Molex Corporation

Yan Margulis

Arvind Patel

James T Roberts

Michael R Kamarauskas

John S Luthy

Mark M Data

Karen Samiec

Jose H Chavez, Jr

Nagesh Kestur Nagarajan

Michael Mayo

Robert Wirkus

Scott M Mueller

Mark K Cussans

Raymond Froude

Ray Froude

Yew Tek Yap

An electrical card connector comprises an insulative housing, a shield covering the insulative housing, a plurality of terminals received within the insulative housing, and an ejection mechanism. The insulative housing and the shield define a receiving space for receiving an electrical card. The ejection mechanism disposed on one side of the receiving space comprises a base and a movable push rod mounted within the base. A reinforced rib protruding from a surface of the rear portion of the push rod, and a corresponding receiving groove is defined on the base for receiving said the reinforced rib movable therein. A guide groove is defined on the bottom wall of the push rod, and a guide rib protrudes from the base, which is received within said guide groove and movable therein.

Electrical card connector with improved ejection mechanism

An electrical power blade connector includes a dielectric housing having a mating cavity for receiving a mating connector inserted into the cavity through an open front end thereof in a mating direction. A pair of blade support arms project forwardly within the cavity. The support arms are spaced laterally of the mating direction. Each support arm has a pair of spaced grooves which open toward the other support arm. The grooves extend in the mating direction. A pair of blade terminals are supported in the pairs of grooves in the pair of support arms in spaced, generally parallel planes.

Electrical connector having blade terminals

An electrical connector system includes a panel having a front face, a rear face, a hole through which a connector can mate with a complementary connecting device at the front face of the panel, and an opening spaced from the hole. A connector includes a dielectric housing insertable into the hole in the panel and mateable with the complementary connecting device at the front face of the panel. The housing mounts a plurality of terminals and is sized smaller than the hole to allow for controlled floating movement of the connector relative to the panel. At least one locking arm projects from the housing and has a locking protrusion for engagement in the opening in the panel to prevent excessive movement of the connector in a direction generally parallel to the panel. The opening is larger than the locking protrusion to allow for said controlled floating movement of the connector relative to the panel. At least one flange projects from the rear face of the panel over a rear portion of the connector housing to prevent excessive movement of the connector in a direction generally perpendicular to and rearwardly of the panel. The terminals have flexibly stiff elongated portions projecting rearwardly of the housing to a fixed support structure for supporting the housing generally centrally in the hole in the panel but allowing said controlled floating movement of the connector relative to the panel.

Panel mounted electrical connector system

An electrical connector is provided for mounting on a printed circuit board which includes a mounting surface, an opposite mating surface, a locating hole and a terminal-receiving aperture. The connector includes a dielectric housing having a front board-mounting face for mounting against the mounting surface of the printed circuit board. At least one terminal-receiving passage in the housing has a front opening in the front board-mounting face of the housing, with the front opening alignable with the terminal-receiving aperture in the printed circuit board. An alignment boss projects from the front board-mounting face of the housing and is insertable into the locating hole in the printed circuit board. The alignment boss has a guide hole for receiving a guide post from a complementary mating connector at the mating surface of the printed circuit board. A conductive terminal is mounted on the housing and includes a tail portion outside the housing for connection to an appropriate circuit trace on the printed circuit board. The terminal includes a contact portion inside the terminal-receiving passage of the housing for engaging an appropriate terminal of the complementary mating connector.

Board mounted electrical connector assembly

A female terminal with a passageway is defined by generally spaced apart sidewalls for receiving a male terminal. The passageway may be configured from two U-shaped channels, with a primary contact and a sacrificial contact stamped from each sidewall of each U-shaped channel with the sacrificial contacts located forward of the primary contact. The sacrificial contacts are disposed in the direction of insertion of the male terminal into the passageway, and are separated from the sidewall by apertures above and below the sacrificial contact so that any residue from arcing is mostly contained at the edges of the sacrificial contacts.

Female terminal with sacrificial arc discharge contacts

An electrical connector is provided for mounting in an opening in a panel which has an elongated channel having overhanging lips along opposite sides thereof defining a narrowed mouth running longitudinally of the channel. The opening communicates through the channel. A connector housing is insertable into the opening and into the channel in an insertion direction. The housing is rotatable within the opening. At least one locking projection extends outwardly of the housing generally perpendicular to the insertion direction. The locking projection is sized for passing through the narrowed mouth defined by the overhanging lips of the channel and for locking engagement behind one of the lips in response to rotation of the housing within the opening. A latch projection is disposed on the outside of the housing and is latchingly engageable in the narrowed mouth of the channel automatically in response to the rotation of the housing within the opening.

Panel mounted electrical connector

An electrical connector assembly includes a pair of modular subassemblies each having an outer housing with a mating face defining a mating portion for mating with a complementary connector in a mating direction. The outer housing also has a side face with a cavity. A terminal module includes a dielectric inner housing positioned in the cavity. A plurality of terminals are mounted on the inner housing, with contact portions at the mating portion for engaging appropriate contacts of the complementary mating connector. Therefore, the outer housings of the modular subassemblies can be joined at the side faces thereof to conceal the terminal modules therewithin.

Electrical connector assembly

A shielded electrical connector is provided for mounting at least partially in a cut-out portion of a printed circuit board. The connector includes a dielectric housing having an opening through a bottom wall thereof coincident with the cut-out portion of the printed circuit board. The housing has a plug-insertion cavity with an opening at a front mating face thereof for receiving a complementary mating plug connector. A latch projection extends from the housing near the opening in the bottom wall thereof. A metal shield is mounted about the housing and has a front plate portion juxtaposed over the front mating face of the housing and having a plug-insertion opening aligned with the front opening of the housing. The shield includes a bottom plate portion aligned with the opening in the bottom wall of the housing and including a latch aperture for embracing the latch projection of the housing.

Shielded electrical connector for mounting on a printed circuit board

An electrical connector includes a dielectric housing having a front mating face and mounting a plurality of terminals. A latching cavity is formed in the front mating face for receiving a latch member from a complementary mating device. The cavity includes opposite side walls. A latch/solder member is mounted on the housing and includes a latch plate in the latching cavity for latching engagement by the latch member of the complementary connecting device, and a solder plate at the board-mounting face of the housing. A blocking rib spans the side walls of the latching cavity to strengthen the housing, and the locking rib prevents the latch member of the complementary connecting device from being inserted into the cavity on a wrong side of the latch plate.

Latching system for electrical connectors

A retention system is provided for a surface mounted electrical connector on a printed circuit board. A dielectric connector housing is adapted for mounting on a surface of the printed circuit board. A plurality of terminals are mounted on the housing for engaging appropriate circuit traces on the printed circuit board. A retaining clip is mounted on the housing and includes a board mounting tab for solder connection to an appropriate ground trace on the surface of the printed circuit board. The tab mounting tab has an opening. A conductive shield is disposed about portions of the housing and includes a projection extending into the opening in the board mounting tab. Therefore, solder material engages the projection of the shield through the opening in the board mounting tab to thereby mechanically and electrically secure both the retaining clip and the shield to the printed circuit board.

Retention system for electrical connectors

A modular jack includes a substantially rectangular dielectric receptacle housing having a front face, a bottom board mounting wall, and a top, rear and a pair of side walls substantially surrounding a plug-receiving cavity. The cavity extends rearwardly from the front face for receiving a mating plug connector. In order to limit insertion of an undersized plug into a full-sized plug-receiving cavity in the receptacle housing, a stop surface is incorporated into a flexible stop member projecting from the housing and extending into the plug-receiving cavity. The stop surface is located within the cavity so as to ensure contact with a leading edge of an undersized plug upon insertion of the undersized plug into the cavity. A sliding surface is also incorporated into the flexible member. The sliding surface is located within the cavity so as to ensure contact with a leading edge of a plug upon insertion into the cavity of a mating plug having a width appropriate for mating with the jack. The sliding surface resides closer to the front face of the receptacle housing than does the stop surface. When an undersized plug is inserted into the cavity, the leading edge of the undersized plug contacts the stop surface, preventing full insertion of the undersized plug into the cavity. When a mating plug is inserted into the cavity, the leading edge of the mating plug contacts the more forwardly-positioned sliding surface before reaching the stop surface. Sliding contact between the sliding surface and the mating plug leading edge causes the sliding surface to move. This movement produces a corresponding movement in the flexible stop member and the stop surface incorporated thereon such that the stop surface is located out of engagement with the leading surface of the mating plug, permitting full insertion of the mating plug into the cavity.

Jack with feature for selectively restricting plug insertion

A connector assembly includes a housing having a plurality of receptacles, including a top receptacle, for receiving a plurality of mating plugs. A light guide is operatively associated with each receptacle and its respective mating plug to signal a circuit condition thereof. All of the light guides have front ends viewable at the front of the housing above the top receptacle. Each front end has an indicator to visually indicate the receptacle with which the respective light guide is operatively associated.

Growing community of inventors

Buffalo Grove, IL, United States of America

Yan Margulis