Selectively plated plastic part
AssigneeFci USA LLC
InventorCharles Copper
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electrical connector including a housing and electrical conductor plating. The housing includes a first member and a second member. The first member is made of plastic and forms at least one first contact receiving channel therein. The second member is attached around the first member, and the first and second members form at least one second contact receiving channel therebetween. The electrical conductor plating is on the first member. The electrical conductor plating includes at least one first section along the at least one first contact receiving channel and at least one second section along an exterior side of the first member at the at least one second contact receiving channel. The first and second sections of the electrical conductor plating are electrically separate from one another.
Claims23
A connector module for an electrical connector, the connector module comprising:
- an insulative member;
- a first section of electrically conductive plating elongated in a first direction on an interior surface of a cavity of the insulative member, the cavity being open on a side of the cavity that faces a second direction perpendicular to the first direction;
- and
- a second section of electrically conductive plating elongated in the first direction on an exterior surface of the insulative member that at least partially surrounds the cavity, the first and second sections of electrically conductive plating being electrically separate from one another.
An electrical connector, comprising:
- a support;
- and
- a plurality of connector modules held by the support, each connector module comprising:
- an insulative member;
- a first section of electrically conductive plating elongated parallel to a first axis on a first surface of the insulative member;
- and
- a second section of electrically conductive plating elongated parallel to the first axis on a second surface of the insulative member that is electrically separate from the first section of electrically conductive plating and positioned, at least in part, on each side of the insulative member about the first axis.
A method of engaging an electrical connector to an electronic component, wherein the electrical connector comprises an insulative member and an elongated first section of electrical conductor and an elongated second section of electrical conductor plated on the insulative member, the elongated first section and the elongated second section being elongated in a first direction, and the first and second sections being configured to carry respective components of a differential signal, the method comprising:
- urging the first member towards the electronic component such that the elongated first section and the elongated second section electrically couple to a respective differential pair of conductive elements of the electronic component.
A method of forming an electrical connector comprising a first section of electrically conductive plating and a second section of electrically conductive plating that are electrically separate from one another, the method comprising:
- forming a plated plastic housing member at least in part by depositing, using vapor deposition, electrically conductive plating on one or more surfaces of a plastic housing member, the electrically conductive plating comprising the first section of electrically conductive plating and the second section of electrically conductive plating;
- and
- assembling the plated plastic housing member, together with a plurality of like plated plastic housing members, into a support with the first and second sections of electrically conductive plating exposed for mating with electrically conductive portions of a mating component or mounting to electrically conductive portions of a printed circuit board.
A method of forming an electrical connector, the method comprising:
- forming a plated plastic housing member at least in part by:
- depositing, using vapor deposition, on more or more surfaces of a plastic housing member, a first section of electrically conductive plating and a second section of electrically conductive plating;
- and
- depositing, using vapor deposition, a third section of electrically conductive plating on a surface that at least partially surrounds the one or more surfaces having the first and second sections thereon,
- wherein the plated plastic housing member is formed such that the first and second sections of electrically conductive plating are electrically separate from one another, and the third section of electrically conductive plating is electrically separate from the first and second sections of electrically conductive plating.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.