Electrical connection management using a card

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10559902-B2
Application number	US-201614987624-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 4, 2016
Priority date	Jan 4, 2016
Publication date	Feb 11, 2020
Grant date	Feb 11, 2020

Abstract

Disclosed aspects relate to connector structures and a card. A first connector structure is to join a first subset of a set of electrical connections. A second connector structure is to join a second subset of the set of electrical connections. The card manages the set of electrical connections and is located between the first and second connector structures to connect with the first and second connector structures.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a first connector structure to join a first subset of a set of electrical connections, wherein the first connector structure includes a first elastomeric electrical connector structure;
a second connector structure to join a second subset of the set of electrical connections, wherein the second connector structure includes a second elastomeric electrical connector structure,
wherein each of the first elastomeric electrical connector structure and second elastomeric electrical connector structure includes a capture channel configured to receive a terminal end of one or more cards; and
a plurality of cards which manage the set of electrical connections, wherein a first card is located between the first and second connector structures to connect with the first and second connector structures, such that a line segment extending from the first connector structure to the second connector structure would pass through the first card, a second card is received in the capture channel of the first elastomeric electrical connector structure, and a third card is received in the capture channel of the second elastomeric electrical connector structure.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a first physical hardware plane having a first group of electrical contacts to establish a first portion of the first subset of the set of electrical connections with respect to the first elastomeric electrical connector structure; and
a second physical hardware plane having a second group of electrical contacts to establish a second portion of the second subset of the set of electrical connections with respect to the second elastomeric electrical connector structure.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the set of electrical connections does not include a backplane.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first card interconnects the first and second elastomeric electrical connector structures.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first card prevents interconnection of the first and second elastomeric electrical connector structures.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first and second elastomeric electrical connector structures include:
a compressed state having a compressed distance between the first card and an opposite side of a compressed elastomeric electrical connector structure with respect to the first card, and
an uncompressed state having an uncompressed distance between the first card and the opposite side of an uncompressed elastomeric electrical connector structure with respect to the first card, wherein the compressed distance exceeds the uncompressed distance.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first card indicates a sequence of keys inserted into a socket to manage the set of electrical connections.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first card monitors a set of encrypted contents to manage the set of electrical connections.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first card decodes a set of encrypted contents to manage the set of electrical connections.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first card intercepts a set of contents to manage the set of electrical connections.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first card reroutes a set of contents to manage the set of electrical connections.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first card truncates a set of contents to manage the set of electrical connections.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first card shorts a set of contents to manage the set of electrical connections.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first elastomeric electrical connector structure and the second elastomeric electrical connector structure are each cylindrical in shape.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first elastomeric electrical connector structure and second elastomeric electrical connector structure each comprise a bladder filled with an oil.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first elastomeric electrical connector structure and the second elastomeric electrical connector structure each include a flexible circuit wrapped around an outer surface thereof.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the flexible circuit of each the first elastomeric electrical connector structure and second elastomeric electrical connector structure includes one or more contact pads.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the flexible circuit of each the first elastomeric electrical connector structure and second elastomeric electrical connector structure includes the capture channel configured to receive the terminal end of the one or more cards.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Bartley Gerald K
• Becker Darryl J
• Doyle Matthew S
• Jeanson Mark J
• Maxson Mark O

Classifications

• H01R12/82

  connected with low or zero insertion force · CPC title

• H01R13/2414

  conductive elastomers · CPC title

• H01R12/737 Primary

  Printed circuits being substantially perpendicular to each other (for printed connections H05K3/366) · CPC title