Electrical connectors – With supporting means for coupling part – Having resilient means engaging panel opening
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-17
2002-05-14
Paumen, Gary (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With supporting means for coupling part
Having resilient means engaging panel opening
Reexamination Certificate
active
06386910
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an electrical connector, more particularly to an electrical connector having a pair of board locking members for securing itself to a printed circuit board.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIGS. 1 and 2
illustrate a conventional electrical connector. The electrical connector includes an insulator housing
1
, a plurality of terminals
112
, a conductive shield
13
, and a pair of conductive board locking members
12
for securing the connector to a printed circuit board
2
.
The insulator housing
1
includes a longitudinally extending base portion
16
with two opposite end portions, a hollow mating flange
11
disposed between the opposite end portions of the base portion
16
and projecting from a front face of the base portion
16
in a transverse direction relative to the base portion
16
, and two opposite L-shaped retaining extensions
17
extending respectively from the two opposite end portions of the base portion
16
in a longitudinal direction relative to the base portion
16
. Each L-shaped retaining extension
17
has an upper part
171
with a front face co-planar with the front face of the base portion
16
, and a lower part
172
projecting from a bottom end of the upper part
171
in the transverse direction opposite to the mating flange
11
. A mounting recess
113
is formed in a rear face of the upper part
171
that is opposite to the front face of the upper part
171
. A notch
116
is formed in the lower part
172
of each retaining extension
17
, and extends in the transverse direction. A mounting groove
114
is formed in a top end of the upper part
171
of each retaining extension
17
. A central hole
115
is formed in the upper part
171
of each retaining extension
17
. A plurality of terminal passageways
111
are formed in two opposite side walls of the mating flange
11
for receiving the terminals
112
therein. The terminals
112
have solder tails projecting through the terminal passageways
111
and out of the insulator housing
1
into a plurality of apertures
22
in the printed circuit board
2
.
The conductive shield
13
is mounted on and is disposed around the mating flange
11
, and has two opposite end portions wrapped around the top and bottom ends and the front face of the upper part
171
of each retaining extension
17
, and two opposite holes registered with the central holes
115
in the upper parts
171
of the retaining extensions
17
.
Each board locking member
12
includes a stem portion
121
mounted in the mounting recess
113
in the respective one of the upper parts
171
and having a hole
123
registered with the respective central hole
115
, a mounting tongue
122
projecting from a top end of the stem portion
121
into the mounting groove
114
in the respective one of the upper parts
171
, an inserting portion
125
projecting from a bottom end of the stem portion
121
in the transverse direction opposite to the mating flange
11
and aligned with the notch
116
of the respective lower part
172
, and a locking peg
124
projecting downwardly from the inserting portion
125
through the notch
116
and a through-hole
21
of the printed circuit board
2
. The board locking members
12
and the two opposite end portions of the conductive shield
13
are secured to the opposite ends of the base portion
16
via screw means passing through the central holes
115
in the upper parts
171
of the retaining extensions
17
, the holes
123
in the stem portions
121
of the board locking members
12
, and the holes in the conductive shield
13
. Each locking peg
124
includes two spaced apart flexible locking legs with anchoring ends engaging the printed circuit board
2
so as to secure the electrical connector to the printed circuit board
2
. The conductive shield
13
is electrically connected to a grounding contact (not shown) of the printed circuit board
2
via the mounting tongues
122
of the board locking members
12
for grounding purposes.
The aforesaid conventional electrical connector is disadvantageous in that during assembly of the electrical connector and the printed circuit board
2
, the locking peg
124
of each board locking member
12
tends to be twisted by a counter force (acting in a direction of arrow B shown in
FIG. 2
) that results when the locking pegs
124
are pushed into the through-holes
21
in the printed circuit board
2
via application of an external force acting in a direction of arrow A shown in FIG.
2
. Moreover, the stem portion
121
and the mounting tongue
122
of each board locking member
12
also tend to separate from the mounting recess
113
and the mounting groove
114
in the upper part
171
of the respective one of the retaining extensions
17
when the locking pegs
124
are pushed into the through-holes
21
in the printed circuit board
2
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector that is capable of overcoming the aforementioned drawbacks.
According to the present invention, an electrical connector comprises an insulator housing having a longitudinally extending base portion with two opposite ends, a mating portion disposed between the opposite ends and projecting from the base portion in a transverse direction relative to the base portion, and two retaining extensions extending respectively from the opposite ends of the base portion, each of the retaining extensions including a laterally extending lower part that is formed with a retaining slot extending in a lateral direction relative to the base portion and that has a top retaining wall disposed above and defining a top end of the retaining slot, a bottom retaining wall disposed below and defining a bottom end of the retaining slot, and a bottom opening formed in the bottom retaining wall and communicated spatially with the retaining slot, the mating portion having a plurality of terminal passages formed therein; a pair of board locking members, each having a laterally extending inserting portion disposed in a respective one of the retaining slots, and a vertically extending locking peg that projects downwardly from the inserting portion through a respective one of the bottom openings, the inserting portions of the board locking members abutting respectively against the top retaining walls within the retaining slots when the locking pegs are pushed upwardly by an external force; and a plurality of terminals mounted fittingly and respectively in the terminal passages in the mating portion.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5709556 (1998-01-01), Tan et al.
patent: 5797769 (1998-08-01), Yang et al.
patent: 5865645 (1999-02-01), Embo et al.
patent: 6077115 (2000-06-01), Yang et al.
Advanced Connecteck Inc.
Merchant & Gould P.C.
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