Electrical connector with positioning members

Details Electrical connector with positioning members Electrical connector with positioning members

2003-03-31

2004-03-23

Paumen, Gary (Department: 2833)

Electrical connectors

With supporting means for coupling part

Flange on coupling part

C439S562000, C439S571000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06709288

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and particularly to an electrical connector having at least one positioning member for assisting in mounting the connector on a circuit substrate such as a printed circuit board (PCB).
2. Description of the Prior Art
A typical piece of electronic equipment commonly uses a variety of electrical connectors for accomplishing electrical connections between inner components of the electronic equipment or between systems, for signal transmission and power transfer. Commonly, there are several electrical connectors to be mounted on a same printed circuit board (PCB) for electrically connecting with each other. Methods of mounting the connectors on the PCB usually involve Through Hole Technology (THT) or Surface Mount Technology (SMT).
Regardless of the method used, solder ends of the connector are connected with the PCB by welding. The miniaturization of connectors has continued to advance, and a density of contacts of a modem connector is commonly very high. This requires that a housing of the connector be secured to the PCB, to provide strain relief for the multiple soldered ends of the contact connections. Further, positioning members mounted on opposite sides of the housing of the connector are soldered to the PCB to enhance the connecting strength between the housing and the PCB.
A conventional positioning member is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,807. The positioning member comprises an engaging portion, and a solder portion bending perpendicularly from the engaging portion. The engaging portion defines an opening. In assembly, the engaging portion is mounted in a channel of a flange formed on one side of the housing, and a retention tab formed in the channel is plugged into the opening. The solder portion extends outwardly from the housing for being mounted on a PCB by welding. As a result, valuable space on the PCB for accommodating items such as circuit lines is reduced. In addition, the configuration of the side of the housing for mounting the positioning member thereon is complex. This increases the difficulty of mounting the positioning member on the housing, and the difficulty of manufacturing the housing.
Another conventional positioning member is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,083,045. Each of two positioning members comprises a solder portion received within a bottom of a housing. Thus, the solder portion does not take up valuable space on the PCB for accommodating items such as circuit lines. The positioning member is S-shaped, and is stamped and formed from a metal sheet. This makes manufacturing of the positioning member more difficult. In addition, the housing must be formed with a configuration for receiving the positioning members therein. This makes manufacturing of the housing more difficult.
In view of the above, a new electrical connector with positioning members that overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages is desired.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector having positioning members for assisting in firmly mounting the connector on a circuit substrate such as a printed circuit board (PCB), wherein the positioning members facilitate accommodating of other electronic equipment and/or circuit lines on the PCB.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector comprising a housing and positioning members mounted on the housing, wherein configurations of the positioning members and corresponding configurations of the housing are simple.
To achieve the above-mentioned objects, an electrical connector in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises an insulative housing, a plurality of contacts received in the housing, and a pair of positioning members mounted on opposite sides of the housing. The housing defines a pair of recesses in respective opposite sides of a bottom portion thereof, and a pair of symmetric grooves in opposite sides of a rear surface thereof respectively. Each groove has an L-shaped profile, and defines a slot in an adjacent sidewall of the housing. Each positioning member comprises an engaging portion having an L-shaped profile engaging in the corresponding groove of the housing, a medial portion extending from the engaging portion alongside the corresponding sidewall of the housing, and a solder portion extending perpendicularly from the medial portion into the corresponding recess of the housing. The solder portion is adapted for mounting on a corresponding surface of a PCB by welding.


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