Patent ID: 6065989
Filing Date: 2000-05-23
Classification: H01R

Abstract:
A board-to-board connector block for horizontally and electrically engaging a secondary board with a source board including:an insulative housing having a top surface, a bottom surface, a first side joining front ends of the top and bottom surfaces, a second side joining rear ends of the top and bottom surfaces, a third side joining lateral ends of the first and second sides, and a fourth side opposite the third side;a plurality of passageways defined through the housing from the top surface to the bottom surface thereof;a plurality of resilient contacts received in the passageways having portions thereof projecting beyond both the top and bottom surfaces of the housing for engaging with contact pads formed on a bottom surface of the secondary board and a top surface of the source board, respectively;a lever including a base and a pair of arms extending from opposite lateral ends of the base for pivotably engaging with the housing;positioning means for properly aligning the connector block onto the source board, the positioning means comprising a pair of locating shoes formed on a top surface of the source board and a pair of corresponding openings defined in the first side of the housing; andstabilizing means for holding the contacts of the connector block in engagement with contact pads on the source board, the stabilizing means comprising a notch defined in a rear side of a free end of each arm of the lever, a curved surface joining a surface of the notch and a front side of the corresponding arm of the lever, and a pair of hold down shoes respectively formed close to opposite lateral edges of the source board;wherein the secondary board is surface mounted onto the connector block, the openings of the housing engage with the locating shoes of the positioning means, and the lever is pivotable downward to engage the notches of the stabilizing means with the hold down shoes of the stabilizing means to reach the locked position so that the hold down shoes of the stabilizing means exert a force on the notch surfaces of the lever so as to force the contact pads on the source board and the resilient contacts of the housing into secure electrical engagement.