The Whitaker Corporation

Amp LLC

Tyco Electronics Corporation

Tyco Electronics (shanghai) Co., Ltd.

Tyco Electronics Japan G.k.

Dirk R Dixon

Chad William Morgan

Masayuki Aizawa

Michael James Horning

Liang Huang

James Myoungsoo Jeon

Robert Thomas Hirsbrunner

Robert L Bendorf

Vincent Ruminski

Joseph W McLay

A mezzanine connector assembly includes a mezzanine receptacle connector having a plurality of receptacle contacts arranged in pairs for carrying differential pair signals and each having a mating interface. The mezzanine receptacle connector has a plurality of receptacle ground shields surrounding each pair of receptacle contacts and providing electrical shielding from each other pair. The mezzanine connector assembly includes a mezzanine header connector having a plurality of header contacts arranged in pairs. Each header contact has a mating segment mated to the mating interface of the corresponding receptacle contact. The mezzanine header connector has a plurality of header ground shields surrounding each pair of header contacts and providing electrical shielding from each other pair of header contacts. The header ground shields are mechanically and electrically connected to associated receptacle ground shields to create shield boxes around the various mated pairs of header and receptacle contacts.

Mezzanine connector assembly

A board lock (50) includes a body (52) having a connector engaging portion (54) and can tilevered beams (56) extending from opposite transverse edges thereof. The inner edges (62) of the beams (56) define a slot (64) therebetween that extends into an enlarged aperture (66) in the center of the body (52). Each of the outer edges (58) of the beams (56) include a protrusion (60) and further include a latching portion (68) at the leading end thereof.

Board lock for an electrical connector

A board edge electrical connector 60 includes a housing 12 having a plurality of first and second terminal members 64,74 each having a respective contact section 68,78 extending in a corresponding first or second row 66,76 from the board engaging face 18, the rows 66,76 being opposed to each other and defining a board receiving entrance 84 therebetween. Each first row contact section 68 includes respective contact surface 70 adapted to engage a corresponding circuit board 42 at a first position 43 on a first major board surface 40. Each second row contact section 78 is adapted to engage a second major board surface 46 at both a second position 53 proximate the board edge and a third position 54 farther from the board edge 52 than the first position 43 with each second row contact section 78 to be electrically connected to a corresponding board circuit 48 at at least one of the positions. The second and third positions 53,54 are axially offset from each other and from the first position 43 enabling the second row contact sections 78 to engage the board 38 under spring bias at respective positions 53,54 staggered from the first position 43. The arrangement altogether defines a stable board support with minimal rotation.

Surface mountable board edge connector

This invention is directed to a method of aligning an electrical receptacle assembly having plural electrical terminals projecting therefrom along only one side of the assembly to the edge of a substantially rectangular, planar conductive panel formed of a dielectric material, such as a printed circuit board (PCB), where such terminals are to be reflow soldered to electrically conductive paths on the surface of said planar conductive panel. The method includes the steps of (a) preparing a conductive panel joined on at least one side thereof with a carrier support portion secured to the conductive panel by plural frangible webs which may be readily severed after the soldering of the contacts to the conductive paths, (b) selecting an electrical receptacle assembly comprising an elongated housing having plural cavities, where each cavity includes an electrical terminal mounted therein, with the ends of the terminals aligned within a plane, and a pair of oppositely disposed tabs extending from the housing, (c) providing an elongated opening within the carrier support portion adjacent to the edge of the conductive panel and of a size to receive the elongated housing, where the tabs are adapted to lie upon the surface of said carrier support portion, and thereafter (d) seating the electrical receptacle assembly within the opening whereby the electrical receptacle assembly is aligned with the conductive paths on the planar conductive panel, and each terminal end contacts a corresponding conductive path on the surface of the planar conductive panel.

Method of producing a card edge mounted connector and the resulting

This invention is directed to a memory card ejection mechanism, where the card is electrically connected to a mating header, as known in the art. The mechanism comprises a memory card holder consisting of a pair of channel-shaped side rails for slidably receiving the memory card therebetween, where the rails extend between a closed mating header end and an open memory card receiving end. Each rail is defined by an outer wall, an inwardly directed upper wall, and an inwardly directed lower wall, and the joint or intersection between the outer wall and the inwardly directed upper wall is characterized by a recess extending a predetermined distance along the joint. The mechanism further includes a memory card ejector plate for slidably engaging the holder and consists of a base and a pair of upstanding side walls, where the base extends between a mating header end and a card receiving end. The mating header end includes a pair of upstanding tabs adapted to engage the header proximate end of the memory card when received between the side rails. The card receiving end includes a pull tab extending in a direction away from the side walls, whereby each said wall, along an upper edge thereof, is provided with an inwardly directed flange adapted to be slidably received within a corresponding recess along the rail, and the length of the flange is less than the said predetermined distance to allow relative movement between the holder and the ejector plate.

Memory card holder and ejection mechanism

A modular holder (10) for two-memory cards (132, 134) that enables separate insertion and injection of the cards from the holder (10) includes a central plate (44) fixed between opposed side rails (12, 14) intermediate the upper and lower surfaces thereof; first and second ejector plates (64, 66) movably held between the side rails (12, 14) and spaced above and below the center plate (44) and essentially parallel therewith; first and second rocker arms (84, 86) adapted to move respective ones of the first and second ejector plates (64, 66) from a first position wherein the associated memory card is electrically connected to terminals in an associated connector (120) to a second position wherein the memory card is disconnected from the connector (120), the rocker arms (84, 86) being disposed between the center plate (44) and the respective ejector plates (64, 66), and means (100, 102) to activate the eject mechanism.

Growing community of inventors

Elizabethtown, PA, United States of America

Dirk R Dixon