Flat cable insertion socket

Details Flat cable insertion socket Flat cable insertion socket

2000-03-31

2001-10-23

Paumen, Gary (Department: 2833)

Electrical connectors

Including or for use with tape cable

For connection to rigid preformed panel circuit arrangement,...

C439S492000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06305971

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a flat cable insertion socket, and more particularly to a flat cable insertion socket having terminals that allows a cover of the socket to be always pivotally upward turnable to facilitate convenient insertion of a flat cable into the socket to firmly contact with the terminals.
It is a common practice to use flat cables on an integrated circuit board for connecting circuits. The flat cables are connected to the circuit board via a plurality of tiny insertion sockets.
FIG. 1
is a side sectional view of a conventional insertion socket
12
for such purpose. The insertion socket
12
may be provided with a cover
14
. The cover
14
can be lifted to widen an opening of the socket for a flat cable
10
to conveniently insert thereinto. When the cover
14
is closed, it applies a force on the flat cable
10
to press the same against terminals
11
located in the socket
12
, so that the flat cable
10
and the terminals are electrically connected. The flat cable
10
has only one bared side for pressing against and electrically contacting with the terminals
11
. The other side of the flat cable
10
is insulated. For the bared side of the flat cable
10
to always contact with the terminals, there are times when the socket
12
must be welded to a circuit board
13
upside down, as shown in FIG.
2
. However, the cover
14
on the upside-down socket
12
could not be fully opened for the flat cable
10
to insert into the socket
12
easily. The insertion of the flat cable
10
into the upside-down socket
12
is therefore difficult.
The terminals
11
disposed in the socket
12
shown in
FIG. 1
each includes only one barb
15
that is the only one point at where the flat cable
10
contacts with each terminal
11
. In order to reinforce the contact of the flat cable
10
with the terminals
11
, it has been tried to increase a pressure applied by the closed cover
14
on the socket
12
. However, due to the fact that a reaction force is equal to the applied force, terminals
11
in the socket
12
generate an increased reaction force on the cover
14
when the latter applies an increased force on the socket
12
. In the event the socket
12
has a very small volume, a reaction force applied on the cover
14
might cause a central area of the cover
14
to arch and deform that will have adverse influence on an expected pressure to be applied by the cover
14
.
Therefore, the conventional insertion socket
12
shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2
has the problem of having a cover
14
that could not be fully opened when the socket
12
is upside-down and might be deformed when the socket
12
is very small. On the other hand, there is no doubt that future circuit boards
13
will become smaller and smaller in the development of integrated circuits and the conventional insertion socket
13
would finally become unacceptable for the very small circuit board
13
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a flat cable insertion socket, in which each terminal is provided with at least two barbs to increase pressing points where an inserted flat cable presses against and contacts with the terminal. The increased barbs on the terminals provide sufficient friction to prevent the inserted flat cable from separating from the insertion socket even if a cover of the socket applies a reduced forward pressure on the inserted flat cable and the terminals.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a flat cable insertion socket, in which each terminal contacts with and presses against either side of an inserted flat cable, so that the insertion socket can be welded to a circuit board always with a cover thereof in an upward turnable position to be opened conveniently.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a flat cable insertion socket, in which each terminal is provided with a barb portion that may face upward or downward to press against an inserted flat cable, depending on the orientation of a bared side of the flat cable in the socket.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a flat cable insertion socket, in which each terminal has a barb portion on which barbs in increased number are provided to increase contact points between an inserted flat cable and the terminals, so that good electric connection of the flat cable to the terminals is ensured, a circuit impedance is reduced, and reliable electrical performance of the socket can be upgraded.


REFERENCES:
patent: 4718859 (1988-01-01), Gardner
patent: 6099346 (2000-08-01), Hashiguchi et al.

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