Cable connector grouping apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9515441-B2
Application number	US-201514701289-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 30, 2015
Priority date	Apr 30, 2015
Publication date	Dec 6, 2016
Grant date	Dec 6, 2016

Abstract

The embodiments relate to an apparatus allowing for the insertion and removal of multiple like and/or unlike connectors simultaneously without requiring permanent connector modification. The apparatus includes at least a first housing and a second housing. The first housing receives a first connector and the second housing receives a second connector. The first housing has a first variable aperture and the second housing has a second variable aperture. The first aperture is adjusted by a first retainer to hold the first connector in the first housing. The second aperture is adjusted by a second retainer to hold the second connector in the second housing. The first housing has a first exterior wall sized to receive and secure a second exterior wall of the second housing to form an assembly of the connectors.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a first housing to receive a first connector, and a second housing to receive a second connector;
the first housing having a first variable aperture, and the second housing having a second variable aperture;
a first retainer to adjust the first aperture and to hold the first connector in the first housing;
a second retainer to adjust the second aperture and to hold the second connector in the second housing; and
the first housing having an first external wall sized to receive and secure a second external wall of the second housing, forming an assembly of the connectors.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising an arm in communication with the assembly configured to manipulate the assembly, wherein the assembly comprises a receiver for the arm.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the arm manipulates the assembly and simultaneously manages one or more connections associated with the assembly and removal of the assembly and associated connections, the connection and removal being a simultaneous movement of the multiple housings of the assembly.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising the connectors in the assembly being heterogeneous, wherein the first connector has a first size different from a second size of the second connector.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first external wall of the first housing has a recess, and the second external wall of the second housing has a tapered extension sized to be received by the recess, and further comprising receipt of the extension in the receiver to form the assembly.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a first adjustment of the first retainer and a second adjustment of the first retainer to modify a size of the first aperture, wherein the first adjustment decreases the first aperture and holds the first connector in the first housing, and wherein the second adjustment increases the first aperture and releases the first connector from the first housing.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the first retainer comprises a first screw and a second screw, and further comprising the first adjustment of the first screw to adjust the aperture in a first plane and adjustment of the second screw adjusts the aperture in a second plane, wherein the first and second plane are different.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the first adjustment includes a multi-diameter screw.

9. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the first retainer includes a slide and an associated plate, and further comprising movement of the slide in a first direction being the first adjustment and movement of the slide in an opposite direction being the second adjustment.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the external walls of the first and second housings are connectable and stackable.

11. A method comprising:
forming a housing assembly, including securing a first housing to a second housing, wherein the first housing has a first secondary opening received by an extension of the second housing, the first housing including a first central aperture to receive a first connector and the second housing including a second central aperture to receive a second connector;
retaining the first connector in the first central aperture of the first housing, including adjusting the first central aperture of the first housing; and
retaining the second connector in the second central aperture of the second housing, including adjusting the second central aperture of the second housing.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the connectors in the assembly are heterogeneous, the first connector having a first size different from a second size of the second connector.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising independently modifying a size of the first and second central apertures, the modification creating a heterogeneous assembly.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising manipulating the assembly from a single device.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising managing the assembly using the single device, the management selected from the group consisting of:
inserting the retained connectors into respective receivers; and
removing the inserted connectors from the receivers;
wherein the insertion and removal each correspond to a simultaneous movement of the housings within the assembly.

16. A system comprising:
an assembly configured to receive a plurality of connectors, each connector received in a central aperture of a separate housing within the assembly;
each housing having a separate retainer, including a first retainer for a first housing and a second retainer for a second housing;
independent adjustment for each retainer to separately modify the associated central aperture for each of the housings to grip the connector in the associated central aperture; and
an arm in communication with the assembly, the arm configured to manipulate the assembly.

17. The system of claim 16 , further comprising the arm having a first element in communication with a secondary aperture within the assembly, and a second element in communication with a secondary extension within the assembly.

18. The system of claim 16 , further comprising management of the assembly using the arm, the management selected from the group consisting of:
inserting the connectors into respective receivers; and
removing the inserted connectors from the receivers;
wherein the insertion and removal each correspond to a simultaneous movement of the housings within the assembly.

19. The system of claim 16 , wherein the connectors in the assembly are heterogeneous, including a first connector having a first size different from a second size of a second connector.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Fattu Khajistha
• Freitas Rachael C
• Neralla Murali
• Vega Madeline
• Zacharakis-Jutz George

Classifications

• H01R27/02 Primary

  for simultaneous co-operation with two or more {dissimilar} counterparts · CPC title

• H01R43/20

  for assembling or disassembling contact members with insulating base, case or sleeve · CPC title

• H01R13/516 Primary

  Means for holding or embracing insulating body, e.g. casing {, hoods} · CPC title

• H01R13/6335

  comprising a handle · CPC title

• H01R2107/00

  Four or more poles · CPC title