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:
Sep. 12, 2000
Filed:
Dec. 17, 1997
Scott Keith Mickievicz, Elizabethtown, PA (US);
Scott Anthony Faulkner, Harrisburg, PA (US);
Edmund Luther Jacobs, Harrisburg, PA (US);
The Whitaker Corporation, Wilmington, DE (US);
Abstract
An electrical connector (10) for interconnecting discrete circuits on a first circuit board (14) with discrete circuits on a second circuit board (16), includes an insulating housing (18) having a series of contact members (20) arranged in side by side cavities (22). Each contact member (20) has a straight shank (130) that is only partially supported by the floor (32) of the housing. The shank (130) has a first beam (136) at one end and a second beam (138) at the other end, each end of which has a respective one of first and second contacts (140, 142) attached thereto. Each contact terminates in a pre-load member (144, 146) that is formed parallel to the shank and slidingly extends into a recess (120) in the housing. Each pre-load member (144, 146) includes a latch surface (168) that abuts against a stop surface (124) formed in the housing (18) to limit movement of the contacts and thereby provide a desired pre-load to each contact (140, 142). The first and second beams (136, 138) are structured to partially extend into cutouts (90) in the floor (32) of the housing to minimize overall height of the connector. Additionally, the unsupported portions of the shank (130) of each contact member (20) resiliently deflect into their respective cutouts (90) thereby enhancing the affects of the first and second beams (136, 138).