Electrical connectors – With circuit conductors and safety grounding provision – Grounding to connector container or housing
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-08
2001-02-13
Bradley, Paula (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With circuit conductors and safety grounding provision
Grounding to connector container or housing
C439S076100, C439S607070, C439S946000, C361S737000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06186801
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a PC card which is inserted into a card slot of a personal computer, for example, in order to extend the functions of the personal computer.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a personal computer is made up mainly of a computer body having an operation function, a memory function, and the like, a key board for inputting a signal to the computer body, a memory including a floppy disk and the like for storing memory in the computer body, and a display for indicating a program, an operational result, and the like.
Furthermore, the personal computer is provided with a card slot into which a PC card can be additionally attached in order to extend the memory contained in the computer body, add a modem, provide an IDE interface with an external CD-ROM drive and a hard disk, and the like. The size and shape of the PC card is specified by PC Card Standard and Standard by JEIDA (Japan Electric Industry Development Association).
For personal computers, a 32-bit byte has been gradually employed instead of a 16-bit byte in order to enhance processing speeds. Accordingly, there are two types of PC cards having respective sizes and shapes, that is, 16-bit PC cards and 32-bit PC cards. Similarly, card slots on the personal computer side are roughly divided into two groups, that is, 16-bit and 32-bit card slots.
Further, with respect to personal computers, in order to reduce the consumption electric power, the driving voltage for the computer body has been changed from 5.0 V to 3.3 V. For ordinary uses, the driving voltage for 16-bit PC cards is set at 5.0 V, while that for 32-bit PC cards at 3.3 V. Since the driving voltage has been reduced from 5.0 V to 3.3 V, the 32-bit PC card and the card slot are provided with ground electrodes for reinforcing the grounding, in order to secure the transmission or reception of a signal between the PC card and the personal computer.
The PC card is provided with a card key groove formed on the left side viewed in the card insertion direction, so that the PC card can be prevented from being improperly inserted, turned inside out, and can be distinguished between 16-bit and 32-bit PC card types. The card-side key groove of the 16-bit PC card is wider than that of the 32-bit PC card.
With this difference between the card-side key groove widths, the 16-bit PC card can be inserted into the 16-bit card slot and also into the 32-bit card slot. On the other hand, the 32-bit PC card can only be inserted into the 32-bit card slot, and is prevented from being inserted into the 16-bit card slot. As a result, the respective protuberances of the ground electrode provided for the card slot of the 32-bit PC card are prevented from being inserted into the 16-bit card slot which has no parts for receiving the protuberance. This protects the ground electrode, the card insertion hole of the card slot, and the like.
A 32-bit PC card of the above-described type is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-58163, and is publicly known.
The PC card produced according to the above-described conventional technology includes a frame of which one end functions as a connector-attachment port and accommodates a circuit board inside thereof. Two panels form lids at the opposite sides of the frame and a connector is disposed in the connector attachment port of the frame for connecting the circuit board to the personal computer. A ground electrode is provided between one of the two panels and the connector for connecting the ground of the circuit board to the ground of the personal computer.
Further, one of the two panels is perforated to provide plural protuberance-receiving holes in the position corresponding to the connector attachment port. The ground electrode is composed of a flat plate elongated in the connector-lengthwise direction and protuberances are formed on the flat plate and project through the respective protuberance-receiving holes.
The above-described conventional 16-bit PC card is provided with the card-side key groove having a different size from that of the 32-bit PC card so that it can be distinguished from the 32-bit PC card, and moreover, the 32-bit PC card can be prevented from being inserted into the 16-bit card slot, as described above.
On the other hand, users require PC cards which are available as both the 16-bit and 32-bit cards. For the purpose of meeting this requirement, it is necessary to provide a PC card which can be inserted into either of the 16-bit and 32-bit card slots, irrespective of the shapes and sizes of the card slots of personal computers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to solve the above-described conventional technical problems and to provide a personal computer (PC) card for both of higher-bit and lower-bit information which can be inserted or removed from either of card slots for the higher-bit and lower-bit cards.
In order to achieve the above object, according to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a PC card which comprises a frame of which one end functions as a connector attaching port and which accommodates a circuit board inside thereof, two sheets of panels for lidding the opposite sides of the frame, respectively, a connector disposed in the connector attaching port of the frame for connecting the circuit board to the personal computer, and a ground electrode provided between one of the two sheets of panels and the connector for connecting the ground of the circuit board to the ground of a card slot provided for the personal computer.
The PC card in accordance with the present invention is characterized in that one panel is provided with long protuberance-receiving holes in the position corresponding to the connector attaching port of the frame, the protuberance-receiving holes being elongated in the card insertion direction and being formed by drilling. The ground electrode is formed of a flat plate disposed between the connector and the one panel and is movable forward and backward in the card insertion direction. Protuberances are formed on the flat plate and projected through the respective protuberance receiving holes and the ground electrode is provided with means for energizing the ground electrode to move forward in the card insertion direction.
With the above-described configuration, when the PC card is inserted into the card slot corresponding to a predetermined low driving voltage, the protuberances can be connected to the ground electrode of the card slot, not moving backward in the card insertion direction even though the protuberances of the PC card come into contact with the ground electrode of the card slot, since they are energized to move forward in the card insertion direction together with the ground electrode by means of the energizing means.
On the other hand, when the PC card is inserted into the card slot corresponding to a predetermined high driving voltage, the respective protuberances in the protuberance-receiving holes, though they are energized to move forward in the card insertion direction together with the ground electrode by means of the energizing means, can be moved backward in the card insertion direction against the energizing force of the energizing means, due to the fact that the protuberances of the PC card comes into contact with the peripheral wall of the card slot.
Preferably, the frame is provided with an electrode moving means which enables or disables the ground electrode to or from being moved backward in the card insertion direction.
With the above configuration, for example, when the PC card is inserted into the card slot corresponding to the predetermined high driving voltage, the ground electrode of the PC card is moved backward in the card insertion direction against the energizing means, so that the protuberances in the protuberance-receiving holes can be moved backward in the card insertion direction.
Also preferably, the electrode moving means has the configuration that when the PC card is inserted
Bradley Paula
Leon Edwin A.
Murata Manufacturing Co. Ltd.
Ostrolenk Faber Gerb & Soffen, LLP
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