Electrical connectors – Contact terminal – Strip of detachable contacts
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-25
2001-03-06
Nguyen, Khiem (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
Contact terminal
Strip of detachable contacts
C439S907000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06196886
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to contact pieces to be mounted in the insulating housing of an electric connector and a method of making such contact pieces. Electric connectors are used in connecting PC cards to portable electronic apparatuses such as notebook-sized or mobile personal computers. Such an electric connector has some selected contact pieces parallel-connected to bear a relatively heavy electric current, which cannot be borne by a single contact piece. The present invention relates particularly to such contact pieces which are to be ganged in an electric connector, and are to be selectively parallel-connected to meet occasional demands.
2. Description of Related Art
In a group of such contact pieces, for example, female contact pieces for use in connecting a PC card to an associated electronic equipment some selected contact pieces in the group are parallel-connected to be allotted to an electric power supply because each single contact piece is too thin to bear a relatively heavy current flowing from the electric power supply. The number of the parallel-connected contact pieces thus allotted to the electric power supply is large enough to bear such a heavy electric current flowing from the electric power supply. Contact pieces as many as required for the purpose are selected in the group to be parallel-connected by winding an electric wire around the selected contact pieces and by soldering the so wound electric wire thereto. The wiring-and-soldering must be carried out by hand in a relatively small space, and is a tedious and time-consuming work. Accordingly the efficiency with which electric connectors can be made is lowered.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One object of the present invention is to provide contact pieces of the type which is described above, and is so designed that selected ones in a group of contact pieces can be easily parallel-connected to meet occasional demands.
To attain this object a longitudinally elongated parallel-arrangement of contact pieces having a carrier strip integrally connected to their tails is improved according to the present invention in that said contact pieces have transverse connections preformed in the vicinity of their tails to connect adjacent contact pieces.
The transverse connections may be preformed between the point at which the contact pieces are to be cut and separated from the carrier strip and the point at which the contact pieces are to appear from the contact slit, which is made in the insulating housing. The inter-contact connections can be selectively positioned within a relatively wide range, accordingly increasing the freedom of such contact designing.
Transverse connections can be selectively cut and removed to leave selected parallel-connected contact pieces to be allotted for example, to an electric power supply, thus eliminating any tedious and time-consuming works such as winding an electric wire around selected contact pieces and soldering the wound wire thereto. The parallel-connection of selected contact pieces thus formed is guaranteed free of any adverse effect which would be caused for instance, by incomplete soldering. Apparently the forming of parallel-connection of selected contact pieces is facilitated, and at the same time, a pleasing appearance is given to the parallel-connection of selected contact pieces.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of making contact pieces so as to facilitate selective parallel-connection.
To attain this object a method of producing contact pieces according to the present invention comprises the steps of: stamping a thin sheet of metal by dies to a longitudinally elongated parallel-arrangement of contact pieces having a longitudinal carrier strip integrally connected to their tails, said contact pieces having transverse connections preformed in the vicinity of their tails to connect adjacent contact pieces; cutting and removing selected transverse connections; and cutting and separating said longitudinal carrier strip to provide parallel-connections of selected contact pieces along with single contact pieces.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be understood from the following description of contact pieces according to the present invention.
REFERENCES:
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patent: 3795889 (1974-03-01), Nauman et al.
patent: 4265508 (1981-05-01), Chrisholm
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patent: 5061196 (1991-10-01), Weston et al.
patent: 5112255 (1992-05-01), Daley, Jr.
patent: 5252091 (1993-10-01), Fujita et al.
patent: 5334059 (1994-08-01), Seidler
patent: 5547405 (1996-08-01), Pinney et al.
Arent Fox Kintner & Plotkin & Kahn, PLLC
Duverne J. F.
Honda Tsushin Kogyo Co. Ltd.
Nguyen Khiem
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