Electrical connectors – With guiding means for mating of coupling part
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-10
2001-06-19
Paumen, Gary (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With guiding means for mating of coupling part
C439S733100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06247958
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a female connector for an IC card.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIGS. 5
to
7
show a known female connector for an IC card. Referring to
FIG. 5
, an IC card C2 comprises a box-shaped cover
21
made of a metal, a printed circuit board
22
provided with a wiring pattern, not shown, and various electrical devices, and a female connector
25
comprising a housing
23
formed by molding a synthetic resin, and a plurality of terminal pins
24
. The printed circuit board
22
is fixed in place by a suitable means in the cover
21
. The printed circuit board
22
is electrically shielded by the cover
21
. The housing
23
of the female connector
25
is fitted in an open end of the cover
21
. The terminal pins
24
of the female connector
25
are connected to the wiring pattern of the printed circuit board
22
. A plurality of contact pins
26
of an electronic apparatus, not shown, can be inserted into the female connector
25
of the IC card C2 so as to be electrically connected to the terminal pins
24
and pulled out of the female connector
25
.
The housing
23
of the known female connector
25
included in the IC card C2 is formed of an insulating material in the shape of a rectangular solid. The housing
23
is provided with contact pin receiving holes
23
a
arranged in two rows so as to open in the front end surface thereof, and terminal pin receiving holes
23
b
connected to the contact pin receiving holes
23
a
, respectively, and opening in a back end surface thereof. The terminal pins
24
are inserted in the terminal pin receiving holes
23
b
, respectively. Each terminal pin
24
is formed by bending a metal plate and has a flat base part
24
a
, an elastic contact part
24
b
continuous with a front portion of the base part
24
a
, a bent part
24
c
continuous with in a back portion of the base part
24
a
, and a terminal part
24
d
projecting from the back end of the base part
24
a
as shown in FIG.
5
.
The respective front portions of the base parts
24
a
of the terminal pin
24
are inserted through the open back ends of the terminal receiving holes
23
b
of the housing
23
so that the front ends of the front end parts
24
a
reach near the contact pin receiving holes
23
a
as shown in FIG.
6
. In this state, the bent parts
24
c
are forced into the back sections of the terminal pin receiving holes
23
b
and thereby the terminal pins
24
are held on the housing
23
, and the front portions of the base parts
24
a
and the contact parts
24
b
are loosely fitted in the terminal pin receiving holes
23
b.
The contact pins
26
are inserted in and pulled out of the terminal pin receiving holes
23
b
through the contact pin receiving holes
23
a
of the female connector
25
. The contact pins
26
inserted through the contact pin receiving holes
23
a
in the terminal pin receiving holes
23
b
are brought into engagement with the contact parts
24
b
of the terminal pins
24
, respectively. Thus, the contact pins
26
slide along the contact parts
24
b
of the terminal pins
24
when the same are inserted in and taken out of the terminal pin receiving holes
23
b
. When each contact pin
26
is inserted in the terminal pin receiving hole
23
b
, the free front end portion of the base part
24
a
is raised by frictional force in the direction of the arrow A (FIG.
7
). When each contact pin
26
is pulled out of the terminal pin receiving hole
23
b
, the front end portion of the base part
24
a
is depressed in the direction of the arrow B (FIG.
7
). Consequently, buckling load is exerted repeatedly on the base part
24
a
of the terminal pin
24
to cause the base part
24
a
of the terminal pins
24
in a short period of use.
Since the front end portion of the base part
24
a
and the contact part
24
b
of the terminal pin
24
of the known female connector for an IC card are loosely fitted in the terminal pin receiving hole
23
b
of the housing
23
, the buckling load is exerted repeatedly on the base part
24
a
of the terminal pin
24
by the frictional force exerted by the contact pin
26
on the contact part
24
b
every time the contact pin
26
is inserted in the terminal pin receiving hole
23
b
, whereby the base part
24
a
is buckled and caused to break in a short period of use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a female connector for an IC card comprises: a housing formed of an insulating material and provided with terminal pin receiving holes and contact pin receiving holes continuous with the terminal pin receiving holes; and terminal pins inserted in the terminal pin receiving holes of the housing; wherein the housing is provided with positioning projections for positioning the terminal pins in the terminal pin receiving holes.
Preferably, each positioning projection is spaced a predetermined distance from the side surface of the corresponding terminal pin receiving hole so that a space is formed between the positioning projections and a side wall of the corresponding terminal pin receiving hole, each terminal pin has a base part and contact parts continuous with the base part, each terminal pin is held in the terminal pin receiving hole with a front end portion of the base part thereof placed in the space.
Preferably, the front end portion of the base part of each terminal pin is held in the space at a position near the contact pin receiving hole to position the terminal pin.
Preferably, contact pins capable of being inserted in and pulled out of the contact pin receiving holes are positioned by the positioning projections when the contact pins are inserted in and pulled out of the contact pin receiving holes.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4790779 (1988-12-01), Billman et al.
patent: 5716242 (1998-02-01), Myer
Alps Electric Co. Ltd
Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione
Gilman Alexander
Paumen Gary
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