Abstract:
An extender ( 10 ) includes a female portion ( 12 ) and a male portion ( 14 ) adapted to be back-to-back assembled. The female portion comprises a first housing ( 16 ) defining two slots ( 28 ) and a plurality of first contacts ( 18, 19 ). A plurality of first passageways ( 30 ) is defined in the first housing and communicates with the slots. The first contacts are retained into the first passageways. The male portion comprises a second housing ( 40 ) having a pair of tongues ( 46 ) and a plurality of second contacts ( 41 ). The tongues define a plurality of positioning slits ( 52, 53 ) for receiving the second contacts. Each of the first contacts is aligned and cooperated with a corresponding second contact to form a transmission path. Two pairs of latch devices ( 35, 60 ) are provided on opposite ends of the female portion and male potion for fastening each other.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an electrical device for use within a computer, and particularly to an electrical extender having two opposite connection ports adapted to be respectively coupled to a connector mounted on a backplane and a connector mounted on a hard drive for cooperatively electrically connecting the hard drive to the backplane. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     An organization, known as a Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (Serial ATA) Working Group, releases a specification to define the Serial ATA interface and the corresponding connectors. This interface is used to connect storage devices such as hard disk, DVD, and CD-RW drives to the-PC motherboard. The specification defines a male and a female electrical connectors respectively connected to the storage device and mounted on a backplane. Such connectors can be referred to the specification released by the Serial ATA Working Group on Aug. 29, 2001, entitled “Serial ATA: High Speed Serialized AT Attachment”, which is submitted herewith by Information Disclosure Statement (IDS). U.S. Pat. No. 6,331,122 also discloses a female Serial ATA connector. 
     Generally, a female Serial ATA connector is mounted on a backplane in the computer and a male Serial ATA connector is mounted to a hard disk which is intended to be attached to the backplane for establishing signal transmission between the hard disk and the backplane through the interconnection of such female and male connectors. Ideally, the relative positions of the backplane and the hard drive should be precisely arranged so that the hard drive can be properly and correctly connected to the backplane through such pair of male and female connectors. However, it is difficult for un-mated male Serial ATA connector of the hard drive and female Serial ATA connector of the backplane to reach their final predetermined secured positions. Accordingly, an extender interconnecting the Serial ATA male and female connectors is desired for compensation. 
     Hence, an extender interconnecting the male and female connectors is desired to overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an extender adapted to mate a male Serial ATA connector and a female Serial ATA connector, respectively, on two opposite sides thereof, so as to accomplish the electrical connection between a hard drive and a backplane through the extender. 
     In order to achieve the object set forth, an extender in accordance with the present invention includes a female portion and a male portion adapted to be back-to-back assembled. The female portion comprises a first housing defining two slots and a plurality of first contacts. A plurality of first passageways is defined in the first housing and communicates with the slots. The first contacts are retained in the first passageways. The male portion comprises a second housing having a pair of tongues and a plurality of second contacts. The tongues define a plurality of positioning slits for receiving the second contacts. Each of the first contacts is aligned and cooperated with a corresponding second contact to form a transmission path. A pair of latch devices is provided on each opposite end of the female portion and male potion for fastening each other. 
    
    
     Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electrical extender in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of a female portion of the extender of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a back perspective view of the female portion section of the extender of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of a male portion of the extender of FIG  1 ; 
     FIG. 5 is a back perspective view of the male portion of the extender of FIG  1 ; 
     FIG. 6 is a front planar view of the extender of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line  7 — 7  of FIG. 6; 
     FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along  8 — 8  of FIG. 6; and 
     FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line  9 — 9  of FIG.  6 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to FIGS. 1-5, an extender in accordance with the present invention, generally designated with reference numeral  10 , comprises a female portion  12  and a male portion  14  for respectively mating with a female Serial ATA connector (not shown) mounted on a backplane and a male Serial ATA connector (not shown) connected with a hard disk. 
     The female portion  12 , shown in FIGS. 2-3, includes a first elongated housing  16  having a first mating face  17  and a plurality of first contacts. The first contacts comprise first signal/power contacts  18  (FIG.  7  and FIG. 8) and first grounding contacts  19  (FIG. 9) wherein the front end of the first signal/power contact  18  is rearwardly offset from that of the first grounding contact  19  relative to the front/mating face  17 . The first housing  16  has a first base  20 , a pair of longitudinal side portions  22  extending from the first base  20 , a pair of lateral ends  24 , and an intermediate wall  26  extending parallelly between the lateral ends  24  and connecting with the longitudinal side portion  22 . The longitudinal side portions  22 , the lateral ends  24  and the intermediate wall  26  confine two slots  28 . One slot  28  has a longitudinal dimension larger than that of the other slot  28 . One of the longitudinal side portions  22  is longer than the other longitudinal side portion  22 . Each longitudinal side portion  22  defines a plurality of first passageways  30 . A corresponding number of openings  31  (shown in FIG. 7) communicate the passageways  30  with a corresponding slot  28 . Note particularly that two openings  31  are located more adjacent to the first mating face  17  than the other openings  31 . 
     Referring to FIGS. 2-3, a pair of alignment posts  32  is disposed adjacent to the lateral ends  24  of the housing  16 . The first base  20  has two channels  34  defined at the opposite longitudinal ends of the first base  20 , and a step portion  35  formed at the bottom of each channel  34 . As best shown in FIG. 3, the first base  20  of the first housing  16  includes a first abutment surface  36  opposite to the first mating face  17 . Each of the intermediate wall  26  and the lateral ends  24  defines a pair of polarization holes  38  in the first abutment surface  36  for receiving a pair of corresponding polarization posts  58  (FIG. 5) of the male portion  14  that will be described in detail later. 
     Each first signal/power contact  18 , shown in FIGS. 7-8, generally comprises a first contact portion  180 , a first mounting portion  182 , and a first connection portion  184  connecting the first contact portion  180  and the first mounting portion  182 . The first signal/power contacts  18  are inserted into the first passageways  30  from the first abutment surface  36 . The first contact portions  180  are partly exposed in the slots  28  through the openings  31 . The first mounting portions  182  are accommodated into the first passageways  30  and engage with the first housing  16  reliably. 
     The first grounding contacts  19  have the same dimension and shape as the first signal/power contacts  18 . The preferred embodiment comprises a pair of first grounding contacts  19 . As best shown in FIG. 9, each first grounding contact  19  also comprises a first contact portion  190 , a first mounting portion  192  and a first connection portion  194 . The pair of first grounding contacts  19  is received in the pair of first passageways  30  which communicate with the two openings  31  more adjacent to the first mating face  17 . In other words, a distance between the first contact portion  190  of each first grounding contact  19  and the mating face  17  is smaller than a distance between the first contact portion  182  of each first signal/power contact  18  and the mating face  17 . Correspondingly, the first mounting portions  192  of the grounding contacts  19  are fixed with the first housing  16  in a position far away from the abutment surface  36  than the signal/power contacts  18 . 
     Referring particularly to FIGS. 4-5, the male portion  14  includes a second housing  40  having a second base  42 , and a plurality of second contacts  41 . A pair of tongues  46  of different longitudinal dimensions projects forwardly from the second base  42 . A pair of lateral end portions  48  extends parallel to the tongues  46  and each defines a recess  50  facing the tongues  46 . Each tongue  46  defines a plurality of shorter positioning slits  52  and a plurality of longer positioning slits  53  for retaining the second contacts  41 . 
     A second abutment surface  54  is provided on the second base  42  of the male portion  14 . A plurality of second passageways  56  extends through the base  42  and respectively communicates with the positioning slits  52 . Three pairs of polarization posts  58  project beyond the second abutment surface  54  for respectively being received into the polarization holes  38  of the female portion  12 . Two pairs of latches  60  extend rearwardly from the opposite longitudinal ends of the second base  42 . 
     Similar to the first contacts, the second contacts  41  also comprise second signal contacts  44  and second power/grounding contacts  45  wherein the front end of the signal contact  44  is rearward offset from that of the power/grounding contact  45  relative to the front face of the tongue  46 . Each second signal contact  44 , as best shown in FIG. 7, includes a second contact portion  440 , a free end  442 , and a second mounting portion  444  connecting the second contact portion  440  and the free end  442 . The second contact portion  440  is received into the shorter positioning slit  52 . The second mounting portion  444  is accommodated into the passageway  56  and fixes with the second housing  40 . The free end  442  is rearwardly exposed. 
     The second power/grounding contacts  45  have the same dimension and shape as the second signal contacts  44 . As shown in FIGS. 8-9, each second power/grounding contact  45  also comprises a second contact portion  450 , a free end  452  and a second mounting portion  454 . The second contact portion  450  of the grounding/power contact  45  is positioned into a corresponding longer positioning slit  53  and adjacent to a free end (not labeled) of the tongue  46 . Correspondingly, the length of the free ends  452  of the second grounding/power contacts  45  projecting from the second abutment surface  54  is smaller than that of the free ends  442  of the signal contacts  44 . 
     It should be noted that each first passageway  30  of the first housing  16  is substantially aligned with a corresponding second passageway  56  of the second housing  40  along their length direction. Therefore, the exposed free end  442  ( 452 ) of the second contact  41  is aligned with the mounting portion  182  ( 192 ) of a corresponding first contact retained in the first passageway  30 . 
     When assembled, referring to FIG. 1 in conjunction with FIGS. 2 and 5, the second abutment surface  54  of the male portion  14  confronts the first abutment surface  36  of the female portion  12 . The latches  60  of the male portion  14  are retained in the channels  34  and engage with the step portions  35  of the female portion  12 . The polarization posts  58  of the male portion  14  are snugly received within the corresponding polarization holes  38  of the female portion  12  for avoiding reverse assembling along the lengthwise direction of the first housing  16  and the second housing  40 . The male portion  14  and the female portion  12  are thus fastened with each other. 
     It is noted that when the male portion  14  and the female portion  12  are combined together, the free ends  442  ( 452 ) of the second contacts  41 , which originally project out from the second abutment surface  54 , may properly be mated with the corresponding first mounting portions  182  ( 192 ) of the first contacts, as shown in FIGS. 7-9. 
     It is also noted that, as best shown in FIGS. 8-9, because two openings  31  of the female portion  12  which receive the first grounding contacts  19  are more adjacent to the first mating face  17  than the other openings  31 , correspondingly, the first contact portions  190  of the first grounding contacts  19  exposed in the slots  28  are more adjacent to the first mating face  17  than the first contact portions  180  of the signal/power contacts  18 . On the other hand, the positioning slits  53  receiving the second grounding/power contacts  45  are longer than the positioning slits  52  receiving the second signal contacts  44 . The second contact portions  450  of the second grounding/power contacts  45  are more adjacent to the free ends (not labeled) of the tongues  46  of the male portion  14  than the second contact portions  440  of the second signal contacts  44 . Therefore, when the extender  10  is applied, a grounding path is first established between the backplane and the hard disk, and then are the power path, and signal transmission path. 
     It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed. For example, similar to the aforementioned 6,071,150, the first contact can be integrally formed with the corresponding aligned second contact for decreasing the part numbers.