Electrical connector

Details Electrical connector Electrical connector

2000-01-26

2001-11-27

Vu, Hien (Department: 2833)

Electrical connectors

Electromagnetic or electrostatic shield

Shielding individually surrounding or interposed between...

C439S079000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06322395

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 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.
An insulative housing
6
A, disposed within shield case
4
A, supports four contact pins SA. 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 wall of end support
6
b supports a contact end
5
b
of contact pins
5
A.
Connector plug
3
A connects to connector socket
2
A. A shield case
7
A, which is formed as a rectangular column, can be inserted inside shield case
4
A. A space
8
A is formed within a plug shield
7
a
of shield case
7
A and receives end support
6
b
. A contactor
10
has a contact end
10
a
positioned directly below space
8
A. Contact end
10
a
is supported by an end support
9
a
of an insulative housing
9
A.
Shield cases
4
A and
7
A are formed by bending sheets of metal at right angles to form a rectangle. The bottom walls abut against each other to close the rectangle. However, due to “springing back” inherent in the bending) process, the left and right surfaces tend to open resulting in lowered production yields.
This springing back tendency is an obstacle to reducing the size of connector socket
2
A and connector plug
3
A. It is more difficult to process the shield cases
4
A and
7
A as their size is reduced.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to overcome the problems of the conventional miniature connector described above.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a structure that allows precise processing of shield cases into their requisite rectangular shapes.
Briefly stated, the present invention provides mutually engaging interlocking elements disposed on abutting left and right bottom walls of a shield case interlock to resist metal spring back. The shield cases arc formed by bending sheet metal into rectangular shaped columns. The shield cases surround the plug and socket in a miniature electrical connector. The socket has fixing wings and fixing legs which are soldered to a printed circuit board. The plug is removably inserted within the socket.
According to an embodiment of the invention, there is provided an electrical connector comprising: a shield case; the shield case being a sheet metal; a first end of the sheet metal being bent to form a first portion of a bottom wall; at least a first interlocking element disposed on an end of the first portion; a second end of the sheet metal being bent to form a second portion of the bottom wall; at least a second interlocking element disposed on an end of the second portion; and the first and second portions being bent to interengage whereby the first and second interlocking elements interlock to prevent the bottom wall from opening due to spring back.
According to another embodiment of the invention, there is provided an electrical connector comprising: a plug shield case; the plug shield case being a sheet metal; a first end of the sheet metal being bent to form a first portion of a bottom wall; at least a first interlocking element disposed on an end of the first portion; a second end of the sheet metal being bent to form a second portion of the bottom wall; at least a second interlocking element disposed on an end of the second portion; and the first and second portions being bent to interengage whereby the first and second interlocking elements interlock to prevent the bottom wall from opening due to spring back.
According to yet another embodiment of the invention, there is provided an electrical connector comprising: a shield case; the shield case being a sheet metal; a first end of the sheet metal being bent to form a first portion of a bottom wall; at least a first interlocking element disposed on an end of the first portion; a second end of the sheet metal being bent to form a second portion of the bottom wall; at least a second interlocking element disposed on an end of the second portion; the first and second portions being bent to interengage whereby the first and second interlocking elements interlock to prevent the bottom wall from opening due to spring back; a plug shield case; the plug shield case being a sheet metal; a first end of the sheet metal being bent to form a first portion of a bottom wall; at least a first interlocking element disposed on an end of the first portion; a second end of the sheet metal being bent to form a second portion of the bottom wall; at least a second interlocking element disposed on an end of the second portion; the first and second portions being bent to interengage whereby the first and second interlocking elements interlock to prevent the bottom wall from opening due to spring back; and the plug shield case being removably fittable within the shield case.
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: 5718605 (1998-02-01), Morikawa et al.
patent: 5755595 (1998-05-01), Davis et al.
patent: 5919062 (1999-07-01), Wu
patent: 6095837 (2000-08-01), David et al.
patent: 6132254 (2000-10-01), Wu
patent: 6165015 (2000-12-01), Wu et al.

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