US3405386A - Contact used with edge connector - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 8, 1968 w. H. MCKEE 3,405,386

CONTACT USED WITH EDGE CONNECTOR Filed May 27; 1966 F ea /6 36 HI 4 a 4 1;?? 2o) /6 26- I l /6 .25 5 4 if 26 I a 26 24 /6 v, n I6 22 g f 26 d as Z ,4 e4 1,? I a 2 as g l I M 5? 2:; Q Q

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William H. McKee,

United States Patent Office 3,405,386 Patented Oct. 8, 1968 3,405,386 CONTACT USED WITH EDGE CONNECTOR William H. McKee, West Covina, Calif., assignor to United-Carr Incorporated, Boston, Mass., a corporation of Delaware Filed May 27, 1966, Ser. No. 553,453 3 Claims. (Cl. 339176) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to an electrical connector for printed circuit boards. It consists of a housing which has a longitudinal slot for receiving a printed circuit board and a slot normal to the longitudinal slot for receiving a bus bar. Contacts having arms for engaging both printed circuit boards and bus bars are mounted in the housing. The bus bars are used to connect a series of housings.

This invention relates generally to contacts and more specifically to contacts used with edge connectors.

An object of the present invention is to provide a contact for use with an edge connector where the length of the contact is restricted by design limitations and the contact characteristics must be equivalent to a longer contact.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a contact having means of engaging a bus-bar.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a contact having a spring finger offset from the spring arm.

Other objects of the invention will, in part, be obvious and will, in part, appear hereinafter.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a contact;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of a contact;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of an edge connector utilizing the contact shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 broken off;

FIG. 4 is a section taken on line 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view ofan edge connector broken off showing a bus-bar contact; and

FIG. 6 is a section taken on line 66 of FIG. 5.

In the drawing, there is shown a contact for use in a printed circuit edge connector comprising a wrap post 10 which has a protuberance 12 formed a predetermined distance from the terminal end of the wrap post 10 on each side thereof as shown in the FIG. 2. A connector portion 14 extends in right angle relationship to the wrap post 10 at a terminal end thereof. The width of the connector portion 14 is predetermined for a purpose to be set forth hereinafter. A spring arm 16 extends from the end of the connector portion 14 away from the wrap post 10 and is bent forwardly into angular relationship with the connector portion 14. A second connector portion 18 extends from the end of the spring arm 16 in spaced relation to the connector portion 14. The second connector portion 18 and the connector portion 14 have horizontal planes in spaced parallel relationship with each other. A spring finger 20 extends from the second connector portion 18 toward the connector portion 14 On the same vertical plane as the wrap post 10 and extends forwardly in the same general direction as that toward which the spring arm 16 was directed and has its terminal end bent back toward the plane of the spring arm 16 to provide a knuckle 22.

The housing 24 comprises a pair of side walls 26 in spaced parallel relationship extending upwardly from the base portion 28. and connected at the terminal ends by end walls. A series of L-shaped slots are formed in the side walls 26 extending from the base portion 28 to the top surfaces of the side Walls 26. The L-shaped slots on one side wall 26 are in offset relation to the slots formed on the opposite side wall 26 and have narrow channel openings 32 into the card slot 34 formed by the base portion 28 and the side walls 26. A thin barrier portion 36 separates the major portion of the L-shaped slot from the card slot 34 and also provides one of the walls of the channel 32. The channel 32 of one L-shaped slot is in opposed relation to its companion L-shaped slot on the other side wall 26.

An aperture is formed from the L-shaped slot through the base portion 28 and through a cylindrical extension 38 which is integral with and extends from the under surface of the base portion 28. Pairs of L-shaped slots are formed, one for each side wall 26 along the length of the edge connector in a number equal to the number of the desired contacts.

To engage the contact to an L-shaped slot, the wrap post 10 is passed into the L-shaped slot and then through the aperture formed in the base portion 28 and through the core of the cylindrical extension 38. The protuberance 12 expands the internal surface of the wall of the aperture formed in the base portion 28 and the internal surface of the core formed in the cylindrical extension 38 at the point where the contact is completely engaged. When the forces created by the interference of the protuberances 12 have passed an area, the plastic memory of the material returns the wall surface to substantially its original form. When the wrap post 10 is beyond the area encompassed by the housing 24, the spring arm 16 has its upper portion butted against the barrier 36 and its lower portion butted against the inner surface of the side wall 26. The transverse width of the L-shaped cavity is less than the angle of declination of the spring arm 16 providing a preloading of the spring finger 20 which extends through the channel 32 into the card slots 34 in opposed relation to the spring finger of its companion contact.

If a printed circuit board (not shown) is inserted in the card slots 34, each of the spring fingers 20 would, after engagement of the circuit board, flex toward the plane of the spring arm 16 and simultaneously the spring arm 16 would flex away from the card slot 34. The fact that the spring finger 20 is offset from the spring 16 causes a torsion effect when the mentioned forces are applied to the spring finger 20. The circuit board will be held by the combined sandwiching action of the spring fingers 20, either between them or, if desired, between a setnofspring fingers 20 and the inner surface of a side wa It is sometimes desirable in complex electronic construction to place a series of complete connections in a side by side parallel relation on a chassis. In many designs, specific voltages are applied to similar contact stations in each connector. A means of connecting these terminals with a minimum number of connections is to pro- 'vide a bus-bar which engages all the required contact stations. It is also desirable not to have the bus-bar below the chassis where it will interfere with the wiring and, furthermore, it is desirable that the bus-'bar connection be made subsequent to installation of the complete connections to the chassis. The inventor has, by adding a 'busbar contact portion to the abovedescribed contact, pro vided a contact which satisfies the requirements of the problems set forth hereinbefore. The bus-bar contact portion has a spring member 40 extending in right angle relationship to the connector portion 14a in the same general direction as that toward which the spring finger is directed and has a sinuous contact portion 42 extend ing in right angle relation to the spring member 40 toward the same direction as that toward which the spring arm 16a'is directed. In order to utilize the bus-bar contact we cut the side walls 26a transversely of the length of the card slot 34a to form a bus-bar slot 43 to a depth below the card slot 34a to provide room for the bus-bar 44, as will be more fully explained hereinafter. At the contact station a single L-shaped cavity is formed adjacent the bus-bar slot 43 as shown in FIG. and on the opposite side wall 26a a contact slot 46 is formed to allow the contact portion 42 to be properly placed in the connector. The engagement of the bus contact with the connector is similar to the engagement of a contact as described hereinbefore with the addition that the spring member 40 extends across the mid-line of the card slot 34a and under the card slot 34a with the contact portion 42 extending into the bus-bar slot 43 in close proximity to the contact slot 46.

1 With reference to the foregoing description it is to be understood that what has been disclosed herein represents only a single embodiment of the invention and is to be construed as illustrative rather than restrictive in nature and that the invention is best described by the following claims.

What is claimed:

1. An electrical connector having an insulating housing, said housing having a base portion and a pair of longitudinal side walls extending upwardly from said base portion in spaced relation so as to form a longitudinal slot for receiving the edge of a printed board, at least one of said side walls having a series of lateral slots intersecting said longitudinal slot, said housing having a bus bar-receiving slot extending through said side walls in normal relation to said longitudinal slot, a contact member disposed in one of said lateral slots, said contact member having a first contact element intersecting said longitudinal slot for electrical engagement with a conductor carried by said printed board and a second contact element intersecting said bar-receiving slot for electrical engagement with a bus bar received in said bar-receiving slot.

2. An electrical connector having an insulating housing, said housing having a base portion and a pair of longitudinal side walls extending upwardly from said base portion in spaced relation so as to form a longitudinal slot for receiving the edge of a printed board, at least one of said side walls having a series of lateral slots intersecting said longitudinal slot, said housing having a *bus bar-receiving slot extending through said side walls in normal relation to said longitudinal slot, a contact member disposed in one of said lateral slots, said contact member having a first arm portion having a contact element intersecting said longitudinal slot for electrical engagement with a conductor carried by said printed board, and said first arm portion having a second arm portion extending laterally therefrom and having a contact element for electrical engagement with a 'bus bar received in said bar-receiving slot.

3. An electrical connector having an insulating housing, said housing having a base portion and a pair of longitudinal side walls extending upwardly from said base portion in spaced apart relation so as to form a longitudinal slot for receiving the edge of a printed board, at least one of said side walls havinng a series of lateral slots intersecting said longitudinal .slot, a contact disposed in each of said lateral slots, each of said contacts having a first arm portion disposed in said lateral slot having a first contact element intersecting said longitudinal slot for engagement with a conductor carried by said printed board, said housing base having a bus barreceiving opening laterally thereof through both of said sidewalls and downwardly into said housing base, said housing having an associated opening intersecting said lateral opening and extending from adjacent said wall having said lateral opening into said opposite wall, said associated opening extending into said base in intersecting relation to said bar-receiving opening, and said contact having a second arm portion extending from said first arm portion, said second arm portion being disposed in said associated opening and having a contact element intersecting said bar-receiving opening so as to engage electrically a bus bar disposed in said bar-receiving opening.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,001,171 9/1961 Schultz 33917 X 3,008,113 11/1961 Johnson 33917 3,176,261 3/1965 Greco et al. 339-17 X 3,231,949 1/1966 Ruehlemann 339-176 MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner.

J. R. MOSES, Assistant Examiner.

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