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:
Dec. 28, 1999
Filed:
May. 20, 1998
Jeffrey Michael Hickox, Middlefield, OH (US);
General Motors Corporation, Detroit, MI (US);
Abstract
An electrical connector includes a molded plastic connector body, a flexible printed circuit, a plurality of plastic cable trays, an elastomeric pad and a molded plastic cap. The flexible printed circuit includes a main section and two side sections that are attached to respective longitudinal sides of the main section by flexible webs. A plastic cable tray is attached at a rearward end of each section. Thin copper conductors are arrayed in the flexible printed circuit so that each copper conductor is attached to a raised feature pressure contact in a forward contact portion of the main section of the flexible printed circuit at one end and disposed in a cable channel of one of the plastic cable trays at the other end. Electric cable ends are secured in the cable channels and electrically connected to exposed contact pads of the copper conductors. A first side section is folded over the main section with its cable tray stacked on the top of the cable tray of the main section. The second side section is folded over the first side section with its plastic tray stacked on top of the plastic tray of the first side section. The folded subassembly is disposed in the connector body with the forward contact portion of the main section folded over the elastomeric pad which lies against the front wall of the connector body. The plastic cap is attached to the front of the connector body with the raised feature pressure contacts exposed in an opening in the face of the cap.