Karl F Heinrich

US Patent:

54421705, Aug 15, 1995

Filed:

Apr 15, 1994

Appl. No.:

8/228445

Inventors:

Keith A. Kreft - Cupertino CA
Karl F. Heinrich - San Jose CA

Assignee:

Balco, Incorporated - San Jose CA

International Classification:

G01D 534

US Classification:

250229

Abstract:

A programmable cable adaptor in accordance with the present invention includes a housing containing an internal circuit board having a plurality of conductive traces, an input connector with multiple pins or pin-receiving sockets, and an output connector with multiple pins or pin-receiving sockets. On the circuit board, there is a card edge receptacle with key-contacting pins electrically connected to the conductive traces which in turn electrically couple the receptacle pins to the input connector and/or the output connector. The key-contacting pins of the card edge receptacle are arrayed along at least one side of an elongated aperture adapted to receive an adaptor programming key generally referred to as a card edge key The "key" is typically a small printed circuit board with conductive tabs on at least one side thereof with each tab being electrically connected to at least one other tab on the key with conductive traces. When the key is inserted in the receptacle aperture, electrical connections are made between the pins/sockets of the input connector and the pins/sockets of the output connector via the tabs and circuit traces on the key. Some of the pins/sockets of the input connector may be directly connected to the pins of the output connector without going through the card edge receptacle.