EIGHT-PIN ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR AND USB CONNECTOR

• US 20030153213A1
• Filed: 02/08/2002
• Published: 08/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Siddiqui, Kabir, Jacobson, Jeremy
• Granted Patent: US 6,626,706 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 439/668
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2105/00 Three poles
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2107/00 Four or more poles
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/58 Contacts spaced along longitudinal axis of engagement
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 27/00 Coupling parts adapted for co-operation with two or more dissimilar counterparts for dissimilar contact members H01R13/35; supported only by co-operation with a counterpart H01R31/00; with a holder adapted for supporting apparatus to which its counterpart is attached H01R33/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/60 including speech amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6058 involving the use of a headset accessory device connected to the portable telephone

Abstract

An electrical connector and a USB connector are provided. The electrical connector includes a main connector housing having an upper pin housing and a lower pin housing. A stereo plug that protrudes from a front surface of the main connector housing lies between the inner surface of the lower pin housing and the inner surface of the upper pin housing. The electrical connector is adapted to connect to a jack. The upper pin housing and the lower pin housing are adapted to connectively engage a forward plug port housing of the jack. The jack is mounted within the casing of an electronic device such as a hand-held personal computer, a personal digital assistant, a wireless telephone, or a paging device. When the electrical connector is connected to the jack, the upper pin housing is inserted into an upper housing receiving port and the lower pin housing is inserted into a lower housing receiving port so that the electrical connector is mated to the casing of the electronic device. The improved USB connector includes a connector body, a USB connector plug, an alignment post and electrical power contacts on each side of the alignment post. A locking latch may be disposed along an upper surface of the alignment post for engaging a locking latch detent disposed in an interior upper surface of the alignment post port.

Claims

1. An improved electrical connector, comprising:

a main connector housing having;

an upper pin housing, the upper pin housing having an outer surface and an inner surface, the outer surface forming a continuous surface with a surface of the main connector housing;

the upper housing having a pair of electrical contact pins disposed along the inner surface of the upper housing;

a lower pin housing disposed in spaced-apart relation to the upper pin housing, the lower pin housing having an outer surface and an inner surface, the outer surface forming a continuous surface with the surface of the main connector housing, the inner surface facing the inner surface of the upper pin housing;

the lower pin housing having a pair of electrical contact pins disposed along the inner surface of the lower pin housing; and

a stereo plug protruding from a front surface of the main connector housing between the inner surface of the lower pin housing and the inner surface of the upper pin housing.

2. The electrical connector of claim 1,

whereby the electrical connector is adapted to connect to a jack;

wherein the stereo plug is adapted to connectively insert into a plug port of the jack, and

wherein the upper pin housing and the lower pin housing are adapted to connectively engage a forward plug port housing of the jack.

3. The electrical connector of claim 2,

whereby the stereo plug includes a plurality of electrical contact pins for engaging a corresponding plurality of electrical contacts disposed along an interior surface of the plug port of the jack.

4. The electrical connector of claim 3,

whereby the pair of electrical contact pins of the upper pin housing engage a corresponding pair of electrical contacts disposed along an upper surface of a forward section of the plug port housing of the jack.

5. The electrical connector of claim 4,

whereby the pair of electrical contact pins of the lower pin housing engage a corresponding pair of electrical contacts disposed along a lower surface of a forward section of the plug port housing of the jack.

6. The electrical connector of claim 3,

whereby the plurality of electrical contact pins of the stereo plug comprise:

a microphone contact;

a right speaker contact;

a left speaker contact; and

an analog ground contact.

7. The electrical connector of claim 4,

whereby the pair of electrical contact pins of the upper housing includes:

a clock contact pin; and

a digital ground pin.

8. The electrical connector of claim 5,

whereby the pair of electrical contact pins of the lower housing includes:

a data pin; and

a power pin.

9. The electrical connector of claim 5,

whereby the jack is mounted within a casing of an electronic device, such that a face surface of the forward section of the jack is flush with an exterior surface of the casing of the electronic device;

whereby an upper housing receiving port is defined in the casing immediately above the upper surface of the forward section of the jack;

whereby a lower housing receiving port is defined in the casing immediately below the lower surface of the forward section of the jack; and

whereby, when the electrical connector is connected to the jack, the upper pin housing is inserted into the upper housing receiving port and the lower pin housing is inserted into the lower housing receiving port such that the electrical connector is mated to the casing of the electronic device.

10. The electrical connector of claim 9, whereby the electronic device is a hand-held personal computer.

11. The electrical connector of claim 9, whereby the electronic device is a hand-held personal digital assistant.

12. The electrical connector of claim 9, whereby the electronic device is a wireless telephone.

13. The electrical connector of claim 9, whereby the electronic device is a paging device.

14. An improved universal serial bus (USB) connector, comprising:

a connector body;

a USB connector plug defined along a first end of the connector body and protruding perpendicularly from a front face of the connector body;

an alignment post defined adjacent to the USB connector plug in spaced-apart relation to the USB connector plug and protruding perpendicularly from the front face of the connector body; and

a first electrical power contact defined on the front face of the connector body immediately adjacent to a first side of the alignment post, and a second electrical power contact defined on the front face of the connector body immediately adjacent to a second side of the alignment post.

15. The USB connector of claim 14, whereby:

the USB connector plug is adapted for connectively inserting into a mating plug port of a USB jack;

the alignment post is adapted to connectively insert into a corresponding alignment post port of the USB jack; and

the first and second electrical power contacts are adapted to engage first and second electrical power input contacts defined adjacent to first and second sides of the alignment post port of the USB jack.

16. The USB connector of claim 15, whereby the alignment post includes an alignment post guide member disposed along the first side of the alignment post for guiding the alignment post into the alignment post port.

17. The USB connector of claim 16, whereby the alignment post has a greater length than the USB connector plug such that the alignment post inserts into the alignment post port prior to insertion of the USB connector plug into the USB connector plug port to ensure the USB connector plug is in a proper orientation when it is inserted into the USB connector plug port.

18. The USB connector of claim 15, whereby the alignment post includes a locking latch disposed on an upper surface of the alignment post for engaging a locking latch detent disposed along an interior upper surface of the alignment post port for securing the USB connector to the USB jack.