Electrical connectors – Preformed panel circuit arrangement – e.g. – pcb – icm – dip,... – With mating connector which receives panel circuit edge
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-20
2001-10-02
Patel, Tulsidas (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
Preformed panel circuit arrangement, e.g., pcb, icm, dip,...
With mating connector which receives panel circuit edge
C439S637000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06296491
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector, and particularly to a card edge connector incorporating a hot plug switching mechanism therein.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electronic cards, such as sound cards and graphic cards, are usually used in computer systems for expansion of resources. The electronic cards are connected to microprocessors of the computer systems via various types of card edge connectors.
An electronic card is conventionally not immediately recognized by an operating system of a computer if it is inserted into a card edge connector of the computer while the computer is running, and the computer needs to be rebooted/restarted in order to utilize information stored in the electronic card. The rebooting/restarting procedure is cumbersome, as is known. Thus, hot plug type electronic cards have been developed in recent years, which are recognized by computers without rebooting/restarting the computer so that they can be inserted into the card edge connectors and initialized while the computer is running.
A hot plug type electronic card requires a hot plug switching mechanism to aid in controlling the electronic card-to-computer interface. Conventional hot plug switching mechanisms are separate from the card edge connectors and are disposed on mother circuit boards to which the card edge connectors are mounted. A hot plug switching mechanism occupying a separate space on the mother circuit board is obviously unfavorable from the standpoint of miniaturization.
Therefore, an electrical card edge connector incorporating a hot plug switching mechanism therein to save space on a mother circuit board is desired.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A major object of the present invention is to provide an electrical card edge connector which incorporates a hot plug switching mechanism therein to save space on a mother circuit board.
An electrical card edge connector includes an elongated insulative housing, a plurality of engaging terminals mounted in the insulative housing and a pair of switching modules received in the insulative housing.
The insulative housing comprises a card receiving slot for receiving an electronic card therein, a plurality of terminal cavities at two longitudinal sides of the card receiving slot for accommodating the engaging terminals, and a pair of module cavities for receiving the switching modules.
The switching modules each comprise a printed circuit board portion retained in one of the module cavities and a plurality of switching terminals retained by the printed circuit board portion. A plurality of electronic components are attached to the printed circuit board portion, thereby together defining hot plug switching logic circuits therein.
The engaging terminals and the switching terminals are similar in shape and each comprises a contact portion exposed to the card receiving slot. The contact portions of the switching terminals extend relatively higher than the contact portions of the engaging terminals with respect to a slot bottom face of the card receiving slot.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present embodiment when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5024609 (1991-06-01), Piornneck
patent: 5052936 (1991-10-01), Biechler et al.
patent: 5800203 (1998-09-01), Pratt et al.
patent: 5820392 (1998-10-01), Lin et al.
patent: 5876214 (1999-03-01), McHugh et al.
patent: 5997312 (1999-12-01), Ho et al.
Chung Wei Te
Hon Hai - Precision Ind. Co., Ltd.
Patel Tulsidas
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