Chip card connector

Details Chip card connector Chip card connector

1999-04-01

2001-02-27

Abrams, Neil (Department: 2839)

Electrical connectors

With insulation other than conductor sheath

Plural-contact coupling part

C439S326000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06193557

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to an electrical connector which supports an integrated circuit (IC) card to a printed circuit board. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a chip card connector which reduces the number of components for manufacture and assembly and provides for easy contact using polymeric contact elements.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The electronic industry has seen growth in the use of flat plastic cards incorporating computer chips therein. These chip or IC cards are also commonly referred as to as “smart cards”. A smart card is a card incorporating at least one electronic component to which electrical connection must be made. These cards include contact pads so as to allow electrical connection to the electronic component on the card. Smart cards are commonly used in various consumer oriented machines such as telephones, bank machines, vending machines and the like.
One particular type of smart card commonly used in telephones, especially personal portable telephones, is a mini-card or a mini-SIM (subscriber identity module) card. These cards have a particular industry-accepted standard for size, shape and location of the electronic components and contact pads. These mini-SIM cards are typically installed in the apparatus, such as a cellular phone, by a trained installer.
In order to effect electrical connection between the mini-SIM card and a printed circuit board within the phone, an electrical connector is employed. These connectors also are manufactured in an industry-accepted configuration so that the mini-SIM card may be accommodated by the connector. However, for various purposes, such as for example, to change the subscriber identity, it may be necessary to replace the mini-SIM card within the phone. Thus, the electrical connector used to support the mini-SIM card in the phone must permit the easy replacement of cards therein.
The art has seen numerous electrical connectors specifically designed for use in removably connecting various types of smart cards. In addition, a reader for chip cards with fixed contacts is known, but where the contacts wipe the card along the entire insertion length and thus it is used only in special cases. Typical connector configurations utilize a combination of a base and cover as shown in
FIGS. 1 and 1A
.
FIG. 1
shows a card connector
10
as disclosed in commonly assigned patent application having Ser. No. 08/938,305, filed Sep. 26, 1997 and incorporated by reference herein. Connector
10
is shown prior to assembly with a printed circuit board (PCB)
11
. PCB
11
includes a substantially planar base
13
which supports a parallel reading unit
15
thereon. Reading unit
15
has a plurality of metallic contacts
17
protruding therefrom with which a contact pad on a chip card establishes an electrical connection to the PCB. Each contact
17
includes a spring element for deflectable electrical engagement with the contact pad of the IC card and contact tail for termination to PCB
11
. Each contact
17
extends from peripheral edges
19
of reading unit
15
to an interior reading area
21
defined in an intermediate area of reading unit
15
.
As seen in FIG.
1
and further shown in
FIG. 1A
, connector
10
includes a planar connector base
12
having a planar connector cover
14
hingedly affixed thereto. Connector base
12
is generally parallel to base
13
of PCB
11
so as to ensure a proper fit thereon. Base
12
includes an intermediate region
16
which allows contacts
17
to protrude through reading area
21
of base
13
and into a plane defined by connector base
12
.
Connector cover
14
swings in rotatable relation to base
12
. Cover
14
has a smooth upper surface
14
a
and a lower surface
14
b
from which at least one latching portion
14
c
extends. An IC card is insertably supported by cover
14
for movement therewith. Upon insertion of the card in cover
14
, cover
14
is rotated toward the upper surface of base
12
and closed therewith. The card is inserted into cover
14
with its contact side facing the base
12
so that electrical contact is effected upon closure of the cover. Each latching portion
14
c
defines a groove therein which accommodates the IC card in the cover. The latching portions are used to lock the cover and the base so that the pad of the IC card remains in electrical engagement with contacts
17
.
Although the aforedescribed connector effectively establishes electrical contact between an IC card and a PCB, its use may not be desirable in configurations where conservation of materials and space is essential. The above design requires at least two housing components which must subscribe to the particular dimensions of a chip card inserted therein. Two additional components are required for construction of the reading guide. In addition, a soldering process is required to fix the connector to the PCB. The required number of components and the extra soldering step required to complete assembly of the chip card reader to a PCB contribute to increased costs associated with manufacture of such reading devices. In addition, the number of parts in the assembly contributes to increased device thickness and increased outside dimensions. Such increased dimensions contribute to problems of packaging the device within an already crowded PCB configuration.
Furthermore, during installation it is quite common for the installer to select a particular SIM card for installation into a particular connector. As a result of transporting, handling and installing such a card, there is a tendency for the contact pads on the card to accumulate dust and debris. Such accumulation may adversely affect the interconnection between the contact pads on the card and the contacts in the connector. Simple rotational movement of the card into engagement with contacts of the base does little to assure clean connection therebetween. Furthermore, as the cover is locked to the base in a separate operation, mechanical connection of the card to the connector is not always assured even where electrical connection is established. Over time the chip card could dislodge from the connector without prior warning.
Thus, it is desirable to provide a chip card reading device which obviates the need for a combination of a cover and base and which implements fewer contacts so as to effect a satisfactory electrical connection using a minimum number of components.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an electrical connector for insertably connecting an IC card.
It a further object of the present invention to provide an electrical connector which supports an IC card for movement into connection with contacts supported by the connector.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide an electrical connection for a chip card which eliminates engagement between metal contact locations on the chip card and the contacts of the connector to assure proper electrical connection therebetween.
It is yet another object of the present invention to reduce the number of components needed to establish an electrical connection between a chip card and a connector, yet still ensure proper electrical connection therebetween.
It is still a further object of the present invention to eliminate unnecessary processes such as soldering which contribute to the complexity and cots of manufacturing chip card reading devices.
In the efficient attainment of these and other objects, the present invention provides an electrical connector for connecting a contact pad of an IC card to a printed circuit board. The present invention is based on the problem of creating a reader for chip cards in which the scraping of the contacts across the card and in particular the chip is prevented during insertion of the card. The present invention is also directed to the problem of electrical apparatus packaging, wherein it is desirable to optimize use of available space to accommodate more functions, and thereby more components, in the apparatus. The present inve

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