Electric circuit connector with auto-termination

A circuit connector for engagement with a mate connector comprising:

• first and second pairs of connector terminals;
• first and second pairs of auto-termination terminals;
• a maintenance termination circuit connected across both of the pairs of auto-termination terminals, said maintenance termination circuit providing first and second pre-defined terminating impedances across said first and second pairs, respectively, of said auto-termination terminals and having signature means, responsive to a predetermined voltage applied across each of the first and second pairs of the auto-termination terminals, for supplying a separate pre-determined electrical output to said first and second pairs of auto-termination terminals, respectively;
• and
• switch means, located within a first housing and connected to all of said connector terminals and all of said auto-termination terminals and being arranged for abutting actuation by the mate connector, for connecting each one of all of said connector terminals to a corresponding different one of all of said auto-termination terminals only when said circuit connector is not engaged with said mate connector so as to electrically terminate the first and second pairs of connector terminals and for disconnecting all of said connector terminals from all of said auto-termination terminals when said circuit connector is engaged with said mate connector;
• wherein as the mate connector is increasingly inserted into the housing and engages with the circuit connector the mate connector abuts against and increasingly moves the switch means in order to disconnect said connector terminals from said auto-termination terminals so as to remove said first and second terminating impedances from correspondingly said first and second pairs of connector terminals.

In a communication network for providing electrical communication between a central communication system and a user facility, apparatus comprising:

• first and second communication-line pairs connected to said central communication system;
• third and fourth communication-line pairs connected to said user facility;
• a mate connector coupled to said third and fourth communication-line pairs;
• and
• a circuit connector coupled to said first and second communication-line pairs, said circuit connector comprising:
• first and second pairs of connector terminals to which said first and second communication-line pairs are connected, respectively;
• first and second pairs of auto-termination terminals;
• a maintenance termination circuit connected across both of the pairs of auto-termination terminals, said maintenance termination circuit providing pre-defined first and second terminating impedances across said first and second pairs, respectively, of said auto-termination terminals and having signature means, responsive to a predetermined voltage applied across each of the first and second pairs of the auto-termination terminals, for supplying a separate pre-determined electrical output to said first and second pairs of auto-termination terminals, respectively;
• and
• switch means, located within a first housing and connected to all of said connector terminals and all of said auto-termination terminals and being arranged for abutting actuation by the mate connector, for connecting each one of all of said connector terminals to a corresponding different one of all of said auto-termination terminals only when said circuit connector is not engaged with said mate connector so as to electrically terminate the first and second communication-line pairs and for disconnecting said first and second communication-line pairs from said auto-termination terminals when said circuit connector is engaged with said mate connector;
• wherein as the mate connector is increasingly inserted into the housing and engages with the circuit connector the mate connector abuts against and increasingly moves the switch means in order to disconnect said first and second communication-line pairs from said auto-termination terminals so as to remove said first and second terminating impedances therefrom.