Electrical card connector

An electrical card connector for use with an electrical card, comprising:

• an insulative housing defining a mating face thereon;
• a plurality of contacts disposed in the housing with resilient contacting sections extending beyond the mating face to be deflectable in a vertical direction;
• a frame structure associated with the housing to cooperate with the housing to commonly define therebetween a card receiving space which is large enough for receiving a card therein in both lengthwise and transverse directions which are perpendicular not only to each other but also commonly to the vertical direction, said frame structure defining a front section around a front part of the receiving space and a rear section around a rear part of the receiving space under condition that an opening defined between the front section and the rear section of the frame structure, through which the electrical card is installed into or withdrawn from the receiving space, is smaller than a lengthwise of the electrical card in the lengthwise direction while is not lees than the width of the electrical card in the transverse direction so as to have the electrical card retained in the receiving space without possibility of dropping-out in the vertical direction;
• wherein
• a frame structure is further equipped with a resilient device around the front section for constantly providing a rearward force upon the electrical card in the receiving space under condition that the receiving space is dimension to allow the electrical card to be moved between a front position where the electrical card is ready for insertion thereinto or withdrawal therefrom in a tilted manner, and a rear position where the electrical card is adapted to be stably received in the receiving space via urging forces from the contacting section in the vertical direction and that from the resilient device in the lengthwise direction and restraint from the front section and the rear section at least in the vertical direction.

A method of installing an electrical card into an electrical card connector, comprising steps of:

• providing an electrical card connector with an insulative housing having contacts therein, said contacts defining contacting sections deflectable in a vertical direction;
• providing a frame structure upon the housing to cooperate with the housing to commonly define a card receiving space which the contacting sections extend into and which is dimensioned to allow the electrical card to move between opposite front and rear positions in a lengthwise direction perpendicular to said vertical direction while said frame structure defines an opening, through which the electrical card is installed into or withdrawn from the receiving space, is smaller than the electrical card in the lengthwise direction;
• and
• providing a resilient device around a front part of the receiving space to constantly urging the electrical card rearward when the electrical card is located in the receiving space;
• wherein
• the electrical card is allowed to be installed into the receiving space via the opening in a tilted manner with thereof a front edge initially being downwardly pointed and inserted into the front part of the receiving space, successively with thereof a rear edge lowered into the receiving space to have the electrical card in generally a horizontal manner, and finally with the whole electrical card moved front the front position to the rear position under condition that the electrical card is applied with a force from the resilient devices in the lengthwise direction and those from the contacting sections in the vertical direction, and with restraint from the frame structure in the vertical direction.