Smart card connector

• US 6,241,557 B1
• Filed: 03/21/2000
• Issued: 06/05/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amphenol-Tuchel Electronics GmbH (Amphenol Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Amphenol-Tuchel Electronics GmbH (Amphenol Corporation)
• Inventors: Reichardt, Manfred
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, TULSIDAS C
• Application Number:
  US09/531,520
• Time in Patent Office: 441 Days
• Field of Search: 439/64, 439/260, 439/76.1, 439/630, 439/637, 439/638, 439/945, 439/946.2, 439/928.1, 361/737, 361/684, 361/735, 361/729
• US Class Current: 439/637
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0021 for reading/sensing record carriers having surface contacts
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0034 the connector being capable of simultaneously receiving a plurality of cards in the same insertion slot

Abstract

A smart card connector, in particular a SIM-card connector has a top portion supporting contact elements (30) and a bottom portion supporting contact elements (31) disposed in a spaced relationship to the top portion, said top portion (12) and said bottom portion (13) form a card slot (14) in which two smart cards, in particular SIM-cards can be inserted in such a manner that one card (27) faces with its card contacts (29) towards the contact portions of the contact elements (30) of the top portion whereas the other SIM-card (28) faces with its card contacts (290) towards the contact portions of the contact elements (31) of the bottom portion.

Claims

1. A SIM-card connector comprising a first portion which supports first contact elements and a second portion which supports second contact elements, the second portion being disposed in a spaced relationship to the first portion,

said first portion and said second portion forming a card slot into which two SIM-cards may be inserted in such a manner that one SIM-card faces with its card contacts towards the contact portions of the contact elements of the first portion whereas the other SIM-card faces with its card contacts towards the contact portions of the contact elements of the second portion;

and

wherein the cards are insertable into the card slot by means of a card carrier.

2. The SIM-card connector as set forth in claim 1, wherein the card carrier has the shape of a drawer forming on both of its sides a respective card pocket.

3. The SIM-card connector as set forth in claim 2, wherein each of said card pockets is provided with a chamfer which serves as a stop for respective card chamfers formed by said cards.

4. The SIM-card connector as set forth in claim 2, wherein each card pocket comprises a supporting surface for the card to be inserted and lateral card guide means formed by projections.

5. The SIM-card connector as set forth in claim 4, wherein the card pockets receive the cards with their long or transverse sides first and the guiding is achieved at the respective short sides of the cards.

6. The SIM-card connector as set forth in claim 1, wherein the carrier comprises an asymmetric guide means to insure its insertion into the connector in the right orientation.

7. A SIM-card connector comprising a housing which forms a card slot,

a first group of contact springs in a first portion of the housing including contact portions which project into the card slot,

a second group of contact springs in a second portion of the housing including contact portions which project into the card slot in a direction opposite to the direction in which the contact portions of the first group of contact springs project into the card slot,

said contact portions of the first group of contact springs are displaced in relation to the contact portions of the contact springs of the second group such that SIM-cards having the same arrangement or pattern of card contacts are adapted to mate or contact with the respective contact portions when the SIM-cards are inserted with respective orientations rotated with respect to each other by 180°

about the transverse axis; and

wherein the cards are inserted into the card slot by means of a card carrier.

8. The SIM-card connector as set forth in claim 7, wherein the card carrier has the shape of a drawer forming on both of its sides a respective card pocket.

9. The SIM-card connector as set forth in claim 8, wherein each of said card pockets is provided with a chamfer which serves as a stop for respective card chamfers formed by said cards.

10. The SIM-card connector as set forth in claim 8, wherein each card pocket comprises a supporting surface for the card to be inserted and lateral card guide means formed by projections.

11. The SIM-card connector as set forth in claim 10, wherein the card pockets receive the cards with their long or transverse sides first and the guiding is achieved at the respective short sides of the cards.

12. The SIM-card connector as set forth in claim 7, wherein the carrier comprises an asymmetric guide means to insure its insertion into the connector in the right orientation.

13. A smart card connector having a first portion which supports first contact elements and a second portion which supports second contact elements disposed in a spaced relationship to the first portion,

said first portion and said second portion forming a card slot into which two smart cards may be inserted in such a manner that one smart card faces with its card contacts towards the contact portions of the contact elements of the first portion whereas the other smart card faces with its card contacts towards the contact portions of the contact elements of the second portion;

and

wherein the smart cards are inserted into the card slot by means of a card carrier.

14. The smart card connector as set forth in claim 13, wherein the card carrier has the shape of a drawer forming on both of its sides a respective card pocket.

15. The smart card connector as set forth in claim 14, wherein each of said card pockets is provided with a chamfer which serves as a stop for respective card chamfers formed by said smart cards.

16. The smart card connector as set forth in claim 14, wherein each card pocket comprises a supporting surface for the smart card to be inserted and lateral card guide means formed by projections.

17. The smart card connector as set forth in claim 16, wherein the card pockets receive the cards with their long or transverse sides first and the guiding is achieved at the respective short sides of the smart cards.

18. Smart card connector as set forth in claim 13, wherein the carrier comprises an asymmetric guide means to insure its insertion into the connector in the right orientation.