Coaxial cable connector sleeve

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9793622-B2
Application number	US-201514803471-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 20, 2015
Priority date	Dec 11, 2009
Publication date	Oct 17, 2017
Grant date	Oct 17, 2017

Abstract

A sleeve for a coaxial cable connector has, in one embodiment, ends, an exterior surface, and an interior surface. The interior surface is configured to mate with a coupler of the coaxial cable connector.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A torque sleeve comprising:
a sleeve body configured to extend along an axis, the sleeve body further configured to at least partially receive a coaxial cable connector, the sleeve body comprising an integral sleeve portion extending inward from the sleeve body;
wherein the torque sleeve is configured to be axially moved from a first position, where a portion of the torque sleeve encircles a portion of the coaxial cable connector when the coaxial cable connector is in an assembled state, to a second position, where the integral sleeve portion is configured to snap-fit over a shoulder portion of a component of the coaxial cable connector so as to retain an axial position of the torque sleeve relative to the coaxial cable connector when the coaxial cable connector is in the assembled state;
wherein the component comprises a rotatable coupler of the coaxial cable connector; and
wherein the torque sleeve is configured to facilitate rotation about a first portion of the connector when the torque sleeve engages a second portion of the coupler and is configured so that movement from the first to the second position comprises axial movement that occurs after the coaxial cable connector is in the assembled state.

2. The torque sleeve of claim 1 , wherein the integral sleeve portion comprises a protrusion.

3. The torque sleeve of claim 1 , wherein the shoulder portion defines a cavity.

4. The torque sleeve of claim 1 , wherein the shoulder portion comprises a continuous protrusion.

5. The torque sleeve of claim 1 , wherein the shoulder portion comprises a plurality of segmented protrusions.

6. The torque sleeve of claim 1 , wherein the shoulder portion comprises a conical shape.

7. The torque sleeve of claim 1 , wherein the shoulder portion defines a conical shaped retaining groove.

8. The torque sleeve of claim 1 , wherein the integral sleeve portion comprises a protrusion, the rotatable coupler having an exterior surface, the exterior surface of the rotatable coupler defining a cavity configured to receive the protrusion.

9. The torque sleeve of claim 1 , wherein the integral sleeve portion is a forward end portion of the torque sleeve, the forward end portion configured to face in a forward direction when the torque sleeve is attached to the coaxial cable connector.

10. The torque sleeve of claim 1 , wherein the torque sleeve is configured so that movement from the first to the second position comprises axial movement that occurs before the integral sleeve portion is configured to snap-fit to the component of the coaxial cable connector.

11. The torque sleeve of claim 1 , wherein the coaxial cable connector comprises a connector body and a post, and wherein, when the coaxial cable connector is in the assembled state, the connector body engages a portion of a cable, a portion of the connector body encircles a portion of the post, and the rotatable coupler is at least partially coupled to the post.

12. The torque sleeve of claim 1 , wherein the torque sleeve is configured to fit around the coaxial cable connector and facilitate tightening of the coaxial cable connector when the torque force is applied to the torque sleeve and when the integral sleeve portion is in the first and second positions.

13. The torque sleeve of claim 1 , wherein the integral sleeve portion comprises a plurality of tabs configured to flex, the tabs being spaced apart from each other by slots extending along the axis.

14. A torque sleeve comprising:
a sleeve body configured to extend along an axis, the sleeve body having a first end and an opposite second end along the axis, the sleeve body being further configured to at least partially receive a coaxial cable connector, the first end of the sleeve body comprising an integral sleeve portion extending inward from the sleeve body, the integral sleeve portion defining a first interference structure;
wherein the torque sleeve is configured to be axially moved from a first position, where the second end of the torque sleeve encircles a first end of a rotatable coupler of the coaxial cable connector when the coaxial cable connector is in an assembled state, to a second position, where (i) the second end of the torque sleeve extends beyond a second end of the rotatable coupler along the axis and encircles a cable connected to the coaxial cable connector and (ii) the integral sleeve portion is configured to snap-fit over a shoulder portion of the rotatable coupler so as to retain an axial position of the torque sleeve relative to the coaxial cable connector when the coaxial cable connector is in the assembled state;
wherein, in the second position, the first interference structure is configured to engage a second interference structure disposed on the rotatable coupler, the engagement between the first interference structure and the second interference structure interfering with relative axial movement between the torque sleeve and the rotatable coupler in both directions along the axis; and
wherein, in the second position, the torque sleeve is configured to facilitate rotation about a first portion of the connector when the torque sleeve engages a second portion of the coupler and is configured so that movement from the first to the second position comprises axial movement that occurs after the coaxial cable connector is in the assembled state.

Assignees

• Ppc Broadband Inc

Inventors

• Ehret Trevor
• Haberek Andrew
• Montena Noah

Classifications

• H01R2103/00

  Two poles · CPC title

• H01R24/54

  Intermediate parts, e.g. adapters, splitters or elbows · CPC title

• H01R43/26

  for engaging or disengaging the two parts of a coupling device (structural association with two-part coupling device H01R13/629) · CPC title

• H01R24/40

  specially adapted for high frequency · CPC title

• H01R13/622 Primary

  Screw-ring or screw-casing (H01R13/623 takes precedence) · CPC title