Surface-mount electrical connector having shell with front and rear mounting posts formed adjacent front and rear ends of the shell

An electrical connector for surface mounting on a circuit board, wherein the electrical connector comprises a plurality of contacts, an insulator holding the contacts, and a shell surrounding the insulator, wherein the shell comprises:

• a front edge defining an opening for receiving a mating shell of a mating connector being inserted along an insertion direction into the shell;
• a top wall having a first front end;
• a bottom wall having a second front end;
• side walls having third front ends each including small cuts formed thereof respectively, the side walls being spaced from each other in a lateral direction perpendicular to the insertion direction and connecting the top and the bottom walls in a vertical direction perpendicular to the insertion direction and to the lateral direction, the first, second and third front ends constituting the front edge;
• a pair of front mounting posts, each of which continues from the front edge and extends downwardly, each of the front mounting posts being connected to the corresponding third front end between the small cuts thereof wherein each of the front mounting posts comprises a folded portion and a plate-like portion, the folded portion continuing from the corresponding third front end and curved rearwardly in the insertion direction, the plate-like portion connected to the folded portion in the insertion direction and extending downwardly in the vertical direction below the bottom wall, partially facing the corresponding side wall in the lateral direction;
• and
• a pair of rear mounting posts for fixedly mounting the shell onto the circuit board in cooperation with the front mounting posts, wherein each of the rear mounting posts is spaced from the corresponding front mounting post in the insertion direction and extends downwardly.