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US 7,741,562 B2Granted
Wall plate assembly with integral universal serial bus module
AssigneeLastar, Inc.
InventorsJennifer Dawn Crotinger, Timothy Kerby, Gary Michael Hess
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A wall plate assembly including a wall plate with an integrated USB module. The assembly includes a USB connector and printed circuit board formed together on the wall plate as an integral whole such that USB extender circuitry is situated directly on, or is formed as part of, the printed circuit board. A quick-connect coupling enables fast electrical connection and disconnection with a complementary quick-connect coupling on a USB wire.
Claims19
A wall plate assembly comprising:
- a wall plate defining a face thereon and comprising at least one universal serial bus connector formed in said face;
- a wall mounting member;
- a circuit board comprising universal serial bus booster circuitry;
- an electrical interface extending from said circuit board and cooperative with said universal serial bus booster circuitry such that upon coupling of said interface to a first universal serial bus-compatible component, a signal passes through said universal serial bus booster circuitry while being transmitted between the first universal serial bus-compatible component and a second universal serial bus-compatible component that is coupled to said connector;
- and
- a housing configured to substantially contain said circuit board and mount to at least one of said mounting member, wall plate and circuit board such that said universal serial bus booster circuitry on said circuit board is integrally formed with said assembly.
3 more elements
A bus-powered universal serial bus wiring system comprising:
- at least one wire configured to convey a universal serial bus-compatible signal, said wire comprising a proximal end configured to connect to a universal serial bus host and a distal end configured to connect to a universal serial bus device;
- and
- a wall plate assembly comprising:
- a wall plate defining a face thereon and comprising at least one universal serial bus connector formed in said face;
- a wall mounting member;
- a circuit board comprising universal serial bus extender circuitry;
- an electrical interface extending from said circuit board and cooperative with said universal serial bus extender circuitry such that upon coupling of said interface to one of said proximal and distal ends of said wire, a signal that is transmitted between the host and device may be operated upon by said universal serial bus extender circuitry while passing through said wall plate assembly, said universal serial bus extender circuitry electrically coupled to one of said connector and said interface such that it receives its operating electrical power from a respective one of the universal serial bus host and device;
- and
- a housing configured to substantially contain said circuit board and mount to at least one of said mounting member, wall plate and circuit board such that said universal serial bus extender circuitry on said circuit board is integrally formed with said assembly.
6 more elements
A method of connecting universal serial bus-compatible electronic components through a wall plate assembly, said method comprising:
- configuring a first component to be a universal serial bus host through a transmitter;
- configuring a second component to be a universal serial bus device through a receiver;
- and
- signally coupling said first and second devices through an electrically conductive wire and said wall plate assembly, said wall plate assembly comprising:
- a wall plate defining a face thereon and comprising at least one universal serial bus connector formed in said face;
- a wall mounting member;
- a circuit board comprising universal serial bus extender circuitry;
- an electrical interface extending from said circuit board and cooperative with said universal serial bus extender circuitry such that upon coupling of said interface to at least one of said first and second components and passing a signal therebetween, the signal passes from said transmitter to said receiver through said universal serial bus extender circuitry, said universal serial bus extender circuitry connected to at least one of said wall mounting member and said wall plate such that together they comprise an integrated whole.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.