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US 4,275,944 AGranted
Miniature connector receptacles employing contacts with bowed tines and parallel mounting arms
OwnerJerzy R. Sochorinventor
Life of this patent
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OwnerJerzy R. Sochorinventor
Estimating the term…
Versatile card-edge or other types of connector receptacles comprise contacts with one or more bowed cantilevered primary contact arms (tines) 26 and one or more cantilevered parallel arms 28 for insulator mounting, both sets of arms extending in a common direction from a common body portion 24. The secondary contact arms (tails) of the contacts may extend from the bottom 44 (horizontally or vertically) or the sides of the contact 36. The mounting arms may have barbed or pointed retention surfaces 32 on either their inside or outside edges and the contacts may be installed into either the top or the bottom of an insulator housing 10. The bowed contact tines may have installation shoulders 34 extending over the top of the insulator housing to provide bearing surfaces for press-fit installation. The connectors may have a zero-insertion-force feature, whereby a spreading bar 78 may be inserted between the bowed tines 26 to pre-spread them for ease of male mating member insertion. The spreading bar 144 may have a long, gradual taper to provide superior mechanical advantage. Associated cam-follower members 142 may be interposed between the bar and the tines. Narrow versions of the contacts (for parallel-mounted connectors) can be effected by providing slitted 172 (rather than slotted) contact tines.
A contact of the type comprising a metal member having at least one elongated tine for making a primary contact, characterized in that said tine is cantilevered from a body portion of said contact, extends generally in a given direction from said body portion, has a convex mating surface facing in a direction perpendicular to said given direction, is springy and is able to flex in a plane aligned in said direction perpendicular to said given direction, and has a center portion thereof which is bowed away from a line aligned in said given direction,
A contact of the type comprising a metal member including a body portion and at least two elongated cantilevered tines for making a primary contact, said tines extending generally in a given direction, each having a convex mating surface facing (a) in a direction perpendicular to said given direction and (b) the convex mating surface of the other contact, said tines each being springy and able to flex in a plane aligned in said direction perpendicular to said given direction, characterized in that (1) each of said tines is connected to said body portion by a respective common leg, and (2) a mounting arm is connected to the end of each common leg distal from said body portion, each mounting arm extending generally in said given direction, being separated from its respective tine by a bifurcating slot, and having a retaining edge facing in said direction perpendicular to said given direction, said retaining edge having at least one corner thereon for engaging the wall of an insulator housing,
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.