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US 7,677,900 B2Granted
Back-to-back mounted electrical connectors
AssigneeFCI Americas Technology, Inc.
InventorAlan David Crighton
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electrical connector assembly is provided that includes a pair of connectors configured to be mounted onto a midplane circuit board in a back-to-back orientation. Each connector includes offset engagement members that mate with corresponding engagement members on the midplane circuit board.
Claims21
An electrical connector configured to be attached to a midplane circuit board, the electrical connector comprising
- a chassis that is elongate in a longitudinal direction and that further extends along a lateral direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, the chassis defining a slot, the slot being configured to receive an edge of an electrical component;
- a plurality of electrical contacts configured to be electrically connected between the electrical component and the midplane circuit board;
- and
- first and second engagement members extending out from the chassis in a transverse direction orthogonal to the longitudinal and lateral directions, wherein the engagement members are offset with respect to both the longitudinal and lateral directions, such that no additional engagement members extend from the chassis at a position longitudinally outward from the first and second engagement members.
1 more element
A midplane connector assembly comprising:
- a first electrical connector and a second electrical connector each configured to be mounted onto a midplane circuit board in a back-to-back orientation, wherein the first and second electrical connectors each include:
- a chassis that is elongate in a first direction and further extends in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction;
- a plurality of electrical contacts supported by the chassis and configured to be electrically connected between the midplane circuit board and an electrical component;
- and
- a first engagement member, a second engagement member, and no other board engagement members, wherein each engagement member is configured to extend into the midplane circuit board, and the first and second engagement members are spaced from each other with respect to both the first and second directions.
2 more elements
An electrical connector assembly comprising:
- a first electrical connector and a second electrical connector each having opposing first and second outer ends and configured to be mounted onto the midplane circuit board in a first back-to-back orientation whereby the first outer ends and the second outer ends of the electrical connectors are aligned, and a second back-to-back orientation whereby the first outer end of the first electrical connector is aligned with the second outer end of the second electrical connector and the second outer end of the first electrical connector is aligned with the first outer end of the second electrical connector, wherein the first and second electrical connectors each include a plurality of electrical contacts, and each of the first and second electrical connectors include respective first and second engagement members configured to engage the midplane circuit board, such that the engagement members of the first electrical connector are offset with respect to the engagement members of the second electrical connector regardless of whether the electrical connectors are mounted to the midplane circuit board in the first or second back-to-back orientation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.