Electrical connectors – Preformed panel circuit arrangement – e.g. – pcb – icm – dip,... – With guide for directing panel circuit movement
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-25
2001-04-10
Sircus, Brian (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
Preformed panel circuit arrangement, e.g., pcb, icm, dip,...
With guide for directing panel circuit movement
C439S108000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06213785
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
As is known, memory cards are inserted into slots on personal computers and the like for exchanging recorded data with external devices. These slots include memory card connectors having connection pins that contact a plurality of contacts on the memory cards.
Referring to
FIG. 5
, a memory card connector (shown generally as
30
) is formed with an electrical insulating resin. Memory card connector
30
is equipped with a connection part
2
A, which supports a plurality of connection pins
1
A. Connection pins
1
A engage the contacts of a memory card MC.
A slot
32
is formed between a pair of guide walls
3
A and
4
A and bounded by connection part
2
A. Memory card MC is inserted into slot
32
. Guide walls
3
A and
4
A are formed in a unitary manner on both ends of connection part
2
A. Memory card MC, is inserted into slot
32
and is guided towards connection part
2
A by guide walls
3
A and
4
A.
Attachment slits
5
A and
6
A are formed toward the end of guide walls
3
A and
4
A. Any static electricity building up in memory card MC is discharged to a grounding conductor or the like on a substrate (not shown) by earth terminals
10
A. Earth terminals
10
A are joined to attachment slits
5
A and
6
A. Each earth terminal
10
A is equipped with a terminal body
10
a
inserted into and supported by attachment slits
5
A and
6
A. A pressure spring
10
b
is unitary formed along an extension of terminal body
10
a
. An arc-shaped protrusion
10
c
of pressure spring
10
b
is in elastic contact with the side surface of memory card MC when memory card MC is inserted into slot
32
. In addition, each earth terminal
10
A has a grounding piece
10
d
, which is soldered onto the grounding conductor of a printed circuit board (not shown). Grounding piece
10
D is formed by bending it at an approximate right angle to terminal body
10
a.
Because pressure spring
10
b
is formed as an extension of terminal body
10
a,
earth terminal
10
A must be sufficiently large to support pressure spring
10
b
. Not only is the overall size of the memory card connector increased, but also the end parts of guide walls
3
A and
4
A, to which earth terminals
10
A are attached, have poor mechanical strength.
Referring to
FIG. 6
, a housing groove
11
A and an interference preventing groove
12
A are formed on both sides of attachment slits
5
A and
6
A. Housing groove
11
A and interference preventing groove
12
A work together to allow arc-shaped portion
10
c
to resiliently move as memory card MC is inserted into slot
32
. A stopper
13
A, which is formed at the end of housing groove
11
A, restrains the end of pressure spring
10
b
. Because the above memory card connector
30
requires housing groove
11
A and interference preventing groove
12
A, the thickness of guide walls
3
A and
4
A is smaller in the region surrounding the grooves compared to other parts. When a strong outside force is applied to guide walls
3
A and
4
A, such as when memory card MC is inserted or removed, there is a possibility that guide walls
3
A and
4
A will deform or break.
Furthermore, because stopper
13
A is necessary, a minimum thickness is required. Guide walls
3
A and
4
A can not be miniaturized beyond that point.
OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a memory card connector with an earth terminal that is smaller in dimension than is possible in the prior art.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a memory card connector that does not have any regional weaknesses in the part of the guide walls where the earth terminal is located.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a memory card connector with smaller guide walls smaller than is possible in the prior art.
Briefly stated, the present invention provides a T-shaped groove cut out from a section of a guide wall of a memory card connector. The groove also defines an interior T-shaped portion. The bar portion of the interior T-shaped portion is bent back 180 degrees so that it extends over the groove from which it was cut out. The bar portion of the interior T-shaped portion makes contact with the edges of the groove preventing the interior T-shaped portion from moving through the groove. The interior T-shaped portion also has an arcuate portion that resiliently holds a memory card in place. The memory card connector also includes a connection part and at least one other guide wall arraigned to from a U-shaped slot for holding a memory card.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a memory card connector comprising: a connection part; a first and second guide wall attached substantially perpendicular to both ends of the connection part whereby the first and second guide walls and the connection part define a u-shaped slot for holding a memory card; at least one terminal having a terminal body and a tab; at least one attachment slit on at least one of the first and second guide wall for fixing the at least one terminal to the at least one of the first and second wall; the tab for connecting to an external contact; a groove in the at least one terminal body; a T-shaped pressure spring resiliently disposed in the groove; the T-shaped pressure spring having an arcuate portion for making resilient contact with the memory card; the T-shaped pressure spring also having an end bent in a hairpin shape wherein the end is wider than the width of the groove; and the end engaging the groove whereby the end is restrained from passing through the groove.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a memory card connector comprising: a connection part; a first and second guide wall attached substantially perpendicular to both ends of the connection part whereby the first and second guide walls and the connection part define a u-shaped slot for holding a memory card; at least one terminal having a terminal body and a tab; at least one attachment slit on at least one of the first and second guide wall for fixing the at least one terminal to the at least one of the first and second wall; the tab for connecting to an external contact; a T-shaped groove cut in the at least one terminal body; the groove also defining an interior T-shaped portion integrally connected at an end opposite a bar portion of the interior T-shaped interior portion to the at least one terminal body; the interior T-shaped interior portion has an arcuate portion for making resilient contact with the memory card; a hairpin bend in the bar portion of the interior T-shaped interior portion wherein the bar portion is bent back 180 degrees until the bar portion extends over an upright portion of the groove; and the bar portion engaging the groove whereby the bar portion is restrained from passing through the groove.
In order to achieve these objects, the present invention proposes a memory card connector, the memory card connector having a connection part, which has a pair of guide walls formed in a unitary manner on both ends to form a slot into which a memory card can be inserted, and an earth terminal, which discharges static electricity of the memory card and is supported by attachment slits on the guide walls so that there is pressure contact with the memory card, wherein: the earth terminal is equipped with a grounding piece, which is soldered onto a grounding conductor and is bent at approximately right angle from a terminal body which is inserted into the attachment slits, and a pressure spring which has been cut and offset in a cantilever manner by a cutting groove on a surface of the terminal body and whose end is bent back in a hairpin shape; an end protrusion part of the pressure spring is restrained by a latching surface constructed from a surface of the terminal body.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5308251 (1994-05-01), Kaufman et al.
patent: 5511986 (1996-04-01), Casey et al.
patent: 5588850 (1996-12-01), Pan et al.
patent: 5653596 (1997-08-01), Banakis et al.
Hori Katsuhiro
Nishio Atsushi
Okazaki Kazuhiro
Mitsumi Electric Co. Ltd.
Morrison Law Firm
Patel T. C.
Sircus Brian
LandOfFree
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