IP Library Granted Patent US 9,413,107
Granted Patent B2
US 9,413,107 · App. 14/672,427 · Granted Aug 9, 2016

Serial bus receptacle with adjustable exterior socket clamping

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,413,107
App. No.
14/672,427
Granted
Aug 9, 2016
Kind
B2
Abstract

System and method for communicatively coupling a serial communication plug to a serial communication bus. The system may include a housing. The housing may include a receptacle that is configured to communicatively couple to a bus. The receptacle may include one or more internal retention springs situated inside the receptacle. The one or more internal retention springs may be configured to grip a male plug with a retention force, when the male plug is inserted into the receptacle. The housing may include or may be coupled to a clamp where the clamp is external to the receptacle. When the male plug is inserted into the receptacle, the clamp may be adjustable via a clamp adjustment mechanism to constrain the one or more internal retention springs, thus augmenting the retention force and further securing the male plug in the receptacle.

Claims (70)

1. A system, comprising:

a housing, wherein the housing is configured to couple to a serial communication bus;

a serial bus receptacle comprised in the housing, wherein the serial bus receptacle is configured to communicatively couple to the serial communication bus and comprises one or more internal retention springs situated inside the serial bus receptacle that are configured to grip a male serial bus plug with a retention force when the male serial bus plug is inserted into the serial bus receptacle;

a clamp, comprised in or coupled to the housing, wherein the clamp is external to the serial bus receptacle; and

a clamping adjustment mechanism configured to couple to the clamp and adjust the clamp to constrain the one or more internal retention springs, thereby augmenting the retention force of the one or more internal retention springs;

wherein, when the male serial bus plug is inserted into the serial bus receptacle, the clamp is adjustable via a clamping adjustment mechanism to augment the retention force of the one or more internal retention springs to secure the male serial bus plug in the serial bus receptacle.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the serial communication receptacle is a Universal Serial Bus (USB) receptacle, the serial bus plug is a USB plug, and the serial communication bus is USB.

3. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:

a serial communication cable, wherein the housing is comprised on a first end of the serial communication cable, and wherein the serial bus receptacle is communicatively coupled to the serial communication bus via the serial communication cable.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the serial communication cable comprises a USB cable, and wherein the serial bus receptacle comprises a USB receptacle.

5. The system of claim 3 , further comprising:

another male serial bus plug, comprised on a second end of the serial communication cable.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the other male serial bus plug comprises a USB plug.

7. The system of claim 3 , further comprising:

another housing, comprised on a second end of the serial communication cable;

another serial bus receptacle comprised in the other housing and communicatively coupled to the serial communication cable, wherein the other serial bus receptacle comprises another one or more internal retention springs situated inside the serial bus receptacle, and configured to grip another male serial bus plug with a retention force when the male serial bus plug is inserted into the serial bus receptacle;

another clamp, comprised in or coupled to the housing, wherein the other clamp is external to the serial bus receptacle; and

another clamping adjustment mechanism configured to couple to the other clamp and adjust the other clamp to constrain the other one or more internal retention springs, thereby augmenting the retention force of the other one or more internal retention springs;

wherein, when the other male serial bus plug is inserted into the other serial bus receptacle, the other clamp is adjustable via the other clamping adjustment mechanism to augment the retention force of the other one or more internal retention springs to secure the other male serial bus plug in the other serial bus receptacle.

8. The system of claim 7 ,

wherein the serial communication cable comprises a USB cable, and wherein the serial bus receptacles comprise USB receptacles.

9. The system of claim 1 ,

wherein the clamping adjustment mechanism comprises:

one or more threaded fasteners; and

a corresponding one or more threaded inserts, comprised in or coupled to the housing; and

wherein the clamp is configured to close in response to the one or more threaded fasteners being threaded into the corresponding one or more threaded inserts.

10. The system of claim 1 ,

wherein the clamping adjustment mechanism comprises:

one or more threaded fasteners; and

one or more threaded nuts; and

wherein the clamp is configured to close in response to the one or more threaded fasteners being threaded into the one or more threaded nuts.

11. The system of claim 1 ,

wherein the clamp has a deploy position in which the clamp is closed, thereby further securing the male serial bus plug in the serial bus receptacle, and a service position in which the clamp is opened, thereby allowing the removal of the male serial bus plug from the serial bus receptacle.

12. The system of claim 1 ,

wherein the housing is comprised in or coupled to a panel;

wherein the serial communication receptacle protrudes through or is accessible from a front side of the panel; and

wherein the clamping adjustment mechanism protrudes through or is accessible from the front side of the panel.

13. A method, comprising:

inserting a male serial bus plug into a serial bus receptacle, wherein the serial bus receptacle is communicatively coupled to a serial communication bus;

wherein the serial bus receptacle comprises one or more internal retention springs situated inside the serial bus receptacle that are configured to grip the male serial bus plug with a retention force in response to said inserting, wherein the serial bus receptacle is comprised in a housing, wherein the housing comprises or is coupled to a clamp, wherein the clamp is external to the serial bus receptacle, and wherein a clamping adjustment is coupled to the claim and configured to adjust the clamp to constrain the one or more internal retention springs, thereby augmenting the retention force of the one or more internal retention springs; and

adjusting the clamp via the clamping adjustment mechanism to constrain the one or more internal retention springs to secure the male serial bus plug in the serial bus receptacle.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the serial communication receptacle is a Universal Serial Bus (USB) receptacle, the serial bus plug is a USB plug, and the serial communication bus is USB.

15. The method of claim 13 ,

wherein the male serial bus plug is communicatively coupled to a serial communication device, and wherein said inserting the male serial bus plug into the serial bus receptacle connects the serial communication device to the serial communication bus.

16. The method of claim 13 ,

wherein the serial bus receptacle comprises a USB receptacle, wherein the male serial bus plug comprises a USB plug, and wherein the serial communication device is a USB device.

17. The method of claim 13 ,

wherein the housing is coupled to a first end of the serial communication cable;

wherein the serial bus receptacle is communicatively coupled to the serial communication bus via the serial communication cable;

wherein the male serial bus plug is communicatively coupled to a serial communication device; and

wherein said inserting the male serial bus plug into the serial bus receptacle connects the serial communication device to the serial communication bus via the serial communication cable.

18. The method claim 17 ,

wherein the serial communication cable comprises a USB cable, wherein the serial bus receptacle comprises a USB receptacle, wherein the other serial communication bus comprises a universal serial bus, wherein the male serial bus plug is a USB plug, and wherein the serial communication device is a USB device.

19. The method of claim 13 ,

wherein the clamping adjustment mechanism comprises:

one or more threaded fasteners; and

a corresponding one or more threaded inserts, comprised in or coupled to the housing;

wherein said adjusting the clamping adjustment mechanism comprises threading the one or more threaded fasteners into the corresponding one or more threaded inserts.

20. The method of claim 13 ,

wherein, the clamping adjustment mechanism comprises:

one or more threaded fasteners; and

one or more threaded nuts;

wherein said adjusting the clamping adjustment mechanism comprises threading the one or more threaded fasteners into the corresponding one or more threaded nuts.

21. The method of claim 13 ,

wherein the housing is comprised in or coupled to a panel;

wherein the serial communication receptacle protrudes through or is accessible from a front side of the panel;

wherein the clamping adjustment mechanism protrudes through or is accessible from the front side of the panel; and

wherein said adjusting the clamping adjustment mechanism occurs on the front side of the panel.

22. The method of claim 13 ,

wherein the clamp is adjustable to a deploy position in which the clamp is closed, thereby further securing the male serial bus plug in the serial bus receptacle, and wherein the clamp is adjustable to a service position in which the clamp is open, thereby allowing the removal of the male serial bus plug from the serial bus receptacle.

Assignments (5)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS (REEL/FRAME 057280/0028) Recorded Oct 13, 2023
From: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
To: NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 065231/0466 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS (REEL/FRAME 052935/0001) Recorded Oct 13, 2023
From: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
To: NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS CORPORATION; PHASE MATRIX, INC.
Reel/Frame 065653/0463 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 18, 2021
From: NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS CORPORATION
To: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
Reel/Frame 057280/0028 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 14, 2020
From: NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS CORPORATION; PHASE MATRIX, INC.
To: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
Reel/Frame 052935/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 30, 2015
From: FALLON, MATTHEW R.; TOTH, DENNIS VANCE; RAKE, CHRISTOPHER A.
To: NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 035284/0471 →