Low profile electrical connector with improved board lock

• US 6,210,219 B1
• Filed: 12/08/1999
• Issued: 04/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Zhu, ZiQiang, Mou, ZhiQuan
• Primary Examiner(s): Paumen, Gary F.
• Application Number:
  US09/457,610
• Time in Patent Office: 482 Days
• Field of Search: 439/79, 439/567, 439/607, 439/609, 439/939
• US Class Current: 439/567
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/7029 not integral with the coupling device
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6275 Latching arms not integral with the housing H01R13/6276, H01R13/6277, H01R13/6278 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 439/939 with grounding to metal mounting panel

Abstract

A low profile electrical connector of the present invention comprises a housing, a plurality of terminals received in the housing, a shield covering a front of the housing, a pair of grounding members attached to the shield, a bracket mountable on a printed circuit board for engaging with the housing, and a pair of board locks mounted to the bracket for engaging with a printed circuit board. The bracket includes a base comprising a top face and a bottom face, a pair of spacing plates projecting upwardly from a top face of the base, and two mounting portions situated at a front of the base. A bottom end of the mounting portion is lower than the bottom face of the base. The bottom face of the base is mounted to an edge of the circuit board. A finger extends forward from the grounding member, which is engaged with a front face of the shield, to establish electrical grounding contact with a panel of a computer.

Claims

1. A low profile electrical connector comprising:

an insulative housing having a face and a mating projection projecting from the face, a mating slot being defined through the housing from a front edge of the mating projection to a rear side of the face;

a plurality of terminals each having a contact portion at one end thereof received in the mating slot and a tail portion at the other end thereof extending out of the insulative housing;

a bracket mounted on an edge of a printed circuit board and receiving the insulative housing, the bracket having a base defining a top face and a bottom face, a plurality of positioning holes through the top and the bottom faces for insertion of the tail portions of the terminals, a pair of spacing plates extending upwardly from the top face of the base, and two mounting portions at a front of the base, a bottom end of the mounting portion being lower than the bottom face of the base;

a pair of board locks each having a first wall portion, a second wall portion perpendicular to the first wall portion, and a pair of locking legs vertically depending from the second wall portion and through the base for securing the bracket to the circuit board, the first wall portion and the second wall portion securely affixed respectively to the mounting portion and the spacing plate of the bracket;

a metal shield covering the face and the mating projection of the insulative housing;

a grounding member having a main body attached to the shield, and a finger extending forward for contacting a computer panel; and

a rivet extending through and securing the first wall portion of the board lock, the mounting portion of the bracket, the face of the housing, the shield, and the main body of the grounding member together;

wherein the base defines two retaining holes at opposite ends thereof for receiving the locking legs of the board locks, and a positioning stop laterally projects from each of the locking legs of the board lock for pressing against the inner wall of the retaining hole;

wherein each spacing plate is situated between the plurality of positioning holes and one of the retaining holes at opposite ends of the base;

wherein the mounting portion has an inverted U-shaped slot for the rivet to extend therethrough;

wherein two ribs rearwardly extend from the face of the insulative housing opposite to the mating projection, and a wing inwardly and forwardly extends from each spacing plate of the bracket to define a groove together with the spacing plate for receiving the rib;

further comprising a pair of locking members each assembled against a corresponding grounding member, and wherein the rivet secures the locking member against the corresponding grounding member.