Electrical card connector with spring switch

Details Electrical card connector with spring switch Electrical card connector with spring switch

2002-11-12

2004-02-17

Prasad, Chandrika (Department: 2839)

Electrical connectors

Having circuit interrupting provision effected by mating or...

C439S189000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06692277

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and more particular to a card edge connector assembly having a spring switch to detect full insertion of an electrical card received therein.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, an electrical card or chip card as presently used contains recording media in the card itself. This recording media or intelligence is typically in the form of a memory circuit that contains read only memory (ROM) or read/write memory (random access memory, RAM). The information stored in the read only memory or read/write memory then is used by card reader or card interface device to detect certain information. An electrical connector for receiving such an electrical card or chip card generally has a spring switch indicating whether the card is fully inserted.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,900,273, issued to Pernet on Feb. 13, 1990, discloses a conventional card connector which has an end-of-stroke contact. The end-of-stroke contact of Pernet has a moving blade and a fixed contact portion. Before an electrical card is inserted into the connector, the end-of-stroke contact is in a closed position, and a bearing surface of the fixed contact portion resiliently contacts the shaped contact surface of the moving blade. Each of the moving blade and the fixed contact portion has a blade contact received in a corresponding slot of the housing. When the electrical card is fully inserted into the connector, the card pushes a retaining finger of the moving blade, so that the shaped contact surface is pushed away from bearing surface of the fixed contact portion, and the end-of-strode contact is moved from the closed position to an open position thereby creating a corresponding signal so as to indicate that the card is fully inserted.
However, if an upward force is exerted on the moving blade falsely, the moving blade is pushed away from the fixed contact portion. As a result, the moving blade may rotate an angular distance in a vertical direction or be broken away from the housing in a worse situation. Thus the moving blade and the fixed contact portion may not properly contact with each other thereby creating a malfunctional situation.
Hence, an improved electrical connector with an improved spring switch to indicate the full insertion of an electrical card is needed to solve the above problems.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A main object of the present invention is to provide an electrical card connector having a spring switch firmly secured in a housing of the connector.
To fulfill the above-mentioned object, an electrical card connector of present invention has a housing and a spring switch located in a rear part of the housing, and the spring switch is triggered by an electrical card inserted into the connector. The spring switch is normally in an open position, and includes a first spring contact and a second spring contact. The first spring contact is secured in front of the second spring contact. The first and second spring contacts respectively have body portions, contact arms extending from the body portions, fixing portions extending from ends of the body portions, and soldering portions extending from the fixing portions for soldering the first and second spring contacts to a printed circuit board (PCB). The first spring contact has an engaging portion extending perpendicular from the fixing portion, the engaging portion and the fixing portion are respectively received in a notch and a cavity of the housing. When the electrical card is inserted into the connector, the resilient contact portion of the first spring contact is triggered by the electrical card, and the contact arm of the first spring contact then contacts the contact arm of the second spring contact along the guide portion of the second spring contact.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.


REFERENCES:
patent: 4900273 (1990-02-01), Pernet
patent: 5013255 (1991-05-01), Juret et al.
patent: 5334034 (1994-08-01), Reichardt et al.
patent: 5370544 (1994-12-01), Reichardt et al.
patent: 5511986 (1996-04-01), Casey et al.
patent: 5667397 (1997-09-01), Broschard, III et al.
patent: 6004155 (1999-12-01), Wu
patent: 6132229 (2000-10-01), Wu
patent: 6382994 (2002-05-01), Chang
patent: 6425775 (2002-07-01), Chang
patent: 6431893 (2002-08-01), Chang

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