Electrical connectors – With circuit conductors and safety grounding provision – Grounding of coupling part
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-11
2001-06-19
Patel, Tulsidas (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
With circuit conductors and safety grounding provision
Grounding of coupling part
C439S159000, C439S607070
Reexamination Certificate
active
06247942
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structure of a connector for IC card to be used as a storage medium in a personal computer or the like. Particularly, the invention is concerned with a grounding structure of shielding plates.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As an expanded memory for a personal computer there generally is employed a connector for IC card, and as a storage medium for such an IC card connector, an IC card has come to be used widely. On the IC card is mounted an IC (integrated circuit) for the storage of various information pieces, and for preventing a malfunction of the IC, a dimple (a grounding piece) for grounding is provided on a peripheral surface of the IC card, which dimple functions to prevent the influence of a bounce noise generated within the circuit or an external noise entering from the exterior.
It is known that also on the IC card connector side for the loading of such an IC card with dimple there is mounted a shielding plate for preventing the influence of such bounce noise or external noise as referred to above.
For example, according to a known structure of a shielding plate used in an IC card connector, an electrically conductive metallic plate as a shielding plate is disposed on either an upper surface side or a lower surface side of a connector housing. This shielding plate is disposed so as to cover upper surfaces of plural contact terminals fixed to the connector housing and is centrally formed with plural contact pieces capable of contacting a dimple of an IC card.
Further, at both ends of the shielding plate are formed grounding portions capable of contacting a grounding pattern formed on a circuit board onto which the connector housing is mounted and fixed. By forming screw inserting holes respectively in the grounding portions and by fixing the grounding portions to the circuit board with screws and nuts there are effected both grounding of the shielding plate to the grounding pattern and fixing of the housing to the circuit board.
However, in the above conventional shielding plate structure for an IC card connector, both end portions of the shielding plate are extended, then screw inserting holes are formed respectively in the thus-extended portions, and the grounding portions thus formed with the screw inserting holes are screwed to the circuit board with screws and nuts and are thereby fixed onto the circuit board. However, since there is no swivel stop for the nuts, it is necessary to hold down each nut with a jig or the like during the screw tightening work, resulting in that the same work becomes troublesome.
Both end portions of the housing may be partially cut out along the shape (hexagon) of each nut to form swivel-stop portions for the nuts, but resinous swivel stops are apt to slip and low in strength, thus giving rise to problems in machinability and assembling reliability.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problems and provide a structure of a shielding plate in an IC card connector which, when a grounding portion of the shielding plate is fixed with screw and nut onto a circuit board, can provide a swivel stop of a simple structure for the nut.
For achieving the above-mentioned object, in one aspect of the present invention there is provided a connector for IC card, comprising a housing with plural connecting terminals attached thereto, a shielding plate disposed on the housing, and a circuit board on which the housing and the shielding plate are mounted, wherein the shielding plate is formed with a grounding portion, an end of the grounding portion being extended and bent to form a bent portion as a swivel-stop portion for a nut.
In another aspect of the present invention, the nut is disposed between the grounding portion and the bent portion, a tip end of the bent portion is bent to an upper side of the nut, and a side wall of the bent portion is brought into engagement with an outer side face of the nut to provide a swivel stop for the nut.
In a further aspect of the present invention, a cutout portion for avoiding abutment against a screw is formed in the bent tip end of the bent portion.
In a still further aspect of the present invention, the cutout portion is formed along an outer periphery of the screw, and the bent tip end is extended so as to cross the screw.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5389001 (1995-02-01), Broschard, III et al.
patent: 5795190 (1998-08-01), Ono
patent: 6059588 (2000-05-01), Tung et al.
patent: 6071149 (2000-06-01), Hara
patent: 6083018 (2000-07-01), Hara et al.
Furusho Hidetaka
Oguchi Waratu
Satou Kazuki
Alps Electric Co. ,Ltd.
Beyer Weaver & Thomas LLP
Patel Tulsidas
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