Electrical connector with metal side members

Details Electrical connector with metal side members Electrical connector with metal side members

2000-12-29

2002-04-30

Vu, Hien (Department: 2833)

Electrical connectors

Electromagnetic or electrostatic shield

Shielding individually surrounding or interposed between...

C439S569000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06379186

ABSTRACT:

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a copending application of U.S. patent application titled “ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR WITH METAL SIDE MEMBERS AND METHOD OF PRODUCING SAME” by the same inventors and assigned to the same assignee of the present application.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and particularly to an electrical connector with metal members located at lateral sides of a housing of the connector for improving coplanarity of terminals of the connector.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
A conventional connector usually includes a base with a plurality of terminals insert molded on a tongue board, and a pair of insulative sidewalls which project upwardly from lateral sides of the base and are parallel to the tongue board. The base is insert molded with the terminals, and then the sidewalls are insert molded to the base. This two-step insert molding procedure is unduly time-consuming and costly. Moreover, the plastic sidewalls acquire stresses during the second insert molding step. When the terminals are subsequently soldered to a printed circuit board, the sidewalls longitudinally deform to dissipate the stresses. Coplanarity of the terminals is degraded, and thus the quality of soldering is reduced.
Hence, an improved electrical connector is required to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A main object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector with a pair of metallic walls for ensuring coplanarity of terminals of the connector.
To achieve the above-mentioned object, an electrical connector of the present invention includes a dielectric housing, a plurality of terminals retained in the housing, and a pair of metal members secured to the housing.
The housing includes a base, a mating board projecting upwardly from the base for engaging with a complementary connector, and two rows of recesses defined at opposite sides of the base. Each metal member has a metal wall secured in the corresponding recesses and a metal soldering pad extending from the metal wall for soldering to a printed circuit board. During the high-temperature process of soldering the soldering pads of the connector to the printed circuit board, the metal members support any melting plastic. Longitudinal distortion of the base is thereby minimized. Accordingly, coplanarity of the terminals and quality of soldering is maximized.
In a second embodiment of the invention, the soldering pads are separated from the walls, and are interferingly engaged with the base.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5876247 (1999-03-01), Hashimoto
patent: 6042398 (2000-03-01), Wu et al.
patent: 6050852 (2000-04-01), Wu
patent: 6224422 (2001-05-01), Zhu et al.

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