Electrical connectors – With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in... – Coupling part for receiving edge of planar board moving...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-30
2001-04-03
Paumen, Gary F. (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in...
Coupling part for receiving edge of planar board moving...
Reexamination Certificate
active
06210195
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a card edge connector, and particularly to a card edge connector having retaining means for retaining an inserted daughter board in position.
2. Description of Prior Art
To meet the ever-increasing requirements of expanding computer memory, a card edge connector is commonly used to interconnect an inserted daughter board with a mother board on which the connector is mounted. In the prior art, an auxiliary retainer is commonly provided for retaining the daughter board in the card edge connector thereby insuring a reliable connection therebetween.
A currently used conventional retainer typically comprises a U-shaped body for receiving a card edge connector, and a pair of vertical recessed arms for retaining edges of an inserted daughter board. Such a retainer is mounted to a mother board, using means such as bolts and nuts. Pertinent devices are disclosed in Taiwan Patent Application Nos. 86215468 and 86219634. The assembly process of such a design is tedious and time-consuming. In addition, an auxiliary tool must be used during assembly and disassembly of the retainer, which is inconvenient. Furthermore, such a design compromises the integrity of the mother board due to the provision of holes therein for extension of the bolts and nuts. Too many components are also required thereby complicating shipping and handling.
Taiwan Patent Application No. 82205007 discloses another conventional retainer. As shown in
FIG. 8
, the retainer consists of a clasping member
40
and a separate vertical member
44
for respectively preventing upward and lateral movements of a daughter board
46
inserted into a card edge connector
47
. The clasping member
40
comprises opposite first and second clasping ends
41
and
42
, and a resilient portion
43
formed between the clasping ends
41
and
42
. The first clasping end
41
has an engaging hook
410
attached to the bottom of the connector
47
by double-face adhesive tape. The second clasping end
42
has a clasp
420
for clasping an upper edge of the daughter board
46
. The vertical member
44
is provided on an inner surface of a computer enclosure
45
and comprises two parallel strips for sandwiching a longitudinal edge of the daughter board
46
. This arrangement requires two components, i.e., the clasping member
40
and the vertical member
44
, to retain the daughter board
46
in position, thereby complicating manufacturing and increasing material waste, which results in high costs. In addition, it is difficult to attach the vertical member
44
to the inner surface of the computer enclosure
45
.
The present invention is directed at solving the aforesaid problems by providing a card edge connector which can retain an inserted daughter board in position without the need of an auxiliary retainer thereby reducing manufacturing costs and the number of components.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a card edge connector having retaining means formed thereon for retaining an inserted daughter board in position thereby eliminating the need of an auxiliary retainer.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a card edge connector with reduced number of components thereby facilitating manufacturing and reducing costs.
In order to achieve the objects set forth, a card edge connector in accordance with the present invention comprises an insulative housing defining an elongate slot for receiving a daughter board therein, an engaging arm formed on a longitudinal end of the housing with a receiving hole defined therethrough, a locking member for locking into the receiving hole of the arm, and a plurality of contacts received in passageways defined in the housing.
The receiving hole of the engaging arm may be a through hole or a polygonal hole. The locking member may have various forms, such as a locking pin, a resilient pin, a planar pin, or a combination of a resilient pin and an engaging post. In assembly, the locking member sequentially extends through a notch defined in a longitudinal edge of the daughter board and the receiving hole of the engaging arm. The locking member locks into the receiving hole and abuts against a lower edge of the notch of the daughter board to prevent the inserted daughter board from moving upward. The engaging arm abuts against a side surface of the daughter board and the locking member abuts against an opposite side surface of the daughter board thereby preventing a lateral movement of the inserted daughter board relative to the connector. Thus, the daughter board is securely retained in the connector.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5650917 (1997-07-01), Hsu
patent: 6027358 (2000-02-01), Lai et al.
Chung Wei Te
Hon Hai Precision Inc. Co., Ltd.
Paumen Gary F.
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