IP Library Granted Patent US 12,414,263
Granted Patent B2
US 12,414,263 · App. 18/211,307 · Granted Sep 9, 2025

Cooling tray connector assembly

Inventor: Che-Yuan Yang (New Taipei, TW)
Assignee: Molex, LLC
H05K7/20218H01R13/518
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,414,263
App. No.
18/211,307
Granted
Sep 9, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

An example connector assembly includes a cage, a first liquid cooling tray, a second liquid cooling tray, and a pressuring spring. The cage includes a frame and partitioning walls. The frame and the partitioning walls define an insertion space. The first liquid cooling tray is provided to a top of the cage, with a lower surface of the first liquid cooling tray constituting an upper wall surface of the insertion space. The second liquid cooling tray is provided to a bottom of the cage, with an upper surface of the second liquid cooling tray constituting a lower wall surface of the insertion space. The pressuring spring is positioned within the insertion space.

Claims (56)

1. A connector assembly, comprising:

a cage comprising a frame and a plurality of partitioning walls, the frame and the plurality of partitioning walls defining an insertion space;

a first liquid cooling tray provided to a top of the cage, a lower surface of the first liquid cooling tray constituting an upper wall surface of the insertion space;

a second liquid cooling tray provided to a bottom of the cage, an upper surface of the second liquid cooling tray constituting a lower wall surface of the insertion space; and

a pressuring spring within the insertion space.

2. The connector assembly of claim 1 , wherein the pressuring spring is provided on the upper surface of the second liquid cooling tray within the insertion space.

3. The connector assembly of claim 1 , wherein the pressuring spring comprises a plurality of spring plates extending into the insertion space from the upper surface of the second liquid cooling tray.

4. The connector assembly of claim 1 , wherein the pressuring spring comprises a mounting portion assembled to the upper surface of the second liquid cooling tray and a spring plate extending from the mounting portion into the insertion space.

5. The connector assembly of claim 4 , wherein:

the mounting portion of the pressuring spring comprises a plate body assembled to the upper surface of the second liquid cooling tray and a frame body folded back from the plate body onto an upper surface of the plate body; and

the spring plate extends from an inner edge of the frame body into the insertion space.

6. The connector assembly of claim 4 , wherein:

the mounting portion of the pressuring spring is positioned at a front end of the pressuring spring; and

the spring plate extends from the mounting portion into the insertion space.

7. The connector assembly of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of partitioning walls are assembled to the first liquid cooling tray and the second liquid cooling tray.

8. The connector assembly of claim 1 , wherein:

a first positioning recess is formed on the lower surface of the first liquid cooling tray;

a second positioning recess is formed on the upper surface of the second liquid cooling tray; and

a partitioning wall among the plurality of partitioning walls comprises positioning protrusions which are snapped into the first positioning recess and the second positioning recess.

9. The connector assembly of claim 1 , wherein:

the plurality of partitioning walls define a plurality of insertion spaces;

the lower surface of the first liquid cooling tray constitutes an upper wall surface of the plurality of insertion spaces; and

the upper surface of the second liquid cooling tray constitutes a lower wall surface of the plurality of insertion spaces.

10. The connector assembly of claim 9 , wherein:

the insertion space comprises a first insertion space among the plurality of insertion spaces; and

the connector assembly further comprises a second pressuring spring within a second insertion space among the plurality of insertion spaces.

11. A connector assembly, comprising:

a cage comprising an upper cage and a lower cage, the cage comprising a frame and a plurality of partitioning walls, the frame and the plurality of partitioning walls defining an upper insertion space in the upper cage and a lower insertion space in the lower cage;

a first liquid cooling tray provided to a top of the upper cage, a lower surface of the first liquid cooling tray constituting an upper wall surface of the upper insertion space;

a second liquid cooling tray provided between the upper cage and the lower cage, an upper surface of the second liquid cooling tray constituting a lower wall surface of the upper insertion space, a lower surface of the second liquid cooling tray constituting an upper wall surface of the lower insertion space;

a first pressuring spring within the upper insertion space; and

a second pressuring spring within the lower insertion space.

12. The connector assembly of claim 11 , wherein:

the first pressuring spring is provided on the upper surface of the second liquid cooling tray within the upper insertion space; and

the second pressuring spring is provided on the lower surface of the second liquid cooling tray within the lower insertion space.

13. The connector assembly of claim 11 , wherein:

the first pressuring spring comprises a first plurality of spring plates extending into the upper insertion space from the upper surface of the second liquid cooling tray; and

the second pressuring spring comprises a second plurality of spring plates extending into the lower insertion space from the lower surface of the second liquid cooling tray.

14. The connector assembly of claim 11 , wherein:

the first pressuring spring comprises a first mounting portion assembled to the upper surface of the second liquid cooling tray and a first spring plate extending from the first mounting portion into the upper insertion space; and

the second pressuring spring comprises a second mounting portion assembled to the lower surface of the second liquid cooling tray and a second spring plate extending from the second mounting portion into the lower insertion space.

15. The connector assembly of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of partitioning walls are assembled to the first liquid cooling tray and the second liquid cooling tray.

16. The connector assembly of claim 11 , wherein:

a first positioning recess is formed on the lower surface of the first liquid cooling tray;

a second positioning recess is formed on the upper surface of the second liquid cooling tray; and

a partitioning wall among the plurality of partitioning walls comprises positioning protrusions which are snapped into the first positioning recess and the second positioning recess.

17. The connector assembly of claim 11 , wherein:

the upper insertion space comprises plurality of upper insertion spaces;

the lower surface of the first liquid cooling tray constitutes an upper wall surface of the plurality of upper insertion spaces; and

the upper surface of the second liquid cooling tray constitutes a lower wall surface of the plurality of upper insertion spaces.

18. A connector assembly, comprising:

a cage comprising a frame and a plurality of partitioning walls, the frame and the plurality of partitioning walls defining an insertion space;

a liquid cooling tray provided to a top of the cage, a lower surface of the liquid cooling tray constituting an upper wall surface of the insertion space; and

a pressuring spring within the insertion space.

19. The connector assembly of claim 18 , further comprising a second liquid cooling tray provided to a bottom of the cage, an upper surface of the second liquid cooling tray constituting a lower wall surface of the insertion space.

20. The connector assembly of claim 19 , wherein the pressuring spring is provided on the upper surface of the second liquid cooling tray within the insertion space.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 14, 2023
From: YANG, CHE-YUAN
To: MOLEX, LLC
Reel/Frame 064574/0341 →
Priority Claims (1)
CN 202010559236.4 · Jun 18, 2020 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation 17349976 · Jun 17, 2021
Related Publication 20230337393A1 · Oct 19, 2023
References Cited (60)
US 4644385A · Nakanishi · 1987 [cited by examiner]
US 5473508A · Porter · 1995 [cited by examiner]
US 6816376B2 · Bright · 2004 [cited by examiner]
US 6980437B2 · Bright · 2005 [cited by examiner]
US 6986679B1 · Aronson et al. · 2006 [cited by applicant]
US 7371965B2 · Ice · 2008 [cited by applicant]
US 7539018B2 · Murr · 2009 [cited by examiner]
US 7625223B1 · Fogg · 2009 [cited by applicant]
US 8223498B2 · Lima · 2012 [cited by applicant]
US 8345426B2 · Nichols · 2013 [cited by examiner]
US 8382509B2 · David · 2013 [cited by examiner]
US 8432694B2 · Hentschel · 2013 [cited by examiner]
US 8444437B2 · Szczesny · 2013 [cited by examiner]
US 8449331B2 · Phillips · 2013 [cited by examiner]
US 8556658B2 · Szczesny · 2013 [cited by examiner]
US 8670236B2 · Szczesny · 2014 [cited by examiner]
US 8879262B2 · Shi · 2014 [cited by examiner]
US 8879267B2 · Henry · 2014 [cited by examiner]
US 9258925B2 · Arvelo · 2016 [cited by examiner]
US 9793648B2 · Regnier · 2017 [cited by examiner]
US 9913403B2 · Krug, Jr. · 2018 [cited by examiner]
US 9935403B1 · Briant · 2018 [cited by examiner]
US 9960525B2 · Regnier · 2018 [cited by examiner]
US 9980411B2 · Yang · 2018 [cited by applicant]
US 10104760B1 · Briant · 2018 [cited by examiner]
US 10249983B2 · Regnier et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 10276995B2 · Little · 2019 [cited by examiner]
US 10278313B2 · Jia · 2019 [cited by examiner]
US 10321607B2 · Ito · 2019 [cited by examiner]
US 10539753B1 · Leigh · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 10709034B2 · Jochim · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 10765038B1 · Leigh · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 10795096B1 · Leigh · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 10795100B2 · Leigh · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 10856446B2 · Boyden · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 11165185B2 · Lloyd · 2021 [cited by examiner]
US 11483943B2 · Leigh · 2022 [cited by examiner]
US 20050168932A1 · Selvidge · 2005 [cited by examiner]
US 20090109627A1 · Murr · 2009 [cited by examiner]
US 20130157499A1 · Crippen et al. · 2013 [cited by applicant]
US 20150077937A1 · Daly · 2015 [cited by examiner]
US 20160290728A1 · Coteus · 2016 [cited by examiner]
US 20190246523A1 · Boyden et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 20210153385A1 · Lu · 2021 [cited by examiner]
CN 102067063A · 2011 [cited by applicant]
CN 103201911B · 2016 [cited by applicant]
CN 105445859B · 2017 [cited by applicant]
CN 106304754B · 2019 [cited by applicant]
CN 110058358A · 2019 [cited by applicant]
CN 108061943B · 2020 [cited by applicant]
CN 110658595A · 2020 [cited by applicant]
CN 110806620A · 2020 [cited by applicant]
CN 111083903A · 2020 [cited by applicant]
CN 212160165U · 2020 [cited by applicant]
CN 111033916B · 2021 [cited by applicant]
CN 114966998A · 2022 [cited by applicant]
CN 115275716A · 2022 [cited by applicant]
CN 112993659B · 2023 [cited by applicant]
CN 111208611B · 2024 [cited by applicant]
Notice of Allowance received for U.S. Appl. No. 17/349,976, mailed on Mar. 21, 2023, 12 pages. [cited by applicant]