# US 2017/0288329 A1 · Contact

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- Number: US 2017/0288329 A1
- Document ID: US20170288329A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 15/471,997
- Filed: 2017-03-28
- Published: 2017-10-05
- Earliest claimed: 2016-03-30
- Assignees: Kitagawa Industries Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Kitagawa Industries Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Tomohisa KURITA; Hideo YUMI
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20170288329A1

## CPC

- H01R 12/718: {Contact members provided on the PCB without an insulating housing (contacts for abutting H01R12/714)}
- H01R 4/02: Soldered or welded connections {(H01R4/625, H01R4/723, H01R12/59 take precedence)}
- H01R 12/57: surface mounting terminals
- H01R 13/2442: {with a single cantilevered beam}
- H01R 13/245: {by stamped-out resilient contact arm}
- H01R 2101/00: One pole
- H01R: ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS

## Abstract

A contact in one aspect of the present disclosure comprises a fixing portion, an elastic contact piece, and a pair of projecting tabs, which are formed as an integrated entity from a metal thin plate. The projecting tabs project from the fixing portion at positions on both sides of the elastic contact piece. A dimension of the elastic contact piece in a width direction, which matches the direction of an interval between the projecting tabs, is a first dimension. The projecting tabs are formed such that each projecting tab is a flat plate having the same thickness as the thin plate. The projecting tabs are arranged such that the thickness directions thereof are the same direction, in locations that have inner surfaces of the projecting tabs facing each other, and an interval between the inner surfaces is a second dimension greater than the first dimension.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A contact that, by being soldered to a conductive- pattern in an electronic circuit board so as to make contact with a conductive member separate from the electronic circuit board, electrically connects or couples the conductive pattern to the conductive member, the contact comprising:
a fixing portion configured to be fixed to the electronic circuit board by the soldering;
an elastic contact piece extending from the fixing portion, the elastic contact piece being configured to be capable of swinging relative to the fixing portion by elastically deforming, and the elastic contact piece being further configured to contact the conductive member and elastically deform so as to be pressed by the conductive member when the conductive member is arranged in a position opposite from the electronic circuit board; and
a pair of projecting tabs projecting from the fixing portion at positions on both sides of the elastic contact piece, wherein
the fixing portion, the elastic contact piece, and the pair of projecting tabs are formed as an integrated entity from a metal thin plate;
a dimension of the elastic contact piece in a width direction, the width direction matching a direction of an interval between the projecting tabs, is a first dimension, and the elastic contact piece is configured to be capable of swinging in a direction orthogonal to the width direction; and
each projecting tab is configured as a flat plate having the same thickness as the thin plate, and the projecting tabs are arranged such that thickness directions of the projecting tabs are the same direction and inner surfaces of the projecting tabs face each other, with an interval between the inner surfaces being a second dimension greater than the first dimension.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The contact according to claim 1, wherein
a dimension of the fixing portion in the width direction that matches the direction of the interval between the projecting tabs is a third dimension greater than the second dimension; and
a distance between outer surfaces of the projecting tabs, the outer surfaces facing in opposite directions from each other, is the third dimension.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The contact according to claim 1,
wherein the fixing portion comprises:
a base portion having a first surface and a second surface that face in opposite directions from each other;
a pair of log portions extending from the base portion in a direction in which the second surface faces; and
a pair of joining portions ouch extending from the opposite side of a corresponding leg portion from the side of the leg portion in which the base portion is located, a surface of each joining portion facing in the same direction as the second surface being configured to be soldered to the conductive pattern.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The contact according to claim 3,
wherein the elastic contact piece comprises:
a plate spring portion extending from the fixing portion in a direction that forms an acute angle with the first surface;
a contact portion provided in a location on the opposite side of the plate spring portion as the side on which the base portion is located, the contact portion being configured to make contact with the conductive member; and
a restricting portion extending from the contact portion toward the fixing portion, the restricting portion being configured to restrict the contact portion from displacing away from the fixing portion by a leading end of the restricting portion in the extension direction thereof hooking onto the fixing portion.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The contact according to claim 4, wherein
when a surface of the electronic circuit board to which the fixing portion is fixed and a surface of the conductive member with which the contact portion makes contact are arranged substantially parallel and the two surfaces are brought relatively closer to each other, the contact portion is initially in a state of contact with the conductive member;
when the two surfaces are brought further closer to each other relatively, the contact portion displaces and a connecting portion between the plate spring portion and the fixing portion, as well as the contact portion, both make contact with the conductive member, at which point in time the plate spring portion between the connecting portion and the contact portion is not in contact with the conductive member and leading end portions of the projecting tabs in the extension directions of the projecting tabs are not in contact with the conductive member; and
when the two surfaces are brought further closer to each other relatively, the leading end portions of the projecting tabs in the extension directions of the projecting tabs come into contact with the conductive member.

### Claim 6 (depends on 2)

The contact according to claim 2,
wherein the fixing portion comprises:
a base portion having a first surface and a second surface that face in opposite directions from each other;
a pair of leg portions extending from the base portion in a direction in which the second surface faces; and
a pair of joining portions each extending from the opposite side of a corresponding leg portion from the side of the leg portion in which the base portion is located, a surface of each joining portion facing in the same direction as the second surface being configured to be soldered to the conductive pattern.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The contact according to claim 6,
wherein the elastic contact piece comprises:
a plate spring portion extending from the fixing portion in a direction that forms an acute angle with the first surface;
a contact portion pro vided in a location on the opposite side of the plate spring portion as the side on which the base portion is located, the contact portion being configured to make contact with the conductive member; and
a restricting portion extending from the contact portion toward the fixing portion, the restricting portion being configured to restrict the contact portion from displacing away from the fixing portion by a leading end of the restricting portion in the extension direction thereof hooking onto the fixing portion.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The contact according to claim 7, wherein
when a surface of the electronic circuit board to which the fixing portion is fixed and a surface of the conductive member with which the contact portion makes contact are arranged substantially parallel and the two surfaces are brought relatively closer to each other, the contact portion is initially in a state of contact with the conductive member;
when the two surfaces are brought further closer to each other relatively, the contact portion displaces and a connecting portion between the plate spring portion and the fixing portion, as well as the contact portion, both make contact with the conductive member, at which point In time the plate spring portion between the connecting portion and the contact portion is not in contact with the conductive member and leading end portions of the projecting tabs in the extension directions of the projecting tabs are not in contact with the conductive member; and
when the two surfaces are brought further closer to each other relatively, the leading end portions of the projecting tabs in the extension directions of the projecting tabs come into contact with the conductive member.