Connector for printed circuit boards

• US 6,837,734 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2003
• Issued: 01/04/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: JST Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: JST Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Makita, Takaaki, Horii, Toshiaki, Kawamoto, Ryoichi, Ushio, Kohei
• Primary Examiner(s): Ta, Tho D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Harvey, James R.
• Application Number:
  US10/634,771
• Publication Number:
  US 20040033715A1
• Time in Patent Office: 517 Days
• Field of Search: 439/249, 439/350, 439/352, 439/354, 439/357
• US Class Current: 439/357
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/58 terminals for insertion into holes
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/7023 integral with the coupling device
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/716 Coupling device provided on the PCB
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/75 connecting to cables except for flat or ribbon cables
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 43/205 with a panel or printed circuit board

Abstract

A system and method for transporting connectors for printed circuit boards using connectors which are protected from tilting in a magazine case. Each connector (11) for printed circuit boards has a housing (13) narrow and elongate to hold a few contacts (12), a pair of lockable elastic legs (15) disposed at lower end regions of opposite lateral walls (14) of the housing and protruding sideways, and locking pawls (16) formed integral with the respective elastic legs. A pair of supplementary lugs (17) formed integral with upper end regions of the lateral walls (14) also protrude sideways the same distance as the pawls, so that when the connectors are driven forth within a magazine case (25), the neighboring supplementary lugs (17) will contact each other simultaneously as the neighboring pawls (16) jostle one another, protecting the connectors from tilting, and thus delivering them in line and in an ordinarily way.

Claims

1. A system for transporting connectors for printed circuit boards comprising:

a magazine case having a longitudinal axis and a plurality of exterior sidewalls parallel to the longitudinal axis for holding and for transporting a plurality of connectors for printed circuit boards along the longitudinal axis;

a plurality of connectors for printed circuit boards provided within the magazine case, each of the plurality of connectors comprising;

a housing having a width, a depth and a length perpendicular to and longer than the width and the depth, the housing holding therein at least one contact having a longitudinal axis extending in the length direction,

a pair of lockable elastic legs disposed at lower end regions of opposite lateral walls of the housing and protruding sideways in opposite directions along the width direction of the housing perpendicular to the length direction, the elastic legs having locking pawls formed integral with the respective elastic legs, and

a pair of supplementary lugs disposed at and integral with upper end regions of the lateral walls, the supplementary lugs protruding sideways in opposite directions along the width direction perpendicular to the length direction, and a distance that the supplementary lugs protrude being substantially the same as a distance that the locking pawls project;

wherein the plurality of connectors are provided in the magazine case such that the supplementary lugs of adjacent connectors are in mutual contact.

2. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein one pin contact is accommodated in the housing of each of the connectors.

3. A method for transporting connectors for printed circuit boards within a magazine case having a longitudinal axis and a plurality of exterior sidewalls parallel to the longitudinal axis comprising:

providing a plurality of connectors for printed circuit boards within the magazine case, each of the plurality of connectors comprising;

a housing having a width, a depth and a length perpendicular to and longer than the width and the depth, the housing holding therein at least one contact having a longitudinal axis extending in the length direction,

a pair of lockable elastic legs disposed at lower end regions of opposite lateral walls of the housing and protruding sideways in opposite directions along the width direction of the housing perpendicular to the length direction, the elastic legs having locking pawls formed integral with the respective elastic legs, and

a pair of supplementary lugs disposed at and integral with upper end regions of the lateral walls, the supplementary lugs protruding sideways in opposite directions along the width direction perpendicular to the length direction, and a distance that the supplementary lugs protrude being substantially the same as a distance that the locking pawls project; and

transporting the plurality of connectors along the longitudinal axis of the magazine case under the condition that the supplementary lugs of adjacent connectors are in mutual contact.

4. A method as defined in claim 3, wherein one pin contact is accommodated in the housing of each of the connectors.