Connector protective cover
Assignee3M Innovative Properties Company
InventorTakayuki Hayauchi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A connector protective cover is provided which has a pair of cover members (2 and 3) to be joined together and which, using the pair of cover members (2 and 3), protects a latch lever that is operated to retain a pair of connectors (10 and 20) in engagement with each other, wherein the latch lever has an operating portion and an engagement effecting portion, and when the operating portion is operated, the engagement effecting portion is moved between an engaging position where the pair of connectors are retained in engagement with each other and a disengaging position where the pair of connectors are released from the engagement, and wherein the pair of cover members (2 and 3) joined together in an inseparable manner covers the operating portion and is fixed to the operating portion of the latch lever.
Claims16
A connector protective cover suitable for protecting a latch lever that is operated to retain a pair of connectors in engagement with each other;
- wherein the latch lever has an operating portion and an engagement effecting portion, the operating portion being operable to move the engagement effecting portion between an engaging position where the pair of connectors are retained in engagement with each other and a disengaging position where the pair of connectors are released from the engagement, the connector protective cover comprising a pair of mating cover members configured to protect the latch lever;
- wherein the pair of cover members are configured to join together in a secure manner accommodating one or both of the operating portion and the engagement effecting portion of the latch lever and are further configured to couple with one or both of the pair of connectors, wherein the pair of cover members has a breakage facilitating portion for enabling separation of the pair of cover members.
An article comprising a connector protective cover and a pair of engaged connectors at least one of the connectors having a latch lever to retain their engagement with each other, the connector protective cover having a pair of mating cover members to be joined together to protect the latch lever;
- wherein the latch lever has an operating portion and an engagement effecting portion, and when the operating portion is operated, the engagement effecting portion is moved between an engaging position where the pair of connectors are retained in engagement with each other and a disengaging position where the pair of connectors are released from the engagement;
- and
- wherein the pair of cover members joined together in a secure manner accommodate one or both of the operating portion and engagement effecting portion and are fixed to one or both of the pair of connectors, wherein the pair of cover members are configured to be joined together by accommodating the operating portion therein, and
- wherein a first limiting face and a second limiting face are formed on the operating portion of the latch lever, a first abutting face which butts against the first limiting face and a second abutting face which butts against the second limiting face are formed on the pair of cover members, and vertical and horizontal movements of the pair of cover members joined together are limited with the first limiting face contacting the first abutting face and the second limiting face contacting the second abutting face.
An article comprising a connector protective cover and a pair of engaged connectors at least one of the connectors having a latch lever to retain their engagement with each other, the connector protective cover having a pair of mating cover members to be joined together to protect the latch lever;
- wherein the latch lever has an operating portion and an engagement effecting portion, and when the operating portion is operated, the engagement effecting portion is moved between an engaging position where the pair of connectors are retained in engagement with each other and a disengaging position where the pair of connectors are released from the engagement;
- and
- wherein the pair of cover members joined together in a secure manner accommodate one or both of the operating portion and engagement effecting portion and are fixed to one or both of the pair of connectors, wherein one of the pair of connectors is a direct-mounted type connector direct mounted on a circuit board, and the other one of the pair of connectors is a cable connector connected with a cable,
- wherein a board cover having an opening passing therethrough to define a mounting space for mounting the direct-mount connector in a position to which the direct-mount connector is to be fixed is rigidly mounted on an upper surface of the circuit board;
- and
- wherein one of the pair of cover members comprises a leg portion which engages with a wall portion formed around the opening of the board cover, and a restraining portion which restrains movement of the engagement effecting portion by abutting against an outside face of the engagement effecting portion with the leg portion engaged with the wall portion formed around the opening.
An article comprising a connector protective cover and a pair of engaged connectors at least one of the connectors having a latch lever to retain their engagement with each other, the connector protective cover having a pair of mating cover members to be joined together to protect the latch lever;
- wherein the latch lever has an operating portion and an engagement effecting portion, and when the operating portion is operated, the engagement effecting portion is moved between an engaging position where the pair of connectors are retained in engagement with each other and a disengaging position where the pair of connectors are released from the engagement;
- and
- wherein the pair of cover members joined together in a secure manner accommodate one or both of the operating portion and engagement effecting portion and are fixed to one or both of the pair of connectors, wherein the connector protective cover is mounted on a latch lever that is provided on one or both of a direct-mount connector directly mounted to a circuit board or a cable connector connected to a cable and that is operated to retain the direct-mount connector and the cable connector in engagement with each other,
- wherein a board cover having an opening passing therethrough to define a mounting space for mounting the direct-mount connector in a position to which the direct-mount connector is to be fixed is rigidly mounted on an upper surface of the circuit board, and
- the latch lever has an operating portion and an engagement effecting portion, the operating portion being operable to move the engagement effecting portion between an engaging position where the pair of connectors are retained in engagement with each other and a disengaging position where the pair of connectors are released from the engagement,
- wherein the connector protective cover has a body which is to be mounted at least on the engagement effecting portion, a leg portion which engages with a wall portion formed around the opening of the board cover, and a restraining portion which retrains movement of the engagement effecting portion by abutting against an outside face of the engagement effecting portion with the leg portion engaged with the wall portion formed around the opening.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.