Hermaphroditic contact

Details Hermaphroditic contact Hermaphroditic contact

1999-05-24

2001-02-27

Nguyen, Khiem (Department: 2839)

Electrical connectors

Adapted to cooperate with duplicate connector

Contact intermeshable with duplicate mating contact

Reexamination Certificate

active

06193537

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electrical contact for mating with a substantially identical copy thereof. In particular, the present invention is for such an electrical contact having a blade arm and a spring arm.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Relatively small yet relatively dense electrical connectors are employed in many applications. In one type of application, a first connector is mounted to a first substrate and a second, mating connector is mounted to a second substrate so that the first substrate may be electrically coupled to the second substrate by mating contacts on the first and second connectors. Typically, each of the first and second connectors have a plurality of electrical contacts mounted therein, and each contact in the first connector is for mating with a specific corresponding contact in the second connector. Such contacts in each of the first and second connectors may be arranged into rows and columns, staggered rows or any other desirable arrangement.
Generally speaking, each connector utilizes different contacts than the other connector. For example, the first connector could use pin contacts and the second connector could use receptacle contacts. In another type, the first connector could use blade contacts and the second connector could use spring arm, or beam contacts. Of course, other types of mate-able electrical connector pairs are extant.
Using different contacts for each connector in the pair has several disadvantages. First, each such different type of contact must be individually designed and produced. Second, each contact must be kept in inventory. Moreover, care must taken to ensure that the proper contact is mounted in the proper connector. Accordingly, a need exists for a connector having contacts where each contact can mate to a generally identical contact in a mating connector. With such hermaphroditic contacts, then, design and production costs are significantly reduced.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention satisfies the aforementioned need by providing a hermaphroditic contact and a connector having such a hermaphroditic contact. Such hermaphroditic contact extends longitudinally and is formed as a generally unitary body from a conductive material. The contact has an intermediate portion generally residing in a plane and extending longitudinally and traversely in the plane, a blade arm extending longitudinally from the intermediate portion and generally in the plane of the intermediate portion, and a spring arm extending longitudinally from the intermediate portion alongside the blade arm. The spring arm is displaceable toward at least a first side of the plane of the intermediate portion during mating with the other contact.
To electrically couple first and second generally identical ones of the contact, the intermediate portions of the first and second contacts are aligned to be generally co-planar, and the blade arm of the each contact is aligned to face generally toward the spring arm of the other contact. The first and second contacts are then moved together such that the blade arm of each contact encounters the spring arm of the other contact. Thereafter, the first and second contacts are further moved together such that the blade arm of each contact displaces the spring arm of the other contact toward the first side of the plane of the intermediate portion of the other contact.


REFERENCES:
patent: 3115379 (1963-12-01), McKee
patent: 3259869 (1966-07-01), Batcheller
patent: 4820182 (1989-04-01), Harwath et al.
patent: 5035639 (1991-07-01), Kilpatrick et al.
patent: 5098311 (1992-03-01), Roath et al.
patent: 5127839 (1992-07-01), Korsunsky et al.
patent: 5266046 (1993-11-01), Bogiel
patent: 5290181 (1994-03-01), Bixler
patent: 5577928 (1996-11-01), Duclos
patent: 5588859 (1996-12-01), Maurice
patent: 5904581 (1999-05-01), Pope et al.
patent: WO 98/15991 (1998-04-01), None

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