Electrical connector with shortened contact

• US 5,591,035 A
• Filed: 10/06/1994
• Issued: 01/07/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: The Whitaker Corporation (Meggitt PLC)
• Original Assignee: The Whitaker Corporation (Meggitt PLC)
• Inventors: Burkholder, Shawn W., Stonemetz, Gary L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Paumen, Gary F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, TULSIDAS C
• Application Number:
  US08/318,960
• Time in Patent Office: 824 Days
• Field of Search: 439/79, 439/924, 29/826, 29/882, 29/874
• US Class Current: 439/79
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/724 containing contact members forming a right angle

Abstract

An electrical connector (1) having an insulating housing (3), and contacts (7) in the same row being of identical mass in respective contact receiving cavities (8), one of the contact receiving cavities (8) contains one of the contacts (7) that is shortened by a bend (24), and has its front end farther from a mating end (2) of the housing (3) than another of the contacts (7) in another of the contact receiving cavities (8).

Claims

1. An electrical connector comprising:

an insulating housing, and electrical contacts in respective contact receiving cavities in the housing, the contacts of at least a selected row thereof being initially identical in size and shape, the contacts having first portions for being received in interference fit in respective identical contact receiving cavities in the housing associated with said selected row, each of said contact first portions projecting to front ends adjacent a mating end of the connector, and each of said contact first portions in the housing being adapted to be configured with a bend remote from said front end thereof to effectively shorten said contact first portion, and to provide a combination of contacts within said selected row changeable during insertion of said first portions into respective said cavities to effect having said front ends at different distances from said mating end of the connector.

2. An electrical connector as recited in claim 1 wherein each said contact in said selected row includes prior to insertion a right angle bend remote from said front end thereof, and said bend shortening said selected contact is a modification of said right angle bend.

3. An electrical connector comprising:

an insulating housing, contact receiving cavities in the housing, and multiple electrical contacts in respective contact receiving cavities with front ends coextending to proximate a mating end of the housing, said front end of at least one of the contacts being spaced farther from a mating end of the housing than said front end of at least one other contact of identical mass, and said one of the contacts being shorter in length between positions of said front end thereof and a rearward end thereof than that of each said other contact of identical mass.

4. An electrical connector as recited in claim 3, wherein said one contact is shortened by a bend that is not present in each said other contact.

5. An electrical connector as recited in claim 3 wherein, the contact that is spaced farther from the mating end is shortened by a bend that is incurred during insertion of the contact into a contact receiving cavity.

6. An electrical connector as recited in claim 3 wherein, the contact that is spaced farther from the mating end is identical in shape with each said other contact except for being shortened by a bend that is not present in each said other contact.

7. A method of shortening a selected electrical contact, comprising the steps of:

inserting multiple electrical contacts along respective contact receiving cavities in an insulating housing of an electrical connector with a selected contact being inserted farther from a mating end of the housing than each other contact,

and shortening a rear portion on the selected contact by a bend that is not present in at least one other contact such that a front end of the selected contact remains recessed rearwardly relative to a front end of said at least one other contact while the rear portion of the selected contact is translated to a selected location.

8. A method as recited in claim 7 comprising the steps of:

forming the multiple contacts identical with one another prior to the step of inserting the multiple contacts along respective contact receiving cavities.

9. A method as recited in claim 7 comprising the steps of:

forming said initially identical contacts to have first portions insertable into respective said cavities in an interference fit;

forming prior to said contact insertion step, right angle bends in all said initially identical contacts and defining contact second portions; and

providing a tool for inserting said selected contact wherein said tool includes a relief recess adjacent said right angle bend and aligned with said front end of said selected contact, and said tool further includes a support surface engaging during contact insertion said contact second portion spaced from said right angle bend,

whereby, during insertion of said selected contact as said tool engages and supports said contact second portion to urge said contact first portion into said contact receiving cavity, said interference fit urges said right angle bend rearwardly into said tool relief recess such that a front end of said selected contact is spaced rearwardly from front ends of other said initially identical contacts upon full insertion.

10. An electrical connector comprising:

an insulating housing, and contacts of identical mass in respective contact receiving cavities, one of the contact receiving cavities contains one of the contacts that is further from a mating end of the housing than another of the contacts in another of the contact receiving cavities, and the contact receiving cavities being identical and adapted to receive the contacts interchangeably in the cavities.

11. An electrical connector as recited in claim 10, wherein, either one of the contact receiving cavities is adapted to receive identical contacts equally spaced from the mating end of the housing.

12. An electrical connector as recited in claim 10 wherein, the contact that is farther from the mating end is initially of identical shape as the contact of identical mass, and is shortened by a bend.

13. An electrical connector comprising:

multiple electrical contacts in respective contact receiving cavities of an insulating housing, wherein a front end of at least one of the contacts is spaced farther from a mating end of the housing to mate with another mating connector later than a front end of each other contact, and each said at least one of the contacts is identical in mass with the mass of each other contact, and is shorter in length between positions of said front end thereof and a rearward end thereof than said each other contact.

14. An electrical connector as recited in claim 13 wherein, the contact receiving cavities are identical and are adapted to receive the electrical contacts interchangeably in respective cavities to change said combination.

15. An electrical connector as recited in claim 13 wherein, the contacts are identical in shape, except for a bend in at least one contact to shorten said contact.

16. A method of effectively shortening a portion of a contact during insertion into a contact receiving cavity of an electrical connector housing, comprising the steps of:

providing a right angle bend in an electrical contact between first and second portions of said contact, with said first portion of said contact associated with said contact receiving cavity of said housing and insertable thereinto such that a front end of said first portion is positionable at a selected position along said cavity;

providing said first portion of said contact with a shape and dimension to generate an interference fit in said cavity upon insertion thereinto; and

providing a tool for inserting said contact including a relief recess adjacent said right angle bend and aligned with said front portion of said contact, and said tool further includes a support surface engaging during contact insertion said contact second portion spaced from said right angle bend,

whereby, during insertion of said selected contact as said tool engages and supports said contact second portion to urge said contact first portion into said contact receiving cavity, said interference fit urges said right angle bend rearwardly into said tool relief recess to selectively position said contact front end along said cavity.