IP Library Granted Patent US 9,601,873
Granted Patent B2
US 9,601,873 · App. 15/156,477 · Granted Mar 21, 2017

Communications jack with jackwire contacts mounted on a flexible printed circuit board

Inventor: Brian J. Fitzpatrick (McKinney, TX)
Assignee: CommScope, Inc. of North Carolina
H01R13/6467H01R13/6461H01R13/6466H01R13/6469H01R24/00H01R24/64H05K1/0228H05K1/0239H05K1/147H05K1/162H05K2201/10189
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,601,873
App. No.
15/156,477
Granted
Mar 21, 2017
Kind
B2
Abstract

Communications jacks include at least first through third jackwire contacts and a flexible substrate that has a first finger and a second finger. The first jackwire contact and the third jackwire contact are each mounted on the first finger and the second jackwire contact is mounted on the second finger.

Claims (28)

1. A communications jack, comprising:

at least one flexible substrate that has a first cantilevered finger and a second cantilevered finger; and

a first jackwire contact that is mounted on both the first cantilevered finger and the second cantilevered finger.

2. The communications jack of claim 1 , wherein a first end of the first jackwire contact is received within an aperture of the first finger and a second end of the first jackwire contact is received within an aperture of the second finger.

3. The communications jack of claim 1 , wherein the at least one flexible substrate comprises a single flexible substrate that includes both the first and second cantilevered fingers.

4. The communications jack of claim 1 , wherein the at least one flexible substrate comprises a first flexible substrate that includes the first cantilevered finger and a second flexible substrate that includes the second cantilevered finger.

5. The communications jack of claim 4 , wherein a gap is provided between the first and second flexible substrates, and wherein the first jackwire contact spans the gap.

6. The communications jack of claim 3 , wherein the single flexible substrate comprises a flexible printed circuit board.

7. The communications jack of claim 1 , wherein the at least one flexible substrate further includes a third cantilevered finger, and the communications jack further includes a second jackwire contact that is mounted on both the first cantilevered finger and the third cantilevered finger.

8. The communications jack of claim 7 , further comprising a third jackwire contact that is mounted between the first jackwire contact and the second jackwire contact.

9. The communications jack of claim 8 , wherein the at least one flexible substrate further includes a fourth cantilevered finger and a fifth cantilevered finger, wherein the third jackwire contact is mounted on both the fourth and fifth cantilevered fingers.

10. The communications jack of claim 9 , wherein the first jackwire contact and the second jackwire contact are substantially aligned in a first row, and wherein the third jackwire contact is substantially aligned with a fourth jackwire contact in a second row that is offset from the first row.

11. The communications jack of claim 1 , wherein the communications jack comprises an RJ-45 jack that further includes second through eighth jackwire contacts, and wherein the first and second cantilevered fingers are part of a plurality of cantilevered fingers included on the at least one flexible substrate, wherein each of the second through eighth jackwire contacts is mounted on two of the plurality of cantilevered fingers.

12. An RJ-45 communications jack, comprising:

a housing having a plug aperture;

a flexible printed circuit board that extends into the plug aperture;

first through eighth jackwire contacts mounted to extend upwardly from the flexible printed circuit board, wherein each of the first through eighth jackwire contacts includes a plug contact region that is above the flexible printed circuit board and has first and second ends that are located below the flexible printed circuit board.

13. The RJ-45 jack of claim 12 , wherein the flexible printed circuit board includes a plurality of cantilevered fingers, and wherein each of the first through eight jackwire contacts is mounted on one or more of the cantilevered fingers.

14. The RJ-45 jack of claim 13 , wherein a first of the cantilevered fingers includes two of the first through eight jackwire contacts mounted thereon.

15. The RJ-45 jack of claim 14 , wherein a second of the cantilevered fingers only has one of the first through eight jackwire contacts mounted thereon.

16. An RJ-45 communications jack, comprising:

a housing having a plug aperture;

at least one flexible printed circuit board that extends into the plug aperture,

wherein the at least one flexible printed circuit board includes a first plurality of forwardly-extending cantilevered fingers that are cantilevered towards a front of the plug aperture, and the at least one flexible printed circuit board further includes a plurality of rearwardly-extending cantilevered fingers that are cantilevered towards a back of the plug aperture.

17. The RJ-45 jack of claim 16 , further comprising a first jackwire contact that is mounted through a first of the plurality of forwardly-extending cantilevered fingers and through a first of the plurality of rearwardly-extending cantilevered fingers.

18. The RJ-45 jack of claim 17 , further comprising a second jackwire contact that is mounted through the first of the plurality of forwardly-extending cantilevered fingers and through a second of the plurality of rearwardly-extending cantilevered fingers.

19. The RJ-45 jack of claim 17 , wherein the plurality of forwardly-extending cantilevered fingers and the plurality of rearwardly-extending cantilevered fingers are part of a single flexible printed circuit board.

20. The RJ-45 jack of claim 17 , wherein the plurality of forwardly-extending cantilevered fingers are part of a first flexible printed circuit board and the plurality of rearwardly-extending cantilevered fingers are part of a second flexible printed circuit board.

Assignments (7)
TERMINATION AND RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS AT REEL/FRAME NO. 49678/0577 Recorded Jan 9, 2026
From: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: COMMSCOPE NORTH CAROLINA, LLC (F/K/A COMMSCOPE, INC. OF NORTH CAROLINA)
Reel/Frame 074473/0264 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST AT REEL/FRAME 049905/0504 Recorded Dec 19, 2024
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: ARRIS ENTERPRISES LLC (F/K/A ARRIS ENTERPRISES, INC.); ARRIS TECHNOLOGY, INC.; ARRIS SOLUTIONS, INC.; COMMSCOPE, INC. OF NORTH CAROLINA; COMMSCOPE TECHNOLOGIES LLC; RUCKUS WIRELESS, LLC (F/K/A RUCKUS WIRELESS, INC.)
Reel/Frame 071477/0255 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Dec 17, 2024
From: ARRIS ENTERPRISES LLC; COMMSCOPE TECHNOLOGIES LLC; COMMSCOPE INC., OF NORTH CAROLINA; OUTDOOR WIRELESS NETWORKS LLC; RUCKUS IP HOLDINGS LLC
To: APOLLO ADMINISTRATIVE AGENCY LLC
Reel/Frame 069889/0114 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 19, 2021
From: ARRIS SOLUTIONS, INC.; ARRIS ENTERPRISES LLC; COMMSCOPE TECHNOLOGIES LLC; COMMSCOPE, INC. OF NORTH CAROLINA; RUCKUS WIRELESS, INC.
To: WILMINGTON TRUST
Reel/Frame 060752/0001 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jul 3, 2019
From: COMMSCOPE, INC. OF NORTH CAROLINA
To: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 049678/0577 →
ABL SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jul 3, 2019
From: COMMSCOPE, INC. OF NORTH CAROLINA; COMMSCOPE TECHNOLOGIES LLC; ARRIS ENTERPRISES LLC; ARRIS TECHNOLOGY, INC.; RUCKUS WIRELESS, INC.; ARRIS SOLUTIONS, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 049892/0396 →
TERM LOAN SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jul 3, 2019
From: COMMSCOPE, INC. OF NORTH CAROLINA; COMMSCOPE TECHNOLOGIES LLC; ARRIS ENTERPRISES LLC; ARRIS TECHNOLOGY, INC.; RUCKUS WIRELESS, INC.; ARRIS SOLUTIONS, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 049905/0504 →
Continuity (5)
Continuation 14591978 · Jan 8, 2015
Continuation 13803078 · Mar 14, 2013
Provisional Application 61699903 · Sep 12, 2012
Provisional Application 61697955 · Sep 7, 2012
Related Publication 20160261074A1 · Sep 8, 2016