Electrical connectors – With insulation other than conductor sheath – Plural-contact coupling part
Reexamination Certificate
2003-07-04
2004-06-15
Gushi, Ross (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With insulation other than conductor sheath
Plural-contact coupling part
Reexamination Certificate
active
06749465
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the priority benefit of Taiwan application serial no. 92205187, filed on Apr. 2, 2003.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a card connector. More particularly, the present invention relates to a card connector with a reinforcing structure.
2. Description of Related Art
Personal digital assistant (PDA) is a versatile portable device used by professional and non-professional people alike. The design concept of a personal digital assistant is to provide a user with an electronic (digital) notebook capable of registering and sorting out important data that may be of some help in managing travel schedules, organizing meetings, and providing communication memos. With the big leap in the operating speed of computers, the ease of Internet connection and the advance in wireless communication technologies, most personal digital assistants now provide a variety of functions including wireless communication, network accessing, playing games and multimedia services. PDA is frequently regarded as a “palm-top computer”.
In general, a PDA has a built-in data storage device with moderate data storage capacity for holding user's files and data. However, to provide extra data storage capacity, a small memory card can be added to the PDA. At present, a large number of memory cards with many different types of specifications are found in the market. The most common memory cards are the secure digital card (SD Card) and the compact-flash card (CF Card). To utilize an external memory card as an extra data storage device, a card connector capable of accommodating a memory card of the desired specifications must be installed on the PDA. When a memory card is properly plugged into the card connector on the PDA, file or data can read, write or erase through signals carried via the card connector. In addition, elongated expansion cards for plugging into the card connector of a PDA at one end and protruding outside the PDA at the other end are also available in the market. The elongated expansion card includes, for example, a digital camera card for capturing image or picture data from a miniature digital camera or a wireless local area network (WLAN) card for connecting up with a wireless local area network (WLAN).
FIG. 1A
is a top view of a conventional PDA card connector
100
and an elongated expansion card
10
to be inserted into the card connector
100
. As shown in
FIG. 1A
, the card connector
100
has an insulation body
110
and a plurality of terminals
120
. The insulation body
110
is an integrative unit having two side beams
112
,
114
and a horizontal beam
116
joined together to form a U-shaped frame. Typically, the insulation body
110
,is made from plastic with some areas strengthened and OLE_LINK
2
protected from electrostatic dischargeOLE_LINK
2
by incorporating some metallic casing material (not shown). Furthermore, the side beams
112
,
114
have sliding grooves
112
a
,
114
a
suitable for accommodating the two edges of the elongated expansion card
10
such as a digital camera card or a wireless local area network (WLAN) card. The horizontal beam
116
defines a terminal plugging slot
118
for receiving the front ends of the socket terminals
12
of the expansion card
10
. In addition, terminals
120
are positioned on the horizontal beam
116
. One end of the terminal
120
is a free end
122
while the other end is a fixed end
124
. The free end
122
of the terminal
120
extends in the terminal plugging slot
118
. When the front end of the elongated expansion card
10
is plugged into the terminal plugging slot
118
, the free ends
122
of the terminals
120
are elastically pressed and electrically connected to the socket terminals
12
of the elongated expansion card
10
. Meanwhile, the fixed ends
124
of the terminals
120
extend beyond the horizontal beam
116
and are fixed and electrically connected to a printed circuit board
20
.
Note that the fixed ends
124
of the terminals
120
of the conventional card connector
100
are fixed onto the printed circuit board
20
through surface mounting technology due to the limit space within a PDA. However, with further miniaturization of the PDA, the thickness of the PDA body is further reduced. Because one end of the elongated expansion card
10
is exposed outside the PDA body
30
as shown in
FIG. 1B
, any external forces acting on the elongated expansion card
10
(such as dropping the PDA vertically onto the floor) will be directly transmitted to the card connector
100
. As a result of the impact on the card connector
100
, the fixed ends
124
of the terminals
120
will likely break away from the printed circuit board
20
and lead to a failed connection. Worse, the loose card connector
100
can possibly further impinge on other electronic components (not shown) on the printed circuit board
20
to damage the normal function of the PDA.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a card connector with a reinforcing structure for reinforcing the strength of the card connector.
To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, the invention provides a card connector with a reinforcing structure set up on a circuit board. The card connector comprises an insulated main body, a plurality of terminals and a reinforcing structure. The insulated body has two side beams and a horizontal beam. The side beams are attached to the respective ends of the horizontal beam to form a U-shaped frame body. The side beams each have a sliding groove capable of accommodating the two side edges of aplug-in elongated expansion card. Furthermore, the horizontal beam has at least a terminal plugging slot for accommodating the socket terminals of the elongated expansion card. In addition, terminals are set up in the horizontal beam with one end of each terminal extending towards the terminal plugging slot and the other end of the terminal extending away from the terminal plugging slot. The ends of the terminals away from the terminal plugging slot are in turn fastened and electrically connected to the printed circuit board by surface mounting technology. The reinforcing structure is set up on one side of the horizontal beam away from the terminal plugging slot. The reinforcing structure includes a bump bar fixed over the circuit board. The bump bar has a comb shaped surface for engaging a vertical rear surface of the horizontal beam. Furthermore, the teeth of the comb roughly occupy the space between the ends of neighboring terminals.
According to one embodiment of this invention, the bump bar is attached to the printed circuit board through surface mounting. Besides, the bump bar can have a threaded bolt extension that can pass through the printed circuit board and the reinforcing structure includes a lock nut that can screw onto the threaded bolt to lock the printed circuit board and the bump bar tightly together. Furthermore, the top end of the bump bar may incorporate a pressing block that contacts top surface of the horizontal beam to increase the strength at the top end of the insulated body.
According to one embodiment of this invention, the reinforcing structure can be a screw and with the bump bar having an internally threaded hole. The screw passes through the printed circuit board and screws into the threaded hole in the bump bar so that the printed circuit board and the bump bar are locked tightly together. Furthermore, the top end of the bump bar may incorporate a pressing block engaging a top surface of the horizontal beam to increase the strength of the connector in resisting an external force. In addition, the reinforcing structure can be a screw and a nut and with the bump bar having a through hole. The screw passes through the through hole in the bump bar and the printed circuit board so that the nut can be screwed onto the exposed end of the screw to lock the bump bar and the
Hsu Steven
Huang Che-Hung
Gushi Ross
High Tech Computer Corp.
Jiang Chyun IP Office
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