The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 05, 1980
Filed:
Jun. 28, 1977
Robert F Cobaugh, Elizabethtown, PA (US);
James R Coller, Mechanicsburg, PA (US);
AMP Incorporated, Harrisburg, PA (US);
Abstract
A contact for use in printed circuit boards in which a portion thereof is split or sheared to form at least a pair of legs for insertion into an aperture in said circuit board with the adjacent legs each having a surface which face and abut each other in the shear plane therebetween and with said legs being offset with respect to each other in said shear plane. When the offset legs are inserted in an aperture in a circuit board they are forced towards each other along the shear plane with the facing surfaces experiencing a strong component of force normal to said shear plane. Such normal force in turn produces a large frictional force between said facing surfaces which, together with the spring-like force generated as the legs are forced together, produce a strong opposing force against the walls of the aperture. The foregoing structure enables the use of compliant legs having a larger total cross-sectional area with respect to a printed circuit board aperture of a given size than has heretofore been possible. Further, because of such larger cross-sectional area and the large frictional contact between the leg surfaces in the plane of shear the said legs exert a greater force against the wall of the printed circuit board hole without damaging said wall than obtainable with prior devices, thereby creating both an improved electrical contact and an improved mechanical contact. In some embodiments of the invention means are provided to control the direction and amount of rotation of the legs as they are inserted into the printed circuit board aperture.