Electrical connector

Details Electrical connector Electrical connector

2000-01-26

2001-09-18

Patel, Tulsidas (Department: 2839)

Electrical connectors

Electromagnetic or electrostatic shield

Shielding individually surrounding or interposed between...

Reexamination Certificate

active

06290540

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electrical connector. More specifically, the present invention relates to a miniature electrical connector used for connecting electronic devices such as personal computers.
Recently, personal computers have begun to use miniature electrical connectors referred to as USB (Universal Serial Bus) connectors.
Referring to
FIG. 5
, a miniature electrical connector, typically includes: a connector socket
2
A mounted on a printed circuit substrate
1
A. A connector plug
3
A, is insertable within connector socket
2
A. Connector socket
2
A includes a shield case
4
A, which is formed by bending a metal sheet in the shape of a rectangular column.
Within shield case
4
A, an insulative housing
6
A supports four contact pins
5
A. Contact pins
5
A are laterally arranged side-by-side. An intermediate section of contact pins
5
A is fixed to an insulative housing base
6
a.
This arrangement connects external connecting ends
5
a
to contact pins
5
A. An end support
6
B is integrally molded with the upper half of insulative housing base
6
a.
End support
6
B is formed so that its vertical thickness is roughly half that of shield case
4
A. A bottom surface of end support
6
B supports a contact end
5
b
of contact pins
5
A.
End support
6
B has downwardly opening grooves disposed on a bottom surface and arranged along an axis perpendicular to the plane of the page. Contact ends
5
b
of the contact pins
5
A are fitted into the grooves.
Connector plug
3
A couples with connector socket
2
A. Connector plug
3
A includes a shield case
7
A formed as a rectangular column that fits within shield case
4
A. A space
8
A is disposed inside a plug shield
7
a
of shield case
7
A. Space
8
A receives end support
6
B. A contactor
10
A has a contact end
10
a
positioned directly below space
8
A. Contact end
10
a
is supported by an end support
9
a.
End support
9
a
is part of an insulative housing
9
A.
The conventional connector socket
2
A is fixed on a printed circuit substrate
1
A via soldering to a conductor layer (not shown in the figure) of printed circuit substrate
1
A. A contact piece
11
A is cut out from a bottom surface
4
a
of shield case
4
A and leaves a slot
12
c
in bottom surface
4
a.
Unfortunately, solder flux can enter connector socket
2
A through slot
12
c
when connector socket
2
A is soldered to printed circuit substrate
1
A. The flux can adhere to contact end
5
b
adversely affecting the electrical connection between contact end
10
a
and contact end
5
b.
The above, and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals designate the same elements.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to is to overcome the problems of the conventional connector described above.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a reliable miniature connector that makes good electrical connections by preventing solder flux from adhering to contact ends.
Briefly stated, the present invention provides an insulative housing with grooves disposed on an upper surface. The lower surface is closed to protect the electrical connectors from solder flux when soldering the housing to a printed circuit substrate. The enclosed electrical connectors make electrical contact with the corresponding connectors in an insertable plug. The grooves are open along a top surface and allow the enclosed electrical connectors to connect with the corresponding connectors disposed on a bottom surface of the insertable plug. The insulative housing is disposed within a socket that is soldered to a printed circuit substrate. The insertable plug, insulative housing and socket together comprise a miniature connector.
According to an embodiment of the invention, there is provided An electrical connector comprising: an insulative housing; the insulative housing having an end support; the end support having at least one groove disposed along a top surface; the at least one groove opening upward; and at least one electrical connector disposed within the at least one groove whereby the at least one electrical connector is protected from solder flux when the insulative housing is soldered to a printed circuit substrate.
According to another embodiment of the invention, there is provided An electrical connector comprising: a socket; means for fixing the socket to a substrate; an insulative housing within the socket; the insulative housing having an end support; the end support having at least one groove disposed along a top surface; the at least one groove opening upward; and at least one electrical connector disposed within the at least one groove whereby the at least one electrical connector is protected from solder flux when the insulative housing is soldered to a printed circuit substrate.
According to yet another embodiment of the invention, there is provided An electrical connector comprising: a socket; means for fixing the socket to a substrate; an insulative housing; the insulative housing disposed within the socket; the insulative housing having an end support; the end support having at least a first groove disposed along a top surface; the at least first groove opening upward; at least a first electrical connector disposed within the at least first groove whereby the at least first electrical connector is protected from solder flux when the insulative housing is soldered to a printed circuit substrate; a plug; the plug having at least a second electrical connector disposed within the plug; and the at least second electrical connector being downwardly open wherein the at least first electrical connector makes contact with the at least second electrical connector when the plug is inserted in the insulative housing.
In order to achieve the objects described above, the present invention proposes an electrical connector including: a connector socket having a shield case, which is formed by bending a metal sheet in the shape of a rectangular cylinder, and an insulative housing, which is installed inside the shield case while supporting a plurality of contact pins; and a connector plug having a plug inserted inside an insertion opening of the connector socket. A plurality of upwardly opened attachment grooves is formed on the upper surface of an end support formed integrally with the insulative housing. The contact ends of the contact pins are positioned in the attachment grooves.
The above, and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals designate the same elements.


REFERENCES:
patent: D. 408788 (1999-04-01), Homma
patent: D. 409570 (1999-05-01), Wu
patent: D. 431530 (2000-10-01), Nishio et al.
patent: 4875863 (1989-10-01), Reed
patent: 5254010 (1993-10-01), Davis
patent: 5928035 (1999-07-01), Jankowsky et al.
patent: 5947754 (1999-09-01), Lin
patent: 6095837 (2000-08-01), David et al.
patent: 6109967 (2000-08-01), Chiou
patent: 6120323 (2000-09-01), Zhung et al.

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