Wear-preventive memory card connector

Details Wear-preventive memory card connector Wear-preventive memory card connector

2002-01-29

2003-06-17

Ta, Tho D. (Department: 2833)

Electrical connectors

With insulation other than conductor sheath

Plural-contact coupling part

C439S924200, C439S135000, C439S145000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06579126

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a memory card connector for accommodating a thin plastic memory card such as a credit card having an IC memory installed therein or a prepaid card, and more particularly to an improvement in or relating to the contact structure of the memory card connector.
2. Related Arts
Referring to
FIG. 11A
, a conventional memory card connector
10
has contacts
13
mounted in its card receptacle
11
, allowing their contact heads
13
a
to rise resiliently.
Referring to
FIG. 11B
, the memory card
12
has contacts
12
a
arranged on one side. The contact heads
13
a
of the contacts
13
are made to rub on the shaded area
12
b
of the front end
12
c
of the memory card
12
so that the contact heads
13
a
may be worn or defaced while the memory card is inserted or removed from the connector
10
.
After rubbing on the shaded area
12
b,
the contact heads
13
a
of the contacts
13
are put in contact with the contacts
12
a,
thereby making required electric connections therebetween for permitting data signals to be transferred from the memory card
12
to a device whose electric circuits are connected to the contacts
13
of the connector
10
. When inserted in the card receptacle
11
, the memory card
12
is prevented from slipping off; the card
12
is pushed against the ceiling of the card receptacle
11
by the rising heads of the contacts
13
.
Every time the memory card
12
is inserted or removed from the connector
10
, the hard contact heads
13
a
rub the shaded area
12
b,
and finally the shaded area
12
c
is worn or defaced in conformity with the trace of the contact heads
13
a,
and the contact heads
13
a
are worn, too. Also, disadvantageously the memory card
12
cannot be held fixedly in the connector
10
so far as friction is used to stop the surface of the memory card
12
sliding over the floor of the receptacle
11
of the connector
10
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above, one object of the present invention is to provide a memory card connector whose contact heads are allowed to rub nowhere before making contact with the contacts of a memory card.
To attain this object, a memory card connector having contact heads to make contact with the contacts of a memory card when inserted in the card receptacle of the memory card connector is improved according to the present invention in that it comprises contact limiting means responsive to insertion of the memory card into the card receptacle for preventing the contact heads from touching anywhere on the way to the contacts of the memory card.
With this arrangement the memory card is guaranteed to be free of being worn at the place where otherwise, the memory card would be rubbed by the contact heads.
The memory card connector includes a movable card-ejecting plate slidably fitted in the card receptacle, the limiting means comprising guide means for controlling the movement of the contact heads to the contacts of the memory in such a way that the contact heads may be prevented from touching anywhere on the way to the contacts of the memory card while the memory card is being inserted.
With this arrangement the card-ejecting plate takes a part of releasing the contact heads at the time the contact heads come close to the counter contacts of the memory card.
The movable card-ejecting plate may have card retainers to prevent the memory card from slipping off from the card connector.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be understood from the following description of a memory card connector according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention, which is shown in accompanying drawings.


REFERENCES:
patent: 4795897 (1989-01-01), Chalendard
patent: 5012078 (1991-04-01), Pernet
patent: 5667408 (1997-09-01), Broschard, III et al.
patent: 6250552 (2001-06-01), Hirasawa

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