# US 10,483,696 B2 · Electrical connector having an improved annular wall > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,483,696 B2 - Document ID: US10483696B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/006,487 - Filed: 2018-06-12 - Published: 2018-12-13 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2017-06-12 - Assignees: Foxconn Interconnect Technology Limited - Applicants: Foxconn Interconnect Technology Limited - Inventors: Jun Zhao - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10483696B2 ## CPC - H01R 13/6585: Shielding material individually surrounding or interposed between mutually spaced contacts - H01R 13/035: {Plated dielectric material} - H01R 13/502: composed of different pieces (H01R13/514 takes precedence) - H01R 13/5202: {Sealing means between parts of housing or between housing part and a wall, e.g. sealing rings} - H01R 13/6581: Shield structure - H01R 24/60: Contacts spaced along planar side wall transverse to longitudinal axis of engagement - H01R 43/005: {for making dustproof, splashproof, drip-proof, waterproof, or flameproof connection, coupling, or casing} - H01R 43/24: Assembling by moulding on contact members - H01R 43/18: for manufacturing bases or cases for contact members - H01R 2107/00: Four or more poles - H01R: ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS ## Abstract An electrical connector includes an insulative housing, plural conductive terminals affixed to the insulative housing, and a shielding shell enclosing the insulative housing for forming a receiving room. The insulative housing includes a base portion and a tongue portion extending forwardly from the base portion. Each conductive terminal has a contacting portion disposed in the tongue portion. The shielding shell has a first wall, a second wall opposite to the first wall, and a pair of lateral walls connecting the first wall and the second wall. The thickness of the first wall is smaller than that of the lateral walls. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electrical connector comprising: an insulative housing comprising a base portion and a tongue portion extending forwardly from the base portion; a plurality of conductive terminals affixed to the insulative housing and each having a contacting portion disposed in the tongue portion; and a metallic shielding shell enclosing the insulative housing for forming a receiving room and having a first wall, a second wall opposite to the first wall, and a pair of lateral walls connecting the first wall and the second wall; wherein a thickness of the first wall is smaller than that of the lateral walls; and the base portion comprises a pair of resisting recesses located at a front end and a fixing slot communicating with the resisting recesses and extending laterally, the inner wall of the shielding shell comprises a pair of tubers resisting against the resisting recesses, the tongue portion comprises a stepped portion abutting with the base portion and a flat portion extending forwardly from the stepped portion, and the electrical connector further comprises a ground plate having a front covering portion exposed to the stepped portion and a rear covering portion attached to the fixing slot; and the insulative housing comprises a mounting portion located at a rear end of the base portion and having a fixing groove with an opening upwardly and a pair of resisting tubers located laterally besides the fixing groove in symmetry, the first wall comprises a pair of resisting protrusions extending obliquely in the receiving room, the resisting protrusions resist against the fixing groove and the resisting tubers, and the tubers resist against a front end of the rear covering portion extending to the fixing slot. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein a thickness of the second wall is smaller than that of the lateral walls. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shielding shell is made by metal integrated molding or metal injection molding, and the shielding shell comprises an inner wall and an outer wall both shaped as an arc-transition-structure. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The electrical connector as claimed in claim 3, wherein the shielding shell further comprises a pair of fixing legs extending downwardly from the lateral walls. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The electrical connector as claimed in claim 3, wherein the thickness of the first wall and the second wall is 0.15 mm, and the thickness of the lateral walls is between 0.2 mm and 0.3 mm. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ground plate is arranged in two affixed to the stepped portion, and each ground plate comprises a respective front covering portion, a respective rear covering portion and a connecting portion connecting the front covering portion and the rear covering portion. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The electrical connector as claimed in claim 6, wherein the ground plate is integrated with the insulative housing, and the ground plate comprises a pair of lateral fixed portions bending downwardly from the stepped portion and embedded in the tongue portion. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shielding shell comprises a pair of barriers recessed in the lateral walls, the conductive terminals comprises a plurality of upper terminals and lower terminals, and the electrical connector comprises a shielding plate sandwiched between the upper terminals and the lower terminals and having a pair of hooks extending rearward and resisting against the barriers. ### Claim 9 An electrical connector comprising: a tubular metallic shielding shell made by metal injection molding and forming therein a receiving room extending along a front-to-back direction by opposite top and bottom walls in a vertical direction perpendicular to the front-to-back direction, and two opposite lateral side walls, a thickness of the top wall being smaller than that of the side wall; a stationary tuber directly formed on an interior surface of the shielding shell by metal injection molding and extending into the receiving room, and a deflectable resisting protrusion directly formed on a rear end of the shielding shell by metal injection molding and located behind the tuber in the front-to-back direction; and a contact module including a plurality of conductive contacts fixed within an insulative housing, said housing including a base portion and a tongue portion extending forwardly from the base portion along the front-to-back direction, wherein said resisting protrusion is originally located at a first position to allow the contact module to be forwardly assembled into the receiving room from a rear side of the shielding shell until being confronted by the stationary tuber, and the resisting protrusion is successively deflected to a second position to prevent backward movement of the contact module with regard to the shielding shell so as to have the base portion of the housing sandwiched between the tuber and the resisting protrusion in the front-to-back direction for retaining the contact module within the shielding shell. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The electrical connector as claimed in claim 9, wherein said tuber is located in a resisting groove formed in the base portion. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The electrical connector as claimed in claim 9, wherein said resisting protrusion is located in the fixing groove formed in the base portion. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The electrical connector as claimed in claim 9, wherein both said tuber and said resisting protrusion are commonly formed on the top wall. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The electrical connector as claimed in claim 9, wherein the shielding shell keeps a flat exterior surface opposite to said tuber in the vertical direction. ### Claim 14 A method of making a low profile electrical connector, comprising steps of: providing a tuber metallic shielding shell by metal injection molding with opposite top and bottom walls in a vertical direction and a pair of opposite lateral side walls along a transverse direction perpendicular to said vertical direction to commonly form therein a receiving room extending along a front-to-back direction perpendicular to both said vertical direction and said transverse direction wherein a thickness of either the top wall or the bottom wall is smaller than those of the side walls, wherein said shielding shell unitarily forms an immoveable tuber extending into the receiving room, and a deflectable resisting protrusion located behind the tuber in the front-to-back direction; forming a contact module via insert molding with a plurality of conductive contacts fixed within an insulative housing, said housing including a base portion and a tongue portion forwardly extending from the base portion in the front-to-back direction; and forwardly assembling said contact module into the receiving room from a rear side of the shielding shell in said front-to-back direction until the base portion forwardly abuts against the tuber when the resisting protrusion is located at a first position, and successively deflecting the resisting protrusion toward a second position to prevent backward movement of the contact module with regard to the shielding shell in the front-to-back direction so as to have the base portion snugly sandwiched between the tuber and the resisting protrusion in the front-to-back direction. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein said tuber is located in a resisting groove formed in the base portion. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein said resisting protrusion is located in the fixing groove formed in the base portion. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The electrical connector as claimed in claim 14, wherein both said tuber and said resisting protrusion are commonly formed on the top wall. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The electrical connector as claimed in claim 14, wherein the shielding shell keeps a flat exterior surface opposite to said tuber in the vertical direction.