Electrical connectors – With insulation other than conductor sheath – Plural-contact coupling part
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-31
2001-09-18
Sircus, Brian (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
With insulation other than conductor sheath
Plural-contact coupling part
C439S943000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06290547
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present application relates to electrical connectors and more particularly to means for enhancing dimensional stability in a vertical direction or other direction perpendicular to a substrate.
2. Brief Description of Prior Developments
In various electrical connectors particular needs require the use of relatively long beams. The physical relationship of the cross sectional area of the beam and its length will make it difficult to manage more critical dimensional tolerances. The critical dimensional tolerances in question control the inner relationship between the terminal tail, the retention feature and the contact area of the terminal. An example of such an electrical connector is a receptacle used on a single connect attach (SCA) disk drive interface.
Particularly when a soft insulating material is used in the connector housing, the connector may tend to be dimensionally deformed in the vertical direction or other dimension perpendicular to the printed circuit board (PCB) or other substrate on which the connector is being mounted. As a result of such dimensional instability it is often necessary that the housing be designed with significant additional height from the top of the terminals to the top of the housing as a safety factor.
Such lack of dimensional stability may also be important when two terminals are mated in a first mate, last brake sequence. For example, such a sequence may be employed to allow for initial grounding, particularly at low voltages, to minimize component burn out. If a connector is dimensionally unstable in the direction perpendicular to the PCB or other substrate, the correct mating and unmating sequence may be lost.
There is, therefore, a need for means for controlling dimensional stability of an electrical connector in a vertical direction or other direction perpendicular to a PCB or other substrate.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a receptacle for an electrical connector which comprises an elongated insulative housing having parallel lateral walls, parallel end walls and base wall. An interior cavity is formed by those walls, and a longitudinal groove extends between the longitudinal walls from adjacent one of said end walls to the other end wall. At least one conductive contact having a base end and a distal end extends upwardly through the base wall and then in the interior cavity. A wafer or other means harder than the insulative housing and in particular the base wall is positioned beneath the base wall to help maintain dimensional stability in a vertical direction or in another direction perpendicular to a PCB or other substrate.
Also encompassed by this invention is a method for mounting an electrical connector on a PCB or other substrate to minimize dimensional instability in a direction perpendicular to the substrate. A wafer having a hardness greater than the hardness of the insulative housing and in particular the base wall of the housing is interposed between the connector and the substrate.
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David James J.
Raistrick Alan
Weigard Wayne G.
Berg Technologies, Inc.
Perman & Green LLP
Prasad Chandrika
Sircus Brian
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