Electrical connectors – Coupling part with actuating means urging contact to move... – Having open slot for receiving preformed panel circuit...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-11-01
2002-10-15
Ta, Tho D. (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
Coupling part with actuating means urging contact to move...
Having open slot for receiving preformed panel circuit...
C439S630000, C439S325000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06464521
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to connector devices, and more particularly to a card edge connector device into which a card edge having a plurality of terminals arranged in a row thereon is inserted to be connected thereto.
A common card edge connector device includes a housing formed of a synthetic resin and a plurality of terminal members fixedly inserted side by side in a row into the housing, and is provided to, for example, the input section of an information device. As an amount of information processed by an information device increases, there is a greater need for the card edge connector device to include an increased number of the terminal members without changing its outer dimensions, that is, to narrow a pitch between each two adjacent terminal members. Needless to say, the terminal members are required to be fixed with sufficient strength.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1
shows a conventional card edge connector device
10
. The card edge connector device
10
includes a housing
20
and a plurality of terminal members
30
fixedly inserted side by side in a row into the housing
20
. X
1
-X
2
represents the longitudinal dimension, Y
1
-Y
2
represents the rear-and-front dimension and Z
1
-Z
2
represents the vertical dimension, respectively, of the card edge connector device
10
.
As shown in
FIGS. 2 through 4
, the housing
20
, which is formed of an electrically insulating synthetic resin, is shaped like a rectangular solid. On the front (Y
2
) side, the housing
20
includes a card edge insertion slot
21
into which an edge
41
of a card
40
is inserted, and on the rear (Y
1
) side, a plurality of slits
22
arranged side by side in a row along the longitudinal (X
1
-X
2
) length of the housing
20
. Each two adjacent slits
22
have a pitch P
1
therebetween. Each of the slits
22
has a shape corresponding to that of each of the terminal members
30
, and includes a hole-like slit portion
22
a
as shown in
FIGS. 2 and 4
.
Each of the terminal members
30
includes a connection terminal portion
31
of a fork-like shape for receiving a card edge, a mounting terminal portion
32
and an arm portion
33
.
As indicated by an arrow A in
FIG. 2
, the terminal members
30
are incorporated into the housing
20
with the connection terminal portions
31
being inserted into the slits
22
from the rear side of the housing
20
so that the arm portions
33
are fixedly pressed into the hole-like slit portions
22
a
. According to this structure, each two adjacent terminal members
30
have the pitch P
1
therebetween as shown in FIG.
4
.
The card edge connector device
10
having the above-described structure is mounted on a circuit board
50
with the mounting terminal portions
32
soldered thereto. The card
40
includes the edge
41
on which terminals
42
are arranged in a row. The edge
41
of the card
40
is inserted into the card edge insertion slot
21
to be connected to the card edge connector device
10
.
According to the above-described card edge connector device
10
, all of the terminal members
30
are incorporated into the housing
20
from the same side, that is, from its rear side. Therefore, all of the hole-like slit portions
22
a
are formed on the rear side of the housing
20
. As a result, positions
60
at which the arm portions
33
are fixed are arranged side by side in a row in the housing
20
along the X
1
-X
2
direction.
In order that the arm portions
33
can be fixedly pressed into the hole-like slit portions
22
a
, it is necessary to prevent a wall portion
23
formed between each two adjacent hole-like slit portions
22
a
from being broken when the arm portions
33
are pressed into the hole-like slit portions
22
a
. This is because breakages of the wall portions
23
weaken the forces of the hole-like slit portions
22
a
to lock the arm portions
33
. For the convenience of graphical representation, the thickness of the wall portion
23
is shown considerably thicker in
FIG. 4
than it really is.
According to the above-described conventional card edge connector device
10
, each of the wall portions
23
is formed to have a thickness t
1
so as not to be broken when the arm portions
33
are pressed into the hole-like slit portions
22
a
, and the pitch P
1
between each two adjacent terminal members
30
is determined by the thickness t
1
of each of the wall portions
23
. Therefore, it is difficult to further narrow the pitch P
1
between each two adjacent terminal members
30
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a general object of the present invention to provide a connector device in which the above disadvantages are eliminated.
A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a connector device including a narrowed pitch between each two adjacent terminal members.
The above objects of the present invention are achieved by a connector device including a housing including first and second sides opposing each other, first terminal members attached to the first side of the housing, and second terminal members attached to the second side of the housing, wherein each of the first terminal members and each of the second terminal members are alternately arranged side by side, and the first and second terminal members have respective contact portions for external connection, the contact portions being arranged side by side.
According to the above-described structure, the connector apparatus is allowed to include a narrower pitch between each two adjacent terminal members. Therefore, the connector apparatus can hold an increased number of the terminal members without changing its outer dimensions.
The above objects of the present invention are also achieved by a connector device including a housing including first and second sides opposing each other, first terminal members attached to the first side of the housing, and second terminal members attached to the second side of the housing, wherein each of the first terminal members and each of the second terminal members are alternately arranged side by side, and each of the first and second terminal members has first and second contact portions for external connection, the first contact portions of said first and second terminal members being alternately arranged side by side.
The above objects of the present invention are further achieved by a connector device including: a housing including first and second sides opposing each other; first slits which include respective first slit portions and are formed in the housing from the first side thereof; second slits which include respective second slit portions and are formed in the housing from the second side thereof; first terminal members which include respective first connection terminal portions, first mounting terminal portions and first arm portions and are inserted into the respective first slits with the respective first arm portions being fixedly pressed into the respective first slit portions; and second terminal members which include respective second connection terminal portions, second mounting terminal portions and second arm portions and are inserted into the respective second slits with the respective second arm portions being fixedly pressed into the respective second slit portions, wherein each of the first slits and each of the second slits are alternately arranged side by side so that each of the first slit portions and each of the second slit portions are alternately arranged in a staggered fashion, and each of the first terminal members and each of the second terminal members are alternately arranged side by side in a row in said housing so that each of positions a t which said respective first arm portions are fixed and each of positions at which said respective second arm portions are fixed are arranged in the staggered fashion.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5106311 (1992-04-01), Yodogawa et al.
patent: 5695359 (1997-12-01), Fujikura et al.
patent: 5785549 (1998-07-01), Takayasu
patent: 5839917 (1998-11-01), Takahashi et al.
patent: 586
Kurotori Fumio
Shimizu Manabu
Fujitsu Takamisawa Component Limited
Staas & Halsey , LLP
Ta Tho D.
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