Unitary contact spring

• US 6,524,142 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2001
• Issued: 02/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: TE Connectivity Germany GmbH (TE Connectivity Ltd. (United Kingdom))
• Original Assignee: Tyco Electronics AMP GmbH (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Inventors: Heimueller, Hans Jost
• Primary Examiner(s): Ta, Tho D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TSUKERMAN, LARISA Z
• Application Number:
  US09/773,203
• Publication Number:
  US 20020065006A1
• Time in Patent Office: 755 Days
• Field of Search: 439/852, 439/851-857, 439/843
• US Class Current: 439/852
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/113 co-operating with pins or blades having a rectangular transverse section
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 43/16 for manufacturing contact members, e.g. by punching and by bending

Abstract

A unitary contact with a box-like contact part, in which two spring legs are oppositely arranged that extend to respective free ends in the direction of the mating face of the contact spring where one of the spring legs is formed by a reverse inward bend and the other spring leg is formed through separation from an opposite wall.

Claims

1. A contact spring comprising a box-like contact part having first and second spring legs oppositely arranged that extend to free ends in the direction of a mating face of the contact spring, characterized in that the first spring leg includes a reverse inward bending and the second spring leg is formed by separation out of a second wall where the first spring leg extends from a first wall end is bent over 180°

; and

tabs are bent inwards over 180°

are provided on the first and second walls on which the spring legs are arranged, the tabs capture the free ends of the spring legs between the tabs and the respective first and second walls.

2. The contact spring according to claim 1, characterized in that the spring leg that includes the reverse inward bend is attached laterally at an inner side of the first wall which it is arranged.

3. The contact spring according to claim 1, characterized in that the spring leg that includes the reverse inwards bend is arranged in the layout obliquely to the longitudinal axis of the contact spring.

4. The contact spring according to claim 1, characterized in that the spring legs are provided with stampings for increasing their resilient force.

5. The contact spring according to claim 4, characterized in that the stampings are formed on the spring legs in the direction of the interior of the box-like contact part.

6. The contact spring according to claim 4, characterized in that a first region of the spring leg that includes the reverse inward bend is arranged parallel to the first wall and in that an adjacent second region thereof is slightly bent towards the opposite spring leg, and in that the stampings extend from the first region into the second region.

7. The contact spring according to claim 4, characterized in that the spring leg which has been separated out from the second wall is slightly bent in the direction of the opposite spring leg and in that the stampings of the second wall extend into the spring leg.

8. The contact spring according to claim 7, characterized in that the stampings are arranged centrally relative to the longitudinal axes of the spring legs.

9. The contact spring according to claim 8, characterized in that the spring leg which has been separated out from the wall comprises a bulge pointing in the direction of the opposite spring leg.

10. The contact spring according to claim 1, characterized in that a window is arranged in the wall opposite to the spring leg which has the reverse inward bend in the region of its free end, such that this free end is displaced during insertion of a contact.

11. The contact spring according to claim 10, characterized in that the free end of the spring leg which has been stamped out of the wall is formed via a separation cut.

12. The contact spring according to claim 11, characterized in that the free ends of the first and second spring legs are formed with a point.

13. The contact spring according to claim 12, characterized in that bent-over tabs are bent over laterally of the point of the spring legs to laterally guide the points of the spring legs.

14. The contact spring according to claim 13, characterized in that guide tabs are arranged at the mating face on walls other than those on which spring legs are formed in order to form a guide funnel.

15. The contact spring according to claim 14, characterized in that the wall with the spring leg which includes the reverse inward bend includes in its central part a latching hook formed via separation cuts and bent outwardly.

16. The contact spring according to claim 15, characterized in that one wall protrudes sideways beyond the box-like outer perimeter of the contact part and in that the protruding section forms a polarization.

17. The contact spring according to claim 16, characterized in that the wall with the spring leg which includes the reverse inward bend includes at least two connecting tabs which, after bending of the box-like form, are inserted through corresponding apertures in the wall with the polarization and are subsequently pressed together with the outside of the wall with the polarization.

18. The contact spring according to claim 17, characterized in that the connecting tabs are chamfered on their underside and in that the polarization in the region of the apertures is provided with a chamfered edge for the connecting tabs.