Electrical connectors – Coupling part with actuating means urging contact to move... – Having open slot for receiving preformed panel circuit...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-09
2001-12-04
Paumen, Gary (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
Coupling part with actuating means urging contact to move...
Having open slot for receiving preformed panel circuit...
Reexamination Certificate
active
06325653
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a terminal connecting apparatus for a storage device. More specifically, the invention relates to a terminal connecting apparatus for electrically connecting a terminal portion of a storage device, such as an IC card, to a predetermined circuit terminal portion or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, storage media generally called memory cards for use in the transferring of money, the send and receive of information and so forth, and apparatuses for writing/reading in/out of such storage media have been developed. Such an apparatus for writing/reading in/out of a storage device uses a terminal connecting apparatus for electrically connecting a terminal portion (for input/output) of the storage device to a predetermined circuit terminal portion.
A conventional example of such a terminal connecting apparatus for a storage device is shown in
FIGS. 22 and 23
. In
FIG. 22
, the terminal connection apparatus for a storage device comprises a frame
3
, provided on a circuit substrate
2
, for receiving a substantially plate-shaped storage device
1
, and a connector
8
provided in the frame
3
. As shown in
FIG. 23
, the storage device
1
has a plurality of terminal portions
10
(see FIG.
22
), and the circuit substrate
2
has a plurality of circuit terminal portions
20
, each of which corresponds to a corresponding one of the terminal portions
10
of the storage device
1
.
The connector
8
has a plurality of conductive plate springs
80
. Each of the plate springs
80
has a contact protruding portion
82
corresponding to a corresponding one of the terminal portions
10
of the storage device
1
, and a fixed end portion
84
soldered to a corresponding one of the circuit terminal portions
20
of the circuit substrate
2
. As the storage device
1
is inserted into the frame
3
, the contact protruding portions
82
of the plate springs
80
are depressed. When the insertion of the storage device
1
is completed, the contact protruding portions
82
of the plate springs
80
resiliently contact the corresponding terminal portions
10
of the storage device
1
.
However, in the above described conventional terminal connecting apparatus, each of the terminal portions
10
of the storage device
1
and the corresponding one of the contact protruding portions
82
of the plate springs
80
rub against each other every time the storage device
1
is inserted or ejected, so that the terminal portions
10
and the contact protruding portions
82
tend to be worn away. Therefore, there is a problem in that the durable number of inserting/ejecting operations of the storage device
1
is small.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to eliminate the aforementioned problems and to provide a terminal connecting apparatus for a storage device, which can improve the durable number of inserting/ejecting operations of the storage device by decreasing the wearing of the terminal portions of the storage device.
In order to accomplish the aforementioned and other objects, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a terminal connecting apparatus for a storage device having a terminal side face, on which a terminal portion is formed, the terminal connecting apparatus comprising: a frame for receiving the storage device; a conductive connecting member having one end portion for contacting the terminal portion of the storage device; and a moving mechanism, mounted on the frame, for moving the one end portion of the connecting member toward the terminal portion of the storage device with the insertion of the storage device into the frame.
According to such a terminal connecting apparatus for a storage device, when the storage device is inserted into the frame, the moving mechanism moves the one end portion of the connecting member toward the terminal portion of the storage device to bring the one end portion of the connecting member into contact with the terminal portion of the storage device. In this case, it is possible to considerably shorten the distance, by which the one end portion of the connecting member slides on the terminal portion of the storage device. Therefore, the one end portion of the connecting member and the terminal portion of the storage device can be electrically connected to each other without substantially rubbing against each other. Therefore, it is possible to considerably improve the durable number of inserting/ejecting operations of the storage device.
In order to surely establish the electrical connection using the connecting member, the connecting member is preferably a spring connector. In this case, the contact pressure applied between the terminal portion of the storage device and the one end portion of the spring connector is gradually increased from zero by the function of the spring until the connection is completed after the one end portion of the spring connector starts to contact the terminal portion of the storage device. Therefore, even if the terminal portion of the storage device and the one end portion of the spring connector slightly rub against each other, the mean contact pressure does not so increase, so that it is possible to decrease the influence on wearing.
The moving mechanism may have an oscillating member which is mounted on said frame so as to be oscillatable about an oscillating axis extending in a direction parallel to said terminal side face of said storage device and perpendicular to an insert-direction of said storage device.
The terminal connecting apparatus may further comprise a circuit substrate, which is mounted on the frame and which has a circuit terminal portion corresponding to the terminal portion of the storage device, and the other end portion of the connecting member may always resiliently contact the circuit terminal portion of the circuit substrate. In this case, since the other end portion of the spring connector always resiliently contacts the circuit terminal portion of the circuit substrate, the terminal portion of the storage device is electrically connected to the circuit terminal portion of the circuit substrate by the spring connector when the storage device is inserted into the frame.
The moving mechanism may have a holding member for holding the connecting member. In addition, the oscillating member may have one end side connected to the holding member, and the other end side corresponding to an inserted-side end portion of the storage device. Moreover, the other end side of the oscillating member may be pressed by the inserted-side end portion of the storage device with the insertion of the storage device into the frame, so that the one end side of the oscillating member can oscillate so as to approach the terminal side face of the storage device.
In this terminal connecting apparatus, the terminal side face of the storage device may have the terminal portion on an inserted-side end portion thereof, and a step portion behind the terminal portion with respect to the insert-direction of the storage device, the step portion having a thickness greater than that of the terminal portion. In addition, the oscillating member may have one end side corresponding to the step portion of the storage device, and the other end side holding the connecting member. Moreover, the one end side of the oscillating member may be pressed by the step portion of the storage device with the insertion of the storage device into the frame, so that the other end side of the oscillating member can oscillate so as to approach the terminal side face of the storage device.
In this case, the terminal connecting apparatus preferably further comprises a resiliently biasing member for biasing the oscillating member in an oscillating direction so that the other end side of the oscillating member leaves the terminal side face of the storage device. Thus, the attitude of the oscillating member can be stably held in a state for allowing the insertion of the storage
Dickstein , Shapiro, Morin & Oshinsky, LLP
Kabushiki Kaisha Yokowo
Nguyen Phuongchi
Paumen Gary
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