Molex Corporation

Gianni Zuin

Roberto Martucci

Mario Previato

Fulvio Gottardo

Robert Martucci

A system is disclosed for guiding an IC card into and ejecting the card from a card reading apparatus which includes an electrical connector having at least one terminal for engaging at least one contact on the card. A frame has the connector mounted therewithin. A slider receives the card. The slider has guide means for guiding insertion of the card in a direction of mating the card with the connector. The slider is movably mounted relative to the frame for moving the card therewith away from the connector and ejecting the card from the apparatus.

Chip card ejector system

An IC card connector is provided for connecting an IC card having a terminal array. The connector includes a base member having receptacle means for receiving the IC card for movement between a preload position and a latched position. The base member has a plurality of electrically conductive contacts for engaging the terminal array of the IC card. An ejector member is movably mounted on the base member and is engageable with the IC card for movement therewith between the preload and latched positions. A latch on the base member is engageable with the IC card for locking the IC card in its latched position. A spring is operatively associated between the ejector member and the base member for moving the ejector member and IC card back to the preload position automatically in response to releasing the latch.

IC card connector

An electrical switch assembly includes a first switch contact having a base and an integral first contact arm folded over the base. The contact arm has an upwardly facing contact surface. A second switch contact arm includes a base and an integral spring contact arm folded into cantilevered position over the base. The spring contact arm has a distal end folded thereunder to define a downwardly facing contact surface opposing the upwardly facing contact surface and spaced therefrom in a normally open condition of the switch assembly.

Blade switch assembly for a card reader

An IC card connector is provided for connecting an IC card having a terminal array to external equipment. The connector includes a base member having a plurality of electrically conductive contacts exposed on one side of the base member for engaging the terminal array of the IC card. A cover is hinged to the base member for movement toward and away from the one side of the base member. The cover has a receptacle for securing the IC card thereon for pivotal and slidable movement therewith, whereby pivoting of the cover onto the base member of the IC card connector and sliding the cover relative to the base member effects engagement of the IC card terminal array with the contacts.

A terminal-receiving socket assembly (10) is mounted on the bottom of a printed circuit board (12). The socket assembly includes a housing (22) having a terminal-receiving passage (28) in registry with a hole (14) in the board. A conductive contact (32) is mounted on the housing (22) for connection to a circuit (16) on the board and includes a pair of opposing contact arms (36) on opposite sides of the terminal-receiving passage (28) and engageable with a terminal (20) inserted thereinto. The terminal is inserted from the top of the board into the passage (28) and causes the contact arms (36) to flex downwardly (B) and outwardly, allowing for easy insertion of the terminal. However, withdrawal of the terminal (20) causes the flexible contact arms (36) to bias toward each other against the terminal to increase the withdrawal forces of the terminal.

Terminal-receiving socket for mounting on a circuit board

A low profile surface mount electrical connector is provided for connecting an electronic component such as an IC card on a planar surface of a printed circuit board which includes circuit traces thereon. The connector includes a generally flat insulating housing overmolded about a plurality of stamped and formed electrical terminals. The housing has a bottom surface. Each terminal includes a generally planar surface mount portion projecting from the housing generally coplanar with the bottom surface thereof for electrical connection to a circuit trace on the planar surface of the printed circuit board. Each terminal includes a contact arm portion folded back over the surface mount portion for electrical connection to the electronic component.

Surface mount electrical connector

An electrical connector includes a terminal having a generally cylindrical mating portion with an open seam extending longitudinally therealong. A flexible latch flange projects transversely from the mating portion on each side of the seam. A dielectric housing has an elongated terminal-receiving passageway for receiving the mating portion of the terminal. An elongated groove communicates with the passageway for receiving the latch flanges projecting from the mating portion. The groove has side walls converging from a wide mouth end of the groove to a narrow latch end thereof. The side walls of the groove are adapted to engage the latch flanges and resiliently compress the mating portion of the terminal. The latch end of the groove has an abruptly enlarged latch section behind which the latch flanges snappingly interengage to lock the terminal in the passageway. The latch flanges project from an outside face of the housing to provide access to the latch flanges, as by an appropriate tool, for unlatching the terminal.

Electrical connector with improved terminal latching system

A bracket is provided for mounting a motor on a printed circuit board, with the motor including a pair of terminals. A dielectric housing mounts a pair of conductive contacts. Each contact includes a contact portion adapted for engaging a respective one of the motor terminals and a tail portion adapted for connection to an appropriate circuit trace on the printed circuit board. A receptacle receives the motor in position with the motor terminals in engagement with the contact portions of the contacts. The receptacle is formed in part by a portion of the dielectric housing and in part by a portion of at least one of the conductive contacts.

Motor mounting bracket for PCB

A terminal socket assembly is adapted for mounting on a printed circuit board and includes a conductive terminal socket having a barrel portion insertable axially into a hole in the printed circuit board, with radially outwardly projecting wing portions for soldering to solder pads on the circuit board. A terminal-receiving dielectric housing mounts the terminal socket therewithin. The housing has walls which extend circumferentially about portions of the barrel portion of the terminal socket to prevent solder from wicking along exposed areas of the terminal and interfering with mating. The anti-solder wicking design allows a connector or component to be surface mounted directly on the surface of a circuit board to maximize the density of the entire assembly and the device in which it is used.

Terminal socket assembly

A terminal position assurance (TPA) system for an electrical connector which includes a dielectric housing having terminal-receiving passageways with latch shoulders formed therein. A terminal is insertable into a rear end of the passageway and includes an outwardly extending primary locking portion adapted to latch behind latch shoulders of the passageway. A TPA device is engageable with a forward mating end of the housing and includes a secondary locking portion insertable into a front end of the passageway to prevent unlatching of the primary locking portion from the latch shoulders. If the terminal is incompletely inserted into the passageway, the secondary locking portion of the TPA device comes in contact with the primary locking portion of the terminal to move the terminal rearwardly and therefore detects incomplete insertion of the terminals.

Terminal position assurance system for an electrical connector

An electrical terminal applicator includes an applicator ram drivable by a press ram through a working stroke towards, and a return stroke away from, a crimping anvil. A first crimping die is mounted on the applicator ram for cooperation with the anvil to crimp a first portion of an electrical terminal onto an exposed end of a conductive core of an insulated electrical wire during each working stroke of the applicator ram. A second crimping die is mounted on the applicator ram for cooperation with the anvil to crimp a second portion of the terminal onto the insulation of the electrical wire during each working stroke of the applicator ram. A first adjusting plate is mounted for rotation about an axis on and extending in the direction of movement of the applicator ram to selectively interpose projections between the press ram and the applicator ram to adjust the shut height of the first and second crimping dies. A second adjusting plate is mounted for rotation about the axis for selectively interposing projections between the first adjusting plate and the second crimping die to adjust the shut height of the second die. A third adjusting plate in the form of a thin flexible disc is mounted for rotation about the axis.

Growing community of inventors

Mestrino-Padova, Italy

Gianni Zuin