Stacked connector assembly

Details Stacked connector assembly Stacked connector assembly

2001-12-26

2003-04-29

Luebke, Renee (Department: 2833)

Electrical connectors

With supporting means for coupling part

Supporting plural, independent coupling parts

Reexamination Certificate

active

06554641

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a stacked connector assembly, and more particular to connectors hinged together to form a stacked connector assembly.
2. The Related Arts
An electrical connector pair of mating each other to connect a first print circuit board, such as a circuit board of a computer disk drive, to a second circuit board, such as a main circuit board of a docking station, are known in the field of connectors, such as SCA-2 based connectors. Such electrical connectors are thus often referred to as “board-to-board” connector. Connectors of similar function for connecting two circuit boards are also available in the market, such as EBBI (Enhanced Board to Board Interface) connector marketed by Molex, Inc. Each pair of the board-to-board connectors comprises a plug (or male) connector and a socket (or female) connector releasably mating each other. An example is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,466,171.
Connectors stacked together to form a stacked connector assembly are also known in the field of connectors. Examples are shown in for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,800,207 and 5,851,125. These stacked connector assemblies require a bracket to secure connectors together. Stacked connector assemblies that include connectors secured together by means of mortise-tenon and/or snap fitting structures are also known. However, a connector stack comprising connectors that are hinged to each other is not known heretofore.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a stacked assembly of connectors hinged together.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a stacked assembly of board-to-board connectors.
To achieve the above objects, in accordance with the present invention, a stacked connector assembly comprises a first connector, such as an SCA-2 based receptacle connector, and a second connector, such as an EBBI based plug connector, vertically stacked on the first connector. The first connector comprises a first housing having a top face on which axially aligned pairs of opposing sockets are formed. The second connector comprises a second housing having a bottom face on which axially aligned spindles are formed. The second housing is positioned on the first housing with opposite ends of each spindle rotatably received in and supported by a corresponding pair of sockets to hingedly connect the second connector to the first connector. Each housing comprises two arms extending rearward from opposite ends thereof. Each arm of the second housing is stacked on the corresponding arm of the first housing. A channel is defined in and extending along each arm. A board lock comprises a vertically extending base section and two transversely extending beams respectively received and interferentially engaging the channels of the arms of the first and second housings to secure the first and second connectors together. Resilient and barbed legs depend from the base section to be interferentially fit in a corresponding hole defined in a circuit board for retaining the stacked connector assembly on the circuit board. A latch depends from each arm of the second housing and engages a notch defined in the arm of the first housing for fixing the second housing to the first housing.


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