Fiber optic inline connector with hermaphroditic alignment and lock means
US5394494A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 27, 1994 |
| Grant date | Feb 28, 1995 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 27, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02B6/3885
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A fiber optic inline connector includes mating connector bodies each of which has a concentric protrusion at a connector end and a concentric cable passage that extends through the connector body from the connector end to a cable end. The concentric protrusions include a pair of diametrically opposed prongs and a pair of diametrically opposed slots that are orthogonally related to the diametrically opposed prongs so that the slots of each protrusion receive the prongs of the other protrusion to align the cable passages when the connector bodies are mated. The mated connector bodies are locked together by a pair of diametrically opposed stiff lock tongues and a pair of diametrically opposed flexible lock fingers at the connector end of each connector body that are spaced radially outwardly of the respective protrusions. The flexible lock fingers are orthogonally related to the stiff lock tongues so that the flexible lock fingers of each connector body engage the stiff lock tongues of the other connector body to lock the connectors together. A one-way connector and several interconnectable multi-way connectors are disclosed. An alternate three-way connector has three equally circumfe…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.