Connector for flat cable

A connector for a flat cable comprises a housing including a rectangular-shaped base portion defined by opposite first and second sides and opposite third and fourth sides and first and second side walls provided on the third and fourth sides. A plurality of first contacts each has a first contact convex and a first lead terminal. First contacts laterally extend from the first side toward the second side. First lead terminals project outward from the first side. First contact convex portions face upward and are provided at inner and top end portions of the first contacts. A plurality of second contacts are provided, each of which has a second contact convex and a second lead terminal. Second contacts laterally extend from the second side toward the first side. Second lead terminals project outward from the second side. Second contact convex portions face upward and are provided at inner and top end portions of the second contacts. Second contacts are discontinuously aligned at a second pitch. Each of the second contact convex portions are positioned between adjacent two of the first contact convex portions so that the first and second contact convex portions alternate with each other. A lever is further pivotally attached to the side walls of the housing. The lever has an engaging portion which is spaced over the first and second contact convex portions for sandwiching a flat cable between the engaging portion and the first and second contact convex portions.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to a connector for a flat cable, and more 
particularly to a compact connector for a flat cable, which is suitable 
for a high density packaging on a printed circuit board. 
High density packaging and scaling down of electronic elements on a printed 
circuit board have been required, whereby the connector for a flat cable 
has also been required to be adjusted for the high density packaging and 
its substantial scaling down. Typical connectors for the flat cable are 
disclosed in the Japanese laid-open patent publications Nos. 6-77186 and 
5-84071. 
FIG. 1 is a cross sectional elevation view illustrative of a conventional 
connector for a flat cable, which is disclosed in the Japanese laid-open 
patent publication No. 6-77186. A connector 1 comprises a housing 2 which 
is box-shaped but opened at opposite sides, and a contact member 6 
mechanically engaged with the housing 2 as well as a lever also engaged 
with the housing 2 for holding a flat cable 4 in cooperation with the 
lever 5. The contact member 6 is inserted via a first opening side of the 
housing 2 into the interior of the housing 2. The contact member 6 
comprises a body 6d vertically extending, a supporting head 6a laterally 
extending from an upper portion of the body 6d toward the interior of the 
housing 2, a U-shaped spring portion 6b largely and laterally extending 
from a lower portion of the body 6d toward the interior of the housing 2 
and a lead terminal portion 6c provided at the lower portion of the body 
6d but in the opposite side to the U-shaped spring portion. The supporting 
head 6a extends under an inner surface of the top wall of the housing 2. 
The supporting head 6a has a top which is cyrindrically shaped and fitted 
with a cyrindrically shaped recess formed at a lower portion of the lever 
so as to allow a pivotal motion of the lever around the cyrindrically 
shaped top of the supporting head 6a for securing the flat cable 4 in 
cooperation with the U-shaped spring portion 6b of the contact member 6. 
The U-shaped spring portion 6b comprises lower portion extending over an 
inner surface of the bottom wall of the box-shaped housing 2 and an upper 
portion connected via a curved portion to the lower portion and positioned 
over the lower portion thereof. The top of the upper portion of the 
U-shaped spring portion 6b has a convex portion which may be in contact 
with the bottom surface of the flat cable 4. The lever 5 has a holding 
head portion 5a. When the lever 5 stands vertically, the holding head 
portion 5a of the lever 5 fits the top surface of the flat cable 4 so that 
the flat cable 4 is sandwiched between the holding head portion 5a of the 
lever 5 and the convex provided on the top of the upper portion of the 
U-shaped spring portion 6b. 
In order to realize the high density packaging and the substantial scaling 
down of the connector, it is required to make the pitch between the 
adjacent contact members 6 narrow, whilst the adjacent contact members 6 
are required to be spaced for isolation between them. This limitation to 
the pitch between the contact members 6 prevents the scaling down of the 
connector. 
Further, in order to realize the high density packaging and the substantial 
scaling down of the connector, it is required to limit the height of the 
connector 1. This requires a limitation in thickness of the supporting 
head 6a even the supporting head 6a receives a stress by pivotal motion of 
the lever 5. Namely, if the substantial scaling down of the connector 
takes place, this makes it difficult for the supporting head 6a of the 
contact member 6 to have a sufficient thickness for supporting the pivotal 
motion of the lever 5. For this reason, the supporting head 6a of the 
contact member 6 is required to support the levers in cooperation with a 
part of the top wall of the housing 2. The walls of the housing 2 are made 
of a plastic material for electrical isolation. In the light of a possible 
reduction in height of the connector 1, it is difficult to have the top 
wall of the housing 2 with a sufficient thickness for supporting the 
pivotal motion of the lever 5 in cooperation with the supporting head 6a 
of the contact member 6. The frequent pivotal motions of the lever 5 may 
cause creeps which lead to permanent deformations of the plastic housing 2 
and the supporting head 6a of the contact member 6. As a result, a stress 
appears on the lead terminal portion 6c of the contact member 6 thereby 
causing cracking the lead terminal portion 6c which has to be soldered 
with pads of the printed circuit board. This makes it difficult to ensure 
a stable connection between the connector and the printed circuit board. 
Another conventional connector is disclosed in the Japanese laid-open 
patent publication No. 5-84071. FIG. 2 is a decomposed cross sectional 
view illustrative of the conventional connector. FIG. 3 is a plane view 
illustrative of the conventional connector. FIG. 4 is a cross sectional 
view illustrative of the conventional connector. The connector 8 comprises 
a box-shaped mold 11, and first and second contact members 9 and 12. The 
box-shaped mold 11 has opposite open sides through which the first and 
second contact members 9 and 12 are inserted into the interior of the 
box-shaped mold 11. A flat cable 10 is inserted into the box-shaped mold 
11 from the same side as the second contact member 12 is inserted 
thereinto. The first contact member 9 comprises a base portion laterally 
extending over an inner surface of the bottom wall of the box-shaped mold 
11 and a head portion 9b laterally extending under an inner surface of the 
top wall of the box-shaped mold 11. The base portion and the head portion 
9b are connected via a vertically extending portion and both extend in 
parallel to each other. The head portion 9b has a top portion which has a 
convex portion 9a extending downwardly for holding the flat cable 10. The 
first contact 9 also has a lead terminal portion 9c which is provided at 
an opposite side to the base portion. The first contact 9 is electrically 
connected via the lead terminal portion 9c to pads of the printed circuit 
board. The second contact 12 also has a base portion laterally extending 
over the bottom wall of the mold 1 and a head portion 12b laterally 
extending under an inner surface of the top wall of the mold 11. The base 
portion and the head portion 12b are connected via a vertically extending 
portion. The head portion 12b has a top which is provided with an convex 
12a extending downwardly for securing the flat cable 10. As can be 
understood from FIG. 3 that the first contacts 9 arc aligned at the first 
side of the mold 11 at a predetermined constant pitch and the second 
contacts 12 are also aligned at the second side of the mold 11 at a 
predetermined constant pitch but the first and second contacts 9 and 12 
aligned to alternate with each other so as to be isolated from each other. 
It is required to isolate the first and second contacts 9 and 12 from each 
other. This limits the scaling down of the connector 8 and bars for 
improvement in he high density packaging on the printed circuit board. 
In the above circumstances, it had been required to develop a novel 
connector for a flat cable, which is substantially scaled down and 
suitable for high density packaging on printed circuit broads. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel 
connector for a flat cable, which is free from any problems or 
disadvantages as described above. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel 
connector for a flat cable, which is substantially scaled down. 
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a novel 
connector for a flat cable, which is suitable for a high density packaging 
on printed circuit broads. 
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present 
invention will be apparent from the following descriptions. 
The present invention provides a connector for a flat cable comprising the 
following elements. A housing is provided, which comprises a 
rectangular-shaped base portion defined by first and second sides opposite 
to each other and parallel to a first lateral direction and third and 
fourth sides opposite to each other and parallel to a second lateral 
direction which is vertical to the first lateral direction, and first and 
second side walls provided on the third and fourth sides. A plurality of 
first contacts are provided, each of which has a first contact convex and 
a first lead terminal. The first contacts laterally extend from the first 
side toward the second side in the second direction. The first lead 
terminals project from the first side outwardly in the second direction. 
The first contact convex portions are provided at inner and top end 
portions of the first contacts. The first contact convex portions face 
upwardly. The first contacts are discontinuously aligned at a first pitch 
to form a first line in parallel to the first direction. A plurality of 
second contacts are provided, each of which has a second contact convex 
and a second lead terminal. The second contacts laterally extend from the 
second side toward the first side in the second direction. The second lead 
terminals project from the second side outwardly in the second direction. 
The second contact convex portions are provided at inner and top end 
portions of the second contacts. The second contact convex portions face 
upwardly. The second contacts are discontinuously aligned at a second 
pitch to form a second line in parallel to the first line. The second line 
is distanced from the first line in the second direction. Each of the 
second contact convex portions are positioned to correspond to an 
intermediate position between adjacent two of the first contact convex 
portions in the first direction so that the first and second contact 
convex portions are positioned to alternate to each other in the first 
direction. A lever is further pivotally provided to the side walls of the 
housing. The lever has an engaging portion which is spaced over the first 
and second contact convex portions for sandwiching a flat cable between 
the engaging portion and the first and second contact convex portions. 
The above arrangement of the first and second contact convex portions of 
the first and second contacts substantially shortens the pitch of the 
contact points of the flat cable into a half in the first direction even 
the adjacent two of said first and second contact convex portions are 
distanced from each other by at least a minimum distance necessary for 
isolation between them. This provides a reduction in size of nearly one 
half along the first direction of the connector while the necessary 
isolation is ensured for the adjacent first and second contacts, resulting 
in a substantial reduction in size of the connector.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention provides a connector for a flat cable comprising the 
following elements. A housing is provided, which comprises a 
rectangular-shaped base portion defined by first and second sides opposite 
to each other and parallel to a first lateral direction and third and 
fourth sides opposite to each other and parallel to a second lateral 
direction which is vertical to the first lateral direction, and first and 
second side walls provided on the third and fourth sides. A plurality of 
first contacts are provided, each of which has a first contact convex and 
a first lead terminal. The first contacts laterally extend from the first 
side toward the second side in the second direction. The first lead 
terminals project from the first side outwardly in the second direction. 
The first contact convex portions are provided at inner and top end 
portions of the first contacts. The first contact convex portions face 
upwardly. The first contacts are discontinuously aligned at a first pitch 
to form a first line in parallel to the first direction. A plurality of 
second contacts are provided, each of which has a second contact convex 
and a second lead terminal. The second contacts laterally extend from the 
second side toward the first side in the second direction. The second lead 
terminals project from the second side outwardly in the second direction. 
The second contact convex portions are provided at inner and top end 
portions of the second contacts. The second contact convex portions face 
upwardly. The second contacts are discontinuously aligned at a second 
pitch to form a second line in parallel to the first line. The second line 
is distanced from the first line in the second direction. Each of the 
second contact convex portions are positioned to correspond to an 
intermediate position between adjacent two of the first contact convex 
portions in the first direction so that the first and second contact 
convex portions are positioned to alternate to each other in the first 
direction. A lever is further pivotally provided to the side walls of the 
housing. The lever has an engaging portion which is spaced over the first 
and second contact convex portions for sandwiching a flat cable between 
the engaging portion and the first and second contact convex portions. 
The above arrangement of the first and second contact convex portions of 
the first and second contacts substantially shortens the pitch of the 
contact points of the flat cable into a half in the first direction while 
the adjacent two of said first and second contact convex portions are 
distanced from each other by at least a minimum distance necessary for 
isolation between them. This provides a reduction in size of newly one 
half along the first direction of the connector even the necessary 
isolation is ensured for the adjacent first and second contacts, resulting 
in a substantial reduction in size of the connector. 
It is preferable that the engaging portion of the lever comprises a curved 
engaging end portion and a flat engaging portion adjacent to the curved 
engaging end portion so that if the lever stands vertically or is oblique, 
then the curved engaging end portion is made into contact with the flat 
cable, and if the lever lies down, then the flat engaging portion is made 
into contact with the flat cable. 
In the above case, it is more preferable that the curved engaging end 
portion has variations in thickness to have a maximum value at a critical 
position relatively near a boundary between the curved engaging end 
portion and the flat engaging portion so that if the lever is made into 
contact with the flat cable at the critical position, then a contact force 
between the lever and the flat cable becomes maximum. 
It is advantageous to further provide a plurality of first slits laterally 
extending from the first side toward the second side in the second 
direction and a plurality of second slits laterally extend from the second 
side toward the first side in the second direction. The first slits have a 
width slightly larger than a width of the first contacts for receiving the 
first contacts except for the first lead terminals. The first contact 
convex portions project over the first slits. The first slits are 
discontinuously aligned at the first pitch in parallel to the first 
direction. The second slits have a width slightly larger than a width of 
the second contacts for receiving the second contacts except for the 
second lead terminals. The second contact convex portions project over the 
second slits. The second slits are discontinuously aligned at the second 
pitch in parallel to the first direction. The second slits are distanced 
from the first slits in the second direction. Each of the second slits is 
positioned to correspond to an intermediate position between adjacent two 
of the first slits in the first direction so that the first and second 
slits are positioned to alternate to each other in the first direction. 
In the above case, it is more advantageous that a body of the first contact 
comprises a head portion laterally extending toward an inside of the first 
slit, and a base portion laterally extending toward the inside of the 
first slit but being shorter than the head portion. The head and base 
portions are formed from a single piece. 
In the above case, also it is more advantageous that a body of the second 
contact comprises a contact arm portion laterally extending toward an 
inside of the second slit, a base portion laterally extending toward the 
inside of the second slit but being longer than the contact arm portion, 
the contact arm and base portions being unitary formed, and a spring 
supporting portion laterally extending in the same direction as the 
contact arm portion and the base portion. The spring supporting portion is 
positioned over the contact arm portion and extends to beyond an end of 
the contact arm portion. The end portion of the spring supporting portion 
is generally cylinder-shaped. The spring supporting portion further has a 
recessed portion positioned on a bottom side thereof and just inside the 
generally cylinder-shaped end portion thereof. The spring supporting 
portion is formed via a vertically extending portion to the contact arm 
portion and the base portion, so that the spring supporting portion is 
positioned over the flat cable whilst the contact arm portion is 
positioned under the flat cable if the flat cable is inserted into the 
connector. 
In the above case, it is more preferable that the base portion of the 
second contact has the same bottom level as the rectangular-shaped base 
portion of the housing so that if the connector is mounted on a printed 
circuit board, then the base portion of the second contact is securely in 
contact with and supported by the printed circuit board so that when the 
lever rotates around the generally cylinder-shaped end portion of the 
spring supporting portion of the second contact, a rotation stress appears 
on the spring supporting portion of the second contact. This rotation 
stress is, however, absorbed by the base portion of the second contact 
having the same bottom level as the housing since the base portion is 
securely supported by the printed circuit board on which this connector is 
mounted. On the other hand, the first contact is free from any rotation 
stress caused by the operation of the lever. The above structure allows an 
absorption of the rotation stress via the base portion of the second 
contact and further allows the first contact to be free from any stress, 
for which reason no stress appears on the first and second lead terminal 
portions of the first and second contacts. This causes no clucking on the 
first and second lead terminal portions which are connected to the pads on 
the printed circuit board. This allows a stable connection of the 
connector to the printed circuit board. 
In the above case, it is further preferable that the generally 
cylinder-shaped end portion of the spring supporting portion of the second 
contact is positioned over an intermediate point between the first and 
second contact convex portions of the first and second contacts so that 
the generally cylinder-shaped end portion and the contact convex portions 
form a generally isosceles triangle. 
It is also preferable that opposite side walls of the lever are provided 
with convex portions, whilst inside faces of the side walls of the housing 
are provided with concave portions which are to be engaged with the convex 
portions when the lever becomes lie down. 
PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
A preferred embodiment according to the present invention will be 
described, wherein a novel connector for a flat cable is provided, which 
is scaled down and suitable for a high density packaging. 
FIG. 5 is a schematic view illustrative of a novel connector for a flat 
cable in a preferred embodiment according to the present invention. A 
connector 14 is designed for a flat cable 19. The connector 14 comprises a 
housing 15 having first and second sides, a set of first contacts 16 
engaged into the first side of the housing 15, a set of second contacts 17 
engaged into the second side of the housing 15, and a lever 18 provided on 
the housing 15 for holding the flat cable 19. The housing 15 has opposite 
side walls 21 vertically extending to define a flat cable receiving area 
which correspond to a width of the flat cable 19. The lever 18 has 
substantially the same width as that of the flat cable receiving area. In 
FIG. 5, the lever 18 is opened. The housing 15 has the first side through 
which the flat cable 19 is inserted into the flat cable receiving area of 
the housing 15. 
The first side of the housing 15 is formed with a set of first slits 20a 
aligned at a predetermined constant interval, wherein the first slits 20a 
extend from the first side thereof toward inside thereof in parallel to 
each other. The first contacts 16 are provided to fit into the first slits 
20a except for lead terminal portions thereof which project from the first 
side of the housing 15 for providing electrical contacts with pads on a 
printed circuit board. FIG. 6A is a partially enlarged view illustrative 
of one of the first contacts 16 and the first slits 20a. The each slit 20a 
has a width just wider than a width of the first contact 16. The each 
first contact 16 comprises a head portion 16a laterally extending toward 
an inside of the first slit 20a and a base portion 16b laterally extending 
toward the inside of the first slit 20a but being shorter than the head 
portion 16a. The head and base portions are unitary formed. The each first 
contact 16 further has a lead terminal portion 16c which laterally extends 
but in an opposite direction to the base and head portions 16b and 16a so 
that the head and base portions 16a and 16b fit into the first slit 20a 
whilst the lead terminal portion 16c projects from the first slit 20a. The 
each first contact 16 further has a contact point 16d which is provided on 
an end portion of the head portion 16a so that the first contact is in 
contact via the contact point 16d to the bottom plane of the flat cable 
when the flat cable is inserted into the connector 14. The bottom level of 
the first contact 16 is the same as the bottom level of the first slit 20a 
or the bottom level of the housing 15. 
The second side of the housing 15 is formed with a set of second slits 20b 
aligned at a predetermined constant interval, wherein the second slits 20b 
extend from the second side thereof toward inside thereof in parallel to 
each other. The second contacts 17 are provided to fit into the second 
slits 20b except for lead terminal portions thereof which project from the 
second side of the housing 15 for providing electrical contacts with pads 
on the printed circuit board. FIG. 6B is a partially enlarged view 
illustrative of one of the second contacts 17 and the second slits 20b. 
The each slit 20b has a width just wider than a width of the second 
contact 17. The each second contact 17 comprises a contact arm portion 17a 
laterally extending toward an inside of the second slit 20b and a base 
portion 17b laterally extending toward the inside of the second slit 20b 
but being longer than the contact arm portion 17a. The contact arm and 
base portions are formed from a single piece. The each second contact 17 
further has a lead terminal portion 17c which laterally extends but in an 
opposite direction to the base and contact arm portions 17b and 17a so 
that the contact arm and base portions 17a and 17b fit into the second 
slit 20b whilst the lead terminal portion 17c projects from the second 
slit 20b. The each second contact 17 further has a contact point 17d which 
is provided on an end portion of the contact arm portion 17a so that the 
second contact is in contact via the contact point 17d to the bottom plane 
of the flat cable when the flat cable is inserted into the connector 14. 
The each second contact 17 further more has a spring supporting portion 
17e laterally extending in the same direction as the contact arm portion 
17a and the base portion 17b. The spring supporting portion 17e is 
positioned over the contact arm portion 17a and extends to beyond the end 
portion of the contact arm portion 17a. The end portion of the spring 
supporting portion 17e is generally cylinder-shaped. The spring supporting 
portion 17e has a recessed portion positioned on a bottom side thereof and 
just inside the generally cylinder-shaped end portion thereof The spring 
supporting portion 17e is formed via a vertically extending portion to the 
contact arm portion 17a and the base portion 17b. The spring supporting 
portion 17e is positioned over the flat cable 19 whilst the contact arm 
portion 17a is positioned under the flat cable 19 if the flat cable 19 is 
inserted into the connector 14. The second side of the housing 15 is 
thicker than the first side thereof so that if the second contact 17 fits 
into the second slit 20b, then not only the contact arm portion 17a and 
the base portion 17b but also the spring supporting portion 17e fit into 
the second slit 20b, even the lead terminal portion 17c is positioned 
outside the second slit 20b as described above. The bottom level of the 
second contact 17 is the same as the bottom level of the second slit 20b 
or the bottom level of the housing 15. 
With reference back to FIG. 5, even the first and second slits 20a and 20b 
extend from the first and second sides of the housing 15 toward the inside 
thereof, both the contact points 16d and 17d of the first and second slits 
20a and 20b do not cross to each other and are spaced from each other in 
the direction along which the first and second slits 20a and 20b extend as 
well illustrated in FIG. 5. Further, in the direction parallel to the 
first and second sides of the housing 15 and vertical to the direction 
along which the first and second slits 20a and 20b extend, the first and 
second slits 20a and 20b are provided to alternate to each other. The 
distance between the adjacent first slits 20a is almost the same as the 
width of the second slit 20b. The distance between the adjacent second 
slits 20b is almost the same as the width of the first slit 20a. As a 
result, the contact points 16d of the first contacts 16 are aligned on a 
first straight line in parallel to the first and second sides of the 
housing 15, whilst the contact points 17d of the second contacts 17 are 
aligned on a second straight line in parallel to the first straight line 
but separated therefrom by a distance which is nearly equal to the size of 
the contact points 16d and 17d of the first and second contacts 16 and 17. 
The contact points 16d and 17d of the first and second contacts 16 and 17 
are arranged on the first and second lines but to alternate to each other 
in the direction along the first and second lines as well illustrated in 
FIG. 5. The above arrangement of the contact points 16d and 17d of the 
first and second contacts 16 and 17 shortens the pitch of the contact 
points 16d and 17d by half in the direction along the first and second 
sides of the housing 15 even the adjacent contact points 16d and 17d are 
distanced from each other by a minimum distance necessary for isolation 
between them in the oblique direction to the first and second sides of the 
housing 15. This provides a nearly half reduction of the width of the 
connector 14 even the necessary isolation is ensured for the adjacent 
contact points 16d and 17d whereby resulting in a substantial reduction in 
size of the connector 14. 
As illustrated in FIGS. 7B and 7C, the generally cylinder-shaped end 
portion of the spring supporting portion 17e of the second contact 17 is 
positioned over an intermediate point between the contact points 16d and 
17d of the first and second contacts so that the generally cylinder-shaped 
end portion and the contact points 16d and 17d form an isosceles triangle. 
The lever 18 is pivotally provided on the housing 15. The lever 18 has a 
curved engaging portion 18a which is engaged with the generally 
cylinder-shaped end portion of the spring supporting portion 17e of the 
second contact 17 as illustrated in FIG. 7B so that the lever 18 may pivot 
around the generally cylinder-shaped end portion of the spring supporting 
portion 17e. The lever 18 stands vertically as illustrated in FIGS. 5, 6A 
and 6B before the flat cable 19 is inserted into the flat cable receiving 
area of the connector 14. Thereafter, the lever 18 is made down by pivotal 
motion of the lever 18 around the generally cylinder-shaped end portion of 
the spring supporting portion 17e of the second contact 17 whereby the 
flat cable 19 is securely sandwiched between the lever 18 and the contact 
points 16d and 17d of the first and second contacts 16 and 17. 
FIG. 8 is illustrative of a bottom surface of the flat cable 19. First 
contact pads 22a and second contact pads 22b are provided on a head region 
in the bottom surface of the flat cable. The first contact pads 22a and 
second contact pads 22b are arranged to form first and second parallel 
lines respectively in parallel to the first and second sides of the 
housing 15. The first contact pads 22a and second contact pads 22b are 
aligned to alternate to each other in the direction along a head edge of 
the flat cable 19. The first contact pads 22a and second contact pads 22b 
are thus positioned to correspond to the contact points 17d and 16d of the 
second and first contacts 17 and 16 respectively. Accordingly, when the 
flat cable 19 is inserted into the connector 14 and the lever 18 is made 
down to hold the flat cable 19, then the contact points 17d and 16d of the 
second and first contacts 17 and 16 are electrically and physically made 
into contact with the first and second contact pads 22a and 22b of the 
flat cable 19 respectively. When the lever 18 is made down and closed, the 
lever 18 may act as a cap of the housing 15 for covering the flat cable 
19. When the lever 18 is opened, which vertically stands, the end of the 
curved engaging portion 18a of the lever 18 is made into contact with the 
flat cable 19. When the lever 18 is half-opened and becomes oblique, an 
intermediate point of the curved engaging portion 18a of the lever 18 is 
made into contact with the flat cable 19. When the lever 18 is closed and 
becomes lie down, a flat engaging portion adjacent to the curved engaging 
portion 18a of the lever 18 is made into contact with the flat cable 19. 
The above structure shortens the effective pitch of the contact pads 22a 
and 22b into half. This further reduces the width of the flat cable 19. 
Further, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the opposite side walls of the lever 18 
are provided with convex portions 18b, whilst inside faces of the side 
walls of the housing 15 are provided with concave portions 21a which are 
to be engaged with the convex portions 18b when the lever 18 is closed and 
becomes lie down to hold the lever 18 in closing state. 
The above arrangement of the contact points 16d and 17d of the first and 
second contacts 16 and 17 shortens the pitch of the contact points 16d and 
17d into a half in the direction along the first and second sides of the 
housing 15 even the adjacent contact points 16d and 17d are distanced from 
each other by a minimum distance necessary for isolation between them in 
the oblique direction to the first and second sides of the housing 15. 
This provides a nearly half reduction of the width of the connector 14 
even the necessary isolation is ensured for the adjacent contact points 
16d and 17d whereby resulting in a substantial reduction in size of the 
connector 14. The above structure also shortens the effective pitch of the 
contact pads 22a and 22b into half. This further reduces the width of the 
flat cable 19. Those allow a high density packaging of the connector for 
the flat cable. 
Further, when the lever 18 rotates around the generally cylinder-shaped end 
portion of the spring supporting portion 17e of the second contact 17, a 
rotation stress appears on the spring supporting portion 17e of the second 
contact 17. This rotation stress is absorbed by the base portion 17b of 
the second contact 17 having the same bottom level as the bottom level of 
the housing 15 since the base portion 17b is securely supported by the 
printed circuit board on which this connector 14 is mounted. On the other 
hand, the first contact 16 is free from any rotation stress caused by the 
operation of the lever 18. The above structure allows an absorption of the 
rotation stress via the base portion 17b of the second contact 17 and 
further allows the first contact 16 free from any stress, for which reason 
no stress appears on the lead terminal portions 16c and 17c of the first 
and second contacts 16 and 17. This causes no clucking on the lead 
terminal portions 16c and 17c which are connected to the pads on the 
printed circuit board. This allows a stable connection of the connector 14 
to the printed circuit board. 
Furthermore, the curved engaging portion 18a of the lever 18 allows a 
smooth rotary motion of the lever 18 around the generally cylinder-shaped 
end portion of the spring supporting portion 17e of the second contact 17 
and further provides a secure holding of the flat cable 19. 
FIG. 9A is illustrative of variations in contact force of the lever 18 with 
the flat cable 19 versus the rotation angle of the lever 18. When the 
lever 18 stands vertically, the contact force of the lever 18 with the 
flat cable is almost zero. As the lever 18 is made oblique, then the 
curved engaging portion 18a of the lever 18 is made into contact with and 
pushes the flat cable 19 whereby the contact force of the lever 18 with 
the flat cable is rapidly increased from zero so that when the curved 
engaging portion 18a in the vicinity of the flat engaging portion is in 
contact with the flat cable 19 (FIG. 9B), the contact force has a maximum 
value. As the lever 18 is made lie down and the flat engaging portion of 
the lever 18 is in contact with the flat cable 19, then the contact force 
is reduced from the maximum value as well illustrated in FIG. 9C. When the 
lever 18 is closed and the flat engaging portion of the lever 18 is in 
contact with the flat cable 19, the contact force is lower than the 
maximum value by a self lock force which locks the lever once made lie 
down. If the lever 18 once made lie down is risen up, it is required to 
apply the lever 18 with a force larger than the self lock force. In 
addition, the lever 18 has the opposite sides which are provided with the 
convex portions 18b to be engaged with the concave portions 21a formed on 
the inner sides of the side walls of the housing 15 only when the lever 18 
is made lie down. This structure provides a further self lock of the lever 
18. 
The following structural modification to the above embodiment may be 
possible. Even in the above embodiment, the first and second contacts 16 
and 17 are inserted into the first and second slits 20a and 20b, in the 
modification it is possible that no slit is provided but the first and 
second contacts 16 and 17 are shaped to sandwich the base of the housing 
15 between the head portions 16a or the contact arm portion 17a and the 
base portion 16b or 17b. 
Even in the above embodiment the lever 18 is supported only by the second 
contacts 17, it is further possible as a modification that the lever 18 is 
supported by not only the second contact but also the first contact 
modified to be engaged with the lever 18. 
Whereas modifications of the present invention will be apparent o a person 
having ordinary skill in the art, to which the invention pertains, it is 
to be understood that embodiments as shown and described by way of 
illustrations are by no means intended to be considered in a limiting 
sense. Accordingly, it is to be intended to cover by claims any 
modifications of the present invention which fall within the spirit and 
scope of the present invention.