Electrical connectors – Alternatively connected – Coupling part
Reexamination Certificate
2002-06-25
2004-03-02
Paumen, Gary (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
Alternatively connected
Coupling part
C439S630000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06699053
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structure of a card connector apparatus used for small memory cards for use in various portable information terminals, such as a portable telephone or a PC, or memory support equipments such as a digital camera or a digital AV equipment.
2. Description of the Related Art
A card connector apparatus is generally used as an expanded recording apparatus of an electronic equipment such as a personal computer or a digital camera. As a storage medium of the card connector apparatus, a PC card or a memory card has come into wide use.
The PC card or the memory card is installed in the card connector apparatus to write and read necessary information. In recent years, as small memory cards, various kinds of memory cards having different shapes, such as a long one, a short one, a thick one, or a thin one, have been developed, and various kinds of card connector apparatuses corresponding to these have been developed.
In this case, the card connector apparatus corresponds to only one kind of memory card, and only one specific memory card has been installed in one card connector apparatus. Thus, in the case where various kinds of memory cards are desired to be used, it has been necessary to prepare card connector apparatuses dedicated to the respective memory cards.
However, in the foregoing structure of the conventional card connector apparatus, in the case where various kinds of memory cards are desired to be used, since it is necessary to prepare card connector apparatuses dedicated to the respective memory cards, there have been problems that an electronic equipment in which the card connector apparatuses are mounted becomes large, and when a memory card is installed, a defect occurs that a different kind of memory card is erroneously inserted into a different card connector apparatus.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the invention has an object to provide a card connector apparatus which solves the foregoing problems and in which various kinds of memory cards having different shapes can be installed by the one card connector apparatus.
In order to solve the above problem, first means of the invention comprises a housing provided with a plurality of connector terminals to come in contact with contact terminal portions of a card to be inserted, a card insertion portion provided at a front of the housing, and guide portions provided at both sides of the card insertion portion, for guiding the card, and is characterized in that the card includes a first wide and thin card and a second card narrower and thicker than the first card, a maximum width of the card insertion portion is formed to be substantially equal to a width of the first card, a maximum thickness of the card insertion portion is formed to be substantially equal to a thickness of the second card, and the guide portion is provided with a first guide surface to come in contact with a side portion of the first card to guide the first card to an installation position, and a second guide surface to come in contact with a side portion of the second card to guide the second card to an installation position.
Besides, second means is characterized in that the second card is formed to have a length longer than the first card, and a plurality of first and second connector terminals capable of coming in contact with the respective contact terminal portions are disposed in the housing correspondingly to formation positions of the plurality of contact terminal portions arranged side by side at insertion side end portions of the first and the second cards.
Besides, third means is characterized in that disposal positions of the second connector terminals disposed in the housing are formed to be deeper in the card insertion portion than disposal positions of the first connector terminals, and a protrusion position of a rear edge portion of the first card installed in the housing is formed to be substantially equal to a protrusion position of a rear edge portion of the second card installed in the housing.
REFERENCES:
patent: 6004155 (1999-12-01), Wu
patent: 6137710 (2000-10-01), Iwasaki et al.
patent: 6386920 (2002-05-01), Sun
patent: 6402529 (2002-06-01), Saito et al.
patent: 2783622 (1998-09-01), None
Alps Electric Co. ,Ltd.
Beyer Weaver & Thomas LLP
Paumen Gary
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