Shielded electrical receptacle connector

Details Shielded electrical receptacle connector Shielded electrical receptacle connector

1999-10-29

2001-02-13

Nguyen, Khiem (Department: 2839)

Electrical connectors

Electromagnetic or electrostatic shield

Shielding individually surrounding or interposed between...

C439S079000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06186830

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an electrical connector, more particularly to a shielded surface-mount electrical receptacle connector of the universal serial bus (USB) connector-type for use in the computer field.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to
FIGS. 1
,
2
and
3
, a conventional shielded surface-mount electrical receptacle connector of the universal serial bus (USB) connector-type adapted to be mounted on a circuit board and is adapted to mate with a shielded electrical plug connector, said connector includes a plurality of contact terminals
110
, a dielectric terminal mounting seat
11
, a metal shield
13
, and a metal cap
14
.
As illustrated, each of the contact terminals
110
has a contact portion
110
C that extends in a longitudinal direction, and a solder tail portion
110
S that extends from the contact portion in a first transverse direction relative to the longitudinal direction.
The terminal mounting seat
11
includes a mating portion
113
for mounting the contact portions
110
C thereon, and a terminal aligning portion
111
which has two opposite side walls
111
W extending in the first transverse direction and spaced from each other a second direction transverse to the first transverse direction to form a pair of lowermost portions, and a pair of positioning parts
111
C that extend toward each other in the second direction to define a terminal aligning slit therebetween. The solder tail portions
110
S of the contact terminals
110
pass through the terminal aligning slit and are adapted to be in electrical contact with the circuit board (not shown).
The metal shield
13
is disposed to shield the contact portions
110
C and the solder tail portion
110
S from electromagnetic interference (EMI) in the second direction. The metal shield
13
includes a tubular shell
130
with first and second open ends
131
,
132
which are opposite to each other in the longitudinal direction. The tubular shell
130
has a rear portion
130
R that encloses the terminal aligning portion
11
, and a front portion
130
F that encloses and co-operates with the mating portion
113
to define an annular receiving space
13
A therebetween (see
FIG. 2
) which is adapted to accommodate a shielded electrical plug connector (not shown) when the latter is inserted thereinto via the first open end
131
. The rear portion
130
R extends integrally from and in alignment with the front portion
130
F, and has at least one pair of side walls
135
that extend in the first transverse direction and that are spaced apart from each other in the second transverse direction to form a pair of lowermost portions with bendable portions
134
that are spaced apart from each other in the second transverse direction, and a pair of engaging groove units each being formed by punching and bending a respective one of the bendable portions
134
such that the engaging groove units permit extension of and confine front ends
112
of the positioning parts
111
C to prevent them from being thrust away from the terminal mounting seat
2
.
A disadvantage of the aforesaid electrical receptacle connector resides in that, the side walls
135
of the rear portion
130
R in the tubular shell
130
are susceptible to thrust in the longitudinal direction during transportation. The side walls
135
are thus disposed in a state of being expandible outwardly and laterally relative to the terminal mounting seat
2
, and may result in deformation of the shielded electrical receptacle connector.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, the object of this invention is to provide an electrical receptacle connector of universal serial bus (USB) connector-type which includes an EMI metal shield that is free of the aforesaid disadvantage that generally results during transport of the conventional shielded electrical surface-mount connector.
Accordingly, a shielded surface-mount electrical receptacle connector according to the present invention is adapted to be mounted on a circuit board and is adapted to mate with a shielded electrical plug connector, and includes a plurality of contact terminals, a dielectric terminal mounting seat, and a metal shield. Each of the contact terminals has a contact portion extending in a longitudinal direction, and a solder tail portion extending from the contact portion in a first direction transverse to the longitudinal direction. The terminal mounting seat includes a mating portion for mounting the contact portions thereon and a terminal aligning portion which has upper and lower major mounting surfaces opposite to each other in the first transverse direction. The solder tail portions of the contact terminals pass through the upper and lower major mounting surfaces and are adapted to be in electrical contact with the circuit board. The terminal aligning portion further has a proximate end face and a distal end face relative to the mating portion, a pair of lateral walls extending between the proximate and distal end faces and opposite to each other in a second direction transverse to the first transverse direction, and a pair of tongue engaging groove units formed in the lateral walls, respectively, and extending from the proximate end face towards the distal end face and crossing over at least one of the solder tail portions. The metal shield is disposed to shield the contact portions and the solder tail portions from electromagnetic interference in the second transverse direction. The metal shield includes a tubular shell with first and second open ends opposite to each other in the longitudinal direction. The tubular shell includes a first tubular portion enclosing and cooperating with the mating portion to define an annular receiving space therebetween that is adapted to accommodate the shielded electrical plug connector when the latter is inserted thereinto via the first open end, and second tubular portion that extends integrally from and in alignment with the first tubular portion and that encloses the terminal aligning portion. The second tubular portion has at least one pair of opposite side walls spaced apart from each other in the second transverse direction and extending in the first transverse direction to form a pair of spaced apart lowermost portions facing the lateral walls, respectively, at least two pairs of mounting legs each pair being spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction by a bendable portion with a length corresponding to a respective one of the tongue engaging groove units and extending in the first transverse direction from the lowermost portions of the side walls. The mounting legs are adapted to be inserted into the circuit board. Each of the two engaging tongues is formed by punching and bending the bendable portion of a respective one of the lowermost portions of the side walls such that the engaging tongues extend toward each other in the second transverse direction to engage the tongue engaging groove units of the lateral walls, respectively, so as to prevent the lowermost portions of the side walls of the second tubular portion from being undesirably thrust away from the terminal aligning portion.


REFERENCES:
patent: 6095837 (2000-08-01), David et al.
patent: 6099349 (2000-08-01), Boutros
patent: 6109966 (2000-08-01), Chiou
patent: 6120323 (2000-09-01), Zhung et al.

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