Electrical connectors – Including handle or distinct manipulating means – Coupling part
Reexamination Certificate
2001-08-06
2004-02-03
Nasri, Javaid H. (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
Including handle or distinct manipulating means
Coupling part
Reexamination Certificate
active
06685499
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a connector, and more particularly to a connector having a terminal holding member that is made of an insulating material and holds terminals and a cable that is electrically connected to the terminals and extends out from the terminal holding member.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
To remove a connector, comprising a terminal holding member that is made of an insulating material and holds terminals and a cable that is electrically connected to the terminals and extends out from the terminal holding member, from a counterpart connector into which the connector has been fitted, the terminal holding member of the connector is grasped with one's hand and pulled.
However, in general, in the case that the cable electrically connected to the terminals is very thin (for example of diameter about 0.3 mm), the terminal holding member will also be small. To remove such a connector having a small terminal holding member from the counterpart connector, it is necessary to insert one's hand into a narrow space, grasp the terminal holding member and pull. There is thus a problem that the connector removing operation is difficult. Moreover, if, during the connector removing operation, one mistakenly grasps and pulls the cable connected to the terminals instead of the terminal holding member, a force is applied to the connecting parts between the terminals and the electrical wires, and thus a problem arises in that an electrical wire may be separated away from the connecting part thereof and disconnected.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a connector for which the connector removing operation is easy and there is no risk of breaking the connections between the cable and the terminals during the connector removing operation.
A connector according to the present invention (for example, the left connector
10
or the right connector
20
in the embodiments) comprises terminals (for example, the terminals
17
or
27
in the embodiments), a terminal holding member that is made of an insulating material and holds the terminals, and a cable that is electrically connected to the terminals and extends out from the terminal holding member; the connector also has a pull tab that has a tip end part thereof bonded onto the terminal holding member and extends outwards, and the connector is removed from a counterpart connector into which the connector has been fitted by pulling the pull tab.
According to the connector having this constitution, a pull tab is bonded onto the terminal holding member, and hence the connector can easily be removed from the counterpart connector into which the connector has been fitted by grasping and pulling the pull tab. Moreover, there is no risk of mistakenly pulling the cable connected to the connector instead of the pull tab during the connector removing operation, and hence wire breakage is prevented.
Moreover, another connector according to the present invention comprises terminals, a terminal holding member that is made of an insulating material and holds the terminals, a cable that is electrically connected to the terminals and extends out from the terminal holding member, and a protective cover that is made of a conductive material and covers the terminal holding member; the connector also has a pull tab that has a tip end part thereof bonded onto the protective cover and extends outwards, and the connector is removed from a counterpart connector into which the connector has been fitted by pulling the pull tab.
According to the connector having this constitution, the connector can easily be removed from the counterpart connector into which the connector has been fitted by grasping and pulling the pull tab that has a tip end part thereof bonded onto the protective cover and extends outwards. Moreover, there is no risk of mistakenly grasping and pulling the cable instead of the pull tab during the connector removing operation, and hence wire breakage is prevented.
In the connectors having the above-mentioned constitutions, the pull tab may be formed from a conductive material. If the pull tab is formed from a conductive material and is bonded onto the terminal holding member made of an insulating material or the protective cover made of a conductive material, then the pull tab acts as a shield, and hence external magnetic fields can be prevented from entering into the connector, and thus the effects of noise or the like generated in the terminals can be suppressed.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.
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patent: 4310208 (1982-01-01), Webster et al.
patent: 4509811 (1985-04-01), Amano et al.
patent: 5062803 (1991-11-01), Howard et al.
patent: 5190471 (1993-03-01), Barile et al.
patent: 5201671 (1993-04-01), Elias
patent: 5516305 (1996-05-01), Haluska
patent: 6095849 (2000-08-01), Stekelenburg
patent: 6126479 (2000-10-01), Lee
patent: 6319049 (2001-11-01), Lee
patent: 6394842 (2002-05-01), Sakurai et al.
patent: 002227132 (1990-07-01), None
Makiuchi Atsushi
Takahashi Hisafumi
Kel Corporation
Le Thanh-Tam
Nasri Javaid H.
Usher Robert W. J.
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