Universal serial bus connector

Details Universal serial bus connector Universal serial bus connector

2001-11-26

2002-06-04

Vu, Hien (Department: 2833)

Electrical connectors

Electromagnetic or electrostatic shield

Shielding individually surrounding or interposed between...

C439S573000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06398587

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to Universal Serial Bus (USB) electrical connectors, and more particularly to low-profile USB connectors that can be stably and reliably mounted on a printed circuit board.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The trend toward miniaturization of electronic devices demands that many such devices have a low profile. Accordingly, electrical connectors in an electronic device should have a low profile above a printed circuit board on which the connectors are mounted. In order to achieve this, a lower portion of such connectors is mounted below the printed circuit board. Examples of such mounting are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,457,570 and Taiwan Pat. Application No. 87217216.
FIG. 1
shows a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector with locating means, as disclosed in the Taiwan Pat. Application No. 87217216. Two side wings extend from two side walls of a metal shell
901
of a USB connector
9
. A through hole
91
is defined in each side wall. When the connector
9
is located in a cutout
95
of a circuit board
94
, the through holes
91
are aligned with two holes
92
defined in the circuit board
94
. The connector
9
can thereby be firmly latched to the circuit board
94
by using two bolts
93
extended through the through holes
91
and the holes
92
.
Each side wing
90
must be large enough to accommodate a through hole
91
, as well as provide sufficient area for soldering of the side wing
90
to the circuit board
94
. This takes up valuable space on the circuit board
94
that could otherwise be used to accommodate more circuitry and components. Additionally, USB specifications require that two resilient tabs
902
be formed at each of upper and lower walls of the shell
901
of the USB connector
9
, for engaging with a shell of a USB plug and attaining effective shielding and grounding. The side wings
90
are formed by stamping of the lower wall of the shell
901
, and the tabs
902
are also formed by stamping of the very same lower wall. Therefore the amount of the lower wall available for stamping of the side wings
90
is limited.
Accordingly, an improved low-profile USB connector having small and easily-formed grounding tabs is desired.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a low-profile electrical connector, particularly a low-profile USB connector, which can be securely mounted on a printed circuit board and which has a shielding shell and grounding tabs that are easily formed.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a low-profile electrical connector, particularly a low-profile USB connector, which has grounding tabs that occupy minimal space on a circuit board on which the connector is mounted.
To achieve the above object, an electrical connector in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises an insulative housing, a plurality of conductive contacts, and a metal shell. The housing includes a main body, and a tongue board extending forwardly from a front of the main body. The housing has a front side, a rear side, and a plurality of channels defined therein. The contacts are received in the channels. Each contact includes a mating portion for electrically engaging with a mating connector, a fixing portion fixed in the housing, and a tail portion protruding from the rear side of the housing. The shell shields the housing, and comprises first and second conductive shields. The first shield includes a pair of two-pronged fixing portions depending from opposite sides of the first shield respectively, and adapted to engage in a circuit board. The second shield includes two arms depending from a top of the second shield over outer faces of opposite sidewalls of the second shield respectively. Each arm forms a bent portion at a lower end thereof, for soldering to the circuit board. Each bent portion is located higher than a bottom of the shell. Each sidewall forms a pair of spring tongues adapted for electrically engaging with a metal shell of a mating connector. The fixing portions are disposed at a rear of the arms and higher than the bottom of the shell.
The electrical connector in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention is attached to the circuit board at four points evenly distributed around a periphery of the connector. The connector thus maintains sturdy and durable mechanical and grounding connection with the circuit board, even when it is subjected to unwanted force during docking or disengaging of the mating connector.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will be drawn from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the present invention with attached drawings, in which:


REFERENCES:
patent: 5622522 (1997-04-01), Tan et al.
patent: 5842886 (1998-12-01), Illa et al.
patent: 6109966 (2000-08-01), Chiou
patent: 6290540 (2001-09-01), Nishio et al.

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