Electrical connector with staggered securing elements

Details Electrical connector with staggered securing elements Electrical connector with staggered securing elements

2002-10-11

2004-06-22

Hyeon, Hae Moon (Department: 2839)

Electrical connectors

With supporting means for coupling part

Having resilient means engaging panel opening

C439S571000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06752656

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an electrical connector, more particularly to an electrical connector having securing elements that are arranged in non-symmetrical form.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1
is a schematic view of an electrical connector
1
and a circuit board
2
in an assembled state. The electrical connector
1
includes an insulating base
10
, a plurality of conductive terminals
11
received in the insulating base
10
and two securing elements
12
positioned on the insulating base
10
. The insulating base
10
has a body
100
, an insert portion
101
connected to one side of the body
100
for coupling with a matching electrical connector (not shown), and a coupling face
102
disposed on the other side of the body
100
opposite to the insert portion to contact the circuit board
2
. The conductive terminal
11
has a contact end
111
and a coupling end
112
opposite to the contact end
111
such that the contact end can be exposed from the insert portion
101
and that the coupling end
112
projects and exposed from the coupling face
102
. Further, two securing elements
12
are respectively disposed on two symmetrical sides of the coupling face
102
of the body
100
and project outwardly from the coupling face
102
. During assembly of the electrical connector
1
and the circuit board
2
, the circuit board
2
is provided with solder holes
21
corresponding in position to the coupling ends
112
of the conductive terminals
11
, respectively, and securing holes
22
corresponding in position to the securing elements
12
, respectively. By inserting the coupling ends
112
of the conductive terminals of the electrical connector
1
into the solder holes
21
in the circuit board
2
, and by inserting the securing elements
12
of the electrical connector
1
into the securing holes
22
in the circuit board
2
, after furnace reflow, electrical connection and securing of the electrical connector
1
and the circuit board
2
can be simultaneously achieved.
However, since the molding device, process, assembly, etc., employed by the conventional electrical connector
1
are fixed, in particular the securing elements
12
are generally mounted on the insulating base
10
in the same manner as the conductive terminals
11
and are arranged on the coupling face
102
of the insulating base
10
in a symmetrical manner, i.e., the imaginary line
13
of the two securing elements
12
is generally parallel to an axis
14
passing through the coupling face
102
of the insulating base
10
. However, in case there is a special specification requirement for the securing elements
12
to be offset from the insulating base
10
in a non-symmetrical manner, due to the many factors involved in the manufacturing process, e.g., specially made molding devices and processes for particular specifications, the costs of manufacturing such type of electrical connectors will be considerably increased. Besides, the design is directed to the specification of only a single electrical connector, and there is a lack of flexibility in application.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, the main object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector structure that includes securing elements in a staggered arrangement, and that can adapt to produce an arrangement of securing elements with different amounts of staggering to thereby provide flexibility in application, without the need to considerably modify the molding device and manufacturing process.
Accordingly, the electrical connector of the present invention includes an insulating base, a plurality of conductive terminals and two securing elements so as to electrically connect and secure to a circuit board for coupling with a matching electrical connector.
The insulating base has a body and a connecting portion connected to one side of the body to contact a matching electrical connector. The body has a coupling face disposed proximate to the circuit board, a first face and a second face disposed adjacent to two opposite lateral edges of the coupling face, and two positioning grooves disposed in two opposite end portions of the body and sunken toward the second face relative to the first face such that the positioning grooves are respectively formed with insert slots in the first face, and the depths of the two positioning grooves that are sunken from the first face toward the second face differ by a certain distance.
The conductive terminal has a contact end and a coupling end. Each of the conductive terminal is positioned in the insulating base such that the contact end is disposed on the connecting portion of the insulating base to electrically contact the matching electrical connector and that the coupling end is exposed from the coupling face of the insulating base to electrically connect with corresponding contacts on the circuit board.
The securing element has a connecting end and a securing end opposite to the connecting end. The connecting end of each securing element enters via the insert slot in the insulating base to fit into the positioning groove such that the securing end of each securing element is exposed from the coupling face of the insulating base to secure to the circuit board. Since the relative depths of the positioning grooves in the insulating base are different, the securing ends of the securing elements and the first face of the insulating base are spaced apart by different distances so that an imaginary connecting line connecting the securing ends of the two securing elements extends in a direction different from an extending direction of the first face, thereby achieving an effect of staggering of the securing ends of the two securing elements relative to each other.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5171165 (1992-12-01), Hwang
patent: 5184963 (1993-02-01), Ishikawa
patent: 5257948 (1993-11-01), Peterson
patent: 6000965 (1999-12-01), Hsiao et al.
patent: 6024602 (2000-02-01), Mchugh et al.
patent: 6050850 (2000-04-01), Crane et al.
patent: 6345992 (2002-02-01), Cheong et al.
patent: 6354875 (2002-03-01), Wu
patent: 6454599 (2002-09-01), Wu
patent: 6494751 (2002-12-01), Morello et al.
patent: 6517252 (2003-02-01), Yamaguchi
patent: 6540553 (2003-04-01), Wu
patent: 6572404 (2003-06-01), Wu
patent: 6589074 (2003-07-01), Wu
patent: 6589077 (2003-07-01), Wu

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Electrical connector with staggered securing elements does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Electrical connector with staggered securing elements, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Electrical connector with staggered securing elements will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3305861