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GoogleGranted patentChips & hardwareInterest 3/10

Google patents optical cable plug that unlocks by pulling a rubber boot

Patent drawing
Patent drawing from the official filing.

This patent describes a connector for fiber optic cables that uses a flexible latch to lock into a socket. Instead of pressing a button, you pull a rubber boot at the back of the plug to release the latch and disconnect the cable.

Why it mattersIt offers a simpler mechanical way to detach fiber optic cables without needing to press small, hard-to-reach buttons.

In the filing’s own words

A connector, for example, for an optical cable, includes a boot associated with a housing of the connector and extending along the optical cable. The boot may be pulled along the cable to disconnect the connector from a receptacle or socket. The connector includes a housing having a first end and a second end, and a flexible latch extending from the housing at the first end and having at least a first operational position and a second operational position. The flexible latch is configured to lockingly engage the connector to a receptacle in the first operational position of the flexible latch. A boot is movably associated with the housing at the second end. The boot is configured to be selectively pulled away from the housing to move the flexible latch into the second operational position. In the second operational position, the flexible latch disengages the connector from the receptacle.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A connector comprising: a housing having a first end and a second end; a first flexible latch extending from the housing at the first end and having at least a first operational position and a second operational position, the first flexible latch configured to lockingly engage the connector to a receptacle in the first operational position of the first flexible latch; and a boot movably associated with the housing at the second end, wherein the boot is configured to be selectively pulled away from the housing to cause the first flexible latch to move into the second operational position, wherein, in the second operational position, the first flexible latch disengages the connector from the receptacle, and wherein the first flexible latch comprises a first locking clip and a first terminal cam.

Facts

Company
Google (Google LLC)
Official title
Boot release/lock simplex and duplex optical connectors
Patent number
US12748265B2
Application number
18131697
Filed
Apr 6, 2023
Granted
Sep 29, 2026
Inventors
2
Claims
19

Classified under

G02B 6/3879 Physics & computingG02B 6/3825 Physics & computingG02B 6/3893 Physics & computing
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.