# US 10,873,144 B2 · Electrical connector > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,873,144 B2 - Document ID: US10873144B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/367,263 - Filed: 2019-03-28 - Published: 2019-10-03 - Granted: 2020-12-22 - Earliest claimed: 2018-03-29 - Applicants: I-PEX Inc. - Inventors: Yoshinobu Shimada; Hirotake Kaneko - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10873144B2 ## CPC - H01R 12/73: connecting to other rigid printed circuits or like structures - H01R 12/79: connecting to rigid printed circuits or like structures - H01R 12/721: {cooperating directly with the edge of the rigid printed circuits} - H01R 12/87: acting automatically by insertion of rigid printed or like structures - H01R: ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS ## Abstract An electrical connector includes a plurality of conductive terminals, an insulating housing that holds the plurality of conductive terminals and that has an accommodating portion to accommodate a flexible printed circuit provided with a plurality of connection terminal portions electrically connected to the plurality of conductive terminals. A metallic reinforcing portion is located in an upper wall portion of a main body portion of the housing that partitions the accommodating portion. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electrical connector comprising: one or more contacts; an insulating housing holding the one or more contacts and including an accommodating portion to accommodate a plate-shaped connection object provided with one or more connection terminal portions configured to be electrically connected to the one or more contacts; and a metallic reinforcing portion located in an upper wall portion of the housing that partitions the accommodating portion, wherein the reinforcing portion is located on a surface of the housing where an opening of the accommodating portion is formed, wherein the reinforcing portion is located in two end portions of the surface of the housing in a width direction, the width direction being an extension direction of the upper wall portion, and wherein the reinforcing portion includes a pair of first reinforcing members located in the two end portions of the surface of the housing and a second reinforcing member extending in the width direction so as to interconnect the pair of first reinforcing members. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing portion further includes a third reinforcing member located contiguously with the second reinforcing member and covering an upper surface of the upper wall portion. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing portion extends in a direction perpendicular to a main surface of the connection object. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The electrical connector according to claim 3, wherein the reinforcing portion includes a part extending downward beyond a lower surface of the upper wall portion. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The electrical connector according to claim 3, wherein the reinforcing portion is selectively located above a lower surface of the upper wall portion. ### Claim 6 An electrical connector comprising: one or more contacts; an insulating housing holding the one or more contacts and including an accommodating portion to accommodate a plate-shaped connection object provided with one or more connection terminal portions configured to be electrically connected to the one or more contacts; a metallic reinforcing portion located in an upper wall portion of the housing that partitions the accommodating portion, wherein the reinforcing portion is formed in a fixing metal fitting configured to fix the housing to a substrate; and a fixing portion located at one end of a main body of the housing, wherein the fixing metal fitting is attached to the fixing portion. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The electrical connector according to claim 6, wherein the fixing metal fitting includes a locking portion configured to lock the connection object in the accommodating portion in a locked state and an operation portion configured to release the connection object from the locked state. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The electrical connector according to claim 7, wherein the locking portion is configured to engage a notch in the plate-shaped connection object in the locked state, and wherein the operation portion is configured to disengage the locking portion from the notch. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The electrical connector according to claim 6, wherein the fixing portion includes a base portion and an inclined portion having a decreasing wall thickness. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) The electrical connector according to claim 6, wherein the fixing portion includes one or more recessed areas and a hole portion to engage the fixing metal fitting. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the plate-shaped connection object comprises a flexible printed circuit. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The electrical connector according to claim 1, further comprising a ground contact portion located adjacent the reinforcing portion, the ground contact portion configured to contact a ground terminal portion of the plate-shaped connection object. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The electrical connector according to claim 12, wherein the reinforcing portion extends in a direction of upheaval that is perpendicular to a main surface of the connection object, and wherein the ground contact portion extends perpendicular to the direction of upheaval. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The electrical connector according to claim 13, wherein the ground contact portion is configured to guide the plate-shaped connection object into the accommodating portion. ### Claim 15 An electrical connector comprising: a plurality of electrical contacts; an insulating housing including an accommodating portion that forms an opening to receive a plate-shaped printed circuit provided with connection terminals configured to be electrically connected to the plurality of electrical contacts located in the housing; a reinforcing portion attached to an upper surface of the opening of the accommodating portion, wherein the reinforcing portion extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to a main surface of the printed circuit; and a metal fitting configured to fix the housing to a substrate, wherein the reinforcing portion is formed in the metal fitting, and wherein the metal fitting includes a locking portion configured to lock the printed circuit in the opening of the accommodating portion in a locked state and an unlocking portion configured to release the printed circuit from the locked state. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The electrical connector according to claim 15, further comprising a ground contact located adjacent the reinforcing portion, the ground contact configured to contact a ground terminal of the plate-shaped printed circuit. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The electrical connector according to claim 15, further comprising a fixing portion located at one end of a main body of the housing, wherein the metal fitting is attached to the fixing portion. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The electrical connector according to claim 15, wherein the reinforcing portion includes a pair of first reinforcing members located in the upper surface of the opening and a second reinforcing member extending in the direction that is substantially perpendicular to the main surface of the printed circuit so as to interconnect the pair of first reinforcing members. ### Claim 19 (depends on 6) The electrical connector according to claim 6, further comprising a ground contact portion located adjacent the reinforcing portion, the ground contact portion configured to contact a ground terminal portion of the plate-shaped connection object. ### Claim 20 (depends on 6) The electrical connector according to claim 6, wherein the reinforcing portion is located in two end portions of a surface of the housing in a width direction, and wherein the reinforcing portion includes a pair of first reinforcing members located in the two end portions and a second reinforcing member extending in the width direction so as to interconnect the pair of first reinforcing members.