Memory card connector

Details Memory card connector Memory card connector

2000-05-18

2001-08-14

Abrams, Neil (Department: 2839)

Electrical connectors

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

For dual inline package

Reexamination Certificate

active

06273739

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a connector for a memory card, such as a Subscriber ID Entity Module (SIM) card and the like.
Referring to
FIGS. 6 through 10
, there is shown a construction for this type of memory card connector of the prior art.
Referring to FIGS.
6
through
10
(A) and
10
(B), a memory card connector
1
is constructed from a housing
2
and a holder cover
3
. Housing
2
is provided on its upper surface with a space
2
a
, which is for receiving a SIM card
4
as the memory card. Housing
2
is also provided with a perimeter wall
2
b
which surrounds space
2
a.
In addition, housing
2
is provided with a plurality of connection terminals
5
(in the drawing, there are three). The area near one end of each of connection terminals
5
protrudes at the upper surface of housing
2
. Each of the other ends protrudes in a row at the opposing edges of housing
2
(in the drawing, the left and right edges).
Furthermore, referring to
FIG. 6
, housing
2
is provided with a rotation shaft
2
c
, which protrudes outward (in the upward and downward direction of
FIG. 6
) from both ends of the right edge in FIG.
6
.
Holder cover
3
is provided with a hinge part
3
a
, which latches onto rotation shaft
2
c
, which is provided on the housing. Holder cover
3
has a construction wherein by hinge part
3
a
latching onto rotation shaft
2
c
, holder cover
3
can rotate with respect to housing
2
.
Furthermore, holder cover
3
is provided with memory card latching tabs
3
b
and locking tabs
3
c
, which extend downward from both side edges (the upper and lower edges in the figure) and are further extended inward.
Hinge part
3
a
is constructed from a slot
3
d
, which extends towards both side edges of holder cover
3
. Hinge part
3
a
is constructed so that rotation shaft
2
c
is capable of sliding within slot
3
d.
According to this, holder cover
3
is brought from the open position shown in FIG.
6
and FIG.
7
(A) to the closed position shown in
FIG. 9
by rotating around rotation shaft
2
c
as shown in FIG.
8
. Furthermore, referring to
FIG. 9
, while rotation shaft
2
c
slides within slot
3
d
, holder cover
3
is moved towards the right with respect to housing
2
, and it is brought to the locked position shown in FIGS.
10
(A) and (B).
Referring to FIGS.
10
(A),
10
(B), in this locked position, locking tab
3
c
, which is provided on holder cover
3
, latches onto a latching part
2
d
, which is provided on the side edges of housing
2
. As a result, holder cover
3
is locked onto housing
2
.
According to memory card connector
1
with this construction, first, as shown in
FIG. 6
, holder cover
3
is in an open position in which holder cover
3
is open approximately 180 degrees with respect to housing
2
. Memory card
4
is set on the inside of memory card latching tabs
3
b
of holder cover
3
(refer to FIG.
7
(A)).
Next, referring to
FIG. 8
, as indicated by letters A, B, C, D, E, by rotating holder cover
3
in sequence with respect to housing
2
, holder cover
3
is brought to a closed position as shown in FIG.
9
.
Next, referring to
FIG. 9
, holder cover
3
slides with respect to housing
2
in the direction indicated by arrow X. By the latching of locking tab
3
c
of holder cover
3
onto latching part
2
d
of housing
2
, holder cover
3
is locked to housing
2
.
At this time, the contact part of memory card
4
, which has been set inside holder cover
3
, contacts one end of the corresponding connection terminal
5
, which is provided on housing
2
. In addition, the contact part of memory card
4
is pressed against one end of connection terminal
5
by holder cover
3
.
In this manner, memory card
4
, which is housed inside memory card connector
1
, which is installed in various devices, such as telephones, telecommunication devices and the like, can be connected with these various devices.
With memory card connector
1
having this construction, holder cover
3
is supported in a manner which allows for rotation around rotation shaft
2
c
, which is sideways with respect to the insertion direction of connector
1
. Therefore, because holder cover
3
is provided with locking tabs
3
c
on both side edges, the entire holder cover
3
becomes large, and the weight increases.
Furthermore, when receiving memory card
4
, after bringing holder cover
3
to the closed position by rotating around rotation shaft
2
c
, holder cover
3
is locked to housing
2
by sliding holder cover
3
in the horizontal direction and bringing it to the lock position. As a result, for the anchoring of memory card
4
, two motions of pivoting and sliding of holder cover
3
are necessary. As a result, the operational quality was not very good.
Furthermore, with holder cover
3
, only its hinge part
3
a
is latched to rotation shaft
2
c
on both side edges. While holder cover
3
is being rotated from the open position to the closed position, rotation shaft
2
c
can become shifted within slot
3
d
on one side of holder cover
3
. As a result, referring to
FIG. 12
, holder cover
3
can become slanted, and holder cover
3
is no longer capable of moving to the closed position.
OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
Learning from the above points, the object of the present invention is to provide a memory card connector, wherein the holder cover can be constructed in a small size and can be easily locked to the housing.
The invention provides the advantage that the cover is pivoted along one longitudinal side of an elongated housing in which an elongated memory card is received. In this manner, the cover pivots about an axis which is parallel to the parallel placed axes of the holer and the memory card, the result of which is the cover moving transversely across the memory card in moving to closed position. The cover thereby can be more conveniently user digitally manipulated between open and closed positions and because it is pivoted from a side of the holder, reduced cover size easily is achieved.
The above object can be achieved with the present invention of a memory card connector, the memory card connector being constructed from: a housing, which houses a memory card; a holder cover, which covers the memory card housed inside the housing; a plurality of connection terminals, which are built into the housing so that one end is opposite a contact part of said memory card housed inside said housing and is exposed at the surface of said housing and the other end protrudes from an edge of said housing, wherein: at one side edge which is sideways with respect to the longitudinal direction of said connector, said holder cover is supported so that, by pivoting around a rotation shaft provided on one side edge of said housing, said holder cover can be opened and closed with respect to said housing.
According to the memory card connector of the present invention, preferably, the above holder cover is provided on its other side edge with a hook of an elastic material which can latch to a latching part provided on the other side edge of the housing.
According to the memory card connector of the present invention, preferably, the above hook is formed in a unitary manner with the holder cover.
According to the memory card connector of the present invention, preferably, the above holder cover is supported so that it can slide along the above rotation shaft; and when the above holder cover slides along the rotation shaft to a lock position, latching tabs of the holder cover latch to projecting parts of the housing.
According to the memory card connector of the present invention, preferably, the above holder cover is provided with a window for finger latching at the time of opening and closing.
According to the memory card connector of the present invention, preferably, the above holder cover is provided with a protruding part which is adjacent to the above window.
With the above construction, the holder cover is capable of pivoting with respect to the housing at one side edge which is sideways with respect to t

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