Patent Publication Number: US-7914314-B2

Title: Electrical contact with multiple contacting points

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an electrical contact, and more particularly to an electrical contact having a box-type contact engaging portion providing reliable and multiple engagements with an inserted pin leg of an IC package. 
     2. Description of Prior Art 
     Chinese patent No. CN2686128 issued on Mar. 16, 2005 discloses a conventional contact for an electrical socket, as is shown in  FIGS. 1-2 . The contact  10  comprises a base  20  and a pair of arm sections  21  extending upwardly from the base  20 . A slot  21  is defined between the two arm sections  21 . As is indicated in  FIG. 1 , a pin  90  of a CPU is inserted into the slot  21  and will engage with the contact  10 . 
     However, each contact region  21  only provides one contacting point for engaging with the pin  90 . Thus, electrical engagement is unsteady. 
     In view of the above, an improved electrical contact that overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages is desired. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical contact having multiple contacting points for providing improved engagement with a pin of an electronic package. 
     To achieve the above-mentioned object, an electrical contact comprises a contacting end having a slot tapered toward a free end of the contacting end, the slot defining opposite inner walls, a first, second contacting points being formed on the opposite inner walls respectively at a narrow part of the slot. A third contacting point extends from one of the opposite inner walls at the narrow part of the slot. A pin of a CPU socket can simultaneously engage with the three contacting points. Thus, improved engagement between the pin and the contact is provided. 
     Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective views of an electrical contact in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective views of an electrical contact in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, showing a pin is at a first position; 
         FIG. 2A  is a top view of the  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective views of an electrical contact in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, showing a pin is at a second position and engaging with the contact; 
         FIG. 3A  is a top view of the  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective views of an electrical contact in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective views of an electrical contact in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention, from another view. 
         FIG. 6  is a top view of the contact in accordance with a second embodiment, showing a pin is at a first position; and 
         FIG. 7  is a top view of the contact in accordance with a second embodiment, a pin is at a second position and engaging with the contact. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION 
     Reference will now be made to the drawings to describe the present invention in detail. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-3 , an electrical contact  1  in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention is used for electrically connecting an electrical package (not shown), e.g. a CPU with a PCB (not shown). The contact  1  comprises a base  10  for securing the contact  1  in a CPU socket, a contacting end  12  extending from one end of the base  10 , and a solder section  14  extending from an opposite end of the base  10 . 
     Initially, the contacting end  12  extends upwardly from the base  10  in the vertical direction, and then extends in the horizontal direction. The contacting end  12  defines a slot  120  thereon tapered toward a free end of the contacting end  12 . The slot  120  extends along a direction, which is not parallel to the horizontal direction. Referring to  FIG. 2 , the slot  120  defines opposite inner walls and defines a narrow part and a wider part. The slot  120  is formed with a first contacting point  1200 , second contacting point  1202  at opposite inner walls of the narrow part, respectively. Initially, the pin  9  is guided in the wider part (at which position the pin  9  is shown in  FIG. 2 ), for subsequent engagement with the first contacting point  1200 , second contacting point  1202 . The pin  3  is then slid from the wider part into the narrow part (at which position the pin  9  is shown in  FIG. 3 ). As a result, the pin  9  engages with the first, and second contacting points  1200 ,  1202 . In the first embodiment, the slot  120  extends through the contacting end  12  in a thickness direction of the contacting end  12 . 
     In the first embodiment, the slot  120  extends through the contacting end  12  in an extending direction of the contacting end  12 . Therefore, the contacting end  12  is divided into two spaced arms, first arm  122  and second arm  124 . Moreover, the first, second arms  122 ,  124  are symmetrically disposed with respect to the base  10 . The first contacting point  1200  is formed on interior side of the first arm  122 , and the second contacting point  1202  is formed on interior side of the second arm  124 . Specially, the first, second arms  122 ,  124  are in a same plane. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , a third arm  126  extends vertically from a free end of the first arm  122  toward the second arm  124 . In other words, the third arm  126  extends from one inner wall (interior side of the first arm  122 ) of the narrow part of the slot  120 . In this embodiment, the free end of the first arm  122  extends beyond a free end of the second arm  124 . Accordingly, the third arm  126  is located ahead of the free end of the second arm  124  in the extending direction of the second arm  124 . The third arm  126  defines a third contacting point  1204  at a side approaching the first and second arm  124 . In this preferred embodiment, the first contacting point  1200 , second contacting point  1202  and third contacting point  1204  are disposed in a same plane, which is generally extending in a horizontal direction. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2-3 , the pin  9  is inserted into space of the wider part of the slot  120 , and then the pin  3  is slid from the wider part into the narrow part to synchronously engage with the first contacting point  1200 , second contacting point  1202  and the third contacting point  1204 . By way above-mentioned, improved engagement between the pin  9  and the contact  1  is provided. 
     Reference is now made to  FIGS. 4-7 ; a second embodiment in accordance with the present invention is shown. The contact  1 ′ is similar to the contact  1  and comprises a first arm  122 ′, second arm  124 ′ spaced to the first arm  122 ′, and a third arm  126  extending from a free end of the first arm  122 ′ toward the second arm  124 ′. The first arm  122 ′ has a first contacting point  1220 ′, and the second arm  124 ′ has a second contacting point  1222 ′, and the third arm  126 ′ has a third contacting point  1224 ′. In the second embodiment, the free end of the first arm  122 ′ is of a curved shape. Accordingly, third contacting point  1224 ′ is located in a vertical plane, which is perpendicular to the plane in which the first and second contacting points are located. 
     In the second embodiment, a pin (not shown) can synchronously engage with the first contacting point  1200 ′, second contacting point  1202 ′ and the third contacting point  1204 ′. By way above-mentioned, improved engagement between the pin and the contact  1  will be provided.