Electrical connector

Details Electrical connector Electrical connector

1999-11-18

2001-05-01

Paumen, Gary F. (Department: 2833)

Electrical connectors

Electromagnetic or electrostatic shield

Shielding individually surrounding or interposed between...

Reexamination Certificate

active

06224422

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and particularly to a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector, which has a front shell and a rear shell fitted together for firmly fixing an insulative housing and which is easily manufactured.
Conventional USB connectors are disclosed in Taiwan Patent Application Nos. 85217217 and 86207971. Referring to
FIG. 7
, a shield
1
for a USB connector disclosed in Taiwan Patent Application No. 85217217 comprises a mating portion
10
for mating with a mating electrical connector and a receiving opening
11
for receiving an insulative housing. A plurality of tabs
100
are symmetrically stamped inward from the mating portion
10
. The tabs
100
press against a shell of the mating electrical connector for retaining the mating electrical connector. The insulative housing is positioned and secured only by the stamped sides
12
of the receiving opening
11
. The manufacture and mating precision of the sides
12
influences how firmly the insulative housing will be fixed in the shield. Unreliable fitting results in an increase in product rejections, a decrease in manufacturing output, and increased waste of material.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A main object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector having a front shell, a rear shell and an insulative housing reliably fixed together.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an easily manufactured electrical connector having a plurality of easily manufactured contacts received in an insulative housing which reliably contacts a mating electrical connector.
An electrical connector according to the present invention comprises an insulative housing, a front shell and a rear shell. The insulative housing consists of a thick rear section, a thin front section depending forward from the rear section. A plurality of latches is disposed on opposite sides of the rear section for engaging with the rear shell. The front shell includes a guiding portion, a rectangular receiving opening enclosed by a pair of side walls, a top wall and a bottom wall for receiving the front section of the insulative housing and engaging with a mating electrical connector, plus a pair of parallel inserting plates depending from rear edges of the side walls and spaced a distance apart from each other, forming latching fingers on rear edges thereof. Each side wall of the front shell defines a plurality of strips for contacting a mating electrical connector. The unitarily stamped rear shell includes a top wall, a pair of side walls and a rear wall, and the rear section of the insulative housing received therein. Each side wall cooperates with the corresponding inserting plate of the front shell and defines a plurality of latching holes for engaging with the latches of the insulative housing. The rear wall of the rear shell defines a plurality of apertures at opposite edges adjacent the side walls for receiving the latching fingers of the front shell. A pair of latching tongues bends and extends downward from bottom ends of the side walls for mounting to a printed circuit board. The insulative housing, the front shell and the rear shell are reliably fixed together by latches on the housing and latches and tabs on the front shell.
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: 5288248 (1994-02-01), Chen
patent: 5637015 (1997-06-01), Tan et al.
patent: 5980320 (1999-11-01), Slack et al.
patent: 6007381 (1999-12-01), Ando et al.

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