Abstract:
The invention discloses an express card housing structure serves as a housing for accommodating light in weight, small in size and portable hardware devices, which are used as memories or execute various media. The express card housing according to the invention utilizes fastening sections at two inner sides of a main frame thereof for fastening with fastening openings at two lateral sides of a lower housing, and an upper housing for corresponding with the lower housing. The main frame is disposed with a safety fastening opening at one side thereof, such that the upper and lower housings can be fastened with each other for facilitating installation and replacement processes.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   (a) Field of the Invention 
   The invention relates to an express card housing structure, and more particularly, to a housing for accommodating light in weight, small in size and portable hardware devices that serve as memories or execute various media for notebook expansions, and comprises a connector housing, terminals, a main frame, a lower housing and an upper housing. 
   (b) Description of the Prior Art 
   Due to rapid advancement of computer industries on top of market demands, newly defined express specifications are gradually replacing prior PCMCIA specifications. Based on requirements of upstream manufacturers, up-to-date housings for portable devices are needed. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Therefore, the primary object of the invention is to provide an express card housing structure having a simple replacement procedure. 
   Another object of the invention is to provide an express card housing structure capable of preventing disengagement of upper and lower housings from a main frame thereof. 
   The other object of the invention is to provide an express card housing structure that can be installed using a one-step installation process as well as having a connect pin section for reducing installation time needed for installing terminals. 
   To accomplish the aforesaid objects, an express card housing structure comprises a connector housing, terminals, a main frame, a lower housing and an upper housing. The terminals are devised as new-type express specifications as having a connect pin section for a one-step installation process, and are inserted via a terminal groove at a rear end of the connector housing. After snapping off terminal bodies at a front end of the terminals from a connecting portion at a rear end, terminal pins at a lower portion of terminal bodies are adhered to a printed circuit board (PCB). Fastening sections at two inner sides of the main frame are fastened with fastening openings at two lateral sides of the lower housing. At two sides of the lower housing are upwardly extended and inverted U-shaped clasp sections that are fixed in recesses at the two sides of the main frame, so as to place the connector housing and the PCB into the main frame. The connector housing has locating sections at the front end thereof for corresponding and inserting into locating notches of the main frame. U-shaped clasp sections at the two sides of the upper housing are clasped with the corresponding inverted L-shaped clasp sections of the lower housing. When the upper housing is fastened in a forward direction, a safety opening at one side of the main frame is corresponded with a safety fastening section of the upper housing, thereby completing an assembly of the invention. 
   According to the aforesaid structure, by corresponding and inserting the locating sections disposed at the front end of the connector housing into the locating notches of the main frame, the fastening sections at two inner sides of the main frame and fastening openings at two lateral sides of the lower housing, and the corresponding U-shaped clasp sections at two lateral sides of the upper housing and the inverted L-shaped clasp sections of the lower housing, the express card is provided with a simple installation and replacement process. In addition, when the upper housing is fastened in a forward direction, the safety fastening section of the upper housing is corresponded with and slid into the safety opening at one side of the main frame. Also, the outwardly and upwardly extended inverted U-shaped clasp sections at two lateral sides of the lower housing are located in the recesses at two lateral sides of the main frame, thereby preventing disengagement of the upper and lower housings from the main frame. In conjunction with new-type express specifications, the terminals are made into a structure having a connect pin and can be installed using one-step installation process by inserting the terminals from a rear end of the connector housing. The terminal bodies at the front end of the terminals are snapped off from the connecting portion at the rear end, and the terminal pins at the lower portion of the terminal bodies are adhered to a PCB, thereby reducing time required for installing the terminals. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  shows an exploded elevational view according to the invention. 
       FIG. 2  shows an elevational view according to the invention. 
       FIG. 3  shows a schematic view illustrating a lower housing joined with a main frame according to the invention. 
       FIG. 4A  shows a first schematic view illustrating the connector housing inserted by the terminals and joined with the PCB A according to the invention. 
       FIG. 4B  shows a second schematic view illustrating the connector housing inserted by the terminals and joined with the PCB A according to the invention. 
       FIG. 5  shows an enlarged partial view illustrating an assembly of an upper housing, a main frame and a lower frame according to the invention. 
       FIG. 6A  shows a schematic view illustrating the safety fastening section fastened with the safety fastening opening according to the invention. 
       FIG. 6B  shows a schematic view illustrating the safety fastening section released from the safety fastening opening according to the invention. 
       FIG. 7  shows an exploded elevational view illustrating another embodiment according to the invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   To better understand the structures, devices and characteristics of the invention, detailed descriptions of a preferred embodiment shall be given with the accompanying drawings below. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , an express card housing structure according to the invention comprises a connector housing  10 , terminals  20 , a main frame  30 , a lower housing  40  and an upper housing  50 . 
   The connector housing  10  is an integral and rectangular housing formed by plastic extrusion; and has a perforated terminal groove  11  at a center portion thereof, an opening  12  at a front end thereof connecting to a computer slot, locating sections  13  at left and right sides thereof, and clasp channels  14  at front and rear sides thereof. 
   The terminals  20  are formed by bent metals. Each terminal  20  is consisted of a terminal body  21  and a rear connecting portion  22 , with a rear end of the terminal body  21  downwardly bent to form a terminal pin  21   a . Between the terminal body  21  and the connecting portion  22  is a connect pin section  23 , which is formed by excavating an inverted V-shape cleft  23   a  at an upper metal surface of the connecting portion  22  and is reserved with a small portion of metal for joining with the connecting portion  22  at the rear end. 
   The main frame  30  is an integral formed by metal molding or plastic extrusion, and appears as a U-shape when viewed from above. The main frame  30  has a post  31   d  at a front end of an opening thereof for joining left and right frames  31 . Each of the left and right frames  31  is disposed with a locating notch  31   a  at a front end thereof, a plurality of fastening sections  31   b  at an inner edge thereof, a recess  31   c  at a center upper portion thereof, a safety fastening opening  32  at one side thereof, with the safety fastening opening  32  formed with a hole  32   a  at a center portion, and a square recess  32   b  formed regarding a center of the aforesaid hole  32   a  as a center at an inner side thereof. 
   The lower housing  40  is a housing body formed by shearing and stamping a metal plate; and has a plurality of fastening openings  41  at two lateral sides and a rear side thereof for corresponding with the fastening sections  31   b  of the main frame  30 , inverted U-shaped clasp sections  42  extended outward and upward at center portions of two sides thereof for corresponding with recesses  31   c  of the main frame  30 , and a plurality of inverted L-shaped clasp sections  43  at two lateral sides thereof. 
   The upper housing  50  is a housing body formed by shearing and stamping a metal plate; and has clasp section  51  at a front end thereof for clasping with the clasp channels at two sides of the connector housing, a plurality of U-shaped clasp sections  52  with openings facing a front side at two lateral sides thereof, a safety fastening section  53  for corresponding with the fastening opening  32  of the main frame  30  and, extruded with a square spring plate  53   a , and a downwardly bent baffle  54  at a rear end thereof. 
   For assembly, the terminals  20  are inserted into the terminal groove  11  at the rear end of the connector housing  10 . The terminal bodies  21  at the front end of the terminals  20  are snapped off from the rear connecting portion  22 , and the terminal pin sections  21   a  at the lower portion of the terminal bodies  21  are adhered to a printed circuit board (PCB)  2 . The fastening sections  31   b  at two inner sides of the main frame  30  are fastened with the fastening openings  41  at two lateral sides of the lower housing  40 . The upwardly extended and inverted U-shaped clasp sections  42  at the two sides of the lower housing  40  are fixed in the recesses  31   c  at the two sides of the main frame  30 . The connector housing  10  and the PCB  2  are placed into the main frame  30 . The locating sections  13  at the front end of the connector housing  10  are corresponded with and inserted into the locating notches  31   a  of the main frame  30 . The U-shaped clasp sections  52  at the two sides of the upper housing  50  are clasped with the corresponding inverted L-shaped clasp sections  43  of the lower housing  40 . When the upper housing  50  is fastened in a forward direction, the safety opening  2  at one side of the main frame  30  is corresponded with the safety fastening section  53  of the upper housing, thereby completing an assembly of the invention. 
   Referring to  FIG. 3  showing a schematic view illustrating the lower housing  40  joined with the main frame  30 , the fastening sections  31   b  at two inner sides of the main frame  30  are fastened with the fastening openings  41  at two sides of the lower housing  40 , and the outwardly, upwardly extended and inverted U-shaped clasp sections  42  of the lower housing  40  are fastened in the recesses  31   c  at the two sides of the main frame  30 . 
   Referring to  FIGS. 4A and 4B  showing schematic views illustrating the connector housing  10  inserted with the terminals  20  and then joined with the PCB  2 , the terminals  20  are inserted into the terminal groove  11  at the rear side of the connector housing  10 . After snapping off the terminal bodies  21  at the front end of the terminals  20  from the connecting portion  22  at the rear end, the terminal pins  21   a  at the lower portion of the terminal bodies  21  are adhered to the PCB  2 . 
   Referring to  FIG. 5  showing an enlarged partial view illustrating an assembly of the upper housing  50 , the main frame  30  and the lower housing  40 , the U-shaped clasp sections  52  at the two sides of the upper housing  50  are clasped with the corresponding inverted L-shaped sections  43  of the lower housing  40 . When the upper housing  50  is fastened in a forward direction, the safety opening  32  at one side of the main frame  30  is corresponded with the safety fastening section  53  of the upper housing  50 .  FIGS. 6A and 6B  show schematic views illustrating the safety fastening section  53  assembled with and released from the safety fastening opening  32  according to the invention, respectively. For that the safety fastening section  53  is an extruded square spring plate  53   a , the square spring plate  53   a  is butted into the square recess  32   b  of the safety fastening opening  32  when fastened to form an assembly. To disassemble the structure, a long and thin round post  3  having a diameter smaller than that of the hole  32   a  of the safety fastening opening  32  is inserted into the hole  32   a  to push the square spring plate  53   a  inward, thereby accomplishing a release status by sliding the upper housing  50  in a backward direction. 
   Referring to  FIG. 7  showing an exploded elevational view illustrating another embodiment according to the invention, the upper housing  50 , the lower housing  40  and the main frame  30  are devised in other shapes for coordinating with new-type express card specifications. 
   According to the aforesaid assembled structure, the following effects are achieved:
     1. Using the connect pin section between the terminal bodies and the connecting portion, the terminals are snapped off after being inserted into the terminal groove at the rear end of the connector housing, such that the terminal bodies are remained in the connector housing for speeding up time required for installation.   2. The locating sections at two outer left and right sides of the connector housing can be inserted into the locating notches of the main frame, thereby accurately installing the connector housing in the main frame.   3. By corresponding the fastening openings and inverted U-shaped clasp sections of the lower housing with the fastening sections and recesses of the main frame, the lower housing becomes firmed joined with the main frame.   4. By corresponding the U-shaped clasp sections of the upper housing with the inverted L-shaped clasp sections of the lower housing, the upper and lower housings are fastened with each other through sliding means.   5. When the upper housing is fastened in a forward direction, the safety fastening section of the upper housing is corresponded with and slid into the safety opening at one side of the main frame. Thus, it is unlikely that the fastened upper housing is slipped off and disengaged. In addition, the safety fastening section has an extruded square spring plate for facilitating dismantling thereof.   

   Conclusive from the above, the express card housing structure according to the invention accomplishes effects of simple installation and replacement procedures. It is of course to be understood that the embodiment described herein is merely illustrative of the principles of the invention and that a wide variety of modifications thereto may be effected by persons skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.