Connector Hat With Extended Mounting Posts For Securing A Connector Shell To A Circuit Board

A connector assembly, comprising:

• a connector shell having a shell top surface, a shell bottom surface, opposing shell side surfaces, and a height defined between the shell top surface and the shell bottom surface;
• and
• a connector hat, comprising a one-piece connector hat body attached to the shell top surface, the one-piece connector hat body having
• a hat top surface, and
• a pair of mounting posts extending downward from opposing side edges of the hat top surface such that the pair of mounting posts overlap the opposing shell side surfaces, each of the pair of mounting posts being of greater length than the height of the connector shell such that the pair of mounting posts extends beyond a bottom surface of the connector shell for mounting the connector assembly to a circuit board.

A method for securing a connector shell to a circuit board, comprising:

• attaching a connector hat to a top surface of the connector shell to create a connector assembly such that a pair of mounting posts of the connector hat extend past a bottom surface of the connector shell;
• installing the connector assembly on the circuit board such that a plurality of electrical contacts of the connector shell mate with a corresponding plurality of electrical contacts of the circuit board and such that the pair of mounting posts are positioned within a pair of post apertures of the circuit board and distal ends of the pair of mounting posts protrude through a bottom surface of the circuit board;
• and
• fixing the distal ends of the pair of mounting posts to the bottom surface of the circuit board.