Receptacle connector

• US RE43,796 E1
• Filed: 11/05/2009
• Issued: 11/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Kubota, Yoshifumi, Kuroki, Yoshihide, Watanabe, Masahide
• Primary Examiner(s): GUSHI, ROSS N
• Application Number:
  US12/613,482
• Time in Patent Office: 1,097 Days
• Field of Search: 439/607.35, 439/607.36, 439/607.4, 439/108, 439/677, 439/680, 439/681
• US Class Current: 439/677
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/75 connecting to cables except for flat or ribbon cables
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/629 Additional means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts, e.g. aligning or guiding means, levers, gas pressure electrical locking indicators, manufacturing tolerances separate tools or apparatus H01R43/26
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 43/16 for manufacturing contact members, e.g. by punching and by bending

Abstract

A connector including a first connector element and a second connector element that are coupled into a single unit, in which the first connector element has an engagement projection that projects interior of the first connector element and extends in the direction of the depth of the first connector element so that the front end of the engagement projection is spacedly apart from the front edge of the first connector element, and the second connector element is formed with an engagement slit that extends in the direction of depth of the second connector element and engages with the engagement projection of the first connector element.

Claims

1. A connector comprising a first connector element and a second connector element that are coupled together, wherein

said first and second connector elements are each formed with a metallic shell;

said first connector element is formed with an engagement projection that projects toward an interior of said first connector element and extends in a direction of depth of said first connector element, a front end of said engagement projection being spaced apart from a front edge of said connector element by a predetermined distance;

said engagement projection is formed by cutting a C-shape slit in a top surface of said metallic shell of said first connector element and bending a tongue formed downwardly; and

said second connector element is formed with an engagement slit in said metallic shell that extends in a direction of depth of said metallic shell of said second connector for engaging with said engagement projection formed in said metallic shell of said first connector element.

2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein said engagement projection is provided at two locations of said first connector element so as to be parallel to side edges of said first connector element, and said engagement slit is provided at two location of said second connector element so as to be parallel to side edges of said second connector element and to correspond to said two locations of said engagement projections of said first connector element.

3. The connector according to claim 1, wherein said engagement projection has a predetermined length in said depth direction and said engagement slit has a predetermined length in said depth direction which is at said predetermined length of said engagement projection.

4. An electrical connector comprising:

a receptacle connector element having a first metallic shell and adapted to be coupled to a plug connector element having a second metallic shell, the first shell comprising a top plate, a bottom plate, a first side and a second side and having a width W and a depth D, the first and second sides being small relative to the top and bottom plates making the first shell substantially flat;

first and second engagement projections formed in the top plate of the first shell that project toward an interior of the receptacle connector element and extend in a direction of a depth of the receptacle connector element, a front end of the first and second engagement projections being spaced apart from a front edge of the receptacle connector element by a predetermined distance, the engagement projections being formed by cutting a C-shape slit in a top surface of the first shell and bending a tongue formed downwardly;

an array of electrodes disposed within the first shell and extending in a direction of the depth D between the first and second engagement projections such that there are no electrodes between an engagement projection and its respective side, the array of electrodes being positioned to provide for an insertion cavity around the array of electrodes in an interior of the shell;

wherein the first and second engagement projections in the first shell are adapted to engage with first and second engagement slits formed in a top plate of the second shell, the first and second engagement slits starting from a front edge of the top plate and extending in a direction of the depth D.

5. An electrical connector comprising:

a receptacle connector element having a first shell and adapted to be coupled to a plug connector element having a second shell, the first shell comprising a top plate, a bottom plate, a first side and a second side and having a width W and a depth D, the first and second sides being small relative to the top and bottom plates making the first shell substantially flat;

first and second engagement projections formed in the top plate of the first shell that project toward an interior of the receptacle connector element and extend in a direction of a depth of the receptacle connector element, a front end of the first and second engagement projections being spaced apart from a front edge of the receptacle connector element by a predetermined distance;

an array of electrodes disposed within the first shell and extending in a direction of the depth D between the first and second engagement projections such that there are no electrodes between an engagement projection and its respective side, the array of electrodes being positioned to provide for an insertion cavity around the array of electrodes in an interior of the shell;

wherein the first and second engagement projections in the first shell are adapted to engage with first and second engagement slits formed in a top plate of the second shell.

6. The electrical connector of claim 5 wherein each of the projections is in the shape of a tongue that is bent toward the interior of the shell.

7. The electrical connector of claim 5 wherein the tongue is formed by cutting an angled C shape into the top plate of the shell.

8. The electrical connector of claim 5 wherein each of the projections has a length that is about two thirds of the depth D of the shell.

9. The electrical connector of claim 5 wherein the top plate and the bottom plate are made of metal.

10. An electrical receptacle connector comprising:

a body having a top plate, a bottom plate, a first side and a second side, the body having a width W and a depth D, wherein the first and second sides are smaller relative to the top and bottom plates providing a substantially flat body;

an array of electrodes extending in the direction of the depth D inside the body and positioned to provide for an insertion cavity around the array of electrodes in an interior of the body; and

first and second projections extending, in a first direction, from the top plate toward the interior of the body and extending, in a second direction, along the depth D, the first projection being disposed at a distance S1 from the first side of the body and the second projection being disposed at a distance S2 from the second side of the body, wherein S1 and S2 are about the same,

wherein, the array of electrodes is disposed between the first and second projections such that there are no electrodes between a projection and its respective side, and

wherein, the first and second projections facilitate engagement alignment when the receptacle connector mates with a corresponding plug connector.

11. The receptacle connector of claim 10 wherein the plurality of projections start at a distance L from a front edge of the first plate.

12. The receptacle connector of claim 10 wherein each of the projections is in the shape of a tongue that is bent toward the interior of the body.

13. The receptacle connector of claim 12 wherein the tongue is formed by cutting an angled C shape into the top plate of the body.

14. The receptacle connector of claim 10 wherein each of the projections has a length that is about two thirds of the depth D of the body.

15. The receptacle connector of claim 10 wherein the top plate and the bottom plate are made of metal.

16. The receptacle connector of claim 10 further comprising a casing wherein the body is housed, the casing comprising an electronic device.

17. The receptacle connector of claim 16 wherein the electronic device is a personal digital assistant.

18. The receptacle connector of claim 10 wherein the body is sized to allow insertion of a body of a corresponding plug connector therein.

19. An electrical receptacle connector comprising:

a body having a top plate, a bottom plate, a first side and a second side, the body having a width W and a depth D, wherein the first and second sides are smaller relative to the top and bottom plates providing a substantially flat body;

an array of electrodes extending in the direction of the depth D inside the body; and

one or more projections extending, in a first direction, from the top plate toward the interior of the body and extending, in a second direction, along the depth D, each of the one or more projections being disposed a predetermined distance from the first or second side,

wherein the array of electrodes is disposed such that there are no electrodes between a projection and its nearest side, and

wherein the one or more projections guide the insertion process when the electrical connector mates with another connector.

20. The electrical receptacle connector of claim 19 wherein the array of electrodes are positioned to provide for an insertion cavity around the array of electrodes in an interior of the body.

21. The electrical receptacle connector of claim 19 wherein the one or more projections start at a distance L from a front edge of the first plate.

22. The electrical receptacle connector of claim 19 wherein the one or more projections comprises a first projection at a distance S1 from the first side of the body and a second projection at a distance S2 from the second side of the body, wherein S1 and S2 are about the same.

23. The electrical receptacle connector of claim 22 wherein the array of electrodes is formed between the first projection and the second projection.

24. The electrical receptacle connector of claim 22 wherein each of the outermost electrodes of the array of electrodes is spaced away from its respective side by a distance that is no less than S1 or S2.

25. The electrical receptacle connector of claim 19 wherein each of the one or more projections is in the shape of a tongue that is bent toward the interior of the body.

26. The electrical receptacle connector of claim 25 wherein the tongue is formed by cutting an angled C shape into the top plate of the body.

27. The electrical receptacle connector of claim 19 wherein each of the one or more projections has a length that is about two thirds of the depth D of the body.

28. The electrical receptacle connector of claim 19 wherein the top plate and the bottom plate are made of metal.