Abstract:
A shield connector ( 100 ) includes a metallic shell ( 3 ) with a mating port ( 331 ) in communication with a mating receptacle with a tongue having a plurality of contact terminals ( 2 ) thereon. The contact terminals ( 2 ) include a plurality of solder tails ( 213, 223 ) extending out of the metallic shell ( 3 ). The metallic shell ( 3 ) defines a level arrangement ( 35 ) adjacent to the mating port ( 331 ) and defining a supporting plane coplanar to a mounting interface ( 5 ) of the shield connector ( 100 ).

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a shield connector, and more particularly to a shield connector having leveling arrangement ensuring reliable interconnection as well as mating capability. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Nowadays, more and more electrical connectors has been designed so as to partially sunk into an opening of a printed circuit board (PCB) so as to meet the miniature trend. US Pat. Publication No. 2009/0130870 submitted by Wu et al. on Sep. 30, 2008, discloses a common sunk-typed connector mounted to a PCB for low profile. The connector includes an insulative housing, a plurality of contacts received in the housing and a metallic shell shielding insulative housing. The metallic shell is folded from a single sheet of metal so as to include a top wall, a bottom wall interconnected to the top wall by a pair of side walls. Each of the contacts includes a soldering tail extending outside of the insulative housing. The metallic shell defines a pair of soldering tails respectively extending from those two side walls and in parallel to the top wall or the bottom wall for soldering onto the PCB and helping the connector stood on the PCB. The connector is very much likely cantilevered from an edge of the PCB. 
     However, the soldering tails of the metallic shell is still arranged on the rear side of the electrical connector, i.e. most of the electrical connector is cantilevered from the PCB merely retained by solder joints of the soldering tails of the contacts soldered to the PCB. Once excessive mating force or inadvertently downward force is applied, those solder joints are under jeopardy and vulnerable to break apart. So the electrical connector will be turned over and unable to stand to the PCB steadily. 
     Therefore, an improved electrical connector is desired to overcome the disadvantages of the related arts. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the present invention is to provide a low profile shield connector steadily mounted to and properly supported on a PCB so as to ensure reliable interconnection thereof. 
     In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a shield connector in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a metallic shell with a mating port in communication with a mating receptacle with a tongue having a plurality of contact terminals thereon. The contact terminals include a plurality of solder tails extending out of the metallic shell. The metallic shell defines a level arrangement adjacent to the mating port and defining a supporting plane coplanar to a mounting interface of the shield connector. 
     Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present embodiment when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a shield connector in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the shield connector of  FIG. 1  assembled with a PCB; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is another exploded perspective view of  FIG. 1  from a rear side view; 
         FIG. 5  is a side elevational view of  FIG. 2 ; and 
         FIG. 6  is a side elevational view of the shield connector obliquely mounted onto the PCB in which a mating port thereof is lifted upward slightly. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Reference will now be made to the drawing figures to describe the preferred embodiment of the present invention in detail. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a shield connector  100  in accordance with the present invention is a low profile connector in which the connector is spanned over an opening of a printed circuit board (PCB)  4  such that the lower portion of the connector is coplanar to a low surface of the PCB  4  so as to reduce the overall height above the PCB  4 . The shield connector includes an insulative housing  1  with a plurality of contact terminals  2  assembled therein and a metallic shell  3  surrounding the insulative housing  1 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3 to 5 , the insulative housing defines a body portion  10 , an engaging portion  11  extending from the body portion  10  and a plurality of receiving grooves  110  extending through the body portion  10  and the engaging portion  11  along a rear-to-front direction (i.e. mating direction) as marked by arrow D 1 . The contact terminals  2  are inserted into the insulative housing along the D 1  direction. The contact terminals  2  are grouped into a first set  21  and a second set  22  respectively settled down on an upper side  11   a  and a lower side  11   b  of the engaging portion  11 , thereby forming a tongue-shaped configuration. Each of the first set contact terminals  21  includes a retaining portion  210  retained in the insulative housing  1 , a contacting portion  211  extending from one end of the retaining portion  210  and a solder tail  213  extending outwards from another end of the retaining portion  210  for soldering onto the PCB  4 . The second set contact terminals  22  have a configuration similar to the first set contact terminals  21 , each of which includes a retaining portion  220 , a contacting portion  221  and a solder tail  223 . Additionally, the solder tails  213 ,  223  of the contact terminals  2  are coplanar to each other, thereby forming a plat interface which overlaps a mounting interface  5  of the shield connector  100  on the PCB  4 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the metallic shell  3  is assembled on the insulative housing  1  finally. The metallic shell  3  includes a top wall  30 , a pair of side walls  31  interconnected with and perpendicular to the top wall  30  and a bottom wall  32  unitarily connecting with the side walls and opposite to the top wall  30 , thereby forming a mating room  33  surrounding the engaging portion  11  with a mating port  331 . The contacting portions  211 ,  221  are exposed to the mating room  33  for electrically connecting with a mating receptacle (not shown) inserted into the mating room  33 . The top wall  30  has a pair of spring arms  300  opposite to a pair of spring arms  320  defined by the bottom wall  32  for clipping with said mating receptacle. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  5 , each of the side walls  31  is provided with a first leg  310 , (i.e. a rear mounting leg  310 ), a second leg  311  (i.e. a front mounting leg  311 ) closer to the mating port  331  than the first leg  310  which are both connected with the PCB  4  (for example soldering or blocking with the PCB  4 ). The first and second legs  310 ,  311  are both perpendicular to the mounting interface  5  for extending through the PCB  4 . A level arrangement  35  (or a standoff  35 ) is integrally arranged at each corner of the side wall  31  and the bottom wall  32  and defines a supporting plane which is coplanar to the mounting interface  5  for standing on the PCB  4 . The level arrangements  35  are adjacent to the mating port  331 . Furthermore, the level arrangements  35  are either soldered onto the PCB  4  or freely stand on the PCB for adjusting the position thereof conveniently. The overall height of the level arrangement  35  can be selectively designed to ensure the mounting interface  5  is coplanar to the PCB  4 . For example, if the mating port  331  is to be lifted upward slightly or to any angle for intended purpose, then the level arrangement  35  can be lengthened or change its position to meet the requirement to properly support the mating port  331  above the printed circuit board  4  (as best shown in  FIG. 6 ). The level arrangements  35  are closer to the mating port  331  than the first leg  310  and second leg  311  of the metallic shell  3  along the D 1  direction, i.e. they are disposed at a front side of the center of gravity M of the shield connector  100 . Furthermore, the solder tails  210  are located at a rear side of the center of gravity M. So the level arrangements  35  can prevent the connector  100  from turning over along a counterclockwise direction as marked by arrow R, viewed from right side of the connector  100 . The shield connector will be steadily mounted to and properly supported on a PCB so as to ensure reliable interconnection thereof. 
     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 board general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.