Electrical connector assembly with retaining frame

Details Electrical connector assembly with retaining frame Electrical connector assembly with retaining frame

2002-08-12

2003-06-10

Feild, Lynn D. (Department: 2839)

Electrical connectors

With supporting means for coupling part

Supporting plural, independent coupling parts

C439S717000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06575783

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector assembly, and more particularly to a connector assembly with a retaining frame connecting adjacent electrical connectors together.
2. Description of Related Art
Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (Serial ATA) is a high speed interface between storage devices (such as hard disks, floppy drives, CD-ROMs, and DVDs) and a motherboard. The numerous advantages of Serial ATA make it replace Parallel ATA and Ultra ATA interfaces and become the next generation personal computer (PC) storage interface. Correspondingly, Serial ATA connectors have been designed and developed by many companies in the art.
One type of the serial ATA connectors mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB) comprises an insulative housing and a plurality of conductive terminals retained in the housing. Generally, the insulative housing has a long-and-thin profile. The terminals extend downwardly from the housing and are assembled to the PCB by through hole, surface mount or press fit technologies. Whatever way is chosen, the Serial ATA connector may not stand firmly in the insertion or the withdrawal direction of a complementary electrical connector due to its long-and-thin profile. The reliability of electrical performance of the Serial ATA connector, therefore, would be adversely affected.
One solution to the problem stated above is to change the profile of the Serial ATA connector. However, this solution is inapplicable, since the connector profile must conform to the Serial ATA Specification. Considering more storage devices developed, and more Serial ATA connectors being assembled to the PCB, an electrical connector assembly having several Serial ATA connectors joined together is provided to address the problem.
Hence, the present invention aims to provide an electrical connector assembly with a retaining frame connecting adjacent electrical connectors together.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector assembly comprising at least two electrical connectors being connected by at least one retaining frame, whereby the connectors can be more firmly secured to a printed circuit board and stably connect with complementary connectors.
In order to achieve the object set forth, an electrical connector assembly in accordance with the present invention comprises at least two electrical connectors and at least one retaining frame. Each connector includes an insulative housing having an elongated mounting portion and a plurality of conductive terminals received in the housing. The mounting portion has two sidewalls each having a plurality of spaced bar portions thereon. A T-shaped space is defined between two neighboring bar portions. An upper recess and a lower recess are defined in a selected bar portion. The retaining frame is rectangular and has two longitudinal sidewalls and two transverse sidewalls connecting the longitudinal sidewalls. A plurality of T-shaped protrusions project outwardly from each longitudinal sidewall and are received into corresponding T-shaped spaces of an adjacent electrical connector. Two projecting legs extend downwardly from each longitudinal sidewall and each comprises a projection fitting into the lower recess of the insulative housing of the adjacent electrical connector.
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: 4171862 (1979-10-01), Krasser
patent: 5876245 (1999-03-01), Tomita et al.
patent: 6095824 (2000-08-01), McHugh

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