Electrical connection management using a card

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017194726-A1
Application number	US-201614987624-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 4, 2016
Priority date	Jan 4, 2016
Publication date	Jul 6, 2017
Grant date	—

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; a second connector structure to join a second subset of the set of electrical connections; and a card which manages the set of electrical connections, wherein the card is located between the first and second connector structures to connect with the first and second connector structures.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first connector structure includes a first elastomeric electrical connector structure, and wherein the second connector structure includes a second elastomeric electrical connector structure.

3 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the first and second subsets of the set of electrical connections include the card.

4 . The apparatus of claim 2 , 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.

5 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the set of electrical connections does not include a backplane.

6 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the card interconnects the first and second elastomeric electrical connector structures.

7 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the card prevents interconnection of the first and second elastomeric electrical connector structures.

8 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the first and second elastomeric electrical connector structures include:
a compressed state having a compressed distance between the card and an opposite side of a compressed elastomeric electrical connector structure with respect to the card, and an uncompressed state having an uncompressed distance between the card and the opposite side of an uncompressed elastomeric electrical connector structure with respect to the card, wherein the compressed distance exceeds the uncompressed distance.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

16 . A method of manufacture, comprising:
establishing a first connector structure to join a first subset of a set of electrical connections; establishing a second connector structure to join a second subset of the set of electrical connections; and introducing a card which manages the set of electrical connections, wherein the card is located between the first and second connector structures to connect with the first and second connector structures.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the first connector structure includes a first elastomeric electrical connector structure, and wherein the second connector structure includes a second elastomeric electrical connector structure.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the first and second subsets of the set of electrical connections include the card, and further comprising:
structuring 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 structuring 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.

19 . A system for managing a set of electrical connections, the system comprising:
a first connector structure to join a first subset of the set of electrical connections; a second connector structure to join a second subset of the set of electrical connections; a memory having a set of computer readable computer instructions; and a processor for executing the set of computer readable instructions, the set of computer readable instructions including:
detecting a first card is located between the first and second connector structures to connect with the first and second connector structures;
detecting, in response to detecting the first card, a second card is located between the first and second connector structures to connect with the first and second connector structures;
detecting, in response to detecting the second card, a third card is located between the first and second connector structures to connect with the first and second connector structures;
determining, based on a sequence of cards located between the first and second connector structures to connect with the first and second connector structures, whether to authorize access with respect to the set of electrical connections; and
performing, based on the determination, an authorization action.

20 . The system of claim 19 , wherein the authorization action includes at least one of: granting access based on detecting the third card in response to detecting the second card in response to detecting the first card, or denying access based on the sequence of cards failing to match a profile sequence.

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

• H01R12/737 Primary

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

• H01R13/2414

  conductive elastomers · CPC title

• H01R12/7076 Primary

  for connection between PCB and component, e.g. display · CPC title

• H01R43/205

  with a panel or printed circuit board · CPC title