Protective cover for a connector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9425543-B2
Application number	US-201414498990-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 26, 2014
Priority date	Sep 26, 2014
Publication date	Aug 23, 2016
Grant date	Aug 23, 2016

Abstract

A protective cover for a connector is described herein. In one example, the protective cover can include an angled outer shell to envelop a connector, and a locking mechanism to prevent the angled outer shell from retracting to expose the connector. The protective cover can also include a plunger assembly coupled to a magnet, the magnet to disengage the locking mechanism to expose the connector, and a set of springs to return the angled outer shell to a locked position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A protective cover comprising:
an angled outer shell to envelop a connector;
a locking mechanism to prevent the angled outer shell from retracting to expose the connector, the locking mechanism comprising a ball lock or a cantilever bar lock;
a plunger assembly coupled to a magnet, the magnet to disengage the locking mechanism to expose the connector; and
a set of springs to return the angled outer shell to a locked position.

2. The protective cover of claim 1 , wherein the magnet is to move the plunger in response to the angled outer shell being coupled to a device comprising a second magnet.

3. The protective cover of claim 1 , wherein the protective cover comprises a second plunger assembly coupled to a second magnet.

4. The protective cover of claim 3 , wherein the locking mechanism is disengaged in response to a device with at least two magnets being coupled to the two magnets of the protective cover.

5. The protective cover of claim 1 , wherein the angled outer shell comprises at least two sides that are less than perpendicular in relation to a fixed base of the protective cover.

6. The protective cover of claim 1 , wherein the plunger assembly comprises a locking groove to be filled with the ball lock.

7. The protective cover of claim 1 , wherein the plunger assembly comprises a locking groove to be filled with the cantilever bar lock.

8. A method for disengaging a protective cover comprising:
engaging at least one magnet in the protective cover, the at least one magnet moving toward the device in response to a coupling of an angled outer shell of the protective cover to a device, and the at least one magnet moving a plunger assembly in response to the coupling;
disengaging a locking mechanism from a locking groove in the plunger assembly in response to moving the plunger assembly, the locking mechanism comprising a ball lock or a cantilever bar lock; and
retracting the protective cover to expose a connector.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the angled outer shell comprises at least two sides that are less than perpendicular in relation to a fixed base of the protective cover.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the locking mechanism is disengaged in response to a device with at least two magnets being coupled to at least two magnets of the protective cover.

11. The method of claim 8 , comprising compressing at least one spring in response to coupling the angled outer shell of the protective cover to the device.

12. A system comprising:
logic to transmit data via a connector, the connector comprising a protective cover comprising:
a plunger assembly coupled to a magnet, the magnet to engage a locking mechanism to expose the connector in response to decoupling the protective cover from an electronic device;
an angled outer shell to envelop the connector; and
a locking mechanism to prevent the angled outer shell from retracting to expose the connector, the locking mechanism comprising a ball lock or a cantilever bar lock.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the protective cover comprises a set of springs that return the angled outer shell to a locked position in response to the decoupling of the electronic device from the protective cover.

14. The system of claim 12 , wherein the logic is a system on a chip.

15. The system of claim 12 , wherein the plunger assembly comprises a locking groove to be filled with a ball lock or a cantilever bar lock.

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Sprenger Mark
• Aoki Russell
• Pidwerbecki David

Classifications

• H01R13/5213 Primary

  Covers · CPC title