What does it mean to patch cables or devices together?

In the below context:

Finally had the time over the weekend to patch everything down and sort out the sockets.

...

I managed to get my trusty router patched in with the phone line coming from the hallway to the cab via the CAT6 cable.

What does the term patched mean, and what is its origin? It's clearly AmEng, but as a Brit I can't be sure whether it simply means patching in the normal IT sense of connecting two systems together, or whether it has a more nuanced definition that has temporary connotations.

As an IT professional, I've been using patch cables (cords) to patch between routers, switches, phone equipment, and the like for decades. This use of patch is found in the definition 4a, below. I've also applied patches to misbehaving software, and patched people in on conference calls. When I worked on Buchla synthesisers, I used patch cables to connect hardware modules together. The term has lasted into the digital age.

patch - verb

patched; patching; patches

transitive verb

1 : to mend, cover, or fill up a hole or weak spot in

2 : to provide with a patch

3a : to make of patches or fragments

b: to mend or put together especially in hasty or shabby fashion —usually used with up

c : to apply a patch to (a computer program)

4a : to connect (things, such as circuits) by a patch cord

b : to connect (a person, a message, etc.) to a communication system especially temporarily

they patched him into the conference call

From: Merriam-Webster