Card edge connector

A card edge connector assembly comprising:

• a memory module;
• an elongated housing extending along a longitudinal direction thereof and having a pair of opposed side walls, a central slot between the side walls for receiving the memory module and two tower portions extending upwardly from two sides of the housing, the tower portions each having a first receiving cavity to receive a side edge of the memory module to position the memory module;
• a plurality of contacts retained in the housing;
• and
• at least one latching mechanism straddling the central slot and be fastened to the side walls of the housing, the latching mechanism limiting the memory module received in the central slot to move upwardly;
• wherein the side walls have at least two positioning blocks, the latching mechanism has two opposite latching portions latching with corresponding positioning blocks of the housing;
• wherein the latching mechanism is disposed as a U-shaped configuration and includes a limiting portion and two extending arms extending downwardly from two sides of the limiting portion, the latching portion extend downwardly from the latching arm and has a nose portion extending inwardly thereof but does not extend beyond an inside face of the extending arm, a recess is formed by the nose portion, the latching portion and the extending arm, the positioning block is received in the recess;
• wherein the positioning blocks each have a first guiding slot depressing upwardly from a bottom thereof, the first guiding slot passes through the positioning block along the longitudinal direction but does not pass through an outside face of the positioning block to form a first flange adjacent to the first guiding slot;
• and
• wherein the nose portion has a second guiding slot depressing downwardly from a top thereof, the second guiding slot passes through the nose portion along the longitudinal direction but does not pass through an inside face of the nose portion to from a second flange adjacent to the second guiding slot, the first flange is received and fitted in the first guiding slot and the second flange is received and fitted in the second guiding slot.

An electrical connector assembly for locking therein a memory module having a pair of notches on two opposite end edges, comprising:

• an elongated insulative housing defining a slot along a lengthwise direction between a pair of opposite side walls;
• a plurality of contacts disposed beside the slot;
• a pair of retention devices located at two opposite ends of the housing along said lengthwise direction, each of said retention devices defining a locking head;
• and at least one latching mechanism attached upon at least one of said pair of side walls;
• wherein the latch mechanism defines a top portion for grasping a top edge of the memory module so as to provide additional retention to the memory module other than said pair of retention devices;
• wherein the latching mechanism defines a U-shaped structure assembled to both said pair of side walls;
• wherein the at least one of the pair of side walls defines a positioning block on an exterior surface, the positioning block having a first flange and a first guiding slot, and the latch mechanism defines a nose portion having a second guiding slot for grasping the positioning block to prevent movement of the latching mechanism relative to the housing in a vertical direction perpendicular to said lengthwise direction, regardless of whether the memory module is received in the housing or not;
• wherein said latching mechanism further includes a second flange portion outwardly abutting against the first flange of the positioning block so as to prevent the latching mechanism from outward moving relative to the housing in a transverse direction perpendicular to both said lengthwise direction and said vertical direction;
• and
• wherein the latching mechanism defines a retaining slot for retaining a to edge of the memory module.