Apparatus and method to display network connection status on a jack panel
US5790041A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 14, 1995 |
| Grant date | Aug 4, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 14, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S439/91
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A jack has a side opening that allows light from a light emitter that is mounted adjacent to the side opening to enter the jack's cavity and emerge from the jack's front opening that is used for insertion of a plug. In one embodiment, when a plug is inserted into the jack, a transparent portion of the plug allows the light to emerge from a posterior end of the plug to provide a visible indication of the state of the connection between the jack and the plug. Emergence of light from the jack's front opening results in saving space on a jack panel because panel space conventionally used for a LED is no longer needed. The side opening is located adjacent to the jack's bottom surface that is adjacent to a printed circuit board (PCB) on which the jack is mounted. In one embodiment, the light emitter is mounted on the PCB near the side opening between the jack's bottom surface and the PCB's top surface. Using the PCB space underneath the jack's bottom surface frees up PCB space that is conventionally used for supporting LEDs.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.