Electricity: electrical systems and devices – Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical... – For electronic systems and devices
Reexamination Certificate
2002-01-07
2004-11-09
Vu, Phung T. (Department: 2841)
Electricity: electrical systems and devices
Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical...
For electronic systems and devices
C361S733000, C361S737000, C361S752000, C361S781000, C439S188000, C439S630000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06816386
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a card connector which receives and holds an information card with a built-in semiconductor chip therein and connects an external connection terminal of the card to circuitry formed on a circuit board, and particularly to means for detecting a sliding identifier mechanism provided on such an information card.
2. Description of Related Art
An information card which incorporates a semiconductor chip has been commonly known as one type of portable information device which is detachably loaded in electronic equipment such as personal computer, camcorder, electronic camera or cellular phone. This type of information card includes an information card which has a narrow recess (step-like portion) along its side edge with a sliding identifier mechanism provided in a concave notch in the recess so that recording of information onto the information card or reproduction of information from it can be disallowed by sliding the identifier in the notch.
Electronic equipment in which an information card can be loaded comprises a circuit board bearing required electronic circuitry and a card connector for connecting the external connection terminal of the information card to the electronic circuitry on the circuit board.
Next, a conventional card connector will be described referring to
FIGS. 13 and 14
.
FIG. 13
is a sectional view of a card connector with an information card loaded therein as a first example of a conventional model, and
FIG. 14
is a sectional view of a card connector with an information card loaded therein as a second example of a conventional model.
In these figures, reference numeral
100
represents an information card;
101
represents a narrow recesses in the side edges of the information card
100
;
102
represents a space formed in the recesses of the information card;
103
represents a concave notch cut in the recess
101
;
104
represents a sliding identifier mechanism provided in the concave notch
103
;
200
A and
200
B represent card connectors;
201
represents a frame made of an insulating material;
202
represents a cover made of metal;
203
represents a housing space for insertion of the information card
100
defined by the frame
201
and cover
202
; and
204
represents an identifier detecting means consisting of a movable contact member
204
a
and a fixed contact member
204
b.
In the card connector
200
A as shown in
FIG. 13
, the movable contact member
204
a
and fixed contact member
204
b
which constitute the identifier detecting means
204
are disposed facing the side face of the recess
101
in the information card
100
. When the information card
100
is inserted into the housing space
203
in the card connector
200
A and the recess
101
touches the movable contact member
204
a
, the movable contact member
204
a
elastically deforms and touches the fixed contact member
204
b
; then as the information card
100
is inserted all the way into the housing space
203
, the area of contact between the movable contact member
204
a
and the recess
101
falls into the concave notch
103
cut in the recess
101
, which restores the movable contact member
204
a
to its initial state due to its elastic force, and lets it go away from the fixed contact member
204
b
. When the information card
100
is fully inserted into the housing space
203
, the area of contact between the movable contact member
204
a
and the recess
101
comes to ride on the identifier
104
provided in the concave notch
103
, which causes the identifier
104
to push the movable contact member
204
a
and thus keep it in contact with the fixed contact member
204
b
. This makes it possible to detect the current position of the identifier
104
in the concave notch.
On the other hand, in the card connector
200
B as shown in
FIG. 14
, the movable contact member
204
a
and fixed contact member
204
b
which constitute the identifier detecting means
204
are disposed facing the upper face of the recess
101
in the information card
100
. The current position of the identifier
104
is detected in the same manner as mentioned above.
For a card connector for use in electronic equipment, particularly portable electronic equipment, compactness is strongly demanded to make the electronic equipment compact, lightweight and multifunctional.
In this sense, however, the card connector
200
A as the first example in
FIG. 13
has a drawback: because the movable contact member
204
a
and fixed contact member
204
b
which constitute the identifier detecting means
204
are disposed facing the side face of the recess
101
in the information card
100
, it requires a width W which is larger than a card connector without identifier detecting means. The card connector
200
B as the second example in
FIG. 14
also has a drawback: because the movable contact member
204
a
and fixed contact member
204
b
which constitute the identifier detecting means
204
are disposed facing the upper face of the recess
101
in the information card
100
, it requires a thickness T which is larger than a card connector without identifier detecting means.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is intended to solve the above problem. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to reduce the size of a card connector with identifier detecting means.
In order to achieve the above objective, as a first solution, the present invention provides a card connector for receiving an information card therein, where the information card has a narrow step recess along one of its side edges and a sliding identifier mechanism provided in a concave cut in the step recess. The card connector further comprising a frame which constitutes a housing space into which the information card is inserted, and an identifier detecting means for detecting a sliding position of the identifier. The identifier detecting means comprising a fixed contact member and a movable contact member which are mounted on the frame, with part of the movable contact member forming a projection for detecting the sliding position of the identifier, whereby the projection lies in an area within the housing space through which the step of the card is to pass, where as the information card is inserted into the housing space, the projection touches an upper surface of the step and/or that of the identifier and works in the concave cut in the step.
When the movable contact member and fixed contact member, which constitute the identifier detecting means, are located on the upper surface of the frame, there is no need to make a space in the information card housing space for holding the movable contact member and fixed contact member, and therefore, a situation where the width W of the card connector (see
FIG. 13
) has to be considerably large can be avoided. In addition, the projection as part of the movable contact member lies in the area within the housing space through which the step of the card is to pass, and when the information card is inserted into the housing space, the projection touches the upper surface of the step and/or the upper surface of the identifier and works in the notched concave area of the step so that the movable contact member and fixed contact member, constituting the identifier detecting means, never protrude above the housing space. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a situation where the thickness T of the card connector (see
FIG. 14
) has to be relatively large. For at least these reasons, a compact card connector having identifier detecting means can be realized.
As a second solution according to the present invention, the movable contact member in the above first solution is held under tension in such a manner as to touch the fixed contact member, and when there is no information card inserted in the housing space, the contact members stay electrically connected with each other.
In the above configuration, when no information card is in the housing space, the movable contact member and fixed contact member
Kuroda Yoshimasa
Oguchi Wataru
Wagatsuma Toru
Alps Electric Co. ,Ltd.
Beyer Weaver & Thomas
Vu Phung T.
LandOfFree
Card connector for receiving information card with... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Card connector for receiving information card with..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Card connector for receiving information card with... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3288678