Connector socket

• US 4,568,133 A
• Filed: 09/25/1984
• Issued: 02/04/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/1983
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hosiden Electronics Co. Ltd. (Hosiden Corporation), Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hosiden Electronics Co. Ltd. (Hosiden Corporation), Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ezure, Tadayoshi, Amano, Katsutoshi, Yamane, Yoshinori
• Primary Examiner(s): MCQUADE, JOHN P
• Application Number:
  US06/654,276
• Time in Patent Office: 497 Days
• Field of Search: 339/143 R, 339/143 T, 339/94 R, 339/94 M, 339/111, 339/14 R, 339/14 P
• US Class Current: 439/108
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/727 Coupling devices presenting arrays of contacts
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6485 Electrostatic discharge protection in general H05F1/00, for electric apparatus H05K9/0067

Abstract

Female contacts are fixedly held in insertion channels formed in a body of a connector socket. A conductive plate is disposed on a front face of the body in contact therewith. In the conductive plate are formed small holes of a diameter slightly greater than that of conductive pins of a plug, in opposing relation to the insertion holes. The conductive plate has an integral grounding terminal. The arrangement is such that, when the plug pins are inserted into the holes of the conductive plate, as the plug pins are being inserted into the female contacts of the socket, any electrostatic charge on the pins is discharged to ground via the conductive plate and grounding terminal rather than being discharged from the pins to the socket contacts.

Claims

1. A connector socket for electric connection with a plug upon insertion of the plug into the connector socket, comprising:

(a) a body fabricated of an insulative material, the front surface of said body defining an annular recess for receiving a cylindrical portion of the plug, said body including a cylindrical stud which is surrounded by said annular recess, said cylindrical stud having a plurality of contact housing channels defined therein, and said stud also defining pin insertion holes which extend to a front surface of said stud in communication with said contact housing channels;

(b) a plurality of contacts disposed in said contact housing channels, respectively, for electric connection to conductive pins of the plug upon insertion of the conductive pins through said pin insertion holes; and

(c) a flat, disc-shaped conductive plate whose shape and size is substantially the same as that of said front surface of said stud, said plate being mounted on said front surface of said stud and having small holes therein in confronting relation to said pin insertion holes, respectively, each of the holes in said disc-shaped conductive plate having a diameter slightly larger than that of the conductive pins of the plug, said conductive plate being integral with an elongated grounding terminal which extends from a marginal edge portion of said plate rearwardly of said plate at substantially right angles to the plane of said plate, said elongated grounding terminal being disposed within and extending along an elongated groove that is defined in the cylindrical surface of said stud whereby said rearwardly extending grounding terminal does not impede insertion of the cylindrical portion of the plug into said annular recess of said socket, the arrangement being such that when the tips of the conductive pins of the plug are positioned in said pin insertion holes, the distance between the conductive pins and the edges of the said small holes in said disc-shaped plate is less than the distance between the conductive pins and said contacts, whereby any electrostatic charge on the conductive pins of the plug is discharged via said plate and grounding terminal to ground rather than being discharged to said contacts of said socket.

2. A connector socket according to claim 1 wherein said contact are connected to terminals, said grounding terminal and said contact terminals projecting in spaced generally parallel relation to one another from one side of said body in directions transverse to the axis of said cylindrical stud.

3. The connector socket of claim 1 wherein said elongated grounding terminal has an aperture therein, said stud including a projection which extends into said aperture for locking said grounding terminal into place in said elongated groove.

4. The connector socket of claim 1 wherein said flat disch-shaped conductive plate has an elongated attachment leg for attaching said plate to said stud, said attachment leg being integral with said plate and extending rearwardly of said plate from a further marginal edge portion of said plate, said attachment leg being disposed within and extending along a further elongated groove that is defined in the cylindrical surface of said stud in spaced relation to said elongated grounding terminal.