{
  "patent_number": "US 12734006",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How to Connect Wires and Light Signals Through a Protective Cloth",
  "original_title": "Connection systems and methods for establishing optical and electrical connections through a drape",
  "summary": "This patent describes a system to make both electrical and optical connections by pushing a plug into a socket, with a protective cloth or 'drape' placed in between, where a sharp part on the plug pokes through the drape.",
  "what_it_does": "This system allows for establishing both optical and electrical connections directly through a protective layer, called a drape. It uses a plug and a receptacle. The plug has an optical terminal and an electrical terminal extending from its housing. The electrical terminal is designed as a piercing element, meaning it's sharp enough to poke through the drape. When the plug is inserted into the receptacle, with the drape positioned between them, the electrical terminal pierces the drape to connect with an electrical receiver inside the receptacle. Simultaneously, the optical terminal forms a connection with an optical receiver, also within the receptacle, passing the light signal through the drape without piercing it. For example, a surgeon could quickly connect a medical instrument to a base unit through a sterile drape without compromising the sterile field.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover connection systems where the drape must be pre-cut or pre-punched before the plug is inserted.",
    "Does not cover systems that only establish an optical connection or only an electrical connection, as it specifies both.",
    "Does not cover connections where the electrical terminal does not physically pierce the drape.",
    "Does not cover wireless communication systems that transmit signals through a drape without direct physical contact.",
    "Does not cover connections where the drape is not positioned directly between the plug and the receptacle during insertion."
  ],
  "filed": "2024-07-16",
  "granted": "2026-09-15",
  "expires": null,
  "status": "active",
  "holder": null,
  "holder_url": null,
  "inventors": [],
  "times_cited": 0,
  "tags": [
    "consumer_electronics",
    "telecommunications",
    "mechanical",
    "biotech"
  ],
  "abstract": "Connection systems and methods for establishing optical and electrical connections through a drape are disclosed. A connection system can include a plug and a receptacle, the plug being configured to insert into the receptacle with the drape therebetween. The plug can include an optical terminal extending from a plug housing and an electrical terminal extending from the plug housing. The electrical terminal can be configured as a piercing element for piercing the drape. The receptacle can include an optical receiver within a receptacle housing and an electrical receiver within the receptacle housing. The optical receiver can be configured to form the optical connection with the optical terminal, and the electrical receiver can be configured to form the electrical connection with the electrical terminal when the plug is inserted into the receptacle with the drape therebetween.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12734006/connection-systems-and-methods-for-establishing-optical-and-electrical",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12734006/connection-systems-and-methods-for-establishing-optical-and-electrical/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US12734006",
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}