Low profile electrical connector having improved contacts

Details Low profile electrical connector having improved contacts Low profile electrical connector having improved contacts

2002-07-11

2004-04-06

Gilman, Alexander (Department: 2833)

Electrical connectors

With insulation other than conductor sheath

Metallic connector or contact secured to insulation

C439S633000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06716068

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a low profile electrical connector, and more particularly to a low profile electrical connector having improved contacts.
2. Description of Related Art
An organization, named Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) Working Group released a specification defining the SATA interface. The interface is used to connect storage devices such as hard disk, DVD and CD-ROM drives to a PC motherboard. The specification defines a first type SATA connector connected with a cable and a second type SATA connector mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB).
The second type SATA connector defined by the specification includes an insulative housing and a plurality of contacts. The contacts are retained in the housing and partly extend out of the housing for electrically connecting with the PCB. For simplifying the mounting process of the SATA connector to the PCB, the SATA connector is provided with press-fit contacts which have needle-eyed tails for being forcibly fitted into metal plated through holes of the PCB.
Please referring to
FIG. 9
, an SCA
2
connector
8
described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,312,296 is shown. The connector
8
is provided with press-fit contacts
80
. The contacts
80
each comprise a mating portion
82
on an upper end thereof for electrically connecting with a contact of a mating connector and a needle-eyed pin
84
on a lower end thereof for insertion into a PCB. The mating portion
82
includes a transverse portion
820
horizontally extending from an upper end of the needle-eyed pin
84
and is substantially perpendicular to the needle-eyed pin
84
, and a retaining beam
822
extending upwardly from the transverse portion
820
.
The contacts of the '296 patent cannot be used in the SATA connector, because the contacts are too high to meet the low profile requirement. It is necessary to devise a new press-fit contact which can be used in the low profiled SATA connector and which has a length long enough to obtain the required bulk resistance meeting the predetermined impedance of an interconnecting system including the SATA connector.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, a major object of the present invention is to provide a low profiled electrical connector having improved press-fit contacts mounted therein.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a low profiled electrical connector having improved press-fit contacts each of which has a length sufficiently long to have a bulk resistance meeting the predetermined impedance of an interconnecting system including the connector, and has retention means which can reliably and securely fasten the contacts to an insulative housing of the connector.
To obtain the above objects, an electrical connector in accordance with the present invention comprises an insulative housing and a plurality of contacts. The housing includes a base portion having a mounting face and a mating portion connecting with the base portion and having a mating face. Two receiving slots are defined between the mounting face and the mating face. A plurality of passageways are defined in the housing and communicate with the receiving slots. The contacts are arranged in the passageways. Each contact comprises a contact portion received in the passageway and partly exposed in the slot, a first mounting portion connecting with the contact portion and fixed within the base portion, a second mounting portion offset with the first mounting portion and fixed to the base portion, a bending portion having a first part bent toward the contact portion and a second part connecting with the second mounting portion, and a tail portion connecting with the second mounting portion.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present embodiment when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5989064 (1999-11-01), Harlan et al.
patent: 6019639 (2000-02-01), Brunker et al.
patent: 6071152 (2000-06-01), Achammer et al.
patent: 6174187 (2001-01-01), Yamagami et al.
patent: 6350152 (2002-02-01), Belopolsky et al.

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