Abstract:
A SIM card connector for connecting a SIM card with a printed circuit board of an electronic device includes a housing and a connector body. The housing has a lower portion adapted to be removably mounted on and cover the printed circuit board and an upper portion defining a receiving room for receiving the SIM card. The connector body mounted in the housing includes an insulating panel and terminals. Each of the terminals has a basic portion held in the insulating panel. A part of the basic portion tilts upward and extends into the receiving room of the housing to form a first contact portion for making contact with the SIM card. Another part of the basic portion tilts downward and extends below the lower portion of the housing to form a second contact portion for elastically touching the printed circuit board.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to a subscriber identity module (SIM) card connector, and more particularly to a SIM card connector of which terminals are easily disassembled from a printed circuit board (PCB) of an electronic device if the terminals of the SIM card connector are destroyed or become loose. 
   2. The Related Art 
   As we know that a subscriber identity module (SIM) card is a portable memory chip used in some models of electronic devices, such as cellular telephones. The SIM card holds personal identity information, phone numbers, phone books, text messages and other data. The SIM card includes a terminal module to connect with a SIM card connector assembled in the electronic device for communicating with the electronic device. Generally, the SIM card connector includes a receiving cavity to receive the SIM card and a plurality of terminals mounted on an insulating housing of the SIM card connector to couple with the terminal module of the SIM card. While the SIM card is inserted into the receiving cavity of the SIM card connector, the terminals of the SIM card connector communicate with the terminal module of the SIM card to achieve the communication between the SIM card connector and the SIM card. 
   On one hand, the SIM card connector communicates with the SIM card received therein, and on the other hand, the terminals of the SIM card connector are conventionally soldered on a printed circuit board (PCB) of the electronic device for connecting the SIM card with the electronic device. However, the terminals of the SIM card connector are liable to become loose or be destroyed when the SIM card connector suffers collisions or the SIM card is repeatedly inserted into or withdrawn from the SIM card connector, and what is badly, the terminals of the SIM card connector are prone to unsoldering from the PCB of the electronic device, which causes the communication between the SIM card and the electronic device to be broken off. Then, if the terminals of the SIM card connector are destroyed, the terminals need disassembling from the PCB of the electronic device. Because the terminals of the SIM card connector are soldered to the PCB, the difficulty of disassembly is increased, and even more, the PCB is easily damaged in the process of disassembling the terminals of the SIM card connector from the PCB. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a SIM card connector of which terminals are easily disassembled from a printed circuit board of an electronic device. 
   To achieve the object, the SIM card connector includes a housing and a connector body. The housing has a lower portion adapted to be removably mounted on and cover the printed circuit board and an upper portion defining a receiving room for receiving the SIM card. The connector body mounted in the housing includes an insulating panel and terminals. Each of the terminals has a basic portion held in the insulating panel. A part of the basic portion tilts upward and extends into the receiving room of the housing to form a first contact portion for making contact with the SIM card. Another part of the basic portion tilts downward and extends below the lower portion of the housing to form a second contact portion for elastically touching the printed circuit board. 
   As described above, the housing of the SIM card connector is capable of being removed from the printed circuit board, and the second contact portions of the terminals elastically touch the printed circuit board respectively so that the terminals can be easily disassembled from the printed circuit board when the terminals of the connector body of the SIM card connector are destroyed or become loose, which prevent the printed circuit board from being damaged in the process of disassembling the terminals of the SIM card connector from the printed circuit board. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art by reading the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, with reference to the attached drawings, in which: 
       FIG. 1  is an exploded view of a SIM card connector of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a connector body of the SIM card connector; 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a terminal of the SIM card connector; 
       FIG. 4  is a side view of the terminal; 
       FIG. 5  is an assembly view of the SIM card connector; and 
       FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of the SIM card connector taken substantially along line A-A of  FIG. 5 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Referring to  FIG. 1 , showing a preferred embodiment of a subscriber identity module (SIM) card connector of the present invention for connecting a SIM card with an electronic device (not shown), the SIM card connector assembled in the electronic device includes a lower shell  10  located on a printed circuit board (PCB) of the electronic device, an upper shell  30  mating with the lower shell  10 , a connector body  20  disposed in the upper shell  30  and received in the lower shell  10  and a metallic cover  40  mounted on the top of the upper shell  30  and covering the connector body  20 . 
   Please continually refer to  FIG. 1 . The lower shell  10  is board-shaped and defines a substantially rectangular accommodating hole  11  passing therethrough. The lower shell  10  extends downward at edges thereof to form fences  12  located on the PCB of the electronic device. 
   With reference to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 5 , the upper shell  30  has a board-shaped top board  36 . The top board  36  extends downward at edges thereof to form enclosures  35  buckling with the fences  12  of the lower shell  10  in order to locate the upper shell  30  on the top of the lower shell  10 . The top board  36  longitudinally defines six through-holes  34  passing therethrough at a side thereof. Four accommodating apertures  32  and four locating slots  31  adjacent to the accommodating apertures  32  are defined at the front and rear of the top board  36  and every two accommodating apertures  32  and every two locating slots  31  are symmetrically arranged at opposite sides of the through-holes  34 . The top of the top board  36  protrudes upward at rear of the through-holes  34  and near a rear edge thereof to form a limiting block  33 . 
   Referring to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , the connector body  20  includes a flat insulating panel  25  and a plurality of terminals  29 . The insulating panel  25  is of plastic and substantially rectangular. Opposite sides of the top of the insulating panel  25  protrude upward to form four bumps  22  that are inserted in the four accommodating apertures  32  of the upper shell  30  for mounting the insulating panel  25  against the bottom of the top board  36  of the upper shell  30 . Four fixing holes  21  are defined on the opposite sides of the insulating panel  25  and adjacent to the four bumps  22  respectively. The insulating panel  25  transversely defines an oblong receiving cavity  26  passing therethrough at substantial center. The rear of the insulating panel  25  transversely defines a receiving opening  27  parallel with the receiving cavity  26  and communicating with outside. Six terminal grooves  28  are longitudinally defined at substantial centers of the front and rear of the insulating panel  25 . Three of the terminal grooves  28  are arranged in a transverse row in front of the receiving cavity  26 . The other three terminal grooves  28  are arranged in a transverse row in rear of the receiving cavity  26  and in front of the receiving opening  27 . 
   Please refer to  FIG. 2 ,  FIG. 3 ,  FIG. 4  and  FIG. 6 . In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the terminals  29  are integrally formed with the insulating panel  25  to form the connecting body  20 , which ensures that the terminals  29  are firmly assembled in the insulating panel  25 . The terminal  29  has a basic portion  290  in rectangular sheet-shape and disposed longitudinally. The center of the side of the basic portion  290  defines a rectangular hollow gap  292  extending toward the inner of the basic portion  290 . The front of the basic portion  290  extends rearward to form a first contact portion  23  tilting upward and bending downward a bit at a free end thereof. The first contact portion  23  is above the hollow gap  292 . The rear of the basic portion  290  extends rearward to form a second contact portion  24  at the same side as the first contact portion  23 . The second contact portion  24  has an elastic portion  240  extending rearward from the rear of the basic portion  290  and inclining downward. A rear end of the elastic portion  240  tilts upward a bit to form a rear portion  242 . The bottom of the junction of the elastic portion  240  and the rear portion  242  protrudes downward to form a contact point  241 . Opposite sides of the basic portion  290  protrude outward to form four fixing tabs  291  tilting upward a bit. The basic portion  290  and the fixing tabs  291  are integrally formed with the insulating panel  25 . The first contact portion  23  protrudes out from the terminal groove  28  of the insulating panel  25  and the corresponding through-hole  34  of the upper shell  30  for contacting the SIM card accepted in the SIM card connector (not shown) to achieve the signal communication between the SIM card connector and the SIM card. The second contact portion  24  passes through the insulating panel  25  and stretches into the receiving cavity  26  or the receiving opening  27  of the insulating panel  25 . 
   Please refer to  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 6 . The metallic cover  40  has a top section  43  and two side sections  42  bending downward from opposite sides of the top section  43 . The front of the metallic cover  40  defines an inserting mouth  44  from which the SIM card is inserted into the SIM card connector. The bottom of the side section  42  extends downward to form two locking portions  41 . The locking portion  41  includes a pair of resilient arms  411  adjacent and parallel with each other. Each of the resilient arms  411  protrudes outward to form a hook  412  thereon. The pair of the resilient arms  411  is inserted in the locating slot  31  of the upper shell  30  and further inserted in the fixing hole  21  of the insulating panel  25  and the hooks  412  clasp the bottom of the insulating panel  25  for integrating the connector body  20 , the upper shell  30  and the metallic cover  40  together. The top section  43 , the two side sections  42  and the top board  36  of the upper shell  30  define a receiving room  50  for receiving the SIM card. The receiving room  50  receives the first contact portions  23  of the terminals  29  of the connector body  20 . 
   With reference to  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 6 , while the SIM card connector is assembled, the combination of the connector body  20 , the upper shell  30  and the metallic cover  40  is engaged with the lower shell  10 . The connector body  20  is tightly mounted in the accommodating hole  11  of the lower shell  10 . Then the contact points  241  of the second contact portions  24  of the terminals  29  are pressed to elastically touch the PCB for electrical connection between the SIM card connector and the PCB. When the SIM card is inserted into the receiving room  50  from the inserting mouth  44  of the metallic cover  40 , the first contact portions  23  of the terminals  29  contact the SIM card for connecting the SIM card with the PCB. The limiting block  33  defined on the upper shell  30  is used for limiting the inserting deepness of the SIM card. 
   As described above, the connector body  20  and the metallic cover  40  are assembled with the upper shell  30  and the lower shell  10  to define the SIM card connector, which reduces the space that the SIM card connector occupies in the electronic device. Besides, because the receiving room  50  is defined by the top section  43  and the two side sections  42  of the metallic cover  40  and the top board  36  of the upper shell  30 , when the SIM card is inserted in the receiving room  50 , the SIM card is shielded very well, avoiding the electromagnetic interference from the outside. 
   Because the terminals  29  are respectively integrally formed with the insulating panel  25 , the terminals  29  are assembled in the insulating panel  25  much more firmly, and what is more, the second contact portions  24  of the terminals  29  of the SIM card connector elastically touch the PCB respectively, which ensure the stable communication between the SIM card and the PCB. Besides, when the terminals  29  are destroyed and need disassembling from the PCB, firstly the metallic cover  40  is separated apart from the upper shell  30  and the connector body  20 , and then the upper shell  30  is disassembled from the lower shell  10 . Then the connector body  20  is removed from the accommodating hole  11  of the lower shell  10 . Therefore, the terminals  29  are easily separated apart from the PCB because the second contact portions  24  of the terminals  29  elastically touch the PCB respectively, which prevents the PCB from being damaged in the process of disassembling the terminals  29  of the connector body  20  from the PCB. 
   The foregoing description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. Such modifications and variations that may be apparent to those skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined by the accompanying claims.