Connector for circuit boards or the like

• US 3,884,544 A
• Filed: 10/17/1973
• Issued: 05/20/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Paul J. Huntzinger, Robert Graham Lundergan
• Original Assignee: Paul J. Huntzinger, Robert Graham Lundergan
• Inventors: Lundergan, Robert Graham, Huntzinger, Paul J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Parson, Jr., Marion
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hafer, Robert A.
• Application Number:
  US05/407,326
• Time in Patent Office: 580 Days
• Field of Search: 339/198,256,252,241,32,33,217 24/28A,216
• US Class Current: 439/594
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/58 terminals for insertion into holes
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/11 Resilient sockets carrying separate resilient parts H01R13/15
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/33 Contact members made of resilient wire
• 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

Abstract

A contact for use on printed circuit boards, or the like, or in establishing connections to at least one printed circuit board, includes a female contact assembly housing with an internal cavity. Top side and bottom holes are provided in the housing communicating with an internal cavity in which a contact member is located. Contact member includes a straight portion outwardly extending through one of the holes, and a curved portion within the cavity. Thus, when a male contact rod is inserted through one of the holes into the cavity, it contacts the curved portion of the contact within the cavity to establish an electrical conduction path thereto. The female assemblies are provided with an outstanding post with an enlarged portion adjacent its end from one side, and a hole of dimensions similar to that of the outstanding post and enlarged end to receive a similar post from an adjacent identical female connector assembly. The female assemblies can be fabricated in an alignment of the desired number, to form a female connector block of desired dimension. The male rods or posts are mounted in a header which can include, if desired, a clip which engages a shoulder of the female unit to thereby lock the male and female assemblies in connected relationship.

Claims

1. In an assembly of connectors for connecting external male terminals to female terminals, with each connector comprising:

an insulative housing having first and second oppositely positioned major surfaces lying respectively in first and second parallel planes, said side surfaces joining said first and second major surfaces;

a recessed chamber formed into said first major surface having side walls which define a generally trapezoidal cross sectional configuration for said chamber in a plane parallel to said parallel planes;

said housing further formed to have a tubular element extend axially from the bottom of said recessed chamber outwardly towards the plane of said first major surface;

at least first and second apertures formed in said side walls, and extending between the side surfaces of said housing and said recessed chamber, with said first aperture constructed to receive one of said external male terminals;

contact means comprising a post-like portion and a curled-around portion and positioned within said recessed chamber with said curled-around portion positioned around said tubular element with the axis of said curled-around portion being substantially perpendicular to said parallel planes, and said post-like portion extending through the second of said apertures; and

said housing further having a stub-like protuberance extending axially out from said second major surface and constructed to fit within the tubular element of a similar connector positioned adjacent thereto.

2. An assembly as in claim 1 in which:

said stub-like protuberance has an enlarged bulbous end;

in which the diameter of at least the first portion of the inside walls of said tubular element is larger than the diameter of a second portion of said inside walls of said tubular element positioned closer to the open end of said tubular element than said first portion; and

in which the sizes of said enlarged bulbous end of said stub-like protuberance and the inner configuration of said tubular element are constructed to enable the flared-out end of said stub-like element to pop into the inside of said cylindrical element when forced therein.

3. In an assembly of connectors for connecting external male terminals to external female terminals, with each connector comprising:

a housing having a generally block-shaped configuration with first and second oppositely positioned major surfaces lying respectively in first and second parallel planes;

a cavity formed into said first major surface having side walls which define a generally square cross sectional configuration for said cavity in a plane parallel to said parallel planes;

said housing further formed to have a cylindrically-shaped element extend axially from the bottom of said cavity outwardly towards the plane of said first major surface;

at least first and second apertures formed in the walls between the sides of said housing and said cavity, with said first aperture constructed to receive one of said external male terminals; and

contact means comprising a post-like portion and a curled-around portion and positioned within said cavity with the curled-around portion positioned concentrically around said cylindrically-shaped portion and said post-like portion extending through the second of said apertures;

said housing further having a stub-like protuberance extending axially out from said second major surface;

the inside of one of said cylindrically-shaped element and the stub-like element of an adjacent one of said housings being constructed to snap fit together.

4. An assembly as in claim 3 in which:

said stub-like protuberance has a bulbous end;

in which at least a first portion of the inside walls of said cylindrically-shaped element is generally bulbous in configuration and has a larger cross-sectional area than the cross-sectional area of a second portion of said cylindrically-shaped element positioned closer to the open end of said cylindrically-shaped element than said first portion; and

said cylindrically-shaped element; and

in which the size of said bulbous end of said stub-like protuberance and the inner configuration of said cylindrically-shaped element are constructed to have the flared end of said stub-like protuberance pop into the inside of said cylindrical element when forced therein.

5. A connector assembly for connecting an external male terminal to an external female terminal, and comprising:

a first housing member having a generally block-shaped configuration with first and second oppositely positioned major surfaces lying respectively in first and second parallel planes, and side surfaces joining said first and second major surfaces;

a recessed, closed channel formed in the first of said major surfaces and defined on its inner side by the outer surface of the wall of a tubular-shaped element and on its outer side by generally straight walls which form a square configuration in a plane parallel to said parallel planes;

at least a first and a second aperture formed in said straight walls between the said surfaces of said housing member and said recessed, closed channel;

contact means comprising a post-like portion and a curled-around portion, with axis of said curled-around configuration being substantially perpendicular to said parallel planes;

said contact means positioned within said recessed channel with the curled-around portion being positioned around said tubular-shaped element and said post-like portion extending through a first of said apertures; and

a second housing member comprising one major surface having a rod-like element extending axially and outwardly therefrom;

said rod-like element constructed to fit securely within the tubular-shaped member of said first housing to cover said recessed channel with the said one major surface of said second housing member.

6. An assembly as in claim 5, in which:

said rod-like element has an enlarged end;

in which at least a first portion of the inside walls of said cylindrically-shaped element is generally bulbous in configuration and has a larger cross-sectional area than the cross-sectional area of a second portion of said cylindrically-shaped element positioned closer to the open end of said cylindrically-shaped element than said first portion; and

tubular-shaped element; and

in which the sizes of said flared-out ends of said rod-like element and the inner configuration of said tubular-shaped element are constructed to have the bulbous ends of said rod-like element pop into the inside of said tubular-shaped element when forced therein.

7. In an assembly of connectors for connecting external male terminals to terminals, with each connector comprising:

an insulative housing having first and second oppositely positioned major surfaces lying respectively in first and second parallel planes, and side surfaces joining said first and second major surfaces;

a recessed chamber formed into said first major surface having side walls which define a generally trapezoidal cross sectional configuration for said chamber in a plane parallel to said parallel planes;

said housing further formed to have a rod-like element extend axially from the bottom of said recessed chamber outwardly towards the plane of said first major surface;

at least first and second apertures formed in the walls between the side surfaces of said housing and said recessed chamber, with said first aperture constructed to receive one of said external male terminals;

contact means comprising a post-like portion and a curled-around portion and positioned within said recessed chamber with said curled-around portion thereof being positioned around said rod like element with the axis of said curled-around portion being substantially perpendicular to said parallel planes, and said post-like portion extending through the second of said apertures; and

means for connEcting two or more of said housings together with the said second major surface of a given housing being closely adjacent the first major surface of the adjacent housing.

8. A connector assembly comprising a plurality of similar connectors for connecting external male terminals to external female terminals, with each connector comprising:

a first housing member having a generally block-shaped configuration with first and second oppositely positioned major surfaces lying respectively in first and second parallel planes, and side surfaces joining said first and second major surfaces;

a recessed, closed channel formed in the first of said major surfaces and defined on its inner side by the outer surface of the wall of a rod-like element and on its outer side by generally straight walls forming a square;

at least a first and a second aperture formed in the walls between said side surfaces of said housing member and said recessed, closed channel;

contact means comprising a post-like portion and a curled-around portion, with the axis of said curled-around configuration being substantially perpendicular to said parallel planes;

said contact means positioned within said recessed channel with the curled-around portion being positioned around said rod-like element and said post-like portion extending through a first of said apertures; and

means for securing together two or more of said connectors in a row with the said second major surface of a given housing covering the first major surface of the adjacent housing.