Electrical connector

• US 6,524,124 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2002
• Issued: 02/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: JST Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: JST Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Yamane, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): PAUMEN, GARY F
• Application Number:
  US10/078,512
• Publication Number:
  US 20020115327A1
• Time in Patent Office: 369 Days
• Field of Search: 439/260, 439/495
• US Class Current: 439/260
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/721 cooperating directly with the edge of the rigid printed circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/79 connecting to rigid printed circuits or like structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/88 acting manually by rotating or pivoting connector housing parts

Abstract

An electrical connector for connection of a flat-type connection member includes a housing having an opening and a contact facing into the opening; and a cover pivotally movable between a close position and an open position. A support shaft for the pivotal movement of the cover is supported by a support portion of the housing as allowed to pivot and slidably move between a forward position and a rearward position. When the cover in the close position is slidably moved rearwardly along with the support shafts, engagement portions of the cover come into engagement with lock portions of the housing thereby locking the cover in the close position.

Claims

1. An electrical connector for connection of a flat-type connection member comprising:

an insulative housing having an opening and a plurality of contacts facing into the opening;

a synthetic-resin cover supported by the housing via a pair of support shafts and allowed to pivotally move between an open position and a close position to press the connection member against the contacts;

a pair of engagement portions disposed on the cover;

a pair of support portions disposed at the housing for supporting the pair of support shafts, respectively, and allowing the support shafts to pivot and to slidably move between a forward position and a rearward position; and

a pair of lock portions disposed at the housing and coming into engagement with the pair of engagement portions of the cover, respectively, during the rearward sliding movement of the cover in the close-position along with the pair of support shafts, thereby locking the cover in the close position.

2. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the contact includes a contact portion for establishing contact with the connection member inserted in the opening, and

wherein when the pair of support shafts are at the forward position and the cover is in the open position, formed above the contact portions of the contacts is a connection-member insertion space having a height equal to or greater than a thickness of the connection member.

3. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 2, wherein the contacts include a first and a second contact and the contact portions of the first and second contacts are arranged in a zigzag fashion as alternately shifted forwardly and rearwardly relative to each other.

4. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a metallic member partially embedded in the cover in the forming process of the cover, the metallic member including a pair of opposite ends exposed from the cover, the pair of support shafts disposed at the pair of opposite ends.

5. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a metallic member partially embedded in the cover in the forming of the cover, the metallic member including a pair of portions exposed from the cover, the pair of engagement portions disposed at the pair of exposed portions.

6. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a pair of metallic reinforcements fixed to a pair of lateral sides of the housing, the pair of support portions disposed at the pair of metallic reinforcements.

7. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 6,

wherein the housing is provided with a pair of fixing holes for the pair of metallic reinforcements,

wherein the metallic reinforcements each include a body portion, and an insertion portion extended rearwardly from the body portion and inserted in a corresponding fixing hole, and

wherein the body portion is provided with a fixing portion soldered to a board surface, a corresponding support portion and a corresponding lock portion.

8. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 7,

wherein the pair of support portions include a pair of support grooves, and

wherein each of the support grooves is defined between the body portion of a corresponding metallic reinforcement and an angle-shaped extension piece extended from the body portion.

9. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 8,

wherein the pair of support grooves each include an open end, the housing including a pair of stoppers facing into the respective open ends of the support groove pair, the pair of stoppers restricting the rearward positions of the pair of support shafts, respectively.

10. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the cover includes a rear edge portion,

wherein the contact includes a fork-shaped contact having a fixing piece and a resilient piece in opposed relation, and

wherein when the cover in the close position is slidably moved rearwardly, the fixing piece of at least one fork-shaped contact is relatively slidably moved on the rear edge portion of the cover.