Connector system having interlocking inner housing
AssigneeThe Whitaker Corporation
InventorHenricus Jozef Vergeest
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An optical connector system comprising first and second complementary connectors, which, when separated, define a non-plugged state and, when joined, define a plugged state, each connector has a front and rear oreintation and comprises: (a) an inner housing containing at least one fiber, the inner housing having a latch and a hook, the inner housings of the two complementary connectors being hermaphroditic such that, when the two complementary connectors are in the mated state, the latch of one inner housing engages the hook of the other inner housing, thereby optically coupling the fibers contained therein; and (b) an outer housing containing at least a portion of the inner housing, the inner housing being slidable therein.
Claims12
An optical connector system comprising first and second complementary connectors which, when separated, define a non-mated state and, when joined, define a mated state, each connector having a front and rear orientation, and wherein:
- said first connector comprises at least:
- a first inner housing containing at least one fiber biased forward therein and having at least one first latching member;
- and
- a first outer housing containing at least a portion of said first inner housing, said first inner housing being slidably mounted in said first outer housing;
- said second connector comprising at least:
- a second inner housing containing at least one fiber biased forward therein and having at least one second latching member for interengaging with said first latching member;
- a second outer housing containing at least a portion of said second inner housing, said second inner housing being slidably mounted in said outer housing;
- wherein, when said first and second connectors are in said mated state, the forwardly-biased fibers are urged together while the inner housings are interconnected by said first and second latching members.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.