Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

3m Innovative Properties Company

Jeffrey J Bellas

Dennis M Brunner

Clyde W Boling

Steven Feldman

A connector locator device for mounting a connector in a connector cut-out formed in a circuit card. An elongated connector includes solder tails extending from an edge thereof. The connector has opposite connector ends. An elongated connector support member has opposite terminal ends. Each terminal end includes a clamp engaging a respective connector end and also includes a support surface for engaging a card surface and locating the solder tails on solder pads positioned on the card surface.

Recyclable locater device for board mounted connectors

An electrical connector is provided for use with a circuit card which has a generally planar substrate having multiple conductive elements disposed along at least one edge thereof. Each of the conductive elements is coupled to an electrically conductive trace on the surface of the planar substrate, and at least one conductive cover panel is provided which may be mounted to the planar substrate. An electrical coupling which includes multiple electrical contacts for external connection to the circuit card is provided, and each of the multiple electrical contacts is then coupled to an associated electrical terminal, such as a solder tail, which may then be mated to one of the multiple conductive elements on the planar substrate. A grounding clip is then mounted on at least one of the associated electrical terminals. The grounding clip includes a conductive member which extends outward from the electrical terminal to engage the generally planar conductive cover panel while the conductive cover panel is mounted above the substrate such that at least one electrically conductive trace on the planar substrate is electrically coupled through a conductive element, the electrical coupling and the grounding clip to the conductive cover panel. In this manner, a conductive trace within the circuit card may be simultaneously grounded through the external electrical contacts of the coupling and to the conductive cover panel, minimizing the possible discharge of an electrical charge and preventing electromagnetic emissions by the circuit card.

Growing community of inventors

Columbia, MO, United States of America

Jeffrey J Bellas