Memory card connector

Details Memory card connector Memory card connector

2000-05-18

2001-05-15

Abrams, Neil (Department: 2839)

Electrical connectors

With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in...

For dual inline package

C016S232000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06231365

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a connector for a memory card, such as for a Subscriber ID Entity Module (SIM) card and the like. Referring to FIGS.
9
through
13
(A) and (B), there is shown a construction for this type of memory card connector of the prior art.
Referring to FIGS.
9
through
13
(A) and (B), a memory card connector
1
is constructed from a housing
2
and a holder cover
3
.
Housing
2
is provided on its upper surface with a space
2
a
, which is for receiving a SIM card
4
as the memory card. Housing
2
is also provided with a perimeter wall
2
b
which surrounds space
2
a.
In addition, housing
2
is provided with a plurality of connection terminals
5
(in the drawing, there are three). The area near one end of each of connection terminals
5
protrudes at the upper surface of housing
2
. Each of the other ends protrudes in a row at the opposing edges of housing
2
(in the drawing, the left and right edges).
Furthermore, referring to
FIG. 9
, housing
2
is provided with a rotation shaft
2
c
, which protrudes outward (in the upward and downward direction of
FIG. 9
) from both ends of the right edge in FIG.
9
.
Holder cover
3
is provided with a hinge part
3
a
, which latches onto rotation shaft
2
c
, which is provided on the housing. Holder cover
3
has a construction wherein by hinge part
3
a
latching onto rotation shaft
2
c
, holder cover
3
can rotate with respect to housing
2
.
Furthermore, holder cover
3
is provided with memory card latching tabs
3
b
and locking tabs
3
c
, which extend downward from both side edges (the upper and lower edges in the figure) and are further extended inward.
Hinge part
3
a
is constructed from a slot
3
d
, which extends towards both side edges of holder cover
3
. Hinge part
3
a
is constructed so that rotation shaft
2
c
is capable of sliding within slot
3
d.
According to this, holder cover
3
is brought from the open position shown in FIG.
9
and FIGS.
10
(A) and (B) to the closed position shown in
FIG. 12
by rotating around rotation shaft
2
c
as shown in FIG.
11
. Furthermore, referring to
FIG. 12
, while rotation shaft
2
c
slides within slot
3
d
, holder cover
3
is moved towards the right with respect to housing
2
, and it is brought to the locked position shown in FIGS.
13
(A) and (B).
Referring to FIGS.
13
(A) and (B), in this locked position, locking tab
3
c
, which is provided on holder cover
3
, latches onto a latching part
2
d
, which is provided on the side edges of housing
2
. As a result, holder cover
3
is locked onto housing
2
.
Referring to FIG.
10
(B), near its lower surface, housing
2
is provided with a stopper
2
e
, which is adjacent to rotation shaft
2
c
. With this, when holder cover
3
rotates around rotation shaft
2
c
, the rim of hinge part
3
a
contacts stopper
2
e
, and as a result, holder cover
3
is restricted so it does not open 180 degrees or greater with respect to housing
2
.
According to memory card connector
1
with this construction, first, as shown in
FIG. 9
, holder cover
3
is in an open position in which holder cover
3
is open approximately 180 degrees with respect to housing
2
. Memory card
4
is set on the inside of memory card latching tabs
3
b
of holder cover
3
(refer to FIGS.
10
(A) and (B)).
Next, referring to
FIG. 11
, as indicated by letters A, B, C, D, E, by rotating holder cover
3
in sequence with respect to housing
2
, holder cover
3
is brought to a closed position as shown in FIG.
12
.
Next, referring to
FIG. 12
, holder cover
3
slides with respect to housing
2
in the direction indicated by arrow X. By the latching of locking tab
3
c
of holder cover
3
onto latching part
2
d
of housing
2
, holder cover
3
is locked to housing
2
.
At this time, the contact part of memory card
4
, which has been set inside holder cover
3
, contacts one end of the corresponding connection terminal
5
, which is provided on housing
2
. In addition, the contact part of memory card
4
is pressed against one end of connection terminal
5
by holder cover
3
.
Memory card connector
1
is mounted in various devices, such as telephones, telecommunication devices and the like and is connected with these various devices.
With memory card connector
1
with this construction, holder cover
3
is supported in a manner which allows for rotation around rotation shaft
2
c
, which is sideways with respect to the insertion direction of connector
1
. Therefore, in a situation wherein holder cover
3
is opened 180 degrees with respect to housing
2
(see FIGS.
10
(A) and (B)) or in a situation wherein holder cover
3
is in position B of
FIG. 11
while in contact with a mobile phone body or the like shown by the dashed line, in these situations, if holder cover
3
is rotated so that it is opened further with respect to housing
2
, holder cover
3
itself or its hinge part
3
a
can become deformed and may even break.
OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Learning from the above points, the object of the present invention is to provide a memory card connector, wherein, when a holder cover is opened further while in contact with an obstacle or stopper and the like, deformation or damage to the holder cover can be avoided.
The above object can be achieved with the present invention of a memory card connector, the memory card connector being constructed from: a housing, which houses a memory card; a holder cover, which covers the memory card housed inside the housing; a plurality of connection terminals, which are built into the housing so that one end is opposite a contact part of the memory card housed inside the housing and is exposed at the surface of the housing and the other end protrudes from an edge of the housing, wherein: at one side edge which is sideways with respect to the longitudinal direction of the connector, the holder cover is supported so that, by pivoting around a rotation shaft provided on one side edge of the housing, the holder cover can be opened and closed with respect to the housing; the hinge part which latches to the rotation shaft of the holder cover is constructed from a first section, which, in the cover closed position, contacts the back side of the rotation shaft in the angle range of approximately 180 degrees or less and is formed in an approximate U-shape, and a second section, which in the cover closed position, surrounds the rotation shaft at the back of the rotation shaft in the angle range of approximately 180 degrees or greater.
In the memory card connector of the present invention, preferably, the first section and second section of the hinge part of the holder cover are disposed in an alternating manner along the rotation shaft.
According to the above construction, the holder cover is capable of pivoting with respect to the housing at one side edge which is sideways with respect to the connector insertion direction. There are situations wherein the holder cover is opened and is in contact with various device bodies and the like. When the holder cover is in an open state, the first section contacts the rotation shaft at approximately the opposite side as the housing. As a result, if the holder cover is opened further, even if the holder cover is rotated in the opening direction with a relatively weak force, the hinge part of the holder cover separates from the rotation shaft due to the deformation in the second section.
Therefore, when opening the holder cover, if a part of the holder cover is in contact with the various device bodies and the like and the holder cover is further rotated in the opening direction, the hinge part of the holder cover separates from the rotation shaft, and deformation or damage to the holder cover is avoided.
In the situation wherein the first section and second section of the hinge part of the holder cover are disposed along the rotation shaft in an alternating manner, the second section, which latches to the rotation shaft, is dispersed over the entire length of the hinge part. As a result, the latching

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