Electrical jack assembly

An electrical jack comprising an elongated nonconductive housing having a generally cylindrical opening therein along a longitudinal axis for insertion of a plug member;

• a first and a second contact assembly each mounted in said housing extending generally transverse to said cylindrical opening;
• each said contact assembly comprising
• a first contact element mounted in a cantilevered manner in said housing and having a contact portion extending transversely across said cylindrical opening for electrical engagement with a portion of said plug member when inserted therein, said first contact element further including a free end movable between a first and second position in response to insertion and removal, respectively, of said plug member, and
• a second contact element mounted in a cantilevered manner in said housing and having a free end, each of the free ends of said first and second contact elements including contact surfaces for electrical engagement with each other when the free end of said first contact element is in its second position;
• and
• said first contact assembly also including a conductive spring element electrically connected to the corresponding first contact element of said first contact assembly and mounted in a cantilevered manner extending generally transversely across said cylindrical opening, said spring element having a free end movable between first and second positions independently of the corresponding first contact element in response to insertion and removal, respectively, of said plug member, said spring element also including a contact portion for electrical engagement with a portion of said plug member when inserted therein, the contact portion of said spring element in its second position being nearer the center line of said opening than the contact portion of said corresponding first contact element in its second position to electrically engage a portion of said plug member when inserted therein while maintaining said corresponding first contact element in said second position.

An electrical jack for use with a plug having tip, ring and sleeve members adjacently mounted in a fixed relationship along a common axis;

• said jack comprising
• an elongated nonconductive housing having a generally cylindrical opening therein along a longitudinal axis for receiving said plug;
• and
• tip, ring and sleeve contact assemblies each having a first spring element mounted in said housing for engagement with the correspondingly named plug member when the plug is fully inserted in said opening, the spring elements being movable between actuated and released positions in response to the full insertion and removal, respectively, of said plug;
• each said contact assembly also including a fixed spring element associated with said first movable spring element, each said spring element having a contact surface wherein the contact surfaces of associated fixed and movable spring elements are in electrical engagement when the movable one of the associated first spring elements is in its released position and said contact surfaces are disengaged when said movable spring elements are in said actuated position;
• and said ring contact assembly further comprising a second movable spring element positioned to electrically engage said plug tip member when said plug is partially inserted in said opening and said plug ring member is electrically engaged with said first sleeve spring element in its released position.

A multipurpose electrical jack for selectively interconnecting first and second circuits with a third circuit via a plug connected to said third circuit, said jack comprising

• a generally nonconductive housing having a cylindrical opening therein along a longitudinal axis for receiving said plug;
• tip, ring and sleeve assemblies mounted in said housing and each having a movable spring element connected to said first circuit, said spring elements located in respective tip, ring and sleeve positions in said opening to engage a correspondingly named plug member when said plug is fully inserted therein, each said spring element being actuated only when engaged with its corresponding plug member and released in response to the disengagement of said plug member from its corresponding spring element;
• each said assembly also including a fixed contact element coupled to said second circuit and positioned to electrically engage said corresponding spring element when said spring element is released thereby to interconnect said first and second circuits and to disconnect said first and second circuits when said spring element is actuated;
• and
• an auxiliary spring element electrically connected to said movable ring spring element and located within said opening at said ring position, said auxiliary spring element including a portion for engaging said plug tip member when said plug ring member is engaged with said sleeve spring element whereby said third circuit is connected to said first and second circuits while maintaining the connection between said first and third circuits.