Grounding for electrical connectors

An improved electrical connector for a card reader, said connector of the type including an insulative housing having opposed major sides and minor sides defining a card receiving mouth, a portion thereof being a card receiving space, a plurality of conductive electrical terminals disposed in said housing and having portions thereof extending into said card receiving space, a conductive shroud encircling said housing, said shroud having spring fingers extending therefrom and into said mouth along at least one of said major sides of said housing, said spring fingers being spaced from said electrical terminals, the improvement comprising:

• said at least one of said major sides of said housing includes a plurality of finger receiving recesses extending at least partially outwardly to the leading edge of said card receiving mouth, said slots being adapted to receive leading portions of corresponding ones of said spring fingers therein upon connector assembly such that said spring fingers include engageable portions closely adjacent said card receiving space thereby being positioned to be either electrically engaged by corresponding raised conductive surfaces on an outwardly facing conductive surface of a shielded card upon insertion of said shielded card into said card receiving space of said mouth, or to remain spaced from surfaces of an unshielded card upon inserting said unshielded card into said card receiving space of said mouth;
• whereby said connector is suitable for use with shielded as well as unshielded cards.

An electrical assembly including a shrouded electrical connector mated with a complementary electrical module, said assembly comprising:

• said shrouded electrical connector including a dielectric housing having opposed major sides and minor sides defining a module receiving mouth, a plurality of conductive electrical terminals disposed in said housing and having portions thereof extending into said module receiving mouth;
• and a conductive shroud encircling said housing, said shroud having inwardly spaced contact portions extending into said mouth along at least one of said major sides of said housing, said shroud contact portions being spaced from said electrical terminals;
• said at least one of said major sides of said housing includes at least one shroud contact receiving recess extending at least partially outwardly to a leading edge of said module receiving mouth, said at least one recess being adapted to receive said shroud contact portions therein upon connector assembly such that engageable portions of said shroud contact portions are closely adjacent said module receiving mouth;
• and
• said complementary electrical module including an outwardly facing conductive surface having raised conductive surfaces thereon, said raised conductive surfaces being in electrical engagement with corresponding ones of said shroud contact portions when said complementary electrical module is inserted into said module receiving mouth.