# US 10,312,611 B2 · Connector for use with printed circuit board > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,312,611 B2 - Document ID: US10312611B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/601,870 - Filed: 2017-05-22 - Published: 2018-10-04 - Granted: 2019-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2017-03-30 - Assignees: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC - Applicants: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC - Inventors: Akash Atul Shah; Kurt David Wrisley; Hua Wang; Todd David Pleake - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10312611B2 ## CPC - H01R 12/592: {connections to contact elements} - H01R 12/714: {with contacts abutting directly the printed circuit; Button contacts therefore provided on the printed circuit} - H01R 12/724: {containing contact members forming a right angle} - H01R 12/728: {Coupling devices without an insulating housing provided on the edge of the PCB} - H01R 13/15: Pins, blades or sockets having separate spring member for producing or increasing contact pressure - H01R 13/635: by mechanical pressure, e.g. spring force - H01R 43/205: {with a panel or printed circuit board} - H05K 7/04: on conductive chassis - H05K 7/1069: {with spring contact pieces} - H01R 13/2442: {with a single cantilevered beam} - H01R 13/73: Means for mounting coupling parts to apparatus or structures, e.g. to a wall - H01R 24/58: Contacts spaced along longitudinal axis of engagement - H05K 2201/10189: Non-printed connector - H01R: ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS - H05K: PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS ## Abstract A floating connector assembly device is provided. An electronic component is mounted directly or indirectly to a chassis of an electronic device. At least one conductive contact spring is mounted to the electronic component and configured to electrically couple to the electronic component. A printed circuit board having a fixed end and a free end with an electrical contact positioned between the two ends is positioned against the conductive contact spring, the contact spring being biased so that a contacting portion of the contact spring contacts the electrical contact to form an electrical connection. The electrical connection is maintained during relative movement of the conductive contact spring and the electrical contact of the printed circuit board by a bias force of the conductive contact spring. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electronic device, comprising: an electronic component mounted directly or indirectly to a chassis of the electronic device; at least one conductive contact spring mounted to the electronic component and configured to electrically couple to the electronic component; and a printed circuit board having a fixed end and a free end with an electrical contact positioned therebetween, the conductive contact spring being biased so that a contacting portion of the conductive contact spring contacts the electrical contact and forms an electrical connection, the electrical connection being maintained during relative movement of the conductive contact spring and the electrical contact of the printed circuit board by a bias force of the conductive contact spring, wherein the printed circuit board is formed in a horizontal plane, and the conductive contact spring includes a distal portion that extends horizontally away from a housing of the electronic component and toward the electrical contact. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the conductive contact spring includes a proximate portion extending substantially orthogonally to the distal portion and is mounted at a proximal end to the housing of the electronic component. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the free end of the printed circuit board is configured to flex in a direction orthogonal to the horizontal plane when the electronic device is exposed to the influence of external forces. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the contacting portion of the conductive contact spring is biased to follow the movement of the electrical contact of the printed circuit board during flexure of the printed circuit board. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The electronic device of claim 1, wherein a range of travel of the electrical connection during flexure of the printed circuit board is zero to 3 mm. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The electronic device of claim 1, wherein an entire length of the distal portion of the conductive contact spring is on a same side of the printed circuit board as the electrical contact. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a nonconductive tray including the housing of the electronic component, a proximate portion of the conductive contact spring and the distal portion meeting at a location on a surface of the tray. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The electronic device of claim 7, the distal portion of the conductive contact spring extending freely from the meeting location to an elevation vertically away from the surface of the tray. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electrical contact is flush with a lower or upper surface of the printed circuit board, and wherein the electrical contact and the contacting portion are gold plated. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the conductive contact spring exerts at least 30 gf of bias force against the electrical contact of the printed circuit board to maintain the electrical connection. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the conductive contact spring is one of a plurality of conductive contact springs, and a number of the plurality of conductive contact springs totals one, five, twelve, or twenty. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the electronic component is a connector receptacle, and the contact spring is configured to electrically couple to a connector plug inserted in the connector receptacle. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the connector receptacle has a shape selected from at least one of the group consisting of an audio connector jack, UNIVERSAL SERIAL BUS receptacle, MINI DISPLAYPORT receptacle, FIREWIRE receptacle, Ethernet receptacle, HDMI receptacle, SURFACE CONNECT receptacle, and customer-specific implementations. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The electronic device of claim 1, wherein a mounting point of the conductive contact spring is in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the electrical connection and along a proximate portion of the conductive contact spring. ### Claim 15 A connector assembly, comprising: a connector receptacle configured to be mounted directly or indirectly to a chassis of an electronic device; and at least one conductive contact spring mounted to the connector receptacle and configured to electrically couple to a connector plug inserted in the connector receptacle; the conductive contact spring being biased so that a contacting portion of the conductive contact spring contacts an electrical contact of a printed circuit board of the electronic device and forms an electrical connection, the electrical connection being maintained during relative movement of the conductive contact spring and the electrical contact of the printed circuit board by a bias force of the conductive contact spring, wherein the printed circuit board is formed in a horizontal plane, and the conductive contact spring includes a distal portion that extends horizontally away from a housing of the connector receptacle and toward the electrical contact. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The connector assembly of claim 15, wherein the contacting portion of the conductive contact spring is biased to follow the movement of the electrical contact of the printed circuit board during flexure of the printed circuit board. ### Claim 17 A method for manufacturing a connector assembly, the method comprising: providing at least one conductive contact spring with a contacting portion; mounting a proximate portion of the conductive contact spring to a connector receptacle configured to be mounted directly or indirectly to a chassis of an electronic device, the connector receptacle further configured to electrically couple to a connector plug inserted in the connector receptacle, the proximate portion of the conductive contact spring extending substantially orthogonally to a distal portion of the conductive contact spring, the proximate portion and the distal portion meeting at a location on the connector receptacle and the distal portion extending freely away from the meeting location toward an electrical contact of a printed circuit board; aligning the conductive contact spring and the connector receptacle with an exterior of the electronic device to accommodate the connector plug; and biasing the conductive contact spring so that the contacting portion contacts the electrical contact of the printed circuit board and follows the movement of the electrical contact during flexure of the printed circuit board, an electrical connection formed between the conductive contact spring and the electrical contact. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, further comprising a plurality of connector plugs, wherein the connector receptacle for each connector plug is aligned with the exterior of the electronic device to accommodate the connector plugs.