Electrical connectors – With coupling separator – Including retainer or joiner
Reexamination Certificate
2003-03-13
2004-03-09
Vu, Hien (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With coupling separator
Including retainer or joiner
C439S328000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06702598
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to connectors and more particularly to a memory card connector with improved characteristics.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, a memory card connector comprises an elongated body, a lengthwise, central slot on the body for receiving pins of a memory card, and two end shoulders each having a fastening mechanism for pivotably fastening the ends of the memory card. Following is a description of a number of conventional memory card connectors: For example, Taiwanese Patent Published No. 362,827 discloses, in its FIG. 9, showing a conventional memory card connector having closed end shoulders for fastening the memory card fitted in the slot. However, the memory card tends to loosen widthwise after a short period of time of use due to its closed end shoulders, even there are two locks provided at the shoulders they still cannot reliably fasten the memory card therein. Although Taiwan Patent Published No. 362,827, in order to improve the fastening mechanism for pivotably fixing both ends of the memory card by providing a non-closed end shoulders, however, a gap in the shoulders is wider than a thickness of the memory card received therein. As a result, the memory card also tends to loosen widthwise, an electrical connection between the memory card and the connector may fail. Moreover, Taiwanese Patent Published No. 366,144 discloses a similar locking mechanism in either end of the body for pivotably fastening the memory card fitted in the slot. However, it only provides a lengthwise fastening to the memory card. Hence, the memory card also tends to loosen widthwise after a short period of time of use. Additionally, an enhancement of the widthwise fastening to the memory card may degrade the lengthwise fastening thereof. As a result, an electrical connection between the memory card and the connector may also fail. Thus, the need for improvement still exists.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a connector for fastening a rectangular memory card including a plurality of pins at a lower side and a recess at either side. The connector comprises an elongated body including a lengthwise, central slot, two bases spaced apart by the slot, a plurality of conductive apertures on either base, and two shoulders at ends of the body, each shoulder including two arms facing the slot, a groove between the arms, two L-shaped flexible walls on a back of the groove, a slit between the walls, two wells spaced apart by the walls, two indentations adjacent the wells, a hole recessed into either indentation, and a cavity; and two fastening mechanisms each including a top trigger member, an upper inward protrusion, a latched piece at either side below the protrusion, a lower inward projection, and two cylindrical pivot bars below the latched piece, the pivot bars being fitted into the holes for pivotably connecting the fastening mechanisms in the cavity; wherein in fastening align the pins of the memory card with the slot prior to insertion, the insertion will be stopped once the memory card contacts the projections, and pivot the fastening mechanisms inward until the protrusions are snapped into the recesses and the latched pieces are urged against the walls respectively, thereby further inserting the pins into the slot, fastening the memory card widthwise and lengthwise, and electrically connecting the pins to the conductive apertures.
In one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a slit between two walls becoming narrow responsive to the walls being urged toward each other by a compression of the latched pieces to further provide the lengthwise and widthwise fastening for the memory card and the connector.
In another aspect of the present invention there is further provided two abutment members each between the latched piece and the pivot bar, the abutment members being urged against rear corners of the indentations for firmly holding thereto.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5302133 (1994-04-01), Tondreault
patent: 5443394 (1995-08-01), Billman et al.
patent: 5690499 (1997-11-01), Howell et al.
patent: 6200149 (2001-03-01), Chi-Chung
patent: 86215242 (1999-06-01), None
patent: 87201718 (1999-08-01), None
Fang Tien Huang
Vu Hien
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