Electrical connectors – Preformed panel circuit arrangement – e.g. – pcb – icm – dip,... – With provision to conduct electricity from panel circuit to...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-20
2004-08-03
Patel, Tulsidas (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
Preformed panel circuit arrangement, e.g., pcb, icm, dip,...
With provision to conduct electricity from panel circuit to...
Reexamination Certificate
active
06769922
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCE
This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No.1999-0040356, filed on Sep. 20, 1999, under 35 U.S.C. §119, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an auxiliary connector of a liquid crystal display device, more particularly, to the auxiliary connector that connects a pair of connectors or flexible printed circuit cable connectors (FPC connectors) of the liquid crystal display device.
2. Description of Related Art
A liquid crystal display device conventionally employs first and second substrates, each having a patterned metal layer. In order to connect the patterned metal layers of the two substrates electrically, or to apply signals to the patterned metal layers, connectors and flexible printed circuit cables are attached to the two substrates.
Referring to
FIGS. 1
,
2
A and
2
B, a pair of the conventional connectors employed for the liquid crystal display device will be explained.
Each of the first and second substrates
10
and
12
has the patterned metal layer (not shown) on the opposite surface to each other. A first connector
14
is attached to the patterned surface of the first substrate
10
, and a second connector
16
is attached to that of the second substrate
12
.
One of the connectors, for example, the first connector
14
is a female connector having a concave portion
14
a
and a plurality of contact holes
14
b.
The other connector, the second connector
16
is a male connector having a convex portion
16
a
and a plurality of contact pins
16
b.
In order to connect the first and second connectors
14
and
16
electrically and physically, the convex portion
16
a
of the second connector
16
is inserted into the concave portion
14
a
of the first connector
14
. At the same time, each of the contact pins
16
b
of the second connector
16
is also inserted into the corresponding contact hole
14
b
of the first connector
14
.
Not shown in Figs, inside the first and second connectors
14
and
16
, a plurality of electric wires are arranged so that each of the electric wires is electrically connected with the corresponding contact hole
14
a
or contact pin
16
a.
Thus, when the contact pin
16
a
of the second connector
16
is inserted into the contact hole
14
a
of the first connector
14
, the two connectors are electrically connected.
For the sake of lower material cost, standardized connectors are preferred. But, when the distance between the two opposite surfaces of the first and second substrates changes due to a modified design, the connectors should be also changed in size correspondingly. For example, as shown in
FIG. 3A
, an addition of a device
18
according to the modified design elongates the distance between the first and second substrates
12
and
14
so that the first and second connectors
14
and
16
can not be connected properly.
For the above-mentioned case, as shown in
FIG. 3B
, cables or flexible printed circuit cables are employed to cover the change in distance between the two substrates. Namely, a first connector cable
11
electrically connects patterned metal layer of the first substrate
10
and the first connector
14
, and a second connector cable
13
electrically connects the patterned metal layer of the second substrate
12
and the second connector
16
.
However, the application of the first and second connector cables
11
and
13
decreases the endurance of the liquid crystal display device.
That is to say, when a vibration or an impact affects the liquid crystal display device, the coupled connectors
14
and
16
, which are respectively connected to the first and second substrates
10
and
12
by way of the first and second connector cables
11
and
13
, also vibrate or shake. The vibration or shake of the connectors causes a breaking of the cables or a collision between the connectors and adjacent devices.
Further, since the cable-connected connectors can not support the two substrates of the liquid crystal display device, the liquid crystal display device becomes weaker under the impact.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing and other problems of the conventional connector cables for the connectors of the liquid crystal display device, it is an object of the present invention to provide an auxiliary connector that substitutes for the connector cables connecting the connectors with substrates.
To achieve the above-mentioned objects, the present invention provides an auxiliary electric connector used for coupling a male connector connected to a first substrate of a liquid crystal display device and a female connector connected to a second substrate spaced apart from the first substrate, the male connector having convex portions, the femail connector having concave portions, including: a first end portion having the same shape as the convex portion of the male connector; and a second end portion having the same shape as the concave portion of the female connector.
The male and female connectors may be connected to the first and second subtrates of the liquid crystal display device with a cable and the cable has a plurality of electric wires, respectively.
The cable can be a flexible printed cable.
The male and female connectors may directly contact the first and second subtrates of the liquid crystal display device, respectively.
The foregoing and other objectives of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5064389 (1991-11-01), Klien et al.
patent: 5137462 (1992-08-01), Casey et al.
patent: 5181855 (1993-01-01), Mousquera et al.
patent: WO-92/17921 (1992-10-01), None
An Eun-Yeong
Lee Kyong-rak
Dinh Phuong
L.G. Philips LCD Co., Ltd
McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP
Patel Tulsidas
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