Withdrawable contact and a connector using the same

• US 6,048,232 A
• Filed: 02/24/1998
• Issued: 04/11/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Chen, Chu-Mei
• Primary Examiner(s): DONOVAN, LINCOLN D
• Application Number:
  US09/028,969
• Time in Patent Office: 777 Days
• Field of Search: 439/733.1, 439/741, 439/884, 439/869, 439/870.2, 439/816, 439/817, 439/819, 439/825
• US Class Current: 439/733.1
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/585 Terminals having a press fit or a compliant portion and a shank passing through a hole in the printed circuit board
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/716 Coupling device provided on the PCB
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/422 Securing in resilient one-piece base or case, e.g. by friction; One-piece base or case formed with resilient locking means

Abstract

A connector defining a plurality of apertures detachably receives a plurality of withdrawable contacts therein. Each contact includes a contacting portion, an intermediate portion which is formed with at least one curved concave portion for slidably receiving a protrusion projecting from at least one of two opposite inner walls which bound each aperture, and a soldering portion extending downward from the intermediate portion.

Claims

1. An electrical connector comprising:

an insulative housing and at least one contact detachably received in the housing, the at least one contact being formed with at least one curved concave portion at an intermediate portion thereof;

the insulative housing comprising a bottom, two side walls projecting upward from the bottom, and a slot defined between the bottom and the two side walls for receiving a complementary connector;

at least one aperture being defined in the bottom of the insulative housing bound by at least two opposite inner walls and at least one protrusion projecting laterally from an intermediate portion of at least one of the at least two inner walls;

wherein the at least one curved concave portion of the at least one contact slidably engages with the at least one protrusion of the at least one of the at least two inner walls of the housing;

wherein the at least one contact comprises a contacting portion for electrically contacting with a corresponding contact of the complementary connector received in the slot, an engaging portion including the at least one curved concave portion and being detachably received in the at least one aperture of the bottom of the housing, and a soldering portion extending from the engaging portion for being soldered to an external printed circuit board; and

wherein the engaging portion of the at least one contact is formed with an upper portion, an intermediate portion which is formed with the at least one curved concave portion, and a lower portion, and wherein the intermediate portion is narrower than the upper portion and the lower portion.

2. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one aperture of the bottom of the insulative housing has an upper opening space for retaining the upper portion of the engaging portion of the at least one contact, an intermediate space from which projects the at least one protrusion of at least one of the at least two opposite inner walls, and a lower opening space for receiving the lower portion of the engaging portion of the at least one contact, and wherein the upper opening space is dimensioned to be substantially equal to the size of the upper portion of the engaging portion of the at least one contact thereby restricting lateral movement of the contact.

3. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 2, wherein the lower opening of the housing is larger than the lower portion of the contact.

4. An electrical connector comprising:

an insulative housing and at least one contact detachably received in the housing;

the insulative housing comprising a bottom, two side walls projecting upward from the bottom, and a slot defined between the bottom and the two side walls for receiving a complementary connector;

at least one aperture being defined in the bottom of the insulative housing bound by at least two opposite inner walls and at least one protrusion projecting laterally from an intermediate portion of at least one of the at least two inner walls;

the at least one contact comprising a contacting portion for electrically contacting with a corresponding contact of the complementary connector received in the slot, an engaging portion including an upper portion, an intermediate portion which is formed with at least one curved concave portion detachably received in the at least one aperture of the housing, and a lower portion, and wherein the upper portion is wider than both the intermediate and the lower portions, and the intermediate portion is narrower than the lower portion, and a soldering portion extending from the engaging portion for being soldered to an external printed circuit board;

wherein the at least one curved concave portion of the at least one contact slidably engages with the at least one protrusion of in the at least one aperture of the insulative housing;

wherein the at least one aperture of the bottom of the insulative housing has an upper opening space for retaining the upper portion of the engaging portion of the at least one contact, an intermediate space from which projects the at least one protrusion of at least one of the at least two opposite inner walls, and a lower opening space for receiving the lower portion of the engaging portion of the at least one contact, and wherein the upper opening space is dimensioned to be substantially equal to the size of the upper portion of the engaging portion of the at least one contact thereby restricting lateral movement of the contact.