Patch Connector

This invention relates to an electrical connector intended for use with terminal blocks commonly employed as a means of,connection for wire networks. More specifically, this invention relates to an alternate means, namely a patch connector, for making electrical connection between wire and terminal points without the aid of tools or soldering.

In the communication industry, and more particularly in the telephone and data transmission industry, terminal blocks having a plurality of clip type electrical connectors or terminals protruding therefrom are commonly used. One such terminal block is the well known type 110 connecting block. Examples of 110 terminal blocks are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,798,587 and 4,964,812, both of which are incorporated herein by reference. Having become widely accepted over the last ten years or so, the 110-type quick connect blocks have evolved into many shapes and sizes and have been the focal point of a variety of accessories and adapters.

Test adapters that plug onto the front of the terminal block such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,878,848 may be used to connectorize the terminals with modular jacks or other industry standard connectors. The limitation of these devices is that they cannot always be field wired and they cannot always be mounted end to end or side to side without missing terminal locations that may require access. An example of another such test adapter for 66 type connector blocks is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,585,290, which is assigned to the assignee hereof. Other examples of prior art test adapters are discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,585,290.

While the connection points on the terminal block may be capable of terminating wire directly via a solder joint or insulation displacement, well known patch connectors provide a means for making additional connections for temporary or long term use. Once wired, a patch connector is a multiple wire connector that may be installed and removed from the terminal block for the purpose of branching off existing lines or connecting together discrete areas of the terminal field.

Improved terminal block patching devices which allow for field wiring are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,759,723 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,834,669, both of which are assigned to the assignee hereof and incorporated herein by reference. While well suited for their intended purposes, these prior patch connectors are designed primarily for use in connection with terminal blocks incorporating type 66 terminals. However, there is a need for a low cost and reliable patch connector which can be field terminated and which can be used with other types of terminal blocks.

Other patch connectors are available that provide means for accomplishing connections between shielded twisted-pair cables. One such patch connector is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,160,273 ('273). It will be appreciated that the patch connector of the '273 patent relies on a printed circuit board to provide connections to both signal carriers and to shield conductors. One limitation of the '273 patent is that it requires an additional connection between the cable shield termination means and the printed circuitry. This added connection, plus the complex geometry of the circuit path, combined with the limited surface available for the shield path, due to the presence of signal traces on the printed circuit board, results in limited high frequency shield effectiveness. An additional limitation of the '273 patent is that it requires the use of a specialized receptacle in order to accomplish connections to both signal carriers and the shield, and, therefore is not compatible with the well known 110 type connector. Other prior art patch connectors exist that are intended to plug onto 110-style connecting blocks, but these connectors are encumbered by limitations of their own. In particular, they lack provisions for shield terminations. Also, their design, and means of cable preparation and termination make them difficult to use in the field and still provide Category 5 transmission performance as defined in TIA/EIA TSB40.

The "cross-over lead" technique used in prior art 110 patch products to achieve Category 5 performance requires that twisted pair conductors be terminated in a different sequence on the patch connector than on the 110 connecting block to which it connects. This limitation, combined with the physical difficulty with placing precut wires in their respective termination slots while maintaining pair twists as close as possible to the point of termination, as is necessary to achieve Category 5 performance, makes field termination impractical. Still other 110-type patch connectors are available that are capable of field terminations, but these connectors do not offer Category 5 transmission performance. Heretofore, no prior art 110-type patch connectors offer provisions for shield connection.

Therefore, it will be appreciated that there is a need for a patch connector which can mate with the 110-type connecting blocks and make optional connections to cable shielding and which can provide Category 5 transmission performance while preserving the capability for terminations by installers and technicians in the field.

The above discussed and other problems and deficiencies of the prior art are overcome or alleviated by the field terminable patch connector of the present invention. In accordance with the present invention, the patch connector comprises three separable upper and lower body or housing portions, all three of which have mutually interlocking detent structures which permit the three housing portions to be assembled and locked together into a rigid assembly. One of the three housing portions is the contact insulator which has a multiplicity of slots and protrusions capable of retaining eight contacts for receiving eight conductors of a four twisted pair cable. In addition, a metal shield is provided which fits between both the upper housing portion and contact insulator portion. This metal shield portion shields (e.g., electrically isolates) the four pairs of conductors from one another and is held in position by the same aforementioned interlocking detents.

There are two sets of double detents toward the back of the upper housing portion or cover that snap or mate into two sets of double detent receiver slots that are positioned toward the rear of the lower housing in aligning position with the two sets of double detents in the upper housing. When properly field terminated and used with a Category 5 compliant cable, the patch connector of the present invention meets or exceeds the TIA/EIA TSB-40 Category 5 transmission requirements when mated with 110 type connector blocks.

The patch connector of the present invention utilizes a novel shield construction that not only provides crosstalk isolation between conductor pairs, but is also designed to allow access on either its outer surface or its inner surface, or both when mated with an appropriate shield connection means on the plug receptacle. The novel structure provides shield connections between cables with inherently low transfer impedance and therefore assures high-frequency shield effectiveness.

Another important feature of the present invention is the ability to pull wire pairs into their respective positions in the patch cover. Once the cable jacket is secured in the cover, wire pairs may be pulled into their respective location. The latch detent features in the cover act to separate the tip and ring conductors and urge them outward and into their respective IDC termination slots. Once all pairs are positioned, the excess length of insulated wires are accessible on all sides, such that they may be trimmed prior to termination.

The present invention also provides shield means for 110-type termination blocks to assure that shield integrity is maintained between cables and that shield elements are connected before signal conductors of the plug and socket connectors are allowed to touch and are disconnected after plug and socket signal connections are broken.

In general, the present invention provides the following benefits over the prior art: (1) shielding between pairs for improved crosstalk performance regardless of whether or not a cable shield is present; (2) low inductance, low transfer impedance shield access on the inner or outer shield surfaces, or both; (3) make first break last shield connection; (4) low surface area signal contacts for reduced crosstalk between pairs; (5) pull through access for ease of cable preparation and trimming; and (6) cover and base housings may be selectively coated with conductive material to further enhance shield effectiveness with respect to electromagnetic emissions at very high frequencies.

Other features of this invention include the ease of field assembly without special tools or operations (e.g. soldering or crimp tools), polarization means which assures proper orientation of the mating conductors, a snap detent means that provides a positive and stable mechanical connection to the connecting block, and an improved insulation displacement terminal which preferably utilizes closed gap construction and low surface area mating contacts that minimize capacitive coupling between adjacent positions to assure Category 5 compliance.

The above discussed and other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to and understood by those skilled in the art from the following detailed description and drawings.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like elements are numbered alike in the several FIGURES:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wired and assembled patch connector in accordance with the present invention viewed from the contact direction;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a wired and assembled patch connector in accordance with the present invention viewed from the gripper direction;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the device of FIG. 1 rotated 180.degree. and shown without the cables assembled;

FIG. 4 cross sectional elevation view along the line 4--4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an inside plan view of the base housing of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a front elevation view of the base housing of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a cross-elevation view along line 7--7 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a side elevation view of the base housing of FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is a rear elevation view of the base housing of FIG. 5;

FIG. 10 is an outside plan view of the base housing of FIG. 5;

FIG. 11 is an inside plan view of the cover housing of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 12 is a front elevation view of the cover housing of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a rear elevation view of the cover housing of FIG. 11;

FIG. 14 is a side elevation view of the cover housing of FIG. 11;

FIG. 15 is an outside plan view of the cover housing of FIG. 11;

FIG. 16 is a cross sectional elevation view along the line 16--16 of FIG. 11;

FIG. 17 is a cross sectional elevation view along line 17--17 of FIG. 11;

FIG. 18 is a top plan view of the contact insulator of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 19 is a front elevation view of the contact insulator of FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 is a rear elevation view of the contact insulator of FIG. 18;

FIG. 21 is a bottom plan view of the contact insulator of FIG. 18;

FIG. 22 is a side elevation view of the contact insulator of FIG. 18;

FIG. 23 is a cross sectional plan view along line 23--23 of FIG. 22;

FIG. 24 is a cross sectional elevation view along the line 24--24 of FIG. 18;

FIG. 25 is a cross sectional elevation view along the line 25--25 of FIG. 18;

FIG. 26 is a cross sectional elevation view along the line 26--26 of FIG. 18;

FIG. 27 is a side elevation view of the contact used in the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 28 is a plan view of the contact of FIG. 27;

FIG. 29 is a rear elevation view of the contact of FIG. 27;

FIG. 30 is a side elevation view of the shield used in the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 31 is a front elevation view of the shield of FIG. 30;

FIG. 32 is a top plan view of the shield of FIG. 30;

FIG. 33 is a bottom plan view of the shield of FIG. 30;

FIG. 34 is a plan view of the inside of the cover housing of FIG. 11 showing the lacing of field conductors;

FIG. 35 is an exploded view of the cover housing, base housing, contact insulator, contacts and shield prior to the final assembly of the cover housing to the base housing and contact assembly; and

FIG. 36 shows a completed assembled patch connector in accordance with the present invention oriented for installation just prior to connection to a connector block (not shown).

Referring first to FIGS. 1-4, a fully assembled patch connector in accordance with the present invention is shown generally at 10. As shown in FIGS. 1-4, patch connector 10 is comprised of a preferably insulative plastic housing comprised of three separable parts, a lower first housing (main body) or base section 12, an upper second housing or upper housing cover 14 and a contact insulator housing 16. Lower housing or base 12 is shown in detail in FIGS. 5-10, upper housing or cover 14 is shown in detail in FIGS. 11-17 and insulator housing 16 is shown in detail in FIGS. 18-26. Patch connector 10 also includes a plurality of connector contacts 18 shown in detail in FIGS. 27-29. In addition, there is a metal shield 20 shown in detail in FIGS. 30-33.

Turning now to a discussion of the lower base housing 12, housing 12 is comprised of a non-conductive body which in the plan view is generally rectangular in shape. Front end surface 22 (best seen in FIG. 8) has a smooth full radius that blends into inside surface 31 and bottom outside surface 32. Straight sides 24, 26 blend into arcuate gripping segments 34, 36 which in turn blend radially into arcuate rear surface 38. Arcuate gripping segments 34, 36 each have a multiplicity of protrusions 40 for gripping purposes. Arcuate rear surface 38 has an oblong (not shown) or a semi-circular cutout 84 sized to receive the outer jacket of a cable (not shown).

Extending upwardly from inside planar surface 30, is a stepped planar surface 31. Planar surface 31 is parallel to surface 30. These two surfaces are stepped apart a distance that is approximately equal to the thickness of metal shield 20. The inside edge of stepped surface 31 defines a cavity with planar surface 30, used to position and retain metal shield 20. Extending rearwardly from arcuate front end 22 and along planar inside surface 31 are a multiplicity of web sections 42 (preferably three). Web sections 42 define the front end surface of a multiplicity of openings 43 (preferably three), through which metallic shield 20 may be accessed from the direction of outside surface 32 for the purpose of making electrical connections with a plug receptacle (not shown). The outside surface of webbed sections 42 is stepped inwardly from outer surface 32 and is approximately aligned with inside surface 30, so as to allow connections to be made to outer surface 65 of metallic shield 20 with minimum mechanical interference and without excessive deformation of mating contacts. At a distance of about one third of the overall length of base housing 12 from front surface 22 there are four detents 44 that extend upwardly and flexibly from inside planar surface 31. The ends of each detent 44 include a radius 46 which leads to an angled insertion surface 50 and finally terminates at a lip 48. Insertion surface 50 is at preferably a 60.degree. angle relative to inside surface 31. The underside lip 48 preferably dips downwardly 2.degree. toward inside surface 31 as it extends from the base of detent 44 to surface 50. Adjacent to the four detents 44 are four rectangular detent openings 54. The four detents 44 are designed to secure insulator housing 16 to base section 12 as will be discussed hereinafter.

About midway of the overall length of base housing 12, there are four spaced pads 56 that extend upwardly a short distance from inside surface 31. Located and extending upwardly from each of the four pads 56 are dowels 58. Dowels 58 are for purposes of locating and mating upper housing or cover 14 to match up properly with lower base housing 12. Located at about two thirds of the distance from the front end 22 of the overall length of base housing 12 is a locator dowel 60 for purposes of locating and retaining the metal shield 20.

Between arcuate rear surface 38 and shield locator dowel 60, there is a "V" shaped protrusion 62 that both supports shield 20 in position and also acts as a means of shield termination when a cable shield is present, as a secondary strain relief for the patch cable, and as a stiffening rib to support the two sets of double detents that extend from upper housing cover 14. "V" shaped protrusion 62 extends upwardly from inside surfaces 31 and 30. Adjacent to each end of "V" shaped protrusion 62 are two sets of detent slots 64 (two for each set) to receive the two sets of double detents from upper housing cover 14 in snap-lock position.

Arcuate rear surface wall 38, arcuate gripping segments side walls 34, 36 and a sufficient length of each of straight side walls 24, 26 extend upwardly from inside surfaces 30 and 31 the same distance as the mating side walls of upper housing cover 14 (to be discussed hereinafter). The height of straight side walls 24, 26 abruptly decrease at vertical edges 63, 65, respectively to match the plane of inside surface 31. The length of the walls just described are equal to the total length of the walls of upper housing cover 14 combined with the side walls of the insulator housing 16 (also to be discussed hereinafter).

Turning now to FIGS. 11-17, the details of upper housing 14 can be seen. Starting from planar front edge 66, and extending upwardly from inside surface or plane 68, two short spaced-apart side walls 70, 72 blend smoothly into arcuate gripping segments 74, 76, each including a reverse curve which finally blends into rear arcuate segment 78. Arcuate gripping segments 74, 76 have a multiplicity of protrusions 80, such that when upper housing 14 is assembled to housing base 12, the protrusions 80 will match up with the protrusions 40. Rear arcuate segment 78 has an oblong, (not shown) or a semi-circular cutout 82 sized to receive the outer jacket of a cable (see FIGS. 34-36). When upper housing 14 is assembled to housing base 12, semi-circular cutouts 82 and 84 form a smooth full opening to allow the passage of the cable to the interior of housing base 12 and upper housing 14. It should be noted that when housing cover 14 is assembled to base housing 12, the side walls 70, 72, 74, 76 and 78 of housing cover 14 match up smoothly with side walls 24, 26, 34, 36 and 38 of base housing 12, respectively.

Front edge and face 66 of upper housing 14 is a straight planar surface except for the slight protrusion of four detent lips 86. Lips 86 are integral with detents 88 which extend upwardly from front edge and face 66. Detents 88 pass through rectangular holes 90 (shown in FIG. 24) of insulator housing 16 (details of insulator housing 16 to be discussed hereinafter) so as to lock together when the subassembly (e.g., base housing 12, housing cover 14, and insulator housing 16 along with a plurality of connector contacts 18 and metal shield 20) is complete.

Extending rearwardly from front edge and face 66 are a plurality of grooves 92 (preferably eight) sized to accept standard single conductor telecommunications wire complete with insulation (conductors shown in FIG. 34) preferably stranded size AWG 26-24. Grooves 92 preferably have a semi-circular base. About a 1/4" distance back from front edge and face 66 there are a plurality of transverse slots 94 sized to receive the self terminating ends 96 of contacts 18 (contacts 18 are described in more detail hereinafter). Beyond transverse slots 94, grooves 92 continue rearwardly from front edge and face 66 to just beyond a series of locating holes 98. Locating holes 98 receive dowels 58 when the upper housing 14 is assembled to base housing 12.

Extending rearwardly from front face 66, and positioned between even numbers of transverse slots 92, are pair separation slots 93. It will be appreciated that pair separation slots 93 are positioned and sized in such a way as to align and receive tabs 176, 178 and 180, of metallic shield 20 (to be discussed hereinafter). It will be appreciated that the length of pair separation slots 93, is greater than the length of grooves 92, to assure pair separation to the greatest extent possible so as to optimize crosstalk performance. The housing wall that encloses slot 93 physically extends out to provide a physical barrier between pairs. This barrier physically keeps untwisted tip and ring conductors away from adjacent pairs and assures that the parallel portions of adjacent pairs are separated by a shield.

In line with the gripping segments 74, 76 near the inside arcuate surfaces 104, 106 are two sets of detents 100, 102 which extend upwardly from inside surface 68. Detent sets 100, 102 are inserted into the two sets of detent slots 64 of base housing 12 when cover housing 14 is assembled to base housing 12. Located between detent sets 100, 102 are two spaced rectangular cable supports 108 that extend a short distance upwardly from inside surface 68. Just in front and inside of rear arcuate segment wall 78 is a cable tie holding structure 111 for receiving a cable tie (see FIG. 34). Each detent set 100, 102 comprises two detents in spaced, opposing relation which extend upwardly from inside surface 68 preferably at an angle of 3.degree. toward each other. The lip 112 preferably dips 6.degree. from the horizontal. The angular face 114 is preferably at a 57.degree. angle from the horizontal and rounding the outside edges of the detents with small radii is preferred. The four detents 88 preferably have a penetrating face angle of 30.degree. from the vertical.

Turning now to FIGS. 18-26, a discussion of the contact insulator 16 follows. Looking at the plan view (FIG. 18), the forward edge 116 is a smooth radius arcuate or curve that blends into straight side edges 118, 120. Rearward from curved edge 116 on planar outside surface 117 are four through holes 122. In line with each of the four through holes 122 are eight spaced rectangular through holes 90 and 124. Through holes 90 and 124 are separated by a wall 128. Through holes 90 allow the passage of the four detents 44 of base housing 12 to latch onto lip edges 126 of wall 128 of contact insulator 16 (see FIG. 4).

Adjacent to wall 128 are the four rectangular through holes 124 which allow the passage of the four detents 88 of housing cover 14 to snappingly engage inside surface 125 of contact insulator 16. Upper portions of detents 88, are aligned with rectangular spacings 54 of housing 12 and are sized so as not to protrude beyond surface 32 of housing 12 when fully assembled. It will be appreciated that detents 44 of housing 12, and detents 88 of housing 14 are both designed to latch onto contact insulator 16, which, in turn, is intended to mate with contacts and housing means of a 110-style connector (not shown). This direct method of attachment of dependent housings 12 and 14 to contact housing 16 provides for the fabrication of a rigid subassembly that consists of contacts 18, metallic shield 20 and housing portions 12 and 16. This sub-assembly and cover 14 may be assembled in the factory or field, once the patch cable has been prepared for termination (see FIGS. 34-45). Because cover 14 latches to both the base housing 12, by means of detent sets 100, 102, and to contact housing 16, by means of detents 88, the design of the present invention results in a rigid finished connector assembly.

A multiplicity of spaced transverse through slots or channels 130 are provided in contact insulator 16 that are sized to receive the straight portion 132 of each contact 18 as will be discussed hereinafter. Each through slot 130 is associated with an inner chamfer 134 which is preferably 0.010 in length with an inclusive angle of preferably 53.degree.. In addition, each through slot 130 is associated with an outer, larger chamfer 136 preferably with an inclusive angle of 60.degree., which in turn, leads to a larger straight channel 138. Thus, from the from toward the rear, through slot 130 includes inner chamfer section 134 leading to larger chamfer 136 and finally to straight channel 138. At the intersection between through slot 130 and housing body 115 is a stop wall 140 so that when the contact 18 is inserted, stop wall 140 will assure that the contact 18 is in its proper position and extends the proper amount through the contact mating face 142. Contact mating face 142 is configured for connection to the mating end of the 110-type block terminal and includes four V-shaped depressions 144 that are evenly spaced apart to blend with a flat area 146 at the bottom of the "V". At the top of the multiplicity of V-shaped channels 144, the mating surface 148 is planar. The entire shape and size of mating face 142 conforms with the standard mating shape required to mate with a 110 connector. The previously mentioned openings 122 on outer surface 117 and inner surface 125 are dimensioned and spaced to engage and mate with rounded protrusions normally associated with 110 terminal blocks.

Turning now to FIGS. 27-29, each contact 18 is comprised of an insulation displacement self terminating spade (or fork) 148 and at approximately 90.degree. thereto, a straight "zig-zag" portion 132 extends outwardly from fork 148. The insulation displacement slot preferably utilizes a closed gap construction that assures reliable connections to stranded wire cables. The blade portion 158 of contact 18 is of a reduced area in order to minimize capacitance between adjacent contact positions, so as to optimize crosstalk performance. This reduced area has the added benefit of minimizing material and plating costs for contact 18. The contact 18 is made of a conductive material, preferably phosphor bronze alloy C51000, "hard" temper and preferably nickel plated overall. Contact 18 has a bending relief cut 150. The thickness of contact 18 is preferably 0.017". The insulation displacement terminating slot 152 is preferably 0.010" or less in width and 0.140" in length. A guiding chamfer 154 on either side of terminating slot 152 is rounded. A detent dimple 156 is provided in the "zag" portion 158 of "zig-zag" portion 132. The tip 160 of contact 18 preferably has a chamfer 162 of 10.degree. by 0.020" in length on both sides of the contact to assure ease of mating with the connector block (not shown). FIG. 27 shows two opposed and staggered stop surfaces 131 and 133 on "zag" portion 158 of contact 18. During assembly of contact 18, to insulator housing 16, stop surface 131 meets housing surface 140, so as to prevent over insertion of contact 18 into housing 16 during assembly and to prevent contact movement when the patch connector is removed from a 110-style block (not shown). For the completely assembled patch assembly, contact stop surface 133, is adjacent to front surface 66 of housing 14 to support contact 18 as it is mated with a 110-style connector (not shown).

Referring now to FIGS. 30-33, a metal shield 20 will now be described. Shield 20 is preferably one-piece and comprises a stamped metal part having an overall shape which conforms to the shape of inner surface 30 of main body or base section 12. A front end 164 of shield 20 has an arcuate shape commensurate with the arcuate shape 22 of main body 12. Extending rearwardly, from the front arcuate edge 164 are a pair of parallel spaced ribs 166 that protrude above inside surface 167 of metallic shield 20. Parallel ribs 166 are sized and positioned for the purpose of providing redundant positive connection means with a mated conductor, preferably one whose surface is curved and perpendicular to ribs 166, so as to result in optimum Herztian stress on the connection interface. These ribs also define the primary contact surface with the side of the 110 connector so as to prevent potential jamming of lead edge 164 on lower recessed edges of the 110-style connector. It will be appreciated that additional parallel ribs may be provided that protrude in the opposite direction (above outside surface 165), so as to align with openings 43 in housing base 12. These additional ribs (not shown) may also be used to optimize integrity of the shield connections that are made through openings 43 in housing base 12. The center portion of shield 20 includes two opposed cut outs 168, 170, defining a narrowed central section for shield 20. Within that narrowed section are a pair of spaced similarly shaped substantially rectangular openings 172, 174. Extending upwardly from the inward edge of cut-out 168 and from the corresponding edges of openings 172 and 174 are three spaced and parallel transverse shield tabs 176, 178 and 180, respectively. It will be appreciated that shield tabs 176, 178 and 180 are located in a position so as to be received in respective slots 182, 184 and 186 located in contact insulator housing 16 (see FIG. 23). As will be discussed hereinafter, shield tabs 176, 178 and 180 perform the important function of providing electrical isolation between adjacent pairs positioned within the contact insulator housing 16. Shield 20 terminates at a handle portion 188 which has a configuration commensurate with the V-shaped protrusion 62 in base 12. Between handle portion 188 and openings 172, 174, shield 20 has a converging cross-section with an aperture 190 centrally disposed therethrough. Aperture 190 is sized and configured to be received by locator dowel 60 when the shield is mounted on the inside surface 30 of base 12. This is best shown in FIG. 4 where the handle 188 is also shown being seated on V-shaped protrusion 62.

Turning now to FIGS. 34-36, assembly of the patch connector of the present invention will now be described. It will be appreciated that the patch connector of the present invention may either be field terminated or may be factory terminated. In either case, prior to termination of the patch connector to a cable, a subassembly 192 (best shown in FIG. 35) is first assembled comprising base 12, metal shield 20, contact insulator housing 16 and a plurality of contacts 18. As mentioned hereinbefore, contact insulator housing 16 is snap-locked onto base 12 using the four resilient detents 44 which are passed through openings 90 and snap-locked onto ledge 126 as clearly shown in FIG. 4. Terminals 18 are passed through the channels 130 and mated with contact housing 16 as described hereinbefore. After assembly retention bump 156 on surface 158 of contact 18, provides a friction fit with side walls of openings 130 of insulator housing 16 in order to prevent movement if contacts 18 relative to housing 16 during transit and handling. Insulation displacement forks 148 of contacts 18 protrude upwardly at 90.degree. with respect to surface 25 of contact housing 16.

Referring now to FIG. 34, after the subassembly 192 has been assembled, a cable 194 is positioned on cable tie holding structure 111 and a cable tie 196 of known construction extends through the openings in cable tie structure 111 to firmly grip and hold cable to upper housing 14. The outer jacket of a portion of cable 194 is removed to reveal an optional cable shield (in those cases where shielded twisted pair cable is being utilized). Cable shield 198 rests on cable supports 108. Exiting from the end of cable shield 198 are one or more (e.g., four) pairs of twisted pair wire 200 which lead to eight individual wires 202. Each wire 202 is positioned in a respective wire groove 92 and is retained therein through a friction fit between each wire conductor in the groove. Any wire extending outwardly of upper housing 14 is then trimmed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 35, upper housing 14 is positioned over lower housing 12 so that the pairs of mutually facing detents 100 and 102 will align with and be received by corresponding openings 64 in lower housing 12. In addition, the four detents 88 which extend downwardly from upper housing 14 are positioned to be received by correspondingly aligned openings 124 in contact housing 16 as best shown in FIG. 4. It will be appreciated that each detent 88 from housing cover 14 resiliently snap-locks to and engages surface 25 of insulator housing 16 as described hereinbefore. As housing cover 14 is snap-lockedly engaged to housing base 12 and insulator housing 16, the insulation displacement connectors 18 will electrically and mechanically engage to each individual conductor 202 so that all the wires have been fully terminated to the patch connector as shown in FIG. 36. Simultaneously shield tabs 176, 178 and 180 engage in cover receptacles 93 so as to provide optimum crosstalk isolation.

In summary, the patch connector of the present invention may be field or factory terminated as follows:

1. Cut cable 194 to desired length.

2. Strip cable jacket (preferably at least 1.5 in. (38.1 mm)) from cable end.

3. When used with shielded cable, remove shielding 190 and clear wrap from cable end leaving (preferably 0.50 in. (12.7 mm)) shielding exposed from the outer jacket forward.

4. Use cable tie 146 to secure outer jacket as shown. Trim cable tie end after tightening.

5. Lace pairs 202 into wire channels 92 in cover 14 maintaining twists as close as possible to channels.

6. Trim wire ends 202 flush with front of housing cover 14.

7. Align latches and press cover into housing base assembly until all latches are fully engaged. Use standard pliers if necessary.

The patch connector is now ready for testing and positioning onto a mating 110 connector. It will be appreciated that parallel grooves 42 insure proper alignment and polarity when mating onto a 110 connector. It will also be appreciated that in the final assembly, the arcuate edge 22 of lower housing 12 extends outwardly from the arcuate edge 116 of contact insulator housing 16. This assures that shield integrity is established between cables in the proper order. In particular, shield elements are connected before signal conductors are allowed to touch and the shield elements are disconnected after plug and socket signal connections are broken.

The patch connector in accordance with the present invention has many features and advantages. For example, the patch connector of this invention meets the transmission standards of TIA/EIA TSB-40 category 5 transmission requirements and can be field terminated or factory terminated to either 24 or 26 AWG (0.14-0.23 mm.sup.2) stranded, shielded or unshielded, twisted pair cable. The fact that the four pair 110 patch plug of this invention is both category 5 compliant and field terminable is an extremely important feature of this invention.

The high performance patch connector of this invention utilizes internal pair shielding (e.g., shield 20) to significantly improve near-end crosstalk (NEXT) between pairs. Worst pair NEXT values for the patch connection and 110 connecting block combination is dramatically reduced providing category 5 transmission performance.

Field-termination has been made easy using the patch connector of this invention by simply configuring the wires into the housing cover and snapping the cover into the housing base. The wires are automatically terminated to the insulation displacement contacts. A cable tie is included at the rear of the plug for securing the cable in place while configuring the pairs and snapping the housing together. The cable tie also provides a primary strain relief for the outer cable jacket.

The housing cover 14 has been specifically designed so that trimming wires prior to termination is quick and easy.

When the patch plugs of the present invention are used with shielded cable, the internal plug shield may be used to provide a ground path from the cable shield to the front of the plug where a make first/break-last ground connection can be made.

It will be appreciate that while the patch connector of the present invention has been described with regard to a four pair patch, the present invention may also be configured in any other required configuration, including one, two or three pair configurations. Similarly, while a cable has been shown being terminated to the patch connector of this invention, it will be appreciated that a modular jack may also be used which would be positioned at the rear of the housing and be wired to each of the contacts 18 in a known manner. Finally, in order to meet the category 5 performance specifications, cable 194 would of course, also need to meet the category 5 transmission requirements.

In addition, cover and base housings may be selectively coated with conductor material to further enhance shield effectiveness with respect to electromagnetic emissions at very high frequencies (for example, over 100 Hz).

While preferred embodiments have been shown and described, various modifications and substitutions may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the present invention has been described by way of illustrations and not limitation.