Device for electrically contacting a printed circuit board with an electronic card, especially an IC-memory card, that has contacting poles along one of its sides

A device for electrically contacting a printed circuit board with an electronic card, especially an IC-memory card, that has contacting poles along one of its sides, comprises a housing, that encloses the electronic card completely and comprises a bottom portion with which the housing is attached to the printed circuit board and a lid portion arranged at an acute angle relative to the bottom portion. After the electronic card is inserted into the housing via an insertion slot, while resting on the bottom portion, the electronic card is pivoted upward until it reaches the underside of the lid portion and is there locked into a fixed position by a locking device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to a device for electrically contacting a 
printed circuit board with an electronic card, especially an IC-memory 
card, that has contacting poles along one of its sides. The printed 
circuit board has a housing, comprising a bottom portion and a lid portion 
and being mounted to the printed circuit board. The electronic card is 
inserted into the housing, that encloses the electronic card completely in 
a contacted state thereof, with the contacting poles being inserted first, 
via an introduction slot provided at a face of the housing. The electronic 
card is pivotable into a locking position in which contacting of the 
contacting springs of the housing is achieved, with the contacting springs 
being arranged opposite the insertion slot in a manner corresponding to an 
arrangement of the contacting poles of the electronic card, and with the 
contacting poles, after inserting and before pivoting the electronic card, 
being without electric contact with the contacting springs. 
In the office and data technology and in the computer area etc., so-called 
IC-memory card are employed. Specific data are saved on those electronic 
cards which may be processed via a compatible computer system. For this 
purpose, the IC-memory card is connected to the computer system in order 
to permit a respective data transfer. 
A contacting device for a chip card of the aforementioned kind has been 
known from DE-OS 35 31 18. This contacting device comprises essentially a 
parallelepipedal housing having a bottom portion and a lid portion 
parallel therewith. The face of the housing is provided with an insertion 
slot for inserting the electronic card to be contacted. Inside the 
housing, a counterpoise is arranged which extends essentially in the 
center along the longitudinal direction of the housing and is pivotable 
about a horizontal axis of rotation. In its initial state, the 
counterpoise is disposed directly behind the insertion slot so that the 
inserted electronic card rests on the counterpoise while the contacting 
poles of the inserted electronic card are not yet in electric contact with 
the contacting elements of the housing. For the purpose of contacting the 
counterpoise must be pivoted about its axis of rotation thereby achieving 
electric contact. At the same time, the counterpoise is locked to the 
housing. 
In this known contacting device for a chip card, it is disadvantageous 
that, for receiving the electronic card inside the housing, a pivotable 
counterpoise device is provided. In order to insert the electronic card 
into the housing, it must be ascertained at all times that the 
counterpoise is resting directly behind the insertion slot so that a 
respective device between the counterpoise and the housing must be 
provided. Furthermore, the arrangement of a pivotable counterpoise inside 
the housing is technically demanding. Also, due to the positioning of the 
electronic card in a counterpoise-like fashion inside the housing, this 
arrangement is potentially instable. This is especially the case when, 
after a long operation time, the pivot bearing of the counterpoise shows 
signs of wear and a correct contacting may no longer be achieved. Wear of 
the pivot bearing may occur, for example, when the electronic card has 
been inserted and pivoted too hard or too forceful. 
Form U.S. Pat. No. 4,737,120 a device for electrically contacting a printed 
circuit board with an electronic card, that has contacting poles along one 
of its sides, has been known. The printed circuit board is provided with a 
one-piece plastic housing. Inside the housing contacting springs are 
arranged in a row after one another. They correspond to the contacting 
poles of the electronic card to be inserted. These contacting springs are 
equipped with contacting pins which are contacted with respective leads on 
the printed circuit board. Into this housing the electronic card is 
inserted with "zero force", whereby the contacting poles are inserted 
first ("zero force" in this context means, that there is no force or only 
little force required). After the insertion of the electronic card into 
the housing is completed, the electronic card is pivoted into a locking 
position and is thus arranged in a fixed position inside the housing, 
which is equipped with lateral abutting slants for this purpose. 
It is disadvantageous in this known device that the electronic card must be 
inserted into the housing in a slanted manner whereby no predetermined 
insertion angle is provided by the given design. This means, that it is 
easily possible for the user of the device to insert the electronic card 
into the housing such that canting occurs which may cause damage to the 
contacting springs. Furthermore, when the electronic card is inserted 
without providing the correct angle, an insertion with "zero force" is 
impossible. It is also disadvantageous, that the upper end of the 
electronic card, in its contacting state, extends past the housing, so 
that the electronic card may be pushed accidentally, or when mishandled, 
out of the predetermined contacting position resulting in the system 
malfunctioning. 
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a device for 
electrically contacting a printed circuit board with an electronic card, 
especially an IC-memory card, of the aforementioned kind, in which the 
insertion of the electronic card into the housing is facilitated and the 
locking into a fixed position of the electronic card inside the housing 
after contacting is improved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The device for electrically contacting a printed circuit board with an 
electronic card of the present invention is primarily characterized by the 
lid portion of the housing being arranged at an acute angle relative to 
the bottom portion and the contacting springs being disposed on the bottom 
portion along at least one line (zenithal line) that is opposite and 
parallel to the insertion slot. The electronic card is inserted such that 
it rests on the bottom portion and subsequently is pivoted upward until 
abutting the underside of the lid portion. The pivoting axis is in the 
vicinity of the at least one line (zenithal line) that is opposite and 
parallel to the insertion slot. (The zenithal line is the joining line 
between the bottom portion of the housing and the lid portion of the 
housing.) 
A device for electrically contacting a printed circuit board with an 
electronic card according to the present invention is advantageous, 
because the electronic card may be inserted without problems into the 
housing since the electronic card may rest on the bottom portion during 
the insertion step. This measure assures that the electronic card may be 
inserted at any time due to its resting on the bottom portion because it 
is being guided by the bottom portion. Since the contacting springs are 
arranged on the bottom portion, they may be L-shaped, whereby a first leg 
rests on the bottom portion and the second leg protrudes the bottom 
portion and respective bores in the printed circuit board and is soldered 
to the printed circuit board. The electronic card is inserted until it 
reaches an abutment which is constituted by the housing and is in the 
crest area of the housing. For the actual contacting of the contacting 
poles of the electronic card with the contacting springs of the housing 
and for the locking of the electronic card into a fixed position inside 
the housing, it is then only required to pivot the electronic card upward, 
whereby the crest area of the housing, together with the housing abutment, 
serves as a pivoting axis. When the electronic card then reaches the 
underside of the lid portion, which is arranged at a permanent angle 
relative to the bottom portion of the housing due to the integral design 
of the housing, the locking of the electronic card in this position is 
achieved. By resting the electronic card against the underside of the 
lid-portion and by supporting the front edge of the electronic card in the 
area of the front housing abutment, respectively, in the area of the 
pivoting axis, a secure, unchangeable positioning of the electronic card 
inside the housing, without any instabilities, is achieved. 
In a further embodiment, supporting ridges are provided at the bottom 
portion which are transverse to a direction of insertion of said 
electronic card. These ridges serve as guides for the electronic card to 
be inserted and thereby incorrect inserting of the electronic card is 
avoided. Also, falling of the electronic card into the bottom of the 
housing is prevented. 
In order to prevent breaking of the solder points in the printed circuit 
board when the electronic card is pushed upward into its final position, 
at longer sides of the housing, fastening latches, having screw holes and 
extending perpendicular to the longer sides of the housing, are provided 
at the bottom portion for fastening the bottom portion to the printed 
circuit board. The holding force of the housing on the printed circuit 
board is thus realized via the fastening screws. 
Preferably, the fastening latches, on opposite sides of the housing, are 
staggered relative to one another. Thereby a very high packing density may 
be achieved. 
In a further embodiment, ribs are provided at the bottom portion between 
the contacting springs, whereby the ribs extend beyond the contacting 
springs. These ribs create sufficient air and creeping space which, in the 
inserted position of the electronic card inside the housing, prevents a 
contacting of the contacting poles with the contacting springs. When the 
electronic card is subsequently pivoted upward, a defined pitch of spring 
is thus given which exactly determines the spring force. 
In a preferred embodiment, the contacting springs are in the form of leaf 
springs. Leaf springs are easily manufactured and, in a simple manner, 
secure the electric contact with the contacting poles of the electronic 
card. 
In another embodiment, strips are provided at the lid portion whereby the 
strips are arranged perpendicular to a direction of insertion of the 
electronic card. These strips serve as the abutment for the electronic 
card when it is pivoted upward into its contacting position. 
In a preferred embodiment, a spring arm is provided at the lid portion, 
which is pressing against the electronic card when the electronic card is 
in a locked position. Such a spring arm is advantageous because it holds 
the electronic card with pressure in its contacting and locking position 
without allowing for play, so that a secure fixation of the contacted 
electronic card inside the housing is ensured. During unlocking for the 
purpose of removing the electronic card, the spring arm throws the 
electronic card back into its insertion position so that the electronic 
card may be removed without problems. 
In a first variant, the spring arm may be an integral part of the lid 
portion. When the electronic card is pivoted upward, the spring arm of the 
lid portion is thus prestressed and presses with its free end against the 
electronic card. Forming the lid portion and the spring arm as one 
integral part is technically easily achieved. 
In another variant, the spring arm is in the form of an swivel arm that is 
freely pivotable about an axis and is engaged by a spring. In this 
embodiment of the spring arm, the swivel arm is a separate component which 
is supported at the lid portion of the housing. A spring disposed between 
the lid portion and the swivel arm generates sufficient spring tension to 
transform the swivel arm into a spring arm, which in the locking position 
presses against the electronic card. 
In a preferred embodiment, a locking means for locking the electronic card 
into a contacting position, in which the electronic card is tilted 
relative to the bottom portion, is provided having a pivotable lever, with 
a catch, disposed in the vicinity of the insertion slot of the housing. 
The lever is preferably disposed at the lid portion. The catch engages an 
edge of the electronic card and holds the electronic card in contacting 
position after pivoting the electronic card upward. The locking means in 
the form of a lever engages the edge of the electronic card which is 
opposite the edge that is resting against the housing abutment along at 
least one line (zenithal line) that is opposite and parallel to the 
insertion slot. Generally it is possible to form the housing and the lever 
with its catch as one piece so that thereby a torsion catch hook is 
formed, which may be formed during the injection molding of the housing. 
As an alternative, it is also possible to design the lever as a separate 
part and dispose it in a pivotable fashion at the housing, which requires 
an additional spring for holding the lever in the locking position. An 
abutment which delimits the pivoting range of the lever is preferably 
coordinated to either lever of the aforementioned kind. By actuating the 
lever in a direction opposite the direction of locking the electronic card 
is released into its insertion position and may then be removed from the 
housing. 
In a preferred alternative, the lever has two arms. This is advantageous 
because by pressing on the free lever arm which is not equipped with a 
catch the lever may be pivoted into the unlocking position. 
In order to provide a lateral boundary for the electronic card, the housing 
is provided with side walls. 
In a further embodiment, ejecting means for the electronic card are 
provided at the housing in an area of at least one line (zenithal line) 
that is opposite and parallel to the insertion slot, which preferably 
comprises a spring 28 made of plastic or metal. Such ejecting means have 
the advantage, that, after unlocking the locking means, the electronic 
card falls downward and is subsequently moved by the ejecting means 
outward through the insertion slot so that it is possible for the operator 
to simply grip the electronic card with his fingers. The removal of the 
electronic card is thereby facilitated by the ejecting means. 
In another embodiment, the contacting springs are arranged in a first and 
in a second row. Preferably, the contacting springs of the first row are 
staggered by half their width relative to the contacting springs of the 
second row. It is also possible to have varying staggering distances 
between the respective rows of contacting springs. 
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
The present invention will now be described in detail with the aid of 
several specific embodiments utilizing FIGS. 1 through 8. 
A printed circuit board 1 is a component of a computer system which is not 
represented in the drawing. The leads of the printed circuit board 1 may 
be electrically connected to the contacting poles 2 of an electronic card 
3 in the form of a so-called IC-memory card in order to achieve a 
respective data transfer. The contacting poles 2 of the electronic card 3 
are arranged in a row one after another along one of the four edges 4 of 
the electronic card 3. 
The contacting device comprises a one-piece plastic housing 5. The housing 
has a bottom portion 6 and a lid portion 7 with the lid portion 7 being at 
an acute angle relative to the bottom portion 6. Opposite the zenithal 
line S the housing 5 is equipped with a face 8, which connects the lid 
portion 7 with the bottom portion 6. The housing 5 also comprises side 
walls 9. 
The housing 5 is attached to the printed circuit board 1 via the bottom 
portion 6. For this purpose, the side walls 9 are equipped with fastening 
latches 10, which are extending perpendicular to the side walls 9. Each of 
the fastening latches 10 is provided with a screw hole 11, with which the 
bottom portion 6 of the housing 5 may be screwed to the printed circuit 
board 1. The fastening latches 10 in the area of the two side walls are 
staggered relative to the respective fastening latches 10 on the opposite 
side wall, so that therewith a high packing density may be achieved. 
Furthermore, the bottom portion 6 of the housing 5 is attached to the 
printed circuit board 1 by contacting springs 12, which also form the 
electric contact to the leads of the circuit board 1. The contacting 
springs 12 are L-shaped, with a first leg resting on the bottom portion 6 
in the longitudinal direction of the housing 5 and with the second leg 
protruding the bottom portion 6 and respective bores in the printed 
circuit board 1. The fixation onto the printed circuit board 1 is achieved 
by soldering the second leg to the underside of the printed circuit board 
1 and by doing so the contact with the respective leads of the printed 
circuit board 1 is achieved. In the area of the free ends of the first 
legs of the contacting springs 12, the end which is resting on the bottom 
portion 6, there is a wave-shaped elevation 13 provided. All of the 
contacting springs 12 of the housing 5 are arranged in a row one after 
another in parallel. This is shown especially in FIG. 3. Between the 
contacting springs 12 ribs 14 are provided at the bottom portion 6, 
whereby the ribs 14 extend beyond the contacting springs 12. The ribs 14 
are slanted towards the area of the zenithal line S so that the elevations 
13 of the contacting springs 12 extend beyond the slanted portion of the 
ribs (FIG. 1a). 
The bottom portion 6 of the housing 5 is provided with transversely 
arranged supporting ridges 15, which may be seen in the side views 
represented in FIGS. 1 and 2. The lid portion 7 is equipped with 
transverse strips 16. The lid portion 7 is also provided with a spring arm 
17, which is formed as an integral part of the lid portion 7 and extends 
into the inside of the housing 5 when the electronic card 3 is not in 
contact. 
In the area of the free end of the lid portion 7, in the area of the face 
8, a locking means 20 is provided. The locking means 20 is formed as an 
integral part of the housing 5. It comprises a double-armed lever 21 in 
the form of a so-called torsion catch hook, which, on a free end of one of 
the lever arms, is provided with a catch 22. On the side opposite the 
catch 22, the lever arm is coordinated to an abutment 23 of the housing 5. 
The device operates as follows: For contacting an electronic card 3, the 
electronic card 3 is inserted via an insertion slot 24 in the face 8 of 
the housing 5 into the housing 5 such that the electronic card 3 is 
sliding on the supporting ridges 15 of the bottom portion 6. The 
electronic card 3 is inserted, with the contacting poles 2 being inserted 
first, into the housing 5 until it reaches a housing abutment 25 in the 
area of the zenithal line S. Because the electronic card 3 has a reduced 
thickness in the area of the contacting poles 2, the contacting poles 2 in 
this position of the electronic card 3 are located at a distance above the 
contacting springs 12 of the housing 5 so that in this position no 
electric contact is achieved. During the insertion step the spring arm 17 
is slightly pivoted. In FIG. 1 the position of the spring arm 17 without a 
electronic card 3 being inserted as well as with a electronic card 3 
inserted is represented. 
After the electronic card 3 has been inserted into the housing 5, the 
electronic card 3 is pivoted upward by the operator with his finger, 
whereby the pivoting axis is in the area of the zenithal line S and is 
essentially formed by the axis of rotation D. The electronic card 3 is 
pushed upward until its top side abuts at the strips 16 of the lid portion 
7. In this position three events take place: first, the edge 4' opposite 
the edge 4 of the electronic card 3 is locked by the catch 22 of the lever 
21 thereby achieving the fixation of the position of the electronic card 
3; second, the spring arm 17 is pivoted against its spring force into the 
plane of the lid portion 7 such that the spring arm 17 rests on the top 
side of the electronic card 3 and the electronic card 3, in return, is 
pushed downward by the spring arm 17; and third, due to the pivoting of 
the electronic card 3, contact is made between the contacting poles 2 and 
the elevations of the contacting springs 12 of the housing 5. As can be 
seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, a transverse rib 26 of the bottom portion 6, on 
which the electronic card 3 rests in the area of the transition to its 
reduced thickness, serves as the axis of rotation D. The electronic card 3 
therefore has at least three points of support, i.e., in the area of the 
locking means 20, via the spring arm 17, and also in the area of the axis 
of rotation D, so that an equal load distribution is achieved. 
In order to remove the electronic card 3 from the housing 5, the free end 
of the lever 21 (FIGS. 1 and 2) is pushed counter-clockwise so that the 
catch 22 releases the edge 4' of the electronic card 3. The electronic 
card 3 then falls downward due to its own weight and also due to the 
spring force of the spring arm 17, thereby falling into the position as 
represented in FIG. 1. Since the housing 5 in the area of the zenithal 
line S is also equipped with an ejecting means 27 comprising two spring 
28, which are in the form of leaf springs, the electronic card 3 is pushed 
outward through the insertion slot 24. (The two springs 28 of the ejecting 
means have been prestressed and loaded upon inserting the electronic card 
3 into the housing 5.) The electronic card 3 may be removed from the 
insertion slot 24 in the face 8 of the housing 5 without problems. 
FIGS. 6 through 8 show an alternative embodiment. It differs form the first 
embodiment (FIGS. 1-5) in that the contacting springs 12 are arranged in 
two rows and staggered by half the width of the contacting springs 12. The 
contacting poles 2 of the electronic card 3 are arranged accordingly. 
Furthermore, locking is achieved by pivoting the bottom portion 6 of the 
housing 5 in an upward direction together with the electronic card 3 
whereby the electronic card 3 is resting on the bottom portion 6. 
The present invention is, of course, in no way restricted to the specific 
disclosure of the specification, examples and drawings, but also 
encompasses any modifications within the scope of the appended claims.