contact elements.

5. The switch connector of claim 2 wherein said printed circuit board patch cord, plug comprises an insulating body of generally rectangular plate-like configuration the opposing marginal faces of which adjacent one edge are provided with lateral directed, longitudinal spaced contact strips disposed to pick up and engage the movable portions of said first set of contacts upon insertion of said plug in a socket of said jack and the opposite corners and midportion of said insulating body adjacent said opposite edge are provided with through passages; a pair of mating, plate-like, metal shielding covers the opposing faces of which are provided with respective generally rectangular recesses defined along their opposite ends and along one side by upstanding abutment ribs of a height greater than the thickness of said insulating body and along the opposite edge by a rib of sufficiently lesser height to provide when assembled an edge opening passage dimensioned to freely pass the major contact bearing area of said insulating body and form a protruding multi-contact bearing plug portion for cooperating insertion and contacting engagement with said jack first set of contact elements, said recesses in opposed relation to said insulating body through passages being formed with respective through apertured lands of a height to grippingly engage the through passage defining areas of said insulating body when matingly assembled to support said printed circuit board plug with its protruding multi-contact bearing plug portion out of contact with said ribs of lesser height; and respective clamp screws entered through the apertures in the lands of one cover plate, the through passages of said insulated body, and threaded into the apertures of the lands in the other cover plate to secure said printed circuit board in clamped sandwiched relation between said cover plates.

9. The switch connector of claim 8 wherein said first sets of contact elements comprise respective strip-like, spring metal, contact elements having an elongated body return bent upon itself inwardly from one end to form an attachment tab spaced from one face and extending toward said one end and having its other end oppositely return bent around the bend of said attachment tab to an inclined position relative to said other face to form the limited movement portions of said first sets of contact elements and wherein the remotely related respective side walls of said insulating channel bodies are provided with spaced ribs extending from their respective connecting base walls toward their free edges to define respective inwardly opening passages for receiving the portion of said contact body adjacent said attachment tab, said respective spaced passages adjacent said free edge of said remotely related side walls are provided with axially directed pockets receiving said attachment tabs, the base walls adjacent the opposite ends of said inwardly opening spaced passages are provided with through slots dimensioned to freely pass said one end of the respective contact bodies to a protruding position beyond said base wall as said attachment tabs are entered into said pockets, and said protruding portion of said contact bodies adjacent said base walls are deformed by dimpling to provide a locking protuberance to prevent axial retrograde movement of said contact body through said slots and secure said first sets of contact elements to said remotely related side walls of said respective insulating channel bodies.

10. The switch connector of claim 9 wherein said second sets of contact elements comprise the reduced diameter ends of respective pin contacts and said other side walls of said insulating channel bodies, the adjacently related side walls, are provided adjacent said base walls and opposite the free ends of said limited movement portions of said first sets of contact elements with through passages for receiving said reduced diameter ends of said pin contacts thereby mounting said pin contacts in spanning relation to the space between said respective insulating channel bodies.