Compact smart card electrical connector

Apparatus for connection to a smart card that has laterally opposite sides and a card lower surface with contact pads thereon, comprising:

• a largely plate-shaped base having an upper surface;
• a plurality of contacts mounted on said base and having pad-engaging parts at said upper face of said base for engaging said smart card contact pads;
• a cover having a longitudinal-spaced front and rear ends with said rear end pivotally connected to said base to allow said cover to pivot between raised and lowered cover positions, with said cover having a cavity forming a card receiver for receiving said smart card so the contact pads of the card engage said pad-engaging parts of said contacts when said cover is in said lowered position;
• and
• said cover has opposite sides with side walls at said sides, said cover and said cavity each having front and rear portions, with said cover rear portion having a rear top plate lying over said cavity rear portion to hold down a rear half of said card, and said cover front portion being open above said cavity front portion, said cover front portion having guides extended from opposite said side walls for guiding said card into said cavity that forms said card receiver, with said sides lying on opposite sides of said base and below said upper face in said lowered cover position.

Apparatus for connection to a smart card that has laterally opposite sides and a card lower surface with contact pads thereon, comprising:

• a largely plate-shaped base having an upper face;
• a plurality of contacts mounted on said base and having pad-engaging parts at said upper face of said base for engaging said smart card contact pads;
• a cover having longitudinally-spaced front and rear ends with said rear end pivotally connected to said base to allow said cover to pivot between raised and lowered cover positions, with said cover having a card cavity for receiving said smart card so the contact pads of the card engage said pad-engaging parts of said contacts when said cover is in said lowered cover position;
• said cover having laterally opposite side walls forming surfaces that face each other and that form opposite edges of said card cavity, with said cover having a rear portion forming a plate that lies over said card cavity and with said cover having a front portion which is open between said side walls;
• a locking bar that has a plate portion lying over part of the front portion of said cover and having opposite sides that are slidably mounted on said cover side walls to guide the locking bar in sliding between forward and rearward bar positions, with said locking bar having a part that locks to said base in one of said bar positions.

Apparatus for connection to a smart card that has laterally opposite sides and a lower surface with contact pads thereon, comprising;

• a base having an upper face;
• a plurality of contacts mounted on said base and having pad-engaging parts at said upper face of said base for engaging said smart card contact pads;
• a cover having longitudinally-spaced front and rear ends with said rear end pivotally connected to said base to allow said cover to pivot between raised and lowered cover positions, with said cover having a card-receiving cavity for receiving said smart card so the contact pads of the card engage said pad-engaging parts of said contacts when said cover is in said lowered cover position;
• a latch that retains said cover in said lowered cover position;
• at least one of said contacts has a part forming a spring beam that lies in the path of said cover so the spring beam is resiliently deflected as the cover approaches its lowered cover position to urge the cover to pivot up away from said lowered cover position.