Zipper-type electrical connector
AssigneesTexell Corp., Kel Corporation
InventorsHirofumi Ohno, Fumio Narui, Shigeru Hayashi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An electrical connector of the zipper type comprises first and second connector members with respective rows of contact elements and insulating elements which are brought into intermeshing relation when the connector members are closed together. The contact elements are located in a mold as stamped and formed contact strips and in-molded with a carrier of resilient insulating material, which also covers one side of each contact element in insulating relation, to provide an elongate connector member which can be handled as only a single piece.
Claims8
An electrical connector of a zipper type comprising first and second elongate connector members each comprising a series of contact elements mounted spaced apart at predetermined intervals in a row on a carrier strip made of flexible insulating material with respective contact portions of the respective contact elements extending transversely, in a common direction from the carrier strip, and at least one series of insulating elements mounted on the carrier strip of at least the first connector member in alternating relation to the contact elements thereof so that respective contact elements and insulating elements of the first connector member can interlock in interdigitating relation with respective contact elements of the second connector member thereby electrically to connect complementary contact faces of respective interlocked contact elements together with the insulating elements interposed therebetween, the improvement residing in that the carrier strip is made of resilient material in which the individual contact elements are in-mold and in that the contact elements have respective lead forming portions extending transversely from the carrier strip in a direction opposite to the common direction.
A method for manufacturing an elongate electrical connector member for an electrical connector of a zipper type comprising the steps of:
- providing two strips of contact elements each stamped and formed from a single piece of sheet metal stock to extend in side by side relation, spaced apart at predetermined intervals, transversely from respective integral carrier strips;
- supporting the respective strips of contact elements positioned in a mold with the respective contact elements of one strip alternating with the respective contact elements of another strip to form a single row of contact elements extending in side by side relation, spaced apart at predetermined, reduced intervals;
- injecting resilient insulating material into the mold to form a carrier strip in which respective contact elements are embedded;
- removing respective metal carrier strips by severing from respective contact elements, thereby to provide an elongate electrical connector member in which respective contact elements are retained by the carrier strip in the single row extending in side by side relation, spaced apart at substantially the predetermined, reduced intervals and in a common transverse direction from the resilient carrier strip.
An electrical connector of a zipper type comprising first and second elongate connector members each comprising a series of contact elements and a series of insulating elements mounted in alternating, spaced apart relation, at predetermined intervals in a row on a carrier strip made of flexible insulating material with respective contact portions of the respective contact elements and respective insulating elements extending transversely, in a common direction from the carrier strip, respective contact portions having respective contact surfaces facing in one direction longitudinally of the carrier strip and respective, oppositely facing surfaces so that respective contact elements and insulating elements of the first connector member can interlock in interdigitating relation with respective contact elements and insulating elements of the second connector member thereby electrically to connect complementary contact surfaces of respective interlocked contact elements together with the insulating elements interposed therebetween, the improvement residing in that the carrier strip is made of resilient material in which the individual contact elements are in-molded and with the insulating elements integrally formed with the carrier strip to extend therefrom attached in covering insulating relation to respective oppositely facing surfaces of insulating elements and with the contact elements having respective lead forming portions extending transversely from the carrier strip in a direction opposite to the common direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.