Abstract:
A card connector with an insulating housing comprising a plurality of passageways; a plurality of contacts received in the passageways of the housing; the housing further receives metal guiding arms, each guiding arm having legs which engage opposite sides of the housing where one of the legs provides for soldered adhesion of each guiding arm to a printed circuit board.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention is generally related to a card connector, and especially to a connector for connecting with a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card. 
   2. Description of Related Art 
   Conventional electrical SIM card connector is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,086,424. The connector includes a rectangular housing defining two sets of the three contact passages extending from two opposite sides of the housing toward a middle portion thereof, respectively. Six contacts are fixedly received in the corresponding contact passageways by interferentially engaging fitting portions of the contacts with the housing, wherein each fitting portion has a slit formed therein so that each fitting portion is compressed by the housing when it is inserted into the corresponding contact passageway. 
   However, The conventional connector is mounted on the PCB (Print Circuit Board) by soldered solder portions of the contacts on the board. The housing of the connector has not been mounted on the board. So the connector can not mounted on the PCB securely. 
   Hence, an improved card connector is highly desired to overcome the aforementioned disadvantages of the prior art. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a SIM card connector which has secure and simple soldering structure for securing the connector on PCB. 
   To achieve the above object, a card connector comprises insulating housing comprising a plurality of passageways; a plurality of contacts received in the passageways of the housing; and metal ears received on the housing; wherein the metal ear has legs extends on an upper surface and a bottom surface of the housing respectively to engage the metal ear on the housing and one of the legs is used to solder the metal ear on a PCB. 
   Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will be drawn from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention with attached drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is an assembled perspective view of the card connector in accordance with the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is an exploded, perspective view of the card connector of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is an exploded, perspective view of the card connector of  FIG. 2 , but from another aspect; 
       FIG. 4  is assembled perspective view of the card connector of  FIG. 1 , but the metal ear is not assembled. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 1-3 , a SIM card connector  1  in accordance with the present invention includes a shuttle-shaped housing  2 , Two sets of three contacts  3  and a pair of metal ears  4 . The housing  2  has a top surface  201  for proximity to a SIM card (not shown), a bottom surface  202  for proximity to a printed circuit board, two opposite longitudinal sides  203  and two opposite lateral sides  204  between the top and bottom surfaces  201 ,  202 . Two sets of three contact passageways  20  are defined in the top surface  201  and extend from the two longitudinal sides  203  toward a middle portion of the housing  2 , respectively. Each contact passageway  20  defines a depression portion  2010  which forms stops  2011  thereabove and a channel portion  200  therein. 
   The housing  2  further defines a pair of engaging portions  21  on two the lateral sides  204  of the housing  2  respectively. Each engaging portion  21  comprises an upper engaging portion formed on the top surface  201  and a bottom engaging portion  212  formed on the bottom surface  202 , the upper engaging portion is formed in a middle of the lateral side  204  of the housing  2  and includes an outer recess  211  having flared inlet and an inner recess  210  having a bottom surface lower than the outer recess  211  to form a step between recesses  211 ,  210 . The bottom engaging portion  212  is formed on the bottom surface  202  and is formed of a pair of recesses on two sides of the upper engaging portion. 
   Two sets of three contacts  3  are mounted into the corresponding contact passageways  20 . Each contact  3  has a fitting portion  31  with barbs  311  on two longitudinal sides thereof. A soldering portion  32  extends below and rearward from the fitting portion  31  for mounted on a PCB (not show). An arced bridging section  312  extends in front of the corresponding fitting portion  31  to connect with a corresponding contact portion  30  for engaging with the SIM card (not shown). The contact portion  30  is located above the fitting portion  31  and is terminated at an enlarged free end  313  thereof. 
   The metal ear  4  comprises a vertical base portion  40 , a top horizontal leg  41  extending from the base portion  40 , a middle horizontal leg  42  and a pair of bottom horizontal legs  43  each extending from the base portion  40  corresponding to the engaging portion  21 . The middle leg  42  has a curved portion  421  corresponding to the recess  210 . 
   To assemble the connector  1 , the two sets of contacts  3  are successively mounted into the contact passageways  20  by extending the fitting portions  31  into the corresponding channels  200  to reach a position in which the fitting portions  31  are located in the corresponding contact passageways  20  and compressed by the housing  2 . The free ends  313  of the contact portions  30  are retained by the corresponding stops  2011  above the corresponding depression portions  2010  to obtain a preload therein. The contact portions  30  project beyond the top surface  201  of the housing  2 . The metal ears  4  are mounted on two lateral sides of the housing  2 , wherein the top leg  41  and bottom legs  43  are mounted on the top surface  201  and the bottom surface  202  respectively and the middle leg  42  is extended into the engaging portion  21  with the curved portion  421  extended in the inner recess  210  and received into the step. The base portion  40  is aligned with the side of the housing  2 . The step formed between the inner and outer recesses  210 ,  211  prevents the metal ear from horizontal movement. And the top and the bottom legs are mounted on the surfaces of the housing to prevent the metal ear  4  from vertical movement. 
   While a preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention has been shown and described, equivalent modifications and changes known to persons skilled in the art according to the spirit of the present invention are considered within the scope of the present invention as described in the appended claims.