Electrical connectors – Electromagnetic or electrostatic shield – Shielding individually surrounding or interposed between...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-11
2001-09-18
Sircus, Brian (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
Electromagnetic or electrostatic shield
Shielding individually surrounding or interposed between...
Reexamination Certificate
active
06290541
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structure of a connector for IC cards 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 personal computers, there generally is employed a connector for IC cards. As a storage medium for such IC card connectors, IC cards have 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 protuberance (a grounding piece) for grounding is provided on a peripheral surface of the IC card. The protuberance 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 having a protuberance 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 utilized 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 protuberance 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 fixing the grounding portions to the circuit board with screws, the shielding plate is grounded to the grounding pattern and the housing is fixed to the circuit board.
However, in the above conventional shielding plate structure for an IC card connector, the shielding plate is disposed on only one of the upper and lower surface sides of the connector housing, covering only one side of the plural contact terminals fixed to the housing, and thus it is difficult to diminish the influence of a bounce noise or an external noise, both of which are capable of causing a malfunction of the IC on the IC card.
Besides, since the shielding plate is disposed on a peripheral surface of the connector housing, it is difficult to reduce the thickness of the whole of the connector.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problems and provide a structure of an IC card connector having shielding plates, capable of covering both sides of contact terminals fixed to a housing, capable of diminishing a bounce noise and an external noise, having a simple structure, and capable of being reduced in thickness.
For achieving the above-mentioned object, in one aspect of the present invention there is provided a connector for an IC card, comprising a housing with plural connecting terminals attached thereto, shielding plates disposed on a peripheral surface of the housing, and a circuit board to which the housing and the shielding plates are mounted, wherein the shielding plates are disposed respectively on both upper surface side and lower surface side of the housing, are formed with grounding portions respectively and are mounted to the circuit board in a superposed state of the grounding portions.
In another aspect of the present invention, the housing is formed with an accommodating recess for accommodating therein the shielding plates so as to be substantially flush with the upper surface and/or the lower surface of the housing.
In a further aspect of the present invention, the shielding plates are each formed with plural contact pieces capable of contacting the IC card.
In a still further aspect of the present invention, the shielding plates comprise a first shielding plate positioned on the lower surface side and a second shielding plate positioned on the upper surface side.
In a still further aspect of the present invention, the grounding portion of the second shielding plate is formed with a protuberance, while the grounding portion of the first shielding plate is formed with a relief portion for avoiding superposition thereof on the protuberance and so that the protuberance of the second shielding plate and a lower surface of the grounding portion of the first shielding plate become flush with an upper surface of the circuit board when the grounding portions of the first and second shielding plates are superposed together.
In a still further aspect of the present invention, the protuberance of the second shielding plate is formed so that the height thereof is substantially equal to the thickness of the grounding portion of the first shielding plate.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5795190 (1998-08-01), Ono
patent: 6077119 (1998-06-01), Yu et al.
patent: 6095864 (1999-06-01), Yu et al.
patent: 6146193 (1999-06-01), Yu
patent: 6152773 (1999-06-01), Chen
Furusho Hidetaka
Oguchi Wataru
Satou Kazuki
Alps Electric Co. ,Ltd.
Beyer Weaver & Thomas LLP
Nasri Javaid
Sircus Brian
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