ZIF socket having lever retention means

Details ZIF socket having lever retention means ZIF socket having lever retention means

2001-08-15

2002-05-07

Patel, Tulsidas (Department: 2839)

Electrical connectors

With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in...

Including compound movement of coupling part

Reexamination Certificate

active

06383006

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally related to a ZIF (zero insertion force) socket, and particularly to ZIF socket having a retention means formed on a base of the socket to retain effectively a lever of the socket in a vertical position with regard to the base.
2. Description of the Related Prior Art
The CPUs are more and more popular in the computer industry. As well known, the CPU is commonly connected to a mother board through a ZIF socket which is directly mountably soldered on the mother board. It is noted that the ZIF socket generally includes a base securely mounted onto the mother board, and a cover slidably moved with regard to such base by way of lever means whereby the CPU may be loaded onto the socket in a ZIF status when the lever is in a vertical position and the socket is in an open state, and the conductive pins of the CPU can engage the corresponding contacts in the socket for operative signal transmission when the lever is in a horizontal position and the socket is in a closed state. Prior art ZIF sockets are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,722,848, and 5,167,515. A related art is shown in
FIG. 5
, which discloses a ZIF socket
1
comprising a base
11
, a cover
12
slidably mounted to the base
11
and a lever
13
including an actuation handle
131
and a cam shaft
132
joined with each other at an angle. The cover
12
has an upper half channel
120
and the base
11
has a bottom half channel
110
wherein the upper channel
120
joins with the bottom channel
110
to form a fall channel enclosing the cam shaft
132
therein. In assembly, the can shaft
132
is received in the bottom half channel
110
and the handle
131
is exposed to one side of the base
11
. A CPU (not shown) is loaded onto the cover
12
under zero insertion force when the lever is in a vertical position. After the handle
131
is driven to a horizontal position, conductive pins of the CPU will engage with conductive means of the socket
1
and the socket
1
is in a closed state.
This type of socket includes several disadvantages. First, it is difficult to load the cover
12
onto the base
13
if the lever
13
has shifted from the vertical position a certain angle and the CPU cannot be loaded onto the socket under a zero insertion force. Secondly, the cover
12
and the base
11
will nip the pins of the CPU tightly if the handle
132
of the lever
13
so shifts from the vertical position that the cover
12
slides a distance against the base
11
. Furthermore, the cam shaft
132
will push the cover
12
a certain distance from the right position in a horizontal direction for being fixed on the cover
12
straight. Therefore the CPU is difficult to be pulled out and pins of the CPU will have a tendency of being damaged.
Hence, an improved ZIF socket having retention means is required to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a ZIF socket having retention means directly formed on a base of the socket to effectively retain a lever at a right position relative to the base.
To achieve the above-mentioned object, a ZIF socket in accordance with the present invention comprises a base defining a bottom half channel and a cover defining an upper half channel wherein the bottom half channel joins with the upper half channel to form a full channel enclosing a lever of the socket having a cam shaft and a handle. A retention means is fixed on the rear portion of the base, a resilient arm extends from top portion of the retention means forwardly formed a recess thereon. The handle is position by one side of the socket and can be retained by the recess in a right position with regard to the base.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present embodiment when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5167515 (1992-12-01), Matsuoka et al.
patent: 5489217 (1996-02-01), Scheitz et al.
patent: 5679020 (1997-10-01), Lai et al.
patent: 5697803 (1997-12-01), Kistner et al.
patent: 5722848 (1998-03-01), Lai et al.
patent: 5947778 (1999-09-01), Lai et al.

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